#i've only known him for like a day but i am fascinated with that fellow

[articskele]

Thanks for the tags :^) Sappy is very cute!!

Yippee no problem! He seems like such a fun little dude :D

[shipwreckedwithcaptainmarrow]

It's not often I stray from history posts here, but today I am writing this in honor of my good friend Logan Spencer, who just passed away suddenly from a motorcycle accident.

I met Logan directly through my Shipwrecked page here, and quickly became great friends with him. He joined our Crew of the Charles Revenge-Living History, he assisted in the construction of my ship-stage in my backyard despite him being state away in Georgia, and I've enjoyed gaming with him and many phone calls and stops by his home. He also soon after became a fellow Order of Leviathan nominee alongside me, and I'm so glad he made it in. He was also a significant member of the Alee Pirates, a pirate Shriner unit out of Savannah, Georgia.

Logan was born in 1990, growing up in New Bern, North Carolina. He had been fascinated with pirates ever since he was a child, and loved everything Blackbeard. He was also a major fan of Jimmy Buffet, pirate history in general, and an avid supporter of all my endeavors. He was a loving father to his children and family, a kind and generous man who was willing to help anyone, and I am thankful to have known him.

I saw him last only 5 days back at Wormsloe Plantation's history festival. It was brief, but I got to give him a hug, and saw him last walking with his children.

He was also, like myself, a huge fan of music, so I'd like to share this link he sent me to a song he loved about Blackbeard:

Rest in peace my friend. Fair winds, and following seas mate. You helped many people, and made a difference. Thanks for everything Logan. I will miss you. Today's been a very hard day for me emotionally about this loss. Its crazy losing someone, especially someone with similar interests at the same age. Definitely not okay.

(Pictured is Logan Spencer's nominee photo for Order of Leviathan, us playing the pirate board game Merchants and Marauders together, and us on my ship stage during my birthday last year that he helped me build)

[writingisartdarling]

Good afternoon, my dearest friends!

A while ago (quite a long while actually) I bought this Downton Abbey magazine and promised here on Tumblr that I would translate some of the Chelsie bits for you from Finnish to English. And now that I've got one free afternoon in my hands, I finally took it upon myself to get on with this task!

Now, shall we?

-----------------------------------------

I'll put the photo of the actual page here, scroll down to get a better view!

And now for the rough translation...

'Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes'

'The romance between the leaders of the downstairs bunch Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes burned with a soft flame for years. Signs of the couple's close relationship were seen as the series progressed, including when Mrs. Hughes suspected she had cancer. When the suspicion proved unfounded, Carson, contrary to his character, was seen singing happily. Romance began to be in the air as the couple walked into the water hand in hand on a servants' trip to the beach.

When Mrs. Patmore bought herself a house for when she would retire, Carson decided to do the same and asked Mrs. Hughes to join him. She refused because she had no savings as the only provider for her family.

Carson still bought the house in both of their names and proposed to her, this time successfully. Although the couple had misunderstandings and disagreements about the venue of the wedding, they finally married in the spring of 1925.

At their wedding Carson was seen laughing happily againt his nature.

Hughes: "Of course I'll marry you, ye old booby. I thought you'd never ask!"

-from the "special copy" published with the Finnish magazine "Ilta-Sanomat" from the 27th of April 2022 onwards

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This is basically just things we've heard and read already, but I thought I'd share it nonetheless in case someone was interested. And if someone hadn't known these facts, then that's sorted out now :)

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Lastly I'll put the magazine's content list down below, let me know if there's any part you would like to see me publish about!

Characters:

- Violet Crawley

- the Crawley familytree

- Robert and Cora Crawley

- Tom Branson

- the worst conflicts between Edith and Mary

- the road to stars

- Thomas Barrow

- Daisy Mason, Joseph Molesley

- Charles Carson

- Isobel Crawley

The Fascination:

- the biggest love stories

- the royal fans of Downton Abbey

- What fascinates about Downton Abbey?

- the soundtrack

- most touching deaths

- "A New Era": the perfect hit

Britannia: the kingdom of mansions

- Highclere and it's thousand stories

- the fading glory of the mansions

- the hierarchy of the servants'

Behind the scenes:

- the fashion of Downton Abbey

- Julian Fellowes, the man behind it all

- the wild details of staging

- this is what the actors/actresses truly look like

- behind the scenes: peeks into the backstage

- who is who?

Entertainment:

- the most iconic quotes

-----------------------------------------

This post streched out quite a bit and I am sorry for that! You can congratulate yourself if you read it this far ❤️

Now, I hope you have an amazing day!

[homeofjonicles]

The Jonicles - Entry 1

Note: This is the first entry of The Jonicles, hence why the date does not match when this is being posted. This was written back in May of this year before I started this blog, and there will be errors or developments in how this series was being written. Please enjoy (or don't enjoy) the first entry of The Jonicles!

It's currently May 22nd, 2022, on a Sunday at 10:45 pm. It has been three days since the beginning of my Jon Arbuckle fixation, so today is day #4.

Hello, it's me. I have started this series of notes to document an odd development in my fictional character simpery because I feel it is important, as well as unusual. Recently, I have begun to develop a strange fixation on a certain blue shirt wearing cartoonist from a particular comic strip series focusing on him and his lasanga eating ginger cat. It all started when on Thursday, May 19th, I, for no particular reason, was awake at four in the morning, and I made the sleep deprived descision to search up Jon Arbuckle (Specifically in search of the "Why do they call it oven when you of in the cold food of out hot eat the food" image). It was relatively quick and sudden, and from what I can remember, when I found a particular image of the man (The one displayed above), I began to feel... something. An odd, yet familiar feeling, and a part of me somehow knew what was to come. And it haunted me for two whole days.

I denied it at first. "There is no way you are simping for Jon fucking Arbuckle" I thought. "Spamton is already cutting it, we can't get any weirder than that". However, I often said this right after I had just finished drawing Mr. Arbuckle in an almost perfectly emulated style to Jim Davis's own, and by then, I already knew I was gone. Somehow, this painfully relatable geeky cartoonist perplexed me in such a positively fascinating way that I began to become fixated on him. Naturally, I looked furhter into this man. I already knew of the Garfield Minus Garfield series of comic strip edits that erased the snarky feline from existence, but I never knew they would cut so deep, as now when viewing them, they felt different. Unknowingly, I had developed an emotional attachment to Jon and felt a huge empathy for him, and I had no idea what was to come next.

I feverishly begun searching up r/imsorryjon in search of more of this type of content. Within the cracks of horrific, fever-dream like illustrations of the monstrous Garfeldi creatures, I ended up finding what I would consider the cutest and heartstring tugging fucking fanart I had seen at the time, which only made my liking for Mr. Arbuckle even deeper, and in my conquest for more Arbuckle brainrot, I knew what I had to do next.

Without realising, I had already watched the HD upload of Jon Arbuckle absolutely killing it on the dance floor five times in a row from sheer excitement and fascination of the groovy fellow, and I hadn't even known. I mentioned this odd phenomenon to my friend Hyphen the next day, who asked "Are you hyperfixating on Jon" to which I simple answered "I... Don't know", though by now, the answer is quite clear.

And so, that is how his all began. I've drawn Jon about over thirty or more times (A number I think will soon skyrocket), including him in some... Erm, ""sussy"" shenanigans, to say the least... I have many pictures downloaded relating to the cartoonist, mostly originating from the aforementioned Garfield Minus Garfield edits. I went on a research gathering haul on the man, and ended up finding a page featuring an entire gallery of Jon himself, which excited and interested me greatly. I've heard and enjoyed his voice plenty a time (Specifically the time he was voiced by Thom Huge) and I've... even started becoming attracted to the man???? he's super cute though.... Ahem, anyway, and finally, I've already watched the upload of Jon dancing like an absolute GIGACHAD more than what is reasonable for a normal human today alone.

Am I losing my mind? Maybe. Is Jon taking over my head like Wilson and Spamton have? Probably! But is Jon one of the most handsome fictional men I've ever seen drawn on a comic page? You bet your ass he is. And you know what? I wouldn't have it any way. I welcome Jon Arbuckle into my chaotic, unorganised mess of chaos I call my brain with wide, open arms.

can i just point out how fucking weird he looks in the 3D movies and shows though. he looks really feral and it's so funny he's also canonically a gamer in the garfield show and i love that

Last edited at 11:12 (approx)

*note: i should specify that the last edited thingy means that it was last edited on May 22nd at 11:12 pm.

This is the first entry of the Jonicles, and because of it being very early in the series, I feel I must explain some things and provide context to them.

So basically, I do this thing where sometimes I hyperfixated or develop a "crush" on a fictional character and get feelings for them. I've basically just accepted it as a normal thing that happens at this point (and it's completely healthy, don't worry). And at the time of writing, I was previously hyperfixated on the character of Spamton G. Spamton from the game Deltarune by Toby Fox, so that's why he is mentioned here. Spamton is a bizarre character to have a "crush" on (it wasn't serious dont worry), and because of how memey Jon is, i was like "wait no wait this can't possibly be unironic hold on wai". turns out i was terribly wrong and no, it is completely unironic and i do truly love this character. God help me.

Anyway, more of the entries will be posted soon! There's gonna be two links on The Jonicles page sometime after this one is posted, and I'm scheduling it for... Let's say tomorrow at 7:00 AM in whatever timezone the Australian one is!

Cheers,

Your Local Jonnoisseur

Posted on the 18th of July, 2022 at 7:00 am

[woozi]

the thirst tweets yza 😭😭😭 i cannot. as much as fun this was, we were so close to getting jaebs with cats <//3

headlocking sk 😭😭 DJJDSKSK i would stand there like wonu clapping in the soop, for you <3. it's hindi ( actually it's my 2nd language but i speak in it the most w ppl outside of family djdjdjk ) my mother tongue is almost dwording djdjdkdk </3 i think im last gen who still speaks it, kids these days only know hindi or english.

ALSO!!! the footwork in senses choreo???? i liked it sm <3 yugyeom makes it look so easy to move like that?!?

same jdjdkddk godddd sometimes it takes a month to complete a drama which i like and started on my own will and sometimes it only takes 3 days. it doesn't matter how much i love something if i won't watch it, then I won't watch or consume it at all 💀.

ohhh, i've known jamie as an after school club mc first and singer second. like there was this time i was suddenly obsessed w eric nam's before we begin album i think around that time i first listened to one or two songs of jamie ( it was all spotify's doing jddjks) but then i forgot abt both and went back to listening to my regular ones. honestly i feel like i've gotten to know and appreciate jype artists ( those i know ) more, only after they've changed agencies it could just be me or my timing tho djdjdjh. have you listened to hanbin's solo album? honestly it's been no.1 album from 1st half of 2021 for me. i was not even looking forward to it or even knew djdjsk but i'm so glad i did i really like the songs & lyrics.

almost whatever jackson has released after mirrors has been to my taste leaving few bsides here and there. i love lmly <3 idk why for some reason i tend to mix pretty please and lmly up a lot djdjsk maybe it's bc of white tee and jeans. both mvs concept and songs are fantastic but if i have to pick one w/ mv & only considering the song, i do love lmly a little bit more then pretty please. wbu? <3

mark kept saying ' when we go back ' during the live so i got more confused each time, went on twt and got to know djdjdk. twt list of both svt & got7 of update accounts is like my newspaper, in free time i open it to see what is going on, sometimes jdjddk.

and of course i know abt woozi's cover <3 i've listened to it a lot jdjdksk he's so <//3

i could listen to his voice all day.

there is one cover of 10 cm hoshi dropped last year i like it sm <3 it made me so happy!!, around that i was obsessed with some of 10 cm's songs. help is one of my most favorite.

i really really wish for dokyeom to cover more day6 songs or just any songs </3 would really appreciate one from mr. joshu_acoustic too 😿.

did you see the way dokyeom woke up with a smile on his face in 5th in the sopp ep <//3 he's so precious 😭 (i'll try to link next time idk links go through asks tho djjddj sometimes tumblr eats it up). i don't even know what a smile is for first 2 hours after i've woken up. also i think i like this (sk coming and karaoke one - 5th) ep a lil more bc of that half minute of singer cheol it served us. i need him to sing more omg <//3

the soop song tho it's so sweet 😭💕. i love love how they brainstorm and make songs it's such an interesting process. i love what going seventeen is now but i miss watching the song making & recording process (even rho they do show it in inse after cb but jdjdks). the one where they made gose song, recorded it and made choreo/mv i love. it's still remains as one of my most favorite ep. they compose & write songs so smoothly & make it look so effortless <3

thank you for letting me ramble abt silly little things and responding to them, yza <3 love hanging out w/ you. i hope you're also having fun djjddj (i'll try to keep these short fr 😭 djdkdk i feel a bit bad for making you read so much nonsense :3)

take care of yourself, yza <3 sending good week wishes. - 🪂🪂🪂

I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE I GOT TO SEE JAEBEOM READ THIRST TWEETS BEFORE MY VERY EYES WHICH ALTERNATE AU IS THIS 😭

also mood tbh we could've gotten something like jacks' puppy vid </3

LIKE WONU CLAPPING FJKDJKFDJFD in true infj fashion <3 wait naurr that's so sad </3 do they not teach it in schools?

ALSO YES OH MY GODDDDDDDDD house king show us ur fancy moves <3 as a fellow dancer i am throwing him my shoe rn <3 also i literally have never seen smth like this in kpop how did people fucking sleep on this icb it..

I FULLY RELATE HELLO????????????????? what dramas have u been watching? and which genres are u into? <3 i also just finished vincenzo today it was so good 😭 took me like.. a week, i think (?), though bc svt has SO MUCH content and i dont like being behind on svt shit esp bc i also run an update blog lmaooo 😭

WAIT I FORGOT SHE ALSO DID EMCEEING 😭 she's such a fun person </3 AND ERIC NAM FDKJDFJK i have one-sided beef w him lmao when he was still new to the scene he would reply to everyone's @s but he never replied to me so i felt v .. </3 (also this is what.. 13 year old me speaking so this def does not reflect how i feel abt him now JKJKFJKDFF) i also get that </3 i feel like jype doesn't manage them well (i dont know shit behind the scenes and shit abt the industry in-depth but u know... it Kind Of Shows esp w how the artists themselves speak abt the agency lol). and i have not!! i am truly a svtpoppie 😭 i will though bc u recommended it to me <3 i also have been seeing him frequently on tiktok lol, ALSO BC OF LEE HI!!

honestly i haven't been keeping up w his albums anymore just the title tracks so i cant say much 😭 i also def prefer lmly over pretty please i was actually obsessed w it for a while!! i love jackson's vision so much though, the cinematography is EVERYTHING

literally reading abt what our boys have been up to like reading the morning paper KJDSFKJDSJKSJKD

V GOOD FOR U TO HAVE COME ACROSS THE COVER... I JUST DISCOVERED IT BY ACCIDENT 😭 also i have to agree although i definitely do not want to admit that i am more than willing to listen to some man sing to me all day 😭😭😭😭😭 jihoon's voice is just... different to me for some reason. i have a hard time picking between him & seokmin tbh </3 hbu, who's ur fave svt vocalist?

ALSO YES THAT WAS SO CUTE OF HIM!! AND V ON BRAND TOO </3 the way u listen to 10cm..... im giving u an award rn <3 im guessing you listen to k-indie too?

DK THOUGH... I'M VERY MUCH WILLING TO ADMIT THAT I'D LISTEN TO HIM ALL DAY.... something about him... AND NOT THE JOSHU_ACOUSTIC FJDJFDJKFD 😭😭😭 i hate his username so much- why... WHY...

I DID!!!!!!!!! and i was so surprised too bc.. who wakes up smiling?????? what'd he dream of???????????? he's such a happy person i cant imagine what thats like 😭 the first thing i do when i wake up is make the >:| face JFJKFDKJFD also oh my god i just read that you're experiencing the same thing 😭😭 bestie trait!! KJJKFDKJFD ALSO YOU COULDN'T BE MORE RIGHT?????????? im always campaigning for vocalist coups im SOOO glad u feel the same way <3 his voice is just so comforting to me </3 idk i just really like his timbre

and v true omg i'm always fascinated to see how they actually work all this out!! the bts recording/choreo making vids are also my favorite gfkjdfkjdfj HOW ARE WE SO SIMILAR WE MIGHT AS WELL BE THE SAME PERSON 😭also jihoon in that gose behind vid........... in universe factory............... i still think about that Look from time to time... 😭this is also why i respect the boys sm tbh. everyone in the industry undeniably works so hard but to actually get this much creative freedom and to basically lead the group and their direction music and performance-wise is so insane to me... no wonder jihoon's always in his studio. i couldnt be happier that they get to live off of doing what they like im also so so proud of them they must work so hard <3 esp w all the content they're giving us.. icb it's always like this in caratland im so used to being an ahgase that gets like.... 1 cb a year😭

AND NOOO OMG DON'T BE SORRY I REALLY LOOOVE GETTING UR MESSAGES </3 and i love how lengthy they are makes me feel like ur just not making small talk (i hate small talk sm 😭) and that you're actually interested <3 i genuinely love bonding w u through these little asks i can never thank u enough for sending them <3 i hope ur having a lovely week as well!! u can always talk to me even if it's not kpop related and u just want to talk abt life or when u need some cheering up <3

[rixxy8173571m3w1p3]

The Truths Found On Petram Viridios IV (2/?)

A/n: I really enjoyed writing this chapter. Read Part 1

____________

Chapter 2: Getting Along

There was so much you still had to learn about mice and Salamandrian men; minus the mice part. You were surprised by V'gha's chattiness. Why, it was no sooner when you two had taken a seat that he began asking about your culture, interests, as well as to what you did for occupation. It seemed that he was fascinated by how both you and Zeta-7 lived; being that you were the only human he's officially met, he wanted answers for the questions which his home world's databases could not answer. You couldn't fool him when it came to your acquaintance with Rick as his neighbor, but you played it off by saying that he was the local mad scientist that everyone knew of but gave little importance to; it hurts you to say this, for he was worthy of the highest praise, with his extraordinary mind and his winsome personality, but V'gha was more familiar with Zeta-7 then you had known; it seemed Rick had a bigger reputation then you had thought, and the chemist hoped that he could make his acquaintance once all this was over; how he could be interested after all your initial rudeness was inspiring and in its own right.

You found his straightforward nature refreshing, albeit at times coming across as nosy, but first impressions at times gave allowances for this; to discover that despite how one may come across in passing, is not always the sincerest, true version of oneself. There was no malice or ill intent in his inquiries or reactions to your answers, and while you had redirected many of his questions, he didn't seem to mind; whatever you shared gave him delight. Over and over you wondered why Rick couldn't have been seated at this table, for this creature could have shared all that fascinated him with a fellow scientist and they could have debated in peace over theories and experiments; for your part, you would have sat there raptly, admiring the like-minded individuals who might or might not have been jealous at one point or another over understandings, discoveries and what not. As you two talked, you scanned the garden with your eyes, and searched for Rick, but couldn't spot his bowl cut anywhere; you trusted that he'd show up one way or another, but you hoped for sooner rather than later. In the meantime, you two discussed how fascinating the planet and its inhabitants were while making remarks on the flavor of the food  "My soup is thin and looks as though I stuck my foot in it, but it tastes like honey." you commented as you set your spoon back down. "I'm not sure whether to drink it or to jar it."

"Neither. It's what your utensils will go in once you are done eating."

"Oh, I probably shouldn't have tasted it then."

"No harm will be done." he chuckled, which exposed his fine, sharp rows of teeth. "I've taken the liberty of scanning it to make sure."

If Zeta-7 had been here, he might've tried the utensil cleaner on purpose in the good ole' way of tasting the chemical when he should've tested it. Yet, since he wasn't here, you were ready to admit that you found V'gha a bit more intriguing then you had anticipated. When you had initially boarded the ship and met him upon entering a cabin, you were determined to despise him for you didn't want to appear weak in front of strangers, but it melted away as he decided to apologize once you two had reached your assigned table. Sure, you weren't really into reptiles, but whether it was how his skin glistened in the starlight, his intellect, or how his bright oval eyes seemed to bore into you as you spoke, it was somewhat flattering; you thought only Rick could make you feel this way; hopefully, it was his simple charm and newfound politeness, and nothing more. To ease the anxious thoughts which were building in your chest, you glanced at the empty third chair. "Do you think Noathamas is in trouble?"

"I'm not sure." he confessed in all seriousness. "After all, he did violate one of their laws which was not to eat any of the guests. I don't know what came over him, but hopefully, whatever consequences come his way, will simply be disciplinary action and nothing more."

"Yeah, that would be good."

Though, you blamed the fact that the knight had returned from battle not long ago, and might've been triggered by something done or said; you hoped he'd survive. To distract yourself further, you stabbed your synthesized meal. It was a mass of congealed worm meal, and you pretended to eat it, but you weren't really hungry; it was supposed to be calcium-rich if you were correct. "So," you wondered as you pushed away your dish. "where you're from, do you do stuff like this?"

"You mean attend formal gatherings where I'm not allowed to have fun? Or meet total strangers that I'd rather study then stand next to? Hmm, more often than I'd like. It does have its perks. I'm highly respected in my field and get paid well, but I don't get out much unless it's work-related. A majority of my free time is used to study journals or to sleep. Occasionally both."

"That's a bummer. Not the studying part, because that can be fun if it's a topic you're passionate about, but you strike me as someone who enjoys good company. I'm surprised that at this point you haven't mentioned hanging out with friends or family."

The pause in conversation didn't seem long enough for your liking, but neither was it short enough to keep its natural flow. There seemed to be a distant, far off look, as though he were staring through you, at someone else; longing; one which would've gone without notice if you hadn't been used to reading people who were like Rick; intelligent, curious, lonely people who were less like normal men, but were no less mortal, and not quite a machine. When he started, you hadn't expected the familiarity in his words. "I consider my lab as my friend and my lab samples as my family. It's where I am most of the time."

Before you met Rick, would he have said the same? Almost, for his inventions and things bought, made, or salvaged held meaning; he was very sentimental but desperate to cling on to good feelings; maybe, these two weren't so different. "I used to feel the same way about the characters I wrote," you started, wondering if this was a good idea. Yet, now that you've shared this much, you couldn't stop now. "and the stories which I typed for others consumption and entertainment. It's as though you spill and pour a bit of yourself into these dreams and passions. As a famous singer once sang, 'You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one.'"

"What a way to put it. I think I might've heard the song you quoted some years ago. I believe my satellites picked up the transmission."

You smiled at that. You had heard the stories, read the theories, and admired man's will of wanting to make contact with the unknown; if only they would have known what they were getting themselves into. It wasn't all bad, and could very much be as Star Trek would put it, 'To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no man has gone before!' And to watch an intellectual man like Zeta-7 to almost wax poetic about the marvels and atrocities which were in the depths of space, and listening to how an alien admired what was in another quadrant of space, why it warmed your heart. "That's neat. It's funny," you admitted a bit quietly at first, then you raised your eyes towards him. "I'm not used to these kinds of events, but I gotta admit that it hasn't been so bad. You've made an otherwise tiresome task a joyful one."

You had long since noticed that his face was very stiff when it came to expressing emotions, but he still managed a smile that was no less winning. And unlike most of the evening there was an unaccountable silence. Till now, it seemed nothing could stop the Salamandrian from talking, but whatever had come over him went away as a danceable tune began to play, and you felt a subtle shift as he stood and wondered if you cared to dance. Keeping in mind the strict rules of this planet, you raised a brow, but he seemed to know what to do. "Come, I'll show you how it is done."

With a nod, you followed him all the while keeping a fair distance. Beneath your feet, you felt the bumpy path through your thin flats and relished the strong gust of wind that whipped your hair about. If you had closed your eyes, you could almost imagine yourself back home in Rick's backyard, remembering one of the first times you urged him to dance under the moonlit night, admiring how he colored when you realized it was a first for him; reluctant he stood on the patio unsure of what to do, but you smiled at him and told him there wasn't much to it because it was simply more romantic. Oh, how your heart ached for those days, but there wasn't much time to continue reminiscing, for you were dragged back to reality by the candor of the chemist's voice. "We're here."

On a raised platform was a honeycomb pattern of tiles, which illuminated when stepped on. V'gha took his place and stood very still until a see-through chamber enclosed him in. There was no panic or surprise, which led you to believe that he had done this before. In like manner, you followed his lead and took your place a few feet away and stood still until a chamber rose to encapsulate you in it. You felt a tightness in your chest, and took deep breaths in order not to panic, but a new tune began to play and it struck you with a sense of deja vu. 

A glance at the stage revealed the appearance of a tall, veiled figure surrounded by six guards. You pressed a hand over your heart, feeling it quicken as he swiftly, but gently passed his fingers over a golden orbed plant which had very stiff leaves, and when it detected movement, it vibrated, and this, in turn, caused it to emanate a sound a little more delicate than that of a kalimba. Its melody seeped into your bones, buzzing against your skin, and in it you felt a sense of belonging and warmth to a moment. Along with the veiled figure was the being made of pure energy, whose voice added body to the already beautiful tune; flowers bloomed at high frequencies, and thread-thin roots spread along the stage and dance floor; illuminating at rhythmic intervals.

You imagined yourself dancing with Zeta-7, on a plane of nothingness; submerged in a viscous sweetness then rising to the surface; floating, falling, losing yourself in a funny world, with every intrinsic, idiosyncratic, and inviting thing in your path; laced fingers, shared breaths, surrounded by his warmth, secure in the nearness of him, and sure in his grasp; he was incandescently happy, and he was as much yourself as you were of him. "C-can you hear me princess?" he whispered.

You could hear him, but you couldn't answer. Lips ghosted over yours, whispering phrases you thought you recognized; haunting you; trying to tell you something of the utmost importance, but the song ceased, and the figure was gone; breaking the trance you hadn't known you'd been under. When the chamber returned from whence it had come, you followed V'gha back to the table; confused, embarrassed, lost, but with a sense of knowing. You thought to yourself that the veiled figure could've been Rick, for who else could evoke such feelings except for Rick; that or it truly was a tune which was out of this world. "You're quite a dancer." he commented, which interrupted your thoughts.

"What are you talking about? I didn't do anything."

Taking a sip of his murky beverage, he explained. "There is no physical dancing done on this planet, except to those exclusively done by royalty and that of the Milleannos guardians. What the rest of us did, including yourself, was dance with our soul. None of us can really discern what the other is dancing to, which makes it appropriate and is in line with the laws, but while the others might not have understood what you were about, I could tell from the bliss which you exhibited on your face when we came back this way. It made me conclude you had enjoyed yourself. Call it instinct, but I believe this is the happiest you've been all evening."

Again, he wasn't wrong. Yet, how could you not know? It's possible that Zeta-7 didn't know it would take place either. You remembered how you felt, how real and tangible it seemed, but if that was the case, were you really dancing with Rick, or the idea of him? Did it matter? 

The music now, albeit stimulating, was light and nearly silent as though someone was lightly humming. It was not as provoking as the tune earlier had been, but perhaps the experience you had was exclusive to your own feelings. "I did enjoy myself," you replied. "did you?"

"It was fascinating," he admitted smoothly. "but I much more prefer the view of all twenty-nine of this planet's moons. I cannot study the intangible thought of a feeling."

"If it helps, I much would've preferred regular dancing, but the experience...it's… it's one I wouldn't mind trying again." 

One you wouldn't mind trying again, but only with Rick.

Tbc

[mariocki]

I was recently at an Oxfam bookshop, which is always a dangerous thing. I don't get to them often, but whenever I do I leave with far too much stuff. This time was no different, and I walked away with a bag full of books and records. Most exciting among my purchases, though, was a collected edition of the poems of William McGonagall.

I have long been after such a tome. For the uninitiated, McGonagall was a 19th century Scots poet and (by his own description) tragedian. This is him:

He is also often described as perhaps the worst poet who ever lived.

I've been a fan of McGonagall's work ever since I first came across The Famous Tay Whale, perhaps the best known of his poems. Like all of his work, it displays a total disregard for scansion; a rigid adherence to end-rhyme, no matter how strained; and a tendency toward utter literalism, forsaking metaphor or imagery in favour of simply describing what is in front of his eyes. An excerpt:

So the monster whale did sport and play

Among the innocent little fishes in the beautiful Tay,

Until he was seen by some men one day,

And they resolved to catch them without delay.

Taken by itself this might not seem so bad - it certainly isn't good - but McGonagall's poems all have a habit of going on slightly too long as well, so that he ultimately begins to repeat himself, and the more painful of the lines only get worse. I will say, though, that The Famous Tay Whale does contain perhaps my favourite of all McGonagall's stanzas:

Then the water did descend on the men in their boats,

Which wet their trousers and also their coats;

But it only made them the more determined to catch the whale,

But the whale shook at them his tail.

I mean, that's a triple whammy. You've got the horrible, awful lack of scanning between the third and fourth lines, the crazed reliance on rhyme, and the utterly extraneous detail of the wet coats. In a twisted way, this is art.

It feels sort of cruel to celebrate someone for being bad at something. But McGonagall really was very, very bad. Actually, there is some debate about whether or not he was 'in' on the joke - that he may have been a skilled music hall entertainer, who had created the character of The Great McGonagall in order to draw a crowd - and at the height of his fame, he was certainly very successful. There is enough oddness, however, and general eccentricity in his private life to convince me that McGonagall was entirely sincere in his belief of his artistic talents.

A greater reading of his work reveals some particular obsessions held by the poet. There are numerous poems dedicated to new buildings or elements of industry. The best known of these, I suppose, is the triptych of poems about the Tay Railway Bridge (the Tay itself figures in an alarming number of the poems). Some brief excerpts:

The Railway Bridge Of The Silvery Tay

Beautiful Railway Bridge of the Silvery Tay!

And prosperity to Messrs Bouche and Grothe,

The famous engineers of the present day,

Who have succeeded in erecting the Railway

Bridge of the Silvery Tay,

Which stands unequalled to be seen

Near by Dundee and the Magdalen Green.

The singling out of individuals for praise towards the end of the poem is another recurring motif in McGonagall's work. A little over a year after writing the above poem, the Tay Rail Bridge collapsed during a storm, whilst a train was crossing. The disaster moved the poet to write again:

The Tay Bridge Disaster

Beautiful Railway Bridge of the Silv'ry Tay!

Alas! I am very sorry to say

That ninety lives have been taken away

On the last Sabbath day of 1879,

Which will be remember'd for a very long time.

Remember'd is a particularly frustrating word because the removal of that e does nothing to shorten the word or number of syllables when read aloud. Honestly, I can only assume McGonagall was doing it for the aesthetic. Regardless, when a replacement bridge was unveiled the poet once more put pen to paper:

An Address To The New Tay Bridge

Beautiful new railway bridge of the Silvery Tay,

With your strong brick piers and buttresses in so grand array,

And your thirteen central girders, which seem to my eye

Strong enough all windy storms to defy.

And as I gaze upon thee my heart feels gay,

Because thou are the greatest railway bridge of the present day,

And can be seen for miles away

As well as the Tay Rail Bridge, McGonagall captured numerous towns and cities with his pen; there are poems dedicated to Edinburgh, Glasgow, New York, Balmoral, Torquay, Perth, and several about his home town of Dundee. The poet also wrote on topical events, particularly disasters and battles (presumably where his title of Tragedian came from). Then there are addresses to particular people - to Queen Victoria, to Shakespeare, Tennyson, an unknown poet who poked fun at him, and to someone called J. Graham Henderson, presumably a tailor:

Lines In Praise Of Mr. J. Graham Henderson, Hawick

Success to Mr. J. Graham Henderson, who is a good man,

And to gainsay it there's few people can,

I say so from my own experience,

And experience is a great defence.

He is a good man, I venture to say,

Which I declare to the world without dismay,

Because he's given me a suit of Tweeds, magnificent to see,

So good that it cannot be surpassed in Dundee.

An excerpt from one of McGonagall's tragic tales:

The Disastrous Fire At Scarborough

Oh! It was horrible to see the flames leaping up all around,

While among the spectators the silence was profound,

As they saw a man climb out to the parapet high,

Resolved to save his life, or in the attempt to die!

And he gave one half frantic leap, with his heart full of woe,

And came down upon the roof of a public-house 20 feet below;

But, alas! He slipped and fell through the skylight,

And received cuts and bruises: oh, what a horrible sight!

It is lines such as the above that have undoubtedly caused people to question whether the writer was some kind of elaborate hoaxer; those are also the sort of lines that have won him diehard fans (J. K. Rowling and Terry Pratchett among them - both have made references to McGonagall in their work). Some have speculated that the poet may have been on the autism spectrum, and it's entirely possible. After writing to Queen Victoria to try and secure her patronage, and receiving an official rejection written by a royal functionary, McGonagall seems to have mistaken it for some form of validation from the Queen and would often describe her as an admirer of his work for the rest of her life.

It might seem cruel to draw attention to the work of an artist so clearly lacking in technical ability, but I am, like many others, genuinely fond of McGonagall and his work. A large part of the study of poetry is an attempt to get inside the mind, to understand the very soul of the poet. William McGonagall had a fascinating mind, and a unique soul.

I'll finish with a fragment, all that remains of an otherwise lost McGonagall poem, written to celebrate the unveiling of a statue of Robert Burns in Dundee in 1880:

The Burns Statue

This Statue, I must confess, is magnificent to see,

And I hope will long be appreciated by the people of Dundee;

It has been beautifully made by Sir John Steell,

And I hope the pangs of hunger he will never feel.

-

This statue is most elegant in its design,

And I hope will defy all weathers for a very long time;

And I hope strangers from afar with admiration will stare

On this beautiful statue of thee, Immortal Bard of Ayr.

-

Fellow-citizens, this Statue seems most beautiful to the eye,

Which would cause Kings and Queens for such a one to sigh,

And make them feel envious while passing by

In fear of not getting such a beautiful Statue after they die.

-

See where he sits on the stump of that tree

His eyes tuned to heaven his Mary to see,

A scroll at his feet, a pen in his hand

Writing to his Mary in the Better Land

[thispabulum-blog]

We All Know Why We're Here ;)

Why Are Men? Wednesday

(The original post got taken down for "adult content" because Tumblr is weak, so I have made a new post minus the mostly-nude man for all the prudes at HQ, I guess)

I'll put up Thursday's actual post later tonight.

Men are fascinating creatures, yes? Let's see some examples.

I ran into this nice fellow. He is in fact a stripper; he works at what I would consider the most well known male strip club in this area - because it's the only one I know by name.

[Picture too hot for Tumblr, apparently]

He has a lot of pictures such as this one - professional shots clearly taken for work - one picture of him wearing a shirt, zero normal candid pictures, and his profile specifies he's not looking for hookups.

Hmm.

NEXT.

I got a message from this guy, and it was truly a very confusing conversation.

Oh.

From what I could gather, the second message didn't have anything to do with the first - meaning that there wasn't anything specific about my profile that led him to believe I was trans; he's just a paranoid transphobe like a lot of guys I've run into.

It turned out (I did answer him out of curiosity) that what he was referring to in his initial message was whether or not I'm actually poly? Idk. He's blocked me since then, unsurprisingly.

Tangent: This is a thing I talked about a bit in my Thursday post last week, but it's frustrating when guys assume that when I say I'm poly, it means I'm just trying to fuck a bunch of dudes.

I recently had this conversation with a guy, which I'll transcribe because I'm full up on screenshots in this post.

Him: So what you're looking for on here?

Me: I'm open to most things, honestly. The whole point of poly, for me at least, is to be able to interact with people in whatever way makes sense based on chemistry/dynamics, etc.

Him: Can I be honest with you about my intentions

Me: I would very much appreciate that.

Him: I’m not rushing anything. I am open to whatever comes my way. Something about you intrigue me. I mean this with no disrespect but I can be a little blunt and ignorantly speaking.

My intention with you would be to fuck and experience life. Nothing more nothing less

Plus you not looking for a relationship so building and creating is off the table.

But we can experience things together

Me: I definitely never said I wasn't looking for a relationship, but that's fine.

Him: Guess you didn’t I just assume because you said poly.

But you okay with that?

Me: I'm not opposed to it offhand. Just prefer to do a little more groundwork before I move in to anything physical.

Him: So you’re a small talk type individual that’s fine I respect it.

Me: Not exactly. I just generally don't fuck people unless they're interesting and I respect them.

Again, I appreciate this guy being up front and honest about his intentions. Clear communication is a huge plus. But like...why do I have to have this same fucking conversation at least three times a week?

(Also no, I'm not going to sleep with this guy, but it has more to do with his poor writing and his face tattoo than that he's open about his intentions.)

NEXT.

Here's an example of me being super awesome at flirting.

Here's the picture I was referencing:

Because fuck that guy who never answered me, albatross are fucking fascinating and you can't convince me otherwise; they are my second favorite animal.

That's not even a full grown one! Shit, man. I don't know how that wouldn't blow your mind. But what can I expect from a guy whose Tinder profile features a Machine Gun Kelly song?

NEXT.

This is a statement I see in a lot of profiles, and I take issue with it, because...I don't? Honestly, I've talked to so many guys at this point that I have no fucking idea what any of us are here for, myself included. Especially on OkCupid, which is much less of a hookup site than something like Tinder.

NEXT.

Here's one I saw quite some time ago that's just...so great.

No pictures of himself, ofc. I matched with this guy (out of curiosity only) so I could hear more about his situation, and once I told him I only do ENM (ethical non-monogamy) he stopped responding. Go figure.

NEXT.

I just wanna know how effective it is for this guy to IMMEDIATELY reference Rick and Morty. Do you think he gets a lot of matches this way?

I feel like Rick and Morty is like writing poetry; even if you enjoy it yourself, as soon as someone else mentions liking it you immediately cringe.

NEXT.

Speaking of things that immediately make you cringe, tell me how far you get on this one.

Yawn.

NEXT.

About once a week I run into a profile like this:

And I REALLY want to know if this ever works. Not to stereotype, but I can't see a lot of women going for this. Partly because I feel like for women, any level of sexual desperation has to be balanced against personal safety to some degree, and personally I'm never going to seriously consider anything with a guy who doesn't have actual pictures on his profile.

NEXT.

And we'll just finish up on this one:

I don't feel bad about including this guy's Snap because, well, he's already comfortable putting it out there. He knows what he's about.

NEXT.

Ah, damn. I guess that's all for this week.

[thispabulum-blog]

We All Know Why We're Here ;)

Why Are Men? Wednesday

Men are fascinating creatures, yes? Let's see some examples.

I ran into this nice fellow. He is in fact a stripper; he works at what I would consider the most well known male strip club in this area - because it's the only one I know by name.

He has a lot of pictures such as this one - professional shots clearly taken for work - one picture of him wearing a shirt, zero normal candid pictures, and his profile specifies he's not looking for hookups.

Hmm.

NEXT.

I got a message from this guy, and it was truly a very confusing conversation.

Oh.

From what I could gather, the second message didn't have anything to do with the first - meaning that there wasn't anything specific about my profile that led him to believe I was trans; he's just a paranoid transphobe like a lot of guys I've run into.

It turned out (I did answer him out of curiosity) that what he was referring to in his initial message was whether or not I'm actually poly? Idk. He's blocked me since then, unsurprisingly.

Tangent: This is a thing I talked about a bit in my Thursday post last week, but it's frustrating when guys assume that when I say I'm poly, it means I'm just trying to fuck a bunch of dudes.

I recently had this conversation with a guy, which I'll transcribe because I'm full up on screenshots in this post.

Him: So what you're looking for on here?

Me: I'm open to most things, honestly. The whole point of poly, for me at least, is to be able to interact with people in whatever way makes sense based on chemistry/dynamics, etc.

Him: Can I be honest with you about my intentions

Me: I would very much appreciate that.

Him: I’m not rushing anything. I am open to whatever comes my way. Something about you intrigue me. I mean this with no disrespect but I can be a little blunt and ignorantly speaking.

My intention with you would be to fuck and experience life. Nothing more nothing less

Plus you not looking for a relationship so building and creating is off the table.

But we can experience things together

Me: I definitely never said I wasn't looking for a relationship, but that's fine.

Him: Guess you didn’t I just assume because you said poly.

But you okay with that?

Me: I'm not opposed to it offhand. Just prefer to do a little more groundwork before I move in to anything physical.

Him: So you’re a small talk type individual that’s fine I respect it.

Me: Not exactly. I just generally don't fuck people unless they're interesting and I respect them.

Again, I appreciate this guy being up front and honest about his intentions. Clear communication is a huge plus. But like...why do I have to have this same fucking conversation at least three times a week?

(Also no, I'm not going to sleep with this guy, but it has more to do with his poor writing and his face tattoo and the fact that he's an ignorant transphobe than that he's open about his intentions.)

NEXT.

Here's an example of me being super awesome at flirting.

Because fuck that guy who never answered me, albatross are fucking fascinating and you can't convince me otherwise; they are my second favorite animal.

Here's the picture I was referencing:

That's not even a full grown one! Shit, man. I don't know how that wouldn't blow your mind. But what can I expect from a guy whose Tinder profile features a Machine Gun Kelly song?

NEXT.

This is a statement I see in a lot of profiles, and I take issue with it, because...I don't? Honestly, I've talked to so many guys at this point that I have no fucking idea what any of us are here for, myself included. Especially on OkCupid, which is much less of a hookup site than something like Tinder.

NEXT.

Here's one I saw quite some time ago that's just...so great.

No pictures of himself, ofc. I matched with this guy (out of curiosity only) so I could hear more about his situation, and once I told him I only do ENM (ethical non-monogamy) he stopped responding. Go figure.

NEXT.

I just wanna know how effective it is for this guy to IMMEDIATELY reference Rick and Morty. Do you think he gets a lot of matches this way?

I feel like Rick and Morty is like writing poetry; even if you enjoy it yourself, as soon as someone else mentions liking it you immediately cringe.

NEXT.

Speaking of things that immediately make you cringe, tell me how far you get on this one.

Yawn.

NEXT.

About once a week I run into a profile like this:

And I REALLY want to know if this ever works. Not to stereotype, but I can't see a lot of women going for this. Partly because I feel like for women, any level of sexual desperation has to be balanced against personal safety to some degree, and personally I'm never going to seriously consider anything with a guy who doesn't have actual pictures on his profile.

NEXT.

And we'll just finish up on this one:

I don't feel bad about including this guy's Snap because, well, he's already comfortable putting it out there. He knows what he's about.

NEXT.

Ah, damn. I guess that's all for this week.