Living Write

But it’s historical FANTASY.

So if there’s a multiverse, I think we forget that some things are set in motion before the split, and would be the same in both realities.

for instance: I’m writing a collection of au fairy tale retellings set in *almost* our world. But George Washington died (crushed by a fallen cherry tree) as a child. Obviously there are repercussions in the “Colonies,” “Britannia,” “Francia,” etc.

BUT, in 1883, Krakatoa would still blow. In San Francisco in 19…91? There would still be a major quake on the San Andreas fault.

I think my art is improving! Drawing 1 of Ever Malincoln (character from one of the books I’m writing) is the one in pink. Drawing 2 is the same character drawn today (~4 months later.)

I'm a novelist, trying to break into traditional publishing. I just rebooted my writing Patreon, and I'd love for you to take a look! There's some free, some paid, and more coming!

Ok so hear me out. Gollum and Isildur both call the ring “Precious,” thousands of years apart. This suggests that the Ring itself identifies this way, further implying that Sauron called it “precious” first.

Gandalf reacts to Bilbo using this name, which makes me think that calling Rings of Power by terms of endearment is, like, a thing.

SO.

not me illustrating my own fanfic 😂

In a conflict recently with someone who I’m pretty sure doesn’t deal with an anxiety disorder, it occurred to me to spread this advice as far & wide as I’m able:

Dear people who do not struggle with anxiety:

In situations of conflict with anxious folks (based on my non-comprehensive conversations with SOME but several people who struggle with anxiety), where you’re not face-to-face/responding immediately, seeing and ignoring a message can easily be construed as an attack, because it tends to make us panic. A simple “I saw your message and will respond when I can” can be the difference between functioning through the day and panicking ourselves into a fetal meltdown. Better is “I saw your message and will respond by x time/day,” and better yet is “I’m not [mad at you, offended, etc] and will get back to you by x time/day.” For those of us with anxiety AND depression, being ignored is a very quick way to fall down an “I’m not worth their time/im not worth it/im not good enough/etc” black hole, which tends to be very hard to climb out of.

We* know, logically, that this is not your fault. It’s our brains’ wiring. But it’s extremely kind of you to respond with compassion, and we tend to appreciate it!

I can’t unsee it:

Dear history side,

I'm listening to Hamilton this morning. Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Aaron Burr come to Alexander Hamilton with check stubs from his transactions to James Reynolds.

How would one obtain something like that legally? I gotsta know if that was an illegal backhand! Cause... curious!

Also—does anyone know if Hamilton told Eliza about the affair before he published the Reynolds pamphlet?

Ok so some groundwork.

Some of my detail-remembering may be off.

There’s not a chance in J K’s world (see what I did there?) that other wizards haven’t been conceived with the influence of love potions (see: rape drugs,) so that is no real reason for Riddle to have become Voldy. Like, I’m sorry, but there are sociopaths contributing to society everywhere. So he can’t love. So what? He still chose to be beastly.

HOWEVER. Riddle did NOT choose all of his beastliness. He was horrified by the idea of returning to the orphanage. BEGGED to stay at Hogwarts. A little countryside orphanage in, what, the 30’s-40’s, where we KNOW kid-to-kid abuse happened, that Riddle the terror was scared to return to? Let’s face it, Tom Riddle was a severely abused child who never got counseling, on top of being a sociopath and who only ever got the comfort/attention he wanted needed out of being abusive to his peers.

But. BUT! Here’s the thing: Professor Dippet (two t’s?) didn’t see all this damage. Idk, maybe the ministry deliberately put idiots in charge at Hogwarts, or maybe he was just less involved. He very likely had no idea why Tom didn’t want to leave over the summer. (Especially, re: my PS on this post, the wizard/muggle cultural divide.)

You know who did know?

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Screw-you-Dumbledore.

He saw it. He knew.

Dumbledore was deputy headmaster; he could have intervened on Tom’s behalf. Could have found a wizarding family or even a less-awful orphanage for him to go to. Could have CONFUNDED A FAMILY INTO BELIEVING HE WAS THEIR SON (ok a stretch but he could’ve.) Could have TAKEN TOM RIDDLE HOME WITH HIM HIMSELF, or SET HIM UP WITH A ROOM IN THE LEAKY CAULDRON, or, basically, done ANYTHING HE WANTED to spare Tom Riddle further abuse.

So why didn’t he?

Ego.

Dumbledore, for all he pretends to recognize his own need for needing “seemly modesty,” is the most egotistical butthead ever. And, in this case, he perpetuated his own abused/witnessing abuse childhood (idk if it’s *exactly* canon but are you suggesting Albus, Aberforth, and Ariana we’re abused? Nvm that’s a different rant.) to hundreds or thousands of kids at Hogwarts.

Kids including Tom Riddle.

Dumbledore refers to Voldy as if he were destined to be evil. As if no one could have prevented it. Some unstoppable tragedy. But—HE could have. Dumbledore. He could have invested in Tom Riddle, preventing the rise of Voldemort and, what, MILLIONS of deaths? He was perfectly poised to do so—he had access. Intelligence. Influence. Funds. But because of his “I-survived-abuse, clever-people-survive” style ego, Dumbledore failed. He FAILED Riddle and, in so doing, all of England.

And you know the worst part? Literally the only thing he learned was to be sneakier. So when a young Mr. Potter was being abused? Dumbledore burrowed deeper into his secrets and lies and kept doing what he had always done.

This one goes out to my fellow ADHD sufferers who suck at cleaning—

My to-do lists and schedules have always followed what I imagine is a neurotypical person’s structure:

20 minutes: clear kitchen counters 10 minutes: scrub kitchen counters 15 minutes: sweep kitchen floor 15 minutes: mop kitchen floor

Etc.

I break it down into tiny chunks, which helps, but I still get frustrated because my brain is nine steps away from the task at hand.

I can’t believe this took 29 years, but today I deliberately did an experiment and it’s working surprisingly well. I made a list (so I remember stuff) and then my last, quite productive hour and a half, has been more like:

-2 minutes clearing counters -2 minutes sweep 10 ft of floor -vacuum 1 rug -sit 1.5 minutes -Read picture book to kids -clear 1/2 table -scrub one counter Etc.

It’s not perfect. But my “clean radius” is slowly growing wider. (And if I didn’t have to stop every third second for the bathroom, that would help, but 🤷🏻‍♀️pregnancy.)

Anyway. Might be worth a shot.