#lent is over

[caeliflammae]

listening to gtn again. ouuuugh. livetweeting as usual.

[broccolipaws]

for dust you are and to dust you shall return

[elksun]

it takes a village

[irrigos]

breaking my posting fast to share the most important things from the motr lorebook finally dropping

reggie nude boxing AND a sick theo burn

[incomingalbatross]

Happy Easter, friends in my computer!!

[why-bless-your-heart]

Shockingly, horrifyingly, chronic conditions actually do last a long time and reoccur frequently.

[fictionadventurer]

That C.S. Lewis quote about being "old enough for fairy tales again" is really popular in this section of tumblr, but I think I've hit an opposite stage where I'm old enough for realism again. As a teenager in English class, realism seemed like the boring, baseline option that limited your imagination to only the dullest parts of daily life. If I wanted real life, I'd just live it! Stories should give us something bigger and brighter and more exciting!

But as I get older, I'm starting to understand that realism isn't about limiting yourself to the real world, it's about appreciating it. It's about noticing and caring about those tiny details in life. It's about looking at the seemingly ordinary and unexciting people and saying that their stories are worth telling, too. There's a beauty in gazing upon this world in delicate detail and drawing out those fine shades of nuance that you don't notice in the bustle of actually living life. Realism lets you slow down and recognize that our world has wonders, too, and they don't all have to be big and flashy to be worth our attention.

Younger me also got the impression that realism was depressing--we don't get happy endings because they're not realistic. And it's true that realism has a greater share of sad endings, but that can be a comfort. As you grow up, you have more and more experiences tell you that the happiness of life is buried in a lot of murkier emotions--a lot of turmoil and uncertainty and bad decisions--and realism says that's okay. The story's worth telling even if it doesn't end well, even if people don't rise above their baser natures, even if things are a bit dull. Realism can be happier, in some ways, than those bigger, brighter genre stories, because it acknowledges those murkier imperfections of life and says that they don't erase happiness or make someone's story not worth telling.

Lewis' quote is great, but it's not the whole story. Like Chesterton says, children are fascinated by fairy tales, but the youngest children are fascinated by reality--"A child of seven is excited to hear that Tommy opened a door and found a dragon, while a child of three is excited to hear that Tommy opened a door." Fantasy is a fantastic escape, but like all travel, the point of it is to make us see our own world more clearly when we return home. And that's where realism comes in. Those types of stories aren't about casting off childish fancy and focusing on the grim details of adulthood--they can be about regaining an even more innocent and child-like wonder.

[moregraceful]

EVERYBODY SHUT UP!!!!!! PAT SIELOFF IS PREGNANT!!!!!

1. Birthday cake from Sierra and Kelly; 2. Gritty soft serve ice cream cup; 3. Sign for Erik Johnson's 1k celebration; 4. Jersey Devil Christmas tree ornament.

[lostlegendaerie]

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[scottinaussie]

Fr. Mike Schmitz

Lent 2017

[thebirdandhersong]

I've mentally blocked out most of last year's romantic fiasco, but sometimes things come to mind suddenly and I'm forced to Deal With residual mortification at the very thought of the person I was

[glowingsand]

i let my friend borrow my copy of howls moving castle and now i’m experiencing epic withdrawal symptoms T-T

[downtherabbitholewithlucy]

Studio sessions with Jonathan Davis & Sam Rivers for the "Queen of the Damned" (2002) Soundtrack

(Warning: Sound quality is kinda harsh in some parts so if you listen with headphones/ear buds, you may want to lower the volume)

[dormiloncito]

whatever happened to hipsters. did they die.

[citricacidprince]

To the folks who gave me gravity falls doodle requests, know I AM working on them, my Apple Pencil went to super hell and I had to replace it in the midst of an intense meltdown so I’m super sorry they’re taking a while (it died when I was in the middle of a cute doodle request with mullet stan and the mystery twins :[ )

[dabigothic]

And I know that in the morning I will wake up

In the shivering cold

And the spiderman is always hungry