We are all just stars that have people names

dark academia for a student of stardust

[c-is-for-circinate]

I have this conviction that you tie little bits of your intentions into your knitting as you do it.  Thousands and thousands of tiny knots all in a row, turning string into something useful–whether you believe in magic or not, I can’t shake the certainty that there’s something meaningful there.

Which means that when you knit a project marathoning ten hours of this or twenty episodes of that TV show, listening to that podcast, reading that book…it ends up in there.  This is the sweater knit to kids’ cartoons, the kind where nobody dies, and it’s soft and it’s safe and it’s warm.  This hat came from Stranger Things, and it’s a shield against darkness, it’ll keep you safe.  These are the Leverage socks for remembering how much your found family loves you, the Persona shawl for the guts to say ‘fuck it’.  This is the knitwear you put on to save the world.

(Like a lot of things humans think, I’m pretty sure this one is absolutely true in exactly the amount the knitter and the object-wearer believe it is.)

[thelogicofthetrance]

“But I think I shall need a place where I can be alone, away, aside from things happening.”

~ The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart

[pup-punk]

Masterpost of my favorite journal prompts...

I’ve been getting some asks about my journaling habits, so I wanted to make a list addressing one question regarding my favorite prompts. These always make me feel better! 

List 3 positive habits you have and explain why they benefit you. 

If you had 2 other lives to live, what would you do with them? 

Discuss 3 people who encouraged you and has continually supported you. What qualities do they have that you admire? 

List 5 tasks that take up most (or a lot of) your week. 

What do you need to protect? 

Have you avoided anything this week? 

Create a list of books you plan to read. 

What do you want to learn to do? 

Create a list of movies you plan to watch. 

What are you currently looking forward to? 

What is your favorite holiday? 

When do you feel the most comfortable and at ease? 

What is discouraging you right now, and what can you do to move past it? 

List 5 short-term goals and explain steps you can take to achieve them. 

What is your biggest strength? 

What are you totally honest about? 

Who knows the most about you? 

Why are you proud of yourself? 

What would you do with a million dollars? 

What is and isn’t working in your life? 

What lessons are you currently learning? 

Create a gratitude list. List as many things as you can. 

What do you stand for? 

What moves you? 

What qualities do you enjoy about yourself, and how can you continue to develop them? 

Explain the best compliment you’ve ever received. 

Who are you right now? 

How have you changed in the past 5 years? 

List positive quotes that you enjoy or find motivating. 

Create a self-care playlist of positive songs. 

Discuss your favorite movies, books, hobbies, music, foods, drinks, etc. 

List things that make you happy. 

What are your wildest dreams? 

Write a bio for your future self - who you want to become - but write it in the present tense. 

Describe your ideal day. 

What is the best advice you’ve ever received? 

When do you feel vibrant, electric, and alive? 

How can you be a source of love and magic to the world? 

How can you incorporate more fun and play into your life? 

What experiences trigger fear for you? 

Discuss 3 times you were proud of yourself. 

How does stress emerge in your life, and how can you manage it? 

How do you compare yourself to others? 

What can you do to make yourself feel calmer and more peaceful? 

What are you here to do (what is your purpose)? 

What do you no longer need? 

What do you know for sure? 

If you could start your life over, what would you change? 

Write a letter to your teenage self. 

What have you learned today? 

What would you do if you had no fears? 

Write a letter to a fictional character. 

Write about something that didn’t happen. 

What do you wonder about? 

List your favorite sounds. 

What are you worried about, and what can you do about it? 

What do you have difficulty accepting? 

Write about an act of kindness you performed or witnessed today. 

Discuss your favorite memory. 

How can you practice self-care? 

Is there a difference between happiness and fulfillment? 

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 

List some of your insecurities about your physical body, and then, for each body part, write down something positive about it. 

Create a word map with the word “Identity” in the center. 

Focus on a regret that haunts you. 

What does family mean to you? 

What did you believe about love as a teenager, and how have your beliefs changed? 

Describe a moment that changed the course of your life forever. 

Write a letter to your future self. 

Are you introverted or extroverted? 

What does beautiful thinking mean to you? 

What are your favorite words? 

What is your aesthetic, or personal style, and who or what has influenced it? 

What is your favorite way to spend the day? 

[opens-at-nightfall]

The ethereal moon sprites are always so graceful in their movements…

[afterblossom]

Little dance

[witchmd13]

Some gold advice from Margaret Atwood from her Master Class on creative writing trailer.

[russiansappho]

“A sensual female voice in Russian art”

Russian painter Zinaida Serebriakova was born 136 years ago today (December 10, 1884- September 19, 1967).

Self-Portrait (fragment)

Portrait of a Woman in a Ballet Dress

Girl on a balcony (Katya)

Girl with a Candle, Self-Portrait

Ballerinas

A Portrait of Yvette Choviret

[harrietvane]

Advantages of buying hard-copy media instead of just relying on streaming is you sometimes get the Commentary Tracks(TM), and I was today years old when I realised my Blu-ray copy of The Mummy 1999 has a Brendan Fraser only natter track. And it is DELIGHTFUL. BF alone in a booth and so softly spoken. I’m 20 minutes in and so far he’s:

Given pertinent ‘did u know’ historical facts about the 1930s props he’s holding

Identified 3-second shots of stunties and animal wranglers by name with glowing praise. First name, last name, career facts. Introduces every speaking actor as they appear.

Apologised for laughing (and planning to keep laughing) at John Hannah and Rachel Weisz’s comedy performances, but he enjoys them so much

[Rick runs and jumps and falls] ‘oh that didn’t hurt that wasn’t me’ [camera shows it is actually him] ‘oh that was me and it did hurt!’

Explains the sets and onscreen effects of scenes he’s not even in

Talks back at his own character ‘hey! manners!’ when Rick sasses Evie. Talks to Evie like she can hear him. Says ‘ow!’ when people get hit. This is extreme Dad behaviour.

Narrates the prison hanging scene like ‘that part is a stuntman and that part is me and here’s the moment when I actually started suffocating, and then I passed out’.

Later has a giggle fit and has to explain that Kevin J O’Connor ad-libbed the little ‘..someday I might’ line after ‘you don’t have any children’.

Rick awkwardly gives Evie the tools: ‘I think Rick would probably carry her books home from school’

Gently says ‘uh oh!’ anytime something untoward happens. When he’s not giving facts he’s just like directly narrating the story on screen like to a sleepy toddler in between very soft chuckles at his co-stars being cute.

He is engaged with this process. I am CHARMED.

[yesterdaysprint]

Altoona Tribune, Pennsylvania, January 1, 1938

[allthingseurope]

Cordoba, Spain (by Jonathan)

[snootyfoxfashion]

Embroidery PDF Patterns from Helioblue Design

[oaluz]

Ask Polly: How Am I Supposed to Make Friends in My Late 20s?

[detailedart]

A visual allegory of “your party was going great and all, you were carried on a throne, and your parents came back sooner than they swore”. Details: various interpretations of The Empire, by Thomas Cole (1801-1848). Details by Steven Zucker.

[helaas--pindakaas]

please... if you’re going to attempt to speak in “old” english

THOU is the subject (Thou art…) THEE is the object (I look at thee) THY is for words beginning in a consonant (Thy dog) THINE is for words beginning in a vowel (Thine eyes)

this has been a psa

[gehayi]

Also, because H was sometimes treated as a vowel when the grammar rules for thou/thee/thy/thine were formed,THINE can also be used for words beginning with H. For example, both “thy heart” and “thine heart” appear in Elizabethan poetry.

[veryrarelystable-deactivated201]

For consistency, however, if you’re saying “thine eyes”, make sure you also say “mine eyes” instead of “my eyes”.

Further to the PSA:

Thou/thee/thine is SINGULAR ONLY.

Verbs with “thou” end in -st or -est: thou canst, thou hast, thou dost, thou goest.  Exception: the verbs will, shall, are, and were, which add only -t: thou wilt, thou shalt, thou art, thou wert.

Only in the indicative, though – when saying how things are (“Thou hast a big nose”).  Not in the subjunctive, saying how things might be (“If thou go there…”) nor in the imperative, making instructions or requests (“Go thou there”).

The -eth or -th ending on verbs is EXACTLY EQUIVALENT TO THE -(e)s ENDING IN MODERN ENGLISH.

I go, thou goest, she goeth, we go, ye go, they go.

If you wouldn’t say “goes” in modern English, don’t say “goeth” in Shakespearean English.

“Goeth and getteth me a coffee” NO.  KILL IT WITH FIRE.

Usually with an imperative you put the pronoun immediately after the verb, at least once in the sentence (“Go thou” / “Go ye”).

YE is the subject (Ye are…).  YOU is the object.

Ye/you/your is both for PLURALS and for DEFERENCE, as vous in French.

There’s more, but that’ll do for now.

[theliteraryarchitect]

Oh wow. Reblogging for reference.

[furbearingbrick]

things are heating up in the archaic English fandom

[cosmicpi]

Top three reminders I would give a new undergraduate researcher

Take notes: of all settings (even on default), anything that happens, when nothing is happening, etc. when running an experiment. Jot down steps when you’re learning a new technique. (My supervisor makes quick powerpoint slides with images and notes of each step.) Take notes during meetings, especially of words and concepts you don’t know, and note deadlines and schedules.

Meet often with your supervisor. I think every 2 weeks to once a month is good; less than that and you forget and start scrambling to do stuff, more than that and you might not have any meaningful progress to present. (I met once a week just so I could force myself to ask questions or to get help if I was starting to flounder.) This is also good to make both of you comfortable enough with each other so you can ask for help and get it when you need it. a) Meet often with your group, if applicable. The group I work in has overlapping experience and they are super helpful in suggesting ideas and alternatives, especially if our supervisor doesn’t know. They also tended to explain things in ways I could understand if my supervisor confused me. It’s also really cool to keep track of what their projects are, which is kind of the point of undergrad research. b) During a meeting, describe what you’ve done so far and what your next goals are. Make sure you and your supervisor are on the same page regarding the underlying (physical or technical) reasons for what you’re doing, and how you do stuff. I ended up doing this by rewording and reiterating/summarizing what my prof said, which made it easier for him to point out my misunderstandings. (Of course, this still went on for a few meetings, because learning is a gradual process.)

Keep organized. I mostly had trouble settling on an organizational system, and where to keep my stuff. If I could talk to myself a year ago, I’d tell me to keep absolutely everything- MATLAB scripts, images, simulation outputs - in one place in my Dropbox, and sort everything by date first and whatever inside, so it would stay in sync with my hardcopy notes.

(bonus) Try extremes/critical points of all parameters. Crank the heater up, bake the fiber and make the glass melt. Try to break stuff. Eliminate entire ranges of a parameter at once. Look for things to change, and note (see 1!) the effect on the variable you’re studying. Specifically to self: change the polarization! (Not that it helped in the end, but that’s one more “thing I tried to do to get this to work and it still didn’t”.)

All of these are things we already know (or should know) going into a project, but not ones I would say we remember to put into or keep in practice. I would say number 2 for sure sets my experience apart from my physics friends’ experiences. Having an advisor that you get along with is amazing. #3 is the one I kick myself for the most. This is related to #1 and to keeping on schedule. (Also, may I say as an aside: depression is a fucking bitch.) #4 was something suggested by our supervisor during the summer while we were trying to anneal dimples. I wish I could remember how he worded it, but it was definitely along the lines of ‘try to break stuff’.

– <3 a graduating honours physics major.

ETA: Bonus #2, which should be #1: Your experience is as in depth and as time consuming and as fulfilling as you want it to be. Whatever you manage to do will be 'good enough’, as long as you show up and put in the effort. So strive to be meticulous, discipline yourself to be rigorous, allow yourself to be naiively curious, and you’ll be quite impressive. (More so than me, at any rate. But hey, my group still loves me.)

ETA #2: Read the fucking papers. My supervisor started me off with a reference paper and a PhD thesis, and most of the questions I had could have been answered starting from there. (Do things that save time with your supervisor and show them that you are trying to find out answers for yourself.) If you need help reading academic papers, see #2.

[moonlit-sunflower-books]

writing should be fun.

make oc playlists. spend hours on moodboards that have no purpose. write self-indulgent fluff that’s never going to be published. scribble three lines of poetry in the back of your history notebook. draw fanart of your own characters. write stupid dialogue that your publishers might hate. start new wips that you might never finish but write those three chapters that make you happy because if you don’t write them, who else will?

writing shouldn’t always be about “will publishers like this” or “i have to reach this word count” or “how do i get the most likes”.

have fun with your writing.

[katsumikart]

do you love barbie movies as i love it?