#and old stories long remembered

[uncanny-tranny]

I decided to go through my old warm-up notebooks from my honours english class and in one of the warm-up prompts, I said I wanted my superpower to be "controlling the effects of [my] puberty," and I'm glad to say that I've gotten that superpower. It took a very long time, but that's a superpower I can check off my list

#trans #transgender #lgbt #lgbtq #ftm #mtf #nonbinary #ngl though i felt my very soul wince while reading some of them (including that) #in my old self's defense: i was incredibly dysphoric and had Many Unresolved Issues #i also wasn't really masking in that class and didn't know i should probably not be honest with my notebook #my teacher said that she'd only grade warm-ups we wanted graded and she'd only *potentially* read others 'for fun' #also i always didn't like the 'what superpower would YOU want?' question because. it just annoyed me to know it's impossible to have #(besides the puberty superpower lmao) #as much as i believe in being kind to your past self/selves that doesn't mean i'm not cringing about it 😭 #just so long as you don't turn the cringe into self-hatred i suppose #you cannot hate yourself into being better♡♡ #WAIT I JUST REMEMBERED THAT IN ONE OF THE WARM-UPS I WROTE ABOUT A LESBIAN ROBOT #NEVER MIND I'M DONE CRINGING #man i should make that into a proper short story like. what a concept

[laurasimonsdaughter]

Question question, Wizard of Oz is one of my favorite stories/series, and though it was written to be a "modern fairy tale", it's quite different from the tales you talk about here, so I was wondering about your feelings and thoughts on it

My feelings on the Wizard of Oz are a little complicated, so it's probably fair to start with saying that I've only read a Dutch translation of Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz that was probably somewhat shortened. And I've never read the other books in the series. With that said:

I like the Wizard of Oz! It has fun fantasy logic, a plucky heroine, melting witches, fantastic magic shoes, flying monkeys, a mix of 'real magic' and the power of belief, and you can kiss protective stars onto foreheads.

What I don't like, is that it keeps showing up on lists of "most beloved fairy tales", while it really isn't - in my personal opinion - a fairy tale. (Just like Peter Pan, Pinnochio and Alice in Wonderland, but I digress.) I think it's a great example of being inspired by fairy tale elements, but giving them your own spin.

The magical silver shoes, for example, are very like the kind of object you'd find in a fairy tale. They'll remind people of Cinderella's slippers and the Seven League Boots, but also of the gifts (magic nuts, protective necklace, blessed weapon) that fairy tale heroes often get. Letting them be stolen from a witch, however, and making their magic unclear at first and then having them do full teleportation, is much more fantasy than fairy tale.

Another fun twist is Dorothy melting the Wicked Witch with water. This does not come from folklore, but it's such a striking visual that it is pretty much part of American folklore by now. Which in my opinion is a testament to how good of an idea that was! Because it sounds like something that makes sense to defeat an evil witch with. There is folklore scattered about that states witches can't cross running water (like some vampires) and water as a purifying, cleansing thing is deeply routed in all kinds of traditional beliefs.

But at its core The Wonderful Wizard of Oz feels much more like a fantasy travel adventure to me, than like a fairy tale. Most fairy tale characters are archetypal, and their motivations are simple. The story focuses on what happens to them and how they act, but rarely on their inner experiences. This works well for a short tale, because you don't get bogged down in details, but usually starts to drag in a longer format. It's not strange to me that Anderson's The Snow Queen usually gets shortened in retellings, it makes it a full fairy tale instead of a fairy tale-ish saga. Nor that De Villeneuve's Beauty and the Beast only ended up in oral tradition after De Beaumont cut out half the plot. (Elaborate dream sequences are hard to remember when telling stories around the fire).

I feel like The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has far more to say than would have ever fit in a fairy tale. Not just because of the length, but also because of the kind of story it wants to tell. So I personally wouldn't call it a fairy tale, but I do think it added wonderful imagery to our fairy tale telling vocabulary ^^

Also, in my Dutch translation there was a beautiful illustration of Glinda's female guards, dressed in what I now realise must have been inspired by Canadian mounted police uniforms. Child-me thought they were the absolute best <3

#laura babbles #al-pomegranate-seeds #I don't think “old folklore” is more “real” than new folklore #if “everyone knows water melts witches” without remembering how they learned this or why this is the case that's folklore right there #tracing folklore back to its origins is a fun research project or academic endeavor #but the stories do not mind where they come from just as long as they keep getting told

[lesbianralzarek]

#mtg #jace beleren #i REFUSE to believe that 90% of planeswalkers have american accents. fuck arena #i dont remember how old he was when he left vryn and the wiki isnt telling me #certainly old enough to have the accent (obvi) but maybe long enough ago that its been overwritten by #what he considers his new home? #you know when you talk to someone with a strong accent for a long time and slowly adopt a tiny bit of it when in their presence? #i feel like. after meeting 0 other people from vryn for years and years. he might sound more ravnican? #plenty of room to disagree with me but after the 'in this very arena' short story i began counting him as a ravnican planeswalker #WAS that the right short story? hold on. looking it up rn #it was actually project lightning bug. my bad

[fictionadventurer]

Current level of Little House nerd: Internally freaking out because Rose wrote a short story based on their time in Florida which means we have filled in the last remaining major gap in the Ingalls-Wilder family fictional timeline.

#little house #laura ingalls wilder #rose wilder lane #it should be noted that i haven't read the story yet #just flipping past the intro was enough to get me excited #it could be garbage #but their florida sojourn has long been a fascinating trivia bit #and i had no idea it had been so extensive a thing or that rose was old enough to remember it #of course the other major gap is burr oak #but there is a modern book about that #and the little house sampler also seems to have a nonfic piece by laura about that time #which from the title sounds surprisingly positive #given that she refused to include that part of her life in fiction

[macabreblublu]

Long time hyperfixations are coming back

And guess what that is?

Yes, non-humans again

Specifically Aliens

Yautjas :)))

Also that pic above is nice but that didn’t do it justice

Lemme just

Good good, but needs a lil close up

Ok I couldn’t find perfect photos but basically I just wanna see these beautiful hunks😩👌🏼

*me checking off Yautja on my hyperfixation list

Anyways yeah, art for these dudes are coming-

#blu babbles #predator #predator franchise #yautja #long story short #my mum had good taste in sci/fi horror movies and decided to flood 7 year old me with it #and lil me knew these aliens were a lil fruity- #I’m surprised it took me y e a r s to fully drown in this fandom #edit: ‘flood 7 year old me with it’ sorry I meant drown- #yeah started at a young age and it was because of my mum #thanks mum😆 #edit: *days later #I started making this post the other day at 2am so forgive me if it looks a lil shitty #felt like clearing up my drafts and saw this and remembered that I should post it soon #well here it is #I occasionally make posts like this to announce that I’m hyperfixating on smth new #but then again I’m not even sure if many people might see this #but whoever does #ey my askbox is open and I’ll be happy to ramble with you! #about yautjas or anything really! #just don’t be weird👌🏼

[bmpmp3]

its important to watch a new movie or read a new book sometimes. largely because 1) its nice to experience all the art this world has to offer but also 2) you might be able to find new scenarios to imagine your OCs in

#it gets the cogs turning if ur imaginary scenarios get stale #wait did anyone else do this. when i was a kid i played with my toys in the very storytelling heavy style #like every toy was a character type thing. ten million large spanning melodramatic stories of epic proportions with my littlest pet shops #like that was the type of play i liked. and i would #sit in front of the TV with whatever playing half watching cartoons #or watching some kids movie on vhs borrowed from the library back when they still had tapes #and the whole time i would be playing with my toys. seeming more engrossed in the story among my toys than the movie i was watching #but i WAS watching the movie i was just using it largely as a. jumping off point. to make up stories about like #my lps cat who can see ghosts and her search for her long lost twin sister or something #Oh god and when i was a little older like 10 years old making ms paint animations age #whenever i was watching a movie with like famiy or in class or whatever and maybe it was a little boring at parts #i would like. start focusing on the score only and just imagine my own sparklewolf OCs to it instead of paying attention #my dad often fondly remembers watching avatar in theatres with the whole family and looking over to me and seeing me mentally GONE hfkjdfhs #mother and older brother were pretty engrossed with the effects and visuals and i was like. eyes glazed over staring into space #imagining blue wolves with anime hair like :) my dad thought it was very funny. he cant judge the reason he was looking around was because #often hes more interested in watching other people react to a movie than the movie itself LOL we are cut from similar cloths.. #i still dont remember a thing about that movie. but the score wasnt bad HJKDBJFKLSHJFDs #but yeah i dunno. watch a horror movie. think about putting your ocs through the horrors. thats how ive lived my entire life

[portugalisinsa]

A quick skim through the BBC!Ghosts tag tells me that no one has spent too much time trying to decode the Captain’s service ribbons. Lucky you, I did!

The badge on his jacket lapels say that he was in the royal artillery

1939 to 1945 Star: This is awarded to anyone who completed operational service overseas between 3 September 1939 and 8 May 1945 for at least 180 days.

France and Germany Star: Awarded for at least 1 day of operational service in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, The Netherlands or Germany between 6 June 1944 and 8 May 1945.

Defence Medal: Awarded for non-operational service (like training bases, for example) in the UK or overseas. A minimum of 3 years service in either the UK (3 Sep 1939 and 8 May 1945) or in the Home Guard (14 May 1940 and 31 Dec 1944) are required; if stationed overseas, 1 year between 3 Sep 1939 and 2 Sep 1945.

War Medal 1939 to 1945: Awarded to all full time personnel of the armed forces who served at least 28 days between 3 September 1939 and 2 September 1945, no matter where. In Europe, WWII ended in May 1945; this medal was instituted in August 1945.

He doesn’t wear any other clasp, so he didn’t fight in the Battle for Britain or the Battle of the Atlantic (makes sense, those were RAF and Navy stuff mostly). The Africa Star was awarded for a minimum of one day of operational service in North Africa, the Arctic Star was awarded for any amount of time spent fighting in that campaign, and the Pacific, Burma, and Italy Stars were awarded upon entry into an operational area. He was awarded none of these medals, which means he only fought the France and Germany campaign.

He only wears WWII medals, which means he didn’t fight in WWI (it was unlikely he would have anyway, tbh, 41 was the the maximum age to fight in WWII, which would have made him 18 in 1916). The order I’ve written them out in (from top to bottom) is the order they should go left to right. For some reason, the Captain is wearing the ribbon band upside down. That’s a very huge big no good no-no. At first I assumed if was a mistake by the costume people, but it’s been three seasons and that hasn’t been fixed yet so I have to conclude it’s intentional. It could be some kind of BBC directive (idk, “non-army personnel has to wear the uniform in a certain way or it’s an insult to the queen” or some other silly nonsense) or it could be a genuine mistake the Captain made before dying, in which case I assume he’s spent sixty years being massively bothered by this. [ @lagoonnebula6523 said that the director of series 1 and 2 hinted that the reason for this mistake would be revealed in a future series, which I think points to an in universe explanation. Thank you for the info, this is super cool to know!] [Small aside, but I remember googling why the ribbons would be worn upside down and what i found was neat but probably unrelated. Check the tags if you’re interested]

I believe he’s in a service dress, which basically means he was at some kind of event when he died. He’s not in the army equivalent of the white tie, so we’re not talking about something too fancy. Maybe some sort of minor party?

So yeah, dude died after the war ended, and considering he seems used to saying “king” instead of “queen” I feel like he died either before Elizabeth was crowned or just after, so somewhere between August 1945 and around 1953-55

#bbc ghosts #ghosts bbc #bbc!ghosts #long story short; dude fought at least half a year in belgium and france #Could have been involved with d-day or he could have arrived later #he also doesn't have a Korea medal (the requirement for it is at least one day in korea if you're army) #that war started in 1950 and was established in 1951 #that could mean he died before that war begun... but i also have no fucking clue how the army works #like idk maybe they only sent six pople who drew the short stick for that one and he wasn't one of them #and i mean his knees are clearly in a bad way so maybe he was alive and just couldn't go #he could also have been too old (read: over 41) for that one #Okay now re: what i found out when i googled why a ribbon band would be worn upside down #I found were a couple of articles about some army guy wearing the ribbon band upside down by mistake and apologizing for it #(i seem to remember he was american but still i think the contriteness would be the same) #and the historical novel “The Reverse of the Medal” by Patrick O’Brian #remember the Master and Commander movie? It comes from a series of books the reverse of the medal is from #if you don't remember it: historical novels set in 1800 following a Navy officer and his friend #in the Reverse of the Medial a character goes through cashiering #(basically a ritual of shame in which you're dishonourably discharged) #the title is a reference to that and also probably to the flying the union jack upside down #flying the union jack upside down is a big no no but it's sometimes done (generally by people in the forces) #to signal distress #the title is obviously also a reference to the turn of phrase 'opposite side of the medal' #is this in any way relevant to the Captain? Probably not!

[sureuncertainty]

i think the biggest things separating me from 'disney adults' is the autism and the poverty

#this was going to be a long post analyzing this topic but i realized it can be distilled down into those two words #i'd say being a cast member also makes it a bit different but i have cast member friends who are very much Disney Adults (tm) #it's the way i love the rides and the stories and immersive storytelling and the theater and the way #the disney parks have been a special interest of mine for almost as long as i can remember #and that i work here now so i'm very immersed in it but also i'm not out here spending tons of money on pins and ears and shit #and when i go to the parks it's like. to ride tower of terror 2349823498 times and wear weird vintage outfits and see how many people #will recognize my aquabats t-shirt #like i am not the same as 21 year old kayleigh on her 3rd DCP drinking around the world at epcot #there's a culture here but there's subcultures within it #i know way too much about the disney parks but in a 'watched defunctland religiously for most of my life' way #and also i work here bc i love it. and i love what i do. but i also feel that disconnect #'this was gonna be a long post' *rambles in the tags*

[coffeeandcalligraphy]

so on one hand I could name the harrison story ‘lost gods’ & on the other I could name the story ‘tell me, I pray, your name’ << YOU CHOOSE

#I like both but the intention was for a long obnoxious literary title #which this is just actually From The Bible so not getting better than this #but lost gods feels so harrison like that’s really him……… #probably will be LG but…………….. I’m so attached #I say this as if this is a story when all he’s done is contemplate life on a roof & watch judge judy #why is he me………….. #want him to meet a man………. #IM JUST REMEMBERING I ONLY WROTE THIS OPENING BC IT WAS MADONNA HUNG UP DAY LMAOO #I want this to be 22 yr old Harrison tho so I might skip time????? idk it feels 22 to me……

[seithr]

Randomly remembered the half-reason i call my oc-verse by the name it has while laying in bed. One-half of the reason i still knew, but I had forgotten what had truly, really cemented it jointly until now

(it was a song from my favourite band I haven't listened to in a while.)

(the song fit so well at the time, still does, that i needed to hold onto it for the main protagonists forever, by partially naming their story in reference.)

Does this explanation make any sense? Does anyone know why I'm tearing up remembering this. Aahh

#(I'm emotional because I've been feeling bad about it all lately. enjoying things I make I mean—art or ocs or frivilous things.) #(So remembering that song and when it came out. That I couldn't see them in person. But i held onto it my own way. As something I loved) #(Something I still do love a lot... Parts of me saying no—you don't hate it. No. I'll help you remember more. I'm a little misty about it.) #The song is just The Killers - Run For Cover. I couldn't see them in person all those years ago—family went without me. #All my new oc rework with Zin and Hunter and Caia were like a year old or so. #It's a little silly. But the character Zin's derived from was a lightning mage so I stuck to it—I like monhun's zinogre for what its worth #So there's recurring theme and imagery. Thunder's not lightning but the sound and the feeling after the flash the flame and strike. #There's that meaningful thought—the story is the aftermath of a big tragedy. It matches what I like in monsters and other chars. #And at that time—my favourite band I missed out on puts out a really good song I download everywhere and it goes like: #He motioned me to the sky/ I heard heaven and thunder cry/ Run for cover/ Run while you can baby don't look back/ You gotta run for cover #And it goes on of course. The rest of the song's still really good. There's more that fits but point is; More evocative imagery. #So there. Why my bundle of OCs—Zinadia Hunter and Caia's story—is called Thunder 20XX. minus the 20XX. That's tongue-in-cheek #About some day I'll manage to make something tangeable or broadly shareable with them. I guarentee this century! #Thunder... oh my darling Thunder. Eight years man. More than that if I really want to count pre-rework INTO the complete original work. but #I like that it's definably 8. I like that I remembered I've always loved them a lot. Always been my thing to lean on even by name... #I need to get to sleep. Ive gotten a little more emotional over one song than I'd rather regularly be. Give it a listen maybe? Goodnight #Armour clanking #I need an oc tag #What have you gathered to report to your progenitors?🎶Are your excuses any better than your senator's🎶He held a conference #and his wife was standing by his side🎶He did her dirty but no-one died🎶 #I saw Sonny Liston on the street last-night black-fisted and strong singing🎶Redemption song🎶 #He motioned me to the sky🎶I heard heaven and thunder cry🎶RUN FOR COVER #What are you waiting for—a kiss or an apology?🎶You think by now you'd have an A in toxicology🎶 #It's hard to pack the car when all you do is shame us🎶Even harder when the dirtbag's famous🎶 #I saw my mother on the street last night all pretty and strong singin🎶The road is long🎶 #I said 'Mama I know you tried!'🎶But she fell on her knees and cried🎶RUN FOR COVER #Just run for cover - you've got nothin left to lose...

[menelaiad]

Not to take the wrong point from your post about Helen and Menelaus - Bc I fully agree and I also hate people portraying Helen as vain - but I had been under the impression that boob-showing when you were about to be killed, was a woman’s way of reminding the men about female vulnerability? Like in a symbolic “here are my gentle lady breasts, they feed babies like your mother fed you” to make them feel like the monsters they were about to be. I never read your two specific versions you mentioned so I don’t know the context of the scene with Helen, but I was told in an art history class that was an accepted way for a woman to plea for mercy… did it read that way at all in the two versions?

hi there!! oh no you're totally right. in a way.

clytemnestra bares her breasts to orestes before she is killed for this very reason. she IS his mother. her breasts did feed him as a child, is he really capable of killing her after all she did? so that is a reading of such actions. HOWEVER. i dont think it applied with all women and all men. like. hecuba does something similar to hektor - again, a mother with her son.

i dont think it would have had the same effect between husband and wife, yknow? YES helen would have fed her and menelaus' babies from her breasts - but not menelaus. the examples you mainly see are mothers pleading to sons.

in regards to the versions i mentioned as well, there is ALWAYS a .... leaning towards her appearance. it never mentions that these men (menelaus included) feel bad upon seeing helen this way. that they see her vulnerable or exposed.

in EURIPIDES' ANDROMACHE peleus says:

The moment you [Menelaus] saw her [Helen] naked breasts, you dropped your sword to the ground and ran into her arms! You kissed that evil, traitorous slut and uttered sweet, fawning words to her! That’s how much of a match you are to the calls of lust! There, too, you are found to be nothing but a coward, a slave to Aphrodite!

and YES he goes to her and says nice things (perhaps an indication of seeing her as weak and helpless??? as someone pleading for mercy) BUT there is a heavy lean to him being overcome by lust and aphrodite taking a hold of him - all relating to matters sexual and romantic. not really appealing to his morals. yknow??? he sees her breasts and is overcome with lust. that wouldn't happen if he was seeing her in an exposed and vulnerable state and he was coming to terms with his actions.

again in ARISTOPHANES' LYSISTRATA we get:

When Menelaus saw the apples of the naked Helen, he dropped, I believe, his sword ** the Little Iliad seems to be where this idea comes from, I think????

again. a focus on how she LOOKS. the size and shape of her breasts are discussed here (but yes aristohpanes was a comic)

some accounts don't even mention her breasts, but again its her APPEARANCE that stops menelaus. i wont bore and overquote but QUINTUS' FALL OF TROY has menelaus not kill her because he just thinks she's too beautiful.

Menelaus mid the inner chambers found at last his wife, there cowering from the wrath of her bold-hearted lord. He glared on her, hungering to slay her in his jealous rage. But winsome Aphrodite curbed him, struck out of his hand the sword, his onrush reined, jealousy's dark cloud swept she away, and stirred love's deep sweet well-springs in his heart and eyes. Swept o'er him strange amazement: powerless all was he to lift the sword against her neck, seeing her splendour of beauty.

STESICHORUS is fragmentary, but again it's her general appearance that stop the men from hurting her.

Was it because they saw Helen’s beauty that they did not use their swords? Stesichorus too describes something like this concerning the people who were intending to stone her. For he says that as soon as they saw her appearance, they let the stones fall to the ground.

EVEN IN PLAYS that talk about the aftermath of troy (trojan women, euripides) helen is considered to have the power to change mens hearts by her APPEARANCE alone.

Hekabe: Praise you, Menelaos for wanting to kill your wife. But let not her eyes fall upon yours or she will tempt your passion again.

ULTIMATELY. i dont think (personally) this meaning can be applied to helen. SIMPLY BECAUSE in some versions, she never uses her breasts at all. just her appearance, but in some they take it further and imply its her naked form that just drives the men WILD. but it's always her looks that save her. her entire naked body. her face. her breasts. SOMETHING about how helen LOOKS saves her. there's never an indication of her appearing vulnerable or weak or scared. there's no account of the men seeing her this way. NOW. she may have done it and MEANT it this way, but everyone's just took it the wrong way BUT there's far too much emphasis on her appearance for me to see it like that. and in a lot of references to menelaus sparing her, there is a mention to lust or aphrodite - again. it's because she's attractive and she's just TOO beautiful that she's being saved. and i think it just fits too neat, yknow? the beautiful helen of troy using her beautiful looks to save her life. she was even too beautiful to die. THAT sounds more like that narrative people would have took with this.

so whilst the breast-baring aBSOLUTELY has another meaning in some ancient works and it's not always sexual or romantic or to do with appearance and manipulation like we may see it now. i don't see that being the case with THIS example. perhaps that was the POINT of it. to really paint helen in such a bad light that she bastardised this common symbol of pleading and desperate women. she twisted it to suit her needs cause he breasts and her beauty far outsell those other women. .......... or so the ancient men would say. ig.

#long post for ts /// #ygotta remember that a lot of old ancient dudes didnt like helen #they really did just see her as 'the hot woman who used her hotness' and like #WE dont use that now. but back then it really was that simple to some writers. #does this make sense??????????? at alll??? #cause at the end of the day these are stories #stories maybe based in some fact or smth but stories nonetheless #they WILL have be constructed a certain way #their narrative happens for a reason. hence my #'helen being too beautiful to die' point #from a nARRATIVE/character perspective. it makes sense

[todayisafridaynight]

Who was ur favorite yakuza character before daigo and mine? Since u would’ve had to go through 0-2 until u meet daigo and 3 til mine (unless u didn’t play chronologically)

playing the games chronologically, i dont think i really had a favorite until Y3, and even then i didn't immediately latch onto mine (if anything, rikiya was my favorite for most of my first playthrough). also with Y2 it was more fair to say ryuji was my favorite from that game since at the time daigo was still 'thats my old friend daigo :)' to me

but excluding Y2, i really liked lee and makoto from Y0 :) and date from Y1. my best friend date ........ also haruka was my daughter in an instant and i still love her sooooo

#snap chats #my wife date even #but yeah for a while daigo was just 'thats my old friend daigo' to me LMAO #i cant really think of what the turning point was for me- maybe y5. i remember seeing his stupid disguise and thinking #'thats daigo isnt it i know what his ears look like thats fucking daigo' and being so happy when i was right and seeing him jalkjk #with mine after i beat y3 the first time i was enthralled from his last scene/s so i went back to watch all his appearances #i think i was mostly baffled by the fact a character so blatantly expressed his love for another man so i went back to watch everything #just trying to see if i could notice any kind of like. foreshadowing whether its from his body language or dialogue #thats what made me appreciate and love mine more as a character. with help from the rggo stories of course #daigo i think it just became a matter of 'he's been with me for so long he's like a son to me now' which. HILARIOUS considering y6 #but then i got to the END of y6 and i think thats when i started to fully dive deep into daigo. because now he is my son LMAO

[fictionadventurer]

There is not a single homely thing that, looked at from a certain angle, does not become fairy. Think of the Dapple, or the Dawl, when they roll the sunset towards the east. Think of an autumn wood, or a hawthorn in May. A hawthorn in May — there’s a miracle for you! Who would ever have dreamed that that gnarled stumpy old tree had the power to do that? Well, all these things are familiar sights, but what should we think if never having seen them we read a description of them, or saw them for the first time? A golden river! Flaming trees! Trees that suddenly break into flower! For all we know, it may be Dorimare that is Fairyland to the people across the Debatable Hill

-Lud-in-the-Mist, Hope Mirrlees

#lud-in-the-mist #books #i was so upset i couldn't read emily wilde that i racked my brain trying to come up with an acceptable replacement #then i remembered this book has been on my tbr for a long time and gave it a try #excellent excellent choice #i couldn't believe it's as old as they say because the story felt so confident in what it was doing #none of the quaint whimsy or self-parody you tend to see from pre-tolkien fairy stories #gorgeous prose #i've got so many highlights #this is easiest to share independently #thanks to the chestertonian nature #i didn't like everything ('initiation into the mysteries' sets off my freemason alarms though thankfully it didn't go beyond a few mentions #and i'm not sure i understood everything #but i did love it all the same #also looking at goodreads i seem to be the only person who didn't read it because of ne*l ga*man #i can even say i read it in spite of him

[itstimeforstarwars]

The struggle about posting stories that I KNOW are going to be zero-note wonders is that I have to finish them before I post them. I have to rely on myself to enjoy them enough to finish them, both because I will not be getting feedback from readers saying 'wow I'm so excited about this!!' but also my brain will interpret a lack of positive attention as people hating it instead of as a reasonable lack of interest due to writing about unpopular characters or writing in a dead fandom. This is one of the fun tricks you learn when you've been writing for over a decade.

#chit chat #conversely if i know that a handful of mutuals are gonna adore a story and I'm having trouble with it I'll go ahead and post the first chap #because the excitement of my friends is often the push i need to get the words flowing #see: galidraan #ofc this only works when the world is not crushing my face to the dirt but there's only so much u can control #obviously i am still going to post my darling zero note oneshots #i used to not post things that i expected wouldn't be popular and five computers later i have lost everything #except what i posted on ffnet #so like. if it gets finished it gets posted at this point #because i had stories that i LOVED and i still remember fondly and i fucking LOST them forever #because it was on an old computer that my parents upgraded #because it was saved on a floppy disk that my grandmother threw out #because it was in the gmail of my school account that got shut down the day i graduated and even tho i shared it to my other account #it was deleted #no #i have learned that i must post #on this account. on my ffnet account. on my cringe omg nobody look at this account. #let it be preserved as long as it can in as many places as possible and then maybe i can see it ten years on

[tardiswithadrivethrough]

i keep seeing screenrant articles and stuff (most recently) that are all "*gasp!* the toymaker has fixed continuity in doctor who by saying that actually it's all a mash up of different timelines!" and every time i'm just like yeah???? that isn't new that's literally the entire show

#el speaks #doctor who #dw 60th #google has long since figured out what I'm into #(apparently it's doctor who and archaeology and quantum mechanics in case you were wondering) #and i am occasionally a sucker for that specific kind of clickbait that's like #NEW STUDY SUGGESTS UNIVERSE MAY ACTUALLY BE TWICE AS OLD AS WE THOUGHT #where you can just take one look at the headline and go #nah #nah that's preeeeeeeetty obviously a massive exaggeration of conclusions made by a single preprint #maybe a chance that the authors would agree with the headline because they're going a little out there #but probably even they would say it's an exaggeration #the REAL exciting stem headlines are like #we found the first aperiodic monotile (it's shaped like a hat) #that's when you know you've found the good stuff #(the actual headlines about that were much less funny but I don't remember any examples because they weren't very interesting) #sometimes less interesting headlines = more interesting stories #but also sometimes i just want to read some dumb shit that's completely nonsensical but also 100% completely benign #because you know what? sometimes ya just gotta get way too into string theory and that's fine #fringe physics beliefs generally have utterly no impact on one's actual relationship to the world around them #and anyway how big can the overlap between people who care about this shit and people who believe this shit be? #wait what am i talking about now? i started out talking about doctor who #oh well #that's what the internet is for

[nerdpiggy]

depression talk ahead

whenever i play a game with a story/characters i love and become deeply invested in, i get depressed in real life. this is because i can't bring myself to do anything other than play the game. Every other thing in life is sidelined. EVERY other thing.

This doesn't make me regret playing the game, because i love its characters so much. But I do wish it didn't happen because everything SUCKS

#be free my post #happens pretty rarely tbh #but i remember one of the first times it happened and i noticed was TAZ balance #(not a game but still) #(its always something fairly long 5+ hrs. with great characters & story. so usually games) #i was like... 16? 17 years old? #and i remember being unable to do ANYTHING else but lay in bed and listen to hours and hours of episodes #and after finally catching up to the biweekly uploads (60 EPISODES IN LESS THAN TWO WEEKS) #i remember looking at myself in the mirror and feeling such a deep deep depression #its quite distressing. every fond memory i have of media i deeply love is entirely removed from my actual life at the time #because it invariably sucks ass and feels so so awful #quite distresssing! anyways its happening rn and i love good story good characters love love love. #im so depressed #is this an autusm?