Vernal

of, in, or appropriate to spring.

[my-hobby-is-finding-the-source]

may be a longshot to find the actual original and if so im so sorry but i saw this in a tumblr post ages ago and saved it and now i cant find it anymore 😭

I couldn't find anything solid on this one, and I also stumbled on another version in this Reddit post from 2016:

[vernalseason]

Proud member of a Unicorn Quad, AMA

[contagiousgrace]

The Bear is perhaps doing what Ted Lasso could not.

[vernalseason]

THE BEAR SEASON 2 IS OUT AND I AM SO EXCITED

[headspace-hotel]

Y'all ever get so excited about a scientific paper you're reading that you get chills???

So I thought to myself

Huh, a lot of our invasive species come from China and Japan

And then I thought, huh, I should look up what Kudzu is like in its natural habitat

And I found this article by a team of scientists investigating the history of Kudzu in China

And ohhhhh my goddddd. I'm vibrating with excitement over how cool this is.

The first bombshell that turned my brain inside out:

KUDZU IS NOT WILD. IT IS SEMI-DOMESTICATED.

In China, Kudzu has been a fundamentally important plant for food and textiles throughout history. We have Kudzu cloth that is 6,000 years old!

THIS PLANT CLOTHED AND FED ONE OF THE MOST POPULOUS AND MOST ENDURING HUMAN CULTURES ON EARTH

and in turn

HUMANS SHAPED AND SELECTED FOR ITS TRAITS

*AND*

in its natural range, humans are the main "predator" of kudzu

"Harvest by humans appears to be the major control mechanism in its native areas."

Kudzu is like that because it co-evolved with humans.

WHAT

[vernalseason]

One of the things I’ve been most enjoying about worldbuilding lately is working back from the very beginning.

On one hand it’s a bad habit, because then I get bogged down in millennia of history and don’t write the story. But other times the choices that people made in the very earliest days of the world inform the way that the world still works, which then tells me how to write the story.

Things like the widths of roads, or the fact that church-equivalent buildings have public fountains and beds in them, or that few of the earliest structures survive because not only were they old, but the first builders didn’t know anything about the load bearing limits of stone and built walls thin enough that most of them collapsed before anyone thought to preserve them.

Or even the fact that there are still areas in certain cities where there are enclaves with streets that make absolutely zero sense because they were built before anyone had any idea what a city ‘should’ look like, and the buildings were just scattered about a roughly even distance from each other and just… stayed that way.

I feel like so many people over the years have encouraged me to get less in the weeds and to focus on the story, or whatever the final product is, and what I’ve increasingly realized is that writing the story isn’t necessarily what I have the most fun with. The worldbuilding is what I have the most fun with: what the city streets look and feel like, what they smell like. What shops sell (or are banned from selling), how language patterns change in certain neighborhoods that are settled mostly by refugees, how government works, how public works are built and maintained.

I love making traditions (like Wintertide, which is held on whatever day snow first falls) or an as-yet-unnamed holiday where everyone walks door to door telling stories and receiving sweets in return if they are underage or alcohol if grown.

Don’t get me wrong, I love telling stories too, because most people don’t want to just read a Wikipedia on a created world from start to finish. (No disrespect to those that would, because I definitely would). Narrative is a great way to introduce someone to just about anything, and new worlds are no exception. But good worldbuilding—thoughtful, original, intricate, but not overbearing—is what turns a work from good to great.

I love it when there are genuine structural reasons for characters to do what they do, layers of cultural detail that come out in second, fifth, tenth re-reads that keep you appreciating books for years. And the only way to come up with that kind of material is to think about it—and write about it—a lot.

[vernalseason]

I have found perhaps my new favorite map reference.

I like to draw maps, mostly continent and world sized. But lately I've been focused on city-scale stuff. And not just city-scale, but block-scale, building-scale, because apparently I'm a masochist like that. But a lot of the map references I've looked at have been... somewhat lacking in the detail department, being a bit more fuzzy than would be useful for figuring out the layout of an entire city of a million people.

Enter the 25 Inch : 1 Mile Ordnance Survey Map of England, 1892-1914.

It's got everything. Beautiful lettering. Spidery-fine details. Gorgeous authentic distressing. And even better, you can view it as a zoomable overlay of almost the entire country.

See all that area in white? That's map that you can zoom into down to the same level of detail.

Want different styles? Just change the map overlay! They've got scales down to 1/2" and all the way up to 1 : 1,000,000. Want some inspiration for how to draw trees, bushes, or even moors? Look at these sweet stamps:

Full-size scans of the individual map sheets require contacting the archives and paying for them, but the overlay viewer itself is totally free and you can take screenshots (at a lower quality) as many times as you like.

If you're interested, just visit the link.

[muppetlesbian]

Those people who constantly reblog your stuff but you never really talk:

[justforthearticles]

I do notice my regulars. You guys are the best.

[wishful-thinkment]

“Regulars” makes me feel like a bar-tender…

Wiping down my dash at the end of an evening, I see your read-more, over-hear your rant in the tags, so I pour you a drink.

“…what’s troubling you, kid?”

[walkingoutintherain]

It’s nine o’clock on a Saturday As the regular crowd tumbls by There’s an old fandom queen blogging next to me And her little gray tags catch my eye

She says tumblr I’m feeling like shit today can you send me some posts for a smile can we talk about slash, can you fill up my dash so I won’t have to think for a while

Laa dahdah didee dah La dahdah didee dah dadum

Fill up my dash, you’re my followers Fill it with pictures and fic Yeah we’re all in the mood for some memery And occasional pictures of dick

[ursavorpalis]

Now Jill is a centaur novelist And she writes of her girlfriend and wife She reblogs from Toni, who’s in My Little Pony, And probably will be for life.

As the staff implements wretched changes And we think of how aliens bone We are writing a lot about loneliess: It’s much better than writing alone.

[kestrelfalcosparverious]

AND sometimes we blog about politics

And sometimes we blog with a beer

And when I proudly boast that I’m older than most, 

They say ‘gross, what are YOU doing here’. 

[journeyers-scrapbook]

*wild applause!!

[dduane]

(grin)

[centrally-unplanned]

Starving to death this morning because ive been to the new local cafe twice this week already and if i go a third time ill look desperate.

[centrally-unplanned]

Me: I like the goods and/or services you offer in exchange for my money

The cafe, in my head: lmao cringe, kill yrself buddy

[centrally-unplanned]

The endlessly wailing siren of my social anxiety issues is probably not going to be silenced by the people in the comments pointing out that being a regular at a restaurant is a normal thing for people to be, but I do zero-sarcasm appreciate the attempt, is very kind!

[rustingbridges]

I used to walk into [redacted nonpizza store] in my area and the guy behind the counter would immediately ask me if I wanted a pizza. truly I experienced the mortifying ordeal of being known as the pizza guy

compared to that being a regular at a normal cafe ordering normal breakfast items would be a real relief

[centrally-unplanned]

Literally dread this scenario, to have your identity *reduced down* to a single item order, to be known as such a plebian with such a restricted palette that your order can be charted in advance, oh widdle ash wants his chicken tendies uwu.

I agree having a set breakfast order is more socially acceptable than a set pizza order. But its not enough; its never enough.

Though life update: i did just go to the cafe in the end. I compromised with my anxiety by ordering a sandwich instead of my typical bagel. It was fine but not as good.

[athingbynatureprodigal]

on the flipside, we went to the same place for brunch a couple years, one time my buddy orders something new, and while he’s eating five different members of the wait staff stopped by to be like “did they bring you the wrong thing?”

[centrally-unplanned]

This thread needs a trigger warning keep the horror stories coming

[zoobus]

There was a bakeshop near my house that made soft ginger cookies and and macarons but only 2-3 good flavors. I walked in once and the cashier (who I definitely didn’t recognize) said “let me guess - ginger cookies and cookies-n-cream macarons, right?”

Needless to say, I never returned.

[ranma-official]

I once went to a McDonald’s, the cashier said “big mac combo meal and a chicken burger, right?” and I said “yeah” and then didn’t come back for two years

[eikotheblue]

This entire genre of concern so fascinatingly foreign to me! the cafeteria pizza guy knows I want 3 slices of whatever veggie pizza he has, and he will have them ready for me without me having to say anything besides a quick murmured thanks, and he smiles when he sees me and starts to grab them, and it feels so good! to be known, even a little bit, to be a small constant in someone else’s life… there’s just something so beautiful and precious and good in that, for me.

[aurpiment]

When I lived in [the city where I lived for undergrad] there was this place very close to my house with cheap and delicious lamb curry and the people at the counter knew my face and would start scooping the lamb curry into a bowl when they saw me come through the door. I thought this was lovely of them and always made sure to tip generously. Restaurant and regular is a mutually beneficial relationship.

[st-just]

Yeah there’s a bakery/cafe a few doors down from me and reaching the point where they a) remember my face/name and b) know my regular order meant that I can no longer get breakfast anywhere else ever.

[collapsedsquid]

Had the guy at the taco truck I routinely went to for lunch who asked me after a few years if I only ate burritos or something, no man I’m just don’t see the need to mix up my lunches.

[fatsexybitch]

As someone who’s been both front and back of house in various large and small food services: regulars account for roughly 40% of sales and thier consistency makes it easier to order supplies and keep stock levels stable.

As front of house my regulars were always a welcome sight, an easy serve and clear, a guaranteed a happy customer and pleasant interaction. Especially in diners or lunch spots where reliable turnover = tips and most people never come in more than once, having a familiar face who’s rhythms and tastes you recall makes the rest of your service work easier.

If you have any anxiety about being a regular somewhere just be sure to tip well, and you will magically transform from ‘pizza guy’ or ‘lamb curry dude’ to Beloved Favorite Regular and the servers will squabble to get you seated in thier section.

[haveyoutriedrebootingit]

When I worked for Domino’s Pizza, there was a guy who ordered a pizza, without fail, on Thursday at 6pm. Until the day he didn’t.

One of our drivers was delivering nearby and decided to check on the guy. Turns out the guy got home, got most of the way through the door, and lost consciousness. (If memory serves, it was a diabetic episode.) Driver couldn’t revive him and called 911. Saved the guy’s life.

[dragongirltitties]

when i worked in a remote office when i started my job, i went to denny’s for lunch enough that i’d just walk in and a server would go “take a seat over there, I’ll be over with your iced tea to take your order in a moment”

[anarchapella]

Food service workers love their regulars, especially if you’re a good tipper and are polite, we literally look forward to seeing you every day. Also service workers don’t care if you order the same thing, and us remembering your order means we like you.

[blackwoolncrown]

^^^^

Also no we aren’t “boiling your personality down to an item/order”, you are. We are offering you preference recall and welcoming you and your *presence* does in fact correspond to our need to give you a certain order. It’s okay for that to happen.

[thesanityclause]

For all my fellow social anxiety sufferers out there. Because my local coffee shop knows I always get iced coffee or a mocha and a biscotti and it stresses me the fuck out because I’m like “What if they think my order is dumb?? What if they’re like there she goes again stuffing her face with biscottis all the time” but nothing matters and a biscotti with your coffee in the morning really makes all the difference in what kinda day you’re gonna have.

[toskarin]

do you want to hear a joke?

every waking moment, I'm ready

[marillight-deactivated20241209]

Okay. How do you keep a bagel from rolling away?

You put lox on it.

[toskarin]

my god. is this true

[ectorotica]

the thing about gay bdsm dynamics is they will make explicit what is implicit in normative cisheterosexual dynamics and then those complicit in cisheterosexuality will act all scandalized about seeing themselves in the funhouse mirror

[sewer-swan]

in kink as in gender, a choice instead of an invisible pressure is reprehensible. If you put on the big clanky chain, you necessarily have the big shiny key to it, and you show it to be merely a thing, not a natural force.

[conservativemalarkey]

I think the thing that's even scarier about kink, to the wrong sort of person, is that... it's a game. It's meant to be fun. You are not meant to take it too seriously, and if you start taking it too seriously, you will have to stop.

The kind of person who thinks that the big clanky chain is a natural force is also the kind of person who thinks that you should take that force SERIOUSLY AS DEATH. you shouldn't treat it like, say, the weather, like a nuisance to be planned around- no, you should let it rule everything that goes into and out of you. (Pun fully intended.) Every thought, every word, every relationship dynamic, even the food you eat is supposed to be constrained by Your Social Role As An Hetero Man/Woman. You're supposed to CONSTANTLY project dominance or submission with everything you do.

....And then kinksters, gay OR straight, come in with the big clanky chain and big shiny key and fluffy pink handcuffs and goofy-ass Saturday Morning Cartoon Villain outfits and say, "actually, social roles are a costume you can put on or take off, and we're having a costume party." It's not just that they're showing the natural force isn't all that natural- it's that they're making it into a big, campy joke.

And for someone who's spent their entire life abusing themself in the name of patriarchy? Turning that constant coercion into a thing you can laugh at and put away when you're done? It's unthinkable.

[sadhoc]

imagine the most meanspirited, unlikeable, rude, bitter, self centered, negative person you can think of. not a rapist, not a murderer, not an abuser. just a charmless, tactless, dyed in the wool asshole you wouldn't want to spend two seconds with. now assume they get sick, not with the flu, but with a long term, serious illness that limits their ability to provide for themself. a society in which that person is left to die alone because nobody likes them on a personal level is a failed society.

[sadhoc]

and the thing is, no matter how likeable or charming or cute you are, peoples' patience runs out. the friends who drop everything to rush you to the ER the first time you shit blood tell you to stop being so tmi the fourteenth time. people might give you a couch to crash on the first week after your shitty ex kicks you out, but by week eight, you better have another place to stay. people run out of time, patience, money, compassion, energy. there needs to be an impersonal option, a real safety net that isn't going to dump you when you become inconvenient

[maybelsart]

Imposter syndrome

[vonkarn]

“money doesn’t buy happiness” have you ever purchased a stuffed animal

[unswerving-dysfunctional-loyalty]

[masterthespianduchovny]

I would fight a fucking army for Syd and maybe it’s because Carmy allowed the others to act like trash. Or that she put up with so much bullshit trying to implement his brigade. Or, despite being tiny, she doesn’t back down from anyone and inserts herself into disputes to de-escalate even if they’re teetering on violence.

Because it’s something so fascinating about one of the smallest people in the kitchen not backing down to tall, aggressive men. When Richie was in her face and episode 7 and she got this crazy look in her eyes like she was with the shits and would take him on.

Or how she just spoke her mind to Carmy as she was quitting and wasn’t afraid or stuttering and hedging her words. Just straight up told this man he was a piece of shit.

And how she got into those mobsters faces and made them introduce themselves and didn’t use violence to de-escalate.

She also talks in this unique way where she’s constantly trying to talk to people in a calm, approachable way, but it’s laced with this frankness like when she was telling Sweeps the floor was so dirty she could slip. Or telling Tina she didn’t have time to fuck around.

But she’s also vulnerable and is trying her best and does everything in her power to make sure things run smoothly.

And my response to her i so visceral because I relate so much to her. I’ve been that person at times. And it’s often a position black girls and woman are put into in work and life. We have to know how to navigate situations all while keeping or cool or standing up for ourselves because we only have ourselves.

So, yes, Syd can fuck up in my book and not apologize. She can say he daughter thinks he’s a fucking loser, and then stab him.

Syd has done more in the handful of months she’s worked than however long Richie has been employed at his “delicate fucking ecosystem.” Which is only delicate because of whatever was going on with Micheal and Richie sure as hell doesn’t know how to run a business.

Because even if Syd did something wrong, no she didn’t.

And, as much as I love Carmy, I don’t give a shit that she didn’t apologize for the kitchen kerfuffle.

[sweaterregrets]

☠️ daughters of the ninth ☠️

[hugsandnoregrets]

okay but like if carmy and sydney just kept getting closer and didnt date at all but like they go grocery shopping together and do recipe practice together and then eventually theyre like “wouldnt it just be easier if we carpool to work” which becomes “lets be roommates” and then in like season 5 of my imagination everyone is like “so when are you and sydney getting engaged” and theyre like “what” and they havent even kissed but they live together and spend all their free time hanging out inventing recipes and being chefs of mutual respect because they’re too stupid to realize they are in love lol