MADEC is a desert world which is occasionally subject to torrential downpours at any random location.  Madeccans carefully watch the skies and consult their various oracles to divine the direction of the next deluge, with varying levels of success.  When the rains do come, they spur the growth of Madec's largest native plant, the tollendal tree.  Tollendals rapidly absorb as much of the moisture as possible, and are capable of increasing in height by as much as 10 paces a day.  In addition to providing the majority of the planet's food, tollendals serve an important symbolic purpose to Madeccan society.  Whoever can climb the tallest-growing tollendal is acclaimed as monarch of all they survey.  The privileges of that position are to a large extent honorary, but chief among them is the high-climber's desirability as a mating partner.  This is to be enjoyed while it lasts, because once the nearby water has all been consumed, tollendals inevitably collapse and die.  Madeccans preserve the vegetable matter as best they can, and wait for the next rainfall to bring them, perhaps, a new ruler.

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9/19 '23 1 Comment
All the ladies call him tree-top lover. All the men just call him sir.
 

THEOPHANES is by far the most habitable of the satellites of the gas giant Mytilene.  It has a breathable atmosphere, large freshwater lakes, and adequate agricultural potential.  Because it is enveloped by the ring system  and numerous other moonlets of Mytilene, it is frequently subjected to dangerous meteor strikes.  Theophanes' ruling oligarchy lives in a well-shielded fortress that protects them from harm, but the rest of the population is not so fortunate.  To encourage their continued economic support, each year one worker is selected to bring their entire extended family inside the fortress and become a new part of the permanent elite.  Each unit of taxes paid corresponds with one entry into the lottery which determines the lucky winner.  Friends who remain outside may receive an occasional gift basket, but on the whole they report that their former acquaintances swiftly lose interest in associating with them or even writing letters.  Nevertheless, support for the government remains high, as does hope for living in the Fort next year.

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9/18 '23 1 Comment
The Ones Who Walk Away From Theophanes Lose Their Platinum Preferred Status!
 

PALANCA has widely-scattered settlements occupying the arable regions of the planet, which are separated by mildly toxic wasteland.  Each settlement supports exactly one church, that of the Homeless Carpenter.  Said profession is solemnly revered by Palancans, who strive to outdo one another in feeding and clothing any stranger who offers to perform that sort of work.  Anyone whose previous employment has failed need only learn the bare rudiments of woodworking before making the arduous journey to a neighboring village, where they will of course be a stranger.

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9/17 '23 1 Comment
This is your subtlest sermon yet.
 

MARMOL is widely known as the "planet of corrupt rich fools".  One certainly needs to be rich to live there, as expensive protective equipment is needed to survive the frequent electrical discharges between Marmol and its natural satellites.  Being corrupt is not a requirement, but there are plenty of other places for rich people to live without being corrupt; indeed there are others where being corrupt is not a significant problem.  But if one isn't already foolish before emigrating to Marmol, it doesn't take long before that appelation becomes appropriate.  The addictive spice called "älluis" comes from a native plant's pollen, and even casual exposure usually leads to increased consumption.  The most damaging effect of älluis dependency is a progressive decrease in intelligence.  Inhabitants don't need to take stupid risks to get more älluis, since it is easily acquired, but eventually they always do.  One too many unshielded walks to get another sniff results in an almost complete reduction to ash.  Little research has been done to determine why Marmol has any inhabitants at all, since the rest of the galaxy is just as happy to be rid of them.

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9/16 '23 1 Comment
This one has a fine whiff of Douglas Adams about it.
 

WINDY is a planet in the Terris sector with the surprisingly uncommon trait of being named after one of its physical features.  A vast and permanent cyclone circles this world, with sustained winds sufficient to sweep an unprotected person off their feet.  Protection against this danger is provided by sturdily-constructed contiguous buildings which form an interconnected megalopolis.  Transport ships are occasionally able to land at one or the other side of this city as dictated by the position of the storm, and an internal tram system conducts people and goods with admirable efficiency.  Windies can and often do spend their entire lives without leaving the great city of their home.  There is just one complication caused by their culture, and that is the practice of wind dueling.  If any person feels that they have been insulted or mistreated by another, they may insist that both parties "step outside".  This may involve a lengthy journey to actually reach an external door nearest to the hurricane, and perhaps an apology or payment will settle the matter before exiting becomes necessary.  If it does, however, the duelists are not permitted to attack or even touch each other.  They may only jockey for position while attempting to remain standing, and perhaps shout their demands over the raging winds.  Fatalities are rare, but visitors are strongly cautioned to remain polite and not tempt the locals to engage in this custom.  It is certainly not a fun and safe activity as sometimes advertised by disreputable touts.

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9/15 '23 3 Comments
I enjoy getting to know this series of worlds.
Thanks! More to come, followed by a possible opportunity for y'all to explore them...
"What planet is that?"



"Everyone knows it's Windy."
 

MARCOLI is one of the most paradisical planets known to exist, at least from a climatological perspective.  Warm seas and gentle breezes predominate.  Each of the planet's numerous lush islands is home to a population which is fanatically devoted to one of the many native plant species.  No Marcoline can eat any other food or wear clothing woven from any other material.  How they decided to specialize in such a strict fashion is a mystery, but apparently it works well enough, because all of the inhabitants remain healthy and adequately clothed.  One might expect each island to cultivate only its chosen fruit or vegetable, but that is unfortunately not the case.  Windblown spores germinate everywhere in the rich soil of Marcoli, and the plants seem quite intent on growing entangled with one another.  So growing their crops is not difficult for the Marcolines, but harvesting them is rather labor-intensive.
Worldwide friendly trade ensures that each agricultural product eventually reaches the island where it is most appreciated.  Visitors are advised to carefully research the islands they intend to visit, and attire themselves appropriately using exported goods available throughout the Sunderland sector.  Imported food and clothing is strictly prohibited.

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9/14 '23 2 Comments
1 plant species as sole foodstuff per island and they thrive? The rest of the galaxy must be in quite a hurry to acquire seeds!
I'm quite interested in seeing the results of future voyages. Still 42 more planets to go, after planet Marmol!
 

OSORIO is inhabited by capitalists who are exceptionally committed to rapid turnover.  A single day is considered to be the maximum lifespan of any retail business venture.  Every morning, new signage appears on every storefront, advertising an entirely new line of products and services.  Of course, competition is intense to stake out a claim on the most popular business sectors.  One has to get up pretty early to be the day's most popular sign manufacturer, for example.  But if inspiration, dedication, and other corporate imperatives fail, there is always substantial demand for garbage collection and recycling.

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9/13 '23 2 Comments
Do they have a city called Southstreet?
Angel investors have dirty wings.
 

CADDO is an icy moon of Bole which is occupied by a militaristic sect of that planet's Hakuraku society.  They emigrated to avoid the necessity of living almost entirely in protective darkness, but they are sworn to protect their brethren and the brightly-glowing orb that dominates their night sky.  Fortunately there have been no overt threats to Bole, although whether this is due to their protection or otherwise has not been demonstrated.  Their most remarkable achievement is the development of a chemical matrix called "yaoshu" which allegedly imparts knowledge directly into a person's brain after it has been absorbed through the skin during a ritual "Spirit Dance".  The yaoshu chemicals are said to be carefully "programmed" with whatever skills and memories are needed for a person's role in the society.  One constant among all those patterns is a keen and constant desire to remain on Caddo and serve the Hakuraku faithfully.  At least this is the observed behavior of all whose curiosity has compelled them to take an oath before taking a yaoshu treatment.  Perhaps they are being compelled by threat of force rather than a force of will, but no one has ever abandoned Caddo.

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9/12 '23
 

A user has asked if I would consider adding direct messaging to OPW. Hmm.

I can think of one constraint on that feature right away: the bar to establish your right to DM someone needs to be pretty high. Like maybe you have to be mutual followers to start with, and then you can request DM access from that person. Even then I'm not sure how I feel about it. It's certainly not posting once a day. But it has a lot of important applications in situations that call for compassion, rather than being a stickler for the "spirit of things." Hmm.

Private comments to specific responders on a particular post have also been mentioned as an idea. Perhaps you, as the original poster, would be able to reply to a commenter privately.

That  stays closer to the idiom of One Post Wonder, but I think that it could generate confusion, e.g. accidental references to things said in private comments in public comments on the same post.

What do you think?

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9/12 '23 14 Comments
Direct messaging? Ok, everyone I know here I know in real life or I know someone who knows them, so adding DMs to this app is not a thing I need.



That said, not all your users are me. Which is good, because how much drooling over Mandy Patinkin can one site sustain without exploding into a festival of yiddish, dad jokes and puppies?



Here's the argument for no DMs. And yes, I peeked over your shoulder and copied some answers, but I agree with you.



1. DMs <> posting once a day.



To me, OPW is "I care about this thing enough to use my one post on it" and "We comment on this thing you selected", so the comments are ... part of it!*



2. It's a free site. You do this for love. And we appreciate it! Enabling and maintaining DMs = more work for you technically and perhaps emotionally depending on the yeses and nos. Also, I am not sure how storage works with direct messaging and privacy, but that's money too.



3. I think private comments could be a whole lot of drama. You've already mentioned how and I agree.



4. You want to say no and I think you should.



Here's the argument for DMs on OPW, I think:



1. I want to reach out to somebody privately and I don't have their contact info.



2. ?



For #1, the solution is "ask them". At least it is as far as I can see ... they could say no, but with DMs they could say no anyway, so ... ?



* "part of it" like the skeletons in the David S. Pumpkins SNL sketch.



PS to the person who asked for DMs - I probably know you and like you and I am not trying to yuck your yum, I just disagree with you.
“The comments are to an OPW post as the skeletons are to David S. Pumpkins” is such a work of art, you better put a glass wall around it before a protestor throws tomato soup on it.
I'd prefer a slightly different framing. Where you put it in terms of a "right" of a DM sender to DM someone, I'd prefer to look at it as the right of a recipient to exclude DMs, balanced against the permission, given by the recipient, to a sender of DMs.



If you put it in that framework, many of the implementation questions and concerns may answer themselves. I'd especially suggest that the default settings might be "my DMs are closed; no permission given now to anyone to DM me; it's a separate question for each person I follow now; and I have to actively say 'yes' for each new person I follow".
^^ if enabled, default to off, yeah.

Yup... this is pretty much what I was thinking would be the minimum bar, privacy-wise, if I were to build it at all.
So the funny thing is, you can DM someone on OPW already:



* Add a new key

* Put only that one person on it

* Spend your post for the day on a post locked to the key that's just for them

* After that they can comment on that post and go back and forth with you

* Which generates more notifications

* And you can keep replying on that thread

* Somebody is probably doing this

* I'm amused
OOOOOOoooooohhh .

This reminds me of when that general had an affair with some woman in the military, can’t remember her rank, and they communicated through unsent Gmail messages.

Except it’s not anything like it.

(Head slap) CIA director Petraeus and Paula Broadwell. That’s it.
This is a good way to deal with it because it’s like leaving a note in a dead drop spot, as opposed to putting a message in a recipient’s space without their permission.
I was thinking something like that was already possible.



I don't need a DM feature, but that may be because my list of OPW contacts is small and curated enough that I could get in touch with any of you without too much trouble.
Yes, this! Private and non-invasive.

By George, I think you've got it!
Well, yeah, but it’s not actually a good experience. 😀 I think it answers some questions about whether a real DM feature with the right opt-in pattern would change anything privacy wise, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to run out and build one today.
Surely if people want to receive messages, they can post their email address or phone number behind a filter? Why reinvent the wheel?
Yeah it’s surplus to requirements.
 

ZIERIA is the galaxy's only commercially viable source of zieron, a toxic gas with multiple industrial and military applications.  Because Zieria is collectively owned, all of its citizens share equally in the profits from the zieron wells, which are decades old at a minimum.  Enthusiasm for drilling new wells has diminished, but the old ones are still productive enough to sustain the planet's small population.  Currently the most severe punishment for crime on Zieria is well maintenance duty, which involves confinement to a hut full of machinery.  Once there, a prisoner has a fairly strong incentive to do a good job preventing zieron leaks.  If for some reason the prisoner's efforts are insufficient, though, there's nothing more that can be done except to send in another conscript who was unfortunate enough to be convicted of a crime.  Justice works swiftly on Zieria, but its effectiveness leaves considerable room for improvement.  There is a lot of poisonous zieron floating around.

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9/11 '23 2 Comments
Somewhere, there's a Planet Zieria Pizzaria.
Planet Zieria Pizzaria "You'll never eat anywhere else!"