#these exiled years

[clatterbane]

I probably ought to go ahead and acquire some more grey market antihistamines off eBay. The stockpile is starting to run lowish, and you can't get anything but the 24-hour nondrowsy types here. Nothing fast acting for more acute allergic reactions and skin reactions.

Apparently there is one liquid form of diphenhydramine/Benadryl available by prescription here. Specified as salty licorice and anise flavored, and anise-flavored medicine has actually made me puke before. Also, good luck getting that prescribed, I'm guessing especially as an adult with "just" generally bitchy allergies to basically everything.

Also (in translation): Cases of abuse have been reported in connection with the use of the active substance diphenhydramin. The risk of addiction is greater in patients who have previously had drug abuse.

Which I have not notably--though very possibly by their standards, because I have tried me a few actually illicit drugs over the years! It just never stuck. But yeah, we're talking about liquid Benadryl. They acted goofy enough about the stuff in the UK, but it's all zero tolerance BS all the way down here. And Benadryl is apparently addictive now. Who knew?!

(Pretty sure I have heard of it sometimes getting used to cut heroin or something? That could apply to about anything, though.)

Yeah, eBay is looking damned good.

[pariahfox]

Finally going to try to embark on a new study plan, of slightly more structured DIY SFI.

The actual classes are free--but logistics, neurospiciness, and rolling burnout have been getting in the way of enrolling in any. Even what distance options I was finding for our area. But yeah, that is at least intended to help get immigrants up and at least semi-functional in daily Swedish ASAP.

As befits my nerdy, "unusual relationship to language in general" ass, I am currently all over the map in terms of skills here. Deciphering some written Icelandic and spotting German cognates, sure! Scanning "normal" written material, and at least getting the gist of maybe 50%-90% depending on subject matter? Usually yes, by this point. Formulate a halfway comprehensible e-mail with some vocabulary help from a dictionary? It'll take at least 3x longer than in English, but I can mostly manage. Just don't ask me to carry on a basic conversation, or do much more than (badly) order some coffee.

The osmosis approach really hasn't been helping so much with this. Neither has the fact that I haven't been able to get out and interact with people even anywhere near as much as my awkwardness could handle otherwise. Honestly haven't had the best luck trying to figure out how exactly to remedy any of this either.

So, my idea to get my ass in gear now is to pick up the appropriate textbooks (likely through less-than-official means) and follow along with at least one of the frequently recommended folks like Peter SFI covering this shit less officially online.

Also, suck it up and practice on the household captive native speaker more than I have been up to this point. If anybody is used to ridiculousness coming out of my mouth, it would be him. It just feels harder when it is someone that you do care what they think of you, who was also at near-native level in your primary language when you met them over 20 years ago. 😬

There are obviously the executive function pitfalls to keep in mind, but yeah. Trying to get more organized on my own is probably a better approach than doing much on a more formal basis. So, we'll have to see how putting an hour or two a day into this semi-structured approach might go.

My brain is pretty fried tonight, so I intend to start into that tomorrow. (Cue "Jane Says"... 🙄)

[senvurii]

oh bedrock bros. i wish you could come home

[boarloved-art]

Wei Wuxian should be able to get drunk for once. I think he'd either be singing bawdy drinking songs on the roof of the Jingshi or he'd be getting irrevocably lost no matter where he is. He's found in the bushes behind the mountains like a cryptid, and then he's like "I can't believe you all got lost" (extremely slurred) as if he didn't get embarrassed by something Lan Wangji had said and just somehow disappeared when everyone looked back at him

oh ABSOLUTELY im walking with u and nodding and agreeing, i can see him becoming an absolute menace to keep track of at his drunkest.

anyway heres wonderwall The Gang (Wangxian & their fave group of ducklings) in a city known for its STRONG wine and wuxian being like well. ur all grown now, youre technically not juniors anymore. we have to see whos lasting the longest against this stuff!, smash cut to a suspiciously wei ying-less group of the worlds drunkest cultivators being wrangled through the woods by designated driver hanguang-jun, with at least 2 of them clinging to his robes at all times.

[indimiart]

thank you for reminding me what the sun feels like

They’ve both got a lot of years of missing sunlight. Lucky they get to relearn warmth again together🫶🏼

[toms-bit]

wow. what a year am i right haha (its been 3 years)

On February 26th, 2022, I made a drawing of cTommy. Every year since I have gone "Oh! I feel that my art has come a long way, I should redraw it!"... and I never do. I got close in 2023, had a sketch down, but I didn't like it so I never finished it. Earlier today I wanted to draw something, and which lead me to actually drawing and finishing a redraw. I don't like it much, the lineart is just a cleaned up sketch, but. It's done. I did it. I wish I could get across just how weird it feels lmao

^The original drawing. In some ways I like it better, but that could honestly just be nostalgia. Still can't draw hands or feet </3

[mayexiled]

"Bring down the blade with the strength to shatter fate."

[boneshine]

Brush my hair

Read my lines

It’s time to go

Wear my suit

Put the make up on

Put on a show

Up, up, up, to the Heaviside layer

Up, up, up, I'm going straight up

Take my lunch Lose my lunch It's a shaky start

I'm old Deut

Now he's old Deut

I've lost the part

Down, down, down, to the center of the Earth

Down, down, down, I'm going straight down

[lover-of-mine]

I keep thinking about this and I know I'm bringing a gun to the fight for no reason other than I haven't recovered from people telling me I want instant gratification with my firefighters, but the whole thing with Buck and Eddie and waiting until s9 and a whole season of pining is that Buck is a horrible liar. An explicit pining scenario only works if it's pining Eddie/oblivious Buck because Eddie could take loving Buck to his grave. It's a canon fact that Buck can't hide stuff from Eddie. And a season of pining is a whole year in universe of Buck hiding something from Eddie. I have no clue how they could pull that off without it sounding like it is just a stupid reason to have them pine for the sake of delaying the getting together. And sure, they can get Eddie out, let Eddie have his feeling realization, and do all the pining through Eddie until Buck catches up, but Buck's feeling realization arc already started. Realistically, how much can they really delay Buck putting a name on his feelings if they made a point of getting Buck distraction off the board? A whole season is a whole year. I wanna see some pining, yeah, but like, they are best friends, I can't figure out how you can have them both aware they are in love with each other and they don't just snap into action. Not unless they are physically separated. Buck would get so fucking weird, Eddie would confront him about it if it went on for a year.

[theokapuco]

A broken hero

[thegreatyin]

when the interactive fiction has an option you can't select as part of the narrative >>>

[clatterbane]

One good thing that came out of today's early morning trip out for more bullshit bloodwork: I found some promising-looking vegetables, which are pretty exotic by local standards but remind me of home! One of the benefits of living in an immigrant-heavy neighborhood. (Doesn't really matter where from IME, just as long as it's got longer warmer growing seasons there.) Hasty lap shot of today's haul when I was about to head home.

Much better view after getting home! Some nice young examples of one common Middle Eastern variety of summer squash, along with some okra. Which was borderline overgrown by my standards, but it didn't feel like it was going all tough and dried out yet--and it's the nicest fresh okra my admittedly near-hermit ass has spotted in years.

On the way home this morning, I got Mr. C to drop me at the nearby shopping center, so I could pick up an Instabox package (shoes) and enjoy the weather and a little exercise while "strolling" the rest of the way.

It was still early enough that at least half the businesses weren't even open yet, but that also meant that things were enough less busy that I felt like I could get in more easily for a better look at a couple of stores I'd wanted to check out more. One of them a halal butcher shop with attached fruit and vegetable shop just across from there, obviously run by the same people. Both are usually mobbed enough that I haven't felt like shoving myself in--especially with the chair.

The butcher side was still not looking so accessible, even with only a couple of other customers in there, plus a few workers finishing getting things set up for the day. I also figured that I didn't really need to go on an early-morning meat buying spree in hot weather--much less when my backpack was already completely full of shoebox, and carrying capacity was already pretty limited. So, no meat for me.

The other side did, however, lure me over with some gorgeous plums. Which sadly turned out to still be so hard that I noped away from those. Yes, I am that produce prodder, and I can be particular. Was hoping they would have some nice leafy greens out front today, but no such luck.

But, then I did spot the okra and then the squash.

I didn't grab much today, since I am the only one in the house who really likes either thing. Plus the okra was running the equivalent of US$7.69/kg, or roughly $3.50/lb. 😓 Squash was $2.90/ or $1.30/lb by comparison. I got away at about $2.50 for both of them together, which really wasn't at all bad by local standards. I am also cheap as hell sometimes and also still mentally comparing with prices on locally grown squash and okra in a much more rural area 15-20 years ago when I was last buying anything back home.

I am also now lowkey pining for some Floyd County peaches, and J. Random Farmer's cantaloupes that he's selling off his truck by the road. Then there's the fresh just-picked regional variety corn. 🙄

If that okra is any good and I see more there in nearly as good a shape, I may have to pick up enough more to try pickling a few jars of it. That's one thing that I do miss sometimes, and I don't really want to try with the frozen stuff--which is usually better for cooking than what I see fresh anymore.

The produce side also carries a bunch of dried fruits and nuts, and some other loose bulk goods including some interesting-looking Afghan brown sugar in like fist-sized chunks which I'd never seen before, but made me think of panela or jaggery. May need to try me some of that.

Also looks like the place to go if you want a sack of pumpkin seeds or similar at reasonable prices! Today I did not, and also did not particularly want to carry that home in my lap because that would have been the only place for it.

Their produce is all out front, but I did go ahead and bull my way back through the rest of the store to get a good look at the dry goods. Needed to shove a couple of obstructions out of the way in the narrow aisles, but I was the only customer in there at that point and idgaf. It was well worth a look around. May need to go back another morning after a few things that looked good.

There is also a spice shop a couple of doors down, which always smells heavenly to go past but is usually so packed that even Mr. C hesitates to peruse it on foot. There were few enough people in there too that I had to roll through and case the joint. Did look and smell like some quality stuff at decent prices. Also some pretty good looking bulk bin dried fruits and nuts and other snack items, and some assorted Middle Eastern sweets. I didn't buy anything there either today, but will probably need to make a morning raid on that too before too long.

But yeah, the day was not all bad. I also got to see a delightful young Boxer out for a walk on the way home.

[exile-arc]

ON EXILE AND LOSING YOURSELF.

Sources: ship of theseus, britannica / @.thunderbottle / rat a tat, fall out boy / silhouettes, shadows and reflections, mission vista / i don't know, ghost quartet / window of awareness, holly warburton / exile vilify, the national / @.waddei / rat a tat, fall out boy / event horizon, wiktor jackowski / tommyinnit tvtropes page

[a-mirror-of-memories]

Not the last Airbender Au

From Kyoshi’s novels we learned that Air Nomads can lose their bending by neglecting their spiritual side and clinging to earthy desires and that’s exactly what happened to the survivors of the genocide who managed to stay hidden. Even if they wanted to cling to what was left of their culture their fear for theirs and their loved ones lives shackled them like anything else. Wanting to preserve at least a little of their heritage some Air Nomads went to great lengths to painstakingly write down every airbending form, dish, book, plant, festival or anecdote they still remembered; then they hid them away with the hope that they’ll be found only when the war’s finally over and their descendants could start to rebuild their lives. Others decided to pass their stories the oral way, sharing their culture with their children in secret even if they couldn’t fully embrace it as non benders.

But the children, not fully understanding the tragedy they were living been so young, weren’t always non benders.

Not all their children and not on every generation but airbending keep finding its way back and refused to be erased without a trace. After 100 years of war what was left of the Air Nomads culture was small and hidden away but against all odds was still fighting for survival.

Some parents cried when they saw their kids’ airbending for the first time, passing down everything they could even if it should forever be kept a secret from everyone else. Others were terrified of the danger it implied, punishing and beating the child until they were unable to create anything stronger than a small breeze. But there were still those who the war had turned cruel, who saw such children as something disgusting that should be destroyed before anyone found out.

It was exactly the later situation that prince Zuko stumbled upon only a few months after been exiled.

[neloangelo0]

....happy jostiversary @exilethegame (I'm a month late)

[littlerune]

i hate the "banish the wardens from orlais" option because it's like.... by what authority?? i get it, the inquisition is framing itself to be a powerhouse but i feel like they still don't have the ability to banish people from a kingdom they don't rule lmao