#my relationship to cr has changed a LOT over the years

[jemmo]

ok i was too exhausted to talk about i hear the sunspot last week so now i have 2 weeks worth of ranting saved up and i can feel the tidal wave coming.

edit: i had to add a read more bc this turned into the messiest, most tangent-filled rant. tl;dr idk i just like it

and first off i wanna semi-respond to some discussion ive seen around the show with regards to pacing, that its slow, its frustrating etc. and the extent of my response is... yeah. well, not just yeah. its not that i agree or disagree, its more that i dont have a way to respond that is unbiased or removed from my personal opinion bc i love the show a lot. if i totally detached and looked at it, yeah, maybe i'd think that way. god knows ive said the same thing for many, many other shows and funnily enough its usually one of my least favourite things. at least, i thought it was, but now that i think about it...

ok this is gonna be a tangent but ive now been watching bl and been in the bl space for over 3 years (wow, how did that happen?) and i think its really interesting to think about, and i'd love to hear from others as well, how my taste in bl has changed. what i like, what i dont like, what i value in a show and how much i am willing to invest in or engage with a show. before i got to bl, i was very much looking for bl content. even when i was younger, i was always trying to find queer content and it was usually european, and then in my anime phase i watched all the bl anime, and that led me to cherry magic blah blah you dont need to know the rest. but at that point i was very much hungry to just see queerness on screen. and i mean explicit queerness, not necessary sexual, just like dating and kissing and explicit same sex relationships. and i think in that haze and the height of hyperfixation i watched many shows that i probably wouldnt have the patience to now. i watch a lot less bl now, maybe bc im more busy with work, maybe bc bl is actually getting worse idk, or maybe i just dont have the effort the engage with something when i dont like it, or it just doesnt interest me. and speaking of what i do and don't like, i feel like this lack of patience has also come with this gradual change in what i want for the show. i know bl now, i know its out there, i know more and more is being made every year, im not in short supply of explicit queerness anymore. so now i can be more picky. if i find myself getting bored watching a show, i just wont watch it. and also bc ive been watching bl for years now, i feel like i am developing what my taste in bl is, and thats not exactly something i can describe, for me its more a i know it when i see it kinda thing. thats why i try a lot of shows out but am happy to drop them after a couple of eps when i know i dont vibe with them.

and with shows i dont drop, they usually fall into 2 categories; im actually enjoying it or im just waiting around to see where this goes. and to call myself out, bc of all these things i think it means that im... well, not less critical, but less able to be unbiased when watching a show i do like, bc hey this is the one show out of 10 going on this month that im obsessed with, of course im not gonna be critical of it. and thats not to say i should be critical of i hear the sunspot, more that im not bc my bias and taste just makes me like it. all the things people think are its flaws that i see with other shows, i just dont see, or dont care about, bc i just like it. and thats me with the pacing. in any other show i would probably be bored and impatient. but for me, bc of so many other things, bc of what theyve done with characters in the mean time, bc i just like these characters a lot, the way they interact, the way they think, the whole vibe of the show and what it says, im just not bothered by it. its not an issue to me. and thats my tangent on personal taste and how youre allowed to just not think that a show has flaws when you like it even if other people think its flawed and youre equally critical of other things but anyway.

back to i hear the sunspot. i dont know why i love this slowburn and lack of communication but i just do. maybe its bc the show doesnt feel rushed. ive been frustrated so many other times when shows wait until the final ep for the couple to get together, which im guessing this show is doing, but thats usually bc nothing else about the show is engaging me so it feels like im being left waiting. i dont feel like im left waiting here. here, i feel like everyone as a character is being valued and whatever time i spend with any of them, i love it. i dont find myself waiting until kohei and taichi get a scene together like i have with other shows bc everything else, everything with them individually, everything with maya, with taichi's friends, idk what else to say i just love it all. and that shows bc i cried just as hard at the scene with maya as i did at the scene with kohei and taichi.

and now for just some fave bits, starting with maya. i just love her. people were so ready to be annoyed with her and pick her apart, but i cant scream enough about how amazing it is that the show introduced a female antagonist and managed to, in my eyes anyway, turn her into someone i liked and felt for and just enjoyed watching. finally, a female antagonist that wasnt just disposable after she served her purpose. and whats better is that what we come to learn about her recontextualises her actions when she was first introduced. i just know upon a rewatch that when i first see her acting out and being mean to taichi, i might still be mad at her, but ill also see a girl that is struggling to make it look like she is fine, someone who is trying her hardest to make it appear that she doesnt try at all, that shes fine, shes no burden to anyone, that this huge thing that is scary and difficult to deal with, shes fine with, bc shes just that good, no biggie. that need to make it all seem casual, to not show weakness, is even exactly why she got mad at taichi in the first place, bc she thought he wasnt trying, he was just doing things casually and he was ok with letting people know he wasnt perfect. he didnt take perfect notes and that was ok, he was still trying his hardest. thats like the exact opposite of maya's mindset to be perfect but make it look like shes not trying. and i think that clash was a great thing to add to the show, and so rewarding when taichi finally hit the nail on the head and told her she didnt have to try so hard, that its ok to let, or even make, other people make the effort. its not sympathy or pity, its kindness.

and now for taichi and kohei. there was just so many things that i loved, the scene of kohei cutting onions with his mom, the whole montage in the classroom going through the highlights of taichi taking notes for kohei, the whole vibe at the end where it was never explicitly said but you just knew it was taichi's last day. and i adore the way that kohei didn't ask questions when taichi told him about dropping out, he just had that faith in taichi, there was nothing to question, he believed that whyever it was, whatever it was for, taichi had thought about it and made the decision and that was enough. instead he just talks about taichi, how hes amazing, making him feel good about himself so he can feel both confident in his decision and whatever he does next. and as for taichi, i know we all wanna know why he cant just say he likes kohei and get it over with, but i dont think thats the right sentiment to bring to the show, or at least not the one i have. whatever it is, i just dont mind, bc to me taichi is a person and if he cant bring himself to say it now or doesnt want to or doesnt think its the right time, thats fine. thats the kind of energy gives me anyway, that i shouldnt be pressing these characters for a reason. its similar to how the show doesnt feel rushed, its like im fine if taichi doesnt say it bc theres no deadline, you say your feelings when youre ready and want to and thats just up to him and im not here to rush him, neither is the show. it just gives him the space to figure things out and make his mind up and decide when the time is right, when he isnt on rocky ground with yknow new people being mean to him and making him doubt himself or questioning what he wants to do with his life and taking on something new - like if taichi is overwhelemed by all of that, its fine. and i can hear the argument oh show us that and like yeah, as i said for any other show id say that too but here i dont care. taichi not saying his feelings can be for any reason you want to come up with, the show doesnt need to give us one, nor do we need one to accept he hasnt done it, but also if you want a reason, theres more than enough to draw from the show to come to your own conclusions. that kinda sounds like the most pretencious defence of a show thatsputting off a confession for the final ep but hey its what i think and i vibe with that thinking so there.

honestly, what i feel about this show is that it didn't need to be a bl for me to watch it, bc i adore everything about it that id watch it even if it was just bromance or even pure friendship, but the fact it is that bc its a bl, because it has that romance, it makes it better. and maybe thats why im not bothered by the pacing, bc im not waiting for the bl moments, im just enjoying the show for what it is, for the story its telling, for the characters its created and the message its conveying. and god if i think about it ending next week i will bust a cry so for now, we live in denial.

[movedtoadifferentspace]

i shifted last night for the first time in 2 years. . .

MOVED TO @kodtheshiftinggodd !

📌 — QUICK RUNDOWN OF MY SHIFTING JOURNEY

umm so i started on shifttok ( unfortunately) back in like november of 2021, i was shifting to naruto. during like 2021-2022 i had experienced a lot of shifts, ranging from weird realities i didn’t plan on going to, only being there for a few moments, not realizing i was there even though i was there for over an hour, and literally shifting while doing dishes. 🧍

sometime in like the summer of 2022 i stopped shifting doing to being in a relationship with this really cringy dude… who like thought i would disappear out of thin air… if i shifted… ( and some shifttok drama that i got brought into, that’s a whole other story if you wanna hear that, the rundown is i got randomly outcasted bc i had BPD and autistic traits ( literally what they said ) ) yeah not my finer moment. anyways, i also just lost a lot of motivation for it. i still hated this reality but i don’t know, shifting just, idk. it took me just a few months ago to realize that the shifttok mean girls who outcasted me, made me feel like i didn’t deserve to shift in some way. ( when i realized that, i realized how fucking stupid that was )

and so i’ve been really reevaluating my journey, spent a lot of time of shiftblr instead of shifttok, even started my own discord to get rid of misinfo!!! which by the way shiftblr has helped me change my mindset SO MUCH! like i’ve been literally a ghost on here but i adore ya’ll so much !!and basically i feel really confident about shifting. i’ve shifted every time i tried, even though it was a very short shift, i have been practicing manifestation, LOA, & meditation and yeah here we are !

🐇 — THE SHIFT ITSELF

so i read something last night on shiftblr, it’ll be linked here, i already was/am in the mindset of “if i try to shift i’m going to fucking shift” like it doesn’t matter to me anymore, i’m doing it. instead of trying every night, i’ve been focused on trying on weekends when i have no responsibilities and such. though throughout this week i have been practicing my meditation/reaching the void state. SO i saw that post and honestly… i wasn’t really like looking to shift, it was a very impromptu thing. i put on a subliminal [ the one i used ] and i went to bed. i was thinking about one my alt realities a better cr though i hate the term better cr where i live in Oregon, and I am a tattoo apprentice, Levi Ackerman from AOT is the one I am apprenticing for. this is really based on me learning how to tattoo and not having to spend time with the AOT cast while also fighting titans and save the world. while that is great, I wanted something chill SO YEAH. I fell asleep to thinking about that… and I shifted. not to that reality but a weird parallel/version of it?

I did this with my first ever shift too. it was almost like a dreamlike reality, but only subtly. soooo I did reality checks.. and it for sure wasn’t a dream. I lived in the apartment above the shop ( which isn’t what i scripted ) and I went down and just went to work with Levi, Hange, and Zeke. I was really on edge though, like “omg i shifted” “i’m literally talking to Levi wtf” like i had no time to process or ground myself so i ended up coming back. but yeah. that’s what happened and i’m determined to get to this ALT reality. ( not in a rushed way, but a ‘i know im going to get there soon’ way )

anyways, that’s my first ever shiftblr post ahhh xxxx

creds to @jolynesmom for their post that i found

ALSO ANY TIPS WILL BE WONDERFUL, i’m literally always looking for things to improve my journey <3 or new things to try at least

happy shifting <3

[mintywolf]

In relation to the ask game, monk?

Also btw your art is great it’s been so fun following it for so long :3

Thank you so much! <3

Monk: what is your favorite canon relationship?

Hahaha. :) In case this was somehow not obvious, it’s Laudna and Imogen. They had me by the throat within seconds of their introduction.

And okay here’s the thing I’ve only ever had one (1) character relationship dynamic that I really care about. Like, this isn’t my criteria for shipping or anything it’s just that ships I get hyperfixation-level attached to happen to fall in this one weirdly specific category and it is this: romantic friendship between two magical and/or monster ladies, one pastel and one goth. One of them is doomed or carrying around some kind of Destiny and the other one is Very Concerned about it.

Whether or not they’re actually kissing doesn’t matter*, it’s the strength of the bond between them that makes my heart try to escape my ribs. Bonded like shelter cats who can’t be adopted separately. No one else more important to them than each other. A love that can (and does) save or end worlds.

It’s had a few iterations over the years but it’s never been canon before. I’ve always had to do a lot of AU heavy lifting because there’s some canon heteronormative boyfriend in the way or the setting was mostly original content and characters because the source material didn’t have many so the ship was half fanon to begin with or something. So to have the exact thing I’ve been longing for for probably close to 20 years fully realized and canonical handed to me right at the start of the campaign permanently altered my psyche. I have not cared this much about fictional characters in ever.

And what’s really special about it is that they are BOTH the magical and monster ladies!! And they are both doomed by their destiny while being very concerned about the other’s and trying to undoom each other! They understand each other on a soul-deep level – Laudna is the only person whose thoughts don’t cause Imogen psychic pain and Imogen was the first person in her whole undeath to regard her with compassion rather than fear. They were each the unique antidote for the other’s loneliness. And it’s beautiful!!!!

And they absolutely check all of the romantic friendship boxes so it was everything I wanted right from the start. While everyone was (understandably) crowing “Imodna canon!!” after episode 65 because they kissed I was kind of like Oh! Okay! This is new. :) :) but it didn’t change me as a person because that had already happened. They were canon from the beginning. The bond was always there. Imogen would have gone into hell and dragged Laudna out of it regardless of whether she had romantic feelings for her. They can’t be adopted separately!!

(CR asks)

*(I actually kind of prefer it without the conventional-romantic “dating” aspect because fandom in general tends to value the romance over the friendship but it’s not as compelling to me because I'm ace and though romantic and sexual attraction are two different things, the prevailing cultural understanding of "romance" tends to presume both and I'm just not interested. Intense friendship used to be much more of a social norm but it fell out of favor with the rise of the Standard Nuclear Family in the 20th century. But whether or not they could have remained a Strong Platonic Female Friendship has already been examined. ;) )

[dent-de-leon]

ive been following you for years now (since around when promare came out) and this whole time ive just assumed that mollymauk was the main character of critrole but i was talking to a sibling and they were like yeah hes only in 20eps. that cannot be true. i fully was like yeah mollymauks the main character they drive the plot right right?????

HELP THIS IS SO FUNNY ASKSLG---wait, let me explain--

In the year 2018, I started watching the Campaign 2 livestream from when the very first episode aired. I watched live right up until episode 25--26, the one where they lose Molly? That was the first episode I couldn't watch during the stream, and have never been able to bring myself to watch it since.

So 26 episodes doesn't sound like a whole lot. But each one is usually between four to four and a half hours long--there are even some that go up to six hours, and the longest one clocks in at just a little over seven hours. So you're talking about each episode being like four hours--and they were once a week every week. So by the time episode 26 rolled around, I had been getting super invested in this character over the course of several months. I just now checked a list of the runtime for episodes 1-26, so--if my math is right?? and that's a big if lmao--we're talking about a character that has over 100 and a half hours of screentime in the beginning, which is wild--

So yeah, in the grand scheme of things, it for sure doesn't seem like much. But given the nature of CR, it was definitely more than enough time for me to get attached--though honestly, Taliesin had me hooked on this tiefling from the very first episode, I didn't stand a chance. His whole personality and the little glimpses we got of his backstory just meant so much to me, and I adored that he was bi and genderfluid. He's the kind of character that really draws you into the world; I was so excited to see how he'd change over the course of the story, how his heartfelt relationships with all the other characters would unfold--

Molly's character arc isn't abandoned after 26 episodes either. In fact, he comes back as the final villain of the campaign over 100 episodes later. When the tiefling we know makes his reappearance as the major antagonist Lucien, the whole final arc of the campaign revolves around him and his past with the Mighty Nein. Very much a case of someone haunting the narrative. There's just something I love about how Molly is the one that first brings them all together, and then the entire finale of the campaign ended up leading right back to him and how much he meant to his family.

And then the arc ends with the party finally getting the chance to perform a ritual to resurrect him!! It was a very long wait, but the culmination of everything to do with Molly in the penultimate episode was definitely worth it. There's also all the secondary source materials that add to his character. He's got a prequel comic like the rest of the party. And he's the only one of all the Campaign 2 characters that gets a whole novel of "his" backstory, mainly focused on his life as Lucien. You can even buy a copy of Molly's tarot deck, which is such a fun piece of added lore and depth.

Anyway, I am so sorry I gave you the wrong idea about Molly asjslfjdfhf but he is absolutely the main character in my heart 💜 So much of his character is about how every little moment matters. And even if you don't get to have someone in your life for very long, that time you spent with them will always mean something. Acts of love and kindness are never a waste, even if it doesn't last. He's a character who was loved so much it made him whole, gave him a second chance he thought he'd never get. His story is very melancholy and tragic, but it's also just so bittersweet and cathartic and heartfelt. He is,, my blorbo--

[whumpbby]

I think my problem with LWJ is that I love him in his teen years and when he’s being stuck between protecting WX and his clan, but I find his grown up version unappealing. I liked him being conflicted and having to make serious choices with consequences. I don’t like him leaving his brother alone after his own traumatic conflict without even looking back. Hell even WX in the extras asked LWJ if they should check on his brother to which he just kind of shrugs. I hate that it feels like any loyalty he had to anything outside of his relationship with WX has evaporated. He’s not like other MXTX leads he has someone else who needs him that he’s ignoring and it just feels wrong, especially with how tortured we saw WX and JC’s separation was for them both. He goes from an interesting character to a blank lover and it’s a down grade.

Yep, that's kinda my opinion too.

I actually love him in the Gusu-arc. He's so weirdly repressed and helpless to make this strange boy make sense! To make his own feelings make sense! He struggles with himself and his feelings and what he knows should be appropriate way to deal with it, but somehow isn't. I cheered and cackled when the porn book happened to him and his virgin eyes!

And then he just...stops being that. He turns into a Love Interest and that's his whole role.

Does he have friends? Does he have duties in CR he has to preform? Is he the first disciple?? Does he even talk to anyone there at all apart from his brother and his young ward???? Like, where is your life Lan Zhan? You're meant to be the half of the main couple, where is your life??

After the Nightless City, JGY took control of the richest sect around, got married, got and lost a kid and did some murdering. Nie Huaisang was inventing a cruel and unusual punishment for the murderer of his brother, and failing at running a sect. JC built a sect from the ground up and raised a kid. What have you been doing, Lan Zhan? Apart from going around and fighting stuff, and being a periodical dick to JC, what was his life about in the time he apparently 'got over his loss'?

I wrote before that I wish these years between his seclusion and WWX being back were spent by Lan Wangji on regaining his standing in the sect and the respect of the Elders. That it would be amazing to see him facing the choice of getting his place back or 'here we go again' with Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian who, as far as Lan Zhan knew, didn't like him all that much.

Does he go back to his stoic life or change it all on the man he fell in love with as a boy? Is he the copy of his father after all - trailing after an uninterested person to soothe his own feelings? Does he slowly start to figure your that while his crush is not perfect, a lot of things just went very wrong for everything to go to shit so badly and he doesn't want it to happen again? Does he think that while his brother is in pain, he still has support of their uncle and the clan, while Wei Wuxian once more chose to walk alone and he wants to follow???

Give me something ffs!TT

I'm not gonna lie, nine out of then times I prefer Lan Wangji in fanfics than in the canon. The writers usually add character he is solely lacking in his post-ressurection iteration.

[wondereads]

Weekly Reading Update (11/06/23)

Reviews and thoughts under the cut

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor (6/10)

This book has very little space for the kind of story it tries to tell, and it does its best. For an almost space opera-like plot, with intergalactic academies, alien conflict, and ancient tech, less than 80 pages is ridiculously small. As such, a lot of this book feels really rushed. A lot of worldbuilding stuff, such as the history between the Meduse and humans, what Binti’s edan is, and how otjize is so special, is just never explained. I definitely found this book interesting; there’s a major tone shift a third of the way through, and I loved the message of understanding differences and peaceful conflict resolution. However, everything is wrapped up too neatly, especially concerning Binti’s emotional state. Trying not to spoil too much, Binti goes through an incredibly traumatic event and has a very important aspect of her changed without her knowledge or consent, but she seems just fine at the end. I appreciate the attempt to wrap up such an ambitious story for a novella, but I would’ve much preferred a more open ending concerning that.

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid (6/10)

This book started out very strong. The writing style really has that drifting, surreal style that fits a book trying to emulate gothic horror, and I really liked where the plot is going. I love books where the main character can't figure out if they can trust themselves or not, and the whole idea of discovering the secrets behind a truly impactful novel was so interesting. It was a little slow, but I was fine with that. Unfortunately, the ending is all kinds of rushed. The main antagonist is defeated very easily with virtually no explanation as to how, and although there's a character that the entire story practically revolves around, she only shows up at the end once everything is said and done to fill in the holes. Then there are multiple issues, plot and character wise, that are just never resolved. Unfortunately, the ending kind of ruined it for me, otherwise this could've been a 4 star read.

Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire (9/10)

After over a year, I'm continuing the Wayward Children series, and I'm loving it so far. This book functions as a prequel, telling the story of Jack and Jill in The Moors. I loved the very obvious classic literature influences, namely Frankenstein and Dracula, and Jack and Jill are both amazingly complex characters with an incredibly interesting relationship. I will always have a soft spot for Jack, and her unexpected romance was one of my favorite parts of the book. I'd say the only thing I didn't like was that Jill is so unlikable to me. I really wanted her to face some consequences after what she did, and while I can see how she became this way, it doesn't mean she should get away with it, especially considering the context of the first book. However, the series is unfinished and has multiple books I haven't read yet, so perhaps we'll see them yet again!

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher (CR, 43%)

I'm really enjoying this one so far! After so much intense fantasy and sci-fi, it's like a little palate cleanser. I love how this book takes tropes usually used in contemporary romcoms and repurposes them for the historical setting. There's also a fair amount of worldbuilding, since this is a very different history from what we know. I'm glad it's established to be that way, because there is some pretty blatant messing with the timeline, but I appreciate it since it brings more diversity than historical romances typically have.

Lodestar by Shannon Messenger (CR, 43%)

There are things happening in this book, and I don't like it! I've grown fairly attached to these characters, and I'm constantly stressed about them. I feel like stakes are rising rather quickly in this installment, like more is happening than in the others. One thing I noticed during this segment of reading was that I quite like the addition of Tam. Linh is still sort of a half-formed character to me, but I really like how blunt Tam is and how he still has the perspective of an outsider on Sophie's group and their dynamics. He seems to say things none of them think of, and I like how he shakes things up.

A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon (CR, 42%)

I know, I know, I've been working on this one for a while, but it's a very dense book! I've put it aside for now in exchange for Gwen & Art, since I have to review that one, but I'm hoping to finish this before the November halfway mark.

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare (CR, 16%)

I’m finishing up my reread of The Infernal Devices, and this one is not that great so far. While I love the smaller interactions between Jem, Tessa, and Will, virtually everything so far has been interpersonal conflict despite the fact that a madman with a clockwork army is just out there somewhere. Like, did they forget they have like actual jobs to do? It’s mentioned that a good amount of time has passed since the last book…and you’ve done nothing? I know you’re all in the most complicated romantic relationships teenagers can be in, but please, think of the world.

[llycaons]

rightt i love the cql ending i think it was needed for them to go their separate ways. soo many cql haters bring up the ending as their main point for why it sucks. its as if they forget they reunite at the very end. also ive seen soo many weird fics where they hate on lz for “leaving wy and abandoning him” when thats such bs 😭 there was a fic summary where it was like ‘novel lz sees cql wy traveling alone and they get together’ like huh?? wy doesnt know that man and he loves HIS lz get over it

literally get OVER it lmao wwx didn't literally say 'WHEN I come back I want to hear the name of the song' (meaning he knows its significance and plans to RETURN and confess/hear lwj's confession) and lwj didn't say "I have long since known it' (meaning he's been in love w wwx for many years and knows it/plans to tell him) for wwx to LEAVE his star-crossed beloved of over two decades in order to shack up with some yellow-eyed weirdo who already has his own wwx who's into the same shit as he is? like. we HEAR lwj say wwx's name at the end, SEE wwx turn and smile. not to be rude but did these people watch the finale to the very end? are they stupid? what do they think is about to happen? lwj is going to say "oh it's you. I don't want to see you again, wei ying. being cc is more important to me than you are. I reject you and I will never have sex with you. that's why I came out to this cliff where you're playing the song I wrote for you. bye' and then leave??? lmao. please. PLEASE

plus it was a mutual decision based off of temporarily incompatible needs - lwj didn't abandon him! and if these fans are mad he 'let him go' then all they're saying is they're mad he didn't, what, imprison wwx somewhere he didn't want to be? clearly wwx wanted to travel and couldn't stay at CR, and clearly lwj needed to return to his home and help them all readjust to a shattered lxc and no cc. no it was good they each had time to breathe and they each as individuals needed to deal with things before they could be together

to be completely honest I think I would have liked the finale less if they HADN'T separated. postres, they slowly did become closer and started breaking down the barriers between them, but it was a process with a lot of stops and starts that seemed to stagnate at times. separation was a huge change that felt like it pushed their relationship into something new and resulted in an event so significant it was like they couldn't even show it. it was a really powerful choice!

to be fair if people don't like cql or think it's not gay enough or the censorship worked too well that's their business and I'm not going to lecture anyone into liking something they don't like, that's fine. there are little things about the performances and writing choices that annoy me too. but if the separation was written bc of censorship then they still got back together in the end and if the separation was an independent decision, then it was made to serve the story, which as a whole was a genuine and sincere attempt to convey a gay relationship even while being censored. and I do think it served the story and the characters very well. I know people also dislike cc lwj, which I can't fault them for since it's so far from the 'run away from the cultivation world' finale in the ending, but as someone who never read the book my first time watching, it made perfect sense to me. like....canonically wwx planned on returning and canonically lwj was there to greet him. if that hadn't happened, yeah it would have sucked. I would have been miserable. but it didn't! they got their ending together!

[handheldheaven]

On Being 25

This post is long and has also been a long time coming.

I've been running this blog since August of 2017, in the midst of an eating disorder and an abusive relationship. I was a pop punk kid looking for community. Over the next few years I fell into pseudointellectualism; I cosplayed the prestigious scholar who lived for November days and moldy book pages. I loved ancient Greek and ancient Rome and dramatic, bloody imagery. I had a few hit posts (they reached 1k notes) and I thought I found a community.

In 2021, my life took a huge turn. I was about to graduate with my bachelor's degree, my professors wanted me to enroll in a creative writing program, and I should have been happy. But I wasn't—I was stuck at home with my conservative mother who drove me up the wall with her conspiracy theories. My friends both in real life and online were distant, and I was at my loneliest. I was burnout and insignificant, and I became very, very close to k-lling myself one day. The details don't matter. All that matters is that I didn't do it, and with what I became after, there were people who thought I should have done it. This was also around the time I came to terms with the fact that I'm autistic.

Over the next several months I would abandon this blog and become a born again Christian. I also adopted my mother's conservative beliefs because I needed something to grasp. Later I would learn I was most likely going through a spiritual psychosis/personality change because of my almost-attempt. I returned to tumblr and continued posting with an adjacent, modern aesthetic, but I also brought my newfound conservative ideas. This is something that I'm still very ashamed of, because it affected people in my life who I once cherished as being my closest friends. My isolation from others permanently destroyed my friendships and how people who trusted me saw me.

I fell down another rabbithole of t3rfism around this time. In hindsight, it was most likely because of the conservatism (which I was no longer part of), the fact that I had zero female friends, and my only "friend" was a douchebag guy who only wanted to sleep with me. I never identified as a t3rf, but I did join them in questioning certain aspects of society. It was so obvious that one of my previous friends called me out on it when I tried contacting them to reconnect at the end of 2022.

I'm not writing all of this to receive pity. I'm writing this because I feel the need to atone for my past actions. I've apologized to the people who needed apologies.

I lost a lot of my traction when I returned to tumblr. I wasn't posting consistently, so I became yet another up-and-coming tumblr user who was pushed to the shadows. I see some of my mutuals and wonder what would have happened if I kept up with the academic façade and posted shitty poetry. Could I have crowdfunded a grad degree, or had readers for my poetry book?

All this is to say that I wasn't the same when I came back to tumblr. Engagement on my original postings are now zero. This blog just doesn't feel like "me", and it hasn't since 2021.

I've outgrown this blog.

My degree hasn't gotten me far. I'm not in grad school studying art history like I wanted to when I was 21. I'm not a published writer like my English professors encouraged me to be. The aesthetics of this blog are a sham and in no way reflect reality. The reality behind this tumblr user is that I'm a 25 year old woman who works customer service and who still can't afford to move out. I dropped out of grad school after like 2 weeks because it sucked. I work full time, so I can't afford to study forgotten religions or 9th century theater or whatever the fuck the posters from the 'golden era' are doing off their parents' dime.

I've been developing my interests organically without people on the internet swaying my opinions. I'm not trying my hardest to live up to a certain aesthetic and making myself miserable in the process. I reached an age that the original creator of this blog in 2017 thought she'd never see. I feel better about picking up the pieces of my life now that I'm not using 25 as my deadline.

I'm not done with tumblr forever. I may remake my blog one day—a blog that isn't a time capsule of some of my worst developmental years. For now this is goodbye.

[mariuslepual]

I've seen people criticise the changes they've made in the show that seem to minimise the female characters' stories and I would like to offer my two cents of unasked opinion.

first of all, I don't feel concerned given that we know cr still has full creative control over tlovm. I'm sure that if marisha and laura felt like their characters are being made an injustice they would bring it up. secondly, the story is nowhere close to done.

they've really been shuffling the events this season to create more cohesive and smoother storytelling in the limited time. the fact that events or conversations don't happen when they did is not indicative that they're being dropped entirely. in the intro the twins stand in front of a burning house. I seriously doubt they'd just drop the reveal that thordak killed their mother entirely after building it up. similarly now it seems grog may be facing the horde without vex and her trinket ball - but he's said the line and we've seen him drop from the skies in the trailer. I'm sure we're getting the scene from the kill box.

this is to say, I have faith in the storytelling and I have faith everyone feels like their characters are given justice. loss of nuance is unavoidable when we need to cut hundreds of hours of gameplay into a roughly 5 hour season. yes keyleth may lean more into the naive and cutesy parts of her personality but it's an entirely different thing to be able to role play character growth throughout the years and have it play out in just 12 episodes and make it feel believable and unrushed. focusing on one key flaw (her lack of confidence) is an effective way to ge the best of both worlds. a lot of lore has to be cut too, and with it the characters' ruminations on the world. and who's to say we *won't* get more of "atheist"* kiki once the deal with the raven queen gets explored more in depth or we get to melora's staff and keyleth's relationship to it.

similarily, I'm not worried about vex. I think the trinket scene was used to further hammer home the twins' codependency in an episode that was mostly focused on vax. a pattern is emerging or everybody getting their spotlight, roughly one character per episode. I am sure we'll see more of vex's perspective once we get to the echo tree, maybe even scenes previously unseen, since this episode will definitely focus on her. I may here say I do hope they won't make her relationship with syldor the sole focus, but in general I tend not to worry about things in advance when so far I have no reason to distrust the storytelling. moreover, I wouldn't be surprised if her seemingly carefree and overconfident behaviour from these episodes got explored more during the echo tree.

* yes I know kiki is not atheist per se but I'm simplifying for the sake of an already overly long post. y'all know what I mean.

[applejuiz]

your most recent fic I am certainly in SHAMBLES good sir.

I cannot believe I haven't seen a take on something like this before and I can effectively say you nailed it and I'm so obsessed, everything feels so in character for them I simply can't handle it!! thank u:)<3

💕💖💕💖💖💕 thank you!!!!!!!

As a tragedy enjoyer, I am sustained by fix-it fics and while I love vaxleth kid fics, I do think that whether or not they have kids is a HUGE question. Keyleth will outlive their children. And knowing how long it took her to accept the fact that she would outlive Vax (if she ever even did), I don’t think it would be an easy process for her. And then thinking about that spiraled into thinking about all the other big questions and issues that hang over their relationship like the sword of Damocles. In a way, Vax dying tragically young lets them avoid a lot of hard conversations about the rest of their lives. (“dying is easy, living is harder” and other themes that make me want to [REDACTED])

Anyway, I’m so so glad you enjoyed chapter 1!!! I’m so grateful with how receptive and welcoming the vaxleth fandom has been with my weird emo canon divergence stories! It’s been a year for me since starting cr and I’m still thinking about their perfect tragic love story every day. There’s so little I would change about it, which is where all these branching thought experiments are coming from and knowing that they feel in character is the greatest reassurance that I’m honoring this story that I love so much!!!

[jiinjiinjarra]

BTS // Japan // Japan Official Fanclub Magazine (JPFC) // Vol. 8 // 2020 // Pt. 5

Photo Cr. Comma // Scan Cr. b2smilebhappy // Translation Cr. BtsJapanese & iIlejeons // Full Interview - Source: 1, 2 & 3

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Q: BTS are close just like a family. What kind of existence are the members in your life (1st pic question)??

🐰: When I was a child I lived with my parents but I feel I have spent more time with the members. So they aren't different from a real family. They are the people whom I adore from the bottom of my heart, the people I work with. I was able to come this far because the members were with me.

🐹: Literally a family. Or otherwise Oxygen? It's obvious to have them around that they are a natural existence besides me so even if we meet each other after a long absence we say to one another "It's really been a while but it feels like I just saw you yesterday". *laughs*

All Members Special Interview (4th pic questions):

Q1: When do you feel like the BTS family is special?

🐰: When we're distributing parts, we make sure the person that fits the part the best naturally gets it. 

🐹: We have different ranges/ type of voices, so the line distribution is chosen to naturally match the song's style.

🐰: Even if there is something that concerns any of us personally, we will talk it out together. That's why things are resolved immediately, and I think that's how we deepen our bond more.

Q2: If BTS were a real family, what kind of family do you think they'd be?

🐹: I think we probably would stay at home all the time 

🐰: While peeling tangerines together (laughs)

🐹: It will always feel like New Year's with them.

Q3: If you're an ARMY?

🐰: I'd probably be the same one as SUGA hyung. I want to go to all the concerts. I want to scream "WAHHHH" and enjoy the show.

🐹: I'd be the type of ARMY that does everything to support from home. Like leaving comments on weverse, collecting photos of the members...

Q4: Starting with BangBangCon and other online events, there are many ways to experience BTS from anywhere in the world. Do you have any memorable reaction from ARMY that enjoying the content? 

🐹: As I watch our old videos, I thought that we really worked hard. It becomes my motivation and I thought I need to work hard in the future as well.

Q5: BTS and ARMY have been walking for 7 years together. Can you imagine 7 years in the future?

🐰: It's already been 7 years before we knew it 

🐹: BTS and ARMY being together has become normal so it's very natural.

Q6: What kind of relationship do you think BTS and ARMY will have 7 years in the future?

🐹: I think nothing will change even 7 years in the future. Just like how our relationship with ARMY hasn't changed over the past 7 years. Everyone thinks the same thing, so I think things will be the same in 7 years.

🐰: I think simply being happy is enough for me. Both BTS and ARMY.

Q7: Give some words for ARMY that always send you many love.

🐹: Recently, I've been working hard to fill myself with happiness. I hope ARMYS reading this magazine would feel the happiness and be as happy as I am.

🐰: I hope that ARMYs will gain strength from this magazine, even if it's just a little. We're working hard to practice and preparing a lot of presents to give you. Please look forward to them. Please take care of yourself, be healthy, and always stay full of energy!

Jungkook's Answers (2nd pic questions):

Q1: What advice would you give to ARMYs facing a hard time to stay positive?

🐰: If you have a dream and there's something you really like to do, you don't need to listen to others' opinion. Of course, if it's a bad thing, you're not supposed to do that. But don't ever give up on your dream because you're worried about peo- ple's opinion. It's important for you to think about what you genuinely want, what makes you really become who you are.

Q2: Do you have an episode of the members cheering you up?

🐰: When I'm having a hard time, the members would come to me one by one. They comforted and cried with me. I feel so grateful back then. They gave me the strength to move forward. It's a memory that feels like gold to me, I sometimes still think about it now.

Q3: Do you an episode where you feel like ARMYS helped you?

🐰: I always get helped by ARMY. There are people that give me advice, people who talk to me seri- ously, and people who are supporting me. All of that becomes my strength. It means they really care for me, and I'm happy for that. I'm working hard on producing songs so that I can play it for ARMY

Q4: Jungkook, who sang "I feel like I've become a grown-up faster than anyone else". Do you feel like you're an adult at heart?

🐰: I'm an adult by age, but I don't think I'm an adult yet, mentally. I still don't have anything that makes me able to say "I've matured". It might be a self-satisfaction, but I think you can say you've become an adult when you feel proud of how you matured. It's too early for me to say I've reached the "realm of one's coolness" but I do want to be one someday.

Q5: This year, ARMY and BTS has the precious number, "7". What would you eat if you could only eat only one food for seven days straight?

🐰: I would go for Kimbap. Kimbap contains all the carbohydrates, meat, and vegetables. I really love it. The other option would be chicken salad with sweet potatoes. Eating only one kind of food is bad since it has unbalanced nutritions, so if it's for a whole week, i'd go with those two

Jin's Answers (3rd pic questions):

Q1: What is the reason you started doing surpris- es for ARMY?

🐹: It all started when I saw a hanger before I went up to the stage, it stood our me, so I brought it up (to the stage) thinking "Should I try to do some- thing with this?". But recently the staffs ask if they can film me preparing the surprises.. (so) I'm working on various ideas.

Q2: Jin, who is the eldest member in BTS. What kind of existence do you want to be for BTS?

🐹: I haven't thought that much about it, but I do keep a close eyes on my cute dongsaengs, and I think I have grasped an understanding of each personalities. Each of them has different way of playing around and things that makes them happy (laughs). I don't know what my dongsaengs think of me, but I would like to stay as a kind hyung (for them).

Q3: If you're about to cook something for J-AR- MYs, what kind of dish would you cook?

🐹: There's a dish called Jajangmyeon (black bean sauce noodles) in Korea, and it's really delicious! I'll work hard to learn many tasty recipes so that I'm able to show the deliciousness of jajangmyeon to a lot of ARMYS someday!

Q4: What do you do during your day off? What are you into recently?

🐹: Even it's a "day off", I usually clean the house, do the laundry, also do the dishes. I make my own meals and eat it, play games, and sleep when I get sleepy.. kind of like that (laughs).

Q5: This year, ARMY and BTS has the precious number, "7". What is the habit that all seven members have?

🐹: We check our schedule and think about how we can manage it so that we could do things in the most efficient way, and work hard to finish them on time. Of course, we don't spare an effort. During those kind of times, everyone shows an incredible amount of concentration.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

[cowboyhorsegirl]

End/Start of the year! Means it’s time for an end of year self rec list! If you want.

A top 3-5 list OR rank all the fics you have done this year in a full, completely arbitrary, ranked list of all the ones from this year! Would love to hear your thoughts on your own work :)

Is it too late to answer this or does the almost-end of February still count as "the start of the year" lol

In any case, this was my first year writing fanfic! Writing any fiction at all even, save for the obligatory short-lived YA dystopian novel series my friends and I outlined in the 6th grade together. All that said, I've loved SteveTony for close to a decade now, and I really, really loved getting to explore them even more through my own writing. I'm very excited to practice and create more for them over the coming year :)

Hands down, my favorite fic that I wrote last year was Paradise Blue in 1872, which was written in a fugue state three days after reading the 1872 comics and promptly devouring all the existing 1872 fic on ao3. I love the 1872 verse so dearly (it was the first comic I ever read! biiiiig year for docdracula fandom firsts in 2022), and I had a lot of fun imagining what the nature of Steve's feelings towards Tony might have been before the actual events of the story began. I hadn't really intended to make Steve's devotion to Tony a conceit for religion, but religion tends to come up naturally in my writing a bit anyways so I just leaned into it extra hard for this one. Paradise is definitely the fic I reread the most from my own work by a very large margin, and I think it's some of my best writing, so I'd highly recommend it (and bonus! you don't need to know anything about the 1872-verse to enjoy & understand it other than the fact that Steve is a postbellum cowboy sheriff and that Tony likes to sing to him outside his jailhouse).

Lie de The (Memory Serves Me) is another favorite of mine, a kind of concise summation of the events of Phases 1-3 of the MCU from Tony's 2nd-person POV. I quite enjoyed the more poetic meter and the repeating phrases in this fic. I remember writing this fic in chronological order, largely over the course of one afternoon, and I recall delighting in trying to tie together the later sections with motifs I'd introduced in the earlier ones. It was also a treat to have an idea that I wanted to develop from Tony's POV. I tend to gravitate towards writing Steve's POV, and as far as I'm aware, the only times I've ever written Tony's POV have been in 2nd person. Let's not examine that too closely.

Ralph Waldo Emerson Twilight is another fic that I both loved writing and enjoy rereading! I just feel like there aren't nearly enough stories out there about Steve and Morgan, and more broadly, stories that focus on the fact that Steve has known three different generations of Starks. I feel like there's definitely a lot of inspiration there to wrestle with, if anyone was so inclined to explore those relationships and the way they interconnect further. This was just my small contribution to that endeavor. (And fun fact! The title comes from this ink. The color changes from dusky blue to a deep vibrant mauve with each additional layer of saturation. New meaning with repeating timelines and lifetimes and what not, you know?)

Burn Baby, Burn. I just get a kick out of this one lol. It came to me almost completely fully-formed in an almost divine revelation as I myself was applying sunscreen one morning during the SteveTonyGames. Also make sure you all are wearing sunscreen all year long & don't forget to reapply every couple of hours throughout the day xoxo <3

Stuff Happens was purely a self-indulgent AU of a bollywood movie I used to watch several times a week between the critical ages of like 3-6 years old and which definitely dealt me some form of queer awakening the likes of which I would not be consciously privy to until high school. It was a fun time stevetonifying it :) I will say I know for a fact that this one is criminally underrated bc for the first 12 hours it was up, I had fucked up the tags (Steve Rogers & Tony Stark instead of Steve Rogers/Tony Stark :/ ). So if you're interested in some college AU fluff, I can almost 100% guarantee that you haven't read this one yet.

Blue Black. Another 2nd person Tony Stark POV fic, this time set in the aftermath of 1872. I'll be honest, I only wrote this fic because the line "But so too do his handprints still paint your hips from the last time he touched you." popped into my head unbidden and I couldn't just not do something with that.

I'm putting Growth, Freshly Squeezed Sunshine, and Stand By Me all in the same category of fics I'm happy to have written but that I personally do not revisit at all. These are all stories that I don't think I executed as well as I could have, but I'm glad that there are other people out there who have enjoyed reading them <3 Extra love goes to Growth because it was my first fic, I wrote and uploaded it the day I got my ao3 account, which is certainly a fond memory for me. :)

Thanks for the ask anon! Here's to many more years of writing! <3

[drsorrell]

Reading Short Fiction, Tues. 8.6.24

This is going to be primarily a writing-in-class day. I will go over what to read for tomorrow and the CR2 assignment, and then Angel and I will circulate to check in with you. I'll also be looking over your CR1 FDs while you work with Angel.

Homework

Tomorrow, we wil pick up reading with pages 1-3 of M.R. James's “The Mezzotint” (1904). Give yourself more time to read this, as it is British and from 1904, so the language differs from the other stories we have read.

CR2

Please submit an RD of CR2 on Schoology (if possible) before you leave at 2:30 today. Do not rush and submit this early, like before lunch! Pay attention to what I go over now and apply it to the CR.

CR2 Assignment Description

Model (Example) using a different passage "“You’re a—you’re a…” I said up to him, reaching for the sharp teeth he’d done such a good job of keeping hidden all these weeks.

“Yeah, yeah,” he said back, his big hand behind my head. “You’ve got to—if you want me to, if you want to live and not die, you’ve got to ask. Can you hear me?”

“Thought that was…thought that was houses,” I said. “Homes.”

“This is your house,” he said, tapping my collarbone, my body.

“Does it hurt?” I asked.

“Every fucking day,” he said, and he was right, Burned Dan wouldn’t lie to me, wouldn’t have lied to me, which is why, decades later, Boulder finally tall enough to hide the foothills from this same creek, I finally lay Dan to rest where I first met him" (Jones 8).

Dr. Sorrell's CR2 RD: I choose Ideas/Interpretation, Language/Style, and Timeline/Events. I also briefly mention a connection with something else outside our class.

Timeline/Events: This passage is essential. It's the only part that shows what happens AFTER the main action of the story (creek and vampire battle). It also connects the after to the before: "where I first met him" (Jones 8), and might suggest that Chessup, like Burned Dan, has been patrolling this area, maybe to make sure Julian doesn't emerge again. Dan knows the area because, early in the story, he says, "'The water used to run over there,' he said like a fact, then nodded to himself, adding, 'Bet it did, I mean'" (Jones 3). I didn't even notice this remark until I reread the story in class yesterday, but it's an early clue about Dan living a lot longer than his 58 or so years, especially since he corrects himself.

Language/Style: The grammar tells you that Dan is dead even before the sentence gets there; "Jones writes that Dan "wouldn't have lied" to the narrator. The tense shows that Dan is dead because the narrator changes from "wouldn't lie" to "wouldn't have lied." It's also interesting that Chessup never finishes saying "vampire here" because the word doesn't appear at all in the story, even though the "sharp teeth" and asking to be made into a vampire are both present here (8).

Interpretation/Ideas: Jones leaves it up to the reader to figure out that Dan is a vampire- probably Julian, as well. Maybe he is making fun of modern vampire stories like Twilight that are about love and relationships. Maybe he wants to write more of a gritty vampire story by trying to figure out what would actually happen to someone like Chessup confronted with this situation. So all the real-world references aren't just for entertainment but also to make the vampire stuff seem more possible. Stephen King once said something about "ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances," and I think that applies here (https://stephenking.fandom.com/wiki/Barnes_%26_Noble:_Meet_the_Writers). Of course, Chessup would rather live forever than die; he's probably not thinking through what this means, as there is a " hole expanding in and through my chest" (8).

I also like this idea about "houses" and "homes" because, honestly, it sounds deep and very intense; it also speaks more to 21st-century life, I think. Who is at home all the time? Chessup's home is inside himself, and that is, in a way, his biggest problem--and all of ours. We can't get away from ourselves. So, even if the main purpose of the story is to entertain, Jones throws in a bit of solid wisdom.

Outside Connection: This is just a small thing, but when Chessup asks if it hurts and Dan says, "Every fucking day" (8), it reminds me of the scene in the first X-Men movie when Rogue asks him Wolverine, "Does it hurt?" and he says, "Every time."

[lunarleylines]

So in prime forever-GM fashion, I've been sort of brewing away at my own generally D&D-based world for years now. I started it off for a former game with friends as a way to have something interesting to work with to expand beyond the pre-written module we used at the beginning. From there, I added a lot to it, and then due to the way that game ended, used some of the pre-planned things to set up a time-skip following some massive consequences of the BBEG's plans.

TLDR; My home game universe had a big heavenly war and a lot of gods died. I'd love to hear other people's thoughts on interesting deities to keep and changes to make to the ones who are left. Full information after the cut.

As it stands, I've got a world that (as Fantasy worlds are wont to do), has been torn apart by deities fighting over perceived slights, only this time it meant that a ridiculous number of deities from multiple pantheons has been reduced down to a single weird pantheon of mismatched gods trying to be chill with each other.

So I'm now trying to decide which gods are the most fun and the most interesting to sort of "keep" from the original pantheons I was using, including the option to dramatically change some of them as a result of the war and the subsequent redistribution of Divine Domains, since previously a lot of gods were sharing slivers of each domain, and everything was stretched pretty thin.

I'm not sure why (other than thinking it was funny and a weird backstory reason for including extra stuff), but I had originally taken basically all of the Forgotten Realms pantheons, said they were mostly all around and kicking, and then also slapped in some real world pantheons for the shit of it, plus a sprinkle of added fuckery. The real world ones were mostly a handful of Norse gods and some core Greek and Roman gods (yes, both of them, each handling a different region of the world and not being happy about each other) though I may have initially had other specific ones. I'd certainly considered more, but there was already too much going on and I barely understood some of it.

All that being said, I think at least one deity from each pantheon is interesting, though perhaps a couple are gone entirely and a couple from one of the larger ones survived. I think it's probably especially interesting if more than one deity survives that originally had the same domain, so now they've had to either divide it up or one of them takes on a domain that doesn't have an owner anymore.

I also like a thought I'd had previously of using the Raven Queen (who much like CR is an ascended mortal, though she didn't replace a deity in the same way) as fully taking on the mantle of Goddess of Death and being changed by the war to being a bit more kindly in her relationships with mortals, wanting them to live full lives and focusing her anger on beings trying to keep themselves alive beyond their limits (since that's part of what kicked off the war in the first place).

[crystallbreath]

Keep Your Brain Healthy by Learning to Play Chess

Keep Your Brain Healthy by Learning to Play Chess

You think you’re old. The game of chess was invented hundreds of years ago and is still very popular today thanks to the internet. If you’re looking for ways to keep your brain healthy, chess is a good choice. The game is played on a square board with 64 squares. The idea is to use your pieces to capture your opponent’s king, which happens to be the least powerful piece on the board. The most powerful piece on the board is the Queen!

I play chess almost every day using the chess app Chess With Friends on my cellphone. I play with people I have never met in person, and we play over and over, and can even communicate via instant text messages through the app. Things have really changed since I started playing at 16 years old. Now there are many websites where millions of people worldwide enjoy the game daily.

Why Chess?

Playing chess has many benefits, including improving memory loss, stimulating creative thinking, preventing the development of Alzheimer's, and enhancing problem-solving skills, among others. Scientists have done studies and discovered that playing chess can even improve IQ scores.

I have been playing for about 50 years and still love the game. It teaches you to plan and think long term, think outside the box, and explore different options when presented with a challenging situation. I believe chess definitely helps to maintain good brain health. I am still amazed at some of the predicaments I get myself into and I look forward to the challenge. Chess will force you to accept responsibility for your actions and decisions, but in a fun way.

When I think back to my teenage years, I remember going to a local bookstore to see the owner on a regular basis. He absolutely loved to play and would sometimes be so focused on trying to win that he would ignore his customers! Imagine me, a teenager in a room full of older gentlemen smoking cigars on the campus of Stetson University in central Florida, playing chess and winning! I lost a few games too.

After moving to Atlanta after serving four years in the Air Force, I remember visiting this pawn shop and noticing a chess board on the desk of the owner. We started talking and found out he loved to play. Of course, that meeting turned into an ongoing relationship. We played often and had a lot of fun. The only thing is that he would move and realize he made a mistake and would want to take his move back. He was a character!

The Fundamentals

Besides the board, the pieces include the King, Queen, 2 rooks, 2 bishops, 2 knights, and 8 pawns. So each player has the exact same 16 pieces, and the person with the white pieces moves first. You can flip a coin to decide who has the white pieces.

The king is the weakest player and needs to be protected. The Queen is the most powerful piece on the board and can move in any direction, but can’t jump over pieces like a Knight can. The typical first move is by the pawn, which can only move vertically one space except on the first move, when it can move two spaces. The idea is to control the center of the board, where the power is located. When capturing your opponent’s pieces, keep in mind that your pieces are equal to your opponent’s pieces. For example, you capture your opponent’s rook and your opponent captures yours. That’s an even swap.

With so many challenging opportunities and decisions to make, you can see how chess can help to exercise your brain and keep it healthy. I highly recommend downloading the app Chess With Friends and playing with others, but also playing against the computer. That’s correct; you don’t have to play against a friend; you can play and practice against the computer right on your own cellphone! Just go to the app store on your phone and download it, and start learning and playing.

Play Online and Meet New People.

There are many websites and groups where you can make new friends and develop your game at the same time. There is no charge to become a member; just create an account and start playing. A few websites include: chess.com, lichess.org, playchess.com, and Chess with Friends.

If you would like to meet some new friends locally and play, check out the link below:

Meetup.com is a social networking website that attracts people with all kinds of interests. If you are looking to make new friends with similar interests, you may find this website to be very valuable, in addition to finding other chess players.

Conclusion

So if you are looking for ways to keep your brain healthy and avoid developing Alzheimer’s as you age, playing chess is a good option. Not only is it fun and challenging, but it is also a good way to meet new people and socialize. I’ve enjoyed a good glass of wine while playing, and it is an enjoyable way to relax and stimulate those old brain cells at the same time. Now, with the invention of the internet, you can literally play someone you have never met anywhere in the world. Not only can you play a good game of chess, you can also send each other an instant text message even during the game. Some players introduce themselves at the beginning of the game and taunt each other while playing. Beware, though, because I have been challenged by what appears to be a beautiful woman interested in more than chess. I always refuse to cooperate or participate in those conversations. They usually don’t continue the game when I don’t reply.

[potatoesandsunshine]

they really do get me with this show i'm constantly almost done with watching it and then they get me back in huh