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Don’t worry, bud, Bruce will get it eventually…

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i strongly believe that it's better to take aspirin of a known dosage than to take some willow bark with an unknown amount of active compound that could also just be sawdust from an unrelated tree. like that's just factually correct. medical science is real and the supplement industry is an unregulated nightmare of mostly scams. but. the thing is. if, in order to get aspirin, i had to schedule an appointment where i tell my doctor that my friend said i might have a headache (because i can't just say i have a headache without being treated like a googlemad hypochondriac). and then the doctor nodded and ordered a bunch of expensive tests that have very little to do with my head and a lot to do with the size of my ass. and the tests all came back fine so he shrugged and asked if my head hurt and when i said yes he prescribed me some aspirin while emphasizing he didn't know if it would help but i could give it a shot if i really wanted. and if i had to do that every time i wanted some aspirin. i would probably start eyeballing the willow bark. to be perfectly honest with you.

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Stained glass ao3 logo :P

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Sean Young in BLADE RUNNER 1982 | Ridley Scott

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David Hoffman, London, 1973

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boring take from real 21st century idiots: bdsm is bad because it's basically torture

interesting take from a fictional 14th century monk: torture is bad because it's basically sex

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At some point in the future I want to have a Hays Code costume party. Everyone has to dress as something with at least one Code violation.

There can be a costume contest, and the more Code violations, the more points you get. The judge is a drag artist done up like a caricature of a Hays-era censor.

Then everyone eats a shitton of popcorn and watches Frankenstein.

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You Can’t Separate Harry Potter from J.K. Rowling

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This is a legitimate and damaging cultural shift for all involved parties and it needs to be addressed.

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something that i think most leftists fundamentally do not understand is this: the basic seed of white supremacism is not and has never been “white people are good and everyone else is bad”. the basic seed of white supremacism has always been “white people are capable and everyone else is incapable”. when explicit arguments in favor of white supremacy are put forth, they are almost always take this form. never “white people are the kindest and the most virtuous” always “white people have achieved, they have conquered, where no others have”. this is why the liberal idpol thing of “all badness in the world is the result of european imperialism” actually more or less supports a white supremacist narrative. sure, the value judgements are different, but the basic belief that white people are the driving force of history is almost identical. stop it! this shit is not helpful!

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Freytag’s Triangle: Classic Plot Structure in a Modern World

If you’ve ever studied storytelling, you’ve probably come across Freytag’s Triangle — a classic way to map out the plot of a story. But is it still relevant today? And how can you use it without feeling boxed in? Let’s dive in!

🔺 What Is Freytag’s Triangle?

Created by 19th-century German playwright Gustav Freytag, the triangle breaks down a story into five key parts:

Exposition – Introduce characters, setting, and background

Rising Action – Build conflict and tension

Climax – The story’s turning point, biggest conflict

Falling Action – Consequences of the climax unfold

Denouement/Resolution – Loose ends tie up, story concludes

This structure was originally used to analyse classic tragedies and dramas — think Shakespeare, Greek plays, or 19th-century novels.

⏳ Is It Still Relevant in Modern Storytelling?

Yes and no. Freytag’s Triangle is a useful tool, not a rulebook. Here’s why:

Why It Helps:

It gives you a clear roadmap to pacing and tension, especially if you’re new to plotting.

Many popular stories — from thrillers to romances — still loosely follow this arc because it reflects how we naturally process conflict and resolution.

It’s great for traditional narratives with a clear beginning, middle, and end.

Why It Limits:

Modern stories often experiment with non-linear timelines, multiple perspectives, or open endings that don’t fit neatly into the triangle.

Some genres (literary fiction, slice-of-life, experimental) focus more on mood, character, or theme rather than a tight plot arc.

Over-relying on it can make stories feel predictable or formulaic.

🎨 Using Freytag’s Triangle Creatively

You don’t have to follow it rigidly! Here’s how to use Freytag’s Triangle in more abstract or modern ways:

Flip the triangle — Start with the climax and then explore what led there (think In medias res).

Multiple triangles — For stories with several plotlines, map out mini-arcs for each character or subplot.

Soft arcs — Instead of a big climax, focus on emotional or thematic “turning points” that aren’t as dramatic but still give a sense of movement.

Fragmented structure — Use flashbacks, unreliable narrators, or nonlinear timelines that loosely echo the triangle’s beats but aren’t bound by them.

✏️ Final Thoughts

Freytag’s Triangle is a classic storytelling compass — great for understanding structure and tension — but it’s not the only way to tell a story. Use it as a guide, a starting point, or even something to play with and subvert. Your story’s shape should fit your creative vision, not the other way around.

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Tomfoolery actually transitioned and only does she-nanigans now

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scientists wont tell you this! (because it's not true)

experts don't want you to know this! (because it's made up)

doctors HATE this one trick! (because it's dangerous and unhealthy)

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the world is getting so ugly and bleak and it’s hard not to feel so hopeless. but we have to remember that they want us to feel that way.

it reminds me of this quote by dan savage - “During the darkest days of the AIDS crisis we buried our friends in the morning, we protested in the afternoon, and we danced all night, and it was the dance that kept us in the fight because it was the dance we were fighting for.”

joy is resistance. it’s really scary times but we are all in this together.

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"these researchers published a paper on something that literally any of us could have told you 🙄" ok well my supervisors wont let me write something in my thesis unless I can back it up with a citation so maybe it's a good thing that they're amplifying your voice to the scientific community in a way that prevents people from writing off your experiences as annecdotal evidence

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they should invent a bus that never gets stuck in traffic because it's on its own path separated from the roads. and then chain multiple of them together and put it on rails. has anyone had this idea before.