#I’ve never been so sad /nsrs /j

[callmekebs]

Why do you two match special images? What are you, gay husbands??

[randomstuffhewwo]

Tone Indicators, a Masterlist

Tone indicators are shorthand for words used to convey tone, which the Cambridge Dictionary defines as "a quality in the voice that expresses the speaker's feelings or thoughts". Tone can do so much to change the meaning and implications of a sentence. The intended use of tone indicators is in text, and they are prevalent on social media where miscommunication is rife, and posts and messages are often misinterpreted. Tone can be especially difficult to parse for neurodivergent people. This is not to say that neurotypical people never misunderstand tone through text, or even face-to-face, because they do — but that neurodivergent people may experience and interpret tone differently. They are simply paralinguistic signifiers used at the ends of statements to help readers fill in the blanks. They can also be called written shorthand for the poster’s (OP's) intent and emotion.

It's entirely too easy to use them, simply use them after, or even before, the sentence that you wish to clarify. "Can you explain this for me? /gen"

I'm going to make a masterlist of all the tone indicators I've seen so far, adding some that aren't in popular usage, some I personally use with my friends, some that I believe should exist, under the cut. In some cases, I've seen multiple versions of the tone indicator, in which case I've put the more popular one first (at least by what I've seen).

Tone Indicators I've Seen Popularly Used

/j: joking "i'll have to deactivate my account now /j"

/hj: half-joking "we should definitely date /hj"

/s, /sarc, /sarcasm: sarcasm "i absolutely love being sad /s"

/srs: serious "i'm just so very tired /srs"

/nsrs: not serious "my leg's hurting a little bit but i'm okay /nsrs"

/g: genuine statement "i'm thankful that you're talking to me right now /g"

/lh: light-hearted "isn't is spelled 'unnecessary'? /lh"

/nm: not really mad or upset "i think you got that fact wrong /nm"

/pos, /pc: positive connotation "the movie's back on for tomorrow! /pos"

/neg, /nc: negative connotation "i have work tomorrow /neg"

/ly, /l: lyrics "she's a, she's a lady, and i am just a boy /ly"

/p: platonic "i just want to hug you /p"

/gen: genuine question "are you okay with me talking right now? /gen"

/t: teasing "it seems your sense of humour is horrible /t"

Tone Indicators I Haven't Seen Popularly, but I Have Seen, and Also Sometimes Use

/ref: reference "it's like none pizza with left beef /ref"

/nbh: nobody here, for vague mentioning "i'm just so angry at someone /nbh"

/r: romantic "i really want to cuddle with you right now /r"

/sx, /x: sexual intent (Used for sexual innuendos, or similar hinting)

/nsx, /nx: non-sexual intent (Used to clarify the lack of any such sexual intent in a statement)

/m: metaphorical "i was just swept away by a wave /m"

/li: literal "the fish was as big as my torso /li"

/ij: inside joke "it's a whale on dry land /ij"

/rh, /rt: rhetorical "who even cares? /rh"

/hyp: hyperbole (exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally) "i've told her ten thousand times to stop playing that song /hyp"

/c: copypasta (a block of text which is copied and pasted across the Internet by individuals through online forums and social networking websites)

/f: fake "i saw this post yesterday /f", which could be accompanied by an edited or modified post

/th: threat "i will get you to read that book /th"

/cb: clickbait "this website saved my life! /cb"

Tone Indicators I Use With My Friends, or Believe Should Be Mainstream

/a: affectionate "you're a bitch /a"

/q: quote "get up, get up, there are worlds to conquer /q"

/nf: not forced "do you want to go out with me today? /nf"

/pa: passive-aggressive "looks like someone has been talking to someone else behind my back /pa"

/npa: not passive-aggressive "i think someone has stolen my pen /npa"

[gamebunny-advance]

Huh

I started writing a script for another NSR comic about 1010, but it just got kinda sad and writing it is bumming me out. It’s not finished, but I sunk too much time into it for me to just throw it out. This isn’t fanfic, it’s an unedited comic script and is almost entirely dialogue. It really doesn’t read well, but maybe y’all will get something out of my ramblings anyway.

Note: The script calls them by their hair colors, but they refer to each other by a number: White=1, Red=2, Blue=3, Yellow=4, Green=5. Neon J refers to them by the fanon names.

(It's a peaceful afternoon. 1010 is taking a break in a rec room in the Barrac Mansion. Green is slumped over on an exercise ball. Yellow is laid down next to Green. White and Red are playing cards. Blue is reading a book.)

Green: So, are we supposed to be brothers, or are we just 5 guys who live in the same house? White: If it wasn't programmed into us, then it doesn't matter. Yellow: Yeah, why are you worried about that anyway Number 5?

(Green has a flashback of coming face-to-face with another Green 1010)

Green: The other day I ran into one of my duplicates. When I looked at it, I thought, "this is me" and just went about my day, but when I look at you guys I think, "this is not me" and that's it. It's weird that something like that is so vague in our memory. Yellow: You do have a point. All that's programmed is that we're all "1010", but I guess that could mean anything. White: Let's just drop it. Knowing that isn't going to change anything. Green: True, but I think it'd be fun to talk about. Red: Sure, I'll bite. Since we're made by the same person, then we'd be brothers right? White: You wouldn't call a fridge and a toaster "brothers" just because they're from the same manufacturer, would you? Blue: I wouldn't call those related at all, but we're all in the same series, so we're obviously supposed to be a set. We might as well be brothers at that point. White: Being a set doesn't make us brothers. A set of cards all belong together, but they're not all the same. Cards can share numbers and suits...

(White picks out the Joker from his hand of cards.)

White: ...or nothing at all.

Green: Why do you keep comparing us to "things". I know we're not "human", but we're still people man. People work differently from "things". White: We are what we are and what we are is manufactured. We can't apply "human" logic to our situation. Blue: Are you alright Number 1? You've been acting weird ever since the BBJ incident. White: I'm fine. I just don't think we're brothers. Am I not allowed to have a different opinion? Red: It's fine man, you're just getting a little aggressive. You're supposed to be the "chill" one, remember? White: I'll be whatever I'm told to be, but I'm not going to be what I'm not, okay?? If it's not written in our code or given as an order, then it doesn't matter.

(All fall silent. Blue, Red, Green, and Yellow turn to each other and nod. All stand up from their current positions, dropping whatever they were holding. White looks surprised.)

Red: Okay it's time for: All -White: OPERATION: CHILL OUT White: Huh?

(The four pick up White and begin to run out of the mansion with him all while he's flailing around trying to get free. They get to their backyard and toss White into the pool.)

White: Are you trying to short-circuit me?!

(The four look down on White from the edge of the pool, arms crossed.)

Blue: It's about time you tell us what's going on. White: I told you nothing is wrong with me. Yellow: Then why were we able to throw you in there? Green: You should have seen this coming if you were still on the network. White: ... Red: Number 1, why did you desync? Is there something you don't want us to know about? White: ...

Blue: You can give us the silent treatment all you want, but we're not letting you out of there until you explain yourself. Red: Whether we're brothers or not, we're still welded from the same sheet metal. Yellow: We're here to support each other no matter what. We'll hear you out, even if it's something difficult to say. Green: We'll even keep it secret from the captain if we have to. White: ...I'll talk. Just let me out of here. It takes too much energy to stay afloat.

(The four nod and pull out White by the hands. White drains the water from his extremities. They stand opposed.)

White: I just don't like the idea of us being brothers. Blue: Do you not like us or something? Red: C'mon, we said we'd hear him out. White: It's because it'd hurt too much. Yellow: What would hurt? White: After the incident, something pierced my chest and began to hurt. I kept looking for whatever was causing the pain, but my diagnostic always passed without error. But it kept getting worse. It got so bad that I started producing distress signals, so I desynced to keep you all from finding out. Green: Why wouldn't you tell us that?! If you're making distress signals then something is seriously wrong! Yellow: We should probably get you to Neon J right now. White: Don't bother. I don't... want to see him. Red: What? What's your problem with the captain? White: I don't...know. Red: C'mon, just resync with us. We'll have an easier time figuring this out if you let us see it ourselves. White: ...I can't. I just... can't right now. It doesn't matter. It's nothing you all need to know about anyway. Red: This is going nowhere. Number 3 and 4, go find the captain. Number 5 stay here with me and 1.

All: Affirmative.

White: I told you I'm fine. Stop worrying about me.

***

(White has been placed on what looks an examination table surrounded by several monitors. Several cords are connected to his opened chest cavity. Neon J sits nearby White and a computer, observing the reports.)

Neon J: It's just like you said, you're not pulling up any errors but you're producing some very urgent distress signals that aren't actually being sent. It's like you're sending them to yourself. White: ... Neon J: *Sigh* The others told me what you said. I am very concerned about your condition. White: ...They said they wouldn't tell. Neon J: ...Rin. White: Don't call me that. A machine doesn't need a name like that. Neon J: What has you thinking that you're just a machine? You know that you're more than that. You're a person Rin. White: People can't be replaced with just the push of a button.

Neon J: ... I heard that you all were debating if you were brothers or not. I thought that was funny. White:... Neon J: I left that detail out so you all could decide that for yourselves. I didn't know how close you all would wind up being, whether you'd look at yourselves as mere comrades or best friends. I never would have imagined that you'd go so far to call each other brothers. If I'd known your AI would evolve like that, I wouldn't have left it so open-ended. Being so close... is only going to give you heartache. White: ... Neon J: Do you hate me Rin? For making you? White: ...I don't know. When I look at you I start feeling angry, but I don't know why. It's like these feelings aren't mine. I don't know... what's happened to me. Neon J: I see. Your syncing function is supposed to keep you all in harmony. The more you understand each other, the more you can function as a complete unit. But you're not just synced to each other. You're also synced with me. Whatever signals you send out get sent to me too, but it also works the other way around. White: ...but I've never heard your thoughts. Neon J: You have, you just don’t notice it. The signals I send back are just general reports about my location and condition so you all can find your way back to me. I can also send orders that way. But... you're a little bit different Rin. Neon J: Each of you was assigned a role in your squad. You of course are the leader, so you have a few extra functions to help you fill that role. Namely, you're more in sync with me than the others so you can react quicker to my incoming orders. White: ... Neon J: Part of that is that my emotional state gets transferred to you too.

(Neon J hangs his head low and squeezes his fist into his opposite hand.)

Neon J: I'm sorry. You're like this... because of me. White: ...But why? Neon J: After the incident, I was scared that I wouldn't be able to bring you back. It hurt so much knowing that I failed to protect you. I felt like I was about to lose everything again. To keep it from hurting I had to stop thinking of you as "people". You had to be machines so I didn't have to deal with the guilt of you getting killed on my watch. If I could accept that you were disposable, then it wouldn't matter if you'd all died because I could rebuild you. That's pretty terrible right? Not the kind of thing you'd want to hear from your captain. I felt so ashamed for even having thought that. I haven't been able to forgive myself all this time. White: So this hate... Neon J: It's probably my own self-loathing. I'm pretty sure part of me wants you to hate me. I don't have the right to your respect anymore, not after thinking something like that.