Empress of Mars: Undisputed @zebratron2084@awoo.space

@mona@cybre.space That's a frighteningly effective tactic these days, a frighteningly good niche for his kind to breed in, but I keep seeing glimmers of hope we're right on the cusp of that tactic losing its power. It's subtle, maybe I'm just so tired of it myself that I assume everybody else is.

Maybe it's just hope/confidence that the Red Queen's Race will kick in and we'll develop an immunity because we HAVE to-- there's no other way forward, and this give-and-take between predator and prey is natural and eternal in all things that evolve. But I still think we'll see the day that his kind of bullshit, at least on this topic, will no longer work at all...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEGbjR1Y9Qo

#community
#andthelackthereof

As a dear friend who is long gone once said... "we will always have been here."

And I have now assembled my Arsenal of Peace, my huge list of arguments in my defense -- and evidence from their own communications -- for use if this nonsense ever comes up again.

I'm finally confident that I've got more than adequate defenses, if the other side's not content to stand the fuck down, even in the face of mutual friends asking them to, even after today's gambit against me totally failed.

So now, thus girded, I feel like I never have to go on the offense about this matter ever again. (And fuck me if I ever do, because it's my own stupid fault and you should really have no sympathy for me.)

It feels real good. I hope that iron-barred gate is NEVER opened. If it ever is... it ain't me who forced it, and I hope to god none of you have to hear word one about it.

This is my public declaration: I Am Done With The Thing, and the people involved in it. Feel free to ask about it, but I'm probably going to remain coy-- much the way I would remain coy if you asked me where I buried all that unrefined plutonium. >_<

Good. Fucking. Deal.

@mona@cybre.space <3

(That "what's your deal" line people keep using on him seems to be the most calculated way to annoy him...😽​)

Still twitchy and raw from another painful exchange regarding The Thing That Did Not Go As Well As The Other Participant Had Assured Us It Would.

But I'm having more and more trouble seeing how it matters. And more importantly, I have a sense of clarity, vindication, and self-assertion that I have not had in ages.

No, excuse me: RECLAIMED a sense of...

You don't need to know unless you know. None of this had to go this way, but I feel like I have absolutely unassailable evidence that I did everything I could, it didn't do a thing, and I can move on.

And if it ever comes up again, I can prove to anybody's satisfaction that I really, truly tried no matter what anybody says.

I am so exhausted, so worried Other Parties are going to try to provoke another round, and yet, happier and more relieved than I have been in something like three or four years.

Again, if I'm a terrible person, the gods must love terrible people, because they removed a huge lingering burden of guilt and stress from me today.

@mona@cybre.space @kara@witchcraft.cafe Jesse Singal seems like a fine choice of enemy. I had to look his name up: what a complete and utter prat. Bon chance, mon comrade.

@eredien @anthracite We'll get that to ya when we're settled!

So very many questions about the last eight years of my life have been answered today. That alone makes today worthwhile.

We will probably be moving on a VERY tight schedule, possibly as little as two weeks. We will visit everyone we possibly can, and try to get some vacation time up here as soon as we can.

Some people WILL PROBABLY BE MISSED in the process, and well... you will be missed sorely. It's absolutely not a sign of any lack of affection. I'll do the best I can, might have to arrange for some group dinner stuff.

Today... has been a very strange day.

There are a lot of things I could say. I could announce good news, but I never trust good news until it's 100% confirmed.

I could possibly, with some justification, launch a huge public drama over A Thing that suddenly went much worse than expected, revealing years and years of worst fears confirmed to have all been true.

But I see the opportunity to pull the biggest Karma Houdini of my life, instead, by trusting my benign feline indifference to all this petty shit to pay off. ^____^;

I did the best I could, and another's overreach has finally taken a huge, lasting, and agonizingly ambiguous burden off empathy of my shoulders.

And I could get my work done setting up the new grading team, which is due in like an hour... Yikes, bye! >_>;;

@001zlnv Yeah. Yeah, I may have made 40 or 50 references to that song in the last two months. :D

Honestly, though, I'm kinda glad it happened, 'cause I was still stressing about a bunch of other situations that are probably resolved for the best, but my hindbrain hadn't quite accepted no longer needed to be fretted over.

And man, there's nothing like being locked out for an hour, and then getting back inside for a nice dinner, to reset your concept of what to worry about. :)

Peg left the keys to our hosts' house AND her phone in the guest room while we went out for groceries, because "it'll be fine."

"It'll be fine" seems to be a very NOLA sort of concept. It does not work for me.

Yeah. Our hosts went out to get dinner while we were gone, and we got locked out. It was JUST to the point where it was going to make up its mind whether it was going to be romantic comedy or romantic tragedy, when they pulled up into the driveway... and saw Peg trying to break in by vaguely waggling a toy lightsaber through the catdoor.

So yeah. Definitely comedy. I love my ditzy-ass dragoness, but I do hope this will be a lesson in the whole notion of "measure twice, cut once" that seems to elude these whimsical creatures of air and fire. :)

@Austin_Dern Yeah. We... we, um... we ran into a lot of this on Puzzlebox. Great concept, zero clue how to play it. And that definitely applied to me too...

D'awww. My boss and I have been trading off some information I needed for the rental and planning my pseudo-promotion logistics... and he said "Thanks for being such a trooper, we couldn't get this stuff done without you. :) "

Well, my stress level just plummeted. I almost feel like a... what do you Earth folk call it... an ay-dalt?

Dammit, this is the third time today I've reflexively gone to search for a place I can download that "horror movie" that was actually just the dream I had last night.

I can't be the only one of this that this has happened to...

@kobi_lacroix This seemed appropriate somehow...

GOOD: Also like 90% of y'all are welcome to visit, and the other 10% just have to get to know us a little better 'cause this is just Masto and stuff. n.n;

Let's see...

GOOD: NOLA is gorgeous and has obviously earned its culinary reputation.

BAD: I don't think I've eaten anything with <50% saturated fat content this week, EOF.

GOOD: Our first round of apartment hunting went great, I think? Peg found a couple of 3-bd shotguns, either of which would suit us very well.

BAD: The Interpersonal Thing I was talking about yesterday still overshadows it, because (aside from not bringing my employer info and leaving my e-mail security token at home like an idiot) it's the Number One threat to us getting this place.

GOOD: Thanks to the kind action of an intermediary, I have that resolved as far as I know, and if there are any further issues, I'm sure I can get the community to come in and help as gently as possible. If nothing else... this is everybody's opportunity to be rid of me for good. ;D

BAD: Yeah. This is everybody's opportunity to be rid of me for good. Peg wants to leave on a pretty tight schedule. If you wanna see me before I go... we might have to arrange for a group dinner or something, because I JUST PLAIN WILL NOT have time to see everybody individually. :(

GOOD: Damn, am I less grumpy in a city with actual sunlight. I could end up a much less difficult person after a couple years here. I'm about ready to beg for any help we can get to relocate down here peacefully...

GOOD: Though we just might not need it. As far as I know, we just have to get a little more information to the rental agency and we have a real good shot at one of the two houses. Wish us luck. Love y'all and will miss you terribly, but... I mean, I'll still be right here, tigering up your face and stuff. 🐯​❤️​

@Leucrotta Hey, that's pretty neat!