drusillas_rain | (no subject)

1. Much ♥ to everyone on my flist! I love that you're all a part of my life!

2. I've been branching out into Sherlock and Hawaii 5-0 fandoms, and I love that I'm seeing some familiar names from HP fandom.

3. Salon's been running "The Good Sex" Awards. I haven't had the chance to read any of the excerpts yet (7 books were profiled), but I like that it focuses on the positive, rather than bashing.
EDIT: I also found the descriptions of their criteria (ie what makes a good vs bad sex scene) really interesting to read.

4. Lately, I've found I have no tolerance for people bashing creative endeavours. Everyone has a right to their opinion, and everyone has different tastes/likes, but I don't really understand why people who never try to write/compose/paint/create seem to take pleasure in tearing down those who do. I think I need to find news sites and places that encourage artists. (Also, no I don't think that every piece of art is wonderful and perfect, but there is a difference between constructive criticism and bullying.)

5. It's 5° out today and it's making me want to run around in a t-shirt and shorts. I'm so ready for winter to be over!

EDIT:
6. I just finished reading The City and The City by China Mieville and I can't recommend it enough! The style is "new weird" which basically means books that have fantasy/sci-fi elements, but are otherwise set in our world. He's also such a strong writer - he sets such a vivid scene in only a few sentences that might take another writer pages. The book itself is a mystery/detective story with fantasy and conspiracy theory elements. It's also a fascinating example of what it's like to live in a place that is geographically next to an almost identical culture, where foreigners don't see the differences, but where the differences are critical to collective self-identity. (For example, Croatia vs Serbia) Overall it was just such a pleasure to read!

*hugs*

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The "I've never heard of Arcade Fire therefore they suck" are the ones that mostly irritate me right now.

The tearing down reminds me of things like watching videos of lions tearing apart a gazelle. Yes, it's part of life, but I'm not really sure that watching those videos makes me a better person or really adds value to my life. Or like reading FML and People of Walmart. I'm entertained, but it's ultimately taking up time I could spend on doing something much more productive or positive. Not saying we should be braiding each others' hair, but I don't like what reading sites like that does to me. And I don't like that I start avoiding people who are ALWAYS critical of everything.

FML and People of Walmart aren't about creative works though. I find People of Walmart pretty distasteful on the whole -- it really feels like a bunch of self-appointed prosecutors for the crime of Going Out In Public While Fat. :\ I don't get the need to make fun of other people, either, probably because I don't understand how precisely it is supposed to make anyone feel better that "at least they're not [fill in the blank]". I mean, ok, I might not be [fill in the blank] but that doesn't solve any of my problems or make me a better person. This is a very #firstworldproblems kind of sentiment, I suspect.

(I think if you were a zoologist or animal behaviour specialist, the lions-and-gazelles videos would be more enriching. >.>)

ok, yes, the FML and PW example wasn't exactly what I was talking about at first. I think I'm just feeling very sensitive over the fact that I seem incapable of finding my own inner cheerleader, but I know that I can't ask other ppl to fill that role for me >.