#its from the dictionary of obscure sorrows

[helphelpquesohelado]

Finally made an Inside Out Oc!

meet Chrysalism

(again you'll have to click for a better quality)

I found the "emotion" while looking for obscure emotions that not many people know about, (like Ennui), for ocs about those things that you wish you had a term for but you have no idea if it actually exists or not. Most sites compared it to "just the feeling when you inside from a thunderstorm", but i think the term is vauge like other terms because it was only just coined into a way to describe a feeling and not its usual definition (I Think???? at least that's what i found on the Wikipedia ripoff?)

Anyways, this is Chrysalism ("Chris-Sal-Is-Um"), or you can call her Chryis (Chris) for short! her main purpose is as an award for rest and in general, to make Riley feel comfort, cradled, and safe. Very much the mom friend and although she can be a bit of a pain and a bit oblivious on some days, she means well and only wants the best for Riley like everyone else. works very well with Nostalgia and Ennui, who she sees as a sort of daughter figure.

I know, it would be simpler if I named her "comfort" or something, but i think Chrysalism in this context should be its own umbrella term (again, like Ennui), to therefore, make new and interesting emotional combinations for memory's, (idk what the combinations would be named you put it down in the comments. )

I modeled her after a mother, since i think its a sort of "motherly" sense of comfort. also apparently there's something called The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, huh?

source

what do we think chat?

[rowanisawriter]

my prompt menu

hi. send me a [character/pairing] + [a vibe and/or a prompt] and i will (eventually, probably) write something for you. the characters section is a mix of fandoms i write for but you can send me anything you’ve seen me reblog and ranting about in tags

1. characters

i write a lot of fandoms lol

bg3: gale/tav (my tav is a cleric of mystra)

bg3: wyll/dark urge

bg3: gale/shadowheart

bg3: astarion/wyll

cp2077: river/v

cp2077: johnny/v

hades: thanatos/zagreus

hades/myth: achilles/patroclus

ace attorney: phoenix/edgeworth

give me any pairing from a fandom you’ve seen me hollering about and let’s see what happens

2. vibes

i like writing vibes based stories with the barest skeleton of a plot. these are from the dictionary of obscure sorrows. you can send me anything from this website but below are some that stood out to me

falesia - n. the disquieting awareness that someone’s importance to you and your importance to them may not necessarily match—that your best friend might only think of you as a buddy, that someone you barely know might consider you a mentor, that someone you love unconditionally might have one or two conditions

fardle-din - n. a long-overdue argument that shakes up a relationship, burning wildly through your issues like a forest fire, which clears out your dry and hollow grievances and reminds you that your roots run deeper than you think

suente - n. the state of being so familiar with someone that you can be in a room with them without thinking, without holding anything back, or without having to say a word—to the extent that you have to remind yourself that they’re a different being entirely, that brushing hair away from their eyes won’t help you see any better

irrition - n. regret at having cracked the code of something, which leaves you wishing you could forget the pattern

ecstatic shock - n. a surge of energy upon catching a glance from someone you like, which scrambles your ungrounded circuits and tempts you to chase after that feeling with a kite and a key

zverism - n. the wish that people could suspend their civility and indulge the physical side of each other first—sniffing each other’s hair like dogs, staring unabashedly at interesting faces, reveling in a beautiful voice like a song on the radio

fawtle - n. a weird little flaw built into your partner that somehow only endears them more to you, in the way that impurities dissolved in water are what allow it to conduct electricity—if all the imperfections were removed, there would be no spark

foreclearing- n. the act of deliberately refusing to learn the scientific explanations of things out of fear that it’ll ruin the magic—turning flower petals into tacky billboards, decoding birdsong into trash talk, defracting a rainbow back inside its tiny prism.

on tenderhooks - adj. feeling the primal satisfaction of being needed by someone, which makes you feel that much more rooted to the world, even if the roots belong to someone else.

rivener - n. a chilling hint of distance that creeps slowly into a relationship

3. prompts

tarot cards (send me the name of any card)

touches prompt list

flower prompt list

indulgent prompt list

more tarot prompts

very cute dividers found here!

[chernabogs]

Of Obscure Sorrows

A passing moment among ruins weaves a tale of a changing story.

(Is this Malleus x Prefect (mostly platonic)?? On my blog?? Yes, in my usual moody, kinda sad way. Terms within come from 'Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows by John Koenig)

Ambedo.

His gaze narrows as he reads over the text again.

N. A melancholic trance in which you become absorbed in vivid sensory details. 

Dark lips curl into a bitter grin as his finger traces over the lettering. It’s quiet where he sits, sequestered away in a mausoleum of sorts to a building long since passed. Crumbling brick walls with vines acting as their mortar are his shelter, and the sun above him—barely concealed by the foliage of the trees—is his ceiling. 

This day is an ephemeral one, he thinks, tilting his head back to squint at the golden rays dancing through the leaves. A warm breeze, carrying the scent of nature on its back, brushes across his skin as he exhales slowly. Here, in the heart of the forest within NRC, is one of few places of solitude left. With only the wildlife as his soundtrack, it’s a much needed paradise from the chaos that is the Diasomnia Dorm. 

He looks at the book again.

Anchorage. N. The desire to hold on to time as it passes. 

He hears the sound of footsteps in the foliage. His gaze rises from the curious novel he holds to see a familiar figure, eyeing him up with some curiosity a few feet away. Perhaps he should have expected this; his sanctuary is on the outskirts of Ramshackle. It was only inevitable that the sole occupant would find him here. He looks to the skies again—how long has he been out here, anyway?  

“Hello,” he hums. A simple word, and yet it carries such a profound effect, causing a smile to appear on the Prefect’s face as they approach. It’s as though with a single acknowledgement he’s given them permission to enter his home; he hasn’t, but they don’t seem to care as he watches them struggle over the decay he sits in. Humans have always been rather clumsy in his eyes—he remembers Silver in his younger years, stumbling and tripping everywhere he went. It seems as though for some humans, such habits never truly leave. 

“What are you doing out here?”

Their voice is calm, curious—comfortable around him. Although he sits shrouded by nature, looking as inhuman as he can ever be, they smile at him like he’s simply another person they cross paths with. And they have crossed paths, many nights now, in the sparse early hours outside of Ramshackle. He raises an eyebrow at their words, looking at their face before he speaks.

“Temporarily escaping.”

Flashover. N. The moment conversation becomes alive. 

As though his comment opened a floodgate, the Prefect happily begins speaking as they settle amongst the ruins as well, still uninvited, but not unwelcome. It was an oddly jarring comparison; someone so lively resting among things so dead. Whereas Malleus himself could have easily blended in with the scenery, the Prefect stood out like a beacon, unaware of the change they were bringing. They weave a tale with their words, unbothered that Malleus simply sits and watches with his book still in hand. 

But he listens.

He catches each hitch of their words, each syllable and vowel that they drawl out. He studies their expressions and makes note of what makes them smile, and what makes them scowl, as though trying to learn these responses himself. They speak of Grim, and of Ace and Deuce, of the weight of the studies that they, as someone without magic, carry, and many other tales of mischief done. 

They ask how he is. He tells them he's fine. He speaks lightly of Sebek, Silver, and Lilia; of the Gargoyle club and a recent letter from home. It feels unusual, having such a lively conversation like this. It feels unusual having a conversation at all.

And yet, he finds himself without complaint. 

Nodus Tollens. N. The realization that the plot of your life doesn’t make sense anymore. 

It dawns on him an hour in, when the Prefect is still present and has given no indication of leaving just yet, that this is a new experience for him. Malleus is a scheduled person; despite how it may seem, he knows exactly what he will expect in a day, what he will do, and how he will do it. He has a story-line to follow. To be visited by this human and to be lured into a conversation that thrives even as the sun whittled away is not a part of his story-line. To be engaging with anyone at the school beyond what was required, actually, is not a part of his story-line. In one moment, the Prefect is already changing his narrative.

He quietly closes his book as he watches them. The gesture seems to catch their attention and although their words cease, their gaze fills with curiosity about what he's going to do next. 

“I dare say it’s beginning to get late.”

“Oh,”

The Prefect sounds surprised as they look up to the skies as well. What was once blue is now gold, indicative of the coming of dusk. Malleus had sequestered himself away for silence, and found himself more than entertained instead. He rises from his seated positions on the ruin and casts down a sparing glance; a few loose stones fall to the earth with his actions, telling him that his presence will still be recorded, even if he didn’t mean it to. 

“I will escort you back to your dorm.” He chooses a line that can be taken as a sparse, polite offer, concealing his own selfish desire to keep talking behind something acquaintances would say. It’s a safe phrase; perhaps he wants to ensure they don’t get in trouble in these woods, where they are without their friends and without magic. Or, perhaps he’s just being thoughtful of the hour, wishing to guide them home before night descends.

Either way, the Prefect’s face lights up at the offer and they nod, accepting it without hesitation. 

For some reason, that small gesture causes a warmth to stir in him. 

They soon depart side by side; he, still blending with the scenery, and they, still standing out like a beacon. The sun continues to wane as the golden rays hits the forest floor, and the ruins soon descend into silence, broken only by the sounds of crickets and fading conversation.

Soon it’s as though no one—no Prince, and no Prefect—was ever there at all. 

Keyframe. N. A moment that seemed innocuous at the time, but ends up marking a diversion into a strange new era in your life.

[thechanelmuse]

My Book Review

The beauty of the human condition paired with preexisting words from around the world that are molded into new ones with emotive, poetic meanings. The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows is a collection of essays, fresh words and vivid explanations — created by the author — that are sensory-inducing, illuminative, and whimsical. 

Here’s an excerpt:

kenopsia: the atmosphere of a place that is usually bustling with people but is now abandoned and quiet.

dès vu: the awareness that this moment will become a memory.

nodus tollens: the feeling that the plot of your life doesn’t make sense to you anymore.

énouement: the bittersweetness of having arrived here in the future, seeing how things turn out, but unable to tell your past self.

onism: the frustration of being stuck in just one body, that inhabits only one place at a time.

sonder: the realization that each random passerby is the main character of their own story, in which you are just an extra in the background.

It’s a calming thing, to learn there’s a word for something you’ve felt all your life but didn’t know was shared by anyone else.

This is a logophile’s dream of a book. Only 272 pages, it leaves you longing for its unending.

[keyringmogai]

Obsorrowlibric

[PT: Obsorrowlibric. END PT.]

[Flag ID: A rectangular flag with seven horizontal stripes. The fourth, or center, stripe is thicker than the others, and widens into the shape of a diamond in the middle. The colors from top to bottom are: dark warm gray, darker warm gray, off-black, ivory, off-black, darker warm gray, dark warm gray. In the center of the flag is the gold, simplified line work of a book, with a black bookmark on its upper right corner. End flag ID.]

Pronunciation: [əbˈsɑroʊˈlibrɪk] or [uhb-sorrow-lee-brik]

Obsorrowlibric: A -libric (link) gender related to the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows by John Koenig and the words defined within it.

This gender also has the potential to be kenochoric, I think, considering the type of words defined within the dictionary.

The color scheme is inspired by the cover of our hardcover edition of the book!

The -libric gender system and the base for this flag were created by @noxwithoutstars.

This gender was, to our knowledge, coined by mods Radio and Compass on keyringmogai on June 2, 2023.

[minafeu]

oi!! as a brazilian just let me tell you that saudade is a feeling, so you can say "i feel super saudade" of someone <3 its such a bittersweet feeling i wish more languages could have an equivalent for expressing it

I'm very aware but thank you for clarifying for those who don't! I enjoy searching for new terms even in other languages to describe feelings because I'm a writer so the search is never ending. I'm mainly a Pac enjoyer and have been using the word for a bit in my circle of friends and stuff, I've even started using slang and stuff from Portuguese, French and Spanish. I mainly use them to cuss though because I have the mouth of a sailor lmao.

I wish to gift a feeling in return that is apart of English that I think fits the qsmp very well:

Monachopsis or the subtle but persistent feeling of being out of place. Essentially, a word that helps describe imposter syndromes feelings or even just feeling out of place! It originated from ancient Greek but an Idaho born writer named John Koenig(who went to live in Switzerland) coined it in his book "The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows".

[philosofungi]

the anxiety of not knowing "the real you"

anoscetia.

from an-, not + Latin nosce te ipsum, "Know thyself." pronounced "an-oh-see-sha" or "an-oh-say-tyah".

everyone around you seems to have such a vibrant personality. it shines through vividly in everything from the shoes they wear, to the groceries they put in their cart, to the precise wording of a text wishing you a happy birthday. you'd think it would all seem generic, but somehow every detail is quintessentially them.

how strange, then, that your own experience doesn't seem to be tinted with any particular vibe. mostly you feel you do what you have to do, with little opportunity for embellishment. and when there is free reign to improvise, you find yourself feeding off other people's moods, matching their tones and energies, just trying to get along or make it through the day. inside your head, you imagine yourself as a shade of neutral gray that just happens to reflect whatever strong colors are nearby.

of course, your family and friends would insist you're anything but neutral, painting you with the same broad brush you use to pain them: you're a sunny yellow, they might say, or a chill blue, a fiery red, an innocent pink, an edgy black. they're not necessarily wrong; you do notice a certain quality threaded through your personality, and often find yourself playing into it, because it's a lot easier to be cheerful or crabby or crazy or boring if everyone already thinks of you that way. the trouble is, each of them only ever sees you in isolated contexts, inhabiting certain roles at certain times. if anyone tried to shadow you through an entire week, they'd be astonished to see you as a serious professional, a sexual being, a spiritual person, a story-time goofball, a nervous wreck, or the life of the party. each of their impressions may be accurate in the moment, but each reflects only a narrow band of the full spectrum of you.

meanwhile, you shadow yourself twenty-four hours a day, in a variety of different situations. in what context are you most like yourself? are you more or less authentic when you lose yourself in your work, pour your heart out to a friend, or are alone, just trying to clear your mind? even then, you know firsthand how messy your moods can be, how scattered and contradictory your thought process, how many arbitrary urges you could obey at any given time. whenever you stumble on a new situation, it's hard to predict which version of you is going to emerge, or which opinion is going to tumble out from the gumball machine in your head—knowing it'll carry the sheen of truth, as if all your other thoughts didn't exist.

it makes you wish you could restore your self-image back to its essence. painstakingly washing away the remnants of all the times you tried to be someone you're not. cleaning up areas where people tried to paint over you or ripped away qualities they didn't like. stripping down your identity, layer by layer, through all your habits and distractions and cultural programming, so you can finally reveal your true colors for all to see. but the more you look into who you are in isolation, the more your identity dissolves into a noise of random impulses—dust on a blank canvas.

maybe there is no single self to speak of. maybe you're a shifting collage of many different personas, each as authentic as the next. a kaleidoscope of ever-moving fragments, reflecting a thousand little impressions of the world around you, with flashes of different moods and vibrant clusters of quirks—but no broader pattern.

maybe you have no true colors. you're not some finished painting, signed and sealed in varnish. if there is a "real you", surely it's the mess of paint on the palette: colors swirling and mixing and playing together, perpetually unfinished, searching and striving to make something new.

—excerpt from "the dictionary of obscure sorrows"

[spiderium]

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈ WIPSᝰ.ᐟ

i do not have a set posting or writing schedule, but here are my my most present and recently created fics, and some details about them. navigation.

→ title: they don’t end up together. (simon riley.)

→ summary: to add.

→ tropes + genres: slow burn, friends to lovers to something, ambiguous ending, looping, alternate universe, inaccurate historical times | angst, mild fluff, one-fourth slice of life with a side of hurt/comfort.

→ warnings: there is no happy ending.

→ snippet: He has spent his entire life, Simon Riley, imagining the killing blow; Death has been a friend with shaky hands—he has never imagined it would come for him so cleanly, but this… this had been a cruel punishment, an injustice of the highest order. The type, that if it were to be done, could change his primordial makeup, rewrite his genes and instead make him a ruined man, in the most unfixable of ways.

As if he were not already incorrigible.

(A killer, his father had used to tell him, is only a man who takes what is owed to him.

But his mother; ever weary by the ties that had bound her, would look him in the face after his father had been long gone to the docks to drink, and tell him; But that is what they always say, to not feel guilty for killing the good things.)

→ title: the wends. (simon riley)

→ summary: ❝n. the frustration that you’re not enjoying an experience as much as you should, which prompts you to try plugging in various thought combinations to trigger anything more intense than roaring static, as if your heart had been inadvertently demagnetized by a surge of expectations.❞

From wend, to wander unpredictably along a predetermined path. Compare the bends, which occurs when a diver ascends too quickly and gas bubbles begin to form in their tissues, a condition that can be debilitating or fatal.

— Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows.

OR, IN WHICH: Simon Riley’s never been good at grievin’ or bein’ sweet or anything in between, but with you… loving is not easy, but for the first time, it feels worth doing again.

→ tropes + genres: to add.

→ warnings: a little something to the MW3 campaign. mactavish and riley were inseparable. now he’s gone where simon can’t follow.

→ snippet: For a minute, he can almost see them as his hands go beneath yours, and for the first time that night, press against the clay. The wheel is a bit squeaky, old and well loved, often used. You once said the thirteenth wheel is most unlucky, but Simon had discovered that to be lucky is to be favored and he had never been, and no matter how hard you try, his wheel is thirteen.

❝Easy,❞ There’s a curve to your mouth, a slant of a smile that he finds reminds him of poisonous things; beautiful, but killer; spider lilies; belladonna; nightshade. You’re dangerous in the way that you are an addiction he might never curb—the type that burrows into the blood and changes the makeup of your soul, the type that makes you hate the flavors you grew up with; sour to sweet and back again. You’re poisonous and his family taught him how to become immune to it, only savor the sting because it means you were chosen.

→ title: the middle of love and death (has always been intangible). (simon riley.)

→ summary: Snapshots of Simon’s fall from grace.

IN OTHER WORDS; simon loves you, really. He never had a chance to think otherwise.

→ tropes + genres: to add.

→ warnings: to add.

→ snippet: He thinks: he is not a gentle man. He thinks; I have looked death in the face enough times to make it hate me. He thinks: he is not a gentle man and nothing can cha—he thinks; you look breathtaking in this low light but he knows you’d look divine anywhere. A deity born out of soot and mud, flooded earth and restless winds, all profound and terrifyingly contradicting things… he thinks you, personally, are a bullet on its inevitable way to kill him, but the impact, the blood, the shot never comes, and he doesn't know what to do with that.

You hold his face and all he can think about are the damned palm lines. He read somewhere as a teen that they could tell his future, that the tremble of his hands will morph into guidelines, palm lines into roadmaps, heartlines into plans clear enough to lead him somewhere, make him worth something.

(He doesn’t quite believe it yet.)

→ title: attachments anonymous. (gary sanderson.)

→ summary: ❝Wild card, admit something.❞ His voice crackles over the line, and for a moment, there’s that pivotal stomach dip, that twist into the heart that bursts all of your veins, makes your mouth dry and spirit curdle. ❝One thing.❞

For a moment, there’s things to consider: you could chicken out, admit one of the things people always say embarrasses them during childhood, during high school, the awkward tweens. Or, you could tell the truth.

In the end, it’s chosen for you.

❝I’m still in love with my ex-boyfriend. Thought I’d marry him. Obviously, I didn’t, cause here I am with…❞ A pause, and you hear a shuffle on the other end, a deep breath from him. The weight in your chest still holds, but for a moment, it loosens up from just the transparency. ❝…you.❞

There’s a slight noise he makes, possibly a hum, or a sigh—you aren’t sure, but the tone he uses is one you can’t decipher, not yet, not while you’re still strangers. Aren’t you? ❝Yeah… with me.❞

Friends come and go, but love is a lifeline hooked onto a faulty heart monitor. In the modern age of technology and the algorithms of online romance, it’s not hard to lose your way, and you, aspiring pioneer in the quarter-life crisis brigade, have decided you’ve had enough.

It’s time to get over your ex, and the best way to do that? Answer the phone. There's only two rules to Attachments Anonymous: no names, and you have to play to the end.

In other words: We’re Not Really Strangers and a mystery man on the other end of the line—what could go wrong?

Turns out: everything.

→ tropes + genres: questionably strangers to friends to lovers, mega slow burn, pining, believed unrequited love, hopeless romantic and the skeptic | semi-slice of life, half-angst and half-fluff cooked well done, tender love falling off of the bone.

→ warnings: um. bring tissues. 🫶

→ snippet: (Often in times like these, you understand how simple it had been, to fall into the trap of mainstream media, to understand why dating apps are so popular.

Love is easy to digest when spoon-fed. You find it goes down better when you are taught that it’s handed to you, as if you had not been the one swiping, the one swallowing, chewing, wiping your mouth.

That’s how love gets you—it convinces you to just enjoy the ride, but will deny how it makes you do all the work.)

[leonbloder]

Why Did It Have To Be Snakes?

The symbol for the medical profession is weird. It has snakes in it. 

I'm sure you have seen that symbol hundreds of times but never considered it the fact that it contains snakes.  Snakes, y'all.  Ewww. 

To quote Indiana Jones, "Why did it have to be snakes?"  

In the ancient world, snakes were considered symbols of eternal life because they shed their old skin periodically and emerged with a fresh, new appearance. This notion informs the story of Moses creating a cross of snakes when the Israelites were bitten by them and then dying in the wilderness.  According to the story, anyone who looked upon the cross of snakes was healed.  The symbol is called the Caduceus, and this is what it looks like: 

Now that you see it you can't unsee it, am I right?  Snakes.   In Greek mythology, the god Hermes carried a staff with this symbol on it after he tried to stop two snakes from fighting by throwing his staff at them, which they then intertwined.   That's a weird story. Also, there are snakes in it.  The other day, I read a quote that struck me, and the more I thought about it, the more I knew that it would eventually become a Devo. 

In his book The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, author John Koenig creates words to express emotions and feelings that don't have words to describe them. 

One of those words had to do with the symbolism of shedding skin like a snake and discovering something new and transformative underneath. Here it is: 

apolytus n. the moment you realize you are changing as a person, finally outgrowing your old problems like a reptile shedding its skin, already able to twist back around and chuckle at this weirdly antiquated caricature of yourself that will soon come off completely.  

I love this and I'll tell you why it's so impactful for us.  We are all going through transitions all the time, changing in ways that might escape us at first but become too apparent to gloss over. 

But if we are willing to embrace the healing properties of change as we grow and learn more about who we are and who we are becoming, it can transform our lives. 

A certain amount of wisdom comes when you can go through changes and shed your old skin, so to speak.  You get the chance to look back at what you left behind with both amusement and gratitude. 

Amusement comes when we realize just how silly we were about some of the things that used to hang us up. Gratitude comes when we realize that we get to leave that old us behind.  

Like a snake shedding its skin, we may retain similar markings and appearances, but we know how different we've become.  We know what it took to get us to the new place; because of this, we can let go of regret, pain, heartbreak, and more. 

So don't be afraid to apolytus now and again.  Let go of what doesn't serve you, and be thankful for what got you where you are today.  Then leave that old skin behind. 

May it be so, and may the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all, now and forever.  Amen. 

[bestbasicblog]

Facebook: Connecting the World and Exploring Hidden Gems

In the vast landscape of the internet, Facebook stands as a giant, a virtual town square where people from all corners of the globe converge to share their thoughts, experiences, and connect with friends, family, and even strangers. Founded by Mark Zuckerberg in 2004, the platform has evolved from a college-centric social network to a global behemoth with over 2.8 billion monthly active users as of my last knowledge update in January 2022.

The Facebook Ecosystem

Facebook's primary goal is to connect people. Users create profiles, add friends, and share a myriad of content ranging from text updates and photos to videos and live broadcasts. The platform's user-friendly interface and constant innovation have made it a hub for not just personal connections but also for businesses, news outlets, and various interest groups.

As social media has become an integral part of our lives, so has the desire to understand and manipulate its features. One frequently asked question is, "How to see who shared your post on Facebook?" Well, Facebook offers limited visibility into this information. You can check the share count and, if the post is public, see some of the public shares. However, the privacy settings of the person who shared it may restrict your access to that information. Privacy is a cornerstone of Facebook, and it's important to respect the settings users choose.

Navigating the Social Web

Beyond the core platform, Facebook owns and operates several other popular services, including Instagram and WhatsApp. WhatsApp, a messaging app acquired by Facebook in 2014, is known for its end-to-end encryption and simplicity. Deleting a WhatsApp group is a straightforward process. Just open the group, tap on the group name at the top, go to "Group settings," and select "Delete group." Confirm your decision, and the group will vanish from your chat list.

While Facebook connects us in various ways, the internet is also a treasure trove of hidden gems waiting to be discovered. One such gem is "The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows," a web series and dictionary that invents new words for complex emotions. These words beautifully articulate feelings that often seem ineffable. It's a testament to the creativity that the digital age has unleashed, allowing us to explore emotions and experiences in unique ways.

Beyond the Ordinary: Crazy Gemini, Ball Tales, and Fr Martin's Daily Homilies & Reflections

In the expansive realm of Facebook, you'll encounter a multitude of pages and groups catering to diverse interests. For those fascinated by astrology, the page "Crazy Gemini" may catch your eye. Astrology enthusiasts gather here to share insights, discuss zodiac signs, and explore the nuances of their personalities.

Similarly, "Ball Tales: The Holy Treasure" is a page dedicated to the love of sports, particularly soccer. Fans congregate to discuss matches, players, and the euphoria that comes with being part of a sports community. It's a testament to how Facebook has become a virtual stadium where fans from around the world unite to celebrate their shared passion.

On a more spiritual note, "Fr Martin's Daily Homilies & Reflections" is a page that delivers daily doses of wisdom and reflection from a Catholic perspective. It's a space for spiritual seekers to find inspiration and connect with a community that shares their faith.

Facebook's Impact on Society

As much as Facebook has connected people globally and created virtual communities, it has also faced scrutiny for its impact on society. Concerns about privacy, the spread of misinformation, and the addictive nature of social media have led to debates about the platform's role in shaping our collective experience.

The platform has implemented various features and tools to address these concerns, including improved privacy settings, fact-checking mechanisms, and efforts to curb the spread of false information. However, the balance between fostering an open online space and safeguarding against abuse remains an ongoing challenge.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Facebook is not just a social networking site; it's a digital ecosystem that has reshaped how we connect, share, and engage with the world. It's a space where diverse interests converge, from astrology and sports to spirituality and obscure dictionaries. As we navigate this digital landscape, it's crucial to remember the impact of our online presence and the responsibility that comes with it. Facebook, with all its intricacies, continues to be a reflection of our evolving digital society.

For more blog click here

[icaruseater]

The Most Pretentious Word Ever

You’ve probably seen it presented “aesthetically”: black and white stock footage of people going about their lives and beautiful sprawling landscapes accompanied by dreamy guitar plucks or soft piano. Other videos are less aesthetic, but more real: regular people holding their phones telling the camera that they’ve just discovered a new word. One video with almost 2 million likes shows a man holding back tears as he reads it aloud:

Sonder. The realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own.

Well, that’s the shortened definition, anyway. The one you’re most likely to see printed on the back of a t-shirt at Hot Topic. The man in tears also reads the second part: “An epic story that continues invisibly around you like an anthill sprawling deep underground, with elaborate passageways to thousands of other lives that you’ll never know existed, in which you might appear only once, as an extra sipping coffee in the background, as a blur of traffic passing on the highway, as a lighted window at dusk.”

Something about the word has always felt a little off to me. It has struck me as fake-deep and contrived, but I could never quite put my finger on why. It doesn’t help that I’ve never seen anyone actually use the word, just people fawning over how deep it is. The remixed definitions can sometimes insist upon themselves, with some people changing the beginning to “the profound feeling of realizing that everyone has a life as complex as one's own”. Why is a word calling itself profound in its own definition?

Furthermore, the wording of the actual definition was troubling to me. The realization that everyone is living a life as vivid and complex as your own. How selfish, I thought, to be so unaware of the complexities of life that such a thing is worded like an epiphany. That's just empathy, I thought. 

This tossed around in my mind one restless night until I finally faced the aggravating blue light of my phone screen to Google it. This led me down a bit of a rabbit hole of the English vocabulary and my own philosophy on language.

The Search Results

The first thing I discovered is that sonder is not what some would consider a “real word”. By that I mean it’s not in the dictionary. Of course, there are plenty of words (particularly slang) that do not appear in the dictionary, but this was still somewhat shocking to me because pretty much every post I’ve seen on sonder presents it as if it were an excerpt from one. This is perhaps because the word was invented by John Koenig, author of The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, where he makes up words to describe various phenomena. He’s stated that part of the purpose of his dictionary is to “fill a hole in language”.

Well, I thought, that settles it. Rabbit hole over, nothing else to discover, we can all go home now. 

But when I scrolled a little further, I realized something puzzling: no one knows how to use sonder in a sentence. I quickly found that I wasn’t alone in thinking this. I came across a Reddit thread titled “Is sonder the best-ever new word?” where the top comment read: “I like the concept very much. It's humanistic, it's mystical, kind of psychedelic [psychedelic? really??], but I've never heard it spoken in a sentence, or read it in a published work of fiction. I don't know how to use it in an intelligible sentence. Does anyone?” Here’s some examples I found:

“I lay in bed so deep in my thoughts, the darkness was all around me while, slowly, the sonder started to kick in. I then realized that not only me, but all seven point fifty three billion people in this world which they are constantly living despite my personal lack of awareness of it.” 

“As the poet concludes his final verse, the crowd ripples with sonder: tears can be seen and gasps heard before those gathered break into applause. His words seemingly have struck a few chords in the hearts of all those present.”

“I had a sonder, a realization that the random girl sitting next to me inside of Starbucks might have a fantastic life or she might be dealing with a very ill family member.”

The attempts I read further convinced me that this whole thing might just be some big pretentious charade. All this hullabaloo about how deep the word is, yet nearly every example sentence I saw was derivative, trite, weak. Many of them can't help but essentially restate the definition, which makes me think that perhaps they themselves innately doubt that the word can stand on its own two feet. Even the sentences that mostly avoid re-stating the definition were uncompelling.

Input From Profesionals

My search continued as I came across a CBC article about sonder and Koenig’s Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows in general. A good point made by Lera Boroditsky, a cognitive scientist professor at the University of California San Diego, is that shortened methods to communicate emotions are actually good for language. While it may seem limiting to some, putting a name to an emotion can help us better understand it. Koenig appears to concur with this, as the article states that “therapists have emailed him explaining how just being able to name something, can offer people power — even solace.”

Meanwhile Geoffrey Pullum, a professor of Linguistics at the University of Edinburgh, appears to dislike the outlook of Koenig’s dictionary towards language. In the article, Pullum conveys his argument by discussing the difference between how you say machine gun in English versus how it is said in French, mitrailleuse. "It would be absurd to think that if you speak only English you can't form the concept of a machine gun; yet that is essentially the error people are making when they say (for example) that the German word schadenfreude cannot be translated into English."

I understand where Pullum is coming from. My mother's first language is Spanish, and she will occasionally insist that some words “can’t be translated” (she did this most recently with the word terca). But after throwing out some examples, we can always find a way to communicate the same idea in English, even if there isn’t a one-to-one translation for it.

The Beauty of Words

The conversations with my mother and Pullum’s point got me thinking about the English vocabulary. Perhaps it is by design that there isn’t actually a single word to describe the “epiphany” that sonder represents. It is clear after just looking up sonder on TikTok that a lot of people think the word is beautiful- but it's true beauty is in the definition, not the word itself. This might seem like an obvious thing to say, but I suppose I am questioning the aesthetic sensibilities of people who find the word beautiful. Why not just take as many words as you need to explain what or how  you’re feeling? Is it really better (or even more beautiful) to have the experience all summed up in one convenient little word? The fact that the true beauty and appeal of this word lies in the picture it paints in its definition only aids my point. It feels almost corporate, the act of putting it all into one word, it's almost like the linguistic equivalent of meal-prepping to me. Convenient, for sure, perhaps even smart for the modern man, but taking away so much of the enjoyment and personality of writing. I think part of the beauty of language is how we string together words to maneuver through our own stories and emotions, and if we condense everything neatly with a nice lil bow, that really takes away the liveliness of language.

I began to think of sonder as a sort of KAWS figure or Funko Pop of words: like it was designed simply to be gazed upon, posted on your social media, but not actually interacted with in any meaningful way.

But that's not really true, is it? Does a word have to be usable in a sentence for it to be valuable? Is it really such a bad thing for it to exist on its own as an Instagram post? Despite how I might feel about sonder, it clearly does impact some people meaningfully. The singer Brent Faiyaz got the word tattooed on his face and named his band after it. I saw somebody wearing a shirt with sonder (and its definition, of course) on the back. I saw a young-ish guy at my job with SONDER tattooed in bold black font going all the way down his arm, and seeing it got such a reaction outta me that it's basically the reason I started looking into the word. I remember thinking (after seeing the guy’s tattoo but before doing my research) “could such a fake-deep word really mean so much to people?”. The answer, obviously, is yes. And what was said in the article is true: being able to put a word to a feeling can be extremely helpful for some people. As an Urban Dictionary definition states: “Sometimes you're hurting so bad and you feel you're the only one. But after all your hardships you start to realize that everybody is so unique and you aren't the only one.” Perhaps not the most well-written couple of sentences, but the message is loud and clear: people resonate with sonder, regardless of whether it can stand alone.

In conclusion: do I like sonder now? Well, yes and no. I appreciate how strongly other people feel about the word (I think the act of loving a word in itself is kinda lovely, cute and romantic, what can I say) and if what Koenig said earlier about therapists reaching out to him is true, that's amazing. 

But overall, I think an expression just as (if not more) beautiful can be made by using a collection from your own vocabulary. There is nothing quite like reading a passage that takes your breath away, and the act of optimizing that by condensing it into one word feels quite robotic. The English language is not less good or in need of “fixing” because there isn’t always a single word to describe such complex emotions, rather see the language as a toolkit: your set of brushes and paint pots that you may then use to orchestrate a story all your own. :)

REFS

Brend, Y. (2022, January 23). What does it mean to “sonder?” author invents new words that resonate during the pandemic | CBC radio. CBCnews. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/sunday/the-sunday-magazine-for-january-9-2022-1.6307530/what-does-it-mean-to-sonder-author-invents-new-words-that-resonate-during-the-pandemic-1.6321644#:~:text=Sonder%3A%20the%20realization%20that%20each,sipping%20coffee%20in%20the%20background

How to use “sonder” in a sentence. WordHippo. (n.d.). https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/sentences-with-the-word/sonder.html

Is sonder the best-ever new word?. Reddit. (n.d.). https://www.reddit.com/r/words/comments/housk7/is_sonder_the_bestever_new_word/

Koenig, J. (2012, July 22). Sonder. Tumblr. https://www.dictionaryofobscuresorrows.com/post/23536922667/sonder

Sonder. Urban Dictionary. (n.d.). https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=sonder

What are the correct ways of using the word “sonder”? Quora. (n.d.). https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-correct-ways-of-using-the-word-sonder#:~:text=For%20example%2C%20%22I%20am%20struck,rigid%20posture%20and%20furrowed%20brow 

[nyxstyxsstuff]

I have three great loves in this life.

1.) Reading. Self explanatory. Everyone should love reading or storytelling in some form. It is an experience.

2.) Fairy Tales/Myths/Legends/Folk Lore (this differs from ready because it is more niche and encompasses not just the reading aspect, but the more nuanced side of understanding how these tales evolved or how stories from literally thousands of years ago still have relatable content because the human experience is so constant and universal. Also several other reasons, but if I got into that we would be here a while.)

3.) Strange, new, rarely used, or just plain fun sounding quirky words. Words like dorgone, sonder, overmorrow, ect. These words give me such joy! People should use them more often. I've been exchanging words with an online friend for quite some time now and I will never stop getting excited when I find a strange new one that embodies some feeling or experience that I didn't even know needed a word of its own. Or when there is a word for a very specific item (plum bob) or place (luminal), or feeling (immerensis)!

With that being said. I think I might start sharing these words here as a compilation with their definitions. These words will have no rhyme or reason for being on this list. It will just be an incomplete guide to words I like. Most will be picked from the wild. Found between pages and embedded on screens, waiting to be picked up and pocketed for later use. Some will be from various books specifically about strange words (the most recent one I have found being The Book of Obscure Sorrows. It is quite an interesting read.) I will try to give sources for official definitions, but most will probably come from one of the two dictionary apps I have downloaded (I like words, do not judge me). For now I leave the above words for people to ponder, ruminate, and excogitate further. Dictionaries are friends and should be treated with as much veneration as novels.

[jacke-12]

The End of the World (1962) - Skeeter Davis

Genre: Nashville sound

Peak position on US Billboard Hot 100: 2

Skeeter Davis was a country singer who crossed over into pop to sing this hit song. It is another song that leans hard into melodrama and cheesiness, even featuring an oh-so-sad spoken word section as these sort of songs often do. I do love it though; it is a beautiful song.

Much like "A Teenager In Love" by Dion and the Belmonts which I have reviewed, this is a song that works because you believe the emotion of the lyrics, as over the top as they are. Sure, it is fun to laugh at breakup songs like this, but often the emotions they depict are a bit silly from the perspective of someone not experiencing them. If I was feeling lovesick I know that this song would feel really powerful to me - the realisation that the whole world carries on around you after your life seems to have ended is a particularly hard one (I believe that The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows calls this realisation that you are not the main character in everyone's life "sonder"?). So many of these early pop songs require an Oscar-worthy acting performance to make them believable though, and Skeeter Davis absolutely succeeds here.

She has a gorgeous, smooth voice, with a noticeable country twang that I think makes it easier to connect with the singing - accents often serve as reminders of the real human behind the vocals. Her voice is carried on this luscious bed of melancholic strings and piano - its all very grand and huge, but its like she's all alone in a big, elaborate mansion looking wistfully out the window into the rain, the richness around her providing no comfort.

I would absolutely understand someone finding this an insufferably dreary song, since it is entirely humourless and it really wants to emphasise the misery, but it just works for me. I think there is definitely an element of irony in my enjoyment of it - definitely in the very dated spoken word section - but I stand by this being a genuinely evocative and moving piece of music.

[matthat]

The 187 Books I Read in 2022

51-100:

51. Strange Adventures - Tom King 52. Night Fisher - R. Kikuo Johnson 53. Wishful Drinking - Carrie Fisher 54. The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows - John Koenig 55. What I’d Say To The Martians - Jack Handey 56. Ducks, Newburyport - Lucy Ellmann 57. Just The Tips - Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky 58. Deeper Thoughts - Jack Handy 59. Deepest Thoughts - Jack Handy 60. Tiny Ladies in Shiny Pants - Jill Soloway 61. Inside the Suitcase - Clotilde Perrin 62. Night Fisher - R. Kikuo Johnson 63. Blancaflor - Nadja Spiegelman & Sergio Garcia Sanchez 64. The Wordy Book - Julie Paschkis 65. D CT - Joanna Avillez and Molly Young 66. How To Be A T. Rex - Ryan North 67. Basic Instructions: Help Is On The Way - Scott Meyer 68. How to Take Over the World: Practical Schemes and Scientific 69. Solutions for the Aspiring Supervillain by Ryan North 69. Geek Ink - tattoo design 70. Little Free Libraries & Tiny Sheds You Can Build - Phillip Schmidt 71. Guerilla Furniture Design - Will Holman 72. My Badly Drawn Life - Gipi 73. The Bicycle Book: Wit, Wisdom & Wanderings - Jim Joyce, ed. 74. The Quotable Cyclist -Bill Strickland 75. The Epiplectic Bicycle - Edward Gorey 76. Socialist and Labor Songs - Elizabeth Morgan, ed. 77. Mickalene Thomas 78. Mobitecture - Phaidon 79. T Shirts I Love - Haruki Murakami 80. Decade - photographs of the world, 2000-2010 81. Headlopper, Mulgrid’s Stair - Andrew MacLean 82. Once Upon a Time There Was  and Will Be So Much More -   Johanna Schaible 83. The Happiness of a Dog With a Ball in its Mouth - Bruce Handy 84. Civilizations - Laurent Binet 85. Brian Blomerth’s Mycelium Wassonii - Brian Blomerth 86. Not All Robots - Mark Russell 87. C.R.A.F.T. - Jamie Dorobek 88. Cartoons From Tomorrow - Luke Kingma & Lou Patrick Mackay 89. It’s Not What You Thought It Would Be - Lizzy Stewart 90. Rough Guide: India 91. The Dog Walk - Sven Nordqvist 92. Warmth: Coming of Age at the End of Our World - Daniel Sherrell  93. Himawari House - Harmony Becker

94. Rave - Jessica Campbell 95. Ant Farm - Simon Rich 96. Arbitrary Stupid Goal - Tamara Shopsin 97. Stillicide - Cyann Jones 98. Patent Depending - Steven M. Johnson 99. This Is Your Mind on Plants - Michael Pollan 100. Hen Kai Pan - Eldo Yoshimizu

[garlic-sauc3]

i want to use this one word in my writing but it literally is fictional

[maytey]

merrenness

n. " the lulling isolation of driving late at night " - john koeing, the dictionary of obscure sorrows

| ft. ran, mitsuya, mikey, chifuyu

| syn: late night drives with them

| cw: none

| a/n: i kept these short, sweet, and soft

✿ ran

it's quiet in the car save for the music playing. his hand is on your thigh, thumb rubbing soothing circles. it's just the two of you sharing a comfortable silence as you head home from a long night at one of his clubs. exhaustion falling over your body like a weighted blanket. though you're being lulled to sleep, you fight it. if only to hold onto this moment for a little bit longer.

✿ mitsuya

when the world gets to be a little too much and you need a break, he'll drop what he's doing in a heartbeat the moment you call. he's at you door as soon as he can be, taking you for a drive. he lets you talk for hours if you need, or lets you sit there in silence as you relish in his presence. he'll do whatever so long as it makes you feel better. and it does, the world feels a little less vast in this corner he carved out for you.

✿ mikey

it's him who asks you to come with him. everything in his head is too loud, and you're always his perfect remedy. a steady and solid presence. never failing to ease his inner turmoil. all he wants is the commanding sound of his bike's engine in his ears and the feeling of your warmth pressed against his back as you both drift through the city.

✿ chifuyu

it's a spur of the moment decision. bored at home and wanting to escape its confines. he suggests driving around the city. but that leads you both more than an hour away from home, pointing out interesting signs and shops. alternating between deep conversations and laughing until he can barely see the road in front of him. it's only the two of you in this moment: stealing a sliver of time from the world and creating your own safe infinity.