Online Fantasy Worlds

Making this post because I discovered these gems quite late and they are awesome for any fantasy/fiction/supernatural buffs out there.

The first is the web series Carmilla, based on the J. Sheridan Le Fanu Novella. No I haven't read it, didn't even know what it was till I started watching the series but if anyone is interested they can always see the synopsis on Wikipedia. The format of the show is narrative, the writing is brilliant and the actors don't miss a beat. There are currently 3 seasons online and soon there will be a movie!! All hail the Giant Angler fish God. #creampuffs

The fandom of this series is amazing, they create beautiful artwork, comic strips and write fanfiction's, insightful headcanon's etc based on the episodes and it really helps with the withdrawal and impatience one feel's while waiting for the next one.
There are many things to love about this; the relationships, characters, story arcs. What deserves special mention is the way the creator of the series handles sexuality (bisexual, gay, lesbian) in the same vein as we see straight relationships treated in mainstream media, it was quite refreshing to watch that. The fast-paced writing with pop culture references tempered with news from the Silas universe which is a wonderfully weird place. I can keep going on but you can judge it yourself. please go check it out


The Second is a podcast called "Welcome to Night Vale" this is set up as a radio show in (surprise) Night vale. Which is a very normal town with hooded figures, broken corners, glow clouds, shapes that must not be named and ongoing sentences. However, the "government" of that land is oppressive, forces people to ignore the evil staring them in the face, distracts people with nonexistent water parks in the middle of the desert; horror and human death are dealt with total nonchalance. The bizarreness of this nonchalance is, in my opinion, a really wonderful commentary on real world affairs.It has many layers if one cares to examine them.
 Come for the fantasy, stay for Carlos's hair. I listen to these on youtube here is the link

  these can also be found on iTunes and SoundCloud.

These are the two I'm into right now. I hope they bring everyone as much joy as they brought me.

True Magic

New books new books!!! I am so happy!

I always ask for books as Rakhi presents, birthday presents, basically for any type of gift giving exercise. Because of this people start to think I'm so mature, intellectual and being such a good sister/person by not asking for expensive, random stuff. People listen to me, one books are very expensive which is why I always have a wishlist that I'm ready to whip out at any occasion where people offer to buy me presents. It's not nice it's slightly crazy. As for being intellectual, hahaha right, I read fiction and comedy it's not a source of information it's a method of immersion and escape.

Oh my God everyone new books! the joy can never be communicated no matter how many exclamation points I use. Actually, if I use too many it conjures an image of an overstimulated, sugar-hopped, hyperactive kid which image doesn't accurately describe the emotions. It's more like one chocolate pastry, one cup coffee, a quiet sunset on the beach while hearing the waves crashing about. I wonder if putting the feelings in pictures helped. 

So I got the 'Lord of the ring's' series which I haven't read yet, the 'cousin o Dwyer' series by Nora Roberts (huge fan of her) and 'Ashoka' by Wytze Keuning. I had actually started reading Ashoka and was having my mind blown with every page but I stopped for exams and then... lost the book, been kicking myself about it ever-since. It is such an amazing book. I hope a lot of people read it, love it and are enriched by it. Phew, now that my excitement is on the Internet, therefore real, onto the marathon book reading session.

“but for my own part, if a book is well written, I always find it too short.” 
― Jane Austen

Inserting a quote by a famous author to appear smarter.

Dissonance In Practise

I am so angry right now I can barely keep my finger away from the caps lock button! The culprit- shopkeeper who sold me a coke for 55Rs instead of the 50 it said on the bottle. And he tries to pass it off as something that happens everywhere... really uncle? that's not even a creative excuse, "haan aap dekhengi sab jagah aise hi hai, alag se tax lagta hai" translation- I think you are an idiot and since you lack the social skills for this confrontation I’m going to steal from you, by saying something which sounds technical but is essentially BS. 

I hate it when shopkeepers do this, MRP's are the maximum allowable price on the product according to the manufacturer and even if the amount is as small as 5Rs it is wrong and dishonest, you bucket of belched slugs (its gonna take a lot of cold water to cure that burn). I know there are shopkeepers that charge you lesser than the printed price, I feel my heart grow a size when someone does that. But if he/she doesn’t charge lesser than the MRP that’s  perfectly fine, as long as you charge exactly what is printed or legal. 

However, as I reflect on this I see how horribly unfair I’m being to the small shopkeeper. I am completely ignoring the expensive cafe's where they take a beverage that will; if you make it yourself, cost you maybe 45 bucks, also you can make a lot more of it while they charge you 250 for one cup/glass of it. Even taking into account the ambiance, service e.t.c. it’s not a specialized product, or unique in any way. So why am I biased?  Unfair, Inflated prices are unfair whether they are located in a small hut, between your colony streets or on a busy marketplace, where all the "cool kids" hang out. My anger suddenly feels misplaced.*sigh at least I kept away from the caps lock. 

 I’ve just experienced Cognitive dissonance*; because I have paid more, in a way invested more in the cafe I am overlooking the ridiculous cost and changing my attitude towards that price as fair, while 3Rs is not enough to change that attitude thus I see it as unfair. Oh, this is freaking wonderful! Not only am I socially challenged I’m also a gullible fool. 

What have I learned from this? To practice my assertiveness and to consider a little more deeply before buying cappuccino from well any coffee shop. 

*Cognitive Dissonance: refers to a situation involving conflicting attitudes, beliefs or behaviors. This produces a feeling of discomfort leading to an alteration in one of the attitudes, beliefs or behaviors to reduce the discomfort and restore balance.

Reference


http://www.simplypsychology.org/cognitive-dissonance.html

Taylor Swift is Racist?!?!

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Drones (HBO)

this is scary

We're all Scared

Khoj

Kuch choti si baatein
thodi si unban
ek uun ka gola khula
aur kahin kuch kho gaya

phir ek sham socha
jo bikhra hai samet loon
uljha hai jo suljha loon
goom raha hai jo uska raasta mod doon

issi khoj mai nikli thi kal
dhoondte dhoondhte thak kar beth gayi
jab mile mujhe woh khoye tukde
phaelle hue the sunsaan sheher mein

kabhi kissi kitab mein mille
kissi gaane ki dhun se aaye
toh kabhi kissi ki baaton ke boliyon se
aaye woh shor mein, ayye woh khamoshi mei

samet kar unko
dhoondh kar khech kar
badh liya hai maine
patli si shakh hai, hawa ke jhoke se bhi ab darr hai

simtein hui kone mere
nami mei doobi hue
khoj rahe the ek dusre ko
shayad mil jayenge
ya shayad jo adhoora hai kuch behtar hi ban jayega

-shievani singh (#romanhindi #hindipoetry)