#a few of these would be the opposite answer depending on the context

[artist-block-alley]

hi i dont mean to be rude like the other anons they're jerks. im curious what is the appeal of gender bending one spy x spy or tom and jerry?wouldn't they be a different character at that point? it seems imbalanced gender bending only 1 bc it changes so much just to make them a ship what makes you choose that over a fan character? Thank you i hope that wasn't offensive

Hello! This is actually a good question and I'll gladly answer-

The big appeal in genderbending a character is the fun of seeing an alt design, right? But the other part of it is seeing how the dynamics change with a different gender, and that's where the big appeal comes for me with selectively flipping characters and pairing them.

The main thing is taking how the dynamics would change while keeping key attributes of the character + whatever changes that'd come from the opposite sex, and that's where the fun comes from for me. If the characters already have a ton of chemistry as buddies originally that honestly makes things even easier, then it's just changing the context and exploring the possibilities of how that dynamic would shift with that in mind.

It's no different than making up an AU that changes a character to explore a different aspect of them, really. Tweaking certain things and taking the relationship and situation into account. The change can be minimal or big, you could easily say nothing would change at all, depends on what you're wanting.

Now yes, you could just make a fan character, but making up a completely new oc as opposed to reimagining the relationship of two existing characters isn't really the same imo.

Lastly- I don't see many not flipping the whole cast and only a few of them that often, so it's fun to experiment with that. Thank you for asking!

[ask-the-prose]

So it doesn’t look like scriptshrink is answering questions anymore. Could you either answer this question or direct me to someone else who can?:

What character traits would you expect from someone who was forced to be a caregiver for one of their parents while being verbally abused by the other? Is this character developing oppositional defiant tendencies unrealistic?

Thanks for the ask! Sorry it took so long to get to it, as it happens I do have a family member who is a therapist, and I wanted to consult her on this question so I could give you the best answer possible.

The short and uncomplicated answer is that you are comparing apples to oranges. Oppositional defiance doesn't make sense in this context because of the level of acquiescence required to both caretake and endure abuse.

That being said, I went a step further and asked a few questions to get some more information. The nature of the caretaking situation would definitely result in a certain amount of codependency, we see that often in situations where one person is caring for another.

On the other side, we have a verbally abusive parent, and depending on what the parent says and critiques about the child character, the character may develop a few different disorders and neuroses. Including but not limited to eating disorders, obsessing over certain things, and maybe an ingrained instinct to fawn. (This is in relation to the instinct when danger or the body perceives danger: fight, flee, fawn, freeze)

Another route would include aspects of borderline personality disorder. As explained to me the character could develop a need for attention, including negative attention, because their needs were fundamentally ignored when young. It wouldn't be unrealistic to describe this character acting out or making bids for attention in any way they can.

I say this all to those reading this without any judgment or intent to critique mental illness and victims of abuse. There are real people who go through similar situations, and it is not my place, nor is it my intention to place moral judgment on anybody who does exhibit these behaviors. And I would like to caution the writing community against "diagnosing" your characters unless that is specifically necessary for your story. These people are not real, and ascribing real, stigmatizing traits to characters can be incredibly dicey waters. Watch out for how the narrative treats your mentally ill and abused characters.

Hope this helps!

--Indy

[whentherewerebicycles]

wow you took that former friend/student stuff really well, like a really level headed reaction. Have you always been able to do that? How do you think you’ve reached that kind of mental equilibrium? I’ve always found anyone leaving my life so intensely stressful and upsetting even if it’s someone I want to leave.

haha well I’ve continued thinking about it several times a day over the past few days so I wouldn’t say the experience has been stress-free! in this case it helps that I’ve read like five different articles in the last week on people breaking off longstanding friendships or relationships over the Israel-Palestine conflict so I’m like ah well it’s not just me experiencing this… people’s emotions are super heightened right now and I think there’s a lot of tacit (or explicit!) encouragement to cut out people who don’t share your exact position or aren’t performing their opinions in the exact way you think they should.

I also think it helps to remember that in most interpersonal conflicts there’s not one person who is Right & Good and one person who is Wrong & Bad… instead people tend to be a little bit right AND a little bit wrong or biased or short-sighted. I think she is right that the situation is very urgent (people are losing their lives and it’s happening terrifyingly fast) and I think she’s justified in having her emotions run really high over this, as she’s been immersing herself in extremely graphic, wrenching content 24/7. but I also feel reasonably secure in my own position! I don’t think social media is a productive place to engage in political advocacy or to do any actually meaningful learning about complex issues. I don’t think we have a moral obligation to post graphic content documenting the horrible deaths of others on our private social media accounts (in fact I think the opposite!!). and I also think it’s okay for people to be like ‘you know what? I am not an expert in this. I need to take some time to read/learn/explore conflicting viewpoints—and I can afford to take that time because I am not a political leader or an army or a government, I am just a person half a world away who is trying to understand a different region’s insanely messy and complex history/politics so that I can hold an informed opinion and advocate for actions aligned with my beliefs and values.’

it kinda bummed me out that she chose to be like ‘bye forever’ given our many years of working together, but also, she had been posting stuff for days that was like ‘if you are not reposting this I am going to unfollow you I am watching you I am taking notes I see your silence as complicity’ so it wasn’t like, a huge surprise that she would react that way. idk sometimes interpersonal conflict like that can be painful but can also prompt good reflection… I feel like she’s pushed me to read a lot more (I don’t trust her sources, but it’s made me seek out sources I do trust to confirm some of the info she’s sharing). but I also feel like it’s reconfirmed for me that I am just not going to engage in super heated, super vitriolic discourse wars online and it’s okay with me if that choice leads some people to label me as not radical enough. idk if this answers your question I think this particular ending-of-a-friendship is pretty context-dependent, but I guess the whole, ‘two people can have a big falling-out and neither of them is all right or all wrong’ helps me avoid feeling too defensive or too wounded about it.

[teawiththegods]

(TW: r*pe)

Hi! I hope it's okay to ask this here, if not I'm very sorry. Feel free to just delete this ask if you don't want to answer it.

I really want to write a retelling of the myth of Caeneus, because as a trans guy and hopefully Poseidon devotee one day (I haven't really introduced myself to him yet because I'm a bit shy), the story really speaks to me. I want to write the story as Poseidon falling in love with Caeneus. However, I know that in many versions of that myth, Poseidon actually r*ped him.

Do you still think it would be okay to write a retelling of this story as a love story? Or would that be romanticizing r*pe?

Hello, love!

The thing to keep in mind is that for some reason Ovid looked at mythology and thought "You know what these stories are missing? Rape. They need more rape". He just really enjoyed inserting that into all his stories and now because of it our gods are seen as predators. I mean he's the main reason Poseidon and to a lesser extent Athena get a lot of shit now that Medusa has risen in popularity. People don't realize that the story where Medusa is assaulted comes from Ovid and that in the original Greek myths Medusa was always a gorgon. So thanks for that, Ovid!

I bring this up because there are likely stories where Caeneus isn't assaulted by Poseidon. Since I'm not 100% familiar with the different versions I did a quick google search and found this from Apollodorus

[E.1.22] Caeneus was formerly a woman, but after that Poseidon had intercourse with her, she asked to become an invulnerable man; wherefore in the battle with the centaurs he thought scorn of wounds and killed many of the centaurs; but the rest of them surrounded him and by striking him with fir trees buried him in the earth

There is absolutely an argument that despite rape not being directly indicated its still inferred based on context. However, I do also believe based on the wording there is an argument for the opposite. Of course it really does depend on the original Greek but all I can do is go by the translations and by what I know about mythology in general. And as I said its quite common for there to be multiple versions of a myth and Ovid has his reputation which only adds to that.

I did also see a few mentions of other versions where Poseidon and Caeneus were lovers but there were no sources or direct references to those myths. So do what you will with that information

But my personal thoughts on it is that its completely okay to write a love story between Poseidon and Caeneus. Of course not everyone is going to agree and thats something you're going to have to think about if you choose to share the story. But just because some people don't like it or agree doesn't necessarily mean writing it was wrong, you know?

I mean think about all the Hades and Persephone retellings we have now? According to Ovid (and possibly other versions of the story) Hades raped Persephone but that hasn't stopped anyone from making them the new Romeo and Juliet, right? So why can't you tell a cute story about a trans guy and the sea god that fell in love with him? I'd love to read that!

[thevalleyisjolly]

"The Christmas Invasion" Rewatch and Review

I recently rewatched "The Christmas Invasion," and while there are certainly a few parts that are a little rough around the edges, it's also a really good example of how to introduce a character and how to set up character arcs both on a micro and macro level. The fact that the Doctor is not present for most of the episode allows the other characters to shine, as well as building tension in the plot, and setting up the character introduction later in the episode.

Spoilers for the episode and for the Tenth Doctor's run under the cut:

While there is a mystery, we also see the competence of all the characters - although they may feel and express helplessness in the absence of the Doctor, they do a lot of the work to figure out answers without him nonetheless. On the large scale, UNIT gets a translation software working fairly quickly, they figure out that the mind control is linked to the blood, Harriet Jones never shows fear or hesitance while negotiating with the Sycorax. Meanwhile, on the more immediate level, Rose is able to recognize the threat of the robot Santas and the Christmas tree, Mickey takes the bits of information from the Doctor and pieces together the threat, and when they're transported to the ship, Rose has the bravery and the presence of mind to try and out-bluff the Sycorax.

All of these achievements feel earned and realistic - of course UNIT would be more prepared than most for an alien invasion, Harriet Jones is an experienced politician who has already come face to face with hostile aliens once, and Rose has learned from her experiences travelling with the Doctor. The characters aren't fearless - rather the opposite, they're extremely fearful. And yet they still get things done.

This then sets up the Tenth Doctor's introduction, where within literally minutes of waking up, he is able to arrive at every conclusion the other characters have spent the episode fighting to reach, and then use his greater knowledge and experience to fill in the rest of the gaps. The episode never has to tell us that he's intelligent - we know that he is just by watching him effortlessly do everything that the other characters have had to struggle to achieve.

Then there's the Doctor's whole monologue. Despite him wondering aloud what kind of man he is, the dialogue doesn't actually say very much about his character. It tells us that he's "got a gob," it tells us that he thinks of himself as Earth's champion, it tells us that he's lucky (although that's not a personality trait), and it tells us that he's a "no second chances" kind of person. This is significant, we'll get back to it in a moment.

The reason the dialogue doesn't tell us very much about who he is, is that it doesn't need to. The Doctor shows it in his mannerisms, his actions, his decisions. He's exceedingly confident and impulsive, shown in the way he presses the blood control button with no hesitation and challenges the Sycorax leader to a duel. He's very conscious of people perceiving him but not self-conscious about it all, the way he keeps throwing in those asides to Rose and treats the whole duel like a piece of showmanship with the sword twirls and verbal quips. He can figure out how people think and manipulate that, with how he baits the Sycorax leader and how he engineers Harriet Jones' downfall (more on that later). He enjoys being happy and having a laugh but at the same time is a deeply angry person, all those instances where he switches on a dime from genuine cheer to ice cold fury. He is ruthless and utterly sure of his own morality - he gives people a chance to end things peacefully and unhesitatingly destroys them if they choose otherwise.

These traits can be positive or negative depending on the context. A confident, charismatic Doctor is exactly what is needed to defeat the Sycorax and reassure Rose and the other characters that the Doctor is still able to defend the Earth. A confident, charismatic Doctor brought down Harriet Jones with six words because her decision conflicted with his personal morality, and both he and Earth experience the consequences of that in the next season when the Master is able to become Prime Minister. The Doctor's anger and surety in himself drives him to persevere and find solutions when almost anyone else would consider the circumstances insurmountable, but it also manifests in things like the Time Lord Victorious near the end of his life.

(Almost) All that is introduced without actually being said in the last twenty minutes of the episode. And it's very fitting that the one thing that is explicitly said, that he's a "no second chances" sort of person, recurs again and again as a measure and an indication of the Tenth Doctor's psychology throughout his run. At his best, he does give second chances and still tries to help people after they've wronged him - think "The Doctor's Daughter" where he refuses to take revenge on the General after he shoots Jenny. At his worst, he still gives second chances - everything about the Master. And at his grimmest, the moments when he gives in to his anger, he doesn't - the Family of Blood, for example, and of course there's the Time Lord Victorious.

(We will get the big payoff for that in Season 4, the explanation for why the Tenth Doctor defines himself as someone who does not give second chances. He tells Donna, in "Fires of Pompeii," about Gallifrey and about how he can't go back and save any of them. "No second chances" expresses all the complicated feelings around that act - grief, guilt, rage, culpability, and the need to be both powerless and culpable. He didn't have a choice but he still made a choice. He can't save any of them but he could have. He does not have the power to change anything but he has the power to change everything. He gives the second chance that he wishes he had; he withholds the second chance that the worst of the worst, those ruthless, unconscionable murderers, do not deserve, that he does not deserve and will never get.)

Overall, the episode is a masterful demonstration of how to introduce a character and lay the foundations for a later payoff, both within the plot of the episode and for the series and character arcs at large. One of Davies' strengths as a writer is his ability to use a line or moment to both advance the plot and build up character arcs. When Harriet Jones tells the Major that she is able and willing to take responsibility for calling Torchwood, there's not only the introduction of Torchwood as an organization but the immediate and obvious flag that she will have to answer for it. When the Major and the scientist are brutally murdered in front of her, it not only serves to make the Sycorax more fearsome and threatening, but it lays the ground for Harriet's resolve that the Sycorax must be eliminated - she even cites it to the Doctor as one of the reasons for her decision. And of course, in the Season 4 finale, her decision is finally, explicitly vindicated when she states that while she has wondered if she was wrong to destroy the Sycorax, she stands by her decision, and she is proven right by the fact that the Doctor is again not here to save the Earth as he was not for the majority of the Sycorax invasion.

Solid writing, with good utilization of all the characters and a fantastic introduction to who the Tenth Doctor is and what kind of person this regeneration is. Good balance between the domestic dynamics of the Tyler household and the urgency of the alien invasion, a point off for the corny jokes and the lack of resolution for the robot Santas subplot. 9/10.

[i-am-thornqueen]

Yes hello sorry to bother but i am going FERAL in the middle of my workday because i got an email for the latest chapter update and i CANNOT ESCAPE WORK to go CURL up in my BED and read/suffer through whatever you have in store and i just think that is so unfair of life but it also reminded me of another feral ask i sent some time ago that maybe tumblr ate that basically boiled down to me losing it at the thought of baby post-humans and wondering if that was a possibility in the lore of your AU. Cause like THE IMAGE of a baby werecats kneading or a baby werewolfs howling or chasing their tails or eachother just lived in my soul for months i had to know. Anyway if thats just something you dont wanna answer please ignore this ask! Have a wonderful day! Im so excited to read the new chapter tonight!!!!

This the opposite of a bother, @tenshiyuna! It's been months to possibly a year since anyone dropped anything into my inbox, so imagine my delight when I saw your message. ^_^ Though, from the sounds of things on your end, I may have to apologize for leaving you to go feral at work. At the very least, please don't bite anyone!

As for that ask you mentioned, I actually think I do remember it - you're one of the few who ever send asks regarding the larger lore of the AWIL/TMOP world, so I remember being excited to answer a question.

With regard to the possibility of baby post-humans in the AU, that would be a rare thing, especially in the werebeast community. In all technicalities, being a werebeast is a non-hereditary "curse" (a curse in truth centuries ago, but the context has changes in modern times), so a person can be a werebeast but not pass it on to offspring. No baby were-kittens or were-puppies, I'm afraid. ^_^; John and Adrien are outliers in the community, both of them being so young when they were changed; most people transition in their twenties and thirties. If either Adrien or John had children in the future, the kids would be human or other depending on what the mother was. If anyone wanted a baby werebeast, the baby would have to be bitten and cursed, just like an adult, and then the adult would probably go to jail for biting a baby and changing its species. -_-

I hope that is able to quench your thirst for knowledge, even if I don't believe that is the answer you were hoping for. ^_^; Perhaps the new chapter will offer you more? So long as you stay sane until the end of your shift. Good luck!

[sicklyscribe]

how are you so analytical with the shows you watch? I feel like im pretty analytical too but i can't pick up on the level of detail or the connections you make and i kinda just wanna develop that bc i like writing and want to improve thanks x

Hi! This is a big question but I’d love to try to answer it! First off though, the writing I do/did for shows like The Originals was first and foremost FUN for me! So if at any point your quest to Watch More Analytically becomes LESS FUN, you should stop where you’re at! It shouldn’t feel like homework if it’s a hobby.

I think it largely depends on what kind of show you’re watching? If the show has good bones (character depth and moving arcs, central themes, compelling plot) then it’s easiest to start from the big broad stuff and work your way down to the details. For instance, if a character is a fighter or a violent person and that’s part of their arc, then details like weapons or choices of attack can be details you use to further deepen and analyze a scene or a character. A detail like what shirt they’re wearing is probably less important, unless vanity or the lack of vanity is also part of their development, you get it?

For shows without good bones, but with good meat (fun characters written incoherently, plots that don’t make sense but are watchable, and no main themes but rather lots of little unconnected themes) you want to do the opposite! Build your own structures for why the fighter chooses a gun or a knife, YOU get to decide why it’s important or IF it’s important at all! This usually leads to the big wide world of Alternate Universes/Alternate Storylines because eventually you run out of pieces that fit together and you start to see a version of it in your own mind that DOES fit together.

For both cases, sometimes you find something that means nothing, like an actor choosing to wear his prop ring on a different finger after a few seasons for literally no reason, and you build a whole EMOTIONAL PLOT-DRIVEN NARRATIVE around why the character chose to change how he wears his jewelry (looking at you, Trash Mom @joonsilk). It wasn’t an intentional detail, but it was a detail that a viewer can GIVE meaning to if it builds upon a theory or an idea they already have. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter if it was intended to be analyzed “like that”, what matters is if you have fun.

Trying to be objective and “unbiased” (something the fandom called me because I didn’t ship the main ships, even though I definitely had bias) is harder, since you have to justify what you think with not only details but with details that aren’t cherry-picked or skewed out of context. Writing literary analysis in high school and college English classes really helps with this, but that, as I’ve mentioned, would count as HOMEWORK. So only tread into these waters if you love to debate yourself/others and that’s part of the fun for you. My advice in this is to always fight for the other side in your mind, try to contradict or shoot down your own analysis until the flimsy stuff is gone and the solid stuff is well-defended.

Thanks for dropping by! I haven’t had an anon in a while <3

[deputyash]

How about all of section 3 for Dove for those oc asks? If it’s not too much?

Thanks for sending some in! :D Sorry it took awhile haha

Section 3 - Other:

What other OCs would they get along with?

Oh I can finally answer this haha. Well to start with my own OCs, Dove gets along with Rovanna because they already exist in some AUs together and they're BFFs. I don’t know about my other OCs really since they’re from Cyberpunk and RDR2 haha, but Dove can get along with most people so maybe she'd get along with them.

Now, for other people’s OCs, there’s a few now that I think would definitely get along haha. @harmonyowl’s Grace (eventually anyways haha), your Cooper of course, and a lot of @derelictheretic’s OCs, namely, Heather (depending on the situation haha), Piper, Anya, and Dean! :D

What’s their singing voice like?

I think Dove would have a decent singing voice. Perhaps not perfect or well trained as some people but it’s nice and I think people would enjoy hearing her sing (if they can manage to convince and/or be close enough to her to get the privilege of hearing her sing.) 

Take a personality test as the character. Post results.

I took this one: https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test 

Advocate: INFJ-T (I think this was my personality result too back when I took one for funsies lol. We definitely had some different answers though.)

68% Introverted | 32% Extroverted (This one is actually more complicated for Dove. She’s not really that strong of an introvert, but she leans that way initially. Also, she wasn’t always so introverted growing up, in fact she was quite the opposite as a kid/early teen. When she warms up to someone she is very outgoing. Or if she’s on her own in an environment that doesn’t have her feeling the pressure of being perfect or successful, she will relax and have fun. However, she definitely prefers a few close friends over multiple friends she vaguely knows.)

59% Intuitive | 41% Observant (I think she’s fairly observant too but intuitive works.)

73% Feeling | 27% Thinking (Hmm, yeah I think I agree mostly. She frequently does things based on her gut feeling, but sometimes will force herself to change her decision to something more “logical.”) 

57% Judging | 43% Prospecting (I like how they called this one judging, but it’s talking about organization and structure/routines. This is fairly accurate I think. Both of these are fairly even between spontaneity and structure.)

81% Turbulent | 19% Assertive (Yeah…Dove is a little stressed lol. Although a big part of her character development is that she stops worrying so much about living up to the expectations and starts living her life in a way that makes her happy.)

What would be their fighting style in a fighting game like Mortal Kombat, Super Smash Brothers, or Street Fighter?

Dove doesn’t really play a whole lot of video games, so she’d probably be a button-masher. She just hits buttons and hopes it works haha. (Also I don’t know much about fighting games so this is the best I can offer haha. I don’t know what the different fighting styles would be lol.)

What are some mannerisms/quirks?

I had a bit of a hard time thinking of others, but here’s some that came to mind. 

If something is bothering or upsetting Dove, she tends to get quieter and more reserved. When she’s nervous, she usually crosses her arms over her chest or messes with her shirt sleeve or shirt hem. She also tends to (subtly) move away from people who are making her nervous or upset (and sometimes moves closer to people she trusts or she feels safe around).

She will frequently just walk away from an argument when it’s really upsetting her. She tries not to feed into the anger so she goes to cool off on her own for a bit.

Depending on the person she’s talking to, she can sometimes be a bit stubborn or has an overwhelming need to prove herself (again it’s depending on the situation/context, otherwise she’ll just walk away or dismiss the conversation).

Describe their favorite meal.

It’s so hard for me to pick just one favorite meal for her haha. I think last time I said barbacoa tacos? Nothing beats a corn tortilla with delicious juicy barbacoa and cilantro, and some lime. (Oh and it has to be beef cheek barbacoa, not just seasoned beef roast, unless she’s living in Hope County…then it has to be beef roast lol. Sorry Dovie.)

What do they do when they’re bored?

She would probably try to go spend some time outdoors, going for a walk, fishing, or something along those lines. She’d probably collect some new plants/flowers for her journal too. She would probably try to sketch something in her journal too. Oh and photography of course!

If none of that wasn’t interesting to her at that moment, I could see her watching a movie (at home or at a theater) or going out to eat somewhere. And depending on the universe/storyline, she may go see if she can spend time with a close friend or significant other. She likes spending time with loved ones.

How do they express love/affection for someone?

Dove is just full of love/affection honestly haha. I think she really loves touch-oriented affection such as hugs, kisses, cuddles, etc. But she also very much likes giving gifts or setting up a surprise for her loved one. She can also be vocally affectionate, but she’s a little more reserved about it at first, but once she’s very serious about a relationship she is much more open about expressing her love verbally. 

Most embarrassing thing that could/has happened to them?

Hmm, I think the most embarrassing thing that could happen to her would be someone making fun of her interests/hobbies or things that truly make her happy. She already has to endure criticism from her parents about those things, so when people she meets or wants to be friends with do it, it’s very disheartening. 

Make a portrait sketch of them!

Very quick and rough sketch, but I think she looks cute! :3

[azmenka]

@dracharenae says 13 , 15 , 19 ( x )

13. How do you speak about others when they’re not around?

HE'S QUIET FOR A MOMENT ; pondering , perhaps , how to word his answer as honestly and yet as vaguely as he could . " rarely - ? " comes the first attempt at a half - truth , accompanied by innocently arched brows and a light tilt of the head . it is no lie per se , but even Maron is not enough of a cheat to blag his way out of this one without scratches .

" it depends . " ( here we go ) " in what context am I speaking about them ? what is my . . . " he pauses again , hand drawing random circles in the air . " let's say relationship to them ? amicable ? less amicable ? " a smile ticks up in the corner of his lips . " I fear there is too much to consider for me to give a proper response . I'm sure you'll understand . " the blatant truth indeed would be rarely well , unless given a reason to the opposite - fortunately , however , whatever little good graces he has prevents him from admitting it out loud.

15. How often do your admit you were wrong?

A BRIEF HUM IS THE INITIAL RESPONSE ; boyish features immediately growing smug the second the question falls , and one may already anticipate an overwhelmingly wrong answer . " always . " something akin to pride gleams in his ocean - blue eyes ; no small degree of happiness , apparently , about eventually giving one straightforward answer at least . if only there wasn't a catch to it , as could be expected.

" considering , of course , that I rarely ever am . " tadaaa . . . most infuriating may be , that Maron , once again , is not lying . depressing as it is occasionally , he has long cultivated a habit of being frighteningly right most of the time .

19. What is the one compliment you always get that you’re too embarrassed to accept, so you deflect it?

" WHY WOULDN'T I ACCEPT A COMPLIMENT ? " the notion seems to earnestly puzzle him a little ; brows knit , nose scrunched up ever so slightly . a man with less of an ego may well be able to think of a few things that would have his ears run hot and pink , but embarassment in general is an almost unfamiliar notion to Maron , and compliments are to be ( more or less ) graciously accepted .

" what sort of pitiful idiot would ever be embarassed ? " small wonder , considering that the judgement is coming from a man known for even accepting insults as compliments - only to then enjoy the rage it elicits in the poor fool trying to slight the Greyjoy .

[sigridhawke]

Incorrect Quotes Tag Game

Tagged by @ink-flavored​ wooo!!!

Rules: use this generator to make some incorrect quotes with your characters

This was so damn silly and fun XD Got my beloved friend to pick out some specific interactions from the Crimson crew to share hehe. There’s a few favourites so extras are under the cut.

.

Natasha and Nikolai (Princess and Wyvern)

Natasha, skipping rocks on a lake with Nikolai: It’s such a beautiful evening. Nikolai: Yeah, it is. Nikolai: *whispering* Take that you fucking lake.

-

Natasha: Nikolai, when’s your birthday?

Nikolai: Why? So you can figure out my weaknesses? So you can destroy me?

Natasha: …So I know when to wish you a happy birthday.

-

Natasha, watching Nikolai: Ah yes. The mysterious and beautiful Nikolai, so demure…

Natasha: …I wonder what sort of melodic sounds this wonderful being makes? Nikolai: *screaming*

 -

Natasha: Two wrongs don’t make a right. Nikolai: *sighs* That’s true… Nikolai: But to negatives make a positive!!!

 -

Natasha: Everything will be ok. You can not stop it. Natasha: Everything will be fine. You have no choice. Nikolai: What the fuck kind of pep talk is that? Natasha: Ominous positivity.

-

Natasha and Moonwhisper (Princess and Antagonist)

Moonwhisper: Do you see yourself as a glass half-full or glass half-empty kind of person? Natasha: Half-full, definitely. Natasha: Half-full and constantly rising. Natasha: Soon the water will escape its container and consume us all.

 -

Natasha: Moonwhisper? What are you doing here? Moonwhisper, wearing a hawaiian shirt, sunglasses and holding a gatorade: My best.

 -

Moonwhisper: Think you can answer some questions without the usual level of sarcasm? Natasha: If you can ask the questions without the usual level of stupid.

 -

Moonwhisper, T-posing in the doorway: Greetings, Natasha. Natasha, not looking up from their coffee: Good morning, problem child.

 -

Neo and Estella (Schrödinger’s pairing of foxes)

Neo: I regret nothing!!! Estella: I regret everything!!!

 -

Estella: Is five a lot of followers? Neo: Depends on the context. Neo: On Instagram? No, not a lot of followers. Neo: In a dark alley? Yes, a lot of followers.

 -

Neo: Are you trying to seduce me? Estella: Why, are you seducible?

 -

Neo: Hey, random question, what are your favorite flowers? Estella: Peonies, why? Neo: Estella: Were you going to get me flowers? Neo: Estella: Neo: ᶦᵗ’ˢ ᵃ ᵖᵒˢˢᶦᵇᶦˡᶦᵗʸ

 -

Neo: How do I tell Estella that I want them to yell at me like they're Gordon Ramsay and I'm a poor little chef who just ruined a crème brûlée?

 -

Shaurya and Feathers (father and son)

Feathers: PEASANT. I REQUIRE SUSTENANCE. Shaurya: You know there are other ways to say you want McDonalds. Feathers: FOUL PLEBEIAN. YOU DARE SPEAK AGAINST ME— Shaurya: *sigh* What do you want? Feathers: Chicken nuggets please.

 -

Feathers: Don’t worry, I have a permit. Shaurya: ...This just says “I can do what I want”.

 -

Shaurya: How would you like your coffee? Feathers: As dark and as bitter as my soul. Shaurya, shouting to someone behind the counter: I need one vanilla latte with extra cream and sugar!

 -

Feathers: *on the phone with Shaurya* I can’t talk right now, I’m doing hot girl shit. Shaurya: You’re pulling Oreos apart and saving off the frosting to make a mega Oreo, aren’t you. Feathers: Maybe.

 -

Thane and Odin (Human and Dragon caught in a timeloop)

Odin: Since we're in a relationship now, your clothes are my clothes too. Don't ask me why I have your shirt on, this is our shirt. Thane: Fine, but when I come strutting in with your fuzzy socks I don't want to hear shit.

 -

Odin: Am I right, Thane? Thane: I’m almost certain you’re not, but to be fair, I wasn’t listening.

 -

Thane: Odin is not allowed to decide which one of us is the chosen one.

 -

Thane: Hey Odin, do you have any hobbies? Odin: Swimming.. Thane: Really? That’s cool. I never expected you to- Odin: In a pool of self hatred and regret.

 -

Thane: Hey Odin, can you give me the opposite of these words? Thane: Always, Coming, From, Take, Me, Down. Odin: Never, Going, To, Give, You- Odin: The fucking satisfaction.

 -

The War Council the abridged series:

Kann : Make no mistake. Not only am I party rocking, but I am also in the house tonight. Morgan : But are you shuffling? Kann : Everyday. Shaurya: What language are you two speaking??

 -

Milo Jasper : I hate you. Isabella : Well, according to this picture I drew of us holding hands, that is untrue.

 -

Milo Jasper : I’ve never been in a snowball fight before. I don’t know the rules. Kann : What? Milo Jasper : Is there a point system, or is it to the death?

 -

Morgan : Who knew getting in trouble would be so impossible? Thane : I gotta give you credit, Isabella . You make it look easy. Isabella : Years of practice.

 -

Gwendolyn: I do two things and two things only. I devastate sorry motherfuckers, and get shit done as an awesome leader.

 -

Gwendolyn: When I get murdered, can you make sure I become an unsolved case? Morgan : wHat? Gwendolyn: I want to be on Buzzfeed Unsolved. Morgan : Can we go back to the part when you said "when I get murdered"?

-

Tagging:

[velvetwastaken]

Hii, you know the drill! I give the numbers and you can answer the questions :) 2, 4, 8, 13, 15, 19 (optional, you don't have to),

LOL! I always appreciate it! Thank you, ridl! Answers below the cut.

2. Do you read/reread your own fics?

I doooo. As much as I like sharing my writing with others, I’m still my own target audience lol. I write fics that I would like to read.

4. How many WIPs do you have right now?

15! In various stages of completion 😅

8. What project(s) are you currently working on?

I’m actively working on one ongoing wip, but I’m thinking about at least three or four others regularly and I think that counts, too, lol.

And it’s not a fanfic per se but it is fanfic adjacent: I’m trying to teach myself how to bind books, because I’d like hardcopies of my own fics one day and I think it’d be a cool way to incorporate my leather work into my fandoms. It’s going terribly so far, but I’ll keep trying 😂

13. How much planning do you do before writing?

Really depends on the story. I historically haven’t been much of a planner, but I also historically have never written anything longer than 20-30k words. As I try pushing myself beyond that, I’m finding planning and outlining and keeping notes to be really invaluable. But for the shorter stuff, under 25k, I’ll probably keep to winging it.

15. How do you come up with titles for your fics/chapters?

Ooo. Good question. I don’t think I really have a system to come up with titles for anything, and I usually keep chapters just numbered since it’s easier. For some of my fics, I titled them first, others I found a title after they were finished (and for the record, I think those titles are much better). But usually it’s a matter of trying to find something that encapsulates the fic or its theme for me. I like one word titles best, but they’re much harder to come up with, I think.

19. Give us a small teaser from one of your WIPs.

Okay okay. For context, this is an older one, an overly ambitious attempt at a ganqing pride and prejudice au. I though I probably would never be able to finish it, but I think I actually do want to try. One day, lol.

It’s late on a Friday afternoon when Ganyu first hears the news. She is sitting at her desk, the expansive mahogany surface covered in an assortment of files, three monitors, and a holoprojector. The sinking sun alights on her back as she hunches over her tablet, typing a hundred words per minute, determined to finish this last report before calling it a day.  The elevator chimes and she glances up as the doors whisper open and the three assistants who share the foyer office space with her spill out, chattering like a flock of birds. Ganyu furrows her brow a degree in faint disapproval as the three move to their desks on the opposite side of the room, their heeled shoes clip-clopping on the gleaming marble floor. They continue to warble at their desks, their excited voices piercing Ganyu’s concentration and shattering her focus. She sighs, looks pointed at them and then slams her tablet shut. The three assistants jump at the sound. One, Baixiao, at least has the decency to look slightly ashamed. “Ah, Miss Ganyu!” exclaims Baishi, “We didn’t realize you were still here.” Ganyu purses her lips. “I was just leaving,” she says.  “Did you hear the news, Miss Ganyu?” asks Baiwen.  “I hear a lot of news, you’ll have to be more specific,” answers Ganyu as she packs her tablet and a few documents into her bag. She will have to finish her report at home.  “Lady Ningguang’s finally hired a new Yuheng,” says Baishi.  “Oh?” “I heard she’s incredibly young for such a position,” says Baixiao. “She’s supposed to be something of a prodigy.” “I heard she’s from one of the wealthiest families in the country,” counters Baiwen. “And I heard she’s a straight up 10,” says Baishi with a smirk. “A total smokeshow.” The three assistants all burst into giggles.  Ganyu doesn’t even spare the effort of rolling her eyes. With a company as big as Qixing Inc, rumours and gossip are part of the general office ambience. Ganyu tries to ignore most of it, but can’t help being a little bit interested if it happens to affect her at all. And a new Yuheng definitely affects her. 

[dumb-hat]

Tagged!

@thefreelanceangel smacked me with this thing, and I happen to be sitting here, looking at it, right at the moment when I'm both restless and bored and can't think of anything to read or do, so... yeah, okay, why not? Been a bit since I've done one of these things.

1. Are you named after anyone?

 Kinda.

So, the original plan was to name me after my father, but it turns out there was another guy in town with his name, and Dad, like... he hated that guy, and the thought that people might meet little baby me and think that I was that guy's kid just grated on him, so they named me after his best friend, but gave me Dad's middle name.

2. When was the last time you cried?

I don't remember the last time I did a whole-ass, full-on cry, but I probably furrowed my brow and tried to stoically choke down a swell of tearful emotion while watching fucking Ted Lasso yesterday.

Same thing with Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3 the other day.

It used to be that like, I'd get fairly emotional about real life stuff, but not so much with media. Sure, it would have an effect on me, but that effect just didn't, like... go anywhere, if that makes sense. These days though, if I'm being honest? I will almost cry at the drop of a hat.

3. Do you have kids?

Nah. The cats are enough.

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

I think I use, like, a normal amount of sarcasm, whatever that is.

I really appreciate sarcasm, especially well-crafted sarcasm. It doesn't take much to just, I dunno, meanly say the opposite of how you actually feel about something, but good sarcasm can be an absolute delight.

When I was younger, I did an awful lot of the former, all the while confusing it for the latter. I won't say I always get it right now, but I try to do it less as a knee-jerk reaction, especially around people who might not know me as well... But I can't help it, and sometimes I show my ass.

If anything, I'm more likely to lapse into bathos than sarcasm.

5. What sports do you play/have you played?

Tee ball and coach pitch when I was a little, tiny kid. I was really bad at it, but Dad wanted me to do it, and it meant I got to hang out with him, even if I was terrified the entire time I was out there.

That's it, unless you want to count a few summers during/right after high school where my friends and I got really into Ultimate frisbee and started a league with teams and shirts and everything.

I, uh... I for one would rather not count that, if that's alright.

6. What is the first thing you notice about other people?

Honestly, it really just depends on how I meet them, you know? Is it an online thing? An in-person thing? A party? A concert? A convention? Work?

I guess I could say that I get a pretty strong gut reaction to people right off the bat, no matter the context. I'm pretty good about giving myself room to adjust how I feel, but there's definitely a quiet, ongoing vibe check that I notice first thing, if that counts.

7. Scary movies or happy endings?

This feels like a false dichotomy.

For years, I thought I didn't like horror, but then I realized that I had just been convinced that I didn't like horror. Turns out, I really like it, I'm just kind of specific about it.

I like happy endings, but sometimes I'm put off when things are just a little too pat, you know?

So, uh, yeah. I like both. This doesn't feel like an either/or for me.

8. Any special talents?

I kinda wanna say 'no,' but that's not really a fun answer, is it?

So, okay. Here's a fun one: One day when I was like, 17 or 18, I was sitting at my grandparents' computer, waiting on something to download for a class project, I saw one of those... Oh, I don't know what they're called, like... one those, uh, letter spikes? You know, it's a spike that sits upright on a desk and you impale letters on it?

Yeah. One of those.

Anyway, I saw it there, and I still don't know why I did this—chalk it up to that ADHD impulsiveness, I suppose—but I took the thing and just, like, slid it into my nostril. I expected resistance, but didn't really find any, so I just kinda, you know, kept going.

I slid the thing in—straight back, mind you! Not up!—until I felt it touch the back of my sinus cavity. It wasn't long before I was showing this off to anyone I could, using progressively more impressive-looking nails. I started keeping a nose nail handy just so I could do the impromptu human blockhead thing on demand at parties and stuff.

Uh, does that count?

9. Where were you born?

Nowhere good, I tell you what.

10. Do you have any hobbies?

I do a lot of tabletop RPG stuff. I'm coming up on session 8 of an Exalted game, which is a lot of fun. I ran tons of it back in the day, but I haven't touched it since like, '11, but it feels good to be running it again. Feels kinda like home.

I play some video games, too. I find that the interest is always there, but the actual doing of it waxes and wanes, and boy, is there a lot of waxing right now. Just... a lot of fun stuff coming out. Lots I want to play.

I, uh... should probably log into FFXIV sometime soon. Get caught up. Take screenshots. Roleplay. Sort inventory. Manage retainers. Anything, really.

Honestly though, I really love making terrariums. I always thought it was kind of neat, but I started watching terrarium videos on YouTube as kind of a Bob-Ross-Moment-of-Zen-Unwind-and-Destress kind of thing while I was working a super-stressful job, and then it just kind of turned into my pandemic hobby. I love it, but I haven't made anything in a while, since I'm low on a few supplies. This is a good reminder to change that, though!

11. Do you have any pets?

I do! Two cats and a leopard gecko. The cats are 17 and 11. The leopard gecko is... at least 16, but could be years older than that, as he was kind of a rescue situation. He's slowing down a lot and getting really fussy, so I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit worried about him, but I reckon he's had a good run.

12. How tall are you?

5'10? 5'11? Depends on my posture, I guess.

13. Favorite Subject in School:

Depends on what kind of school we're talking about.

In grade school, it was usually science, sometimes social studies.

In high school, I took whatever *-as-literature classes I could, but my favorite classes were probably actually World Cultures and Sociology.

In college, I double majored in Anthropology and Linguistics. My favorite class was probably Sociolinguistics, but I was pretty good at Phonetics and the Anthropology of Science Fiction course I took as an undergrad was a ton of fun.

Okay, I guess it doesn't actually depend. Most of that can be boiled down to "I like people, and I like words, and I like what people do with words."

14. Dream job?

As much as I'd love to be pithy and say something like "I don't dream of labor," Baldwin said it better than I could ever hope to.

I don't think I have a dream job. I just kinda wanna do stuff and then have time to, like, not do stuff, you know?

That said, as I get older, I do find myself daydreaming about all kinds of things that feel like they'd be fulfilling now, but didn't even cross my mind when I was in a better position to do something about it more easily.

For all the time I spent staring at the architectural mock-ups in the halls at college, I could have at least taken an intro class, right?

I spent a large chunk of my life thinking I had no interest in making things or putting things together before realizing how much I loved the thin line between frustration and cursing, and elation and satisfaction that comes with repairing something, just because I was told that wasn't the kind of thing guys like me did. Also, uh... Having a half—or even quarter!—decent set of tools (rather than whatever you can find around the house) really, really helps.

So, yeah. I dunno. I'm getting older and still figuring out what I want to do, which is kind of a pain in the ass for an old guy that's long past all the college and "What do you wanna do when you grow up?" part, but I guess that's alright.

Wait. No. I wanna be a garden hermit. Surely, that's still a thing somewhere, right?

15. Eye Color?

Blue.

I'm not tagging anyone because... I dunno, I don't wanna. But hey, feel free to steal this and do it and tag me back so I can see it. That sounds like fun.

I've got an OOC blog over at @justlikethefish. In theory, that's where I talk about stuff like this. In practice, it's mostly like, cats and memes, and the occasional two-sentence post about whatever tabletop game I'm running, or whatever. Oh, and just about every Calvin & Hobbes post I come across.

[ltcolonelcarter]

OKAY

so the idea of using cold and white as wasting away in AQOT. Talk about this and how and why this is.

is sixty who he is because of his circumstances (being Connor’s ‘replacement’, having a final mission, a questionable relationship with Amanda, and of course timeloop)? Or is there personality that existed before all this? <- I guess it’s the whole nature vs nurture question

do you have any personal experiences/emotions projecting onto the poor boy? Why torture him so? He needs a hug.

Will he get a hug?

a question of time on ao3 / director's commentary ask meme

buckle UP sunshine✨

any self-respecting quasi-academic subsections their work, so

i. cold + white + wasting away

rewe'll brass tacks this, shall we? I loved the seasonal changes in the garden in-game. so much of canon is visually stunning and loaded with imagery but I'm not convinced it's used purposefully - or if it is, I'm not sold on it being used effectively. so, like any reasonable person, i looked at cage's work and said "hey that's mine now".

itinsofar as AQOT goes, I needed an in that a reader would interpret as negative (on a sliding scale of severity, depending on context) and Sixty would breeze past, as least while he's more machinelike. so: unrelenting snow.

this doubles beautifully bc cyberlife, true to Evil Company tropes, uses a terribly cold and clinical colour scheme, so I could tie together a BUNCH of elements: the snowstorm; sixty dying and resetting the loop; cyberlife, and by extent its control over sixty; the real world, with its thin layer of snow over the life and chaos.

next layer: sixty, in all his ridiculousness, sees a lot of dichotomies where they don't exist. success vs failure, 'good' machine vs deviant, him vs connor - and he's drawn parallels between a few of them. the one I wanted to draw was deliberately erroneous: deviancy as equivalent to "being human" and remaining a machine as its (preferable, Proper and Correct) opposite. i don't think this is universal in terms of fan perception of deviancy but I'm not fond of a literal interpretation of 'become human', which is why i said it's erroneous. sixty considers deviating tantamount to losing part of himself instead of gaining agency over it. you can (hopefully) see this fear and suspicion manifesting any time he's near Hank because, quite aside from him stepping into Connor's shoes, he views human Hank as fundamentally opposite to him in nature. his last dichotomy: human vs android. to restate: warm vs cold. chaos vs order.

SO as Sixty becomes more self-aware, and more aware of his surroundings, he starts noticing this. and worse, he starts feeling it. i wanted something any reader would understand pretty intuitively, and something that blended well with canon - winter was perfect. not only is it cold, dangerous, and already present within Amanda's garden, but it's an environmental hazard for androids - something visual and visceral that could consume and destroy SIxty.

whether he sees it or not, Sixty's choice will always be between growth and stagnation. does he move past his obsessions and fears or does he let them eat him from the inside out? who's to say!

oh, a side note: sixty's irritation with connor gives him a fun sort-of not-quite parallel with Hank, whose substance abuse leaves him wasting away a little - mentally, if not physically - trying to avoid the things that cause him stress. Sixty's denial is similar but he's not avoiding grief so much as cognitive dissonance; in canon connor has several different paths that can remind Hank of who he used to be - Sixty is at every opportunity denying himself this because he has set himself as Connor's opposite. he cannot and will not let himself see connor as anything but a barrier... to his detriment.

ii. does sixty have a personality that existed before his mission, or is he a product of his circumstances?

ohohohohoho maniacal laughter

so I can't answer this fully because sixty is [ ch 8 spoilers redacted]

BUT. as a basis, I started by deciding that I wanted to lean into canon Sixty, that loose-hipped grandstanding fool who appeared to think he was better than Connor by grace of his existence. I took this version of Sixty as being a machine because I'm consistently treating deviation as a decision- androids as people regardless, but deviation meaning to break free of programming, to gain agency and choice. Sixty doesn't necessarily see deviancy this way because he doesn't necessarily perceive choice... the thought doesn't occur to him for a while. in the first few loops I tried to demonstrate this as reluctance to follow orders with overarching, gentle inevitability - he doesn't see an alternative, so it's just dread before he gets it over with. eventually this changes to sixty choosing to do whatever the hell he thinks is best but he's still stuck with the mission... for the most part. I can't continue this line of thought without hitting the red wall of my programming, so I can't tell you about [redacted]

bc I like taking liberties, I've let a BUNCH of influences run a lil wild with sixty. I want him to have the same base programming as Connor (for internal conflict reasons, and bc it fits the logic of the fic and grumbles a lil canon as well) but I want him changed by the fact he isn't Connor: consider the two as a binary star system, each caught in the other's gravity. quite aside from any other goings-on fic-wise, Connor's presence would have an impact on him - they are identical. why would cyberlife need two? and if they activated two, what's to stop them activating twenty more? even for machine!sixty, that's treading a LITTLE close to thinking about mortality and the nature of android existence. can't think about that for too long or he might start feeling fear.

we compound this by using amanda. I love her subtle cues with Connor in-game: her soft reassurance when he expresses doubts, her use of positive and negative feedback to praise and dissuade and show sharp disapproval. she's one of my favourite characters in that respect. in-fic Amanda handles Sixty the way she handles Connor - using his connections, his perceptions, to apply the right pressure and motivate him towards his mission. spoilers for ch 7 for the rest of this section (including tldr) all the stuff with Amanda is a bit one dimensional until we hit chapter 7. sixty's repeating stuff and not paying attention to Amanda beyond acknowledging her authority as a threat to him; up until chapter 7, Sixty thinks if she discovers that he's repeating the night over and over she'll decommission him as broken. his relationship with deviancy, with his own emotionality and choice, is somewhat stifled bc over all these loops he's performing - he was anyway, bc he's a fucking diva, but part of him was performing for her, so she'd think her latest RK800 was being a good little obedient soldier and he'd be free to proceed as he needed to break the repeating cycle. then we get to sixty managing amanda's expectations every bit as much as she's managing him.

tl;dr for this section is: all of the above. sixty has a personality when he starts, that's established from his base personality programming and his Amanda-given sense of superiority over Connor (your predecessor failed; you're my only hope). he gains more sense of personhood because the loops give him exposure to the same stimuli over and over, repeat and compound emotion and trauma. it's an eternal recurrence problem with a being who doesn't think he can feel and doesn't learn in the same way as a person. if you fancy it, ask me this question after the finale is live. I've a feeling there might be, uh, more to think about after I've revealed [redacted] and [also redacted].

iii. "do you have any personal experiences/emotions projecting onto the poor boy? Why torture him so? He needs a hug."

direct quote bc i'm cackling; in reverse order;

first: he does need a hug, bless him. I'm really putting him through the wringer.

second: he's fun, he's interesting, and I didn't get anywhere near enough mileage out of playing the cyberlife tower scenes in the game. I kept wondering what I'd find if i poked his brain and wiring. he was so different to Connor and so similar at the same time. what makes him tick? I needed to KNOW. so I put him in the washing machine on medium-high and I'm sat watching like a kitten who's never seen laundry before. that's all

third: this is INTERESTING, and the answer is yeah, actually, but not in any real overt way. I've some reasonably mild experiences with dissociation that inform the way I write sixty's experience - it's difficult to represent how an android would experience something like mental distress so I've drawn analogies with the things I know, even if the origin point is different.

similarly, I like a lot of queer folks had a period of time where my identity was a giant sackful of question marks, and that probably shows through... though it's more general feeling compared to one-to-one literal transference. it was a pretty unpleasant experience for a few reasons to be honest but it was interrogative and honest and, eventually, liberating.

I love exploring identity in itself, finding out what makes a person but also how they know or learn themselves, how their perception of themselves changes and evolves. in a way it is a personal reflection bc I have spent a lot of time wondering how external (societal, familial) expectations and norms are applied to me and which ones just don't fit with who I am or how I want to be, and Sixty does do that but in a very avoidant sort of way.

this question is making me rethink myself actually so we're going to stop before we get to me laying on a sofa somewhere

iv. will sixty get a hug?

oh, sweetheart.

no, he won't get a hug... but I'll give him a chance. the rest is up to him.

[fagsystem]

TLDR: Knowing words like avulse doesn't mean you're good at vocabulary, it just means you are a part of a dialect where that's used. Cause nowhere uses that word or like a third of the words on the quiz. Like the kids who are skibidi rizzlering it up are also really great at knowing niche words from a specific dialect that most people don't know. It's literally the same and if you think otherwise you're bald and also have no understanding of the history of English or nuances of language in general and therefore have no place acting superior in your English skills.

TDLR PS: If I have caused you offence with my words, it's not that big of a deal. I have said way too many words about a topic that's really useless. I don't care about this that deeply. Have a gold star for being good at English in your definition of what makes someone good at English. Have fun. Eat your schools stay in drugs piss on the poor

6.91%

Nice

But also I absolutely cannot stand this quiz is the slightest.

I got a high score because I could figure out what the creator of the quiz would consider right, not because of is right. Because that is not how language works.

A synonym means a word that has the same meaning as another word. But what a word means is so subjective. What a synonym means is so subjective!

Yes, if you asked someone to define the word companion and define the word friend, you would likely get some similar answers. But the definition of words are incredibly dependant on context.

The word mirror could absolutely have the same definition as companion in some circumstances. A companion is usually defined as someone who you spend a lot of time with especially in the context of a journey. What about a person who you are on similar journeys, reflective journeys together? A mirror to you and your experiences with the same sort of journey?

And what is a synonym if not two words that have the same meaning? In this case these words are being used for a specific meaning in a specific context.

Describing a companion as a mirror is not really wrong, and I guess you could argue some shit about it even being an elevated look as it's pushing the bounds of language blah blah blah

I'm just tired man

This quizz pissed me off but also I immediately thought of an insightful but funny commentary to add (its at the end) and I've needed to put so much like actual commentary before it. I've had to put effort into this now because just the final few paragraphs didn't hit as well without the context of my thoughts

The words on the quiz are fucking dumb, by the way. That's what pisses me off. There's only a couple that aren't either really basic or literally just words from specific dialects of English, and knowing words from a dialect doesn't mean you're at vocab. It means you know words from a specific dialect.

The point of language is to communicate with others. If a word is not able to be understood by the majority of English speakers who do not fit a specific social group, that word is a part of a dialect of English.

Oh oh but it's vocab blah blah blah. Alright. If you aren't getting it picture something for me. And this is where my commentary is insightful AND comedic

Picture in your mind an average adult man, 40s, no kids, doesn't interact with kids, doesn't reas the dictionary for fun. If you go up to him and use the word avulse, he will not know what you are talking about. If you go up to him and use the word rizzler, he will not know what you are talking about.

Knowing the definition of avulse isn't any better or smarter than knowing what the word rizzler means.

And if knowing what avulse means and what of the listed words has a definition that is the clearest opposite brings you joy, go for it! If using these words no one has heard of fulfills you and brings you joy, especially around others who are also fulfilled by it, have fun! Nothing is wrong with a dialect! Nothing is wrong with a group of people having their own words that others don't understand without an explanation!

What is wrong to me is that knowing these words is treated like being smarter than others. I am now at the age where the slang of the Youth escapes me. I can't tell you what rizzler means, not really. I sort of know a skibidi, but only in the context of toilets not rizzlers. I have no idea what these kids think they're saying when they say GYAT. But they are having a great time and you should too. You should have a great time while understanding that language is made up and ever evolving and there isn't really a right or wrong answer.

It's 2am and I've got work tomorrow. I gotta be up at 6. I'm gonna sleep

I got the Top 4.47% on this English Vocabulary test

[cynicalmusings]

vanilla bean ౨ৎ for xiao?? and maybe slip in a jing yuan bc of the hmc au — @milkstore

vanilla bean ౨ৎ what does a day off with your lover look like? 

(i’m going to interpret this as a modern au, because i firmly believe xiao as he is in canon teyvat would not fall in love with a human, much less myself.) days off are pretty chill, i’d say. we meet up to go out for a morning walk, whether that be in the city or a park nearby, have lunch out or go to a cafe for breakfast depending on the time, and once we get back, spend some time together doing some Musical Stuff, such as practicing together, playing some songs, listening to some music, etc. maybe we’ve booked tickets for a concert that day and go to see that, possibly with a couple of other friends like yunjin, ganyu or xianyun. get boba afterwards (and possibly dinner, depending on whether we’ve already eaten out earlier), and go our separate ways. 

in jing yuan’s case, it’s… also chill. jing yuan sleeps in while i make some breakfast (straying more towards brunch, considering the time he wakes up, if not lunch itself), and after we’ve eaten, we walk through the streets with mimi and chat a little before jing yuan finds a warm spot (either inside or outside the house) and soaks in the sun for a good hour at least. he dozes off at that point, and i either join him in napping or just read/occupy myself otherwise until he wakes up. after that is mimi grooming time back at home, and after that jing yuan crushes me at starchess before we cook dinner together. overall, it’s a very domestic and slow-paced day, which is a breather jing yuan certainly needs in the context of his demanding job. 

because you mentioned the hmc au, i’m going to answer again but now in the context of sophie!reader after the timeline of the fic (i also think the character dynamic makes it more fun, to be honest). this won’t make 100% complete sense to those who haven’t beta read it, which is admittedly most people, but it’s fiiine.   the reader allows jing yuan to wake up slightly later than usual after they’ve already made breakfast for everyone, and they have a family meal in the main room, during which fu xuan and yanqing squabble a lot (while jing yuan secretly goads the two on for the sake of his own amusement—although he makes sure it doesn’t escalate into something serious—and the reader scolds him for it). there’s a piece of meat put out for mimi, and they have also reluctantly given the sparrows a little platter of various seeds. fu xuan just eats sugar cubes.  following that, the reader and yanqing clean the dirty dishes before jing yuan takes yanqing to stargazer navalia to frolic around the markets and look at some swords. the reader goes to fyxestroll garden for a (fyxe)stroll (haha) and to idly pick some tea leaves for the next few days of business because they literally do not know what it means to take time off. mimi probably comes with them for the sake of it.  everyone is back on the ship by around late afternoon, and jing yuan insists on playing some board games with everyone—probably a set of monopoly or something which he brought over from china. yanqing groans, because he thinks it’s boring (why play board games when you could be sparring?), but isn’t about to disobey. fu xuan scoffs at the triviality of this ‘rectangular human entertainment’, as she calls it, but ends up being by far the most invested and laughing whenever she charges someone for landing on her properties. the reader and mimi are a team, the latter who is just chilling while the reader explains to yanqing on why he cannot, in fact, stab fu xuan’s figurine so she loses all her properties.  now, jing yuan has invited over the reader’s family for dinner and didn’t tell them about it because he didn’t want to stress them out, but when they find out it has the opposite effect and they go into hosting overdrive, cleaning every inch of the house they can and hastily trying to come up with a menu. jing yuan calms them down and assures them they don’t have to prepare any food—he’s got that sorted (he did anticipate their overreaction, so he’s ordered takeout and is having it delivered to his address in china). suffice to say yanqing is very confused when he opens the door 中国-carving down and sees a stranger holding odd, thin, white bags out and asking for jingyuan). anyway, dinner is eaten, the reader still insists on doing all the clean-up (thankfully yukong and qingni come to the rescue and help them with the workload), and everyone chats amongst themselves for a while until it’s late into the evening and the reader’s family leave, with yukong promising to invite the ship’s crew over to her place for a meal next time. the crew ends up watching a film (yes, the ship now has a TV), and wouldn’t you guess it, it’s the howl’s moving castle ghibli film! the reader, yanqing and fu xuan are left to wonder at some of the similarities to their own lives presented in the story while jing yuan smugly watches from the sidelines. (they get confused about the bird part, though—although ironically, now that i think about it, the whole mimi-jing yuan thing does kind of reflect film!howl’s birdiness despite this being an au of the book… huh.) once it’s finished, the reader tells yanqing to go to bed, who initially insists he isn’t tired but eventually relents, and fu xuan falls asleep shortly afterwards (do heliobi even sleep? they do now, in any case). jing yuan and the reader do the final bit of cleaning up before also retiring to bed. 

[sunstranded]

S-Types vs. N-Types

This isn't a which type is better, this is how to differentiate them, why there are more S types than we think, and why tests don't represent them well.

First and foremost, S types include all MBTI who have S on their 4 letters same goes for N types. Another thing is that these types are capable of being the opposite. For example ISFP can use Se and Ni but they find Ne and Si weird or unorthodox; like writing with their foot.

I think itd be better if I explain the functions but I I dont wanna yet so I'll go straight to the rant

Difference

Their difference is more so their bias, what they pay attention to or what detail they'll light up when faced with.

S types will notice apperances, environment, sensory things, present moments first than anything. This is also something that gets them energized, being exposed to the things and doing the things.

N types will notice ideas first, from how they connect or how theyve thought about it, imagine scenarios, think about abstract concepts, more so than S types. Being in their head, imagination, and using their intuition to make connections energizes them.

The introverted and extroverted subcategory of S and N is a discussion for some other time.

More S Types

Most people take exams/tests to know their type. The most known one isn't very Jungian (doesn't follow the original purpose and interpretation of MBTI).

I also hate how S types specially SP are seen as dumb and SJs as uptight. It's insulting. Because of these overly vague meanings that sometimes feels like the Barnum effect takes place, dangerous stereotypes and short sighted conclusions happen.

The reason there are less S types in the digital space as well as in the MBTI community is because they need to be out to the sensory world more and in first glance S types don't see the point of MBTI.

One proof is how several sites and apps became a lot more deserted after the worse waves of pandemic. When the world opened again only few remained. And most users are either too young to be out and about on their own or just N types. Or at least, I have noticed. But that's an assumption on my part. It makes sense why S types would prefer outside world and be less active. However, they can be in the gaming side since that is still eensory stimulating.

This all adds to the point that the larger percentage of people being S types is backed despite the lack of input or easily ready sensory data (interviews, testimonies) fron them as a Sensory type compared to their counter parts.

Tests Don't Represent them well

Could be so many reasons but I think only 4 is most plausible.

1. They interpret questions that disjuncts N and S types as dumb and superficial or smart and deep. These could cause them to lie to save face.

2. The questions are hard to answer without needing some more context. So they would want to answer "depends."

3. Being tested puts someone in a specific mindset then have answers that may not reflect them at all.

4. Interpretations outside researches intent; language barrier.

None of the reasons are really bad on the person trying to learn themselves. Esp for S types they need exposure to 8 cognitive types first but stereotypes and trends only EXPLAIN and START the discourse NOT DETERMINE THEM.

Just because someone thinks about the future they are INxJ and if they think about the past it is an xSxJ.