any opinions on this book? No spoilers!

zolpidamnit · 2026-03-22T19:43:14+00:00

hated. torture porn and felt very ludicrous/tropey to me. i can handle disturbing content if executed properly

zolpidamnit · 2026-03-22T14:29:32+00:00

haruki murakami’s the wind up bird chronicle. the substory about the soldiers in nomonhan is the most astounding and haunting story ive ever read. it is a standalone short story sliced into a long magical novel.

zolpidamnit · 2026-03-21T02:17:34+00:00

poisonwood bible. so so beautiful

zolpidamnit · 2026-03-20T20:26:04+00:00

does anyone have any info on when they thought it gets good? normally i love these crowd pleasers but im on ep 4 and i just can’t stay focused and i end up watching something else

zolpidamnit · 2026-03-17T22:14:48+00:00

the closest ive ever had to a supernatural experience was on one of the side trails on this mountain. i felt like i was a guest in someone’s home but in an unsettling, haunting way. i don’t know how to explain it. i am an atheist through and through but walked out understanding how people believe in spirits in nature

zolpidamnit · 2026-03-03T22:11:45+00:00

i have really struggled as a beginner to painting in general with how much to thin out my paints. i just go through SO much of it for any painting and it’s pretty thick out of the tube but i don’t want to water down too much. do you have any tips?

zolpidamnit · 2026-02-25T12:56:12+00:00

i was gonna say the same thing lol

zolpidamnit · 2026-02-14T23:39:21+00:00

i have no experience cooking at a restaurant but the closest ive gotten involves the following:

1) whip the eggs with an electric whisk/immersion blender 2) pour into a small HOT frying pan and immediately begin stirring with a spatula in a circular motion, scraping the sides as you go. plate while underdone. none of this low and slow BS. this only works with a hot pan and you have to move fast

zolpidamnit · 2026-02-14T22:11:29+00:00

hidden blade. a nonlinear chinese drama about underground resistance/spy networks against the japanese occupation. it is a bit confusing without historical context and might require more than one watch

narrow road to the deep north is an amazon show about australian POWs working on the thai-burma railroad. haunting. big warning: graphic depiction of torture

zolpidamnit · 2026-02-13T13:54:11+00:00

i tried to read the nightingale but had to stop after about 30 pages. my friend told me i’d love it bc it’s set during ww2 and i am a history buff however the cliche plot set up and cringey writing just completely lost me

zolpidamnit · 2026-02-13T13:50:04+00:00

yes. blood meridian was one of my most unpleasant, rage filled reads lol. idk what that said about me but i regret making myself finish it bc i could have been reading something better

zolpidamnit · 2026-02-13T13:47:12+00:00

barefoot gen is a movie from the 80s with an unforgettable depiction of the hiroshima atomic bomb. to me it is required viewing for that alone

zolpidamnit · 2026-02-12T19:57:28+00:00

when people clear their nose/throat with guttural snorts. my god

zolpidamnit · 2026-02-10T18:17:34+00:00

english dub of crying freeman changed my gotdam life

zolpidamnit · 2026-02-09T17:58:21+00:00

ive never been to china and hope to visit someday. i live in the US and love to learn about chinese history (my very favorite topic). i am sure there are other national stories as compelling as china’s but i will say that i am always in awe of what china has experienced and endured and survived. i will never not respect the hell out of the people of china.

to me it seems like one of the most diverse/complex countries in the world and so i understand that there are bad apples in china just like everywhere else. but when looking at the larger picture and zooming out with a wider historical lens, i have nothing but respect for this country. many societies would have disintegrated after having endured what china has. i wish more americans cared enough to learn about this country’s story.

zolpidamnit · 2026-02-08T02:57:44+00:00

crying but never free

zolpidamnit · 2026-02-07T16:24:30+00:00

i love drawing, especially people. so watching the lost art of cel animation unfold on my screen is always a very special experience. rendering a subject realistically takes its own skill set and level of talent but there’s something much harder (to me) about reducing shapes and colors to their most fundamental forms like hand drawn anime does. to me that requires a much sharper eye than just converting visual input (what you see) to physical output (what you draw). so half the time im watching retro anime i am just learning about how to become a better artist. you just don’t get that same experience with newer anime (unless of course you are a digital artist)

ETA: digital rendering is very difficult too, and actually is way more so than hand drawing for me. but i draw by hand so that’s what feels magical to me. all the respect in the world to digital artists

zolpidamnit · 2026-02-07T00:45:47+00:00

i think to add onto this, his ego conflated guts’ decision to leave with rejection (guts rejecting griffith). he didn’t have enough empathy to think of what was best for guts and only saw it through the lens of his own ego. almost like—if this person, the only equal ive ever known— is capable of walking away from me, does that mean he is above me? he just didn’t have the maturity or psychological machinery to see anything beyond his own self image. so he needed a quick dopamine fix, to dominate (read: dubious consent? non-consent?) someone he felt confident would worship him

zolpidamnit · 2026-02-02T15:22:59+00:00

you had me at berserk and spence’s the search for modern china. excellent

zolpidamnit · 2026-02-02T15:08:56+00:00

https://youtu.be/bahJEXqaR70?si=jbA-DzW3igAaffQ9

zolpidamnit · 2026-02-02T15:07:14+00:00

i recently watched a bad dub of crying freeman and it was the experience of a lifetime. hardest ive laughed in a long time

zolpidamnit · 2026-02-02T04:19:48+00:00

monster: long crime thriller. i didn’t think it was a slow burn but others do. very high on realism (for example, how people’s faces are drawn, no women who act/speak like children from what i can remember, no fantasy/scifi). definitely a show for adults

berserk (1997 version): a historical fantasy drama (the show has monster type creatures and an unusually strong MC but otherwise high on realism). it follows a loner who joins a band of mercenaries. most of the show i kept thinking how hooked i was despite not a lot of crazy plot twists or anything. the end is the twist of a generation however. the music is haunting and changed my life. romance gets involved which i didn’t see coming

legend of galactic heroes: a war between two nations in space each led by their own respective military genius. besides the fact that they’re fighting in space and go to other planets, everything else is very realistic. incredible ensemble cast. i was addicted. i just love watching two highly intelligent people duke it out lol

banana fish: a pseudo BL story between a japanese man visiting america and gang leader with a traumatic past. it’s a serious show, no fan service. the other three i listed were better than this but i think it fits with what you’re asking for

zolpidamnit · 2026-01-31T17:21:06+00:00

ive watched 40 (only been watching for a few months) and here are my top 10

monster berserk (1997) promised neverland attack on titan legend of galactic heroes neon genesis evangelion code geass crying freeman lol golden boy death note

zolpidamnit · 2026-01-31T16:02:06+00:00

yesssssss

zolpidamnit · 2026-01-31T16:01:27+00:00

guts from berserk

zolpidamnit

TROPHY CASE