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ms-demeanor · 2 months

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Hello,Do you have any tips for recovering from internet brain rot? It's like my patience has dried up and if there's a huge amount of text (even about topics I'm very interested in) that I have to read, I get annoyed and just don't interact with the material at all.

I have multiple tips!

TL;DR (Because of course I generated a wall of text): Take a break from the internet, create a schedule for getting yourself used to reading longer texts, take breaks while reading, and perhaps reconsider how you interact with The Internet and the world in general.

Here are the basic "to reduce the brain rot just don't interact" tips:

Take a break. Give yourself time off from The Internet (for these purposes The Internet is the social media industrial complex; clickbait news, recommended videos, social media sites, etc. You don't have to totally check out of email or your local news site, just get away from the huge time sucks). I'd say to take at least one day a week where you're online for less than an hour a day, and to maybe work up to doing a week-long break from whatever the main agents of rot are.

Once you've identified the main agents of rot, give yourself a time limit or set up rules for yourself. I don't let myself look at social media in bed, for instance; no staying up late on my phone, no scrolling before I get up and start my day. I don't give myself a strict time limit anymore, but for a while there I was very firm about "you only get to go online 4 hours a day" with myself.

Don't comment (or at least only share the things you really want to share). If you feel the need to argue, or if you feel pressured into sharing something, don't. Step back, maybe even open the post in a new tab or send it to yourself, and come back later. If you've been thinking about it and have decided it IS something you care enough to talk about, share it. If you look at the tab and feel stressed out or still feel reactive, close the tab and walk away.

Go out and interact with the real world in a non-work capacity for a few hours a week; take walks or go shopping or go out and take pictures of insects. Touch grass so that The Internet is not the only thing you're doing with your downtime.

Here are the "work on reading longer texts specifically" tips:

Set a reading goal for yourself. Maybe you want to read one New Yorker article a week, maybe you want to read all the way through news articles, maybe you want to read novels like you used to in high school. Figure out what your actual goal is and articulate that goal to yourself.

Set up a practice schedule and gradually increase the amount of time you're reading. Don't go from short tumblr posts to a novella, go from short tumblr posts to slightly longer news articles, then to slightly longer essays, then to a novella. You can do this in literal paragraphs if you want to - maybe your goal for your first day is to read five paragraphs in a row, and the second day is seven, and the third day is ten, etc, until you are comfortably reading for longer amounts of time without counting paragraphs. (Try this with books from gutenberg.org; read a classic you haven't read a few paragraphs at a time and if you find yourself going over your paragraph count, let yourself run with it. If you finish a book, good for you, find another one and start again.)

Set up a maintenance schedule. If your goal is to read longer news pieces, try to read a longer piece every week and try to read to the end of every news article you open. If your goal is to read novels or longer nonfiction, try to read a book a month (maybe setting aside dedicated time each week to read, maybe Thursday evenings are book time now). If you find yourself falling back into old habits, take a break from The Internet and do some more rigorous practice for a while.

If you find yourself getting frustrated while you are reading you can also take a break! Read until you get frustrated and then *instead of switching to a different page or closing the article* close your eyes or look out the window or away from the screen for thirty seconds (count 'em! count out the time in your head) and then continue reading. You can also take a longer pause and sit and think about why you're getting frustrated. Is it the subject matter? Is it just looking at this text for longer than a couple minutes (if you are experiencing FOMO because you're reading for another few minutes instead of scrolling, the harder tips at the bottom are going to be important to you)? Are you comfortable? Are you reading this text to procrastinate from something and the procrastination is making you nervous? Are you trying to read to the bottom of your dash and reading a long post is taking up more time than you want while scrolling? Are you bored? Genuinely and very seriously: are your eyes straining and does your head hurt (if this is the case when is the last time you had your eyes checked or your glasses prescription updated)?

Here are the much harder "examine yourself and reassess your reactions to things" tips:

Work on re-training your attention span.

Identify something that you enjoy and find deeply engaging, and schedule some dedicated time for that thing. Set a literal timer (it can be a short amount of time at first) and sit down and do the thing without switching to a different website or opening up an app on your phone. This can be re-reading or watching a couple episodes of a show you like or listening to your favorite album while you sit down and draw. What's important is to spend a longer time focusing on doing something you DO like before attempting to spend a longer time focusing on something you DON'T like.

When you're starting on things you DON'T like, start with things you mildly don't like, or that feel tedious but aren't actually unpleasant. One way I do this is by transcribing poetry; I look up poems that I connect to and I transcribe them into a notebook that I have for that purpose. I enjoy having the finished product, but I don't enjoy the process, so it takes some effort to stick with it. Maybe there is a boring book you have been trying to get through, maybe you need to detail your car, maybe you've been trying to take up embroidery - these are good things to make yourself pay attention to (having music or a podcast on can help, but avoid watching videos or opening social apps)

When you're okay at that kind of thing (doing something not actively unpleasant) work on your attention span for things you ACTIVELY don't like. I don't think you should be a masochist about this, but you should work on being okay with doing unpleasant things for a sustained period of time. All of us have to do unpleasant stuff sometimes, and it's better to be able to pay attention to it for an hour at a time than it is to put it off forever.

This leads into the next Big Tip which is:

Work on being less reactive

Find something that you dislike; I'm going to use conservative talk radio as my example.

Expose yourself to the disliked thing for short periods of time (under ten minutes, maybe under five minutes).

Work on moderating your emotions during the time spent exposed to the disliked thing. If it makes you angry, work on intellectualizing the anger without becoming agitated by it. If it makes you sad, work on accepting that sadness without letting it drag down your mood. This isn't precisely about becoming numb to stimuli, but it is about being more in control of how your emotional reactions impact you.

Analyze the disliked thing. Why does it make you angry? Is that on purpose by the creator of the thing? Would it make someone else angry in the same way? How would you explain the anger to a neutral third party?

Consider responding instead of reacting. Let's say you're seeing a lot of very sad and upsetting things online and it's making you sad and upsetting you. You re-share these things because you don't feel like there's anything else you can do or you get angry when you see people sharing incorrect information, perhaps you argue with people about this. Now try looking at the upsetting things through the lens of point number four. This has upset you; how has it upset you? And once you've thought about how it upset you and have articulated that to yourself, find out what you can DO. I cannot make conservative talk radio go off the air, but I can support the groups harmed by conservative talk radio; thus there is no point in me getting upset and angry about conservative talk radio when I could be helping the people they target instead.

And that gets us to the last big tip which is:

Ask yourself if you are spending your time in a way that is enjoyable and edifying.

We all have limited time in our days and limited time in our lives. If you are finding yourself frequently frustrated online, it's a good time to consider whether you want to be spending so much time online.

If you feel like The Internet has become a rat race in which you can't read more than a few paragraphs without getting frustrated, there's a good chance that not only are you spending too much time on The Internet, but you're also spending it on doing things that you don't particularly like.

A realization like yours, Anon, that you are getting frustrated with any longer texts, can actually be really helpful because it provides a good opportunity to look at what you're engaging with and consider the questions:

Is this something I enjoy?

Do I feel good when I do this thing?

And that's a great way to figure out how to get rid of things that are leading to your background frustration. Maybe that looks like paring down the list of blogs you follow, maybe that looks like unsubscribing from some youtubers and podcasts, maybe that looks like uninstalling apps, maybe that looks like blocking a whole bunch of people and terms on your socials.

I don't think that everything we do has to help us grow as a person or expand our consciousness or anything like that, but I do think it's important to prioritize doing things that you like and doing things that you feel good about.

Like, I'm not doing something *wrong* if I spend an afternoon on Youtube watching drama channels every once in a while, but if I come out of a few afternoons of watching youtube drama channels feeling restless and anxious and like I wasted my time - even if I enjoyed myself while I was watching - it's probably a good idea for me to take a break from drama channels and see if there's something I can do instead that will make me feel better.

ALSO, A NOTE:

You are an animal that requires significant enrichment in your enclosure.

Think about tigers. Tigers in captivity are going to be excited to get high-value treats for any reason. They will eat and enjoy the treats. But if a tiger in captivity is only given the treats and never given any other form of activity to engage with, it is not going to be a happy tiger. If you start putting their treats in a pumpkin or a puzzle feeder or giving them toys to play with, that is going to be a much happier tiger.

Please give your brain things to play with that are more than just treats (though it does need some treats!). Make yourself a happy tiger. Your brain need a puzzle feeder, not a treat button.

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avocado-writing · 10 months

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For nightingale, aziraphale, and Crowley, could you write something with them going on holiday or honeymoon to a museum or historical site, and remembering old times together? Maybe they discover one of them in the background of a historic photo or they’re mentioned in a piece of writing or turn up in a painting or a statue? I just need more of those 3 so whatever you feel like, dealers choice <3

aziraphale x reader x crowley (good omens)

third chapter of this. kissing you on the lips anon for requesting it.

rated M for light smut.

1.5k words.

if you like what I do, here’s my ko-fi!

Your marriage is a quiet little affair.

It has to be, really. Can’t have a big crowd wondering how three people are able to all wed each other. It’s hard enough miracling the registrar to not notice anything out of the ordinary, let alone worrying about having a bunch of guests second-guessing the technical legality of the thing.

Luckily, it all goes reasonably smoothly. The registry office isn’t busy on a Thursday afternoon, it doesn’t take long to get in and out. Yes, all three of you sign these documents, that’s absolutely fine. Congratulations and I hope you have a happy future together.

Rings on fingers, plain gold wedding bands binding the three of you to each other. Chaste, meaningful kisses and wide smiles.

Being married to them doesn’t feel any different, but then again you suppose it wouldn’t. You’ve been together for longer than any human has ever been alive. You were all practically married anyway, getting the paperwork done was just… the cherry on top.

“Well, now what do we do?” you ask, stepping out onto the busy London street. Aziraphale and Crowley take a moment to consider this question, as if they hadn’t really thought about it either.

“Lunch?” the angel says, just as the demon replies “bed?”

You laugh, and the three of you end up doing one and then the other.

Crowley kisses you both hard the moment that the bookshop door shuts, pausing only to flip the sign firmly to ‘very closed’. You trap Aziraphale between your bodies, knowing how much he loves to be showered with attention, and strip off as you retreat through the nonfiction section to the well-loved sofa in the break room.

It feels like there isn’t time to go upstairs. It’s time to consummate this marriage here, now.

“Come on, angel,” you hum as Crowley sheathes himself inside him, making Aziraphale’s eyes roll in pleasure, “like Geoff wrote, ‘In wyfhode I wol use myn instrument as frely as my Makere hath it sent’.”

Despite the overstimulation as you sink down on him, Aziraphale laughs. Crowley cocks an eyebrow.

“What on earth are you going on about?”

“Inside joke, I suppose,” you reply wickedly, before silencing any further questioning with a kiss across Aziraphale’s shoulder.

When you’re done breaking in the marriage bed - after you finish breaking in the marriage couch and then the marriage kitchen counter - the three of you lie together, limbs tangled, the two of them feeling you breathe.

“You know what we should do?” you eventually pipe up, lost between twisting your fingers in Aziraphale’s curls and running your hand up the length of Crowley’s thigh.

“Look, I’m happy to go again, just give me ten minutes,” Crowley murmurs. You almost get caught up in it as the angel plants a kiss on your bare shoulder, but snap yourself back to reality before they can delay your train of thought further.

“No! - I mean, yes, but also, we should go on a honeymoon.”

“Oh!” Aziraphale says, lighting up, “That’s a wonderful idea. I can’t remember the last time the three of us took a holiday together. One where we didn’t have to also do some work, anyway.”

“It was Stockholm, nineteen-seventy-five,” Crowley states without missing a beat. The two of you both look at him, and it clicks.

“Oh god, it was, wasn’t it?” you laugh. Of course. Was it that long ago?

“The Eurovision final! Goodness, how on earth did we forget?”

“Repressing painful memories?” the demon suggests. It was one of those trips he’d clearly not been very pleased about, but insisted his chaperoning was better than the alternative of letting you and Aziraphale run wild around Sweden.

“I can’t believe you had a perm for that whole decade,” you say to Crowley, who just groans and slings his arm over his face to hide.

“I thought it was very fetching,” Aziraphale reassures, squeezing his husband’s - husband’s! - hand.

“Well, why don’t we go somewhere a bit closer to home?” you suggest. “Somewhere like, I don’t know, Edinburgh?”

“I like Edinburgh. Well, apart from one statue, but we don’t have to go and see it I suppose,” Aziraphale agrees. The two of you look over to Crowley. He lifts his arm just enough for you to see the sparkle in his yellow eyes.

You set off a couple of days later in the Bentley, boot packed up tight with suitcases (none Crowley’s, one belonging to you, the rest Aziraphale’s; he insisted he needed to bring at least twenty books ‘just in case’). With Crowley’s driving the eight hour journey takes about five, and soon you’re at your little bnb planning how you’re going to spend the week.

And it’s lovely. You do all the touristy things, the guided tours, the hidden gems, and slowly making your way around what feels like every pub in the city. You and Aziraphale eat a quite astonishing number of lunchtime finger sandwiches, and Crowley takes you out dancing to a little hole-in-the-wall joint he had a hand in founding a couple of decades ago. Your heart is full and you realise over and over again just how lucky you are to be able to spend your life with the two people you love most in this universe.

On the last day, you finally do the big one: Edinburgh Castle. You’ve been in there but only once, and that was a couple of hundred years ago. It’s changed but not as much as you thought: it’s nice to see the conservation work people are doing in old places like these. Saving little pieces of the past.

You’re walking through one of the little side corridors - a place you’re probably not meant to actually be on the tour, but one of your husbands has a way of making locked doors open and the other is very good at getting people to forgive you if you’re found going through them.

Up ahead they’re bickering. About what you can’t say. You’ve learnt to tune it out unless it’s about something actually important. Despite that you almost miss it, walk right past the bloody thing - but then you catch the flash of paint out of the corner of your eye and do a double-take.

Your mouth drops open.

“Oh my god. You two, come here and take a look at this!”

Aziraphale and Crowley halt their quibbles and double back to stand at your side. They’re both as shocked as you are.

“Oh,” Aziraphale gasps.

“Huh,” Crowley mutters.

“It’s us,” you state.

It is. An oil painting, ancient. The only description is a tiny plaque which sits beneath it in tiny lettering: a portrait of a gentleman and two ladies, c 1665. No more information is given, which is clearly why it’s been delegated to a back room rather than hung in somewhere more important.

But there’s no mistaking it: Aziraphale in his white jerkin and doublet, Crowley in a black dress with his hair down, and you in the middle. Dressed in rich colours, heavy jewellery hanging off you. Your lovers hold either one of your hands in theirs, the three of you looking out serenely towards the viewer.

“We commissioned this for your birthday in sixteen-sixty-five. Do you remember, Nightingale?”

You nod. Yes, you remember the two of them trying to surreptitiously get you to pose while someone caught your likeness in a sketch to transfer later to canvas. Portrait sittings were an exhausting thing and there was no way they were going to trick you into believing anything else was going on.

“I thought it was destroyed,” you whisper, gobsmacked. The three of you had lived in a little London townhouse around the time, when your relationship was still young. And yes, a birthday present it was: right before the great fire of London had broken out. You’d had to evacuate the city as quickly as you could, no time to save anything as unwieldy as a painting.

But clearly it hadn’t burned. Someone had saved it - or nicked it, more likely, before the blaze got to it - and now it ended up here. In this corridor. Where the three of you had just happened to trespass to find it.

“Miraculous,” Aziraphale breathes, and you can only agree.

“Should we try to get it back?” Crowley asks. “I’m sure there’s someone I can blackmail in this castle.”

“No. No, let’s leave it. I quite like it here. A little piece of us somewhere, preserved in time, you know? It’s lovely. Besides,” you turn to your husbands, “I get to have the two of you every day now.”

The three of you take a moment to let the idea soak in; and then you kiss in the quiet of the castle corridor. Happy. Looking forward to the future you’re now allowed to live.

“Now,” you announce after a beat, “I think we’d better get some lunch and then I’m going to go and graffiti that statue of Gabriel. You’re welcome to join me.”

“Oh absolutely,” says Crowley just as Aziraphale tuts “certainly not!”

You talk him round though, and by that evening, he’s doodled a moustache on the smug archangel’s marble face with a sharpie.

#request #crowley x reader x aziraphale #crowley x reader #aziraphale x reader #fic: the light the dark and the spaces inbetween #ineffable husbands x reader #good omens x reader

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mycatsaidwhat · 2 years

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things i’ve heard english majors say pt. 16

-I need to print out my plot outlines single-sided because flipping them is driving me nuts, why can’t I shut the fuck up and write anything less than 42 chapters plus a 9 character pov epilogue

-I don’t think I could ever be drunk enough to write a YA novel

-I can’t ghost him, a character based on him is half of the story that I’m writing

-me having to check if I’ve already used to word “immortally” in every nonfiction essay I’ve ever written

-“it’s living too much outside the poem” just say its too vague or too ambiguous, you slut

-mmm, the “always” kind of love. Tasty.

-his father used to hit him and his favorite authors are all 19th century Russian men–of course he’s not a virgin

-nothing like bad movies that make me want to write

-my face would look a lot more panicked if I was doing math right now

-discussing serif typeface until i start internally bleeding

-oh she said enjambment, she said utilizing white space

-oh it ends with a period. That's a choice.

-nothing more confusing than walking onto the bus on Thirsty Thursday while listening to the Downton Abbey theme

-if anyone in the communications building sees me half bent over, clutching my head with both hands and slightly shaking, no you didn’t and this is actually pretty normal behavior

-it was “best friend’s younger brother” but now it’s “my best friend’s younger bitchass playboy cousin who left me on delivered for 8 days and who I met exactly once and now I’m living near him because we hate the country we come from.” It’s called diversity.

-I’m writing my poli sci essay

Sick, I’m writing the epilogue for book 3 when I haven’t finished book 1 or properly plotted book 2

-literally no inconvenience is too small for me to lose my mind over

-I don’t want to change the world, that sounds like a lot of work. But if I write something that inspires someone with a lot more initiative to change the world for me, that would be real great

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can-youimagine · 2 years

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Story of Us (Spencer Reid x Reader)

Summary: Of all the bookstores in the world, Spencer Reid chose yours (and you couldn't be happier)

Content: bookstore au!, Spencer (and Reader) being awkwardly in love, bau just wants spence to be happy, fluff

Word Count: 1,392

Masterlist

Spencer Reid has come into your bookstore as soon as you open nearly every Monday like clockwork for the past few years. You noticed his FBI badge right away, and when he misses his first Monday, he explains that he works for the BAU, not that you really understand what that means other than he occasionally will miss a Monday.

He is certainly something. A few times a year, he buys children’s books for his coworkers. Occasionally, he mixes his nonfiction books with novels for his friends. If you mention a book you’ve read, you notice it in his pile the next week.

This Monday, you let out a small laugh when he sets the stack of books on the counter in front of you. “I mean, I know I shouldn’t be driving away my number one customer, but you know it would be cheaper to get a library card, right?”

His cheeks turn pink. “I like to annotate,” he answers.

You take the books from him. “I’m surprised you haven’t bought every book I sell.”

He shrugs. “I’ve read almost all of your science fiction. You seem to get a new nonfiction book every few weeks, so there’s always something there. My friends started teasing me for always having my nose stuck in some ‘nerdy’ book, so I tried to pick a few things outside of my comfort zone.”

You check out his selections. “You’ve made some good choices. Y’know, if these work out for you, I’d be happy to recommend some more.”

Handing you the money, he smiles. “Thank you.”

“Of course. See you next week, Spencer.”

His cheeks blush impossibly pinker, as he takes the bag from you. “See you next week.”

You hadn’t intended to ever fall in love with a customer. You surely never intended to fall in love with Spencer.

Spencer walks into the BAU with a stack of books in his arms. He sets the ones for him on the table before taking a few up to Hotch’s office.

“Come in.”

“The other day you said that you and Jack had been reading the Magic Treehouse series,” Spencer explains, holding the books up, “and I know his birthday is coming up, so I-”

Hotch cuts him off with a smile. “Thanks, Reid. I’ve been meaning to get the next couple books but haven’t found the time to.”

“Of course.” Spencer shoves his hands in his pockets, leaving as Hotch examines the book in his hands. This is not the first book Reid had brought him. It’s not even the first one he brought him this month. Last week he came in with a biography of General Patton.

Curiously, he watches as Reid picks up another book, leaving it on Morgan’s desk. What would possess him to stop at that bookstore every week?

Then, he notices the book that Reid quickly shoves into his bag. He can’t quite make out the title, but the half-dressed man on the cover tells Hotch all he needs to know. He shakes his head with a smile and lets Spencer keep his secret crush.

You’re surprised Tuesday morning to see a man in a suit waiting for you to open.

“Can I help you?”

“No,” he answers. “I’m sorry to bother you. I wasn’t sure what time you opened.”

Ushering him inside, you smile. “Of course. Come on in.”

He takes a look around the store. It’s cozy. He can see why Reid was drawn in. “My son’s birthday is at the end of the week. My friend came and got a few Magic Treehouse books for him, but I still need to find something.”

You try to contain your smile when he mentions Spencer and recommend a few other books for the boy, wishing him a happy birthday.

Wednesday afternoon two women who obviously have government jobs walk in. They wander around the store a few minutes before the blonde picks up the book you recommended for the man’s son yesterday. The brunette follows with a Vonnegut in hand. As she checks out, she grabs a bookmark with the store’s logo on it, giggling the entire time.

Thursday a couple come in. The woman’s bright pink heels click all the way to the romance section, handing the man at least four books to buy. As the man takes out his wallet, he not so subtly flashes his FBI badge. Suddenly, your new customers don’t seem so random.

Friday evening an older man strolls into the stop, heading straight to the true crime section and picking out a book with an author photo that looks suspiciously like him.

As Rossi leaves the bookstore, he gets a call from Aaron, letting him know they have a case this weekend. Normally, he would be beyond embarrassed to be seen with a copy of his own book, but sensing that this could be the final push to get Spencer to ask you out, he marches into the BAU office, holding the book proudly.

Spencer knows something is up. He just can’t place what it is. Hotch had been giving Spencer soft smiles all week, and it was starting to get a bit unnerving. JJ and Emily have been giggling all week whenever Emily pulls out her book. Derek has been teasing him a bit more than usual. Even Penelope seems to be bouncing around the office more than usual.

The only one who hasn’t changed is Rossi.

At least, Spencer believes that until they show up for the briefing. Rossi sets a copy of his own book on the table in front of him.

And, no one mentions it.

No eye roll from Emily. No tease from Morgan. No quip about vanity from Hotch.

“Wheels up in-”

Spencer snaps. “What is going on?”

The team laughs at his frantic state.

“No, something is up. What is it? Tell me!”

JJ places a hand on his shoulder, but he shrugs it off. “Calm down, Spence. It’s nothing.”

He walks out of the room in a huff and resigns himself to being left out like he always is.

Boarding the jet, he chooses a seat by himself, setting his bag in the seat across from him. That does not deter Morgan, who tosses the bag to the ground. Spencer tries to protest, but Morgan interrupts, “What’re you reading?”

He shrugs, keeping the book you recommended in his bag. “Nothing.”

“You’re really going to lie to a profiler?” When Spencer doesn’t respond, he continues, “Alright, so I’m guessing it’s not something nonfiction, otherwise you would have told me all about it. It’s probably not a sci-fi or historical fiction because you would be laughing at all the inaccuracies, so I’m guessing this is something you wouldn’t normally read. But, what would make Spencer Reid step out of his comfort zone?” He leans forward. “Look, pretty boy, I shouldn’t be telling you this, but we all went to the bookstore. Just ask them out already.”

Spencer’s eyes widen as he tries to stammer out an explanation for everything. Unfortunately, Morgan leaves before he can figure out what to say.

Monday morning goes by without Spencer walking into your shop. By Tuesday morning, the only word Britt can use to describe you is mopey. Luckily, your mood changes on Wednesday. As soon as you step inside the shop, you hear the bell on the shop door ding. “Welco-Spencer!”

He gives you a small greeting as he walks over to the register. “Hi, I’m sorry. I’ve been in Wisconsin.”

“I’ve missed you.” Reaching under the counter, you grab a book that you’ve been holding for him since the first day he walked in. “The other day you said you liked to annotate. I do too. I thought maybe you coul-”

“I actually have something for you, too.” He reaches into his satchel, pulling out a copy of the last book you sold him. “I think we may have had the same idea,” he explains with a shy smile.

You set your book on top of the counter next to his. “Well, I better get reading.”

“Yeah, me too,” he responds, thumbing through the pages. “Why are some of the page numbers circled?”

“I only circled ten numbers. You should be able to figure it out,” you tease.

His eyes light up when he realizes you left him your number.

#spencer reid x you #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid imagine #criminal minds x you #criminal minds x reader #criminal minds imagine

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gardenerian · 4 months

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tagged by darlings @deedala and @darlingian for this delightful weekly tag game ✨ let's get introspective on a thursday morn'

Name: mel

Location: nyc bb

Astrological Sign: aquarius ♒

What's a TV show or movie you plan to re-watch this year? it's only a matter of time before the bbc pride and prejudice miniseries shows back up on my screen tbh and i am always down for a downton abbey rewatch! also @lizisodd has inspired a probable OC rewatch soon

Whats a book or fic you will probably re-read this year? brideshead revisited is basically a quarterly reread at this point. i also want to reread some of my nonfiction faves and reinvest in my history reading.

What is a song you will likely continue to play on repeat? baby queen's new album and also petey's new album! continuous since like. november, and not an end in sight 🫡

What's a tasty treat you look forward to eating more of this year? any treat will do at this point. i am pretty sure i would commit crimes for a donut right now 🍩✨

What's a time sink that you will continue to sink time into this year? i would like to revisit my time sinks, actually. tumblr, writing, maybe giffing again? i'd like to branch out a bit and try some new things, maybe gif other movies/shows as well and annoy you all further 😇 i feel like it's time to at least try to recommit to the things that make me happy.

Did you pick up any habits in 2023 that you plan to continue? i resumed my long meandering walks this year and i definitely want to keep that up. i love just poking around my neighborhood and saying hi to all the dogs. literally every other habit can stay in 2023 tho tbh

What's your toxic trait? isolating myself so no one thinks i am Bad and Stupid ayyyy

What is a coping mechanism you will continue to indulge in this year? uh. well. hopefully none of the ones i have been practicing lately. we're about to make some serious moves on that. i've been trying to talk more, though, so let's go with that?

Tell me something you like about how you look! oh no. ummm. i had my hair and makeup trial for my wedding last week and i actually quite liked how it turned out. so i guess i like airbrushing lmao i have also been told i have nice shoulders alskdfj

Give me at least three adjectives describing things you like about yourself. hmmm. i am kind and i am sweet, i think. are those the same thing? i am struggling to think of a third thing that isn't also a toxic trait lmao UMM. i have been funny? sometimes i am funny?

whew! getting real here at 11:03 AM! i am not sure who has been tagged or completed this already - but it's been ages since i have gone all in on a tag game so please accept this wave hello and a kiss blown right to your foreheads: @gallawitchxx @heymrspatel @howlinchickhowl @whatthebodygraspsnot @metalheadmickey @whatwouldmickeydo @heymacy @crossmydna @palepinkgoat @rereadanon @sickness-health-all-that-shit @too-schoolforcool @xninetiestrendx @mmmichyyy @thisdivorce @energievie and anyone else that wants to do a lil reflectin and lookin ahead 🥰 ily

#the theme for 2024: reinvesting #revisiting #re....everything #no pressure asdkh #tagged

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cha-melodius · 7 months

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9 books

I have been tagged by a bunch people on this (thanks @cricketnationrise, @clottedcreamfudge, @kiwiana-writes, @tintagel-or-cockleshells, @myheartalivewrites, @cultofsappho), so I guess I better do it even though choosing my 9 favorite books sounds impossible. A bunch of these are series, almost none of them are in any way new. Let's go!

Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien A perennial favorite. Fun fact, I once planned to pull a Christopher Lee and reread these every year but then my hyperfixation faded a bit lol. Still love the story and Tolkien's prose.

Dune by Frank Herbert This counts for the whole series, yes, even God Emperor. It took me a while to get to the last two books but I love them just as much, actually.

A Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin Still obsessed with this story and desperately hoping we get the full ending that it deserves and not just what D&D butchered on the show.

The Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde The perfect combination of literary nerdery, comedy, and crime-drama intrigue!

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams Quite possibly the funniest book I've ever read, full stop.

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer A nonfiction entry! I love all of Jon Krakauer's books but I'm also obsessed with mountain climbing (reading about it, not doing it lmao), and this one is one that still haunts me.

Blindness by Jose Saramago Read this in college, became obsessed with the poetry and imagery of it.

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske Became absolutely obsessed with this one very quickly. Also I'm pretty sure the third book is going to become my entire personality when it comes out.

Dracula by Brahm Stoker Gonna be a hipster and say I've been obsessed with this book since I was in high school, which was long before Dracula Daily.

(Also reading everyone's lists has reminded me that I really need to actually read the copy of Circe sitting on my shelf...)

I can no longer remember who has and hasn't done this, so apologies for any double tags. @indomitable-love, @mirilyawrites, @loki-is-my-kink-awakening, @wolfpup026, @tedlassc, @beskarsoshiny, @lilythesilly, @jettestar, @iboatedhere, @pragmatic-optimist, @thesleepyskipper, @heytheredeann, @swearphil, @sweatersinthesummer, @petrodobreva, @b13-maybethistime, @liminalmemories21, @nontoxic-writes, @designatedgrape, @noahreids, @leaves-of-laurelin, @celeritas2997, @orchidscript, @athousandrooms, @welcometololaland, @rmd-writes, @dumbpeachjuice, @ikeepwatchinghelicopters, @okilokiwithpurpose, @thetamehistorian, @hummingbee-o0o

#about me #books #tag games

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whats-in-a-sentence · 7 months

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Thursday, 17 July 1978. A perfect baby . . . and a perfect front page. The Daily Mail making the most of its exclusive access to Louise Brown, and underlining that the product of this technology was a new person.

"Frankenstein's Footsteps: Science, Genetics and Popular Culture" - Jon Turney

#book quotes #frankenstein's footsteps #jon turney #nonfiction #louise brown #thursday #july 17 #70s #1970s #20th century #baby #newborn #daily mail #exclusive #test tube baby

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balioc · 4 months

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BALIOC'S READING LIST, 2023 EDITION

This list counts only published books, consumed in published-book format, that I read for the first time and finished. No rereads, nothing abandoned halfway through, no Internet detritus of any kind, etc. Also no children’s picture books.

(There were so many children's picture books.)

Hand of the Sun King, J. T. Greathouse

Anne of Green Gables, Lucy Maud Montgomery

The Circus of Dr. Lao, Charles G. Finney

When the Angels Left the Old Country, Sacha Lamb

Strangers to Ourselves: Unsettled Minds and the Stories That Make Us, Rachel Aviv

Elder Race, Adrian Tchaikovsky

Yamada Monogatari: Troubled Spirits, Richard Parks

Victory City, Salman Rushdie

Achieving Our Country: Leftist Thought in Twentieth-Century America, Richard Rorty

Cage of Souls, Adrian Tchaikovsky

A Morbid Taste for Bones, Ellis Peters

One Corpse Too Many, Ellis Peters

Priest of Bones, Peter McLean

Priest of Lies, Peter McLean

Demon Summoner: Apprentice, Greg Walters

By the Sword: A History of Gladiators, Musketeers, Samurai, Swashbucklers, and Olympic Champions, Richard Cohen

Tsalmoth, Steven Brust

Priest of Gallows, Peter McLean

Priest of Crowns, Peter McLean

Waybound, Will Wight

Convenience Store Woman, Sayaka Murata

The Tatami Galaxy, Tomihiko Morimi

These Violent Delights, Chloe Gong

Death in Venice, Thomas Mann

Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life, Rory Sutherland

The Man Who Was Thursday, G. K. Chesterton

Storming Heaven, Miles Cameron

Against Worldbuilding, and Other Provocations: Essays on History, Narrative and Game Design, Alexis Kennedy

From Ritual to Romance, Jessie L. Weston

To the Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf

Rats and Gargoyles, Mary Gentle

Labyrinth's Heart, M. A. Carrick

Sex at Dawn: How We Mate, Why We Stray, and What It Means for Modern Relationships, Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jetha

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, Gabrielle Zevin

The Long, Long Goodbye of "The Last Bookstore," Mizuki Nomura

The Last Sun, K. D. Edwards

The Hanged Man, K. D. Edwards

The Hourglass Throne, K. D. Edwards

Pinocchio, Carlo Collodi

The Thirteen Petalled Rose: A Discourse on the Essence of Jewish Existence and Belief, Adin Steinsaltz

The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan

A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through?, Kelly and Zach Weinersmith

Untethered Sky, Fonda Lee

The Consolation of Philosophy, Boethius

The Star-Child, Oscar Wilde

Monk's Hood, Ellis Peters

St. Peter's Fair, Ellis Peters

The Leper of St. Giles, Ellis Peters

The Virgin in the Ice, Ellis Peters

The Nutcracker, E. T. A. Hoffman and Alexandre Dumas

The Sanctuary Sparrow, Ellis Peters

Child of God, Cormac McCarthy

The Devil's Novice, Ellis Peters

Dead Man's Ransom, Cormac McCarthy

Plausible works of improving nonfiction consumed in 2023: 10

["plausible" and "improving" are being defined very liberally here]

Balioc's Choice Award, Fiction Division: The Circus of Dr. Lao, Charles G. Finney

>>>> Honorable Mention: Rats and Gargoyles, Mary Gentle

[This seems like the correct place to point out that, for the Balioc's Choice Awards, I consider only works that were first published with the last 100 years. Otherwise it would just be "surprise, old classics are often classics for a reason."]

Balioc's Choice Award, Nonfiction Division: The Thirteen Petalled Rose: A Discourse on the Essence of Jewish Existence and Belief, Adin Steinsaltz

>>>> Honorable Mention: A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through?, Kelly and Zach Weinersmith

The Roscommon Princess Award for Luminous Trembling Beauty in the Face of a Bleakly Mundane World: The Star-Child, Oscar Wilde

The Anguished Howl Award for Somehow Making Me Regret Reading a Book About a Demon Summoner in the Thirty Years' War: Demon Summoner: Apprentice, Greg Walters

The Tamsyn Muir Award for Demonstrating that Popularity Really, Really, Really is Not the Same Thing as Quality: The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan

The G. K. Chesterton Award for Being G. K. Chesterton, I Mean, to Whom Else Could I Compare Him, For Someone So Avowedly Stodgy He is the Ballsiest Motherfucker I Have Ever Read: The Man Who Was Thursday, G. K. Chesterton

**********

...this year was much like the last several years, only somehow even more so. Not in a good way, I fear. My current lifestyle continues not to be super-conducive to reading, and writing a weekendlong LARP kind of knocked the wind out of me, both during and after. If it weren't for a massive silly-fun historical-mystery binge in December, my numbers here would be shameful. And you will notice that a whole lot of the things on that list are very short.

Most of the contemporary fiction was pretty much what I expected it to be. There were few real standouts. Things by good authors continued to be mostly good; things by shlocky authors continued to be shlock.

I should probably drive less for my various solitary recreational jaunts, just so that I can spend more of that time with a book. I should definitely read more old stuff, because old stuff continues to be the most reliably rewarding. (The cream of the cream of the old stuff, anyway, which is...what you read.)

I continue to be Extremely In the Market for recommendations of really good, deeply-informative nonfiction.

#yearly reading list

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midnights-wish · 2 months

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In the spirit of me realizing that this was once supposed to be purely a book/ reading blog & that I somehow derailed from this plan immensely, I figured that I should at least pin my personal book recommendations! :)

These are all in the genres that I personally prefer, & are books that I would recommend to anyone despite what their actual genre-preferences are or how often they read, simply because I think that these are so great that they'd transcend that barrier. ♡

› the purple titles are the books that i assume some people could need trigger warnings for! please be aware that these aren't the only ones with heavy subjects in the list though, as i prefer dark books in general! ‹

so, here's mine:

'The Thursday Murder Club', by Richard Osman › mystery, humour; medium-paced; series, 4 books; 2020-2023 ‹

'The Lamplighters', by Emma Stonex › mystery, literary fiction; slow-paced; 2021 ‹

'No Longer Human', by Osamu Dazai › tw; literary fiction, classics; medium-paced; 1948 ‹

'The Family Upstairs', by Lisa Jewell › mystery, thriller; fast-paced; series, 2 books (although personally I'd recommend to only read the first >.<); 2019 & 2022 ‹

'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo', by Taylor Jenkins Reid › literary fiction, romance; medium-paced; 2017 ‹

'A User's Guide to the Brain', by John J. Ratey › nonfiction; slow-paced; 2001 ‹

'The Decagon House Murders', by Yukito Ayatsuji › mystery, thriller; medium-paced; series, 9 books (? as far as I understand; two books are translated into english, the third will be in late 2024); 1987-2012 ‹

'The Time Machine', by H.G. Wells › classics, sci-fi; medium-paced; 1895 ‹

'Kasane', by Daruma Matsuura › manga, thriller, drama, supernatural; slow-paced; 14 volumes; 2013-2018 ‹

'The Summer of the Ubume', by Natsuhiko Kyougoku › manga, mystery, psychological, supernatural; slow-paced; series, 5 books (I've only read the first three, but I'm sure the last two are amazing as well :)); 2013-2017 ‹

'Memento Forest', by Fumiko Fumi › tw; manga, drama, romance; fast-paced; one volume; 2013 ‹

'Helter Skelter: Fashion Unfriendly', by Kyoko Okazaki › tw; manga, horror, psychological; fast-paced; one volume; 1995-1996 ‹

'Ultramarine', by Ching Nakamura › tw; manga, drama, psychological, romance; slow-paced; 3 volumes; 2007-2012 ‹

'A Thousand Brains: A New Theory Of Intelligence', by Jeff Hawkins › nonfiction; medium-paced; 2021 ‹

#book recommendations #book recs #booklr #bookblr #book blog #reading blog #books #reading

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