Random Stuff X: Something Weird

[Zathoth]

If you ignore it it will go away.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

Watching Timeless with my parents, and while it's a decent enough show, it's made me wonder....

Spoiler

Will we ever get a show with the guts to make a massive change to history, like allowing Lincoln to live? Look, I get the dramatic potential in having modern characters react to his death despite all their attempts to save him (or not), but I would really like to see a timeline that takes a change like that and explores it to its conclusion. How would modern America look, had Lincoln not been assassinated? This is a question TV doesn't care to answer.

 

[marsoupial they/them]

Guys guys guys

It's Christmas Eve

[Mestiv he/him]

2 hours ago, TwiLyghtSansSparkles said:

Watching Timeless with my parents, and while it's a decent enough show, it's made me wonder....

  Hide contents

Will we ever get a show with the guts to make a massive change to history, like allowing Lincoln to live? Look, I get the dramatic potential in having modern characters react to his death despite all their attempts to save him (or not), but I would really like to see a timeline that takes a change like that and explores it to its conclusion. How would modern America look, had Lincoln not been assassinated? This is a question TV doesn't care to answer.

 

There is a show set in world where Germany won World War 2. Can't remember what it's  called though. 

[marsoupial they/them]

Just now, Mestiv said:

There is a show set in world where Germany won World War 2. Can't remember what it's  called though. 

The Man In The High Castle

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

7 hours ago, bleeder said:

Guys guys guys

It's Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas Eve!  

7 hours ago, Mestiv said:

There is a show set in world where Germany won World War 2. Can't remember what it's  called though. 

 

7 hours ago, bleeder said:

The Man In The High Castle

Yeah, but that's the show's whole premise. Change one major historical event, and extrapolate from there. The premise of Timeless is that there's one guy who wants to change history for the worse, while the heroes try to protect history as much as they can. 

Honestly, I think I found that episode's premise so frustrating because, when it comes to alternate history, most writers I know of seem to change it for the worse. The Axis Powers win WWII. The South wins the Civil War. The Black Plague wipes out most of Europe's population. So few writers try to change it for the better, and while it's impossible to know for sure exactly what in our modern world would be different, had Lincoln finished out his term in office and perhaps been reelected, it seems like history could've changed for the better. Why does no one want to explore that? Why are alternate history writers so drawn to scenarios that turn the modern world into a dystopia, when they could be giving us a sunnier possibility to aspire to? 

 

(Also, my clock says it's 4:30 AM. My mind says it's 6:30. I am awake at 4 in the morning local time.  Though on the upside, I no longer feel like throttling someone, crying, or throttling someone while crying. ) 

Edited December 24, 2016 by TwiLyghtSansSparkles

[Edgedancer he/him]

25 minutes ago, TwiLyghtSansSparkles said:

Merry Christmas Eve!  

 

Yeah, but that's the show's whole premise. Change one major historical event, and extrapolate from there. The premise of Timeless is that there's one guy who wants to change history for the worse, while the heroes try to protect history as much as they can. 

Honestly, I think I found that episode's premise so frustrating because, when it comes to alternate history, most writers I know of seem to change it for the worse. The Axis Powers win WWII. The South wins the Civil War. The Black Plague wipes out most of Europe's population. So few writers try to change it for the better, and while it's impossible to know for sure exactly what in our modern world would be different, had Lincoln finished out his term in office and perhaps been reelected, it seems like history could've changed for the better. Why does no one want to explore that? Why are alternate history writers so drawn to scenarios that turn the modern world into a dystopia, when they could be giving us a sunnier possibility to aspire to?

Merry Christmas!

Simple Twi, that's hard.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

2 minutes ago, Edgedancer said:

Merry Christmas!

Simple Twi, that's hard.

Yeah, that's true.  Why go to the trouble of extrapolating a whole alternate timeline when you can just say "Nazi Batman, everyone!" and call it good? 

(Though in fairness, I've heard that Man in the High Castle puts more thought into an Axis victory than most similar timelines do, which I believe is part of the reason why the US is ruled by Imperialist Japan as well, in that show.) 

Still, I think the idea of Lincoln as a two-term president might be one I'd want to explore someday.  

[Zathoth]

2 hours ago, TwiLyghtSansSparkles said:

Merry Christmas Eve!  

 

Yeah, but that's the show's whole premise. Change one major historical event, and extrapolate from there. The premise of Timeless is that there's one guy who wants to change history for the worse, while the heroes try to protect history as much as they can. 

Honestly, I think I found that episode's premise so frustrating because, when it comes to alternate history, most writers I know of seem to change it for the worse. The Axis Powers win WWII. The South wins the Civil War. The Black Plague wipes out most of Europe's population. So few writers try to change it for the better, and while it's impossible to know for sure exactly what in our modern world would be different, had Lincoln finished out his term in office and perhaps been reelected, it seems like history could've changed for the better. Why does no one want to explore that? Why are alternate history writers so drawn to scenarios that turn the modern world into a dystopia, when they could be giving us a sunnier possibility to aspire to? 

 

(Also, my clock says it's 4:30 AM. My mind says it's 6:30. I am awake at 4 in the morning local time.  Though on the upside, I no longer feel like throttling someone, crying, or throttling someone while crying. ) 

Simple: Conflict, if you create a better world you get less conflict and then you have less of a story.

[marsoupial they/them]

4 hours ago, TwiLyghtSansSparkles said:

Yeah, that's true.  Why go to the trouble of extrapolating a whole alternate timeline when you can just say "Nazi Batman, everyone!" and call it good? 

(Though in fairness, I've heard that Man in the High Castle puts more thought into an Axis victory than most similar timelines do, which I believe is part of the reason why the US is ruled by Imperialist Japan as well, in that show.) 

Still, I think the idea of Lincoln as a two-term president might be one I'd want to explore someday.  

Or Kennedy?

[ThirdGen]

27 minutes ago, bleeder said:

Or Kennedy?

If Kennedy had gone two terms, or possibly even if he'd completed one term, he'd be known as "the Vietnam guy" instead of Johnson.

[The Honor Spren she/her]

1 hour ago, bleeder said:

Or Kennedy?

Who knows what would have happened, If He Had Lived. 

[Quiver he/him]

25 minutes ago, The Honor Spren said:

Who knows what would have happened, If He Had Lived. 

I see what you did there.

@TwiLyghtSansSparkles

It isn't quite what you want, but there's a guy whose blog I follow. He does historical analyses of A Song of Ice and Fire, but he covers a lot of historical topics. He covered this in a blog post:

All too often, when people ask about how Lincoln would have done Reconstruction differently, they’ve usually operating under the false assumption that it would have meant a more “lenient” Reconstruction and that the real problem with Reconstruction was those extremist Radical Republicans punishing the South by…giving black people and poor whites voting rights, establishing public schools and hospitals, making the tax system more progressive, and investing in infrastructure. (The horrors!)

But the reality is that Lincoln was replaced by Johnson, whose policy was to pardon the Confederate leadership, let the South pass Black Codes that tried to re-establish slavery in all but name, and obstruct Congress to the point where they impeached him, so that’s what would have been avoided had Lincoln lived.

As scholars like Eric Foner have pointed out, Lincoln’s Reconstruction policies were extremely flexible and largely aimed at trying to end the war quickly by enticing the Confederates to surrender already. So while Lincoln did fight with the Radicals over the Wade-Davis Bill, he also worked with Radicals to establish the Freedman’s Bureau and pass the 13th Amendment, and he was moving in the direction of black suffrage, another point where he had common ground with the Radicals.

I think this phenomenon would have continued in a second Lincoln administration, with him backing some Radical measures and opposing others, and changing his positions as facts on the ground changed (the Black Codes, the emergence of the Klan, etc.); likewise, I think Radical policies and politics would be quite different if they didn’t have to deal with Andrew Johnson vetoing everything they did.

Dunno if that's of interest

[Delightful]

On 23/12/2016 at 10:27 AM, Mestiv said:

Basically cat  food

But here are some tips:

1. When buying cat food, always check how many %of it is meat. The best known brands like Whiskas have terrible ingridients. 4% meat and the rest are grains and other non-meat ingredients. Good cat food starts from 50% meat. 

2. You can feed him raw chicken or beef, just wash it and chop it, but make sure not to leave any bones. Especially in chicken. If they break and get swallowed they can puncture the intestine which would result in painful death or very costly surgery.

3. Dry cat food is OK, but don't make it his main source of food. Cats absorb most of water they need with the meat they should eat, so it's healthier for them to eat "wet" food. 

4. If you decide to base his diet on raw meat, make sure to supplement him with vitamins and minerals. They are added to canned cat  food, but are not present in chicken breasts etc. 

Some general tips:

1. If you want to keep him/her be warned that he might have fleas. They are usuall easy to get rid of when you have only one animal, but some find them gross and are terrified.

2. This cat lived on the streets so for 99% if has internal parasites. They too should be easily curable. You can do it in two ways. First one, more costly, is to gather some of its feces and have them tested in the lab to find out what there is to kill and then buy a medicine best suited for this kind of parasite. The second option is to just buy a medicine that has the widest range of effect. I personally usually go with the second option as a start, because it's cheaper and faster. Then only if I see any symptoms that parasites might still be there I go to the lab. 

3. If you want to keep the cat in your house, provide it with at least 2 litter boxes, that will reduce the chances of him doing his business somewhere you don't want

I could keep going and going with this,but I guess that's all for the start if you have any questions feel free to PM me

  Hide contents

 Our little Wildling send his regards Photo taken during his inspection of cat food shipment

 

Uh wow thanks! I don't think I'm ready for the responsibility of owning an animal just yet, I was hopIng I could like bribe Theodosia Purr with I dunno milk or something.

oh and Merry Christmas y'all! It's the first night of Chanuka too!

[Mistbornwithakitty she/her]

37 minutes ago, The Honor Spren said:

Who knows what would have happened, If He Had Lived. 

That's funny.  I was actually just reading a book that was dealing with the whole "What if Kennedy had lived?" quandary.  XD  It's called "11/22/63". 

Merry Christmas my Shard family!  

[Erunion he/him]

So, as is becoming a family tradition, we watched The Lord of the Rings (Special Extended edition, ofc) over the last week or so. 
We watched The Return of the King last night, and my siblings and I made the connection of Sam with 'Let it Go' from Frozen. 

This morning I did a thing. (That thing is to complete rewrite the lyrics of "Let it Go" to fit the Return of the King)
 

Spoiler

LET IT GO (FRODO!)

Frodo:
Stars are black o’er Ephel Duath tonight,
Not a whisper, to be seen.
A plain of desolation -
For Sauron’s, it’s king!
The Eye is drawing out my last will and strength;
Couldn't keep it in;
Eru knows I've tried

Sam:

Don't let him in,
don't let him see
Be the good hobbit you always have to be
Conceal, don't feel,
don't let him know
Frodo:
Well now he knows!

Sam:
Let it go! Frodo!
Don’t hold it back anymore!

Let it go, Frodo!
Throw it in; let us leave Sammath Naur!
Frodo:
I don't care
what you’re going to say!
Let the fires rage on!
The heat never bothered me anyway

It's funny how some distance
Makes everything seem small
And the ring that once controlled me
Is now my own!

It's time to see what I can do
To test the limits and break through
No right, no wrong, no rules for me,
I'm free!

Let it go, let it go! Hah!
I am one with ring of Power!
Let it go, let it go! Hah!
You'll never see me cry
Here I stand
And here I'll stay
Let the fire rage on!

The power flurries through the air into the ground!
My soul is spiraling in fiery wheels all around!
And one thought crystallizes like a glorious flame!
I'm never going back, the past is in the past

Sam: Frodo! let it go!
Let’s be rid of it once, for all!
Frodo: Let it go, let it go
That perfect Baggins is gone!
Here I stand
In the light of flame!
Let the fire rage on

The heat never bothered me anyway!

Gollum: Yessss! Yessss! The Precious! The Precious! The Precious!

 

[marsoupial they/them]

Guys it's almost Christmas.

We got a guitar for my sister, a 65" TV to put in the basement (our living room), a Bed Bath Beyond gift card for my dad, and some new luggage stuff for my mom because her old suitcase bit the dust. 

I'm super hype for Christmas. 

Spoiler

 

Edited December 24, 2016 by bleeder

[The Honor Spren she/her]

On the night of Christmas Eve, you can hear a distant "ugh" ringing through the sky:

Spoiler

So majestic.

[Silverblade5 he/him]

Next time Brandon is in Colorado, someone should definitely call him an airsick lowlander.

[Erunion he/him]

Merry Christmas all!

 

(And a Happy Hanukkah Del! Or do you prefer the Chanukah transliteration? It's for the Hebrew clicky/phlegmy H right?)

[marsoupial they/them]

Merry Christmas, Erunion! 

And to everyone! Merry Christmas! And any other religious/nonreligious holidays you may observe! And belated Yule!

I'll be spending my Christmas playing guitar, reading, and going to a party.

I do so love Christmas.

[Voidus]

Merry Christmas all, anyone want some celebratory christmas cookies? 

[marsoupial they/them]

I love Elf.

[Oversleep]

5 hours ago, Erunion (The Incorrigible) said:

So, as is becoming a family tradition, we watched The Lord of the Rings (Special Extended edition, ofc) over the last week or so. 
We watched The Return of the King last night, and my siblings and I made the connection of Sam with 'Let it Go' from Frozen. 

This morning I did a thing. (That thing is to complete rewrite the lyrics of "Let it Go" to fit the Return of the King)
 

  Reveal hidden contents

LET IT GO (FRODO!)

 

Frodo:
Stars are black o’er Ephel Duath tonight,
Not a whisper, to be seen.
A plain of desolation -
For Sauron’s, it’s king!
The Eye is drawing out my last will and strength;
Couldn't keep it in;
Eru knows I've tried

 

Sam:

 

Don't let him in,
don't let him see
Be the good hobbit you always have to be
Conceal, don't feel,
don't let him know
Frodo:
Well now he knows!

 

Sam:
Let it go! Frodo!
Don’t hold it back anymore!

 

Let it go, Frodo!
Throw it in; let us leave Sammath Naur!
Frodo:
I don't care
what you’re going to say!
Let the fires rage on!
The heat never bothered me anyway

 

It's funny how some distance
Makes everything seem small
And the ring that once controlled me
Is now my own!

 

It's time to see what I can do
To test the limits and break through
No right, no wrong, no rules for me,
I'm free!

 

Let it go, let it go! Hah!
I am one with ring of Power!
Let it go, let it go! Hah!
You'll never see me cry
Here I stand
And here I'll stay
Let the fire rage on!

 

The power flurries through the air into the ground!
My soul is spiraling in fiery wheels all around!
And one thought crystallizes like a glorious flame!
I'm never going back, the past is in the past

 

Sam: Frodo! let it go!
Let’s be rid of it once, for all!
Frodo: Let it go, let it go
That perfect Baggins is gone!
Here I stand
In the light of flame!
Let the fire rage on

 

The heat never bothered me anyway!

 

Gollum: Yessss! Yessss! The Precious! The Precious! The Precious!

 

 

Here you go: https://www.facebook.com/TehLurdOfTehReingsOfficial/videos/856687867806499/

1 hour ago, bleeder said:

Merry Christmas, Erunion! 

And to everyone! Merry Christmas! And any other religious/nonreligious holidays you may observe! And belated Yule!

... Happy Sol Invictis?
(not that I celebrate it, I'm a catholic. But Christmass has taken over the pagan celebration of the winter solstice)

[marsoupial they/them]

Just now, Oversleep said:

... Happy Sol Invictis?
(not that I celebrate it, I'm a catholic. But Christmass has taken over the pagan celebration of the winter solstice)

This is true.

Pagan-sun-worship appropriation... yay...