I like to argue and get tattoos

I also like to do some drag racing and teaching on the side.

[theimperfectreader]

Why I write.

I write to know myself better.

I write to understand the world.

I write to explain to others.

I write to preserve a piece of myself.

I write to make innovative claims.

I write to be better.

I write to make the world better.

Now that you know what I write, why do you?

[theimperfectreader]

Medieval romance, in most cases, follows a central Arthurian theme, meaning that the piece includes characteristics of King Arthur’s Britain. Marie de France’s Lanval portrays the loyal Lanval, a respected knight of King Arthur and historical aspects that would suggest the time of King Arthur’s Britain, along with the suggestion of the fantastic, awesome or otherwise unexplainable, putting this poem in the category of medieval romance. Lanval’s discovery of a stunning woman who only exists in the mind provides the reader with a mystical start to the poem and gives the reader a sense of worry later on. The damsel’s warning “all and sum,/ betray us, and you lose your lover;/ I shall be lost to you forever” (146-8) early in the poem tells the reader to be cautious of Lanval’s actions from here as he may disobey his lover’s commands and lose the greatest thing he has laid his eyes on. Following their powerful meeting and time spent together, Lanval returns to the city where his luck seems to turn out of nowhere. From then on, Lanval meets with his lover in private, never mentioning to anyone their relationship or even her existence. It is not until Queen Guinevere decides to attack the young seemingly lonely knight that Lanval has any issue saying “let me be!/ I care not for your druerie./ I’ve served my king well, kept my faith—/ I’ll never compromise my oath” (269-272). The oath Lanval is referring to is not just his oath to the king, but to his lover since she is meant to be his only. After repeated advances by the Queen and following rejections by Lanval, he finally says he has a lady who is “worth more than you/ in beauty— body and in face—/ in breeding, virtue, goodness, grace!” (300-2). After Lanval insults the Queen, he has broken his oath by telling another about his lady and in doing so, creates a tension which the Queen uses to say that Lanval disobeyed his king and wronged him by coming on to his wife. Although the accusations against Lanval are false, the king has no choice but to believe his wife and sentence Lanval to death. With no proof of his lady, Lanval has no truth to any of his story and know that because he broke his promise, he has lost his love. At the moment that Lanval is about to die, a fair maiden rides in to save her love showing her existence. In true admiration, Lanval says “I do not care who slaughters me/ If she shows me no mercy, for/ all my cure is in seeing her” (598-600). She continues in, dropping her cloak to reveal her naked body, as proof that Lanval does in fact have a more perfect woman. The maiden uses her body and looks as a way to become the savior of her man. The role reversal is interesting since the romance genre focused largely on chivalry, typically through an Aruthurian man. Here, Lanval is the example of chivalry, putting his lover and his promise above all else, enough to risk his life. In another way, the forgiveness of his lover and her rescue of him shows chivalry in the sense of dedication and courage to show every part of herself in an effort to right wrongs and save the man she loves.

[intothevoidofnoreturn]

When life, in her glorious, apathetic march toward the inevitable void past existence, gives you lemons, make the crème de la crème of pies. However, when you use the wrong attachment and overwhip your meringue, call it a lemon tart and flaunt that impressive pastry after topping it with powdered sugar. In this house we don’t waste food. 

[wearepaladin]

[tacoboutgradschool-deactivated2]

**1 New Mail Notification**

[chloe--studies]

Understanding Autism - FutureLearn Course

Spikey Profiles:

Usually we think of people having a fairly even profile of skills, however this is different for autistic people. Most people on the spectrum have something known as a spikey profile, and this means we can't look at an autistic person's general skill level to predict what their other skills are like.

Although, spikey profiles aren't usually recognized by people such as support workers. For example, autistic people with verbal communication are incorrectly assumed to be capable in areas which they struggle in, and those with less verbal skills are often incorrectly assumed to be lacking in skills and potential.

In some cases, the spike can be extreme, and some may have an exceptional ability, or a 'savant' skill.

[profphilippian-deactivated20250]

“In August 2012 a team of archaeologists from the University of Leicester unearthed the remains of Richard III, king of England between 1483 and his death in battle in 1485. As news of this unexpected discovery spread around the world, all headlines revolved around the triumph of modern science in identifying the skeletal remains, and the resolve of those determined individuals who had set out to find them. What became lost in the clamour of media attention however, was the story of the grave itself, where the king had lain for over 500 years.

Although buried in the prestigious Choir of a Franciscan friary, there was little respect accorded to the grave’s preparation. When looking down into the grave – now preserved beneath glass flooring at Leicester’s King Richard III Visitor Centre – one aspect becomes startlingly clear: its size. When the projection of Richard III’s skeleton fades into view, one can see exactly how small the grave was. Indeed, it is so short that the former king’s head was forced forwards and upward at an awkward angle.”

–Joseph Hall, “The Grave of Richard III”

[highonfilms]

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

[austinarthurbeowulf-deactivated]

Who says King Arthur isn’t relevant in 2020?

[theimperfectreader]

Spongebob is the Beowulf storytelling champion. Change my mind. 

Also, Smaug is a total rip off, so here he belongs.

[theimperfectreader]

Why the hell are we reading this?

The common question above appears out of several hundred, if not thousands of students’ mouths every year regarding the ever-loved and totally not understood poem, Beowulf. Let’s start with the number one reason that students freak out over this text, it is long. Number two, it is written in Old English and translated into Modern English, so it sounds kind of wonky. Number three, it’s old and everyone knows that if a student is forced to read something more than an hour old, their entire world falls apart. Alright, enough of why we don’t like it, let’s get to answering that question. Here are a few reasons why you are reading Beowulf.

Firstly, I am of no qualification to read your instructor’s mind and therefore speak on their behalf. I am, however, a lover of English and have the agency to speak on why Beowulf is such an important text that you should read. Now that we have that out of the way, take a trip with me back to Anglo-Saxon Europe (roughly 400 C.E.) where English begins. Obviously there were always spoken languages, but it is not until this time that language starts taking a written form. If you are reading anything from this time period, it most likely was written down by a monk, do not confuse this with the monk being the author, rather a transcriber. The reason it is so important to understand the time period in which Beowulf was written is because we have to understand the culture before attempting to read the piece. In Anglo-Saxon culture, there was a lot of pride given to a hero, more specifically a hero who blindly risked his life at the expense of others--today we would call this stupid. The other aspect of the AS culture is that they loved a good story. Most, if not all tales from this period were first spoken and were most likely told around a campfire as entertainment--which is exactly how you should think of Beowulf--a campfire story. Now pair the campfire story with a hero--oh! And add some magic. Yes you read me right, magic. There were a lot of things in AS culture that weren’t easily explained which meant that magic was introduced to help audiences understand the unexplainable like dragons. On the flip side though, there totally could have been dragons and evil monsters like Grendel (who was a descendant of Cain, damn it Christianity, you’re really messing with me here) and his mother, we will never know though since we as a society have simply grouped these instances into a box called “magic”, labelled it unexplainable, and washed our hands of it.  

So there you have it. Your teachers/professors aren’t making you read Beowulf because they want to torture you, they are actually trying to give you an insight into a spoken poem from an important period that includes selfless heroes, dragons and goblins, and pride in one’s duty. Does Beowulf sound boring now?

[aletheiawriting]

why you should keep writing your story

because it’s a puzzle no one else will ever arrange the same way as you.

because there are ideas that simply won’t come to you until you write down the wrong words.

because all the bad scenes are the bones of the wonderful scenes.

because someone will love it: someone will read it once, and twice, and thrice; someone will ramble to you about the complexity of it; someone will doodle your characters out of love; someone will find it in exactly what they were looking for with or without knowing it.

because they have things to say, your characters. they’ve told you all those secrets and they have more to tell you, if you will listen.

because you love it even when you don’t; even when it drives you mad or when it accidentally turns into apathy; even when you think you’re doing it all wrong; you love it, and it loves you back.

because you can get a treasure even from things that go wrong; because if a story crumbles down you can build a shinier one on the same spot; because you won’t know where it will take you until it takes you there.

[writing-and-nutmeg]

Someone: hey, if you’re a writer, why don’t I ever see you writing?

Me, a writer who’s been daydreaming about three characters, two unwritten chapters, some scraps of dialogue, and a partial plot that still needs to be heated up in the microwave before it’s usable:

[eintsein]

Read More, Read Better

Many of us are looking for more ways to enjoy our time at home in these stressful circumstances. Some of us have turned to books. But how can we make sure we get the most out of them?

Keep reading

[eintsein]

An Overview of Note-Taking Styles

Note-taking is one of the most essential skills a student should master. It allows you to record and review information to be used in the future. But what’s the best way to do so? Here’s an overview of note-taking styles that can help you maximize your learning!