Odds and Ends

Random things, mostly having to do with Anders, Dragon Age, art, and the occasional mineral.

[smalllady]

dragon age: inquisition + color palettes (part 1)

[smalllady]

dragon age: inquisition + color palettes (part 2)

[berelinde]

I went out into the yard today and picked some violets for myself. I was sad while I was doing it because, from now on and probably forever, the only flowers I get will be those I procure myself, but now that they’re sitting here on my desk in their tiny shot glass of a vase...

I’m kinda happy. Not “go to sleep thinking hopeful thoughts” happy or even “go 5 minutes without crying” happy, but it’s nice to see something pretty. They’ll die because that’s what cut flowers do, and sooner than most because violets are so fragile, but for today, they’re a reminder that not everything in the world is ugly and hurtful.

[berelinde]

Free Cookbooks!

books.google.com is a truly invaluable resource, in general. Many classics have entered the public domain, and thanks to technology and great generosity on the part of translators (and coders), research has never been easier.

Those with an interest in classical cookery might research the following (and many more):

M. A. Careme

Taillevent

Brillat Savarin

Escoffier

The ability to read French helps, but it’s far from essential. Most works are available in translation. A few are not, but if I can get through them with my sparse, ancient memories of High School French, anyone can.

[peachisty]

reblog if the person you reblogged this from deserves to be happy this 2017 (or forever)

[berelinde]

I want a cartoon of Satele Shan and Force ghost Darth Marr playing “I Spy” while waiting for the Outlander. You artists know you want it, too...

[berelinde]

29, 47, 54, 78 :-)

"29) What store do you shop at most often?"Aharts Market, a bodega-style grocery store around the corner from me. Because no matter what's going on, you gotta cook dinner.

"47) What was the last thing you bought for yourself?"Socks. Mundane, but isn't everything?

"54) What big lesson could people learn from your life?"No good deed goes unpunished.

"78) Would you break the law to save a family member?"Depends on which family member.

Thanks for asking!

[dragonageconfessions]

CONFESSION: 

I’ll be 100% honest. As much as I love Dorian, I hate how the ending of DAI was. His “you’re terribly dull and I hate you” actually scared me a lot, and it’s because I have major issues with trust and even if it was a joke, it still hurt? Especially because I have trouble figuring out if it’s sarcastic or not. I was just really scared and I wish the creators thought about it more.

[berelinde]

Um... yeah. I’m not on the spectrum, but I do have a lot of trouble detecting sarcasm if the speaker isn’t really obvious about it, and that ending was hard to take. I actually went to the forums - back when they had them - and asked “WTF is he serious?” The reassurances people posted convinced me that he was being sarcastic, but it wasn’t obvious from the game.

[berelinde]

9, 11, 22, 33 :-)

"9) Have you ever been stood up?"More times than I want to admit. I like to think I'm an optimist.

"11) Have you been to Las Vegas?"No, actually, I have not. My brother lived there for a while and I wanted to visit him desperately, but I never did. I miss him terribly, but I won't spend someone else's money on travel.

This is actually a much deeper question than it seems. As I was framing a reply, it opened up all kinds of thoughts: how do I feel about money, about gambling (with money or with other commodities, e.g. time, affection, hope). In the end, I decided to focus on the only draw Las Vegas really held. Gordon is an awesome guy with a great sense of humor and a keen interest in personal enlightenment. Of course, I want to visit him more often. But he moved, so now I'm kinda meh on the place.

"22) What’s your horoscope sign?"Cancer. Big on nurturing, artistic endeavor, substance abuse, living up to expectations, and woefully inadequate coping mechanisms. Ernest Hemingway is a classic example, but I'm hoping to avoid ventilating my skull, no matter how tempting it might be, at times.

"33) Do you think flowers or candy are a better way to apologize?"Ideally, both. Hey, if you need to apologize, why stop at half measures? If forced to choose, though, I'd say flowers. They're aesthetic, pure. They speak from the spirit, and address the soul. Candy appeals to the Id, a glutton's reward. Yeah, it's satisfying, but who's willing to admit it?

[mumblegore-deactivated20150124]

It’s not just kids that form surprising bonds with these bundles of wires and circuits. Some people give names to their Roomba vacuum cleaners, says Darling. And soldiers honour their robots with “medals” or hold funerals for them. She cites one particularly striking example of a military robot that was designed to defuse landmines by stepping on them. In a test, the explosions ripped off most of the robot’s legs, and yet the crippled machine continued to limp along. Watching the robot struggle, the colonel in charge called off the test because it was “inhumane”, according to the Washington Post.

Is it OK to torture or murder a robot?

(via maskandmachete)

okay reblogging this thing again because I’ve had a thought now that I’ve read the article: The writer says re: animal cruelty laws, “It’s less about the animal’s experience and more about our own emotional pain.”

While this may be true in some respects, there is also the noted connection between animal abuse and violent behavior towards other humans. Someone who does not have the empathy that prevents us from hurting animals will likely not stop there.

The bounds of this expected empathy are a socially defined concept, yes, but that does not make them any less strong. If there is a more fundamental basis for empathy, I would be interested to learn about it, but at the moment I’m quite tired and will hold off on personal research.

In any case, I’m in favor of robot rights on principle, but this adds another underlying layer of logic: robot rights can also protect humans in the process.

(via moniquill)

I really appreciate the idea that protecting robot rights can protect humans both from empathetic suffering on the robots’ behalf, and also from the moral injury humans can incur by being allowed or even compelled to be cruel to robots. 

(via wildehacked)

While I confess that I did not read the article, I can react to the quoted bit well enough. Give that colonel a pat on the back for empathy. The test was inhumane. Not for the robot. It’s just circuits and electrons. It doesn’t care. But the observers do have feelings, and they have imagination. Put the two together and it’s pretty obvious why a struggling and (mortally) damaged robot would create distress in the troops under his/her command.

[julibellule-deactivated20191009]

Get to know me!

1) What images do you have set for your desktop/cell phone wallpapers?

2) Have you ever had a crush on a teacher?

3) What was your last text message?

4) What do you see yourself doing in 10 years?

5) If you could be anywhere else right now, where would you be?

6) What was your coolest Halloween costume?

7) What was your favorite 90s show?

8) Who was your last kiss?

9) Have you ever been stood up?

10) Favorite ice cream flavor?

11) Have you been to Las Vegas?

12) Your favorite pair of shoes?

13) Honestly, have you ever cheated on your significant other?

14) What is your favorite fruit?

15) Have you talked to anyone on tumblr that you could see yourself dating/having sex with? If possible?

16) Are you into hookups? Short or long term relationships?

17) Do you smoke? If so, what?

18) What do you do to get over your anger?

19) Do you believe in God?

20) Does the person you’re in love with know it?

21) Favorite position?

22) What’s your horoscope sign?

23) Your fears?

24) How many pets do you have? What kind?

25) What never fails to turn you on?

26) Your idea of a perfect first date?

27) What is something most people don’t know about you?

28) What makes you feel the happiest?

29) What store do you shop at most often?

30) How do you feel about oral? Giving and/or receiving?

31) Do you believe in karma?

32) Are you single?

33) Do you think flowers or candy are a better way to apologize?

34) Are you a good swimmer?

35) Coffee or Tea?

36) Online shopping or shopping in person?

37) Would you rather be older or younger than your current age?

38) Cats or Dogs?

39) Are you a competitive person?

40) Do you believe in aliens?

41) Do you like dancing?

42) What kind of music to you listen to?

43) What is your favorite cartoon character?

44) Where are you from?

45) Eat at home or eat out?

46) How much more social are you when you’re drunk?

47) What was the last thing you bought for yourself?

48) Why do you think your followers follow you?

49) How many hours do you sleep at night?

50) What worries you most about the future?

51) If you had a friend that spoke to you the same way you speak to yourself, how long would you be friends?

52) Are you happy with yourself?

53) What do you wish you didn’t know?

54) What big lesson could people learn from your life?

55) If you could live in any home on a television series, what would it be?

56) What’s your favorite Website?

57) What’s the habit you’re proudest of breaking?

58) What was your most recent trip of more than 50 miles?

59) What’s the best bargain you’ve ever found at a garage sale or thrift store?

60) What do you order when you eat Chinese food?

61) If you had to be named after one of the 50 states, which would it be?

62) If you had to teach a subject to a class, what would it be?

63) Favorite kind of chips?

64) Favorite kind of sandwich?

65) Which do you use more often, the dictionary or the thesaurus?

66) Have you ever been stung by a bee?

67) What’s your favorite form of exercise?

68) Are you afraid of heights?

69) What’s the most memorable class you’ve ever taken?

70) What’s your favorite breakfast?

71) Do you like guacamole?

72) Have you ever been in a physical fight?

73) What/who are you thinking about right now?

74) Do you like cuddling?

75) Are you holding onto something you need to let go of?

76) Have you ever experienced one of your biggest fears?

77) Favorite city you’ve been to?

78) Would you break the law to save a family member?

79) Talk about an embarrassing moment?

80) Are there any causes you strongly believe in?

81) What’s the worst injury you’ve ever had?

82) Favorite day of the week?

83) Do you consider yourself sexually open minded?

84) How do you feel about porn?

85) Which living celebrity would you like to know?

86) Who was your hottest ex?

87) Do you want/have kids?

88) Has anyone ever told you that they wanted to marry you?

89) Do you get easily distracted?

90) Ass or titties?

91) What is your favorite word?

92) How do you feel about tattoos?

93) Do you have any pets?

94) How tall are you?

95) How old are you?

96) 3 physical features you get complimented on a lot?

97) Is there anything you’re really passionate about?

98) Do you have trust issues?

99) Do you believe in love at first sight?

100) What are some words that you live by? Why?

[berelinde]

Stranger: Man, that ship you ship is boring. So boring. This other one is better.

Me: *Ships my own ship harder*

[deathdefied]

video game creators: it’s a wonderful time in history where games bring people together! multiplayer is in demand and the way of the future! co-op is the only way to go!

me: i’m begging you…….. please…….. give me back my story-driven single player games……………

[mako-art]

Reblog with the name of your first mabari

[parentheticalaside]

The only acceptable reason for this is if this character is actually a demon who seduces men and then eats them. [source]

[blacklaceandcombatboots-deactiv]

who wrote this, expose him

[ofools]

my breasts are nicely separated. Completely divided, every year they move apart by half an inch.

[tobjoernebaer]

My breasts are nicely separated though they still fight for custody of the children.

[tyradicalsaurusreg-deactivated2]

I,,a woman,,,am WiDeR LOweR dOwN

[lesbian-lizards]

That was difficult to read.

[didi-is-spiffy-deactivated20190]

So ugly

[beforeliteracytherewasdeez]

My name is Ebony D'arkness Dementia Raven Way, and my breasts are nicely separated

[sunnysrecovery]

OH MY GOD WHAT IS THAT AND HOW ON EARTH DID IT GET PUBLISHED

[bonitabreezy]

You can always tell when it’s a man writing a description because they focus oddly on the breasts. There will always be something about breasts and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read historical or fantasy fiction and they talk about “her breasts hanging freely under her tunic” or what the fuck ever and it’s like…women don’t do that? We don’t describe ourselves by saying “I have blonde hair and blue eyes and my breasts hang freely under my tunic”. I kind of feel like we should counter by awkwardly mentioning all male character’s balls in their description. It’s kind of in the same vein.

[imoldbutimstillintothat]

“I have auburn hair and hazel eyes and my copious nicely separated balls hangs freely under my breeches”

[tenoko1]

I’m fairly certain we have found the author of “My Immortal”.

[berelinde]

When would the time ever come in a first-person narrative to describe oneself? Who the fuck cares? It’s the protagonist/narrator. If imagery every becomes important, the author can let side characters pluck auburn hairs off clothing or remark on the protagonist’s eye color or whatever, but odds are, it isn’t relevant to the plot anyway. Move on and tell the damn story. There is one, right?

[bunkyy]

REBLOG THIS IF YOU ARE LGBT+, SUPPORT LGBT+, OR WANT TO VIOLENTLY FLING YOURSELF INTO THE SUN

[thedevilsbartender-deactivated2]

please DO NOT assume that just because my character is doing something that i as the writer

approve of it

am romanticizing it

have a kink with regard to it

think it is okay for anyone to ever do ever

because sometimes my character does things that I absolutely cringe at and which are almost painful to write.

but my writing a villain does not make me a villian

understand that it is fiction and I do not condone the wrong actions that sometimes are written out on my blog for in-character purposes.

[berelinde]

Heroes have flaws. Villains have virtues. No one is a paragon of either extreme.