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Bozicus,

How do pirate captains manage the health of their crew, particularly in the areas of nutrition and disease?

On a more granular level:

  1. What are the staple, easily-stored foods, and how are they supplemented with fresh foods?

[Are we talking ship’s biscuit and salt beef with regular landfalls to get fruit and vegetables? Is there magical cold storage so they can have frozen whatever? Do they take vitamin supplements? Do none of these things happen, so long voyages always result in nutritional deficiencies, including scurvy?]

  1. What level of medical knowledge and expertise are available in your world in general, and on ships in particular?

[Are they even at the level where they know and acknowledge that scurvy is caused by poor diet? Is healing all magic and four-humors pseudo-medicine? Is it difficult to get a competent physician to join a pirate crew, leading to bullet wounds being treated by barbers or dentists?]

  1. How do pirate captains deal with contagious diseases, and what are the most common shipboard epidemics?

[Is quarantine a thing? …in a confined space? Do they have the germ theory of disease at all, or is the focus on “bad air” and ventilation, or demons, or divine disfavor…? Are they looking at flu, plague, body lice, intestinal parasites, syphilis, all of the above…? Do crew members generally comply with the orders of the captain and/or surgeon, or are you likely to have half the crew sick, and the other half mutinying?]

  1. How are battle wounds dealt with?

[Related to 2, but you’ll want specific protocols for different kinds of injuries, removal of bullets, shrapnel, or arrows as relevant, suturing techniques or lack thereof, bandage material, disinfectant or lack thereof, pain management—other than liquor—if any, ways of dealing with infection, if you want to go there, and, of course, prosthetics, because, IMO, you can’t have a pirate setting without the option of peg legs and hook hands, and anything else bad you think might happen to characters in battle].

  1. How much value do captains place on keeping a crew alive, vs just replacing crew members when they die from injuries or disease?

[Fun fact: the British navy—and other Western navies—used to deliberately overcrowd ships at the start of the voyage because they knew a large portion of the crew would die, and they wanted to retain enough sailors to make it home. Quite possibly the death rate would have been lower without the initial overcrowding, and it definitely would have been lower if they had invested in medical care rather than extra recruits. I suspect pirates were, historically, as bad or worse in this respect. The extent to which captains in your world see crew members as replaceable vs repairable will be demonstrated by your answers to the preceding questions, or, if you’d rather go the other way, might help you decide on the answers].

…all of which probably makes it sound like I hate maritime dramas, which is totally false, lol, I love them, I just have a really morbid imagination.

Started deleting my Reddit comments, now my profiles shows no comments at all, despite them being there!

I don’t know if Reddit is just trying to be a dick or what, but as I started to delete some comments, I’m not able to see any comments in my profile “hasn’t commented on anything”, but if I visit actual posts where I’ve commented, I can clearly see my comments there....

Bozicus,

I think it may just be Reddit being inferior software, but it happened to me, too. I have been Googling “Reddit “ and my username, deleting what comes up, and doing the search again in a couple of days to see if it stuck. (Deleted comments will show up on Google for a few days because of caching, so there’s no point in checking immediately). It takes a while, but it’s fairly reliable, and it can be done in small batches.

Bozicus,

Me neither, but I think the point here is that it is better for the fediverse if there’s competition between Meta and Microsoft as well as competition between each of them and the current fediverse.

Bozicus,

It is apparently possible to add “threads.net” to a defederation/ban list even though there’s no actual communication yet. It gives peace of mind to people who want to drop the portcullis on all commercial interests. But in practical terms, you’re right, there’s nothing to ban.

Bozicus,

I read a post by the Beehaw admins a couple weeks ago saying they were talking to the lemmy.world admin about resolving the issues that caused them to defederate, so it’s possible that they were no longer defederated when the post you found was made. My understanding is that automatic updates only happen when users on one instance are subscribed to the community on the other instance, so refederation might not be obvious. I expect they would have cut the cord again over yesterday’s security breach, though.

That’s pure speculation on my part, though, and quite possibly it was some kind of bug. But I am not particularly tech-savvy, so I tend to wonder about non-technical causes.

Bozicus,

I think that’s a good sign. It probably means the problem is being dealt with by admins. Any communities on the affected instances that have subscribers on other instances will be backed up on those other instances, so most of the content is safe no matter what. I just hope the users on those instances know they can come to others in the meantime.

Bozicus,

I have not felt like eating at any point today, so I haven’t. But I ate lots yesterday? I will probably eat a bunch of random stuff later.

Bozicus,

I see that you don’t mean any offense, but this is an odd question as written. You’re basically asking what an extremely large, diverse group of people thinks about an even larger, more diverse group of people, and there’s no way to give an accurate answer. We have all kinds of thoughts about cishet people, some unkind, some sympathetic, and most of us have cishet friends and family members. I’d say that on average, LGBTQ+ people have a more negative opinion of cishet people than cishet people have of themselves, because, on average, cishet people do not understand LGBTQ+ people, and in some cases, actively hate us. It’s hard not to think of cishet people as a group as, in some way, hostile, even though not every cishet person is in any way a threat. We can’t tell which ones are going to hurt us, intentionally or otherwise, so we lean towards caution and distrust.

I personally trust cishet people as a group less than I used to, because I just see more and more disappointing things over time. But it’s not a case of going from “I think cishet people are ok” to “I think cishet people are bad,” it’s a case of going from"I think cishet people are ok," full stop, to “I think cishet people are ok, but am I going to be disappointed again today?” And, to be clear, I don’t get disappointed just because someone accidentally says something offensive, that happens all the time. I can usually tell when people mean well, and I know it’s hard to get it right when you don’t know what it feels like to be on the other side. I do get disappointed when someone says or does something that lets me know they would be happier if I didn’t exist. That’s very different from just saying something awkward out of ignorance, and it happens more than I like to acknowledge.

As for your second, more specific question, how LGBTQ+ people would view you in particular, I can’t speak for anyone but myself. I think you seem nice, but you also seem to be missing one of the most important aspects of the distinction between cishet and not, which is that as a cishet person, you have the option of saying you don’t care about gender and sexuality. No one is going to beat you up because you’re cishet, and you can go about your business without ever worrying about it. As a trans, queer person, I don’t have that option. Someone might beat me up because I’m trans and queer, and it doesn’t matter that I don’t think it’s a big deal. Other people do think it’s a big deal, and they can make it a big deal for me in the worst possible way. I have to worry about how cishet people see me, while they don’t have to worry about how I see them. They outnumber me, and are more likely to be in positions of power than LGBTQ+ people, so they are more likely to make trouble for me than vice versa.

… except in explicitly queer spaces. In those spaces, LGBTQ+ people will usually outnumber cishet people, and if cishet people come in and give us grief, we can push back. Some of us can’t push back anywhere else, and it can make a big difference to have literally any space where it’s okay to tell someone to go be cishet somewhere else, politely or otherwise. Any cishet person will eventually be told something like that if they spend a lot of time in LGBTQ+ spaces, usually not because they are bad people, or even because they did anything wrong, but just because we are really tired of having to put up with people who don’t understand. If it happens to you, just remind yourself that the person yelling at you had probably gotten to the point where they were like, “if I hear one more straight person talk about their gay friend as a reason why they don’t have to remember my pronouns, so help me…” (Yes, it’s a little like “I have a black friend,” but there’s a difference between mentioning that as your experience, which is what you did, and using it as an excuse for bad behavior, which you are not. But being friends with people who are queer or trans just gives you information about those people, not queer or trans people in general, so be careful about drawing conclusions).

I see a lot of cishet people in queer spaces absolutely lose their minds over getting yelled at by queer people, because they’re sure what they did wasn’t bad enough to justify the amount of yelling, and that always makes it worse. In general, if you get a response online that seems totally disproportionate to what you actually said or did, the response isn’t about you, and you don’t need to take it personally. You have the option of trying to clarify what actually happened, or of walking away, and the latter is often better for the well-being of all concerned.

And that brings me to the answer to your last question, about what attitude you should have going into queer spaces. I’d recommend going in with the idea that it’s not about you, whatever you find, and however you’re treated. You’ll be more welcome in some queer spaces than others, and also, at some times more than others. There’s nothing you can do to avoid that, although you can and should try to figure out what is most likely to upset people. You don’t need to understand why a particular thing upsets people, and you won’t be expected to understand or to get everything right, but you will be expected to apologize for something you didn’t mean to do. Some things are going to upset people no matter how good your intentions are, and you can’t control that, either.

Based on what other people are saying, you’ll probably be welcome here, and everything will be fine, and possibly I am a pessimistic old grouch who should go back to living under my bridge (lol). I have plenty of time for cishet people, even though I am an old grouch, and I hope you have only good experiences here. But maybe it’ll help you at some point to be aware of the grouchier side of the coin.

Bozicus, (edited )

You don’t have to know what pronouns she would prefer in an ideal world, just which ones she is using right now. If she’s going by she/her, and isn’t open about possibly being nonbinary, then you should probably keep using she/her until she tells you to do something different. But if you’re really that confused, you could ask. You can also always use they/them as a default when you’re not sure, especially online.

Good journals/planners for fountain pens?

So, I like to write simple notes, journaling, to-do lists, or essays/fiction with a fountain pen whenever possible, and I’m trying to find a good journal or planner to use. My Pilot and Diamine inks feather a lot on the paper I’m currently using, and that’s really the main problem I want to address....

Bozicus,

I’ve gotten good mileage out of Rhodia and Claire Fontaine, and my sibling swears by Tomoe River. Do not try Moleskine, I have gotten more feathering on those notebooks than on any paper I have ever used. I think they’re designed for pencils, or something.

Fair disclosure, though, I usually just use cheap composition books, and find a pen/ink combo that looks good on whatever I happen to be using. I only use nice paper if I particularly need it for a given pen or ink, or if I am going to show someone else what I’ve written.

Bozicus,

Ahahaha relatable. I’ve learned that it’s best to only take out one thing at a time, because I never manage to finish a full clean-out. (I have a lot of health issues that make huge projects an issue). Taking out one thing to get rid of or put where it belongs (a lot of stuff in my closet should be somewhere else) results in limited mess even if I immediately dump the item on the bed and forget I was working on the closet.

Bozicus,

I always think if I put some of the loose items into storage containers, I will have less clutter. But somehow, the more I rearrange stuff, the more space it occupies, and unless I label the containers immediately, I forget what’s in them. (This happens even with clear containers, because I can only see like… one item through the side).

Bozicus,

PayPal still has my deadname, tbh. I just didn’t care enough to send them all the documentation they wanted, given that it would have been enough to allow anyone on their staff to steal my identity if they wanted.

Bozicus,

Both of these would be absolutely glorious Mary Sue names, and I am tempted to write the fanfics for them.

Bozicus,

Based.

Bozicus, (edited )

Oof. An apology is nice, but a user-friendly experience would be better. I signed up long ago that I didn’t have to give a driver’s license, but did have to give a checking account, and when I changed my name, they said they would change it on my account if I sent a driver’s license, and I think my legal name change paperwork. Which was doable, but I care more about having some semblance of privacy than I do about having my payment information be accurate. I don’t want anyone to have that much information about me unless I am getting something extremely valuable in exchange. I just think of it as having some random woman paying for my eBay purchases. It’s sort of disturbing to think about how long ago all of that was, lol.

Bozicus,

Extra credit if you yourself are a small, furry animal. By almost any definition of “small,” “furry,” and “animal.”

Bozicus,

“Internet” is closer to a lot of existing English words than “fediverse,” though. “Fediverse” might get familiar over time, and it might make more sense to non-English-speakers, but I think it’s a more exotic construction than “internet.”

Bozicus,

This is a really good idea. Advertisers don’t want to pay Reddit for ads posted next to NSFW stuff, and if they find out Reddit is deliberately making it more likely… that could be an expensive situation for Reddit.

Bozicus,

Not all of them are from that. I have had manually deleted comments pop back up with no changes to the subreddits in question. Whether it’s malicious is a different question, of course. I kind of doubt anyone is doing it on purpose. But it does show that deletion on Reddit doesn’t work well enough to comply with EU privacy laws, so that’s fun.

Bozicus,

Oh hey, I’m one of the other two, lol. I think they probably lose money on us at this point, with the amount of ads they serve.

Bozicus, (edited )

Dear lord. Random UX changes are among my least favorite things. I have issues with focus/concentration and eyestrain, and I would genuinely rather have a crappy but consistent UX than random changes.

Bozicus,

Thanks for the heads-up. Apparently my instance (Lemmy.one) hadn’t implemented the feature that introduced the vulnerability, and my profile looks fine, but I am going to be taking extra precautions for a while.

And yeah, I think Reddit has been coasting on a combination of user goodwill and a lack of attention to their privacy policies, and now that they’ve burned all the goodwill and shown a variety of weaknesses… I’m looking forward to seeing the lawsuits roll in over the next few years.

Bozicus,

Agreed. Smashing the patriarchy should not involve restrictions on skirt spinning.

Bozicus,

I agree everyone should try, though I personally find chafing an issue without bifurcated undergarments. (Which is why I own leggings, lol. Skirt spinny without chafing).

Bozicus,

So will some men. (I have a terrible urge to add “not all men,” because in my head, that’s funny. Halp).

Bozicus,

Annnd, sold! I was going to go for the fire sword that only lasts one day, but I would probably just set my clothes on fire with it.

Bozicus,

I find it’s possible to be logged into two instances on the same browser, so it doesn’t need to be more difficult than switching tabs. (That may change, I don’t know whether it’s technically desirable, but if it’s relevant to someone’s interests…)

Bozicus,

I think I personally give out more information in what I say than how I vote, and I think that’s going to be true for a lot of people here. I want to share, and that requires me to sacrifice some privacy.

No shade intended, but if you’re concerned about what your voting history will say about you, you might consider not interacting with posts at all, and if you’re really concerned, don’t curate a news feed, either. It’s totally fine to browse logged out if you really want to be safe. I think any level of concern about privacy is valid, but it’s useful to think about the whole picture when you evaluate your risk tolerance.

Bozicus,

Some instances don’t allow downvotes by people logged into that instance, which I think helps. (From both sides: I find that when I can’t downvote, I have a lot less motivation to read anything that makes me angry. I just keep scrolling).

Bozicus,

I agree that it’s good to have some kind of deletion, even if it’s not really getting rid of the content. Nothing is ever really gone on the internet, but there is value in communicating to others that you meant to retract a comment.

Bozicus,

As someone in an instance without downvotes, I can confirm that I don’t miss them. It didn’t take months, either, just a week or so.

Bozicus,

I’m too new to the fediverse to form an opinion about community differences in general, but I have definitely noticed that my own behavior is different without the downvote option. The biggest difference for me is that I am more likely to do things that decrease my interaction with content that upsets me, rather than reading hateful garbage just to get the dubious satisfaction of pushing the little down arrow button. The stuff I downvoted wasn’t usually something I could have discussed in a civil way, it was trolling, bigotry, or generally hateful comments. (I am part of frequently-targeted groups, and no platform is free of bigots and trolls). Now, when I see that kind of thing, I do what I should have been doing all along, which is some combination of blocking, reporting, and just skipping over things I recognize as not worth my time. I think you’re right that the voting system can replace moderation in unhelpful ways. Trolls should be removed, not just downvoted in situ.

Bozicus,

I think they were wrong on purpose, tbh. It’s the kind of thing that would be embarrassing for Reddit to admit when they’re going for an IPO.

Also, it’s amazing how much money a large company can spend when it wants, even if its bank account is so far in the red it’s upsetting bulls. Small companies, on the other hand, can’t spend money they don’t have. There’s a lot wrong with this picture, but the net effect is that Reddit probably can hire full-time mods for r/IAmA if they want.

Favorite warm weather binders/chest reduction hacks?

I’ve tried a bunch of binders over the years, and my current favorite is a gc2b tank binder, but it’s a little clammy in hot weather. I’ve mostly been getting by with cotton sports bras at a band size two inches smaller than my actual size, with a square-cut, loose overshirt to disguise the lumpiness. That’s good enough...

Bozicus,

Ooh, I wish I could wear hoodies in warm weather! I have zero tolerance for warm weather (like, anything over 70F and I start taking off layers). Tape is a good thought, but I think I’m too big and floppy for it to work, tbph. I also usually have trouble keeping anything strapless from bouncing, sliding down, or both.

… but if I did try tape, possibly with tape “straps,” what kind of tape? I know kinesio tape is supposed to have very firm hold, but I’ve never tried to use it.

Bozicus,

I’m having trouble getting my head around the idea that people here actually want me to post and comment here. A lot of places online, I feel like my comments or posts are too long, or no one cares, or the space is just so saturated with content that I have nothing of value to add.

Probably that’s at least partly my own insecurities, of course, but it’s still mind-boggling to be told that not only can I contribute as much as I like, people want me to do it. And I’m a little scared that I will still manage to annoy people, lol, I have just been yelling at myself for so long.

Bozicus,

I disagree with that definition of news. Keeping politicians accountable is certainly one of the functions of the press, but there are a lot of possible news items that don’t refer to politicians. “Winter storms hit [location]” is news, but not related to politicians unless it talks about steps local politicians are taking to prevent storm damage (which is not necessary for a good article). Or “Physicists find [particle they were looking for].” That one could be in Science rather than here, but it is definitely news, and I personally think it’s hard to shoehorn politics into a discussion of particle physics without losing track of what actually happened. Very few politicians involve themselves in that kind of research (though, to be fair, it might be news if they did).

Whether it’s possible to have a purely apolitical news forum is a different question, and I am sure it’s possible to put a political spin on almost anything if you want, but I just don’t think it’s true that news must be political to be news.

Bozicus,

There’s a Dorian Gray joke in here somewhere, lol.

Bozicus,

Same, tbh. I think a lot of people who do this know there's a risk, and I admire their courage. I wouldn't dare.

Bozicus,

Same, their coverage has made me feel way less terrible about all of this. Just knowing someone is out there calling Reddit on their BS makes it easier for me to accept that Reddit is no longer a safe place for me and move on.

Bozicus,

A friend of mine once told me that a lot of the south is large communities of marginalized people being oppressed by a minority of right-wing shitwads. It blew my mind, and I think the demographic data supports that description in a lot of places.

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