#talking about things

[iscabird]

if you don't see me posting, reblogging or anything over the next few days, that's because my area is soon to be hit by a Cat 3 Tropical Cyclone

[erinflight]

Historical accuracy in pop history is tricky. I just finished a book (Destiny Disrupted) that mentioned the Taj Mahal.

You probably roughly know the story. An emperor’s wife died. Out of grief, he built her a mausoleum so beautiful that people struggle to put its beauty into words. 

According to the book, he spent the end of his life in a small prison cell with one window too high to see out of. After his death, the jailers find a mirror, perfectly placed to show the Taj Mahal’s reflection.

Poignant right? Looks like the library has a non-fiction book ABOUT the Taj Mahal available right now! I checked it out.

It’s fascinating! Mumtaz Mahal died giving birth to her FOURTEENTH child. The Mughal emperors used to have themself weighed against bags of gold and gems on their birthdays.  While traveling, the emperor employed men with ropes to measure the distance. They’d carry the rope forward until it ran out, call out the count, and then do it again.

(And a dozen more fascinating details. Taj Mahal by Diana & Michael Preston, great book)

You know what they never mention? The mirror. 

In fact, the Emperor was imprisoned by his own son and it seems likely (though history isn’t certain) that he remained in relative comfort.

The mirror thing isn’t even a big enough folktale that the Taj Mahal book felt the need to mention it and the book mentions a bunch of folktales. 

So what else did Destiny Disrupted, this well reviewed and seemingly comprehensive history of Islam, get wrong? Was it wrong about the group of assassins that terrorized the middle-east? Google thinks it was right! What about all of the other facts I don’t have time to double check?

Or was did the Taj Mahal book deliberately leave out the mirror anecdote for some reason? Who knows!

[aardvark-123]

I think Ultraman Blazar has found its footing. The five best giant monster slayers in Japan: Emi prioritises lunch over everything, Teruaki will explode if he ever tries to relax, Anri will quite cheerfully use you as a desk, Yasunobu is also there, and their mobile base is a minibus.

[ladykardasi]

Having an opinion these days gets you blocked. Trying to discuss anything gets you blocked, asking for explanations or clarifications gets you blocked

Or harassed.

How are we ever going to understand each other if we simply block or shut one another out just for asking questions or not understanding each other.

We do need to talk, not shut each other out!

[bernkastel-ao3]

Still need to get around to picking something I can do online, other than my fic writing, that can tap into my interests and let me maybe connect with others. Flat out streaming isn't an option, but there's always blogging. Of course, then I need to pick something I might be able to talk about and actually focus on it for more than 10 minutes.

I have played a bit of a game today, Paranormasight. The current position I'm in is playing as a mother who lost their kid from a kidnapping incident and has hired an investigator to look into that. There's also a battle between different wielders of curses going on, which this grieving person has one curse and now has a chance to get at a wish to get her kid back. That is, if she's able to fill the artifact she's given to use the curse with enough pieces of other people's souls. So, the player character is both Investigator and ready to go on a murder prowl like a horror movie killer.

[darkfluffy98]

I don't care if no one sees this, this'll be just me rambling about to myself. But, I have a headcanon where Jounouchi after moving out of his dad's place starts doing cosplay. Yes, cosplaying Jou. He takes lessons on how to sew, do makeup, style a wig, do props etc.

He'll have his own cosplay tiktok account where he posts skits and showcases of his works, but NEVER shows himself without a cosplay on a video. He wishes his real shelf to remain unknown to the people watching and enjoying the content he makes, nor will he ever reveal his real name

[butchfalin]

the funniest meltdown ive ever had was in college when i got so overstimulated that i could Not speak, including over text. one of my friends was trying to talk me through it but i was solely using emojis because they were easier than trying to come up with words so he started using primarily emojis as well just to make things feel balanced. this was not the Most effective strategy... until. he tried to ask me "you okay?" but the way he chose to do that was by sending "👉🏼👌🏼❓" and i was so shocked by suddenly being asked if i was dtf that i was like WHAT???? WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY TO ME?????????? and thus was verbal again

[gabrielora]

When I was younger and researching the autism diagnosis criteria and symptoms, I thought “oh I couldn’t POSSIBLY be autistic.” Because when I read “takes everything literally” I thought it literally meant EVERYTHING and I was like “I don’t take EVERYTHING literally, just most things!” And I just realized the other day that it didn’t actually mean EVERYTHING and that was an overstatement.

[angelicgarnet]

the way people online talk about autism is getting really weird, like do they know that neurotypicals still have interests? that someone being passionate about a hobby doesn't mean they're autistic? you guys know that right

[lazylittledragon]

can't believe we're all adults being forced into the club penguin level of censorship in 2024

[marypsue]

Keep seeing that post where OP starts like 'Thinking about...grieving the undead' and then adds on about like. Real life situations where people have not died but have left your life and you would have reason to grieve them.

All respect, that's an important concept, but that is not what I am thinking about when I read 'grieving the undead'.

[iscabird]

realising a crush on A Very Specific Vtuber, and it's rending my brain into the vague form reminiscent of an Escher-esque stairwell

[erinflight]

can you upload someone to save their life? They think uploading is a weird mind prison, an endless purgatory. You know better.

sure it’s not reality. It’s nothing like this ‘physical world’ of theirs. You’ve only ever met one person who bother trying out a sense of touch (her parents disapproved). You’ve never ‘touched’ anything yourself, let alone anyone. You’ve never tasted. You spend most of your time in mathematical abstractions. But honestly you don’t see why any of that would be a bad thing, even if you try to think about it.

they said no, when they were in danger. They said no when death was breathing down their neck but there was still a chance at survival. But now the lights fading from their eyes and they’re about to disappear, forever. (They can always stop existing later, if you made the wrong call. Dying now, dying later. It’s the same thing, except you’re giving them a choice)

(right?)

[aardvark-123]

I don't quite know why Ultraman Blazar made such a show of being Dark, Gritty Military Science Fiction in the first episode, only to turn out like this. Giant robots flipping through the air with their guns and yowling warriors fishing for kaiju is surely enough to stand on.

[eosofspades]

i didn't have "i'm broken" teenage asexual angst i had "i'm literally being the only reasonable one about this concept and the rest of you are behaving like fucking freaks" perception issues

[a1sart]

if there's one thing this last episode has affirmed for me about Alastor it's that he FUCKING HATES being reminded that he's not the most powerful creature in hell.

Like, he hates being ignored by Carmilla when she says she doesn't care why he was gone

He hates Lucifer ON SIGHT

He threatens to KILL Husk when he dares to mention that Alastor is working for someone more powerful than him

and now this.

Alastor freaking out because he almost died. Something almost killed him. He can fucking die. There is something more powerful than him out there. And it's not something he can ignore or brush off because it almost killed him.

Alastor hates the reminder that he's not as powerful as he tells people he is. He isn't indestructible, he isn't invincible. And he fucking hates that.