evolvingstatesofmind

[evolvingstatesofmind]

my dad–also a writer–came to visit, and i mentioned that the best thing to come out of the layoff is that i’m writing again. he asked what i was writing about, and i said what i always do: “oh, just fanfic,” which is code for “let’s not look at this too deeply because i’m basically just making action figures kiss in text form” and “this awkward follow-up question is exactly why i don’t call myself a writer in public.”

he said, “you have to stop doing that.”

“i know, i know,” because it’s even more embarrassing to be embarrassed about writing fanfic, considering how many posts i’ve reblogged in its defense.

but i misunderstood his original question: “fanfic is just the genre. i asked what you’re writing about.” 

i did the conversational equivalent of a spinning wheel cursor for at least a minute. i started peeling back the setting and the characters, the fic challenge and the specific episode the story jumps off from, and it was one of those slow-dawning light bulb moments. “i’m writing about loneliness, and who we are in the absence of purpose.”

as, i imagine, are a lot of people right now, who probably also don’t realize they’re writing an existential diary in the guise of getting television characters to fuck. 

“that’s what you’re writing. the rest is just how you get there, and how you get it out into the world. was richard iii really about richard the third? would shakespeare have gotten as many people to see it if it wasn’t a story they knew?”

so, my friends: what are you writing about?

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absolutely fascinated by this raw pixels on an emulator vs how the game was actually supposed to look on old tvs twitter

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star trek tos au where all the uniform boots look like this

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Imagine being JD Vance, who makes such a huge part of his personality being catholic. The pope himself takes time to lecture you on compassion then promptly DIES. The pope uses one of his last hours on earth to tell you that you suck at your religion on EASTER. And then DIES. Anyway RIP Pope Francis

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So wait are livestock guardian dogs to their flocks like… Clark Kent among the residents of Smallville? He’s been here since he was a baby, we all know him, and he’s… generally one-of-us shaped, uh, approximately. And then when something goes wrong he suddenly leaps into action and does some terrifying impossible shit none of us could do. And then comes back home and settles in like nothing happened and he’s one of us again.

[evolvingstatesofmind]

[evolvingstatesofmind]

Was scrolling through AO3 and found this gem

Enemy to parent is a trope we have to popularise lmao

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Us, arriving to Austria to a tiny family hotel owned by an elderly lady

Us: speak only limited German

Lady: barely speaks English

Us:

Lady:

Lady: Czech? Slovak?

Us: Czech

Lady, to herself: Czech, that's a Slavic language right

Lady: understand Yugoslavian?

Us:

Us: yeah that works

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I'm part of a wood carving club and there are a lot of dads who are dripping with adhd/autism vibes who's special interest is wood carving. One of the master skill level carvers who we'll call... Jim was working on a figure of a super heroine, who was frankly outrageously bodacious. Several women in the club are uncomfortable with this. They tell me they wish he wouldn't carve stuff like that at the club. This is understandable. I felt a bit uneasy too. I ask if they told him, and they say no.

This goes on for months. He's at a point where he's carving the folds of her skin tight suit. It's shockingly impressive. A real Giovanni Strazza with wood here. Many of the women in the club, (also boomers) have stopped talking to him because they're offended.

One afternoon I see a woman we'll call Karen approach him and have this conversation Her: Wow that is really starting to look like actual fabric. Him: Thanks! It's been a really fun challenge. Her: I bet! She sure is - a lot- huh? Him: Yeah a lot of these comic book characters are really outrageously proportioned! Her: They really are! You know, when I was carving a sign that was political in a way i knew would offend some people here, I just felt so much more comfortable carving it at home. Him: *nodding* Her: Okay? Him: Yeah I get that. Her: Yeah. Okay. Good luck with her!" *she walks off and he looks a little confused.* Next week at the meet up Jims working on it again and Karen's furious. Says to me "He said he wouldn't bring it back! So RUDE." So I go up to him and we have this conversation. Me: Hey Jim Him: Hey Neala Me: Some of the ladies around here are feeling a little uncomfortable with the figure you're carving because of her massive cartoon titties. Him: Ah shit, really? I thought they just thought it was funny. Me: Yeah folks laugh a lot when they're uncomfortable and trying to hide it. Him: Mm, yeah and I can never tell which laugh is which. Me: Me either Him: Well I won't work on this here anymore. I have other projects to do. Me: Hey thanks! I wanna see it when you're done tho so take a pic for me, okay? Him: Haha sure! I go sit down. Karen is shocked. Jim puts the figure away and works on a carving of a crane instead. He is not upset.

A week later I over hear Karen telling her friend I screamed at Jim last week.

[evolvingstatesofmind]

[evolvingstatesofmind]

A guy gets isekae'd to a fantasy world and it's completely disconnected from our own world, like no shared history.

Except.

Words keep popping up. Someone mentions a "French braid", and he's like "a what braid? Where did you hear about France?" and no one seems to know the etymology. He gets in some minor trouble for assaulting a bard who can't explain where he heard Old Town Road.

The local Duke shows off his new portrait and it's somehow AI generated? And still painted?

He's going slowly mad trying to figure out why there's our-world references leaking into this fantasy world. Is there someone else who is isekai'd here? Is there a portal between here and earth? A wizard who can travel back and forth? What the fuck is going on?

He falls to his knees sobbing in the street when he sees a poster for a play being put on in the Capitol city. It's called "War of the Stars" and it's about Lucas the Sky Walker who is given a holy sword to fight the Black Knight who never removes his armor, and he rescues a beautiful princess from a hidden fortress with the assistance of a wizard mentor, a traveling merchant, and his werewolf companion.

[evolvingstatesofmind]

He was as tall as he was tall, and his eyes were the color they were. To describe his hair one would say that he had some. His face had all the features you'd expect, and none of the ones you wouldn't. "There he is," people would often say of him, but only when he was there. And they were right.

[evolvingstatesofmind]

dionysus big naturals

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I guess Twitter really needed a middle-aged trans man on the timeline today. Happy to oblige.

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[evolvingstatesofmind]

“Abolish Golf”

Sticker spotted in Chicago, Illinois.

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i like perusing fragrantica (perfume information website) as a pastime, but the number of people??? who wear perfume??? to bed?? wild

also have seen MULTIPLE variations of "good hiking perfume"/"good going to the gym perfume"?????

WHAT are other people's discretionary funds for fragrance looking like??? that you would have a "hiking" perfume?????