#WW1 Revisited

[anthropologistfromentropy]

Apparently the Secret History was actually inspired by Brideshead Revisited?? So my 1920 English/Oxford AU actually makes a lot of sense!

Damn I wish it had actually been set in 1920 England. I would have loved to read a book about them hanging out at Edward Carpenter's manor. Talking about the parallels between the Iliad and gay ww1 poetry, like "Stand in the trench, Achilles". So many gays in the early 1900s were into Hellenic stuff.

(I haven't read Wilfred Owen or Siegfried Sassoon yet, do they have references to Greek classics in their poetry?)

Though, then I wouldn't have a fanfic to write 😅 But half the time I do wish I could read the story I want to read, without having to write it myself.

[mitchipedia]

In my earlier review of two favorite 1940s science fiction stories1, I avoided using the phrase “hard-boiled” to describe the heroes, even though they have many of the characteristics of hard-boiled heroes: Tough-minded, street-smart, fast-talking, and working the streets of early-20th-Century New York.

I didn’t say “hard-boiled” out of a vague conception that the phrase connoted a propensity toward brutal violence, which was not characteristic of those characters.

After posting, I wondered where the phrase “hard-boiled” came from and came upon this excellent Quora post from Paul Vargas, who states his credentials this way: “I researched 20th Century journalism as part of my doctoral studies.”

Vargas explains that the “hard-boiled school”

… was coined in the early 1930s to describe a group of writers of whom Dashiell Hammett was regarded as luminary (see The New York Times Aug 11 1935.) This ‘hard-boiled school’ depicted emotionally hardened characters in an uncaring world driven by money, power and sexual desire. The Encyclopaedia Britannica cites Hammett as the inventor of the genre and calls ‘Fly Paper’ (1929) the ‘first truly hard-boiled story.’ Other critics have disputed this. Ian Ousby regards Carroll John Daly (1889-1958) as the author in whose writing the hard-boiled elements first combine. The question is still open as ‘hard-boiled characters’ and crime-ridden urban landscapes prefigure ‘the hard-boiled school’ by some 30 or 40 years.

The phrase as a descriptor of human character goes back to thelast quarter of the 19th Century, Vargas says

Journalistic usage of ‘hard-boiled’ in the early 1900s connoted brutality and usually designated hoodlums. The phrase grew in usage after WW1 with the high-profile prosecution of ‘Hard-Boiled Smith,’ a US drill instructor accused of treating recruits with brutality. The case opened a widespread journalistic discourse on the use of brutality by the US army and police and the term ‘hard-boiled’ was one of its keynotes. ‘Hard-boiled’ really took off and almost everything was being evaluated for its potential. There were hard-boiled criminals, and hard-boiled towns, and there was hard-boiled talk and even hard-boiled items of clothing. Movie man Pat Dowling was remarked upon as wearing a hard-boiled hat (Moving Picture World vol 43 Mar 13 1920 p1779.)

In the 1920s, we start to see the phrase used to describe “tough and unsentimental characters without brutality.”

Read the whole post, which goes into more detail and includes scans of historical newspaper and magazine pages. Interesting and fun to read!

Revisiting a childhood favorite story: ‘Dreams are Sacred’ still delights and “I’ll be a pie-eyed emu!” Re-reading Alfred Bester’s 1942 story, “The Push of a Finger” ↩︎

[ladychandraofthemoone]

What is Nia's backstory in your headcanon? Has she had some interesting incidents like for example, crashing into the stationmaster's house or accidentally leaving the guard behind?

Hi! Well for starters, Nia is actually narrow gauge in my au (a NGR Class N 4-6-2T 1906/South African NG 4-6-2T 1906)

Nia was built by and for the Natal Government Railways in 1906, she worked around the KwaZulu-Natal province mainly the Weenen-Estcourt line where she worked for mixed traffic either delivering produce (after all the line was known as the Cabbage Express) then after being sold off to the Moçâmedes Railway in 1915 she ends up globetrotting about in South Africa and neighboring regions like the Cairo to Cape Town line (she was also a participate in ww1 delivering supplies to the locals she had entirely mixed emotions which is why she secretly leaves but ends up in Western Front where she meet Freddie and Stanley)

The trio ended up bouncing around together thanks to Stanley's "jinx" though both familial figures never held any grudge against him and defended him especially during their old railway (not the msr) where they were all mistreated badly, especially Stanley thanks to his "bad luck" the manager who also hailed from South Africa (the Western and Eastern Cape) often used Stanley being mistreated by the other engines as leverage where she and very fierce arguments with until he got rid of her (his uppercommence doesn't come until years later

She came to the Mid-Sodor in the late 1920s where she worked in the mines with Millie, Luke, Bertram and Atlas so when Stanley finally was reunited with her and Freddie in 1938, they're quickly took him under their nonexistent buffers to show them the ropes, when the railway started in decline after ww2, Nia was along soem of the engines who willingly themselves herself to be sold off to keep the railway afloat, wanting Stanley to having a regular working service.

She, Luke, Mighty Mac and Freddie were actually brought together to work at the aluminum works and electric power station companies. Now she tends to work on the either the skarloey's northern end of the line doing shunting at the quarries, being part of the Gleigh Fell Quarry Company, she now works with Luke Freddie and mighty Mac the most occasionally she takes up maintenance alongside atlas rusty and Fred even the weed killer train which she doesn’t mind often taking advantage of being alone with her thoughts and observing her new surroundings

Like She sometimes also helps taking passengers on the narrow gauge express that runs alongside with duke from ulfstead to crovans gate, even to the estate railway and even revisiting the cronk and harwick scenic heritage railway where’s shes reunited with kwaku after discovering he wasn’t scrapped and helps with her recovery of survivors guilt

Fun fact she was the maintenance engine for the skarloey railway until atlas comes in who in turn he and Nia take rusty under their nonexistent buffers, she’s tends to sees all of them (Falcon they bond over their fear of heights, Stuart cause he's cheeky she keeps Andreas on his wheels when he gets too big-headed), as brothers/siblings/familial, Luke and Stanley are her kids. She's a polygot and is one of the engines who helped Ivo Hugh learn to "speak" with whistles/morse code though she does have to tendency to put her work first before her own needs and health like if she's working with someone who's is giving her a difficult time or a mechanical issue she tries to complete the job first (having participated in a war totally doesn't help at all)

Nia often sings when she works to help her concentrate. She’s pretty popular with the coaches and passengers because of it. Unlike Duke's relationships, she and Stanley tease each other and push each others buttons, but it’s all in good fun. And when push comes to shove, they’ll always have each other’s backs. The other engines assume that Stanley or Freddie is Nia’s best friend, and while she does think he’s a good friend, he’s not her best friend. That honor goes to Millie, having also been part of a war but they got along swell the moment they met at the mines on the MSR, Nia offers to take passengers or anything to visit Millie at the Ulfstead Castle and keeps her updated on everything, from gossiping to a quick chat.

When they first met Duncan and Nia 100% teach each other swears. Why, imagine the thin controller’s (sir Handel Hans brown) surprise when he overheard Nia calling a particularly rude passenger a… well I don't think it’s best to know. And to be fair it was well deserved after the passenger called Luke and Stanley names and drove Luke to tears (bonus: Stanley joins in) She also expressed disappointment and tried to help both sides with strict tough yet understanding love over the remaining MSR engines treatment of Duncan when Andreas scarified himself and ended up in a coma

Some interesting incidents included her nearly falling off the tracks which was off the cliff during her wartime years, hence her fear of heights (she and Falcon bond over that), searching in the crystal caverns alongside some of the narrow and standard gauge engines Nia also has a flower garden and greenhouse I’m still figuring out where I’m thinking at Cros-by-curin by or inside the apple orchard but somewhere alongside the skarloey railway and she loves completing puzzles during game nights (she's up to a 1000 pieces right now) her and Stanley info dumping about creepy animals (she wants to see Duke squirm as she’ll clap back without hesitation for her loved ones or she and Stuart quiz each other with numbers equations or stargazing with kwaku and her friends

[thebeesareback]

Ladies, gents, froglets, the girls, the gays, the theys, and anyone who doesn't fit into these categories: it's time for the Bees random ramblings.

I've been revisiting some children's fantasy books when I can't sleep. It's winter here in the UK and I love a cosy moment. Fantasy books do that really well! The thing is, there's often something lurking underneath the feeling of safety.

For example, in The Hobbit, the little squad are hiking up a mountain during a storm. They're wet, tired, hungry and cold, and the weather is so bad that giants have appeared and started throwing rocks at each other. It's the sort of thing which would make anyone feel pretty miserable. Filli and Killi find a nice cave, and so everyone goes and shelters with them. The mood of the new scene is much nicer. Their ponies start to dry off and gently steam (this is a real thing), they spread their wet clothes out to dry; have something to eat; then lie on the floor in blankets and get out their pipes. Gandalf uses magic to turn their smoke rings into different colours. It's absolutely charming! I would love this! I appreciate being inside when there's a dramatic storm outside!

Unfortunately, Bilbo wakes up to see goblins stealing their ponies, and he and the dwarves are all dragged off to a place which feels like hell. It's very nightmarish and everyone thinks they're going to be eaten.

Lucy, in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe goes through the eponymous wardrobe and finds herself in a snowstorm. She's rescued by Mr Tumnus the fawn, and ends up having tea with him, safe and warm in his little cottage. The food and drink are tasty; she watches the fire and sees the flames dancing; and Mr Tumnus gets out his harp and plays a tune. Like the cave scene, it's really charming and comforting. I would love to go for tea with Mr Tumnus.

Oh, except he betrayed Lucy and the White Witch's agents are on their way to kill her.

My theory is that, as Tolkein and Lewis fought in WW1, they found it hard to feel safe and knew that places which appeared friendly and welcoming were often traps. A lot of people have noticed how both WW1 and WW2 are clearly in Tolkein and Lewis' minds as they wrote, but I just wondered how frequently they were surrounded by things which once made them feel safe, yet were unable to truly relax.

But death of the author or whatever.

[anakinfallen]

top 9 books

tagged by @gayarthur

(not in any order)

1. in memoriam by alice winn

as soon as i started reading this book i knew i wanted to reread with a pen. queer book set during ww1

2. blue lily, lily blue by maggie stiefvater

this book (and trc in general) had me in a chokehold when i read it in high school, not plot just vibes, the levels of mutual pining had me going insane

3. if we were villains by m l rio

i started this intending to only read about half go to bed and then finish it the next day because i’d already read one book that day and i finished it that night. another book i need to revisit with a pen. it has it all: murder, shakespeare

4. a man called ove by fredrik backman

this book is translated from swedish. the last book i read last year and the end had me sobbing. grumpy old man (who reminded me of my granddad) developing meaningful connections with his neighbours

5. the hunger games by suzanne collins

it feels like such a basic answer but this was one of the first books i ever sat down and read in one day. i borrowed it from the school library that morning and started it when our teacher gave us “free time” during our social science class and finished it at 1am. also when i was first on tumblr i was a hunger games blog (not this tumblr but my old one rip)

6. the poppy war trilogy by r f kuang (i know i cheated by including the entire trilogy but i don't care)

just this entire trilogy is so good (definitely check trigger warnings before reading though). i was originally intrigued by this series because it was described as “what if azula was the avatar” but it is so much more than that. explores the effects of war and colonialism

7. weather girl by rachel lynn solomon

one of my favourite romance books, two people who work for the same news channel work together to gets their divorced bosses back together (i just really love this trope, see: one of my favourite romcoms is set it up). touches on mental health issues.

8. six of crows by leigh bardugo

another super basic answer but i also hate that this book is considered a "booktok book" when it was originally a "tumblr book" but i loved all the crows (and also the pining between kaz and inej). just ✨fantasy heist✨

9. vicious by v e schwab

i have always been a big reader but this book got me seriously back into reading after i graduated uni and started working full time. the relationship between victor and eli is just so good and toxic and fascinating. i just love the way v e schwab writes

special mention to summer sons by lee mandelo because it was so so so good

and also the bumper book of peanuts comics because i love flicking through it when i need a pick me up

this list was genuinely so hard for me because i read so many books and then forget about them except for the feeling it left me

it also started with me trying to give short descriptions as to why i liked the books and ended in word vomit

also going to plug my storygraph (and if you see i'm 50 books behind on my goal no you didn't)

tagging @shitouttabuck @fatedking @disasterbuckdiaz @enchantingverse @uelut-erinaceus @killianjonesz

[maurofonseca]

Are you working on any personal projects? Any comics from you on the horizon?

Hopefully!

I've got a main idea of comics I want to do, but I'm gonna take longer talking about it, so I'll first mention a couple others-

I've in the past drawn a lot of like, online meme characters. Not this exactly, but stuff like "Earth-chan". Lately been thinking about revisiting that, making them my own characters, changing designs and names, and working from that for small slice-of-life things.

I've got a friend I collab with on ideas, and I asked him ideas for short stories. Planning to draw a couple of his ideas, both for portfolio and because he does good stuff.

However, the main thing, of course, is my ideas involving my characters Lalla Shepherd, Jackie Pollard, Lily Rock, etc etc.

Gonna go on at length about it now, so putting it under a read more.

I've got a setting of characters etc I've nurtured for a few years now. It's a setting of cartoon animal people, adventure, fighting, etc. Very much trying to replicate the Disney comics I grew up on, stuff like Barks, Cavazzano, Gottfredson, but also stuff like Tintin, Indiana Jones, Sonic the Comic. It's set in a fantasy version of Earth circa the 1960s, by which I mean it's just Earth, but everything's been renamed for denial purposes, a layer of distance. If I want "London" to be the 60s but "Lisbon" to be the 80s, I get to do so, because it's not really London or Lisbon, it's Fumdon and St. Vincent, right? If I want there to be a war in the backstory, it can be WW1, WW2, Korean War, and Vietnam War all at once, because it's not really any of those, it's a fantasy one. Kinda what Pokémon does with its regions.

The idea is to do multiple stories, small stories, short stories, in this setting. Again, like the comics I grew up on- adventure stories of 10 pages, rather than epics of 1000.

You can read an early first go at an introduction to it here. It's kind of outdated, in aesthetics at least, but it's still overall matching what I plan.

The starting point is, there's these three characters- Lalla Shepherd, a racer and former soldier dealing with what happened to her during the War, Jackie Pollard, a girl with a mysterious past who appears in Fumdon looking for a job and with an amazing aim; and Lily Rock, a supremely confident fighter who's travelled the world and is sent to Fumdon to cover the upcoming Tournament. Said Tournament is going to be a combat tournament held in Fumdon but part of the culture of a separate small nation-estate, as a diplomatic move between countries. This is attracting weirdos and people with ill intent, so our three main characters get made into a team of sheriffs to deal with it in the months leading to the event proper.

The tournament is primarily just a plot excuse though- it'll be happening "soon" for as long as needed. It's a near-future event that excuses why any character would be appearing now and making their entrance in the public stage, no matter how weird they might be.

It's also about a bootlegging criminal in another country, whose wares get stolen by a wannabe gentleman thief, and how that drags a lot of other characters into that story.

Open and obvious about it, it's primarily made of me seeing characters and ideas in other stuff, and going "I want to make my own version". Very Alan Moore League of Extraordinary Gentlemen in that sense- "I want to make fanfiction where James Bond fights The Avengers (the british spy team) and Mina Murray (from Dracula), but I don't have the rights for them, so I'll switch names around etc." Very cape comic books in that sense too- "we want to tell a story about Superman, but we're Marvel, so we make a Superman pastiche called Hyperion".

Part of it was influenced by the upcoming wave of public domain stuff in the US. As you can see by my drawings, it was planning to use specific characters like Mickey Mouse, but then I got confirmation that that's really really not gonna work internationally. Ah well.

Some of you might've been here long enough to recognise a lot of these ideas and characters were part of an abandoned webcomic I was doing before, 4QC. Well yeah, this is me trying to make that one work and avoid the pitfalls that killed it lol.

Dunno, hope that's enough context. I'm hoping I can get a new story of this, a remake of the old one I did maybe, out before the end of the year; and then to do a lot more next year, using the money I'm saving from Sonic work this year.

[tideswept]

10, 15 and 37 (if you're still doing the fic ask game!)

Of course! ♥ (from this ask game!)

10. How do you decide what to write?

Vibes, guilt, and constant anxiety that the WIP pile will crush me if I don't finish SOMETHING. 👀👀

15. What’s your favorite AU that you’ve written?

always be something sacred because holy shit, the fact that Harry and Eggsy were related in the comics is fascinating to me. Their relationship is already complicated, adding on that layer of uncle/nephew is almost too rich.

37. Promote one of your own “deep cut” fics (an underrated one, or one that never got as much traction as you think it deserves!). What do you like about it?

Ooof. So, um. This fic is currently hidden, but The Murmur of Tides. It's a loose retelling of The Little Mermaid in a 3-act structure, starting with the lead up to WW1 and ending in the final phase of the Cold War during Harry's early years as Galahad. I don't know if it deserves more attention than it got, but it certainly stung enough that I kind of just... tucked it away like a bruise under a long-sleeve. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (That, and the final scene should have been a different one to better lead into Part 2, but it... was very hard to go back under the circumstances. Lots of self-doubt and self-criticism.)

I liked that it covered a time period where being gay (even if you were wealthy and titled) was this like, strange inbetween place, very Edith Wharton and Evelyn Waugh, very Brideshead Revisited. Pain, and loneliness, self-imposed or otherwise, longing, duty, war. Always war.

(I do intend to go back to it. It's okay if it's not much of anyone's cup of tea, it certainly is mine.)

[boredwritergirl]

Day 30 - A Tale of Two Stars part 2

As much of a dumb joke as this is, I might revisit this later. IDK, something about Pearl interacting with ww1 versions of DC characters sounds kinda fun and i might want to explore that in more detail later

A Few Days after Pearl and Clark Kent parted ways, Pearl returned to the city to meet with her projectionist, who was about to drive his way out of town. But, Pearl managed to convince him to swing by her farm to pick up her things first.

As they drove past seemingly endless fields of wheat, Pearl noticed a wandering soldier along the road. As they tore through the dirt beside him, she tried to get a look at his face, his mask obscuring it. 

Pearl took a deep breath as she sat back, her heart sinking with grief, thinking about the possibility of her husband being on his way back home.

Clark noticed her irregular heart beat and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Pearl smiled, “Oh, it’s nothin.�� she said halfheartedly, her mind still on that soldier.

As they arrived at her farm, Clark immediately got the impression that something was wrong, his super-senses immediately hearing the faint sound of something moving slightly in the basement. 

As Pearl ran inside, she commanded Clark to stay outside, much to his annoyance. But he decided to play along for now and used his x-ray vision to get a better look into the area. He could see the intense heartbeat of someone struggling downstairs, he could tell that it wasn't the struggle to indicate Immediate death or danger, so he decided to survey the rest of the house first. He noticed a normal heartbeat up on the top floor and the animals Appeared to be healthy enough on the top floor.

  As he noticed pearl walk up those steps, he used his super speed to dash all the way down stairs, where he found Pearl's mother barely alive. She had serious burn marks, some from fire, some from boiling water, both not enough to obscure the bruises she sustained from falling down the stairs. He knew he needed to get her to a doctor soon.

He picked her up and placed her gently onto a chair in the room. Clark looked directly into her eyes, calmly telling her, “I'm here to help. I'll take you to the hospital.”

But then as he looked up again, he could see the steady heart beat start to decline, he could tell that someone was dying and immediately rushed up the stairs to save him in less than an instant.

Seeing Pearl as she was in the middle of strangling her father to death, he immediately snatched the pillow out of her hand. He yelled at Pearl, “What are you doing?!”

There was a pause as Pearl was so shocked by his Sudden appearance that she struggled finding the right words at first. Her father, unable to speak or move on his own just sat there, fear in his eyes as he kept staring at his daughter.

“I-I… I couldn't just leave him there to die! I know he doesn't deserve this! But I don't deserve to be cooped up here neither!” Pearl cried, thick, ugly tears flowing down her cheeks.

“And what about your mother?” Clark asked with a Stern tone of voice. 

“That was an accident!” Pearl blurted out. “I didn't mean to! I never wanted nothing bad to happen to her, I just wanted to leave!!!”

Pearl kept crying and crying, running down the stairs and straight out her home, of course Clark had no issue keeping up with her.

“Pearl, you can't run away from something like this. Your parents need help, and if you can't take care of them yourself then you need to leave them with someone who can.”

“Then why don't you take care of them! You don't know what it's like! Having to slave away caring for two people who can never understand you, people that are either capable of shutting me down if they talk to me at all! I lived my whole life according to them, never being allowed to live my life! This dream was the only thing I had and I won't let anyone take that from me!” Pearl yelled as she was walking over to the barn, picking up the big, two handed ax by the barn doors.

Clark shrugged as he looked at her approaching him with that weapon. “Peal, put the ax down. Your parents need help… you need help.”

Pearl snarled at him as she raised the ax high above her head, “The only help I need is a ticket to Hollywood! And I won't let you tell a soul about any of this!”

Pearl swung her ax, her face scrunching up as she prepared to strike. But, Clark didn’t move a muscle, he let the blade hit him, cutting through his clothes, but the iron of the blade bent against his pecks, not leaving a scratch on him.

Pearl's eyes widened as she tried to process what just happened, her eyes glued to the bent, misshapen ax.

Clark grabbed the ax out of her hand, planting the hilt right into the ground before grabbing her. “I think I know someplace that might be able to help you. It’s pretty far away, but I’ve heard about an Asylum over in Gotham… maybe they’ll be able to help you, after we put your parents in a real hospital like they belong… I’m not sure where we’re going to get the money for all that, but we have to try."

[cordeliaflyte]

Books I enjoyed in 2022

Inspired by the legendary @gaudigf 🌷!

Memorial: an Excavation of the Iliad by Alice Oswald (read in February). Potentially the most influential poem I've ever read + where my blog title comes from! Just look at the scene of Hector's death:

And HECTOR died like everyone else

He was in charge of the Trojans

But a spear found out the little patch of white

Between his collarbone and his throat

Just exactly where a man’s soul sits

Waiting for the mouth to open

He always knew it would happen

He who was so boastful and anxious

And used to nip home deafened by weapons

To stand in full armour in the doorway

Like a man rushing in leaving his motorbike running

All women loved him

His wife was Andromache

One day he looked at her quietly

He said I know what will happen

And an image stared at him of himself dead

And her in Argos weaving for some foreign woman

He blinked and went back to his work

Hector loved Andromache

But in the end he let her face slide from his mind

He came back to her sightless

Strengthless expressionless

Asking only to be washed and burned

And his bones wrapped in soft cloths

And returned to the ground

Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh (reread in March). This shaped my identity fundamentally. A wonderful intermingling of comedy and tragedy.

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison (read in April). My favourite Toni Morrison! A touch of magic realism. No-one names characters as skilfully as Morrison.

The Iliad as translated by Caroline Alexander (read in May). What is there to say even.

The Horse, the Wheel, and Language by David W. Anthony (read in May). Genuinely fascinating read about the spread of Proto-Indo-European. Would recommend it wholeheartedly!

The Old Arcadia by Philip Sidney (read in July). Bucolics + cross-dressing, what's not to love?

Fun Home by Alison Bechdel (reread in September). Wonderfully constructed familial bonds.

Devotions on Emergent Occasions and Death's Duel by John Donne (read in September). So much rot and putrefaction!

Dancing in Odessa & Deaf Republic by Ilya Kaminsky (read back to back in October). Mesmerizing poetry collections would recommend wholeheartedly.

The Absolutist by John Boyne (read in November). Your typical WW1 drama. The first page was crafted in a lab to enthral me. A traumatized man returns from the trenches haunted by his dead best friend who he had an ambiguous relationship with on a train to return letters said friend had received from his sister… When I saw this premise I gasped because I am 100% earnest this has been one of my little daydream scenarios for years.

Selected Poems by Rainer Maria Rilke (translated by Susan Ranson and Marielle Sutherland, read in November). Got it for a friend's birthday but naturally had to read it as well to ensure quality. Especially enchanted by the Duino Elegies.

Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake (read in December). And recommended by Medli Gaudigf! Mushrooms. Written in a beautiful and informative way.

Poet in New York by Federico García Lorca (translated by Greg Simon and Stephen F. White, read in December). Got this for my birthday :) my first Lorca, gifted by a friend who knew I wanted to get into him, influenced by my infatuation with Leonard Cohen. Beautiful. This edition also includes some letters to his family, they're sparkling and witty and filled with warmth.

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque (translated by Arthur Wesley Wheen, read in December) read on a flight. More dying horribly in the trenches :D.

[adafruit]

yaaarrr! a Circuit Pyrate is ready to be your best mate on the hacking seas

⚓️🏴‍☠️🤖🔧💻🔗🐍🔋📚💡🔌✨🌐💬📌🔄🔍💼📊

we recently sold out of our stock of Bus Pirates https://github.com/BusPirate/Bus_Pirate and when we booked a reorder we found it's currently unavailable with no ETA for re-stocking. it made us think about revisiting this design, perhaps using an RP2040 instead: with native USB and CircuitPython and PIO it might be easier to add new protocols! we did do a "Circuit Pyrate" draft many years ago but it was based on the SAMD21 and we quickly ran out of space - another thing the RP2040 would excel at.

parsing data is something that Python does very well, and tannewt already has VT100 control code support for the REPL status bar, so we're having a go at re-implementing the UX in native python by instantiating a secondary 'data only' CDC UART endpoint https://learn.adafruit.com/customizing-usb-devices-in-circuitpython/circuitpy-midi-serial#usb-serial-console-repl-and-data-3096590 The default REPL can then be enabled or disabled with the onboard slide switch.

here's our draft that uses the same sizing and header location but of course all different parts. two challenges: the RP2040 is not 5V-tolerant like the PIC24J but it's also not guaranteed for high speeds, so we put a 1K+3.6V zener diode on the 4 GPIO pins that ought to let it work OK with 3 or 5V devices. secondly, the pin mux distribution for I2C and UART doesnt match the same as the original chip so we may have to PIO bitbang those interfaces. we're going to have to do a bunch of pin twiddling to find out the limitations of this design. we add a separate Stemma QT port, NeoPixel, and LEDs for both power outputs. fun fact, did you know that the bus pirate is CC-0 http://dangerousprototypes.com/docs/Bus_Pirate_v3.6#License a rarely seen license for OSHW!

our current pondering is how to best mimic the 5V tolerant inputs of the PIC24J - the 1K + 3.6V zener will definitely do the job but can slow down the IO quite a bit on those high speed SPI lines. because we want full bidirectional support for each pin and be able to enable/disable optional 10K pullups to 3V (internal) or 5V (external) we can't us the TXS0104 series: has built in un-disableable pullups. this app note has a few tips we're perusing https://ww1.microchip.com/downloads/en/DeviceDoc/chapter%208.pdf - #11 looks like it may work..any suggestions?

[mthofferings2023]

Dogsled

See Dogsled’s existing works here and here.

Preferred contact methods: Email: dancewiththedevil@mail.com Discord: regasssa

Preferred organizations: - Anything from the list of approved organizations

Will create works that contain: NSFW or SFW, canon, what if? or AU, multiverse crossovers, inspired by (insert movie here), all kinds of kinky, dark and angsty, fluffy or sincere, long burn, historical (WW1/2, regency etc), con or non-con BDSM, sub/dom or A/B/O AUs, found family, letter writing, animal transformation, creature!fic, zombies!, anti-fascist, serious business case fic/mission fic, random plotbunnies, rarepairs, sex change magic, Hydra Trash Party, dark!characters, Hydra wins, dead dove, fantasy, sci-fi, plot hole filling, flashbacks and songfics, porn with or without plot.

Will not create works that contain: Sports aus, cop AUS, natural disaster fic, gender dysphoria, adult characters deaged to children (over 18 for college/royalty AUS etc is still fine!), aged up minor characters, RPF. Character DNWs for Steve/Any and Bucky/Any fic: Pierce, Coulson, Happy, Ross, Peggy, Sharon, Maria Hill, any of the MCU Spider-Man or MCU Ms. Marvel cast

  -- Fic or Other Writing --

Auction ID: 1120

Will create works for the following relationships: Bucky Barnes/Helmut Zemo - 616, MCU Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers - 616, MCU, Marvel's Avengers (video game), What If..? Bucky Barnes/Loki - MCU Steve Rogers/Any - 616, MCU, Marvel's Avengers (video game), What If..? Bucky Barnes/Any - MCU Bucky Barnes/Natasha Romanov - 616, MCU, What If..? Steve Rogers/Helmut Zemo - 616, MCU Bucky Barnes/Marc Spector - MCU Helmut Zemo-centric - 616, MCU Alpine & Bucky Barnes - 616, MCU

Work Description: Auction is for 12 fics of a minimum 2000 words in length (i.e. monthly). Ficlets can be divided between different pairings and universes and have different prompts, which makes this auction ideal for pod bids, or an individual with far too many ideas and not enough time! For each $50 raised for charity by this auction, I'll include another ficlet! NSFW, pure romance or gen are all equally as welcome. I can write the darkest Dead Dove or the fluffiest fluff to ever fluff, or switch dangerously between both and live on a knife's edge. Exceptions for "Any" are limited (see DNWs). Otherwise I'll try your obscure rarepair with pleasure, so just let me take a swing at it.

Ratings: Gen, Teen, Mature, Explicit

Can pods bid on this auction? Yes - Podbids welcome!

CLICK HERE TO BID ON THIS WORK

-- Fic or Other Writing --

Auction ID: 2060

Will create works for the following relationships: Bucky Barnes/Helmut Zemo - 616, MCU Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers - 616, MCU, Marvel's Avengers (video game), What If..? Bucky Barnes/Loki - MCU Steve Rogers/Any - 616, MCU, Marvel's Avengers (video game), What If..? Bucky Barnes/Any - MCU Bucky Barnes/Natasha Romanov - 616, MCU, What If..? Steve Rogers/Helmut Zemo - 616, MCU Bucky Barnes/Marc Spector - MCU Helmut Zemo-centric - 616, MCU Alpine & Bucky Barnes - 616, MCU

Work Description: Auction is for a minimum 20,000 word longfic. Could be a slow burn romance, a case fic, a rewrite of the movie Passengers (or any other movie, lbr), something dark and non-con, something canon adjacent, filling in plotholes or revisiting off screen moments from their past. Could be mutual, long distance pining, A/B/O, or an AU where they run into each other in a dark nightclub. Could involve a whole cast of other characters, or just be deep and intimate. Or maybe it's a dead dove that's in that paper bag, a grim historical AU with a barely there happy ending. Maybe it's fluffy! Maybe you just want the character to be turned into a giant Newfoundland or a teeny tiny hamster against his will so that pure chaos will ensue. Maybe they have the wedding jitters. I want to make the idea that you're longing for a reality. In addition to the 20,000 word fic, here are the bonuses that can be added by bidding generously! - Over $50 = full color handdrawn title card - Every $100 added to the total = one scene illustration included up to five illustrations - Over $500 = an additional series of vignettes in the universe to fill out the story and characters some more. NSFW, pure romance or gen are all equally as welcome. I can write the darkest Dead Dove or the fluffiest fluff to ever fluff, or switch dangerously between both and live on a knife's edge. Exceptions for "Any" are limited (see DNWs). Otherwise I'll try your obscure rarepair with pleasure, so just let me take a swing at it.

Ratings: Gen, Teen, Mature, Explicit

Can pods bid on this auction? Yes - Podbids welcome!

CLICK HERE TO BID ON THIS WORK

-- Art --

Auction ID: 3022

Will create works for the following relationships: Steve Rogers/Helmut Zemo - 616, MCU Bucky Barnes/Helmut Zemo - MCU Alpine & Bucky Barnes - 616, MCU Avengers fandom any gen and ship - MCU, Marvel's Avengers (video game) Captain America fandom any gen and ship - MCU Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers - 616, MCU, Marvel's Avengers (video game) X-Men fandom any gen and ship - 616, X-Men movieverse Bucky Barnes/Loki - MCU Bucky Barnes/Sam Wilson/Helmut Zemo - MCU

Work Description: This auction is for full color art or Marvel style comic. Winner can choose which they'd like! If you'd like a comic, you can write it or I can take your ideas and put it together myself. Illustrations can be something new, or I can draw scenes from your fics, or I can even make comic style covers for your fics or podfics. Check out my AO3 and Artstation for examples of my work. Art can be anything from gen to NSFW. If you have an obscure pairing or thruple you'd like to see that isn't listed above, please don't be shy about sending me a message to ask if I'd be interested in doing it! I've basically just listed my favorite things, but they aren't my full range by any means. WLW pairings are also welcome, and I'm happy to draw A/B/O, mpreg, non con, BDSM, fight scenes, high fantasy, sad pining, deep character pieces, fluffy beach humor in Barbieland colors, Steve as Cinderella pining for his Prince Charming--I don't know. Anything, really. I'm also willing to do Hydra art for 616 and MCU. $50 = 1 page or 1 illustration $100 = 2 pages or 2 illustrations $150 or more = 3 pages or 3 illustrations. Please note: I'm not interested in doing NSFW art of the following characters, but I'm happy to draw them in non-shippy or gen roles: Pierce, Coulson, Happy, Ross, Peggy, Sharon, Maria Hill, any of the MCU Spider-Man or Ms. Marvel cast.

Ratings: Gen, Teen, Mature, Explicit

Can pods bid on this auction? Yes - Podbids welcome!

CLICK HERE TO BID ON THIS WORK

The auction runs from October 22 (12 AM ET) to October 28 (11:59:59 PM ET). Visit marveltrumpshate.com during Auction Week to view all of our auctions and to place your bids!

[taiwantalk]

I’m blogging this article as a point of reference.

We shall revisit it in the future to see if things became the way he wrote it.

I could write much about it, but truly & honestly, things we write might change the course of future. It did in my opinion to ww1 and they did not have internet yet.

[patheticgirl33]

YELLOWJACKETS

it’s sad because i can’t watch horror but i love the theme of using cannibalism as a way to express repressed desire.

for me, a good story doesn’t give you all the answers. it shows you something and it allows you to come to the conclusions yourself. i think it was mitski that said she didn’t want to explain the stories behind her songs because the only thing that mattered was how the listener interpreted them and connected them back to their own experiences. i think, whether intentionally or not, yellowjackets does a good job of this.

the story follows a girl’s soccer team after they get trapped in the canadian wilderness and the ensuing chaos that follows. it juxtaposes scenes of the trauma these girls faced with their adult counterparts trying (and often failing) to heal from their experiences in the wilderness. how does life continue on when the unthinkable happens? do you give up your promising future to steal your dead best friend’s life? become a true crime fanatic? do you pretend none of it ever happened until you wake up eating dirt? do you open a… vhs store…?

healing is not a linear experience, and it is often not very pretty. freud theorized that victims of trauma will subconsciously set their life up in a way so that they are constantly recreating it. in typical freud fashion, one piece of evidence for this theory was that WW1 soldiers would revisit their experiences in dreams that put them back into combat. why is this? it’s so funny to me how powerless we truly are to what goes on inside of us. we have these bodies and these minds that we think we’re in control of but really they dictate our lives, not the other way around.

not to talk more about soldiers but many who have experienced combat find it difficult to return to normal life afterwards. when you’ve experienced such highs and lows of emotions regularly, it’s incredibly hard to go back to finding the simple pleasures pleasurable. i think, and this is my personal theory, more often than not you become addicted to the extremes and find ways to replicate it. and also there’s the bit of trying to dissect and figure out why what happened happened to you. how could i prevent it? how couldn’t i have seen this coming? what could i have done differently? all futile questions that don’t matter anymore, as the past is written already.

back to yellowjackets, i want to talk more about jackie and shauna because i am thinking of them always. maybe out of revenge, maybe out of guilt, maybe out of desire, maybe out of all three of those things, shauna gives up her promising future to live the life jackie never got to live, and she hates it. she’s bored out of her mind. she keeps artifacts of jackie everywhere, from her yellowjackets uniform to paintings of poppies that litter her suburban home to her husband, jackie’s former boyfriend. jackie is everywhere and it’s funny because these are all things shauna is willingly doing to herself.

i love this show. i could write about it for hours and maybe someday i will but tonight i am very tired.

[quoteoftheweekblog]

8/4/24 - EVELYN WAUGH (AND LYNNE REID BANKS)

’ “Beware the Anglo-Catholics - they’re all sodomites … ” ’ (Waugh, 2016, p.22).

REFERENCE

Waugh, E. (2016 [1945] ) 'Brideshead revisited’. London: Penguin Classics.

*****

ALL SAINTS’ MEMBERSHIP OF INCLUSIVE CHURCH IS IN QUESTION BUT STILL PROCLAIMED WHERE ALLOWED

ON THE SECOND SUNDAY IN EASTER

…

ON THE PEW SHEET (FOR NOW)

…

IN THE CHURCH (TUCKED AWAY)

…

IN THE PORCH (ONLY VISIBLE WHEN OPEN)

…

BUT NO LONGER ON THE NOTICEBOARD

…

OR ON THE NEW WEBSITE

…

BOTH OF WHICH WOULD BE USEFUL

THANKS GUYS

*****

THE SECOND SUNDAY IN EASTER

…

IS ALSO KNOWN AS

LOW SUNDAY

SINCE 2000 IT HAS BEEN KNOWN IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AS

DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY

CORDELIA WOULD APPROVE

' "We must have the Blessed Sacrament here," said Cordelia. "I like popping in at odd times; and so does mummy." ' (Waugh, 2016, p.83).

*****

RIP 2024

…

LYNNE REID BANKS DIED 4/4/24

OBITUARY

…

*****

RIP

*****

FOR BOOK GROUP MARCH 2024  20 (90) GLORIOUS YEARS

…

' " ... not Jane Austen, not M-m-miss M-m-mitford." ' (Waugh, 2016, p.254).

LAST MONTH I ALSO READ

…

EMMA

OBVIOUSLY

&

THIS MONTH I AM ALSO READING

…

LOVE IN A COLD CLIMATE

OBVIOUSLY

📚📚📚📚📚

IN MARCH OUR MEMBERS ALSO READ …

TOP MEMBER ON HOLIDAY AND BACK ON FORM

Hi All, greetings from sunny La Gomera.

…

THE MEASURE OF DAYS

… Morland no: 30 book, still during WW1.

&

…

CHARLES III

I have almost finished Charles III but haven’t brought it here with me as too heavy!

&

…

I CAPTURE THE CASTLE

… which I loved. A story of messy family life as told by a young woman writing her diary.

&

…

THE WRONG SISTER

… just started …

📚📚📚📚📚

…

FATHERLAND

I've just finished Fatherland by Robert Harris and I was very confused by it! I've just looked it up on Google and it is very confusing because it posts the concept that Germany won the war. It also has a horrid description of torture in it so it is not a book I will recommend to anyone!

📚📚📚📚📚

…

PHILIPPA GREGORY

… awaiting attention - someone in our group loves her stories, so I felt it was time to try one …

MEANWHILE THE OTHER HALF

…

THE SECRET HOURS

We have lots of this authors books …

📚📚📚📚📚

AND OUR READER LEADER

…

ALL THINGS ANGLICAN

… still reading.

&

…

THE TIME OF THE ANGELS

I have also begun The Time of Angels by Iris Murdoch. I am not sure how much I shall enjoy it. It is weird and intriguing like most of Iris Murdoch’s novels, but perhaps a bit too analytical.

📚📚📚📚📚

IN MARCH WE ALSO HAD ANIMAL FARM ON THE LIST

WHICH HAS BEEN AN EARLIER QUOTE OF THE WEEK

ANIMAL FARM

📚📚📚📚📚

…

BOOK GROUP

*****

TAYLOR ALERT 2024 - THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT!!!!

…

COUNTDOWN TO TAYLOR … ONLY 11 DAYS TO GO UNTIL THE RELEASE OF TAYLOR SWIFT’S NEW ALBUM THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT ON 19 APRIL

FOR EVERMORE AND MORE EXPOSURE

TAYLOR ALERT!!!!

*****

EVELYN WAUGH

*****

QUOTE OF THE WEEK 2011 - 2024

…

12 EPIC YEARS

*****

FROM THE ARCHIVE

…

4/7/22

*****

[theharpermovieblog]

#HARPERSMOVIECOLLECTION

2023

https://www.tumblr.com/theharpermovieblog?source=share

I re-watched The Time Machine (1960)

This is a wonderful, and especially beloved by me, adaptation of H.G. Wells' classic story.

A scientist invents a time machine and, while traveling through time, ends up in the distant future among the Eloi, a simple race of humans who are being ruled and provided for by Morlocks, a race of monsters.

I have a severe affinity for this movie. I loved the book as a kid and my parents rented this film for me because of my interest. (There is another film version starring Guy Pearce and it's truly terrible. I saw that one in theaters and vowed never to watch it again.)

I might be a bit biased when it comes to this film, but just know it is very good, even without my nostalgic eyes. It's one of the great science fiction films.

First off, It's a beautiful film. Visually full of color and award winning special effects, for the time. And the design of the titular time machine is iconic, and one of the greatest film vehicles ever. Some people want to sit in Kirk's captains chair or drive a tricked out Delorean. I want the time machine from this movie in my living room, even if it's my only piece of furniture.

Secondly, the writing is fantastic. Especially the dialogue. The film takes into account the "future" events which happened after the turn of the century. The novel was published in 1895 and the film beautifully incorporates WW1 and WW2, as well as the destruction and the threat of the world destroying weapons which came from those wars

If nothing else, the story focuses on the devastation of war, not only to buildings and streets, but to humanity as a whole. When the world is destroyed, we lose our history and our knowledge along with it. We regress and grow ignorant and, perhaps, we move lower down the food chain. The novel is more of a focus on Classism if I rember correctly, but we're discussing the movie.

Director George Pal, who also made 1953's excellent adaptation of War of the World's, makes beautiful choices throughout this movie. Never allowing it to become anything but fun, while still getting it's message across.

Rod Taylor does a great job as the film's lead. He doesn't have to fully carry the film himself, but he does have heavy lifting to do for the majority of it. He's incredibly easy to root for.

Overall this is just a really enjoyable film and a part of Science Fiction history which deserves to be remembered and revisited.

[carpe-mamilia]

Personally I think it's the age/ training one. I'm reminded of a section in Brideshead Revisited:

I returned to London in the spring of 1926 for the General Strike. It was the topic of Paris. The French, exultant as always at the discomfiture of their former friends, and transposing into their own precise terms our mistier notions from across the Channel, foretold revolution and civil war. Every evening the kiosks displayed texts of doom, and in the cafés acquaintances greeted one half-derisively with: "Ha, my friend, you are better off here than at home, are you not?" until I, and several friends in circumstances like my own, came seriously to believe that our country was in danger and that our duty lay there. We were joined by a Belgian Futurist, who lived under the, I think, assumed name of Jean de Brissac la Motte, and claimed the right to bear arms in any battle anywhere against the lower classes. We crossed together, in a high-spirited, male party, expecting to find unfolding before us at Dover the history so often repeated of late, with so few variations, from all parts of Europe, that I, at any rate, had formed in my mind a clear, composite picture of Revolution--the red flag on the post office, the overturned tram, the drunken N.C.O.'s, the gaol open and gangs of released criminals prowling the streets, the train from the capital that did not arrive. One had read it in the papers, seen it in the films, heard it at café tables again and again for six or seven years now, till it had become part of one's experience, at secondhand, like the mud of Flanders and the flies of Mesopotamia. ... We went to a number of night clubs. In two years Mulcaster seemed to have attained his simple ambition of being known and liked in such places. At the last of them he and I were kindled by a great flame of patriotism. "You and I," he said, "were too young to fight in the war. Other chaps fought, millions of them dead. Not us. We'll show them. We'll show the dead chaps we can fight, too." "That's why I'm here," I said. "Come from overseas, rallying to old country in hour of need." "Like Australians." "Like the poor dead Australians." "What you in?" "Nothing yet. War not ready." "Only one thing to join--Bill Meadows's show--Defence Corps. All good chaps. Being fixed in Bratt's." "I'll join." "You member Bratt's?" "No. I'll join that, too." "That's right. All good chaps like the dead chaps."

(Chapter 8, accessed online here)

The main body of Brideshead is a flashback that the now Captain Charles experiences when he goes back to the house, which has been requisitioned for the war effort, just like Button House. Cap is not a weird classist snob like Charles Ryder and his awful friends, but I suspect his naive enthusiasm might stem from the same shame of having "missed out" on WW1, from which nobody came back unchanged.

(On a further tangent, I think it's interesting that it's during this chapter that Charles gets an update on his formerly adored Sebastian's continued self-destruction and new boyfriend in Marseilles. War, love, and shame, all mixed up together in a few paragraphs.)

ok i keep seeing people say that the captain must have served in WWI because of his age. Personally, I don't think he did because of how he behaves in the flashbacks in Redding Weddy (and, more obviously, his lack of medals showing a lack of involvement) but I don't think we'll ever know for sure, it doesn't seem important to his character and he hasn't made any references to anything outside of WWII let alone the first one. So just for kicks, here's a list of possible reasons the Captain didn't serve:

Reserved Occupation: conscription exempted a lot of people due to a variety of reasons and about 1/3 eligible men were exempted due to RO. Basically it means that men who were in jobs considered important could only be conscripted in a very narrow age margin (they could volunteer but they didn't have to go) such as vets, clergymen, miners (complicated situation for that one), and a variety of men who worked in engineering or industrial related jobs (including those who worked in munitions (sound familiar?))

Health: there's a whole variety of health problems that could exempt an otherwise fit man including asthma, arthritis, a rash even. It could literally have been a passing illness or a childhood problem that passed by the time WWII rolled around, just a bit of bad luck that hit him at just the wrong time (or it could have been bad knees that he lied about 20 years later)

Conscientious Objection: I don't think it's this one, that guy loves war, he wants to fight so bad, but I'm not going to just not put it here

Age: LISTEN. We don't know the Captain's canon age. At his youngest I would say he was born in 1900, putting him at 46ish when he died (the age Ben was when Ghosts first started (he could easily be older and in fact probably is idk (Ben help me out here ple-))) which would mean when the war kicked off he was 14 and conscription began he was only 16. He would have hit conscription age at 18 in 1918 which was the year the war ended. Conscription continued until 1920 but the fighting was "officially" over so they wouldn't have been calling on as many people and he might have been passed over for someone more fit, more healthy, less reserved occupationy etc. etc. I don't think it was this one either but for posterity here it is. Or he was conscripted late which would lead to

Training: This one happened to my own relative during WWI. If Cap came of age during the war, which he would have if he died anywhere between the ages of 46-50, he would have been conscripted and trained in England during the war. If the war ended while he was still in training he might never have been sent out at all despite being the right age for it. Any of the above could also have caused this - a bad rash, a nasty cough, being too young, working in a factory building ships, and so on - but it might very well have happened and would have prevented him from seeing any medal-worthy action or getting the experience needed to make him less of a nervous wreck leading to the Cap we see in Redding Weddy

To conclude: the Captain might have served in WWI but he could just as easily not have. We'll probably never know and any interpretation of his backstory is both valid and a very interesting read into his character