InVisaGoth

I didn’t want to disrupt the post about hostile architecture I saw because it’s true that the main target is homeless people but I did want to mention that this architecture also hurts people who aren’t skinny. I want to preface this all by saying I am in no way trying to minimize how this impacts people experiencing homelessness I am just trying to add on to the discussion of how these are bad.

You think that someone who can’t fit into those weird little yellow seats is going to feel comfortable? No. It will only make them feel bad or excluded.

Look at this shit. It’s not good or nice.

unfollow me

ask me to unfollow you

block me

All of Frank Lloyd Wright’s houses had leaky roofs and were basically uninhabitable

The building is slowly sinking into the ground

Writing is the main thing I do for fun, but I’m a multi-faceted lass with many hobbies, and I also do Roman reenactment. I find that by actually doing something, you learn things that aren’t possible through theoretical research alone, so here is a collection of small things I’ve noticed while reenacting that you could add to your writing for a bit of extra realism.

Loose long hair is ANNOYING. There’s a reason most depictions you’ll see of women in history show them with their hair up and/or covered, and that is pure practicality. Having hair in the way is a massive pain (this would be particularly true for working women with stuff to get done).

Repetitive tasks aren’t boring if you have someone to chat to. When we do events, I’m in the textiles tent, and as the most junior member of the team I’m the one who does the spinning. Most events are 10-4/5, and you’d think 6/7 hours of spinning (with a break for lunch) would be boring, but actually, once you’re practiced you can do it on autopilot while you natter! I’m sure this is how people managed samey tasks back in ye olde days.

Speaking of spinning, working with textiles leaves its mark. If you’ve been spinning, sewing, or weaving for a long time, you’ll feel it. It knots up your shoulders and, perhaps less obviously, the friction of fibre against your fingers can wear away just enough skin to make them tender. Thimbles help with sewing, but not spinning or weaving.

Wool is WONDERFUL. I love it. It has a reputation as being scratchy and itchy, but when it’s finely woven/spun it is fantastic to wear. It keeps you cool when it’s hot, and warm when it’s cold. It also has the fantastic property of keeping you insulated even when soaking wet, which is why wool cloaks are so brilliant.

Linen is also wonderful. Lovely against the skin and cool in the summer (but for the average person in history, it’s more expensive than wool).

Woodsmoke gets everywhere. It stings your eyes and makes your clothes and hair smell smokey. However, after a little while the smell becomes just a background thing (and you get pretty practiced at anticipating when the smoke is going to change direction so you can move out of the way). It also keeps insects away!

Cooking over a fire takes longer than you’d think. If we start an event at 10 am, that means we’ll usually be having lunch at 1-2pm. However, we do have pretty elaborate meals, and have to start the fire from scratch every day (a lot of the wait time is getting the fire to cooking embers). If your characters are cooking simple fare over a fire that you’ve started from being banked, it’ll be quicker.

You want different footwear for different purposes. Hobnails give you great footing on soft/muddy ground, but on pavement they offer no purchase at all and will KILL YOU (okay, this is slight hyperbole, but there is an account of a centurion running from grass to pavement, slipping over and getting killed by his enemies). City wear would likely be leather and clogs/pattens.

Stimming is self-stimulatory behavior. Stimming is usually a repetitive sensory action and it's used to help level out the amount of sensory input you're getting, whether it's too much or too little input!

What Counts As Stimming?

There's so many ways to stim that it's impossible to list them all, but the most basic criteria is that it's a repetition of a sensory activity.

I don't have ADHD and I'm not autistic. Am I allowed to use this term?

Everyone stims! Stimming is not exclusive to just ADHD and autism, and even neurotypical people stim whether they realize it or not! I personally think that it's perfectly okay to use the word "stim" for your experiences regardless of if you're autistic/have ADHD or not.

What Are Some Examples Of Stimming?

Tactile (Touching things)

Running hands over a blanket, petting an animal, tracing your fingers along the seams of something, squishing something, picking at things, touching cold/warm things, patting something, pressing buttons, flipping switches.

Auditory (Listening to things)

Listening to the same song over and over, listening to ASMR/things popular in ASMR (like clay cracking, soap crunching, fingernail tapping, etc), listening to a rhythm, listening to a favorite voice, shaking an object around for the noise.

Verbal (Making noises with your mouth)

Singing, repeating words/phrases, speaking in accents repetitively, whistling, beatboxing, mimicking animals/sounds, toungue clicking, making random noises like beeps or pops.

Visual (Watching/Staring at things)

Watching paint mixing videos, watching repetitive color/shape patterns, staring at ceiling fans, blinking repetitively, watching things spin, watching bubbles/water, watching people mix glitter, watching lights.

Smell (Smelling things)

Smelling a candle, smelling a favorite item (like a blanket or toy), smelling pets, etc. Pretty much smelling anything repeatedly!

Taste/Oral (Tasting/Chewing things)

Chewing on things, eating specific foods for the texture, eating specific foods for the flavor, eating spicy/minty foods for the sensory effects, licking certain objects.

Body Stims (Moving body parts)

Hand flapping, cracking knuckles, rocking, leg swinging, pacing, tapping fingers, doing little stomps, general fidgeting, jumping/bouncing, moving certain body parts in specific ways, shifting around in your seat.

This does not encompass every single stim! These are just some examples to help provide a better idea of what they are, and there's still tons and tons of unique ways to stim that weren't listed here, like how I tap my fingertips together, or how I clear my throat repetitively!

Design sheets for Lady Aethelburg, she couldn’t be more polar opposite to Serafina.

From Ladies of the Knight

For practical reasons she does not actually fight in all that surcoat glory, but for spectacle she certainly parades around in it.

Serafina wouldn’t know stage presentation if it hit her in the face.