People underestimate the value of a good ramble.

Writer, reader, watcher, listener. Full-time board game nerd and grammar geek. Trying to make my dreams come true.

[tsormick]

Long time no see. Hi hello I’m alive.

[catchymemes]

IG: Soosh

[secretink]

Writing fanfic as a non-US citizen like

[intrinsicklutz]

In case anyone actually wants to know the answer: it’s the plot of Cars. The difference is literally the plot of Cars.

Highways are usually two-to-four (at the widest) lane roads that meander the US landscape. Think Route 66, dinosaur statues, mom-and-pop diners, southern gothic. There are state-level and national-level highways. Some run for a 100 miles, some, like US HWY-17, run most of the East Coast:

That red line is US HWY 17. If you follow it, you will go through tiny towns. You may hit stoplights. I kid you not, you will see spinning cows on poles. Businesses exist along highways that you are encouraged to pull over and visit. They were designed to let you see America.

Yeah.

Now, interstates were made in the 50s and were made to get people from Point A to Point B. These suckers range from four lanes to eight lanes around big cities. They cut through everything. If you want to get to a business, you have to take an exit ramp and detour. They are great for getting places fast. You can still have weird experiences on them, but usually at night, when your eyes start playing tricks on you. Or there are deer.

I-95 is a massive corridor that runs from the Florida Keys to the Canadian Border. You can see the difference just looking at the maps.

As far as writing goes:

If you want quirky character development inside the car, you’re looking for an interstate. The majority of Americans take interstates to go on road trips.

If you want mysterious and/or supernatural hijinks, you’re looking for a highway. They are weird, weird places, and they’re surprisingly easy to wind up on if you leave the interstate.

(Even in America, no one’s really sure what a freeway is. Just ignore it.)

[thecheshirecass-deactivated2018]

Freeways exist in big cities where cars are more prominent than public transport, such as LA or Atlanta. You’ve year of liminal spaces? Freeways during rush hour are a physical manifestation of hell.

[aqunathlok-ataashi]

Awesome! Now what the hell is a turnpike?

[thecheshirecass-deactivated2018]

If you find out, let me know. Maybe ask someone from New Jersey.

[spanishskulduggery]

A turnpike is a highway with a toll. Turnpikes are special highways where you drive really fast and it’s usually linking big cities with each other and you keep going until you hit a toll booth.

They’re called “turnpikes” because in the olden days, there were pikes or barriers up and you had to pay the toll for them to be raised or turned to let you in.

[merindab]

Also, just for the record, Hawaii does have interstates.

[marisatomay]

For everyone who didn’t want to know, expressways are a form of highway that connect both suburban areas and major interstates to a city They often have both an alphanumerical name and a colloquial name In Philly we have the Schuylkill Expressway (I-76)

[heywriters]

Would like to add that highways and mainly interstates were made specifically so THE MILITARY could get from Point A to Point B. This combined with a post-WWII boost in the economy and car industry gave Americans the ability to tour the country on their own for the first time ever. A whole chunk of American culture was created by just expanding the road system.

Think about road systems and other systems of travel when worldbuilding!

[literaryreference]

All this being said, most East Coast US people will refer to all of these things interchangeably as “highways”/”the highway.”

[tsormick]

In the Pacific Northwest, if a road has stoplights, we call it a highway. A freeway doesn’t have stoplights. Also, Interstate-5, which runs from Washington to California, is referred to as “I-5″ in Washington (and possibly also in Oregon) and “the Five” in California. 

The way that people refer to the same interstate varies from state to state. Someone from Seattle would never say “the Five.” Something else to keep in mind.

[infinite-bag-of-boys]

A highly valid viewpoint: In this digital age, it’s so easy for the boundaries between fans and creators to erode… while this can be a good and fun thing, it’s also important that creators don’t feel obligated to put their whole lives on public display. They have a right to their priva—

Justin McElroy: HEY everyone just a reminder that my VASECTOMY is THIS THURSDAY

[whitepeopletwitter]

Merriam-Webster is a savage

[howstrangethemusicsoundstome]

[antifainternational]

Just to clear things up.

[biggest-gaudiest-poltergeist]

Who are u supporting in the world cup

Ireland to win, Bulgaria to get the snitch

[verylostpenguin]

Me: i love books! I love them so much! I am such a bookworm!

Friend: cool! How many did you read this year?

Me: OK, so here’s the thing

[rawringthroughthetwenties]

This is calling me out specifically isn’t it

[mediamattersforamerica]

In the wake of the Parkland massacre, the NRA’s spokespeople continue to lie to the American public. Meanwhile, some companies are dropping them like flies.

[tank-gabe]

[solitaryfossil]

[elisamaza]

lmao

[shamebots]

listening to a good song but it was in a shrek film so the entire time ur like

[reasonandempathy]

Pixar’s 22 Rules for Writing

[walkinginsolitude]

2017 began with the inauguration of Trump and to me it has felt like a dark cloud has been hanging over all of us this entire year. One shit storm after another. But 2018 brings hope. Another Women’s march on January 20th to start the year right and the elections in November which may be able to sway the tides of power and really begin to move away from this painful, pathetic moment in our country’s history. The future is bright if we make it that way. Happy New Year everyone.

[tsormick]

A running list of things that my insurance won’t pay for, despite my doctors being in-network:

--Me to get an endoscopy and biopsy to test for celiac (which came back positive)

--Me to see a GI about the damage to my intestines caused by the celiac

--Me to see a dietitian about things to watch for on a GF diet and ways to avoid any instance of cross-contamination

WHAT THE FUCK AM I PAYING YOU FOR????

[garrettauthor]

WHOOMP THERE IT IS