Rynling R&D

Something I’ve started to see on Tumblr that sounds like it should be a parody but is actually kind of cool is "pro-psychotic" discourse. The essential argument is that, if we normalize autism and ADHD as neurotypes, we should extend our sympathy to psychosis-spectrum neurotypes as well.

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In the end, gothic novels are fun to read, but no one should have to live in one, you know?

Also I just wanted to say that sometimes I feel that people on Tumblr get things right in a way that no one else on the internet does. I tend not to engage with the site's culture of social commentary, but I appreciate that it exists.

WHISPERS
https://www.neilburnell.com/whispers

Burnell was inspired by a visit to Wistman’s Wood, a remote, upland area of old, gnarled oak. Burnell’s images offer a glimpse of moss-coated limbs and fern-covered forest floors that seem to freeze time.

Dartmoor National Park advises visitors to avoid walking through Wistman’s Wood to allow it to heal from damage caused by overtourism during the pandemic, but the children yearn for moss-coated limbs and fern-covered forest floors.

There's another thing I did this week that I don't want to hide under a cut, because maybe someone who sees this would like to do it too:

- I applied as a writer to The Reins of History: A Final Fantasy XII Zine, whose site on Carrd is (here) along with links to a very short application. Anyone who signs up can contribute to this zine in whatever way they wish, and the head mod is a longtime community organizer. I have a good feeling about this project!

The Final Kakariko Reveal
https://www.instagram.com/p/DTlCE3tkcnA/

"I don't need Ocarina of Time to be remade with current-gen graphics," I said, like a clown.

As a way to check in with students (and to help me learn and remember everyone's names), I've found that it's useful to give biweekly online quizzes that reinforce the major class themes. These quizzes are untimed, open-book, and take about five minutes to finish. Again, their purpose is mainly to make sure everyone is engaged and on track, and I like to begin with a simple warm-up question.

The warm-up question for one of last week's quizzes was "Have you been to see the Liberty Bell?" Out of the following six answers, see if you can spot the one generated by ChatGPT.

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I was planning on volunteering as a writer for this year's fandomtrumpshate event, which opens to sign-ups for creators on January 26. This seems like as good of a year as any.

But the truth is that I'm hesitant. I don't have an audience, and this is more than likely because I'm not writing the sort of thing that people want to read. Which is okay! There's nothing wrong with that; I'm just not a good fit for an event in which actual monetary donations are involved.

What I'm 100% comfortable with is bidding on the offerings of other writers.* And that is what I intend to do!!

* And sharing their promo posts on Tumblr! That's important too.

Vermis: Sounds of the World
https://radagasttenderofbeasts.bandcamp.com/album/sounds-of-the-world-vermis-vol-1-melodies-of-the-unknown

The top comment on this album says it best:

Every track fits that book like skin on bone. Same fever-dream vibe. You get that ache again—nostalgia for a game you never played.

Also: I got the cassette, but no cassette player. Therefore, the cassette tape lays untouched until a future adventurer pulls it from my clasped, mummified hand; it is an object of puissance.

Also! Did you know that the city of Chicago named one of its new snowplows Abolish ICE?

I hope all the snowplows stay warm and get some refreshing terrarium time in between the good work they're doing this weekend. 🌿

It appears that, once again, I got good solstice energy and spent the period between December 15 and January 15 writing the first 20k words of a novel.

The last time I did this was in Dec 2022 - Jan 2023, and I haven't looked at that project since then. I'm feeling the same sense of "I'm done" with my current project, The Archives of Hyrule, and I need to be careful not to let it fizzle out.

My problem is twofold. First, I'm not in love with the contemporary urban setting. And second, I'm feeling like I really need positive feedback right now. The first problem is easy enough to fix by setting the action inside and underground. As for the second, perhaps it might make sense to post the story on AO3 as a series of three or four "seasons." Maybe I'll let the already-written chapters rest for a bit while working on a few illustrations, and then I'll go ahead and post them later in the year.

Also, it might be nice to take a break from the Zelda nerds and get real about the "Bowser's Massive Cock Challenge" story I've been threatening to write for months now. I recently read a tidy bunch of Chuck Tingle stories (about the ongoing homosexual adventures of a billionaire T-Rex), and I feel like not everything has to be so serious. Sometimes it's okay just to be pounded in the butt by the physical manifestation of doing what you want and having a good time.

It’s been my experience that an extended period of online harassment comes my way every four years. The wheel has turned since 2022, and here we are again. I was thinking that I might preempt the harassment this year by openly posting the sort of discourse that will make me a target.

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I’m not saying that I want to be harassed, or that I think it’s fun to argue with chucklefucks on the internet. Obviously not. Still, if I’m going catch heat anyway, I might as well have the satisfaction of starting the fire myself.