Hyperfixation

Domes are a sort of structure that humans associate with progress and innovation. Think about it, domes are not easy to build. If you've ever tried building an igloo when it snows, you know its a lot harder than one would think to build a curved and structural roof. So why did they even build them? Well, in ancient Mediterranean and Persian areas, it was logical to build a roof in the style of a dome. These domes were much smaller than the grand structures we associate with the term dome but were still domes, for all intents and purposes. Until the Romans, it wasn't feasible to build domes on a larger scale due to just how heavy they were. Domes became associated with religious importance, like the Pantheon. The Roman's style of dome was quite literally just half of a sphere. But as the centuries wore on, different cultures began to also build domes and it extended beyond a simple half-sphere. 

Consider the Hagia Sophia, a magnificent structure by itself, but its domes are even more interesting. It has domes as far as the eye can see. Some are more spherical in nature while others are more egg-like. Having just one type of dome is boring and with innovation, it becomes possible to build bigger and better domes. Sort of a sibling building to the Hagia Sophia is the Sultanahmet. These two are very similar in their style of building and dome but looking at them together, it just shows how much color influences our perception of domes. Both are just generally gorgeous buildings, a relic of fallen empires much like the Pantheon, but still remain as a testament to the strength of good construction.

To take us closer to the modern day, I'll tell you about one of my least favorite domes. I loathe the Lourve Abu Dhabi. It has the potential to be so great and cool and awesome. The way the light filters through it is amazing, but the building is just killing the cool dome vibes. The building is not set up like most buildings that support domes. The dome on the Lourve Abu Dhabi is very heavy and complicated, being an artwork all on its own. But this means that it has to have a strong enough building beneath it. There are so many amazing ways that this can be pulled off, but they just sort of plopped the dome on there. I'd barely call it a dome at this point, it's just a curved decorative roof. But technically, it counts as a dome, so I will count it as such.

Overall, domes are a monument to human ingenuity and creation. The recent interest in brutalist architecture and a focus on just getting the job done has killed a great deal of creation of new domes which is just really sad. I want to be able to go outside and there's just domes, everywhere. They deserve more recognition for just how cool they are. We talk about how bridges are marvels of engineering but I think that domes better deserve that title give just how difficult it is to build anything curved.

There's this really interesting movie that came out in 2013 called The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Genuinely I had no clue what to expect going into it since I only watched it because Lego wanted to. But it was actually rather fascinating. At first I thought it was a textbook MacGuffin plot where Walter is traveling across the world to find a singular physical photo still but damn did the movie really rub that in my face. The first half of the movie was very boring but very much something Lego would want to watch. It's just a guy who lives a boring, average life but wants something more. He wants to  be this cool awesome dude who everyone loves and gets the girl. He has all these fantasies about being a mountain climber or a superhuman or just an interesting person. I first thought it was just a story about maladaptive daydreaming but no. The movie really just hit me with a truck for that.

It was an intriguing piece on finding oneself. Walter is like, 30 something, but he ends up deciding that this photo was worth everything and at the urging of his new boss and a maladaptive daydream of his crush, he literally goes to Iceland and jumps out of a helicopter. He's like a sopping wet cat that got yanked out of the world by its scruff. And I live for it. Coming of age story but its a millennial? Now that's hilarious. Overall, its a really good movie and I'd definitely recommend it. The first half is really boring but that just makes the second half that much better.

Oh my gosh. I just went to see Superman in theaters and it was so good. I couldn't get into the DC live action movies because I couldn't get past the fact that the og comics were like "and that's why you should brush your teeth kids!" and the movies were like "I'm a god, I'm going to beat up everyone." It's just so much better. Is it better than the Ninjago movie? Debatable. Ninjago movie is always a slap because it's aware that it's a movie and that just makes anything funnier. But the Superman movie is still really good. I don't want to say much since I don't want to spoil it since it's still really new, but if you like superheroes, you should def give it a watch if you can. It was very inspiring and I just laid on my bed for awhile after watching it thinking about things.

I know all the time people tell you to not use the word "said" when writing but really, I think that's just bad advice. Sometimes its necessary or other words are just too much. Honestly, a lot of advice people give to writers just makes bad writing when its all used together. I personally am of the opinion that nobody is a bad writer, they write what they want to write when inspiration strikes them. So to try to make arbitrary rules about what words you should use is bogus. You don't always need to have emotion pumped into every sentence, it gets really bulky. Sometimes you can even drop the dialogue tag if the conversation is lengthy and they're just yapping.

In my opinion, you should just write how you want. Some people are more adjectives and descriptive, others are more dialogue and character experience based. There is no wrong way to write (unless you're being hateful towards a group of people, that's never ok). And don't do the thing where you sit down to write and then decide to scroll through Pinterest for ideas then suddenly its been 5 hours and all you've done is scroll through Pinterest. Set a timer or have somebody hold you accountable because I know just how easy it is to slip into that sort of thing.

Research is a great thing to do! Especially if you're trying to portray an experience that you aren't familiar with or are writing about a topic you don't know a lot about. Don't be like the Titanic director and have the night sky that Rose looks up at be the wrong night sky. It may be just a silly little detail but people will notice. And once you notice too, you'll feel crappy about it. So it never hurts to do some research! This can be going through articles online, watching/listening to videos or podcasts made by credible sources, or even talking to a person who has experienced what you're writing about. It can also be great to read other credible source material that covers topics that you want to. Say you're trying to write a fantasy novel where there is a very complex magic system. While the characters may never 100% explain it throughout the course of your novel, it is still good practice for you to understand it, that way the readers can subtly pick up on how it works. But something like a complex magic system can get very convoluted very quickly. How can you help yourself understand it? Well you can read other novels that you may have not read before that use similar magic systems to the one you want to! Taking inspiration is not plagiarism, as long as you aren't reading something and taking it word for word on how your magic system will work, you are fine! We are at a point in creativity where nothing is truly original anymore and that's perfectly okay! Analogies and inspiration are great and it's an awesome way for stories that are otherwise unrelated to tie together.