5 things make a post
Dec. 6th, 2016 12:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bedlamsbard1. I very seldom go to the movies, because it's a bit of a hassle and it's expensive and I don't really have the patience for movies, so I prefer to watch them on my computer where I can pause them and walk away if need be, but I went to see Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them weekend before last and Moana last weekend, and both movies were absolutely delightful.
1a. I wanted to see Fantastic Beasts while it was still in theatres because I knew that if I didn't, there was a pretty good chance I wouldn't see it for literally years (I still haven't seen any of the Marvel movies since Winter Soldier came out), especially since there was a lot of criticism of it on Tumblr well before it came out and I tend to be pretty susceptible to other people's opinions -- this is the reason I've stopped reading reviews and reactions and am wary of discussing things I enjoy with other people. Especially in this current age of "if you liked THING you are an IRREDEEMABLE MONSTER" and I have enough problems with that already, thank you.
2. On a related note, there's a particular strand of criticism that sometimes gets leveled at JKR that makes me really uncomfortable -- not the diversity or the representation or any of that, but the "she's beaten the HP world to death," "why doesn't she fulfill her duty as an author and write a new fantasy epic not set in the HP 'verse," "she's a failure," etc., which quite frankly baffles me, especially the second one. (Which I have actually seen, though I don't remember where. Tumblr, obviously.) I don't know what I'm getting at with this, but while there are certainly legitimate criticisms to be leveled, some of the entitlement (which is a rough word to sling around) there is really uncomfortable and upsetting to me.
3. Today was the first snow of the season here, and I am not in favor of it at ALL, though obvs it is good for various reasons including decreasing the chance of a drought (which means bad harvests and increased wildfires) next year. I just don't like being cold and I don't like snow: these are the reasons I moved to Louisiana in the first place.
4. Multi-day cooking or baking projects are not good for me: I don't have the attention span to do things two days in a row, especially if day two is a day when my mother is home, because I don't like doing things where other people can see me.
4a. I've had cookie dough languishing in the fridge since Thursday. Hopefully it's still all right to bake off if I do so tomorrow; I bought decorating tools and everything.
5. I've got applications due next week, so I am trying to buckle down and actually get them done, which means I am back in statement of purpose hell. I'm a good writer, but this is the kind of writing I'm the absolute worst at, and I wish I had someone to show them to. (Like, there are people I'd be okay showing them to, but I feel awkward asking.) I'm just really anxious about this because I don't know what I'll do if I don't get into graduate school, and also -- applying costs a lot of money. Between GRE scores and application fees, it's about a hundred bucks per school. I've got the money from my grandmother, but I hate paying that much for something that's not guaranteed, and I just...I don't know what I'll do otherwise. This is literally the only thing I'm good at or trained to do.
5a. Except write, and I've got deadlines for a handful of different sci-fi/fantasy short story submissions set aside and marked on my calendar. The only problem is that I very seldom write original fiction and I very seldom write short stories and I very seldom write anything to a prompt. I'd like to submit at least one thing, but I'd also have to write it, which means that I need to turn from fic to original, and at the moment I've been bashing my head against the same three chapters since May, so on the other hand I'd rather get those sorted so at least they're out of the damn way.
5b. I really miss being a student; I broke down at my mom the other day and sobbed "I just really miss writing research papers!" Which I do; I'll complain about it the entire time I'm doing so but I really do enjoy it.
1a. I wanted to see Fantastic Beasts while it was still in theatres because I knew that if I didn't, there was a pretty good chance I wouldn't see it for literally years (I still haven't seen any of the Marvel movies since Winter Soldier came out), especially since there was a lot of criticism of it on Tumblr well before it came out and I tend to be pretty susceptible to other people's opinions -- this is the reason I've stopped reading reviews and reactions and am wary of discussing things I enjoy with other people. Especially in this current age of "if you liked THING you are an IRREDEEMABLE MONSTER" and I have enough problems with that already, thank you.
2. On a related note, there's a particular strand of criticism that sometimes gets leveled at JKR that makes me really uncomfortable -- not the diversity or the representation or any of that, but the "she's beaten the HP world to death," "why doesn't she fulfill her duty as an author and write a new fantasy epic not set in the HP 'verse," "she's a failure," etc., which quite frankly baffles me, especially the second one. (Which I have actually seen, though I don't remember where. Tumblr, obviously.) I don't know what I'm getting at with this, but while there are certainly legitimate criticisms to be leveled, some of the entitlement (which is a rough word to sling around) there is really uncomfortable and upsetting to me.
3. Today was the first snow of the season here, and I am not in favor of it at ALL, though obvs it is good for various reasons including decreasing the chance of a drought (which means bad harvests and increased wildfires) next year. I just don't like being cold and I don't like snow: these are the reasons I moved to Louisiana in the first place.
4. Multi-day cooking or baking projects are not good for me: I don't have the attention span to do things two days in a row, especially if day two is a day when my mother is home, because I don't like doing things where other people can see me.
4a. I've had cookie dough languishing in the fridge since Thursday. Hopefully it's still all right to bake off if I do so tomorrow; I bought decorating tools and everything.
5. I've got applications due next week, so I am trying to buckle down and actually get them done, which means I am back in statement of purpose hell. I'm a good writer, but this is the kind of writing I'm the absolute worst at, and I wish I had someone to show them to. (Like, there are people I'd be okay showing them to, but I feel awkward asking.) I'm just really anxious about this because I don't know what I'll do if I don't get into graduate school, and also -- applying costs a lot of money. Between GRE scores and application fees, it's about a hundred bucks per school. I've got the money from my grandmother, but I hate paying that much for something that's not guaranteed, and I just...I don't know what I'll do otherwise. This is literally the only thing I'm good at or trained to do.
5a. Except write, and I've got deadlines for a handful of different sci-fi/fantasy short story submissions set aside and marked on my calendar. The only problem is that I very seldom write original fiction and I very seldom write short stories and I very seldom write anything to a prompt. I'd like to submit at least one thing, but I'd also have to write it, which means that I need to turn from fic to original, and at the moment I've been bashing my head against the same three chapters since May, so on the other hand I'd rather get those sorted so at least they're out of the damn way.
5b. I really miss being a student; I broke down at my mom the other day and sobbed "I just really miss writing research papers!" Which I do; I'll complain about it the entire time I'm doing so but I really do enjoy it.
(no subject)
Date: 2016-12-06 08:43 am (UTC)And, you know, I really can't blame her for thinking she doesn't wanna kill the HP goose before she's entirely certain it's done laying golden eggs! Finding a new golden-egg-laying goose is such work.
I do not understand this idea you have encountered.
(no subject)
Date: 2016-12-06 10:16 am (UTC)I am just like...baffled? So baffled. (I mean, on the one hand I think the HP 'verse would work really well as a shared universe like Star Wars or Marvel or Dragonlance or, you know, those things, but unlike all of those HP is her brainchild alone, and I'm absolutely not surprised that she's not willing to relinquish complete control, even if it's starting to edge that way.) And also -- she did write something else, she wrote those mystery novels under a pseud. And she still got outed as JKR and then people complained about her writing grown-up mysteries instead of more Harry Potter.
Conclusion: people will never be happy.
(no subject)
Date: 2016-12-06 03:36 pm (UTC)Accurate conclusion is accurate
(no subject)
Date: 2016-12-06 09:16 pm (UTC)JKR can write whatever she damn well pleases, tbh.
I don't like doing things where other people can see me.
I thought I was the only one! It's so stressful.
*hugs*
(no subject)
Date: 2016-12-06 09:43 pm (UTC)Doing things in front of other people is the WORST.
(no subject)
Date: 2016-12-07 10:03 pm (UTC)THE ABSOLUTE WORST.
(no subject)
Date: 2016-12-07 10:20 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2016-12-08 10:35 pm (UTC)