#bc my memory is so dogshit lmao

[queenerdloser]

i love it when people ask me to recommend books to them bc i dont think they realize theyve unlocked a special interest for me. especially when it's like coworkers or people who don't know me very well and so assume i am quiet & reserved (which i am) so they get a face-full of my enthusiasm and it clearly surprises them. but like. i have SO many book opinions and love recommending things and talking things i've rec'd to people after they read it, so i definitely get over-enthusiastic. like i clearly remember one of my old bosses asking for ya recs and me giving him like. a two-sided piece of paper with titles. and a coworker just asked me for book recs and i had to tell myself enough is enough when i gave them like three paragraph texts worth of recs. i could talk books all day baby this is why i'd kick ass as a librarian.

[solstheimtxt]

One more level and then im never playing this game again boiiiiis

[moonstandardtime]

also while im talking about normal things i think about. its fun to imagine what ud do in a time loop

[riddlebot]

DRAGON AGE: THE VEILGUARD - my thoughts and feelings after beating the game. obviously, spoilers for the whole thing. <3

so starting with pros, since i do have criticisms and i don't want it to immediately sound like i'm hating on the game when i genuinely had a great time playing it and there were a lot of things i liked, so i'll start with the good.

i loved all the companions. in every other DA game there are companions i love and companions i decidedly do NOT like. it was a nice refresher that i loved every single companion in DAV.

the way the locations were built were kind of fun! i am used to DAI's open world, and open world in general, so to me it kind of felt like every place i went was a different Destiny dungeon lol but also it was so cool to finally be in a city. i didn't really play DA2 that much so it's new for me, i'm use to opening up DAI and being lost in the wilderness wherever i go - everytime i ran across a roof top in dock town i felt like i was playing assassin's creed.

different endings! i like that there are different endings depending on how your inquisitor feels, how your rook comes to feel, and whether or not you do all of the memory quests. i liked the ending i chose, the "good" ending, in which we convince solas to use his own life force to keep the veil up to repent for all he has done. do i feel he DESERVES this ending? no. but it's what my inquisitor, and varric, would have wanted. despite how badly my rook wanted to knife him in the face, lmao.

it's pretty!! even though i have to play on dogshit graphics so the game can even run on my dinky pc, it's such a beautiful game and every area is so fun - the only place i hated going was dock town's catacombs and thats because i kept getting lost

i actually loved all the codex entries and learning about the companions through their notes to each other or their diary entries or their book club letters like that was so cute

seeing my inquisitor again idc i felt he was perfectly in character which i know was NOT everyone's personal feelings depending on how they played but my boy was good

even thought it made me devastated i'm glad all the questions i ever had thought to ask about dragon age lore were answered and also hilarious that they are quite literally all solas and mythal's fault this is another thing i think a particular group of people are pretty upset about but it was blowing my mind

also i think solas is such a well written villain like IDK when he trapped my rook in the fade at the end i was gasping for air and so angry and the fact we watched him make so many sacrifices and then justify them over and over and then to tell us like you should be proud of how far you come did you not expect to lose anyone i was floored. and then the fact he tries to trick us into bringing down the veil again after that had my rook SEETHINGGGGG i'm not kidding if it weren't for my angel inquisitor who loved solas that man woulda died bc my rook was not fucking around anymore at that point

criticisms:

combat. on one hand it's fun, and flashy, but on the other hand i think they peaked with DAI's combat - it is fucking impossible to be a ranged attacker in this game. your character is the only one with a health bar, for some reason, so enemies do not attack your companions AT ALL and just swarm you. i often felt like my companions were doing absolutely nothing while i was drowning in demons and darkspawn. i also have no idea how the combo moves work so maybe once i figure that out i'll feel differently but i kept getting so frustrated with it. in DAI, i take blackwall and can literally build his character into a tank that draws all enemy aggro so i can pick them off from the sidelines as he holds down the fort. give my companions back their health bars so i can attack an ogre from a distance please i am begging you.

companion personal quests. i do genuinely enjoy most of them - emmerich's in particular, the one where you crash his rivals party and watch his skeleton son pretend to be one of the party's servants to get information was so fun to me, as someone whose favorite mission in the entire series is wicked eyes and wicked hearts from dai. but a lot of them felt repetitive and unnecessary. why does davrin drag me to arlathan forest every 2 seconds to do nothing and why is that a quest and not just a cutscene i don't have to like, go do as a mission? it would have made more sense to me if it was just a cutscene and i didn't have to fast travel around for it.

i also think the sheer amount of "mini bosses" was kind of absurd. why does literally every single companion have a mini boss. the only ones that make sense are neve and lucanis, since it has to do with the venatori. but everyone else it kind of seemed like the writers had all these ideas and just. put them all in to fit as much as they could into the game.

i did like most of the armor i just wish i could have dyed it and also dyed my companions so we could all match

this is coming from a transman but when i found out fucking governer ivenci was nonbinary i screamed. this game is so woke and it's genuinely very cool to see in such a huge franchise but the fact they just randomly tacked on being trans to some npcs kills me it was so hilarious. in some cases, like taash, i'm like absolutely yes in your fucking face transphobes, or like MAEVARIS I LITERALLY SCRAEMED WITH JOY WHEN I FOUND OUT SHE WAS TRANS but why ivenci that wsa so random to me JFKLDASJFK;LASDJ they're like btw nonbinary people can also be evil. and you know what. fair.

final thoughts is that i do genuinely love the game, and i am curious to see if they make any changes in updates in the future but i won't hold my breath. i love the characters very much. also, as someone who played with a noncanon solas romanced inquisitor (my inquisitor is male, so he romanced solas in dai via mods) i hate the solavellan ending where they walk into the fade prison/home together and lavellan just leaves everyone they ever knew and loved behind for a man that is crazy work. my inquisitor went through fucking hell after trespasser personally, and he is over solas and i am going to make a rook for him to end up with because i think it'd be cute and he deserves it.

anyway thats all have a good day.

[stabbingandorbeingstabbed]

What happened with all the ode2 stuff? I vaguely recall that name but my memory is dogshit so I’m forgetting what happened. Was that the one who said Ray didn’t experience racism and Frank was the most oppressed? Or something??

i don't recall that specifically happening i think that may have been someone else but basically ode2 is like. shes not just your run of the mill frank enthusiast she genuinely 100% thinks that gerard is a terrible manipulative person who puts frank through hell for some unknown reason she's why everyone was joking abt frank being locked in the tower at the paramor for a while a couple years ago bc she genuinely posed that she thought that was what happened. and if u scroll thru her blog she seems to be back on her bullshit LMAO

[distress]

hii sorry if this is an annoying question but i was curious how you went about learning japanese. are you self taught or did you take courses? any tips or things you wish you knew or did?

Not annoying at all, this is literally the first ask I’ve gotten in over a year LMAO. If anything I hope my response isn’t annoying. But I do wanna clarify that I am absolutely not fluent, I am just pretty good conversationally & pronunciation-wise. That being said I have dabbled in a lot of learning methods though I haven’t formally studied in quite a while (but keep trying to get back into it). This is going to be probably not great advice but pls feel free to ask for clarification/specifics

How I studied at first was self-study over a summer to reach intermediate level because the elementary level classes were always full at my college. When I did that, I used the Genki Textbooks, which I bought at that time since studying with a physical book & workbook is a LOT easier IMO, but you can find them for free online.

Over about 2.5 months I made it through all of Genki I. IIRC I made sure to do 2 chapters a week, all their workbook pages & textbook exercises sans listening. I was on a time crunch, which helped my motivation and is the only reason I did it so quickly.

I then took Intermediate Japanese I & II at my college, and my teacher was not very good, so I didn’t gain much from it outside of the kanji quizzes. Most of my classmates were a bit behind me (like bc they took the elem with the same not great teacher) or literally fluent and taking an easy A lmao.

If you want to self-study, definitely “shop around” to find what method works best for you. A physical textbook & workbook has always been my preferred method. DuoLingo is really good for the absolute basics & REALLY good for learning hiragana and katakana but is dogshit for grammar. Also finding an ideal study environment is super important.

If you are going to self-study but need a concrete goal/motivator, I would recommend signing up to take the JLPT IF IT IS ACCESSIBLE FOR YOU. It is only offered once a year in specific cities however. Here are the US locations for this December: https://www.aatj.org/jlpt-us/ (other locations https://www.jlpt.jp/e/application/overseas_list.html) I live in Florida, and I’m still a 5.5 hour drive away from the nearest test site ( which I will go to -_- )

ANYWAY, if you are starting from the beginning, I would definitely recommend focusing heavily on Hiragana & Katakana until you can identify them (even if you can’t write them all from memory yet). When you start studying vocab and grammar, you should avoid relying on the romaji. Don’t be scared of making mistakes. If you already watch anime, slice of life can be really good for listening practice to hear non text-book language & general pronunciation (beware of anime accent). Kimi ni Todoke is great if you want to test your progress with listening comprehension.

I also follow a lot of Japanese tiktokers, both randos and people doing Japanese lessons. A lot of these accounts are really good for brief lessons on how the language is actually used vs how it is taught.

Finally, don't be too intimidated by Kanji and the alphabet in general. It is the hardest part of Japanese, but it isn't as hard as it seems. Kanji are basically made up of a bunch of stylized/combined katakana, so if you master katakana it will be easier to remember Kanji. I think my biggest regret is not mastering katakana early like I did with Hiragana. I feel like it stunted my ability to learn Kanji. Also, textbooks will make it seem like it isn't used as much as it actually is. Japan has an insane amount of loan words and many of them are only recently being the common use vs non loan version.

cjdidhfjdkdjfjg

Edited to add I am a firm believer that the most important part of using language is being understood. So if you find a place to speak or a conversation partner, don't stop speaking or refuse to speak if you aren't sure you're correct. Like, if you're at a restaraunt and say toire wa koko desu ka (is the toilet here) instead of asking toire wa doko desu ka (where is the toilet), you're probably gonna be understood and you'll be practicing speaking. If you get embarrassed just question if you have ever judged anyone for fumbling your native language. You probably have never paid it any mind! Embarrassment is a HUGE, massive part of why adults do not learn languages as quickly as kids.

[hella1975]

I'm going to my first party next week for my friend's birthday and I'm very nervous because I've never drank before and I'm not sure how to act in general 😭 do you have any advice?

omg i have you covered for this romantic advice im dogshit at but PARTIES i can do okay;

dont do anything you dont want to. i hate to sound like a boring mum type but i hope that if u know my blog enough to send this you at least know that i KNOW WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT and also i am not a mum type, so hearing it from me of all people should be a big warning that im speaking facts here. i mean it. if you dont want to drink, dont. if you dont want to stay overnight, dont. if you dont want to kiss someone, DONT. i know it can seem like you HAVE to and you dismiss what adults tell you bc they tend to come from the angle of 'when you're older you wont even remember these things and it will feel silly so you might as well not do it', but genuinely from someone who is still a teenager and remembers these things vividly - it's not a matter of growing out of it; it's a matter of it not being worth it if things go wrong. seriously. you wont be glad of feeling momentarily cool if things take a wrong turn. i get it peer pressure is HORRIBLE, but if you put yourself out of your comfort zone too much you can genuinely wind up in really really terrible situations at a party. ive heard some awful horror stories and some of my own worst memories that i still have to deal with to this day years later stem from parties where i didnt set my boundaries (in an attempt to 'fit in') and people took advantage. so just stick to what YOU want

keep tabs on your friends! mostly bc that'll make you feel safer but also this is generally a good rule to stick by. also make it clear to them that you want them to keep tabs on you too. if you're super nervous, choose the friend you're most comfortable around and just latch onto them for the night. it really eases things just having a familiarity in a new space

'how to act in general' there's no rules! if you want to stay with your friends all night, do it! if you want to meet new people, start a conversation! just do what makes you happy and try not to overthink it

if you do want to drink (and there's nothing wrong with that!) but you've never done it before, then take it slow. dont do more than two shots of ANYTHING at one time, specifically harder spirirts (vodka, tequila, gin, rum). if it feels like it's not hitting you but you know you've drunk enough that it should, DO NOT DRINK MORE. i promise it will hit LMAO. having said that, alcohol typically does hit very quickly, so if after 10/15 mins you still feel the exact same, you should be good. it's very subjective though so listen to what your body is telling you (there's always the bathroom trick; something about sitting down in the bathroom at a party makes you realise very suddenly that you're drunk lmao, i cant explain it)

if someone is offering you an alcohol you've not heard of, it's probably best to check the bottle yourself unless you trust them. if the percentage is higher than 10% then it's reasonably strong, and if it's over 20% then it's strong enough to be taken as a shot. if anyone tries to undersell how strong it is, get the fuck away from them. i dont care if they're joking it's weird and DANGEROUS to lie to people about shit like that. if it's your first time, rather be too sober than too drunk

[watermelinoe]

i think the moral is that we gotta regularly check up on our childhood memories just in case reality tries to pull a fast one

the mandela effect is insane to me mainly bc upon learning that something you remember never actually happened, instead of accepting that our brains are really bad at memories you're like "well reality must have changed"

[alo-piss-trancy]

For the ask thing you reblogged from me: 13, 17, 40, 43 - Nsfwitchy Ps I thought I sent this already but I think tumblr fucking ate it

Thank you lol yeah I think it did eat it RIP

Also warning a lot of these will not have Just One answer bc I am indecisive AF, apologies lmao

13. If you had to make everyone you know watch one movie, read one book, and listen to one song, what would they be?

Movie: 'Jac/k and the Co/oCoo-Cloc/k He/art' or 'Fl/uke'

Book: 'The K/ite Ru/nner' or 'The A/rt of Ra/cing in the R/ain'

Song: 'Ro/ots' by I/n Th/is Mom/ent

17. If you had to pick one movie you’ve seen to erase from your memory, what would you pick?

Oh I've seen so many movies I've absolutely loathed. But what takes the cake in what I want out of my head forever so I can feel peace and ignorance again: Cad/dyshack or Bat/man VS Sup/erman. I could go on a RANT about both but I'll spare you.

EDIT: ALSO JUS/TICE LE/AGUE W/AR I want my time back for that garbage

((I have literally no idea how to answer 40 seeing as I don't date lol, so I'm replacing it with 33.))

33. What’s one skill that you’d like to try and learn for fun?

I actually have a whole bucketlist of stuff I'd love to learn/try! I'm one of those ppl who latches on to a new dream hobby like every month and the only thing stopping me is lack of funds/time/available classes lmao

A big one I've had since childhood though is woodworking! I used to have a little plastic playset I loved as a small child with fake planks of different sizes with holes and screws to build things, then when I got older and kinda forgot about it M/ose from N/ed's Dec/lassified reawakened my interest and was kind of an 'Oh wow girls can legit do that, it's not just a gruff man thing? And it's pretty cool?'.

Unfortunately I'm complete dogshit at measuring anything bc judging size in relation and amounts of items is hard for me. Like, had the best teacher ever for a light shop/engineering class in middle school who tried to take me under his wing as much as he could and he still couldn't save my projects from being completely out-of-scale, not-working disasters. Also I'm terrified of being around saws of any kind.

I love seeing the stuff the guy who played R/on Swa/nson makes, like on his crafting reality show with Amy? Everyone he talks about it in detail I'm like, yes please educate us let me live vicariously through you.

I'm sure I'd do a lot better with the more freehand creative type stuff though, like whittling things with one of those knives. You can kind of eyeball that, no measuring required really and you have a lot more control over what you're doing/how much pressure you're adding. That was also lowkey awakened by tv (Dr/ake and Jo/sh, when the guy makes a duck out of the soap bar). I make fun of Leonard's stupid wooden ducks but I would unironically love doing stuff like that. Idk what I would do with all the little figurines and carved sticks but... I wanna carve things.

I'm very wary of cutting myself up doing it unsupervised though, so I'd rather not attempt it unless I could take a beginner's class or something first. Or get the proper supplies.

That was long lmao, sorry to all my followers who now know what a gigantic nerd I am XD

43. What’s your best cheesy pick-up line/dad joke?

When does a dad joke become a dad joke? When it becomes apparent.

Clearly the ultimate dad joke is one about the origin of dad jokes.