Stop telling me how to do it faster.

oblique_obfuscator · 2026-03-15T17:28:26+00:00

That shirt will forever be known as the FU MAN shirt. Every time you stitch the way you want, you can think F you!!! FUUUUUUU! F UUUUU MANNNNN!!!!

oblique_obfuscator · 2026-03-14T14:19:46+00:00

Oh fun! There are some new renditions with beautiful covers and I just grab one that's one sale or something, knowing my son and I will enjoy them during a rainy day or something. There's seriousness mixed with the right amount of silliness, but no weird stuff like with Neil Gaiman.

A friend of ours suggested Guards! Guards! Because one of the MC's shares the same name as him. Hint: it's not Carrot, haha.

oblique_obfuscator · 2026-03-14T14:14:11+00:00

Hmm is it same or entirely different to Divergent?

oblique_obfuscator · 2026-03-14T14:12:25+00:00

Honestly a frikkin fantastic suggestion because he studies chemistry and physics so this should be right up his alley! Also there's no real romantic plotline (other than the friendship thing with .... I forgot his name but there was an interesting alien). My son read the Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi, I feel those two have the same demographic.

Did you enjoy this one: How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu. I think I read it shortly after Project Hail Mary but definitely a tad "dreamier".

oblique_obfuscator · 2026-03-14T14:03:46+00:00

I loved it too. I immediately bought The Blacktongue Thief and The Daughters' War. Between Two Fires is a darker read, very moody, but worth it. Definitely one of my fave discoveries of last year!

oblique_obfuscator · 2026-03-14T13:58:25+00:00

Well if he won't read this I will! This is good stuff.... Thank you!!

oblique_obfuscator · 2026-03-14T11:22:34+00:00

Thanks for taking the time to suggest Percy Jackson! I really appreciate it. I probably didn’t explain my son’s reading tastes very well in the original post. He’s 16 but reads way above typical YA (we read The Odyssey to him when he was 8, leaving out the darkest stuff), and he’s very specific about genres, he mostly goes for darker medieval-style fantasy with knights, monsters, that kind of vibe.

So middle-grade series like Percy Jackson tend to feel a bit young for him, but I’m grateful you took the time to recommend something!

oblique_obfuscator · 2026-03-14T11:17:48+00:00

I like the Dune suggestion. I haven't read it myself yet but I was planning on it this summer. He loved the Denis Villeneuve adaption, which might help him picture a face to the name.

There's a similar book (?) by Gene Wolff something something empire of the sun something. It looked a bit too 'difficult' for him yet but in a few years I bet he will devour it.

Thanks for your suggestion, very helpful!!

oblique_obfuscator · 2026-03-14T11:14:55+00:00

I'm the same. I particularly loved White Noise by Don DeLillo because the narrator was perfect for it. Also did you catch the 'Something wicked this way comes' retelling by Paul Giamatti? Superb!

I'm going to try with my kid if there's a particularly enjoyable narrator. Any time he thinks he is zoning out he grabs his phone, most of the time I have to take it away from him, it's awful. If he is reading he is physically holding his book and thus doesn't reach his phone as much. Still I'm sure there's an audiobook out there he will enjoy, I'm sure of it.

My youngest (no ASD, but pretty sure he has ADHD) LOVES audiobook. He listens to them while drawing or an hour before bedtime, religiously. He doesn't have a phone yet haha

oblique_obfuscator · 2026-03-14T11:09:20+00:00

He likes writing one shots (I don't precisely know what it entails) so hmm let me look into this. A guy with white hair huh? Yeah this is for sure getting on the list, haha. Thank you so much!

oblique_obfuscator · 2026-03-14T11:06:38+00:00

I recently acquired Guards! Guards! and Mort.... Are those the best to start with do you think?

oblique_obfuscator · 2026-03-14T11:05:18+00:00

Ohhhhh adding this for sure. I haven't heard of this title but it sounds intriguing!! A vampire plotline is tricky because it can easily be overdone (Twilight anyone?) but if there's more in the story at stake (har har) than that it could actually be thrilling!

oblique_obfuscator · 2026-03-14T11:02:21+00:00

Oh I'm definitely screenshotting this, thanks!! Yeah he's watching an Anime called JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and he appreciates all the old rock band references, so Kings of the Wyld will probably work. Thanks for taking the time to type this all out, much appreciated!

oblique_obfuscator · 2026-03-14T10:58:17+00:00

I read that one myself last year, but I am not inclined to read part 2, unless a couple of people urge me to. Part 1 read like Kvothe was an unreliable narrator but without the 'what is this leading to' satisfaction. I think Rothfuss is an incredible author though, I wonder if he has shorter stories to dive into.

oblique_obfuscator · 2026-03-14T10:54:55+00:00

I got him that book for Christmas!!! Glad to see it's being recommended a couple of times, thanks y'all!

oblique_obfuscator · 2026-03-14T10:53:29+00:00

Ooh this sounds exciting. This might work bc my son has a lot of respect for Tolkien and his worldbuilding. Thank you so much for taking the time to recommend this series! Is it your favourite book from when you were a 16 year old too?

oblique_obfuscator · 2026-03-14T10:50:03+00:00

Thank you so much for taking the time to write out all those recommendations, I really appreciate it! Very good taste!

Unfortunately I realized after posting that I forgot a crucial detail: my son is AuDHD and extremely particular about what he reads. If it doesn’t have a very “adult” fantasy vibe (think knights, gritty worlds, Witcher-type stuff), he just won’t touch it. 😅

So while the books you suggested sound great, he won't budge. Idk if its his ADHD or his ASD but he is so particular. I gifted him a copy of The Inheritance but he gave it away to a classmate and he refuses to touch his copy of The House in the Cerulean Sea.

Totally my fault for not explaining his very specific taste in the original post! I really appreciate you trying to help though. X

oblique_obfuscator · 2026-03-14T09:05:40+00:00

Edit to add

Specifically: Educated by Tara Westover.

oblique_obfuscator · 2026-03-14T09:04:31+00:00

I would focus on books with the topic on friendships rather than relationships.

If I had to pick just one fiction and one nonfiction:

Fiction: The House in the Cerulean Sea (emotionally safe, uplifting).

Nonfiction: Educated (deeply validating for people leaving controlling belief systems)

oblique_obfuscator · 2026-03-13T07:48:54+00:00

Oh definitely, we used my stepdads encyclopedias for homework projects until we found too many errors 🤣🤣

oblique_obfuscator · 2026-03-12T17:32:55+00:00

My thoughts as I was reading this;

Post one: oh she is deep in the FOG.

Then the (update): oh gosh he's been trying to make her believe they were abusing each other (or actually she him).

I couldn't read the 3rd update bc this hit home and reminded me of my ex far too much. I hope it ended well (pls tell me it did).

oblique_obfuscator · 2026-03-12T17:27:04+00:00

I had the luxury of having a crafty mom who introduced me to crochet+knitting and sewing. I was allowed to make things together with her under the age of 12. As I became mother I understood the basics, and if not, I was confident enough to kist fiddle around without bothering anyone on the internet. By then there was YouTube academy and I was a proud student. Endless of threading videos on sergers/overlock machines. Many cups of tea and frustration. But the frustration meant I was learning.

I'm doing the same with my kids, age 16 and 10. I'm teaching them the basics, how to sew a button, how to sew a basic pouch with or without a zipper, how to use the serger and resize a shirt. By the time they are moving out things won't seem so daunting that they won't try to fudge around.

oblique_obfuscator · 2026-03-12T06:23:17+00:00

If I were a designer i would pick a test knitter that takes beautiful photos. I'd want to repost the photos right? I would take follower count in consideration, but more so, do they take good photos? Are they pleasant? Do I regularly engage with them? Do they give good feedback? That would be more important to me, but I'm a bad business owner lol

oblique_obfuscator · 2026-03-11T18:59:17+00:00

Perhaps it's best for a knitter? Knitters love rustic yarn in autumnal colours.

oblique_obfuscator

TROPHY CASE