hello, the universe

She/her, 22, nerd for Classical history, fantasy, and basically everything

[hamletthedane]

Want to learn something new in 2022??

Absolute beginner adult ballet series (fabulous beginning teacher)

40 piano lessons for beginners (some of the best explanations for piano I’ve ever seen)

Excellent basic crochet video series

Basic knitting (probably the best how to knit video out there)

Pre-Free Figure Skate Levels A-D guides and practice activities (each video builds up with exercises to the actual moves!)

How to draw character faces video (very funny, surprisingly instructive?)

Another drawing character faces video

Literally my favorite art pose hack

Tutorial of how to make a whole ass Stardew Valley esque farming game in Gamemaker Studios 2??

Introduction to flying small aircrafts

French/Dutch/Fishtail braiding

Playing the guitar for beginners (well paced and excellent instructor)

Playing the violin for beginners (really good practical tips mixed in)

Color theory in digital art (not of the children’s hospital variety)

Retake classes you hated but now there’s zero stakes:

Calculus 1 (full semester class)

Learn basic statistics (free textbook)

Introduction to college physics (free textbook)

Introduction to accounting (free textbook)

Learn a language:

Ancient Greek

Latin

Spanish

German

Japanese (grammar guide) (for dummies)

French

Russian (pretty good cyrillic guide!)

[hamletthedane]

Want to learn something new in 2023??

Cooking with flavor bootcamp (used what I learned in this a LOT this year)

Beekeeping 101

Learn Interior Design from the British Academy of Interior Design (free to audit course - just choose the free option when you register)

Video on learning to read music that actually helped me??

How to use and sew with a sewing machine

How to ride a bike (listen. some of us never learned, and that's okay.)

How to cornrow-braid hair (I have it on good authority that this video is a godsend for doing your baby niece's black hair)

Making mead at home (I actually did this last summer and it was SO good)

How to garden

Basics of snowboarding (proceed with caution)

How to draw for people who (think they) suck at art (I know this website looks like a 2003 monstrosity, but the tutorials are excellent)

Pixel art for beginners so you can make the next great indie game

Go (back) to school

Introduction to Astronomy (high school course - free textbook w/ practice problems)

Principals of Economics (high school course - free textbook w/ practice problems)

Introduction to philosophy (free college course)

Computer science basics (full-semester Harvard course free online)

Learn a language

Japanese for Dummies (link fix from 2022)

Ukrainian

Portuguese (Brazil)

American Sign Language (as somebody who works with Deaf people professionally, I also strongly advise you to read up on Deaf/HoH culture and history!)

Chinese (Mandarin, Simplified)

Quenya (LOTR fantasy elf language)

[hamletthedane]

Want to learn something new in 2024??

Beginner-oriented video on how to sail

This guy has so many videos on baking different types of bread. SO very many.

Coding in Python - one of the most flexible and adaptable high-level programming languages out there - explained through projects making video games

Learn to swim! (for adult learners. I don’t care if you live in Kansas or Mali or wherever. LEARN TO SWIM.)

Learn how quantum mechanics works. Then read some more about it

[Learn about quantum mechanics again, but in a more advanced engineering/mathematics class. Then read more about the math and physics of it]

Poetry Handbook, by Mary Oliver

Something I learned this year: how to sew a quilt (Here’s a very easy beginning pattern that looks amazing and can be done with pre-cut fabric!)

How to hit the ball in softball

Tutorial video on what is under the hood of most (gas) cars + weird engine sounds and what they mean

Full beginner mechanics technical training, if you want to go more in depth

Playlist on how car engine physics work if you want to go ultra in depth

Lecture series on architecture design through study of buildings

How (American income) taxes & tax law work (choose “audit course” at checkout for free class)

Pickleball for beginners (so you can finally join your neighbor/friend/distant cousin who is always insisting you join their team)

+ Para-Pickleball for beginners (for mobility aid users!)

School is so much more fun when there’s no tests:

American Law - Contracts

Shakespeare’s Life and Plays

Fairy Tales: Meanings, Messages, and Morals

Modern Poetry

World History [Part 1, Part 2]

Learn a language:

Arabic + Resource Guide compiled from Reddit (includes info on different dialects)

Chinese (Cantonese) (audio)

Urdu (frequently recommended course on Reddit) + Resource Guide

Yucatec Maya

[syrahsyaraofthecastle]

Kevin Day is a pageant mom.

I'm sorry if someone has pointed this out before but I just noticed! Kevin Day is (lovingly) Neil's evil pageant mom.

I was re-reading The Foxhole Court and on pg 51 Kevin says this:

And out of the very serious context it sounds so cliche!!

And I immediately thought of so many more examples.

The way he didn't consult Neil about his tv appearance and just expected him to do it. It reminded me of the TLC pageant moms whose children are on the brink of a panic attack but the force them to perform anyway.

He goes so far as to emotionally manipulate him into doing it. The whole scene feels toxic-pageant-mom-coded.

And then he freaking picks out Neil's clothes! And again Kavin throws in the pressure to make a good impression.

Then in The Raven King, we have this infamous scene:

And just a few pages later, he once again doesn't approve of Neil's outfits and makes him buy new ones.

And then there's Kevin harping on Nicky and Andrew's sugar intake. I'm sure there are more examples. But anyway, in another universe, Kevin is a pageant mom and that is canon to me.

[syrahsyaraofthecastle]

I said this was Andriel plus Kevin in my last post, but also:

THIS IS LITERALLY JEREMY AND JEAN AND KEVIN

It happened to Kevin twice 😭😭

[syrahsyaraofthecastle]

If this ain't Andrew Minyard and Neil Josten and Kevin Day then I don't know what is 🤷‍♀️

[fourohfourlifenotfound]

Okay so hi I'm not super in any of your fandoms (watcher + try guys + dropout, hello welcome) but I'm a software developer and BOTH try guys and watcher announcing a custom streaming platform so close together had me suspicious.

So with just one, I'd assume that maybe they scraped together the money and resources to hire enough devs to make a well-designed secure platform (you want security for your login info and payment info). But two? Seems a bit odd.

So I actually looked a bit closer, at their privacy policies:

So it looks like Vimeo has decided to up their game and partner with existing yt content creation outlets to make streaming platforms.

Wait, what about Dropout? Dropout uses it too!

What does this mean, exactly?

Well, it means that Vimeo is providing a base software that gets customized for use by the companies (watcher, 2nd try). It means that Vimeo has a hand in your data associated with these platforms (account info, payment info, watch info, etc...). Is that a bad thing? Idk yet. Read through the streaming platform's privacy policy and Vimeo's privacy policy and make your own decision about what you feel comfortable sharing. But realistically the only additional info collected compared to your average youtube use is the financial info, and that seems to go through another third party (4th party?) (like Stripe or something like that. very common, most of your financial transactions online use things like that). It also likely means that Vimeo is taking some kind of cut of the profits made from these subscriptions (and lets be real, in this day and age, they're not just demanding a flat fee. It's likely some percentage of your subscription cost). The companies switching over (watcher and 2nd try) are making the gamble that the money made on subscriptions after cost taken is more than their adsense from yt, which isn't a wild idea considering how much we know yt loves demonetizing videos and paying their creators poorly.

It also means that Vimeo seems to be on some sort of marketing push, and that more of your favorite channels may swap over to streaming services in the near future.

Vimeo???? Yes, vimeo, that bootleg youtube that's been around for like as long as I can remember being on the internet. I guess they finally found a way to usurp yt's market control and good for them ig. Maybe this will be the thing that finally forces yt to fix their creator relationships? time will tell Why are you posting this in my favorite media company's tag?? I wanted fanart! Sorry to intrude, I just think this is neat and would love to hear opinions from other people on this knowledge.

[syrahsyaraofthecastle]

I KNEW IT!

There was no way Watcher and the Try Guys independently thought of this idea. Also, both Ryan and Zach referred to their apps as "streamers" which is a term I'd never heard before. I knew there was some third party company waiting in the wings.

I'm a big Try Guys fan and I'm happy with how they've rolled this out for the most part, but I knew there was some other corporation involved. I would have loved some transparency on that. 💙💚💙💚

[en-theos]

you know what? fuck you *confuses the count of our kisses* *diverts your evil eye* *you can no longer curse us by knowing their total*

[atzual]

what your ateez bias says about you

if you take this seriously, that's on you. i'm just doing this for fun.

tw: heavy topics, language, roasting

*****

hongjoong: right. how's the desire to impress people and overworking yourself doing? i feel like what draws you in is his resilience, and that he is very dependable. you probably had a lot of moments where you were left to your own devices to work on something major, and are no stranger to burnout. you might be the kind of person to talk about your achievements and your work and everything you do a lot, maybe to seek validation (and maybe to cement that you have something others don't). on a softer note, you probably have a wide range of skills in a field you are interested in, and experiment a lot. generally are not afraid to go outside of norms to figure something out. so to see the qualities of a leader and innovator in joong is both comforting and inspiring to you. (bonus: you probably have a thing for clips of joong in the studio, don't you?)

seonghwa: you feel like you don't have anyone who you can actually trust with your thoughts and feelings, huh? people talk at you, not to you. you are a natural care-giver, are quick to give advice (also to bottle up someone else's negativity), often ignoring yourself. you might have lost the feeling of 'home' or of 'small but certain happiness', and might have some unhealthy coping mechanisms. on a brighter note, you are someone who can process emotions a lot more deeply than others and if there is anyone who can actually put themselves in another's shoes, it's you. i think hwa is a safe space to you, precisely because it is not all sunshine and rainbows. you connect with his battles, growth, and how he is accepting change and trying to find balance. (bonus: him getting excited about something is legit your therapy isn't it)

yunho: many acquaintances, few friends? i think you legitimately stopped believing in love. at least the mushy 'at first sight' and 'meet cute' and 'soulmates' kind of love. might be because of family-related things, or because of romantic relationships, but trust is a problem for you. you probably think negatively about yourself quite a bit and/or have/had a more pessimistic mindset. on the positive, i think you're really loyal when you find your people, and want to see them happy. you connect with people beyond love, you make connections that are made on living life together and going through things together. i think this is also what drew you to yunho - his perseverance, resilience, ability to smile in the face of hardship, but also his ability to navigate a lot of emotions as they come and deal with them in a healthy way. (bonus: his small expressions of affection/acts of kindness make you melt, right?)

yeosang: you've been through quite a lot, haven't you? i think you try to laugh a lot of it off or treat it lightly, but the demons eat away at you sometimes. you might be someone who burned out in/after high school, and generally does not have a good experience with school. might feel lonely even when you are not alone, sometimes just choosing to float in your imagination for comfort. often act tough or not quite like yourself to appear more like the you you have in your head. i think in part you kind of want to learn how to love the world like yeosang, and are really touched by his sweetness and his humor. you are a fighter and despite it all, do stay true to yourself and your values, and this is something that you find and adore in yeosang. you are drawn in by his ability to follow his dream, and his heart of gold. maybe your scars will turn golden too. (bonus: you probably have a mild obsession with his one-liners)

san: how are your boundaries, broken like the wall? you probably have some trouble with setting and/or maintaining boundaries, and so sometimes have people treading over you. you might feel like a side character in your own life, and so turn bitter and internalize a lot of negative energy. honestly on a brighter note i think you really do try hard for others, and go out of your way to try and make dreams happen for others, because it makes them and you happy. you cheer, you support and you truly show that you are on a loved one's team. I feel that what draws you to san is how he transformed himself in a healthy manner, and how he maintains a very clear circle of those he trusts, and is no stranger to kindly setting rules in place while still remaining sweet and respectful. he is a safe space for you both because he makes you smile with his stories and jokes, but also because he is adamant on keeping things in order. (bonus: his reaction to the merch donation story lives rent free in your mind)

mingi: got some problems with regulating emotions, maybe? be it hiding them until you burst or not knowing how to express them, i think this might be a challenge for you. you might have been exposed to something that made you believe that it is a sign of weakness or a risk. at the same time, you are logical, damn good at what you do, and when you face hard times you bounce back, even if it takes some time. i think you and mingi share the introspectiveness, and you like how thoughtful he is. you probably find comfort in how he shares happiness with others, and how he seeks closeness with loved ones. at the same time, there is something about how he transforms on stages that resonates with you - the power and confidence is something you want to work on and find more of in yourself. (bonus: your will never stop thinking about mingi's creative process monologues + freestyle mingi)

wooyoung: do people tell you you have a big personality, or that you are 'a lot' sometimes? i feel like you have your way of working, your way of thinking, but might have a hard time actually communicating that or adapting to different social environments. it might be because you're headstrong, or because you are in constant fight or flight mode and so are more rigid. at the same time i think you are diligent and very detailed with what you do, and are in fact attentive to others and might notice things others don't. i feel like what you admire in wooyoung is his ability to connect with others, while not losing himself or his values. you feel for his hardships, and he helps you learn how to be more loving and more open with expressing and accepting love. he is very much your candle. (bonus: you cried because of his interview + dance in that one show, didn't you?)

jongho: how many thoughts are spinning in your head? you might be an overthinker, slightly misanthropic, and on bad days might sink to having a victim mindset and ask the universe 'why me?'. you might have had to grow up too fast, or were controlled a lot as a kid - either way, your understanding and experience of freedom and maturity might be warped. at the same time you are reliable and are able to call things out for what they are. you might have also put a positive spin on the negatives and either used them as inspiration, grew from them, or taken a skill from them that you then generalized. i think jongho's humor and innate warmth is your haven, and his continuous self-development grounds you and motivates you to also try your best and think of ways to find the good in situations. i feel you might also resonate with his occasional shyness. (bonus: you often think about his emotional strength even when he talks about his concerns, don't you?)

[syrahsyaraofthecastle]

When you see three guys on a couch, you know some shit is going down. But seriously, WHY does it look like they intentionally copied the try guys couch video? 😭

[syrahsyaraofthecastle]

Updating with that new couch content™️

[syrahsyaraofthecastle]

When you see three guys on a couch, you know some shit is going down. But seriously, WHY does it look like they intentionally copied the try guys couch video? 😭

[4ragon]

Layton characters ranked by how much I think they need therapy.

[syrahsyaraofthecastle]

Not all of my favorites chillin' in the Desperately tier 😂

[bluespiritshonour-deactivated20]

Mai's 15? 15?

I don't know, man. I always thought she was 17. At first, I also thought Azula was 17 or something—until well into watching season 3 and it was a shock to discover that she's actually 14. (I could very well imagine her having been passed over and Zuko being crown prince because he's a boy)—but then, yeah, everything does make better sense if she's younger. It gives more depth to her and Zuko's dynamic—and her and Ozai's dynamic (I had always considered that Zuko was an example of what would happen to her if she didn't do as Ozai wanted her to)—it makes sense. Younger siblings see their older siblings as examples.

I just wish they'd made her look younger too. You can tell Zuko's a teenager—but Azula looks older.

There are shots of Mai where she looks young—but there's something about her that screams 17—I just can't wrap my head around her being 15.

Plus, didn't Ty Lee say she was an only child for 15 years? Let's say Tom-Tom is a couple years old—that makes Mai 17!!!

Anyways. Ya know what, I'm gonna ignore it. She's 17 in my head. Idk why I'm so dumbfounded. I just can't accept it for some reason?

Azula though. There's something so sad about Azula being a 14-year-old and a younger sibling. I can get behind that.

[syrahsyaraofthecastle]

Literally THIS!!!

I always thought the exact same thing because of Ty Lee's comment.

Besides, little Azula would definitely have friends a grade or two ahead of her. That's like the epitome of social clout in elementary school. I can just picture her saying, "The imbeciles in my Kindergarten class are giving me a headache. I must ally myself with a second grader!! 😡"

Plus, all of Mai's actions are so 17 yr old coded. She has a 17 yr old aura if you will 😂

[myriads11]

I really convinced Zuko called Mai firelily/FireLady/my lady... and he called Izumi turtleduck.

Any ideia how Mai called them? I can’t believe she didn’t use pet names, but I can’t imagine it either.

I headcanon Mai is very soft with Izumi, so Izumi is her sunshine, and a baby girl, and mama's girl, and a lil sneaky dragon, and Zumi-Zumi, and her whole heart, and definitely not a turtleduck, Zuko, for Agni's sake!! But when Mai is calling her daughter by official titles that means she's really angry. If Izumi hears young lady or Princess Izumi, especially with that warning in mother's voice, she knows she's in trouble straight away.

With Zuko I cannot imagine sweet pet names either.

Do you remember that line "Being prince and all...-"? I headcanon Mai is calling him Fire Lord in a teasing-flirting way. When she gets annoyed by the court ladies (Zuko's unofficial fan-club) she tries to impersonate them, "Oh, Lord Zuko!! Oh, my lord!" and doing this with such a poker face and monotonous voice that Zuko is crying from laughing.

Mai is the only person in the world who can call him Hotman and be met with a smug boyish grin, not anger. Sometimes she gets sassy and calls him Hot Stuff (Zuko's blushing is so precious!)

Mai calls him Lee when she's mad at him. "Whatever, Lee" is the best way to close the conversation in Mai's opinion.

She calls him Fatherlord once Izumi is born.

And honestly, she just has dozens of variations of sighs "Zuko", from irritation to... well, you know ;)

bonus: Zuko absolutely adores when Mai calls him husband, and being Mai's husband is the honorary title <3

Thank you for the ask! As you can see, I just imagine them all very sweet.

[syrahsyaraofthecastle]

You are a genius and I think you're correct on all counts!!

But I want to add that after hearing Mai and Kei Lo call each other babe in 'Smoke and Shadow', Zuko really despises that pet name. Consequently, they only call each other babe when they're irritated with each other 😂😂

[peculiaritybending]

Does anyone have any good maiko fic recs for me please please please please please please please pl-

[syrahsyaraofthecastle]

My absolute favorite Maiko fic is the Red Dragon by smediterranea. It's so so so good!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32670373/chapters/81045574

[cherrry-treehouse]

Freedom fighters and Maiko pirate au

[syrahsyaraofthecastle]

I'M OBSESSED. You're so talented OMG 😭

[winnie-the-monster]

[syrahsyaraofthecastle]

Umm... Is this their orange peel test? 🤔

[netflix]

Which Greek God* is most likely to have a secret tumblr?

Zeus

Hera

Ares

Apollo

Hermes

Hades

Poseidon

Hephaestus

Athena

Artemis

Eros

Persephone

Voting ended onNov 15, 2023

*Not all Greek Gods listed because we ran out of space.

[syrahsyaraofthecastle]

I lowkey regret choosing Apollo because he would have a very PUBLIC Tumblr 😂

[papasmicstand]

Ghost and OFMD crossover fun- Terzo (me), my mini-me, and Stede (my sister @syrahsyaraofthecastle).

[syrahsyaraofthecastle]

My debonair sister ❤️