#george rr mar

[freshthoughts2020]

(THE CORNER® | OPEN MANUAL AUDIO VISUAL)

[andthedaysthatnevercame]

thinking about making a deranged 11amy comparative that will only appeal to me specifically

[bloojayoolie]

Martin, George RR Martin, and Hope: Me: I hope all the GoT plot lines end in a satisfying manner and that none of my favourite characters die. George RR Martin: https://t.co/ypq8bewhbl

[stormcloudrising]

In my most recent essay series, I discussed the influence of The War of the Worlds on A Song of Ice and Fire...specifically in the arc of Daenerys Targaryen.  In it, I showed how GRRM has written Dany and her dragons as a version of the Martian Invaders from the H.G. Wells’ classic.  I have written two parts of the essay and am currently working on the 3rd and probably final chapter, which will discuss the Martian Red Weed and Black Smoke as it relates to both Dany’s Fire and Blood and Euron’s Bloody Tide as seen in Melesandre’s vision.  

In researching this latest chapter, I was curious if Martin had ever discussed The War of the Worlds.  As it is such a classic of the genre, I was not surprise to find articles where he talked about the novel...most often in relation to the movies made of the story.  What I did not expect was that I would find an article that he himself wrote about the red planet; it’s influence on him and other writers of the genre.  And I most certainly did not expect to see him call Mars, the Blood and Fire planet.  

Mars has always had a certain fascination for us Earthlings. It was one of the original planets, the Fab Five of antiquity (along with Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn), the “wanderers” who refused to march in step with the stars, but made their own way through the heavens. And Mars was red, its colour visible even to the naked eyes of the ancients; the colour of blood and fire.

Yeah!  I’m definitely on the right track with my essay series. The excerpt is an intro that he wrote for Old Mars, a collection of novellas about the red planet which he edited with Gardner Dozios.  You can read his full essay at the link above.

George never did write the book about Mars as he always wanted but he may have done something better.  He brilliantly interwove aspects of The War of the Worlds into ASOIAF.  

[acicueta]

Eastwatch by the Sea by Ted Nasmith 

[rhaenyra-first-of-her-name]

10, 12, 17 and 23 for the salty ask game Ish

Jan, my beloved❤ (platonic)

I see you have questions. Ask and you shall receive.

10. Most disliked arc? Why?

Answered here

12. Is there any unpopular are that you like but the fandom doesn't? Why?

Firstly, Dany 's Qarth arc, in ACOK. Unexpectedly, it was quite enjoyable. The worldbuilding was nice. I loved the versions in the undying and the prophecies from Quaithe. It's mainly part of the magical arc in the books which I am as fond of. Also baby dragons.

There were other arcs in the book that bored me (like Jon's) so I loved the nice change of pace and setting.

Secondly, not sure if it counts as unpopular but I rarely see the fandom talk about it so I am just gonna include it: the Queenmaker plot.

Oh dear, how much I love this one. It got little to do with the name and everything to do with Arianne & Doran 's relationship and how much I love it. They're both people who deeply love each other but their relationship is marred by misunderstandings and secrets (it's more of Doran 's fault although it was unintentional). It's so beautifully tragic. I couldn't possibly love it more.

The conversation they had in the tower is one of my favorite scenes in the books. I go and read it from time to time.

17. Instead of XYZ happening, I would have made ABC happen...

All my AUs ideas you mean, lol.

A lot of stuff. Like Rhaella living (too many dead mothers in these books) and raising Dany instead; Elia, Rhaenys and Aegon surviving somehow (they deserved better); Rhaella marrying Doran instead (gotta foot in crack ship agenda lol), Robert dying on the Trident, Lyanna lives and raises Jon, Aerys dying earlier, probably a lot less rape and tragedy in the books in general (I knew what I was getting myself into, I am still a big softie), etc.

I can't list all of them, we would be here all day.

23. Unpopular character you love?

Quite a few, actually.

Edmure Tully, can I link your own post for the why, Jan? 😝😂

Mance Ryder. For pretty much the same reasons. He had been working a long time to unite the wildlings and save them from the Others so the man got my respect.

Margaery Tyrell. She's quite interesting. We don't have any Tyrell pov and she have limited agency in the books. She had been married to three kings now. I wanna know more about her.

Rhaella Targaryen. She only exists in the narrative to serve as a tragedy and another casualty to Aerys 's cruelty and madness. My heart goes out for her.

Shaera Targaryen. Shaera is pretty much a blank state that I love writing lol. But I like her more bcoz of who she's treated by the fandom. She's another Queen and mother we hardly we know anything about. But if you see her in the fics, she usually gets to share the blame for Rhaella 's marriage even though we have in the text that it was Jaehaerys. I am tired of this fandom blaming the woman for the man's fault. It fucking never happens the other way around for obvious reasons. So pissed off me decided to like her.

Daario Naaharis. More of the show version tbh. He makes Dany happy so he gets points for that.

Doran Martell. Dear God, I love him so much. Hands down, he's my most favorite character in asoiaf after Dany. He's such a tragic figure. His mother died before RR, Elia and her children were murdered and got no justice while their murderers got rewarded, his relationship with Mellario soured, even with Arianne it wasn't a smooth sailing, Quentyn had to be fostered with Yronwoods, Oberyn and Quentyn also died; the guy doesn't seem to catch a break. (George pls, give him a break)

Yet so dutiful. He's one of the few rulers in asoiaf who cares about the smallfolk and he does cares so deeply.

He's also one of the few good fathers (not without his mistakes tho) in asoiaf. Good fathers are rare in asoiaf.

What's there to not love about this guy?

Sorry this got long. But thanks for the opportunity to let me ramble😅

Answers for this post.

[ljandersen]

4, 5, 10, 11, 34 for the writer’s ask game!!!

Thank you so much for the questions!  I love discuss writing.  This is from the writer’s ask.

4.   Have you ever been published, or do you want to be published?

I haven’t been published, but I’d like to be one day.  I always thought I’d go the route of query letters and finding an agent.  Being traditionally published seemed more reputable.  However, after researching it, I’ve found traditional modern-day publishing still requires a lot of self-marketing, which was my biggest incentive in going traditional.  I’ve decided to go the indie route after weighing the pro’s and con’s. I’ll do it eventually.  

For now, I’m enjoying fanfiction, which is just as valuable and real as “original” fiction in my eyes.  I’ve actually been a bit irked by “original” writers who act pretentious and look down on fanfiction. 

5.     How much writing do you get done on an average day?

It varies.  On weekdays, because I’m working, I don’t get much done.  On weekends, if I have the day to myself, I’ll spend all day writing.  I enjoy writing, and I’d rather do that than watch TV or a lot of other solitary activities.  

10.  Do you set yourself deadlines?

Not really.  “Sideways” took a long time to write.  After I posted “About Mars . . .” I decided to finish writing “Sideways” once and for all.  The story naturally split into parts.  I realized that by editing by sections, I could start posting sooner.  I needed the achievement of finally posting, or I knew the project was going to be too overwhelming to ever finish.  September seemed a reasonable timeframe for posting and ended up being a good estimation.  I guess, overall, I don’t have deadlines per say, but I make estimates and set soft goals.  

If I set too many rules on my writing, it ceases to be an escape for me.  I work a job where checking in at 0701 instead of 0700 more than three times in a 90 day rolling period will get your written up.  The last thing I want is exacting, arbitrary, meaningless rules set by myself on something I love.  That’s why I keep my writing flexible and fluid with goals.

11.  Books and/or authors who influenced you the most

I enjoy Brandon Sanderson, George RR Martin, and a few other fantasy writers.  For the most part, though, I enjoy individual stories.  A lot of stories I love don’t have sequels I enjoy.  The author’s other books don’t resonate with me.  It’s as valuable to me to look at the stories that do work as is it to look at the stories that should work and don’t.  

For instance, I love “The Lies of Locke Lamora” by Scott Lynch.  I don’t like the next book so much I dropped the series and have no interest in following the writer.  It’s not that it was offensive, merely illogical, aimless, and boring.  I can look at both stories and exactly say what made me love the first book and what made me dislike the second one.  I think both books influence me by knowing what I want to write and what I want to avoid.  A story needs to be satisfying, and it takes work to get it there.

34.  What was the hardest scene you ever had to write?

It’s always a long action set.  There’s a long action set in part 4 of “Sideways” that was a challenge for the scope, length, and complexity.  I found a way to make it more interesting to me personally by a character-related issue, and now I enjoy the set as my own reader.  I wouldn’t want to write it again, but I like how it turned out.  Chapter 1 of “Sideways” was also difficult, because it had so many requirements that conflicted and had to fit in a small space.

Thank you for the ask!!!

[brownichu27]

La fantasía épica es algo que muchos buscan para entretenerse. Mundos medievales repletos de monstruos, en los que el caballero de turno debe rescatar a la princesa en apuros.

Pero las cosas están cambiando (en algunos ámbitos por lo menos). Javier Ruescas ya dijo en su canal de youtube que las princesas Disney habían ido cambiando junto con la sociedad. Y yo me dije, vale, pero… ¿y las princesas en general?

Dada la gran cantidad de historias de princesas que hay voy a intentar concentrarme en aquellas que nacieron siendo princesas, excluyendo a las que se acabaron casando con un príncipe, pues siento que hay una diferencia importante entre estas dos vertientes.

Los clásicos

Los clásicos de la literatura, que hoy en día componen los 1001 cuentos para contar a los niños tienen su mundo no solo centrado en el mundo medieval, sino también fueron escritos en esas épocas. Y da la casualidad que son también las princesas clásicas de Disney.

La bella durmiente

La primera versión escrita que se tiene de esta historia data de 1634, siendo la de Charles Perrault de 1697 la que más se conoce. Pero esta historia viene de la tradición oral, y potencialmente es previa a su primera publicación.

Si no vivís bajo tierra ya os sabréis más o menos la trama. Bebé muy cuqui nace y es maldito, se les esconde esperando que quizás así se salve pero como que no, cae en un sueño profundo y se le encierra en una torre de la que debe rescatarla el príncipe. Disney añadió cosas como el beso de amor verdadero, aunque el original es un tanto más cruento.

Ya que el príncipe no la despierta, no, que va… la viola y son sus hijos gemelos quienes la despiertan. Y después encima la reina, la mujer del “príncipe” intenta cargársela por ser la “amante”.

Que George RR Martin no fue el primero en escribir fantasía oscura de esa en que te quedas wtf.

Blancanieves

Es otro de esos libros publicados en el siglo XIX (por los hermanos Grimm), pero que tiene sus orígenes en la tradición oral y por ende es mucho más viejo.

Una vez más una adaptación de Disney, cuenta la historia de una reina que tiene envidia de su hijastra y decide envenenarla. La joven sobrevive, también gracias a besos o los gajes del transporte, dependiendo de a quién leas, y acaba devolviéndosela a su madrastra. La tipa la invita a su boda y le pone zapatos de hierro candente, y la obliga a bailar.

La sirenita

El primer original de la lista, este fue escrito por Hans Christian Andersen en 1837. Nos cuenta la historia de una princesa sirena que sueña con ser humana (para tener alma y eso) y cambia su cola por unas piernas para poder salir del mar y casarse con un príncipe.  La historia original, acaba con ella muriendo tras las nupcias del príncipe con otra mujer, conviertiendose en espuma de mar. Pero dandosele la posibilidad de conseguir un alma si trabaja como hada del aire haciendo buenas acciones.

¿Y el resto de clásico Disney?

Rapunzel no es princesa originalmente, sino una doncella. Y ya sabréis que ni Cenicienta ni Bella son princesas tampoco. La reina de las nieves en el que esta inspirada Frozen tampoco cuenta con princesas. Merida y Moana son personajes originales del cine. Y Pocahontas es un personaje histórico, al igual que Mulan (que en ningún momento fue princesa, aunque en el poema original si acaba como concubina del emperador).

¿Qué tienen en común?

Son, en general, doncellas en apuros que las pasan canutas por la tirria (habitualmente) de otra mujer. Pero cuidado, que pese a ser bastante ineptas para la supervivencia, pueden llegar a ser tan crueles como las villanas.

Los clásicos nos transmiten las siguientes cosas:

La mujer debe ser salvada.

No te lleves mal con ninguna mujer.

Lo de gobernar se lo dejamos a los hombres.

Otras princesas de la historia antigua

Porque hay más princesas a parte de los clásicos.

Déjanire y Mégara en Grecia

Ambas esposas mortales de Heracles, y ambas princesas de nacimiento, aunque ninguna de las dos tuvo un final feliz precisamente. Hay varias princesas mortales en los mitos griegos (ya no contamos a las princesas inmortales, porque si no…), las cuales son muy a menudo puteadas por los Dioses.

Empezamos por Mégara. Mégara es la hija del rey de Tebas, y se casa con Heracles después de que este derrote a un rey enemigo. Se va a vivir con él y tiene 3 hijos y una hija. La pobre mujer no hace mucho más porque Hera vuelve loco a Heracles y este los mata a todos.

Déjanire es hija del rey de Calydon y la ultima esposa mortal de Heracles. Tampoco hace mucho para la historia, aparte de que Hera la convence de mojar la tunica de su esposo en sangre de Hidra para evitar que este le sea infiel (algo como muy habitual en esa época, sinceramente). La sangre de Hydra resulta ser como ácido contra la piel de Heracles, y viendo lo que le ha hecho a su marido se suicida.

Una vez más tenemos a esa reina envidiosa que putea a la princesa. Aunque en estos mitos no lo hace por tirria a la pobre mujer, si no por odio al hombre con el que esta casada. También señalar que Heracles es casi tan culpable como Hera de jugar con estas mujeres. Y obviamente siendo la enemiga una Diosa, esta pobres chicas no pueden ni defenderse ni vengarse.

Nerunnahar y Suleika en el Medio Oriente

En el libro de las Mil y una noches vemos varías princesas. Como no tenia tiempo de leer todas las historias a continuación las que he encontrado.

Nerunnahar era una princesa huérfana que vivía con su tío el sultán y sus tres hijos. Pasa que sus tres primos se enamoraron de ella, y el sultán no podía elegir con quien casarlas, así que los mando a cada uno en un viaje en busca de una maravilla. El mayor encontró una alfombra voladora, el segundo un cuerno que permitía ver lo que quisiera, y el pequeña una manzana que curaba cualquier enfermedad.

Cuando los tres volvían al castillo el mediano uso su cuerno para ver a la princesa y descubrió que estaba muriendo, así que con la alfombra del mayor se transportaron velozmente hacía el palacio, y el pequeño la curo. Una vez más el sultán no podía elegir a quien casar con Nerunnahar, pues los tres habían colaborado en su salvación, así que les dijo de lanzar flechas y ver quien las enviaba más lejos.

El campeón fue el mediano, pues la flecha del pequeño se extravió. La historia sigue con el pequeño encontrando una gennia y casándose con ella, pero eso ya no afecta a Nerunnahar.

La princesa Suleika es un poco más proactiva en esta larga historia de la vida de un hombre. Pues es un hombre que servia a un rey, el cual un día se quedo dormido en los jardines y fue sorprendido por el harem. El harem son las esposas, hijas y demás del rey, que no pueden ser vistas por nadie más que él.

Pues da la casualidad que una de las hijas del rey, la princesa Suleika, se enamora de este hombre. Obviamente los pillan eventualmente y ella finge su muerte para poder fugarse con él.

Y muchos más

De seguro hay muchos más libros con princesas en cualquier cultura, e invito a quién lea esto a proponerlos. Pero si algo vemos en los cuentos tradicionales, es que las princesas actúan como fuente de deseo de los hombres, y envidia de otras mujeres, sin tener un papel verdadero fuera del romance.

Y aquí sale mi Jo Bennet queriendo encontrar pruebas de que no todo debería ser así.

  Fin de esta parte del artículo, el próximo en breves.

          Las princesas en la literatura medieval. La fantasía épica es algo que muchos buscan para entretenerse. Mundos medievales repletos de monstruos, en los que el caballero de turno debe rescatar a la princesa en apuros.

[adamsdoyle]

My girlfriend asked me to make her a list of works of fantasy and science fiction so should could feel keyed into references when they come up in conversation. She wanted to feel more grounded in these genres, which she likes, but hasnt made the effort to be on top of everything.

I was happy to compile the most important names, but told her it couldn’t be a short list because recognizing the works of today means honoring their origins, which goes way back into our past. 

What’s below is my best effort to include what I assess to be the most culturally relevant becoming, tempering my favorites, and trying to keep it from being totally overwhelming. I’ve left off works from the past five to ten years because it can take a span of time before we're aware the effects new ideas may have. Felt like sharing here in case you or your friends want a crash course on the bedrock of our imagined landscape. I do try to be globally aware, however this list will reflect my bias as a white, straight, male who grew up in the States. And as this is an ongoing conversation between her and myself, I wanted to be able to vouch for the contents.

-Key-

(Wiki)  Read up for cultural significance *         Personal Favorite +        Hugely influential ^        Non-Essential but worth listing

-Literature-

8,000 BC Aboriginal mythology (pre written language)

2,300 BC Egyptian & Chinese myths+

1,000 BC The Old Testament+

900 BC Greek myths, fables, and all the rest

300 BC - 1800 AD Folk and fairy tales+

1000 AD Beowulf (Wiki)

1100s Legend of King Arthur+ 1200s Norse mythology+

1300s The Inferno - Dante Alighieri+

1500s A Midsummer Night’s Dream - Shakespeare

1600s Paradise Lost*

1700s Gulliver’s Travels The Arabian Nights (Wiki)

1800s Faust Frankenstein* - Mary Wollstonecraft Shelly+ Grimm’s fairy tales+ (Wiki brothers, who collected folktales) The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde* Dracula - Bram Stoker+ Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll+ Flatland The Time Machine & War of the Worlds - HG Wells+ (godfather of SF) Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea - Jules Verne+ The Tell-Tale Heart - Edgar Allan Poe+

1900s Peter Pan - JM Barry The Comet - WEB Dubois Little Nemo in Slumberland - Winsor McCay The Book of Wonder - Lord Dunsany (less known now, he was highly influential in his time for fantasy & mythos) The Metamorphosis - Franz Kafka+ (Einstein’s Theory of Relativity) The Wizard of Oz - L. Frank Baum+ John Carter of Mars - (Wiki) Call of Cthulhu or The Outsider - HP Lovecraft+ Brave New World - Aldous Huxley (Teacher of Orwell https://bit.ly/2xayA23) 1984 - George Orwell+ Amazing Stories magazine - John Campbell+ (writer & editor)

After 1950 Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien+ Chronicles of Narnia* - CS Lewis I Am Legend - Richard Matheson (The first real zombie story. Also wrote for Twilight Zone) Childhood’s End - Arthur C Clarke+ I, Robot - Isaac Asimov+ Farenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury Funes the Memorious or The Garden of Forking Paths - Borges+ Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut Wizard of Earthsea or The Lathe of Heaven - Ursula LeGuin Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert Heinlein Dune Where the Wild Things Are - Maurice Sendak The Neverending Story* ^The Man in the High Castle Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - (inspired Bladerunner) Philip K Dick+ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy A Wrinkle in Time The Stand - Stephen King+

After 1980 Invisible Cities - Italo Calvino Xanth series* Communion - (True account of alien abduction) Neuromancer - William Gibson+ Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood Jurassic Park - Michael Crichton+ Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson Ender’s Game* - Orson Scott Card Parable of the Sower - Octavia Butler A Song of Ice & Fire - George RR Martin ^Hunger Games Harry Potter - JK Rowling+ Who Fears Death

-Comics/Superheroes-

-DC Comics- Superman (Wiki how he came to be) Wonder Woman (Wiki how she came to be or watch Professor Marston and the Wonder Women. Very interesting) Batman (and Joker) The Sandman - Neil Gaiman Watchmen* - Alan Moore+

-Marvel Comics- Spiderman* (Wiki how he came to be) X Men* Avengers (the hugely popular films all started with decades of comics) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles* Hellboy*

-Games- Dungeons & Dragons+ Magic the Gathering Netrunner

-Artists & Illustrators-

1100-1200 Anonymous monk’s illuminated manuscript creatures - https://bit.ly/2Ynytf7

1400s Hieronomous Bosch+ Leonardo DaVinci Michelangelo+ 1500s Arcimboldo

1800s Gustav Doré+ Howard Pyle JW Waterhouse

1900s Maxfield Parish NC Wyeth+ Sir John Tenniel Windsor McCay+ Arthur Rackham - fairy tales Jack Kirby - superhero comics Margaret Brundage - Weird Tales covers Picasso - Cubism Chesley Bonestell - space travel, integral to NASA Frank Frazetta MC Escher Heinrich Kley Sun Ra - Afrofuturist musician

After 1980 Jeff Easley - D&D Jim Lee - X Men Michael Whelan  H.R. Giger - Alien films Brian Froud  Syd Mead - design of Bladerunner & other films Roger Dean - album covers Jean Giraud aka Moebius Bill Waterson - Calvin & Hobbes Leo Dillon and Diane Dillon James Gurney - Dinotopia Alan Lee - Lord of the Rings Alex Ross - superheroes Chris Van Allsburg Mike Mignola - Hellboy Mary GrandPré - Harry Potter

-Radio-

1930s -1950s Flash Gordon War of the Worlds (Wiki Orson Welles’ radio hoax) Buck Rogers The Shadow and much more in the ensuing years, including adaptations of The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and The Hitchhiker’s Guide

-TV Shows-

After 1950s Twilight Zone - Rod Serling Lost in Space Star Trek - (Wiki) Gene Roddenberry Dr Who (Wiki) The Jetsons (Wiki) Cosmos - Carl Sagan+ (Science fact)

After 1980s Transformers Quantum Leap Twin Peaks - David Lynch (not really either genre but impact has been undeniable) Buffy the Vampire Slayer* - Joss Whedon X Files* Neon Genesis Evangelion

After 2000 Firefly - Joss Whedon Lost* - JJ Abrams Battlestar Galactica Black Mirror* Game of Thrones Westworld* - reboot of Michael Crichton 1970s film

-Films-

1900s King Kong (Wiki) The Wizard of Oz+ Fantasia- Disney+ Monster movies- Dracula, The Mummy, The Wolfman, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Frankenstein (Wiki)

After 1950 Godzilla+ (Wiki) Seven Samurai or Hidden Fortress - Akira Kurosawa+ (Not SF or fantasy but influential) The 7th Voyage of Sinbad - Special effects by Ray Harryhausen (Wiki) Invasion of the Body Snatchers 2001 A Space Odyssey - Stanley Kubrick+ (Wiki) Planet of the Apes Night of the Living Dead+ (Wiki) Superman #Star Wars Trilogy - George Lucas (owing to Joseph Campbell’s monomyth)+

After 1980 Bladerunner* - Ridley Scott ^Legend Mad Max series Alien or sequel Aliens Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind - Steven Spielberg+ ET Star Trek series Back to the Future Brazil - Terry Gilliam+ Tron+ Ghostbusters* Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure* The Princess Bride* Labyrinth* The Terminator & Terminator 2* - James Cameron+ Akira The Fifth Element Robocop Beetlejuice ^Nightmare Before Xmas* Jurassic Park - Steven Spielberg+ The City of Lost Children* The Iron Giant* 12 Monkeys Groundhog Day* The Sixth Sense Ghost in the Shell (1995 anime) Gattaca* Donnie Darko* Starship Troopers (tongue in cheek adaptation of Heinlein’s classic) The Matrix*

After 2000 Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon My Neighbor Totoro or Spirited Away - Hayao Miyazaki ^Underworld Minority Report Lord of the Rings Primer ^The Incredibles Shaun of the Dead*  Pan’s Labyrinth - Guillermo del Toro Moon* Marvel Cinematic Universe ^Idiocracy Inception* &/or Interseller - Christopher Nolan+

[peaceisadirtyword]

44. Trip to outer space or bottom of the ocean? 60. Ever won a competition? For what? 99. Have any pets? 101. Do you type fast? 119. Favourite book? 123. Can you keep white shoes clean? 128. Would you change your name? 133. Favourite lyrics right now? 147. Mars or Snickers? 32. Which celebrities would you have a threesome with? Some random questions to save you from studying ;)

Hi love!💕 Thank you so much you just save my life😅

44. Outer space! I’m afraid of water and I don’t really want to know what’s in the ocean... And I like Star Wars so outer space for me😂

60. Yes! I won a swimming competition when I was 10 years old :’) it’s funny bc I'm afraid of water but I love to swim. I suppose I only like water on pools. 

99. I had a dog named Fidel, but he died :( I also had a turtle (which died too) called Leonardo. But now my roommate here in Madrid has two dogs and I live with them💖

101. I write pretty fast, especially in Spanish... It’s useful for taking notes at uni. 

119. I have a lot of fav books :( I’m gonna say three; The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien; A Song of Ice and Fire: A Game of Thrones by George RR Martin and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen💜

123. I’m obsessed with white shoes, and I hate when they’re dirty so I do everything I can to keep them very clean.

128. Honestly, I don’t really like my name, I don’t hate it but... I think I wouldn’t change it because I wouldn’t know which other name choose. 

133. “Don’t you know the queen protects the king when you’re on check, boy?” its from the song Stupid by a Spanish singer called Aitana. I’m not a fan of hers but I listened to this song yesterday and I loved it!

147. Mars♥️

32. Well I have to say... 

Marco and Alex, but I wouldn't mind an Alex and Richard Madden one or with Travis Fimmel and Katheryn Winnick. Yes I thought about this before anyone asked me😂

Thank you so much love!♥️

[mswyrr]

The show is fantastic, based on an also-fantastic book series from James SA Corey, a pen name for two authors, Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. I watched all of season 3 yesterday, 13 episodes, and that’s not something I do often, even in this age of binging.

The Expanse is often described as “Game of Thrones but in space,” and that’s not an entirely inaccurate classification. I don’t think it’s quite on the level of Game of Thrones (its authors and George RR Martin are friends) but the worldbuilding, the interconnected storylines and the overall sense of wonder is certainly there. The show revolves around the warring factions of Earth, Mars and The Belt, Earth being the old guard, Mars being a militarized nation and The Belt being an often-trampled on underclass of pirates and scavengers. And there’s an X factor introduced in the form of something called the “protomolecule” a piece of alien tech, or biology, or something, that arrives in the system and starts doing…weird things, which is all I can say without giving too much away. It’s an interesting twist on a first contact story that doesn’t involve the arrival of alien armadas, and the focus is mainly on the human v. human conflict.

All of this is true *and* it has some fantastic, diverse female characters - diverse in race, age, sexuality, gender expression, ideology. It’s beautifully balanced between the big political conflicts and powerful interpersonal stories. And some thoughtful themes about human life and conflict.

[acicueta]

Arya Stark & Sandor Clegane by Mathia Arkoniel

[thegregorybruce]

September 19, 2021 AsktheBuilder Newsletter

Ah, I get it. You're standing over there against the wall with Missy, Fran, Sean, Noble, George, and Meg because you just subscribed in the past week. Welcome! I devote this top paragraph to you each week. Thanks for becoming part of my virtual family.

You, though could have subscribed in the past few weeks. Do you remember my August newsletter where I shared getting two glasses of T-Rex lemonade?

It turns out one of my subscribers, Erik Thorson, wrote a delightful song about lemonade! CLICK or TAP HERE to listen to it. It's guaranteed to make you smile.

AstroCrete BWAHAHAHAHA

I ran across an intriguing article in the news this past week. It was about building with concrete on Mars. Astronauts would use all their body fluids to make AstroCrete. Here's a pull quote from the article:

"A crew of six astronauts can produce an estimated 500kg of high-strength AstroCrete on a two-year mission on the surface of the moon, according to the findings."

(There was a typo in that pull quote because the entire article was about building on Mars, not the Moon.)

Since you probably don't know much about concrete, that 500kg number is meaningless to you. 500kg equals 1,100 pounds. One cubic yard of concrete here on our Earth Ball weighs about 4,000 pounds.

So two years for six astronauts to make 1/4 yard of concrete... BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA

This is why you need to be careful about being WOWED by articles like this. For goodness sake, do the math!

It's going to take hundreds of years to build a concrete building up on Mars at that rate! "Tom, you need to DRINK MORE WATER!"

Old Blueprints Filled with Gold

Steve is one of my best friends. He lives in sunny southern CA. I go out to visit every few years and was last there three years ago, helping him with his Honey-Do list. We had a blast and recorded, with the help of his darling wife, this video about how to stain Mexican outdoor patio tiles. It's a funny and informative video. I will NEVER make it as a Hollywood actor. Not on my best day.

A few days ago Steve sent me a link to a curated scanned copy of a nearly 100-year-old builders magazine. It's filled with amazing articles and photos. Here's one you should study: These three images of a residential fireplace may not mean much to you, but they're filled with gold. The architect who drew these knew exactly how to build a fireplace, firebox, and chimney that will NOT SMOKE.

CLICK or TAP HERE and allow me to put flesh on the bones of the above blueprint. I share all the critical dimensions that you can plug into the blueprint. Trust me, you'll want to bookmark the page.

If I were a young architect, and even one that had a few years under my belt, I'd spend two hours a week going over old blueprints like these. Many have details you simply don't find in modern plans.

Get FREE BIDS NOW

CLICK or TAP HERE or Mr. Shovel Man above to get FREE and FAST Bids from local contractors for any inside or outside job at your home.

VIP Fast Answer and Consult Call

The past two weeks, I've done a boatload of VIP Fast Answers and my trademark 15-Minute Phone Consult.

In fact, as I'm writing this, I'm just 2.5 hours away from talking with Cosmo. He lives out in the Pacific Northwest and watched my video series about building my deluxe shed. He ordered a stunning pre-cut shed kit. Cosmo has a few questions about getting the concrete piers at the right height.

Why do I promote these services?

I get no less than TWENTY emails a week from homeowners like you that are in a MESS and need me to throw them a life preserver. They decided they KNEW BETTER and just jumped into a job or decided to TRUST what the contractor told them.

The average cost to FIX the mess they're in is about $2,000.00.

Why not invest $20 or $50 before you get in a mess? Having me advise you is the BEST MONEY you'll spend on your project. Period

Changing Word Meanings

I've been building my Ask the Builder and STAIN SOLVER websites for over twenty-five years. I also work on my ham radio blog and my personal blog.

Did you know that I can go back to one of my old columns and completely change a sentence, delete things I've said, or add content in just SECONDS and you'd be none the wiser?

If you don't have a copy of the original page, you have no idea the content has been changed. It's sort of spooky.

Well, I think this is starting to happen with the English language! If I can do the above with my website, don't you think those that own the online dictionaries can do the same? If I'm right, then it makes sense for you to have one, or more, hardcover traditional dictionaries around your house. It's pretty darned hard to change the definition of a word in one of those!

CLICK or TAP HERE to see the dictionary I use multiple times each week.

Yicky Drain Flies!!!

My friend Jim reached out to me days ago asking about how to get rid of pesky drain flies.

CLICK or TAP HERE to see the easy easy steps on how to defeat forever drain flies.

That's quite enough for a Sunday.

Peace out.

Tim Carter Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com Organic Cleaner - www.StainSolver.com RR Telegrapher - www.W3ATB.com

Do It Right, Not Over!

P.S. Did you know fresh concrete can BLEED? How's that possible? If you make a mistake, you can RUIN the concrete! CLICK or TAP HERE and stuff a bit more info into those tiny gray cells of yours.

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