Technology really is magic. I know that’s said a lot but like I’m sitting here looking at one of those chargers that you put your phone on top to wirelessly charge. And today is the first time I’ve really looked at it and gone “truly how the fuck does this work”
Maybe we stress about fantasy worldbuilding too much. We’re like “oh we gotta know the rules of the magic system,” no you don’t. I don’t know the rules of our magic system. If Aragorn, son of Arathorn got hit by a truck that orcs and goblins were driving flintstone style, and he transmigrated into my living room, I would not be able to explain any of the technology around me. I have no idea how I’m making this post. Imagine the first caveman who was like “oh shit the wheel” and I’m nodding along with that cave man. I understand how the wheel can roll. This next sentence was supposed to be about how I can sort of grasp how landline telephones work, but then I thought about it and no I don’t. I am surrounded everyday by mystical forces.
Anyway I have to use this particular charger because this miracle machine’s charging port is fuckin broken again
Don’t even get me started on pharmaceuticals. They are potions and concoctions. I googled “how does Tylenol work” and it turns out the answer is “hmmmm we don’t actually know, but it works” and then I go “cool!” and take two of them
Ballpoint pens.
No, for real. For most of human history we did shit like pressing a stylus into clay, and then we got papyrus (or paper itself, in China) and ink, but you had to write with a sharpened reed or feather or brush that ran out of ink so regularly that ALL OF CHINESE CALLIGRAPHY is designed around how to write your characters so you don’t run out of ink in an ugly spot, and even when we got fountain pens the ink was relatively thin and took so long to dry you literally had to purchase separate paper called “blotting paper,” the entire purpose of which was to remove excess ink so you didn’t have to wait eight million years for your ink to dry. And in addition, inkwell pens and fountain pens can be MESSY AS FUCK. A tipped-over inkwell is goodbye to everything on your desk, whatever you were working on, and possibly your clothes. Yes, all these forms of writing have their place, but holy hell are they a production and a half.
…and then like 130 years ago this dude figured out how to make a pen with ink sticky enough to not leak regularly but fluid enough to flow out of the pen, write on stuff that wasn’t paper, not require an inkwell or blotting paper, AND YOU CAN CARRY THIS MARVEL IN YOUR POCKET.
Ballpoint motherfucking magic pens.


















