Now more than ever (go hire it), I feel justified in pointing you at the works of @mavica_again@computerfairi.es, the first true sibling I ever had and someone whose continued efforts to understand and inhabit themselves have taught me more in three years than I learned in 20+ years of therapy. That sort of mutual vulnerability and solidarity gives me an added appreciation for its works. At its site https://maple.pet you may see a lovingly curated, meticulously coded (seriously, view the source) showcase of its art, music, writing, and tech projects – all legitimately great – framed in an aesthetic that hearkens to an era when "computers were good". You would see correctly (and you should hire it). But what I cherish is something beneath its work, connecting it all: a relentless drive to understand itself, to construct an authentic and breathing avatar of its strange and magnificent mind, to find a place for itself in the world that reflects its values and its cares. Its work synthesizes those desires into artifacts that can be shown and shared and heard and used. Every one of those interactions is a way of saying Do You See Me? Do You Understand? I've never felt a stronger solidarity with someone who makes things, and it helps that the things it makes are really fucking good. I'm proud to call it "sister", and you should hire it. https://maple.pet