STORIES THAT WERE TOLD BY PEOPLE SPEAKING LANGUAGES WE NO LONGER KNOW
STORIES TOLD BY PEOPLE LOST TO THE VOID OF TIME
STORIES
GUYS LOOK AT THIS
OH MY GOD YOU GUYS
GUYYYYYSSSS
“Here’s how it worked: Fairy tales are transmitted through language, and the shoots and branches of the Indo-European language tree are well-defined, so the scientists could trace a tale’s history back up the tree—and thus back in time. If both Slavic languages and Celtic languages had a version of Jack and the Beanstalk (and the analysis revealed they might), for example, chances are the story can be traced back to the “last common ancestor.” That would be the Proto-Western-Indo-Europeans from whom both lineages split at least 6800 years ago. The approach mirrors how an evolutionary biologist might conclude that two species came from a common ancestor if their genes both contain the same mutation not found in other modern animals.”
they think they identified the oldest of the bunch, too. i’m not sure they did, really, because back then there was no clear line between storytelling for entertainment, religious mythos, and magic workers’ mysteries. so my educated guess would be that the real oldest fiction-told-as-fiction has probably been filed under mythology or warped into a near-meaningless ritual over the centuries.
you know what would be rad? would be if we could look 6000 years into the future and see which urban myths survived that long. “the lovers discover the killer was outside the whole time” and “the call was coming from inside the house” might be whole folklore categories. 😀
I often think about the memes, gods and saints we leave for the future.
Will someone pass on “GNU Pterry” or “Make Space Mom proud” for long enough to turn it into idioms or myths?
Terry Crews of Brooklyn 99 gives the best advice on physical fitness.
Seriously, his Reddit AMAis the most genuinely upbeat, positive actor interview ever. Another great bit:
To be honest, this was the healthiest advice for getting into working out I’ve ever read, and it really was the inspiration for me to start running and going to the gym.
No judgement, no “you need to be doing this” mess. Just a simple “do what you can. and feel comfortable”
Pro tip: Half & half lasts longer than milk, and cream lasts longer than half & half. I try to keep a little tiny carton in the fridge because you never know when you’ll need to add a splash of [dairy product] into a sauce or a pasta, but it’s not worth getting a whole jug of milk and watching it go bad.
Pro tip #2: You can make mashed potatoes. Yes, you in the corner who doesn’t cook much. It’s easy, it’s delicious, and it’s very very satisfying to do.
(I’m saying this because growing up, making “real” mashed potatoes was a Big Deal. We used the flake kind out of the box. I was so amazed when a previous roommate showed me… it’s really no harder to just make them for realsies.)
Here’s the whole deal.
You get a quantity of potatoes. If it’s just you, get two medium-sized brown ones, or three red ones (which are smaller.) If it’s you and a friend, three browns or five reds. And so on.
Peel ‘em or just wash ‘em really good (with water! not soap!!!) if you like skins in your mash. Then cut them into chunks. Size doesn’t matter (wink wink nudge nudge), it just helps them cook faster and be in your mouth sooner. I normally end up with cubes about an inch, two inches in size.
Put them in a saucepot and pour enough water in so that it covers the tops of all the potatoes. Heat over medium, medium-high, whatever, until the potatoes feel soft when you stick a fork in them.
Oh my stars and garters, are you almost done! You are!
Take the pot off the stove, drain the water out, and… drumroll… MASH THE POTATOES. With a fork or a wooden spoon or a fancy masher if you have one. Splash some of the aforementioned Emergency Dairy Product in there and two tablespoons of butter to help get things moving.
Too dry? A second splash of dairy. Too bland? More butter, salt, whatever. Your potatoes are cooked, they are soft and crumbly, and now you just make them taste like what you want. Cheese? Chives? Garlic? Have fun.
And oh my gosh, look at that, you have fresh homemade mashed potatoes and all you did was throw cut up potatoes in a pot, boil them, and add yums.
It’s a good feeling for your brain and also your tummy to make things to feed yourself.
A friendly commenter @nawba taught me how to find big uncompressed images on Tumblr. Thank you @nawba!! This might not work forever or for everyone but it works well for me!
Right click the image to get the image URL.
Replace “https://78.media.tumblr.com/” at the beginning of the URL with “https://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/”
Replace “_1280.jpg” at the end of the URL with “_raw.jpg”
This should give you an image that’s probably bigger and definitely clearer (less compressed) than what you see on the Tumblr dashboard or on the usual web page.
You can try it yourself with this drawing:
I dislike how Tumblr compresses my images. At least now I can find good copies of my images via my own blog, if not on my own blog. Also it helps when looking for cool wallpaper or background images.
(If I explained this wrong or I’m missing something, please tell me, so I can amend this post.)
Do you spend a lot of time focusing on famous authors that have been inactive for years, and fics that were published half a decade ago?
Do you miss the way the fandom used to be? Do you even feel like the fandom is dying and nobody is making fanworks as good as they used to be?
Well, I have some good news for you – Hetalia fanfic is alive and well, and there are many wonderful authors still active in our fandom!
So, where do I start looking?
Luckily, five other wonderful people from our fandom and i have put together a blog that has an archive of recently-written hetalia fanfic, just for people like you who want to find more fanfic and get to know more authors in the aph fandom but don’t know where to begin!
The HWD Official Blog is the Tumblr account for the Discord server we run – the Hetalia Writers’ Discord, a growing community of over 100 active writers! On the HWD, we come together to share our work, exchange feedback, support one anothers’ projects, make friends, get motivated to finish projects, and more! And we’re in the process of collecting all of the work of our writers on the HWD Official Blog , so that any and all of you lovely people in the fandom can check out what we have to offer!!
And we have it organized into an easy-to-use directory format just for you. Here’s how to get started browsing!
FANFIC: If you’re looking for fanfic in general and you don’t have a specific character or pairing in mind, this is the place for you! Our Fanfic tag includes only writing by our members – no blog maintenance, update or announcement posts – and includes all characters, ships, genres and ratings.
TAG DIRECTORY:This is the place to go if you’re looking for works that feature specific characters, pairings, ratings or genres! HWD is completely ship-neutral and hosts works of all pairings.
CREATOR DIRECTORY: This is the place to go to check out our wonderful writers by name, including their Tumblrs, their AO3 and FFN accounts, and more! This page was put together by Mod Sara, @kanadka !!!
Our directories are always being updated and added onto!! If you don’t see your favorite ship or character, don’t worry – we are still in the process of adding to our archive and categorizing all the fanfic we already have on our blog, and you’re sure to find more if you explore the general Fanfic tag!
But to help you get more of a feel for what we’re all about, here are some of my favorite fics from our writers!
Characters: Rome, Carthage, Etruria, Macedon, Ancient Greece, Ancient Egypt
Pairing: Carthage/Etruria
Rating: G
Genre: Historical, Drama
“—did this world feed you?
The pallid web of peace sticking the Mediterranean together since the last war is cut into pieces. To discuss just how unhappy the Romans are that Carthage is not dead yet, Carthage himself is called to Rome. Easier said than done, as he has been under the ancient equivalent of house arrest for years and is barely fit to board a boat. What’s worse, to test his limits, the living ghost nation must travel much deeper into Italy than anticipated. Along the way, Carthage faces supernatural feelings centuries-buried before he faces his final grave.”
“Missisippi, 1928. Alfred receives a new record for his Victrola. Upon trying to serenade his houseguest Toris with showtunes, he winds up being serenaded instead.”
One of my favorite passages from this fic: “In another life, the two of them are married and have a family. Toris wonders what their children would look like; it’s pointless speculation, of course, they can’t have children, but still, he wonders.”
A favorite passage: “Khulan trembled, burying herself into the Tibetan’s chest and feeling the week pulse of her friend’s heart.
The pulse sang a song Khulan had been listening to for 13 years, from the first time she met the crying girl who had fallen off her horse, to the first time they held hands when playing in the snow, to when the girl trailed behind her as she brought the hunt back home, smiling when Khulan returned to her day and night.”
“During less than a decade but spanning two millennia all the same, Hungary learns that she’s been missing out by not having gotten to know Belarus better, and she finds that maybe they’re just each other’s thing.”
Characters: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Finland, Sweden
Rating: T
Genre: Alternate Universe
“Eduard thought he was living a normal life, with good friends and a future he was working hard towards. But the world he lives in is not what it seems when he finds himself plunged into a role that only existed in the comics that Feliks liked. But he isn’t alone in all this. He’s glad for it, considering monsters and portals showing up left, right, and center.”
Wonderfully creative Sailor Moon AU that Lilly has put a ton of hard work and love into!!!
“The young voivode Vladimir Dragulescu upon the death of his mother, decides to summon an Ancient Entity to carry his desire for revenge but ends up falling in love for such Being.”
“Given the choice to change his ways or face the consequences, Arthur is propelled from urban England to the American suburbs, putting up with all the drama, pettiness, and idiots that go with it.”
“He loved through a paper. Words that sang and touched his soul lighting fires in the deepest parts of his soul. Antonio was in love. If only who knew with who.”
“All I want is you gone,” says Australia. The imperial statutes, the English judges, the marks of foreign settlement, the hoisted flags – all of it escapes him in the moment. Later he might think it childish, but in the present, England is an all-encompassing entity. England’s absence is the absence of control.”
“At the beginning of the 1400s, the Teutonic Order was at the height of its power. Their navy ruled the Baltic and their Prussian cities were affluent enough to wholly cover the cost of maintaining the crusading army of the Teutonic Knights as a standing force. By 1435, the country was demoralised and discontented, trounced by a gang of heretics, and all but powerless. Here’s how it happened.”
And we have many, many more where these wonderful fics came from!
So check out our blog and take a look!! We are a growing community and we’re adding to our fic archives all the time, and with your support we can continue to grow and make this fandom a more creative, encouraging, and happier place to be!!! ❤
OKAY I have been meaning to do this for MONTHS but hey, there’s no better time than the present so buckle up, here we go!
THESE BOOKS ARE A GODSEND.
I am ALWAYS on the lookout for writing aids that ACTUALLY HELP. If you’re like me, and occasionally venture out to buy books on, let’s say, showing vs telling – you will always get the same rehearsed speeches on what that means. -summons pretentious writer’s voice-You’ve got to shoooooow what’s happening in the scene, not teeeeeeell~~ BAH! What you NEVER get, however, is how to do it, or how do it better.
THESE BOOKS ARE THE STUFF OF DREAMS
Each of these is so freaking helpful, I can’t even convey. They all follow the same format as the pictures I’ve shown above, so you get one detailed page of descriptions followed by tons of more in-depth, thought provoking concepts.
I’ll do my best to lay out the five that I have and if you are interested, hop on over to Amazon and buy these suckers up because they are AMAZING; I have NEVER used a writing resource more than I use these.
Negative Trait Thesaurus & Positive Trait Thesaurus -gives you a definition of said negative trait -gives you similar flaws also found in the book -gives you possible causes of WHY the character might have this trait -gives you a list of other behaviors the chara might have -gives you examples of the chara’s thought process -gives associated emotions -gives positive aspects of the trait, as well as negative -gives examples of well known chara’s that have this trait -talks about how the chara might overcome it -gives traits that, when combined with this one, might cause conflict How I use this information: Chara building, or when I get stuck on what I want a character to do. Man, I just can’t decide what they WOULD do. Well, awesome, I have a little guide to help me think through the character’s possible motivations. Also, I get help building a potential backstory because I get a framework of which to think, why is the character this way?
Urban Setting Thesaurus & Rural Setting Thesaurus -gives a whole lot of examples of sights, smells, tastes, and sounds -gives examples of textures and sensations (ie at an ‘antique shop’ you may encounter chipped paint, distressed wood, etc) -gives you possible sources of conflict (ie at a ‘hotel’ you might have noisy neighbors) -gives list of people you might expect to find at said location -gives related settings -gives tips on this type of setting -gives a setting description example How I use this information: IMAGERY IMAGERY IMAGERY
Emotion Thesaurus (aka MY FAVORITE) -gives a definition of the emotion -gives physical signs and signals (ie chara may look pale, might fidget, etc) -gives internal sensations (aka, blood pounding in the ears, dry throat, adrenaline rush) -gives mental responses (ie fight or flight) -gives cues of acute or long-term impacts of the emotion -gives ‘may escalate to _______’ and directs you to other emotions -gives cues of suppression (ie cues of suppressed rage) -gives writer tips How I use this information: I love this book so hardcore, it’s so helpful with internalizing. It’s great because I get to step outside of that box of using the same five responses to a certain emotion and start really thinking about, what can a character do instead to show that they are feeling this, rather than me using adverbs or his adrenaline pumped fifty gazillion times.
These books are all co-written by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi (bless their souls) and if this sounds of interest LOOK INTO IT!! I get such buyer’s regret after buying writing guides but these are legit the best ones I have found and I reference them so, so, so much.
Hope this helps anyone out there looking for something life-changing!!
check these out!
I got all of these and they are AMAZING. Very, very worth it.
Here’s an easy resolution: This stuff is all free as long as you have access to a computer, and the skills you learn will be invaluable in your career, and/or life in general.
1. Become awesome at Excel.
Chandoo is one of many gracious Excel experts who wants to share their knowledge with the world. Excel excellence is one of those skills that will improve your chances of getting a good job instantly, and it will continue to prove invaluable over the course of your career. What are you waiting for?
Perhaps no other skill you can learn for free online has as much potential to lead to a lucrative career. Want to build a site for your startup? Want to build the next big app? Want to get hired at a place like BuzzFeed? You should learn to code. There are a lot of places that offer free or cheap online coding tutorials, but I recommend Code Academy for their breadth and innovative program. If you want to try a more traditional route, Harvard offers its excellent Introduction to Computer Science course online for free.
3. Make a dynamic website.
You could use a pre-existing template or blogging service, or you could learn Ruby on Rails and probably change your life forever. Here’s an extremely helpful long list of free Ruby learning tools that includes everything from Rails for Zombies to Learn Ruby The Hard Way. Go! Ruby! Some basic programming experience, like one of the courses above, might be helpful (but not necessarily required if you’re patient with yourself).
4. Learn to make a mobile game.
If you’re not interested in coding anything other than fun game apps, you could trythis course from the University of Reading. It promises to teach you how to build a game in Java, even if you don’t have programming experience! If you want to make a truly great game, you might want to read/listen up on Game Theory first.
5. Start reading faster.
Spreeder is a free online program that will improve your reading skill and comprehension no matter how old you are. With enough practice, you could learn to double, triple, or even quadruple the speed at which you read passages currently, which is basically like adding years to your life.
6. Learn a language!
With Duolingo, you can learn Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, or English (from any of the above or more). There’s a mobile app and a website, and the extensive courses are completely free.
Full disclosure: BuzzFeed and other websites are in a partnership with DuoLingo, but they did not pay or ask for this placement.
7. Pickle your own vegetables.
Tired of your farmer’s market haul going bad before you use it all? Or do you just love tangy pickled veggies? You too can pickle like a pro thanks to SkillShare and Travis Grillo.
8. Improve your public speaking skills.
You can take the University of Washington’s Intro to Public Speaking for free online. Once you learn a few tricks of the trade, you’ll be able to go into situations like being asked to present at a company meeting or giving a presentation in class without nearly as much fear and loathing.
9. Get a basic handle of statistics.
UC Berkeley put a stats intro class on iTunes. Once you know how to understand the numbers yourself, you’ll never read a biased “news” article the same way again — 100% of authors of this post agree!
10. Understand basic psychology.
Knowing the basics of psych will bring context to your understanding of yourself, the dynamics of your family and friendships, what’s really going on with your coworkers, and the woes and wonders of society in general. Yale University has its Intro to Psychology lectures online for free.
11. Make your own music.
Step one: Learn how to play guitar: Justin Guitar is a fine and free place to start learning chords and the basic skills you’ll need to be able to play guitar — from there, it’s up to you, but once you know the basics, just looking up tabs for your favorite songs and learning them on your own is how many young guitar players get their start (plus it’s an excellent party trick).
Step two: A delightful free voice lesson from Berklee College Of Music.
Step three: Have you always thought you had an inner TSwift? Berklee College of Music offers an Introduction to Songwriting course completely for free online. The course is six weeks long, and by the end of the lesson you’ll have at least one completed song.
Step four: Lifehacker’s basics of music production will help you put it all together once you have the skills down! You’ll be recording your own music, ready to share with your valentine or the entire world, in no time!
12. Learn to negotiate.
Let Stanford’s Stan Christensen explain how to negotiate in business and your personal life, managing relationships for your personal gain and not letting yourself be steamrolled. There are a lot of football metaphors and it’s great.
13. Stop hating math.
If you struggled with math throughout school and now have trouble applying it in real-world situations when it crops up, try Saylor.org’s Real World Math course. It will reteach you basic math skills as they apply IRL. Very helpful!
14. Start drawing!
All kids draw — so why do we become so afraid of it as adults? Everyone should feel comfortable with a sketchbook and pencil, and sketching is a wonderful way to express your creativity. DrawSpace is a great place to start. (I also highly recommend the book Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain if you can drop a few dollars for a used copy.)
Have you never really “gotten” jazz? If you want to be able to participate in conversations at fancy parties and/or just add some context to your appreciation of all music, try this free online course from UT Austin.
Another invaluable skill that will get you places in your career, learning Photoshop can be as fun as watching the hilarious videos on You Suck At Photoshop or as serious as this extensive Udemy training course (focused on photo retouching).
Instructables has a great course by a woman who is herself an online-taught knitter. You’ll be making baby hats and cute scarves before this winter’s over!
21. Get started with investing in stocks.
If you are lucky enough to have a regular income, you should start learning about savings and investment now. Investopedia has a ton of online resources, including this free stocks basics course. Invest away!
Most cities have free community classes (try just searching Google or inquiring at your local yoga studio), or if you’re more comfortable trying yoga at home, YogaGlohas a great 15-day trial and Yome is a compendium of 100% free yoga videos. If you’re already familiar with basic yoga positions but you need an easy way to practice at home, I recommend YogaTailor’s free trial as well.
24. Tie your shoelaces more efficiently.
It’s simple and just imagine the minutes of your life you’ll save!
If you’re on the verge of adulthood and you feel like you have no idea what ‘adulting’ is, you might want to check out some of these books. Here’s a list of some daunting “grown up” books that range from self help to finance:
Rich dad poor dad– I had to start with a personal finance book because lets face it, us millennials have no idea where to start with personal finances. This book was written quiet a while ago but its still relevant and easy to read. I read this book when I was 15 and I still re-read it every year to freshen up. It does a great job of introducing you to the relationship you’ll want to have with your money
The life changing magic of tidying up– One of my all time favorites! (it pleases my inner Monica Geller) if you want to go into adulthood having a healthy relationship with the objects you buy, this is the one for you. Marie Kondo has a wealth of knowledge on efficient cleaning/ tidying methods that actually make a huge difference in helping you maintain a clear mind and a happy living space.
The 48 laws of power– ‘nuff said. Learning how powerful people work doesn’t necessarily mean you have to employ these tactics, but it’s important to recognize them when they’re being used on you.
Girl Boss– This one is popular for a reason; if you wanna know to grow a business with little capital on the internet, this is your go to. A great read, regardless if you wanna go into business or not.
5 Love languages– Another popular one. This book will help you understand communication in relationships (not just romantic ones). You can never go wrong with learning how to effectively communicate your love to the people most important to you.
Come as You Are: The Surprising New Science that Will Transform Your Sex Life– A book about female sexuality; A super insightful read regardless if you’re sexually active or not.
Freakonomics– Literally one of the most interesting books ever created. If you’re an econ geek like me or just wanna know the hidden economics of how the world works, this will be a good read for you. This is one of those books that you can never unread.
How to win friends and influence people– Similar to the 48 laws of power but with its own twist. This teaches you how to navigate the tricky world of making fiends or networking.
The Telomere Effect: A Revolutionary Approach to Living Younger, Healthier, Longer– A sciency approach to health and wellness. A perfect read to get informed about your health.
Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ– Emotional health is just as important physical health. You’re never too young to tend to your emotional well being and this book is just the place to start.
Ok, so that’s my round up of ‘grown up’ books. I hope you enjoyed and that this helped you to realize that books about life and self improvement are not just for adults. You can prepare for the life you want, you don’t have to wait for it.
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