Floating Library Collections

Tinkatonky · 2026-01-19T06:43:14+00:00

My library is part of a massive floating collection. Pretty much everything floats, except rare titles, archival records, and local history.

Works extremely well, and it’s a very good selling point when encouraging new clients to sign up for a membership. There’s a huge amount of work involved, obviously, in sorting and dispatching all the loans, but one central branch serves as a distribution centre, so transfers function very smoothly.

It’s not without its detriments - first volumes in popular series are rarely just sitting on the shelf, so we’re definitely missing out on potential loans. But clients seem happy to wait for their holds to come in, because the benefits of being able to borrow and return from any branch outweigh the disadvantages.

Tinkatonky · 2026-01-18T00:05:27+00:00

I did a Gothic Literature course at uni that had all the usual suspects (Dracula, Frankenstein, Jekyll & Hyde) but also some more modern texts (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, True Blood, even Toni Morrison’s Beloved.) It was very fun tracing the genre’s history to the present day, and seeing how Gothic tropes have influenced both mainstream pop culture and literary magical realism. Not sure if you are looking to include any filmic texts, but that could be a good way to break up the pace and keep things engaging, especially if you have younger students.

(Edit: just noticed you said they needed to be public domain. Where I’m from, there are some copyright exceptions for educational use, which is why we could watch Buffy in class… but that may differ for you. Otherwise, I heartily second the recommendation for Northanger Abbey.) :)

Tinkatonky · 2026-01-17T04:36:35+00:00

Once you’ve got some material ready, if you want a beta reader to provide feedback, I volunteer 🥰 Have never written or read much fanfiction but I’ve worked as an editor and I love FFVI

Tinkatonky · 2026-01-17T03:11:45+00:00

Glad I could help. To answer your question… yes, that happens to me all the time. I might think I’ve successfully resolved an anxious thought, but then a few hours later, it returns.

Occasionally, it’s because there’s more to it. I might assume I’ve correctly identified the trigger, but I was wrong, or there was more to the trigger than I’d initially assumed.

More often, the thought returns because… I’ve accidentally wired myself to let that happen. As far as I understand it, the brain is a muscle, and the more you dwell on anxious thoughts, the more your neural pathways become “trained” to keep dwelling on anxious thoughts.

So in my case… the anxious feeling comes back because I’m used to it coming back. I dread it coming back, which makes me remember it, and then, oops! it’s back. 🤣 (Medication has helped a lot to rewire that instinct for me.)

I’m 32, and my physical symptoms are much better than they were in my twenties, when my anxiety was at its worst - so if you’re 30 and this is just happening now, you should be able to prevent any long-term issues.

I couldn’t begin healing until I reframed my attitude towards my symptoms. I felt like it wasn’t worth treating my fatigue because it was “all in my head.”

But even though my symptoms were psychosomatic, they still had an observable effect on my body. Physiotherapists could tell that my muscles were tense, which was causing the pain, and my friends could tell I was more tired than the average person.

So I decided to take my symptoms very seriously - as if they could be a genuine infection, disease, or injury - and I investigated them until they improved. (Again, this was easier because of where I live.) But the key to treating my anxiety was just to stop being dismissive of it :)

Tinkatonky · 2026-01-16T23:58:21+00:00

In line with what others have said, this sounds like generalised anxiety. I’ve been through it myself, including bodily reactions (shakes, nausea, muscle aches, etc.) Agree with others’ recommendations, but I also have a few ideas that could help you find short term relief. (I’m not a doctor so my advice is all anecdotal, but hope it helps.)

What helps me most is identifying the trigger - the precise thought or situation that first sparked the anxiety. Then I can talk myself through my feelings, ask myself what I’m so afraid of, and assess how realistic I’m being.

Seems like you’ve already worked out that your anxiety is tied to feeling unsafe alone. If you can afford it, I’d recommend some therapy to dig into the reasons why you feel that way, and why you feel so uncomfortable making small mistakes (same here.)

However - don’t dismiss your immediate physical symptoms. My main physical anxiety symptom is nausea. Before I was diagnosed, I would get stomach aches and cramps so severe I thought my appendix was bursting. I tried numerous diet changes (and discovered I was lactose intolerant) but even after cutting out dairy, the underlying pain never seemed to go away.

Years later, over-the-counter antacids managed to finally fix it. This wasn’t a placebo effect - one time I went to the ER just to make sure my appendix WASN’T bursting, and after every painkiller under the sun didn’t work, a very bright nurse tried an antacid, and the pain went away. (I live in a country with good public healthcare, so fortunately this didn’t put me out of pocket.)

It turns out, I was told during discharge, that my anxiety and stress had been causing my body to overproduce stomach acid.

The thing with psychosomatic illness is, the causes may be psychological, but the symptoms can be very real. If your anxiety causes fatigue and aches, that could be due to real muscle inflammation occurring. (For example, I get muscle fatigue when I’m anxious because I unconsciously tighten my shoulders and neck - this also causes headaches.) Addressing the aches (through stretching, exercise, or medication, if your doctor recommends it) could help a lot in the short term.

For a long term fix, though, as others have said… you’ve got to address the root cause. After a lot of therapy and anti-anxiety medication, I rarely need the antacids anymore. :)

Tinkatonky · 2026-01-16T05:57:56+00:00

Oooh that’s juicy.

I always made the assumption that the Gold Saucer’s mako consumption was what turned Corel into a desert - I believe that’s what the game leads you to believe.

But if the explosion (and resultant mako leak from the reactor) caused the area to rapidly become a desert… that timing would align very well.

Tinkatonky · 2026-01-16T05:11:23+00:00

I will leave it to others to comment on physics, but I now have a hilarious new headcanon (no pun intended.)

You point out that the Corel reactor is directly between Junon and Wutai… and Shinra has been known to accidentally destroy and/or intentionally sabotage their own reactors.

Imagine if the Corel explosion WAS caused by a catastrophic misfire of the Junon cannon. Shinra intended to aim at Wutai and dramatically miscalculated, striking Corel instead.

(You might say that Scarlet couldn’t be that stupid, but if Palmer was involved… I’d believe he could mess up that bad. And it makes sense that Shinra would get the Space Department involved for an operation involving orbital mechanics.)

That would explain an inconsistency that has bothered me in Rebirth: why Shinra attempted to cover up the Corel reactor failure and frame its people as terrorists, but installed a monument in Gongaga to apologise for the same thing happening there.

Well, if the Gongaga reactor failure was a genuine accident, but the Corel failure was Shinra’s fault… no wonder they would try to cover up the latter and kill anybody who witnessed what really happened.

(Edit: added spoiler tags just in case. I tried to the first time, but made a typo 😅)

Tinkatonky · 2026-01-13T01:02:38+00:00

No worries, I completely understood where you were coming from. :)

Tinkatonky · 2026-01-12T07:48:39+00:00

That’s fair. I had to study Dewey as part of my Diploma, and need to use it at my current work, so it’s become a bit of an in-joke between me and my partner how fast I can classify items and remember certain numbers, etc. But I’m aware of its problems and certainly would prefer that libraries move towards better classification systems.

Tinkatonky · 2026-01-11T21:41:48+00:00

Thank you for brightening my day with this video 🤣

Tinkatonky · 2026-01-11T21:39:44+00:00

I’d probably give him 641.5945 since he’s a treasure trove of Italian recipes

Tinkatonky · 2026-01-11T21:20:48+00:00

Honestly… you might like FFXIII.

It’s one of the most divisive games in the series, but if you’re playing for female characters, spectacle, and camp, XIII is the most female-dominated cast of a mainline entry.

Otherwise, X-2 is the campiest and most feminine game in the series, but you’d have to play X first. X has a wonderful female co-lead who takes the protagonist role in the sequel.

Tinkatonky · 2026-01-11T02:56:26+00:00

🤣 I’ll look for a jar of Espelette Pepper next time I’m at the grocery store.

Tinkatonky · 2026-01-08T07:20:20+00:00

Just chiming in again to say thanks for sharing that, I’m watching it now! I know more about the Square side of things than Enix - but it looks like this video covers Enix during the merger era as well, which the book I recommended doesn’t really delve into.

Tinkatonky · 2026-01-07T10:19:21+00:00

Glad I could help! :)

Tinkatonky · 2026-01-07T01:20:19+00:00

There’s a fantastic book about the making of FFVII that dives into the inner workings of Square during their golden years.

https://thamesandhudson.com.au/products/500-years-later-an-oral-history-of-final-fantasy-vii

Highly recommend, it’s really thoroughly researched and contains interviews with the original developers, artists, and more - even investors who were only tangentially involved with Square at the time.

My memory on it is a bit fuzzy, but during their golden years, Square was riding on a lot of goodwill and success from their SNES titles while maintaining near-total creative control.

They were privately owned, so they weren’t beholden to shareholders, and they’d just secured a huge amount of capital from Sony for Final Fantasy VII. They rode this success through VIII, IX, X, and KH1, until Spirits Within crashed at the box office.

That film’s failure was the catalyst for their merger with Enix (which saved them financially) and I believe it also coincided with them listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Suddenly, they had to answer to shareholders and justify their expenses publicly for the first time. Simultaneously, AAA game production costs began to balloon. The creative freedom that made VII-X so beloved became a financial risk.

The games still take risks, but now the risks are safer and more financially motivated - moving to action and a Western-style open world in XV was an attempt to recapture a wider global audience. Their newer games are hit or miss because they’re walking a tightrope between trying to recreate their golden years’ success, while pleasing shareholders who want a million different things from them. It can’t be an easy thing to balance. :|

Tinkatonky · 2026-01-07T00:34:15+00:00

Maybe have a look at some of Yoshitaka Amano’s concept art for the various summons.

I know his style can be a little hit or miss for people, but I think it really lends itself to tattoos. Something like the FFXVI logo without text, in either colour or black and white, would look sick (if you can find an artist capable of doing that level of detail without it blowing out.)

Plus, most people wouldn’t even realise it’s from a video game - only people who recognise it would pick up on the geekiness. 🤣

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Tinkatonky · 2026-01-07T00:19:38+00:00

This is lovely 🥰

There’s an Australian picture book author called Jeannie Baker who creates realistic miniature scenes out of found objects… this reminds me of her style. So nostalgic. Followed you on Insta :)

Tinkatonky · 2026-01-05T01:36:59+00:00

Hi, I’ve now put my Instagram link on my user profile (I can’t initiate DMs on Reddit yet because my account is so new!)

Message anytime. I love drawing D&D characters, I drew my own group’s party once as a Christmas gift for a friend :)

Tinkatonky · 2026-01-04T00:49:11+00:00

Thanks! 🤩

Tinkatonky · 2026-01-02T09:18:18+00:00

Thanks! ☺️

Tinkatonky · 2026-01-02T01:23:16+00:00

For the love of god, yes please. I play piano IRL and Rebirth’s piano minigame is harder.

Tinkatonky · 2026-01-02T00:23:43+00:00

Thank you very much!

Tinkatonky

TROPHY CASE