If you recorded your Twerking routine, and released teasers on TikTok, and then put the full sessions behind your paywall, you'd instantly become a millionaire and Substack's favorite author. Trust me, I have an MBA I don't use.
I started doing Pilates again but instead of HIIT Pilates taught by an energetic young Asian American woman, I'm doing 10 minute slow-and-precise videos taught by a middle-aged white woman physical therapist. I'm honestly starting to believe it's going to keep me from deteriorating as quickly as my peers as I sink into middle age.
I miss a university library. UNH's was a gorgeous monument to books. The one at SNHU was more like a stylish study space with a sprinkling of books for plausible deniability. Completely lacked soul.
University libraries are special. I think it's the number of people tilting windmills at the same time. Often with, to the external world's perspective, dubious value. There's an aura to that.
The UNH library had the best napping couches. I spent most of my time in the basement listening to musical theater albums on vinyl. For my degree, believe it or not. 🙂
I lived in Woodsides my senior year, so chances are if we ever occupied a common space, it was probably the library. If you ever came across a girl sleeping on a couch in there between 12:40 and 2:10, that was me.
You also went to SNHU, which has me wondering if we're actually neighbors in real life. 🙂
The manga highs, the manga lows, the manga-me-throttling-the-English-language-licensing-and-publishing-world.
The isekai trend is interesting to think about as an abstract thing and maddening as someone who wants to read a fucking comic because at it's core it's just the same trend that brings us Ready Player Ones and a lot of mid- to low-tier self-aware nerd shit that's being written by people who have only read the sort of thing they're writing for people who only read that particular thing. The isekai trend really jumps out in English, I think, because our previous exposure to specifically targeted titling like that is porn and pulpier romance novels; it would be wild if you went to the bookstore and "Taken by the Amnesiac Oil Magnate" was on the shelf next to "Crime and Punishment" and in this essay --
Re and in conclusion your 1900hotdog article this week: motherfucker.
The isekai thing feels like some kind of Herculean trial for my patience. And Hera's in a worse mood than usual. I'm very much a "pick up a random title" type of reader, and the trend has filled that approach with landmines. I still find things, but I have looked into dimensions of garbage mortal eyes should not touch.
I think I'm forever stuck in a hate loop of isekai. It's an entire genre that feels like every author is taking a good prompt for and then racing to see how quickly they can make it derivative.
The exception is Killer Shark in Another World. Obviously, the title caught my attention. The vulgar, juvenile language of the writing and horrific violence of the first chapter threatened to drive me away. It felt needlessly cruel. Then I reached the end of the chapter and the series showed its thesis: this is what would happen if Hello Kitty randomly had scenes from Friday the 13th. I hope it makes its way to the states, because it's a delight.
That does sound like a fun gorebomb. A series of words that had me thinking my psychological profile is as normal as possible, and bears no further examination.
I’ve got negative patience for the isekai wave as well. I don’t even see the good prompts, they feel like aiming for the bottom and overachieving by breaching the Earth. I never expected “hack metafiction” to be an international trend, but here we are.
There are glimmers of good ideas, but they're never enough to save the series holding them.
There's one where a girl obsessed with military hardware gets reborn as a little girl villain in a fantasy world. She uses magic/alchemy to cobble together a shotgun that is powered by a fire spell. It's completely rad and then they never have another cool idea.
The shark one seems to agree that isekai is stupid because there are a lot of encounters with serial-numbers-scratched-off versions of characters from other isekai series and those all end with slightly less gore than the spraying cabin walls in Evil Dead 2.
Or maybe we’ve initiated an impeachment of your NotColumbia position. I hear you send text messages AND emails. Where there’s smoke there’s something burning - we KNOW IT.
Came for the Newsreel -- the rest is always a pleasant bonus. This is the only place on the internet trolling the laugh track of O-Chem. My submit for editorial comment.
Children want to be compensated when school is done. They wish to accomplish this while avoiding math and chemistry (OChem). Companies come along and answer any question we might have. They even endeavor to explain how every protein in the world folds (that IS ORGANIC CHEMISTRY MY FRIENDS) and the catchier name is AlphaFold -- the latest GIFT to humanity of knowledge freely offered. For all of this, envy flourishes against Mountain View. Meanwhile a company in Cupertino makes a prettier teapot and flourishes -- presumably in the eyes of people who might rather avoid O-Chem it seems to me. What, exactly, have the teapot makers provided that answers questions about our world? They've grown quite large and built a wonderful monopoly by using PRC dexterous hands. What am I missing?
If you recorded your Twerking routine, and released teasers on TikTok, and then put the full sessions behind your paywall, you'd instantly become a millionaire and Substack's favorite author. Trust me, I have an MBA I don't use.
This is the juice my career’s been missing. I can’t wait to see how normal the DMs are.
I started doing Pilates again but instead of HIIT Pilates taught by an energetic young Asian American woman, I'm doing 10 minute slow-and-precise videos taught by a middle-aged white woman physical therapist. I'm honestly starting to believe it's going to keep me from deteriorating as quickly as my peers as I sink into middle age.
I miss a university library. UNH's was a gorgeous monument to books. The one at SNHU was more like a stylish study space with a sprinkling of books for plausible deniability. Completely lacked soul.
Awesome on the pilates! And finding your pace.
University libraries are special. I think it's the number of people tilting windmills at the same time. Often with, to the external world's perspective, dubious value. There's an aura to that.
The UNH library had the best napping couches. I spent most of my time in the basement listening to musical theater albums on vinyl. For my degree, believe it or not. 🙂
I think the T in HIIT stands for torture.
You went to UNH? What year? I was class of 2005
2002! We might have crossed paths my senior year/your freshman year. What was your dining hall of choice that year?
Philbrook, I was in Hubbard Hall, the honors dorm.
I lived in Woodsides my senior year, so chances are if we ever occupied a common space, it was probably the library. If you ever came across a girl sleeping on a couch in there between 12:40 and 2:10, that was me.
You also went to SNHU, which has me wondering if we're actually neighbors in real life. 🙂
I'm still in NH, actually haven't lived in any other state 😅
The manga highs, the manga lows, the manga-me-throttling-the-English-language-licensing-and-publishing-world.
The isekai trend is interesting to think about as an abstract thing and maddening as someone who wants to read a fucking comic because at it's core it's just the same trend that brings us Ready Player Ones and a lot of mid- to low-tier self-aware nerd shit that's being written by people who have only read the sort of thing they're writing for people who only read that particular thing. The isekai trend really jumps out in English, I think, because our previous exposure to specifically targeted titling like that is porn and pulpier romance novels; it would be wild if you went to the bookstore and "Taken by the Amnesiac Oil Magnate" was on the shelf next to "Crime and Punishment" and in this essay --
Re and in conclusion your 1900hotdog article this week: motherfucker.
The isekai thing feels like some kind of Herculean trial for my patience. And Hera's in a worse mood than usual. I'm very much a "pick up a random title" type of reader, and the trend has filled that approach with landmines. I still find things, but I have looked into dimensions of garbage mortal eyes should not touch.
"After Dying From a Landmine I Reincarnated in a World Where the Only Landmines are Metaphorical and I'd Rather Explode Again Than Stay Here".
That'd be the best one this month.
You’d better tell us what is under the dean’s. Since only paid (and gifted subscribers) will see it, spill the beans! Lol.
Don’t worry, I have no concept of restraint left. See: training notes, Clarence Thomas fan letters.
Chef kiss
Which manga you have in mind for highs or lows?
I think I'm forever stuck in a hate loop of isekai. It's an entire genre that feels like every author is taking a good prompt for and then racing to see how quickly they can make it derivative.
The exception is Killer Shark in Another World. Obviously, the title caught my attention. The vulgar, juvenile language of the writing and horrific violence of the first chapter threatened to drive me away. It felt needlessly cruel. Then I reached the end of the chapter and the series showed its thesis: this is what would happen if Hello Kitty randomly had scenes from Friday the 13th. I hope it makes its way to the states, because it's a delight.
That does sound like a fun gorebomb. A series of words that had me thinking my psychological profile is as normal as possible, and bears no further examination.
I’ve got negative patience for the isekai wave as well. I don’t even see the good prompts, they feel like aiming for the bottom and overachieving by breaching the Earth. I never expected “hack metafiction” to be an international trend, but here we are.
There are glimmers of good ideas, but they're never enough to save the series holding them.
There's one where a girl obsessed with military hardware gets reborn as a little girl villain in a fantasy world. She uses magic/alchemy to cobble together a shotgun that is powered by a fire spell. It's completely rad and then they never have another cool idea.
The shark one seems to agree that isekai is stupid because there are a lot of encounters with serial-numbers-scratched-off versions of characters from other isekai series and those all end with slightly less gore than the spraying cabin walls in Evil Dead 2.
That sounds amazing. But I'd need to keep it away from my daughter. She's impressionable, and prone to violence.
It's very Not For Kids. Half the references will be lost on anyone who was born after 1999, but it also swears like a preteen.
Or maybe we’ve initiated an impeachment of your NotColumbia position. I hear you send text messages AND emails. Where there’s smoke there’s something burning - we KNOW IT.
Joke’s on you! It’s just the crimes and policy violations I’ve confessed to loudly, publicly, and repeatedly.
Burroughs killed someone in the butler stacks you know, with a popsicle stick. Tread lightly. HauntedAF. Or was it dodge hall? Hmm.
Burroughs seems like he could have two kills with the same object.
Came for the Newsreel -- the rest is always a pleasant bonus. This is the only place on the internet trolling the laugh track of O-Chem. My submit for editorial comment.
Children want to be compensated when school is done. They wish to accomplish this while avoiding math and chemistry (OChem). Companies come along and answer any question we might have. They even endeavor to explain how every protein in the world folds (that IS ORGANIC CHEMISTRY MY FRIENDS) and the catchier name is AlphaFold -- the latest GIFT to humanity of knowledge freely offered. For all of this, envy flourishes against Mountain View. Meanwhile a company in Cupertino makes a prettier teapot and flourishes -- presumably in the eyes of people who might rather avoid O-Chem it seems to me. What, exactly, have the teapot makers provided that answers questions about our world? They've grown quite large and built a wonderful monopoly by using PRC dexterous hands. What am I missing?
The Newsreel seems to resonate with people! Which motivates me to avoid half-efforts, which likely makes it resonate more. Hopefully a virtuous cycle.
Readers become powerless at the hands of your tuning fork.
Can't go wrong with "Buns of Steel" with Tamilee Webb circa 1993.
Best wishes on your gluteal renaissance.