#check the author on the source

[henryashtran]

[bsptourist]

gm_the_emil_residence

created by shortnamesalex

[waitineedaname]

who are some of your favorite fanfic authors?

oh god this is such a hard question bc I'm really bad at keeping track of fics I like. I really should use the bookmarks function, but I do not <3

of the fic writers I can actually remember, I've got a couple from various fandoms I've been in the past few years! for hlvrai, it's absolutely @localdisasterisk. their narrative voice is so distinct and yet matches each character they write so perfectly, and I adore their dialogue. Scorched Grounds is to this day one of the funniest fics I've ever read. even if you know nothing about hlvrai, you should read this fic because it is hysterical. also risk has done the impossible, which is to incorporate ocs into fanfiction in a way that not only makes me care about them, but also makes me cry about them. what the fuck.

in the mp100 fandom, @scribefindegil definitely takes the cake. I'm realizing this is revealing what I really look for in a good fanfiction, but just like what I said for risk, scribe's narrative voice is fantastic and matches the pov characters spectacularly well. also scribe's handle on the themes™ and tone and tension?? chef's kiss. The Brassica Heresy is a masterpiece of vegetable based horror, but I'm especially partial to In Case Of Emergency because I love the ensemble cast and I really like the non-espers having to solve a psychic problem

also I haven't been able to keep up with most of the fics bc they've been coming out at a dizzying rate, but @thatneoncrisis deserves a shoutout for doing truly insane shit in the locked tomb fandom. no one is doing it like quinn. it's amazing. go read We Have Always Lived in the Apartment, it is truly something special

[sublimedevastation]

"Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you. When something wonderful happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful. There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are. The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever. Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it’s like being young again. Colours seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn’t exist at all. A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day’s work and always brings a smile to your face. In their presence, there’s no need for continuous conversation, but you find you’re quite content in just having them nearby. Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you. You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon. You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life."

-author unknown, but definitely not Bob Marley

[icharchivist]

having read Dracula last year really made me just downright allergic to hearing about Dracula’s adaptations, i was watching a video about the tropes of the horror genre the other day and the guy confidently started to talk about the “Madonna/Whore” trope by illustrating it with Mina and Lucy because “Mina is virginal despite her attraction to the count and Lucy is a whore because she plays with multiple men and fucks the count”, while also throwing a totally unnecessary “also Jonathan is useless in this story it makes you wonder why he’s a main character” and i almost turned it off like “yeah lost absolutely all credit here”. and i wouldn’t be as mad if the youtuber had specified that it was only in the movie and different in the books but, when there were movies adapted from books doing things differently in the list, he would mention it, he just didn’t on Dracula so i was just oh. oh 🔪

[mystacoceti]

I've been reading a history book which was published in 2023 by the university of California press and written by a couple history professors, and when you hear those things you assume it will have notes and a bibliography and such set up in the usual way, right? wrong. at the end of every chapter is two or three pages set up like some weird hybrid further reading/acknowledgments/bibliography and there's no way of knowing what quote or statistic in the main chapter came out of which source unless the source was explicitly named in the chapter

[nysus-temple]

The drama of using Pseudo-Apollodorus as a source.

* heavy breathing * Okay. I can do this.

So, i've always been very... Conflicted, when using the famous Bibliotheca (Βιβλιοθήκη) as a source. It's not wrong, it's actually... Complicated.

You know those "Terms and Conditions" that no one reads before clicking "accept"? This unknown human is pretty much the same thing. This work, the Bibliotheca, is one of the most used ones when talking about Greek Mythology, from perhaps the I-II Centuries a. D. The work is, in fact, a very long set of myths. A lot of known ones such as the Medusa one are there.

"But the work is in Greek, Nysus" Many later-on works were in Greek. In Rome it was used a lot of times before they started to think that they should write in their native language (latin) too. And since this is from the I / II a. D., it could have been a Roman author, or someone else, not a Greek one, writing it.

Was he Greek? No.

Was he Roman? No.

What was he, then? No one.

We have NOTHING about who this author was. Where was he born or what did he do. Not even back in those times they knew who they were, which is insane. He's anonymous.

Is it wrong to use him as a source? No, it's not ! But you need to pay a lot of attention to the text before spreading what is written on it.

You know this dude, Nonnus of Panopolis, who I use a lot when talking about Dionysus. Do we have more information about him? Not really, he's almost the same as the Pseudo-Apollodorus. But we know his name, and where was he born. And that he was from the V a. D. "That's even later Nysus, why do you use him as a source, then?" well, the myths he talks about already existed, that's why. He just compiled them all together. I just use him as that, a quick-pick. I look for more info about the myths he talks about in the Dionysiaca before using him as a source, If I don't find more evidence than him, then I just don't trust it. Like two love afairs regarding Dionysus that he mentions, I have no other source for them, so i choose to ignore their existence until someone gives me something about them.

Pseudo-Apollodorus has the same thing. And even worse, we don't even know his actual name. Pseudo (ψεῦδο) means false, fake, or other similar words. This is were "pseudonym" (false name) comes from, you see? He's basically called "False-Apollodorus". Since he has been mistaken for CENTURIES with Apollodorus of Rhodes and Apollodorus of Athens.

So, as I said earlier, is it wrong to use the Bibliotheca as a source? No. But *please*, look for more realiable sources before, and use the Bibliotheca as a narrative compilation of those other sources, just as I do with the Dionysiaca.

It's safer, more than anything. We're living... And, have always lived, a moment of misinformation regarding Greek Mythology. It's been centuries and Greece has been used as a playground for way too much time. So taking your time before assuming anything regarding its mythology is the best you can do, coming from a foreigner.

[normal-newt]

Paleoblr can you help me?

I’m looking for any sources on pterosaurs that are not from Pterosaur Heresies or reptileevoloution .com (sister site run by same person).

For anyone who doesn’t know. This guy seems to be unwilling to consider he might not be best pterosaur researcher in the world (he’s not a pterosaur researcher). He’s more proud of ideas being unique than being accurate. He has created new, pterosaur-specific pseudo-science which is apparently possible to do.

He is also easiest accessible source of pterosaur “facts” outside scientific journals. Getting access to all the scientific journals costs so much.

It’s one of worst pseudo-science sites I’ve seen. It’s making it hard to find proper research, I’m having to check sources of every diagram to make sure someone who didn’t know hasn’t re-posted it from him, it’s right at the level of people starting to get serious about palaeontology and it’s all so one guy feels superior,

[brunhielda]

Since you all liked the last one-

Another random Tolkien thought:

(we will not be discussing what it means that I randomly have thoughts on a man long dead, even if he did shape the fantasy genre as we know it)

So I was watching The Hobbit, mostly for the Bilbo/Thorin feels and completely ignoring the unnecessary elvish/dwarvish romance, as you do-

And I am looking at this going “Damn Thorin, you don’t know this guy, why you gotta be so harsh?”

Then replying to myself “Well, because despite being technically a King, Thorin is a “WORKING MAN”tm, who takes one look at Bilbo’s fine China and soft hands and knows him for the soft, well off gentry he is. And it is fair to be worried this guy might hold them back enough to get someone killed. Could have been less rude about it, but is he wrong?”

And I have been talking, in other spaces, about how all of the “comfy cozy” British literature is based off a class in Britain that is not living in castles by any means, but have inherited wealth, and as long as they don’t spend too much in any one place, there is an “allowance” coming from a back account somewhere that allows them to live in general comfort. So the characters can sit about all cozy, do gardening or boats for fun, and often spend thier days stopping in at the neighbors for chats and tea. Stories include Winnie the Pooh, Wind in the Willows, Frog and Toad, and yes, Hobbit Society.

And I have a sudden thought- Is that Tolkien? A quick google says he grew up an orphan with an aunt and looked after by a priest, but yes, he was, as described, “the genteel side of poverty,” meaning that was the society he grew up in as a child, and the society of the people the associated with at Oxford as an adult, even if he had to face more hardships than they did.

So the Hobbits are what he knows, what he remembers fondly from his childhood, what he tries to build for his kids.

The Dwarves are warriors. They are men who work with thier hands, even the most noble of them, when they are not fighting. They may not know all the stuff Bilbo or Gandalf know about histories and elves, but they have thier own histories and prides, and are intelligent in all the ways that matter. And Bilbo is the soft one that got dragged along for skills they can’t see yet, who they poke and prod at until they find his measure under all that fluffy comfort, and are finally proud to call shield brother.

Suddenly I have an image of a very young, nerdy, twiggy Tolkien, WWI, just given the rank of lieutenant because of his Oxford education, shipping out with rough and tumble British working class men, sure that this little idealist who has only ever read books and knows nothing of life is going to get them all killed. And they are looking up to (idk the ranks) a Sargent? A Captain? Someone who surprisingly made his way there from the bottom ranks rather than buying a commission, and has seen a million battles, so the men love and follow him without hesitation. Tolkien didn’t get shipped out til almost mid-way through the war, so this is a likely scenario- the little newbie who has clever ideas but no practical experience, trying so damn hard to impress the superior officer he is idolizing.

Maybe that didn’t happen. I have no records or other sources to back it up. But it explains the characters relationships, and the story trajectory.

My take away on all of Middle Earth literature- Tolkien might be the first author to truly capture Philia (brotherly love, bond between war brothers) in fantasy since Troy (please give me other examples if I am wrong, I want to read them), because he lived it. Whether or not he intentionally boss characters off of anyone in particular, his life experiences in WWI are bleeding through, and it is beautiful.

But IF I am right, and some of this was Tolkien processing his individual experiences in war-

What I really want to know, what I am desperate to know now that I have had this thought and seen this image in my mind:

If Tolkien is Bilbo… who was Thorin?

I bet he was something else.

[canonbisexualbuck]

i should've dropped out of school while i had the chance lmao

[mirrorgrets]

PASSED THE INTRODUCTION AND METHOD PART OF THE THESIS IM SOOO NORMAL AND NOT MENTALLY ILL

[inveiglingfantasy]

Whatever your beliefs are, most of us have been tricked by a fake news story. I think it's important to talk about red flags you can keep an eye out for.

Here are some questions you can ask that will train you to look for mis-information.

1. How does this piece of information/news make you feel?

*anger, fear and shock can be strong emotions, but humor can also be used to manipulate you.

2. Would you feel embarrassed to repeat this story/fact aloud to anyone you know?

* source check it. If other people you know might disagree with it strongly, or have a big reaction to it, that's your societal gut instinct telling you that something might be off.

3. Does this information match a bias or confirm your current worldview?

* If this information or story is particularly perfect in confirming your worldview, be cautious and see if there are other avaliable narratives.

4. Is the piece of information particularly contrary to the existing narrative?

* If this information is new and changes things in a big way, you should be source checking.

5. Who would benefit from this narrative? And what could their likely end goal be?

* is this person is concerned with getting their content out there for engagement on social media? Does this have a controversial or loop in a lot of people who strongly disagree or strongly agree? Are people very emotional about this?

If you are hitting the above red flags, please source check if you can. Yes, its a pain but its the best way to know for sure!

Much love folks :)

[cacophonylily]

I am currently reading a 1990 master's thesis analyzing the birth of the French sports press around 1850 just to be sure my depiction of Booker's life and knowledge is as historically accurate as it possibly can be.

Yep, that's right. That's the level of obsessed I've reached today.

[kazoologist]

you know i really have always been more of the opinion that if someone is studying the history/folklore/culture of a group that isn't their own but if they proceed with a great deal of care and caution and view themselves as scholarly collaborators as opposed to authorities that it like. is probably fine. but man wrapping up my reference services homework for cherokee folklore here is showing me that not NEARLY enough scholars agree with me

[thebibliosphere]

I've had a couple of messages over the last few days from folks saying things like, "Sorry, I can only afford to get your book through the library," and I need you to know I am gripping you by the shoulders, I am shaking you gently, and I am begging you stop apologizing for using library services.

After Amazon and Payhip, the quarterly checks I get from Overdrive/Libby are my biggest and most reliable source of income.

My readers have been nothing but feral in their quest to get Hunger Pangs into as many libraries as possible, and while library lending pays an exceptionally modest amount, if enough people do it (which many of you evidently are), those pennies add up.

I am guaranteed at least $20 a month in library lending royalties. That might not sound like much to some folks, but to me, that's my b12 supplements covered for the month. That's the thing I need to keep me alive paid for.

I will never resent anyone who uses libraries instead of buying books.

I'm a disabled author who lives month to month at the mercy of my medical expenses. Even though I have incredibly generous patrons and supporters, I know what it's like to not be able to afford things.

Use the library. Please.

Use it guilt-free. You're helping the library and the authors, probably more than you realize.

And if you're in the US and haven't signed up for a @queerliblib free library card yet, you should! it doesn't matter what state you're in, the Queer Liberation Library offers free access to their catalogue of queer media across the US.

And if you've got the means, maybe help them out with a little donation. They're only able to expand their collection via the support of their patrons, and the work they're doing is hugely important.

[themslash]