#even when they aren't asking your opinion

[auroral-melody]

I HAVE A NORMAL AMOUNT OF FEELINGS ON THIS. YOURE 100% CORRECT AND I HAVE THE LINGUISTICS PAPERS TO BACK YOU UP. LONGISH POST UNDER THE CUT

what is like? how do we use it?

Like and Language Ideology: Fact vs. Fiction is a great overview describing multiple uses of like.

in formal written usage, like is generally used

as a verb: "i like the cat"

as a noun: "with the likes of you"

as an adverb: "it looks like a cat"

as a conjunction: "it felt like everything was going wrong"

as a suffix: "something cat-like"

in informal discourse, like has many other meanings

as an approximative adverb: "we went like 30 miles". it's decent to just characterize it here as a synonym for "about/approximately/around"

as a discourse marker: "like one of my cats meows a lot, 'cause like he's picky". similar to "i mean, i was wondering..." and "you know, i was wondering", this usage helps to connect chains of thought together / introduces things to a conversation.

as a discourse particle: "and she's like a little weird". contrary to popular belief this is not useless -- it's just hard to define its meaning and why it's useful. to give a general idea though: in this study, they found that ppl who used like as a particle were perceived as younger and less educated -- but also more friendly and polite. refusing to use particles makes speech sound stilted and awkward -- like is a social glue.

as quotative be + like: "and he was like 'wow!'"

quotative be + like my beloved

the quotative be + like deserves its own special section as one of the coolest things ever!!!!

firstly, quotative be + like can be used not just to quote people, but also to just generally express an idea: "it's like, no, absolutely not". as one paper said, there is "no need to designate a speaker". no one is being quoted -- it's just a statement about a vibe.

secondly, as op pointed out, "i was like 'what the fuck'" vs "i said 'what the fuck'" are indeed very different in connotation! quotative be+like (and similar non-traditional quotatives like go and be+all) are awesome because aren't usually interpreted as literal. you don't report what was said -- you instead convey an attitude, your "inner speech" / frame of mind.

this means you can portray your (speaker) opinion, a summary of what happened/what was said, and characterize the quotee + their opinion ALL AT THE SAME TIME.

thirdly, not only can be + like be used as a replacement for a variety of quotative words like say, think, ask, etc., BE + LIKE IS ALSO LINKED TO GESTURES AND ACTIONS IN A WAY THAT'S HARD TO DO WITH TRADITIONAL QUOTATIVES.

"Enquoting voices, accomplishing talk: Uses of be + like in Instant Messaging" talks a bit about this phenomenon. you can make non-oral gestures as part of oral speech!!! "and i was like [hand gesture]" vs "and i said [hand gesture]". for orally-spoken english, only the first one makes sense!!! be + like allows you to literally quote movement, WITH all the features of non-literalness and attitude included!!!

as discussed in the amazingly-titled paper "& she was like "O_O": animation of Reported Speech on Twitter", the quotative be + like takes on even cooler functions when it's used online in text conversations. it can be used

for actions: "he was like: *walks into room* *walks out*" or "i got sand in my eye and i was like '-_e'"

for emoticons/emojis to convey facial expressions, even without a quotation attached: "he was like :D" works, but "he said :D" doesn't!

for an attitude that has no specific action associated with it, but conveys feeling: "and she was like '</3'", "i was like '!'". can i make the metal gear solid alert sound with my mouth? no, but i can quote how it makes me feel!

other interesting discussions from "Like and Language Ideology":

"women use like more than men" is a misleading statement: it depends on the function of like you're looking at! women tend to say use quotative like & discourse marker like more often than men. adverbs are evenly split. men use the discourse particle version more often. *note that this study took place several years ago and i have not looked at others, other/newer data may be different as language changes & studies like this aren't necessarily the truth everywhere. english is used in so many places by so many different groups of people, it's impossible to draw 100% generalizations

"like can go anywhere": no. even as a particle it is NOT just allowed to go anywhere. it's not randomly placed, it's just a versatile queen!!!! depending on its position it can take on different functions, but it can't go just anywhere!

"i'd like wake up and feel good" ✅ totally fine!

"i'd wake up like and feel good" ❌????

since like is used in so many different ways, different functions of it probably emerged at very different times

as a discourse marker & particle, like has been used this way since (at least) the 1840s(!!)

as an approximative adverb, a synonym for "about", it's probably been around thru most of the 20th century

the quotative like probably is the only one that is actually related to "valley girls" as a social phenomenon in the 80s. it may be the case that it was already in use, though, and that "valley girls" as a thing in american media popularized it, and possibly other forms of like.... in america. but non-americans use this too! it's complicated and hard to tell how language usage spreads :)

tl;dr people who don't like like are being prescriptivist about language, misunderstanding its usefulness, and are missing out

the humble "like" is oft mocked despite what it does for us. "like, three people" is a vastly different statement from "three people". "and i was like 'what the fuck'" is vastly different from "and i said 'what the fuck'". i love you "like" and anyone who says you make people sound stupid will be killed on sight

[thewitchblue]

Hi, Love your writing and I was wondering, if it isn’t any trouble that we could get a part 2 of Jason Todd x reader with the twins they adopted, I just want more domestic fluff and the fic was really cute and I just want more

Thank you and I love your work

It was just your luck that Jason brought home the only two meta children in Gotham. You looked at your twins with raised eyebrows. How do you raise metas? What do you do when one is crawling on the ceiling and the other is floating like a balloon? You've learned a couple of tricks, but they have become incredibly comfortable playing with their powers at home.

Jason snatched one of them out of the air and caught the other one that screamed for him to catch her in delight.

You chuckled at the panicked expression on his face and took your floating toddler from Jason's arms. Your twins sometimes forget you are both human and can't do what they can, which makes playtime... challenging, to say the least. You swear you had to become a hero just to play with your twins.

You kissed the top of your toddler's head and held her closer. You loved them both dearly. Jason has managed to stop himself from adopting any more children, but you noticed him looking with wistful sighs. He's windowshopping for kids.

"No more children until these two are older."

You warned him every time he called about another child that he helped. You love him, but the twins were starting to get excited about getting more siblings, and you can only say no so many times. Their sweet doe eyes beg, and they pout so cutely that saying no was becoming a struggle.

They always tell you that they are older every five seconds, and you could only laugh. Jason kissed your forehead as an apology when he got home from patrol, but you rolled your eyes with a smile on your face. You both set your lovely toddlers down only for them to immediately get into a game and ran off. You cuddled into Jason's side with a soft sigh. You love your little family.

The Wayne family took it as well as they could. Dick and Bruce freaked out, calling you children yourselves until you reminded them of your ages. You had laughed, but Jason was beyond annoyed. He's not a little kid anymore. He's an adult making adult decisions. Dick said,

"You aren't even married!"

What is this? The 1930s? You shrugged. So what? Bruce isn't either. You were content with your tiny tots and your boyfriend. You may or may not have lied and claimed you both were married to get a better shot at the adoption, but that doesn't matter.

"Would you rather we marry now?"

Jason asked with raised eyebrows. Dick didn't have an answer to that question, and Bruce didn't offer any rescue when Dick shot him a look asking for help in talking sense into Jason. Bruce can't really say anything because he did the same thing. The only difference would be that the kids will have two parents instead of one.

Tim watched Jason's expressions carefully. He might be serious about marrying to appease the public and familial backlash from Dick. When did he start caring about the opinion of others? Was it really all because of you? He was unsure how well this would work out until Jason said they've had the twins for one year. Kids break up couples a lot faster than one year, so he could accept his nieces.

Tim was surprised he even got to meet you and the twins. Jason is a very private person and ices out the family most of the time. It's his own fault for not keeping up-to-date with Jason's life. He could have been well aware and prepared for this, but he grew slake in his stalker tendencies.

Damian didn't particularly care. If Todd wants to get married, he is free to do so. Damian likes you enough to acknowledge you as part of the family. Dick was the only one freaking out, and it wasn't surprising at all. Before anybody could fight further, you rushed over to your kid,

"No tornadoes!"

You yelled the second you noticed the personal tornado your tiny terror was in the middle of creating, running over to stop it while Jason tried to pry the other off the ceiling.

"You have metas?"

Bruce couldn't stop himself from asking. Not only did he just discover he's a grandpa, but he has meta grandchildren. You gave a drained smile,

"Blame Jason."

Jason gave you a betrayed look, but managed to finally pulled them off the ceiling (via tickling her). It's not his fault. You could have said no. Well. If you ignore the pleading looks you were given by everybody to eventually make you cave in.

"You wound me so."

He said in a dramatic voice he normally only shows around you. You flatly replied,

"I'm divorcing you and taking the kids with me."

Jason looked offended and held his child closer. Sure, it's an imaginary marriage, but it's the principle of it. He'd go through a messy divorce for the kids. You took the kid in his arms with a smirk before running off with them both. Jason chased after you with a grin as the kids squeal joyfully and laugh.

"Your big bad dad will never take you from me!"

You said confidently until Jason wrapped an arm around your waist and pulled you into his body. He shook his head and smirked.

"Big bad dad, huh?"

You twisted in his arms, and both kids lightly hit him while giggling and repeating the phrase. Jason was grateful they both kept their superstrength in check. You were alternating in trying to teach them how to use their powers. Surprisingly, you were much better at teaching them than he was despite his experience. He still taught self-defence, but you dealt with the power situation a lot easier.

Jason kissed you while slowly and sneakily taking back his kids. You pulled away, now kidless with Jason running away. You smirked at the trio having fun.

"How good are they at controlling their powers?"

Bruce asked you. It seemed like a random question, but he was trying to plot how to reveal to the public he's a grandpa and how to safely show them off. You suspected as much, so you answered honestly,

"They're getting better at it. They still have accidents sometimes, but we're teaching them to control it while outside the manor and outside the house. They know how dangerous Gotham is for metas."

Bruce nodded. He can work with that when the news comes out. He can do family photos and interviews without the kids until they have complete control of their abilities.

You watched Jason play dragon and princess with your little girls and smiled fondly at the floating "dragon" roaring so cutely you could feel your heart melt. The brave knight Jason Todd sent out to slay the dragon for the safety of the princess.

"I never thought I'd see Jason so... gentle. He really loves those kids."

Bruce mused as he watched Jason play with your kids. The princess saved the day this time after stealing Jason's imaginary sword and fighting the "dragon" literally.

Both of you ran to break up the fight before you could respond. Two kids with superstrength make fights significantly more dangerous, and your kids get too lost in the game to notice sometimes, especially when they play with each other.

You both took a kid to separate them and squeezed them into hugs. They think they can fight each other like they can fight bad guys, leading to broken bones and many hospital trips.

"Be gentle, princess."

You murmured. Your little girl giggled as if it was hilarious how concerned you were. You kissed her injuries. She was bruised up, but nothing serious enough for a hospital trip.

"Your knight in shining armour is going to take you back to the castle."

You boop her nose with a warm smile. Oh, how far everybody has come since they were brought home.

"Oooo, and I'll follow!"

Your little dragon said, very much alive in the game. The princess scowled and squirmed in your arms to go for round two in a brawl, but you held tighter.

"Never! Dad will slay you!"

Jason played along while the twin your holding crawled onto your back and watched with gleeful eyes. You smiled at the fake brawl that Jason and your tiny terror are engaged in.

Your crawler is cheering for Jason while you both watched. You kissed the little hands holding your shoulders as she set her head on top of yours. Jason is a great dad despite his own worries about being a bad dad. He loves these kids with his whole heart.

You can tell your kids were getting tired, so you packed up, and both of you left after a quick goodbye and the usual hug you give everybody.

Damien tried not to show his own happiness at interacting with the little kids, but everybody noticed. Damien always feels a strong urge to become a paediatrician when he's around little kids at the hospital and to see the joy Jason and you brought to the little ones only further strengthened his decision.

"Well, that went well."

Tim said in surprise. He knew Jason had a soft spot for kids, but he hadn't anticipated Jason to adopt one, let alone two. What circumstances led to this?

Dick felt the same. When did his baby brother grow up enough to have kids? Where did he even find these kids? He suddenly had questions he was too flabbergasted to ask when Jason was still around.

Bruce frowned in thought. He needs to be ahead of the drama before anything comes out of it. He needs to control the narrative, but he needs to be careful. His own children are all feral in their own ways, but Jason would kill him if anything bad is said about his kids without feeling any guilt.

Regardless of how his family feels, Jason had formed his own family and wouldn't change it for the world.

[arttsuka]

I can't believe I'm gonna be the one who writes a post like this but here we go. Comment etiquette

When you want to leave a comment

DON'T say stuff like 'I like the original better', 'this wouldn't happen' etc, except if the creator asked for your input. Otherwise just keep your thoughts to yourself.

DON'T try to promote yourself. This isn't about you, comments like 'wow, nice artwork, check out my stuff too' is a big no-no. Nobody gives a fuck about you, especially if you do that. Post your stuff and leave others. Even if you actually like their work, saying something like that makes you seem insincere.

DON'T say stuff like 'I'm retracting my like' (I've had this one happen before). We don't care. Nobody forced you to like the post in the first place.

DON'T be a smartass. 'Actually in canon bla bla bla', I didn't ask. Let me have my random headcanon in peace.

'This is nice but I ship xyz' or 'this is good but I like X character better' again, we don't care. This post wasn't made for your satisfaction, don't expect to like everything you see online.

Nice comments are always appreciated. It's ok to ask for clarification for something or even state your opinion. But remember, these posts aren't made for specifically you. Sometimes your opinion is completely irrelevant. Always remember you are dealing with real human beings.

Artists are not obliged to share their works with you, we do it because we want to. Don't expect everything to meet your personal standards. For the majority of people, art is just a fun hobby. Respect and understand that.

[crownmemes]

Politician Sentences, Vol. 13

(Sentences from various sources for politicians and/or muses in political spaces. Adjust phrasing where needed)

"That article really has got to your head, hasn't it?"

"Loyalty is something you will never appreciate."

"If you want to win a war, you've got to fight ugly sometimes."

"How did I miss the moment that you sold your soul?"

"You've lost your reputation, and a reputation's life glass: once cracked it can never be repaired."

"The information in here is worth more than your national debt."

"You are in my debt. I will call on it."

"You have a reputation."

"I believe you - this time."

"Has my allegiance not been proved?"

"Do your ambitions not exceed this?"

"How many phones do you even have?"

"Are you sure I can't get you a drink?"

"Don't play games. I'm not in the mood."

"You can't kill a rumour. It's like a hydra; you cut off one head, two others grow back in its place."

"I've tasted success, and it's a meal I now wish to devour."

"Every so charming, aren't you? All charm and nothing but. There may come a day when that isn't enough."

"Don't take this the wrong way, but you kind of look like you need a drink."

"I hope you understand I would have offered you a bribe if I believed you could be bought."

"If I wanted your opinion, I would have asked for it."

"I can destroy you in ten words or less."

"This is all a game"

"Try not to make any more headlines today."

"I am well aware of your influence, but here, you would do well to address me with the customary respect."

"You want my job, don't you? Well, I think you'll get it one day, and when you do, you'll realize that the world is not run how you think it is."

"Don't flatter me. I know what I am."

"Do you ever think about your legacy?"

"I was very delighted to get your letter."

"I'm worried about you. Reputation in this city is a precious thing."

"Let me make it clear to you that you are in no position to dictate terms."

[onetruesirius]

In terms of artistry and homework... I think that there's a fundamental disconnect when it comes to AI, broadly, about what the fucking point of all of this, even is??

If I am grading a paper about anything, there is fundamentally one thing and really one thing only that I am looking for, at all. Right, because we all call it AI plagiarism, you took SOMEONE ELSE'S INTELLECTUAL PROPE—

*GUNSHOT*

No. I don't even necessarily care all that much that you tried to pass someone else's work off as your own. Realistically, that shit happens all the time—I could give a shit but people steal/unduly take credit for each other's work CONSTANTLY in industry and business and generally out in the real world. We see it happen all the time, historicially and in the present. There's a huge precedent, actually, for people being very VERY financially successful when they steal other people's ideas, hand over fist. That's just a reality of life.

What I care about is that I heard from you. I care that I heard YOUR thoughts, from YOUR head, conveyed in the way that you and ONLY YOU can convey them. Yeah, maybe they aren't organized the prettiest way, but that's a skill that can be developed, with time and practice. The point of writing at ALL is to start a conversation. If you're not even willing to fucking start a conversation with your thoughts, with a discussion of someone else's opinion in your own understanding? Then there's no point to even submitting it.

I'd literally rather you submit a shitty hand-scribbled outline that I can barely read but that consists of your own thoughts. Maybe it's harsh, but I don't need you to open your mouth at all if only other people's voices comes out of it.

If you'd rather a computer speak for you, then there's just nothing to start any sort of conversation with, beyond how utterly disappointed I am that you completely missed the point of what you were even doing, period. You don't necessarily have to hold respect for me, or for the class, or even the material, but I would hope that you have a little more respect for yourself than that. I would very dearly hope that you think your own ideas are worth sharing with others, because I think they are, if you can coax them out of your head with a little thought and care.

If I cared about just getting 48 copies of what an LLM thinks a good essay about [topic] is, in my inbox, I could just as easily [if not more easily] ask ChatGPT myself to generate 48 different essays—that's not even hard. But it's also not what I want. I don't want to hear what a computer thinks [and dubious if it actually thinks and is able to transform ideas from given information, in its current state, or if that's a whenever sort of thing, but regardless]. I want to hear what YOU think. Speak YOUR words. If you're not willing to say YOUR words, it's exactly the same as if you never said anything at all.

And here we resolve to a massive underlying issue: Is the goal of creation a product, or the act of synthesis of thoughts and ideas + self-expression?

Because if all you care about is a file in a submissions box, to get a grade or to just make money off of it... then yeah, who cares? Fucking steal if you want to. Acknowledge that it's not fundamentally yours, but it's whatever, right?

However. If the goal of a community space [a classroom, fan spaces] is the integrity of self-contribution, of thought and the process of personal comprehension and individual synthesis and the joy of bringing fundamentally personal ideas into reality by the direct mechanism of human metaphorical hands [i.e. the act of creation], then.... I don't think that there can be a meaningful defense of people just.... not bringing their own voice to the table? Use of AI tends to not really match the ethos of these sorts of spaces, because the goal of AI generation is a marketable, consumable product rather than the labor of love to an idea. Again. Please have SLIGHTLY more self-respect than that.

If you personally didn't love an idea, a bit of writing, a song, a picture, enough to spark an idea that you loved enough to create something about it? That you loved enough to learn how to create what you wanted to make, about it? That you loved enough to ask other people about it and make a community of people to talk about it and enjoy it together (which is... what fandom is?).... That's a clear indicator to me that we don't love this thing to the same degree. You don't care about this thing or yourself enough to even bother adding your own fucking voice to a conversation, and if I wanted to hear what a logistical regression curve through nth-dimensional space, had to say about Good Omens, I honestly just would have fucking asked it myself.

do people have no shame anymore?

[iwaasfairy]

You’re right about how people should mind their own business. I would like to add that sometimes it is necessary to inject into a relationship, especially toxic relationships. Because some ends in murder, or trauma, or a baby. Plus a teen ends up with a high school teacher is nasty (that’s the only part I disagree with you/unless if the teacher is in their 20s, but it’s weird) If two adults are happy in a relationship, then people should let them be.

Ok, I don't know why people try to read between the lines of things I said, even tho I know you're just commenting on the post- I'm not talking about relationships where a crime is being committed. I'm not talking about abusive relationships. I'm not talking about minors with adults. I'm not talking about people who are being forced, or being assaulted, or where a crime is taking place. I specified that in the post.

Two consenting adults. Two consenting adults making a choice to be together, and existing online. That's what I'm talking about.

The teacher thing I was referring to was a story of a hs gym coach in his early twenties who never had contact with his future wife in school. He happened to meet her after she was already out of high school. No grooming happened. No illegal shit. Just a consenting adult and a consenting adult, but people felt the need to start calling them out for being happily married years after the fact, when they weren't even so much as talking about their relationship. They're both in their thirties now. They were just a couple existing online.

And like I said, you're allowed to think it's weird. I also think it's a little weird if someone in their mid twenties wants to date a 19yo. But that's exactly the thing I was saying, ok. People infantilize young women, and then deny they're doing it.

You want to tell me a 21yo is old enough to vote, work, drink, drive, fuck whoever they want, go into sex work, have a baby, adopt a child, get their entire body covered in tattoos, get tossed into big adult jail, buy a whole house and get criPPLING debt

but not to date another consenting adult?

Really. Really? And you don't think that's sort of insulting to the young woman in question? All that, but you think it's ok to harass her because she's dating a 29 year old? If you think that's a little silly, then you agree with the point I was making.

And if you genuinely think "yea that's how it should be", then I just don't. agree with you. People only do this to young women. They only do this to women, not to men. It's degrading and gross and anti-woman.

[m0e-ru]

lets think of everyone who had persona blogs and obliterated them off the face of the earth instead of just archiving and keep them in our thoughts tonight. everyone else who directly caused them into doing that go and fucking behave

[yourelocaltransdude]

Random question time that I'm confused about

[shiverhohojiro]

DJ Octavio should adopt acht and Marina then they can have a nice family even a family tv show

While I think DJ Octavio IS kind of a parental figure to Marina, and Acht would definitely lose their mind if he complimented their music, I don't think he's a parental figure to them really. However the relationship chart of the New New Squidbeak Splatoon (+all the other people connected into it. Which includes all three of these guys) that lives in my mind is a complete and utter mess and WOULD make for a beautiful family tv show.

[neyafromfrance95]

i'm so sorry to see that you're being vagueposted about for your sylki takes. it may be true that how you see sylki is a bit different than a certain section of the fandom, but that doesn't at ALL mean that you shouldn't be allowed to have your own takes! fwiw, i followed you bc i actually agree with and really enjoy ur perspective on sylki. i was getting frustrated with how many people seem to view this ship in a super heteronormative way and want sylvie to basically become a housewife, and i was so glad to find a blog that felt the same way. this fandom has become tiring tbh with how many people are now freaking out that sylvie hasn't immediately started having lokis babies in s2, and i really wish that people would at least leave room for others to have their own opinions!

this! that section of sylki shippers do not leave any room for you to have your opinions! they act like a fanon police controlling what you say in your posts on your blog!

and god forbid that what you say opposes their own hcs and takes, if you commit this unforgivable sin of having a take that is different from theirs, you better be ready for some good old online group harassment! they will make you feel like you are not welcome in this fandom, they will make sure that you are hurt, they will alienate you and force you out!

but no, you are the bad guy for jokingly calling a fandom in general "vanilla" and saying (after several disclaimers that it's your personal opinion) that when it comes to canon, you don't think that sylvie should be all about being loki's housewife.

at this point i honestly hate this fandom. there are some decent sylkis out there and i love the ship itself, but a big portion of the fandom has simply sucked all the joy for the series out of me. i wonder if they realize what the consequences of their behavior could be? back when i said (in my blog) that i don't think sylvie having babies is a compelling completion of her story in canon, and this bunch came to my blog to harass me for my takes, i was in a very *very* bad place already, and the space that was supposed to be my escape pretty much turned on me and added up to an already depressing state i was in.

and bfr anyone says that it's just a fandom wank, let me tell you that these people know how to be really cruel, whether they realize it or not, their behavior is simply cruel. they don't just argue in favor of their opinion, they shit on you personally, get aggressive towards you personally, make you feel like you "can't sit with them", ect. it gets really creepy and ugly.

and the thing is, i never addressed anyone specific in my posts, i never said *this* person and *that* person have shitty hcs/takes, i never even vaguely hinted at a distaste towards the hcs/takes of someone specific, but they accuse me of pointing fingers. when i said that i didn't think canon sylvie having babies would work, i never said anything about sylki babies in fanfiction, yet people accused me of pointing fingers at the fic writers. and they would come to my blog, harass me in the replies and asks, and talk about how despicable i am in their own blogs, and it went on and on for a while.

thanks for your nice words, anon, they are uplifting. and to those who can't stand me so much, don't worry, i'm going to leave this fandom once the series is finished. i hope you are satisfied that being a shitty, gatekeeping, narrow-minded, egocentric person worked for you! but don't ever feel entitled to complain about how lokius shippers treat you.

[sideblogofawriter]

First of all OP this is not against you in any way because I think you're largely correct. (Let me know if you want me to delete this because I did kind of hijack the post a bit.) And you absolutely don't have to justify choosing not to answer certain questions or types of questions. You make a good point about how things like seemingly worsening internet criticism feed into perfectionism and fears of failure. And while I do think AI is to blame for shortening attention spans and over-reliance, I don't necessarily think that's the case here... more in a bit.

I laughed at one of the asks in the linked post that said "what are vil's flaws if he has any" because what do you mean if he has any? Are we playing the same game? Asks for a list of basic character traits are also amusing because come on. If you didn't know their basic character traits, you wouldn't be interested in reading/writing about them, would you? Have more confidence in yourself.

But as a writer to writers: I get it. Especially when a character is your fave, you might have a tendency to woobify them, whether accidentally or not. It's not a bad thing to seek a second opinion or find a beta reader to keep you on track. That is a valid route to improvement. And it's logical to want said person to be someone you believe/know has a solid understanding of the characters. But a cold open with someone you don't know personally is a little awkward; I know I'd find it hard to advise without knowing more about both the topic and the writer.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that people aren't asking for summaries because of unwillingness to read a longer analysis (à la ChatGPT), but more out of respect for OP's time, and the mindset that "something is better than nothing". Though I can't speak for everyone, it's specifically because people sought someone relatively well-known for their writing/analysis that I daresay they're not looking for a "cheat sheet" but rather "insight". After all, there are bots that will write stories for you now, for those who don't understand the value of effort and quality attained over time. For those who do, just a tiny glimpse of someone else's perspective can spark something thought-provoking and lead you to conclusions you wouldn't have come to on your own. Of course, it's still up to each individual to decide what they're comfortable with answering/sharing, especially on a public platform.

However, there's a huge difference (in my opinion) between asking how a character acts and why a character acts. The former you can figure out by playing the game or finding the sources online who have translated/organized content. The latter, however, focuses on things that are shown rather than told. They're very open to interpretation based on educated guesses and personal experience.

Which leads me to my point: characters are flexible. People are flexible. "In-character" and "out-of-character" have wiggle room based on the situation at hand and how you perceive them. You might not agree with someone else's takes and they might not agree with yours. Chances are, whatever you're writing is not something that has happened canonically; therefore, no one other than the developers can tell you that's not how it goes.

I'm not saying OOC doesn't truly exist - if Leona cartwheels into class, you've gone too far. But have faith in your own interpretations. If you think it's reasonable that a character would act a certain way in whatever situation you've put them in, go for it. If it's a little bit of a stretch, but it makes for a good story, it's not the end of the world. It's nice to bounce ideas off people or get some validation (which I suspect is what some people are really after when they ask for someone else's thoughts, hoping they align with their own for a confidence boost). But if you can't, consider the fact that you actually care about what's OOC a sign that you're on the right track. We've all seen fics that grossly misinterpret characters based on surface-level characterization. An idea of what NOT to do and some basic character research, and you're probably good to go.

Hi! I'm trying to get into writing twst fanfiction, but I'm having some trouble with keeping the boys in-character. What do you think are their base traits? Like, what's the foundation of their personalities?

Hello! I spent a long time debating about whether to respond to this ask or not. Ultimately, a lot of the thoughts I would include in my response are the same as what I have already expressed here. However, I've noticed that this has become sort of a recurring issue, so I'd like to address this more seriously.

I've recently been getting a lot of people requesting that I basically tell them how to write the Twst characters. Tens and tens of them, in fact (too many to include all in one post). Sometimes it's an ask like, "please list out strengths/weaknesses or a summary of their character traits", and sometimes it's more specific like, "here is a prompt I am working on; how do you think [character] would act in this situation?" I'm NOT comfortable with either type of ask and refuse to answer asks of this nature.

I want to be clear: this is NOT the same as asking for general writing advice; this is literally just asking to be spoon-fed the answers. There is a difference between seeking advice on how to overcome writer's block or asking what are techniques to show, don't tell (which is general writing advice) versus asking someone to specifically instruct them on how to write Leona Kingscholar from the hit Disney mobile game Twisted Wonderland. The former is okay with me, while the latter is not.

While I am flattered that people care about my opinion and hold it in high regard, I am not here to be a cheat sheet, and nor are my opinions the "most correct". There is no single "correct" way to write a character, and even if there was, it's certainly not mine. Only the Twst devs themselves are the "most correct", as whatever they produce is what ends up as canon.

As I have said in my previous post on this topic, having someone else tell you how to write does little to help you. Writing is a skill, and skills are not inherent. They are something you train in, practice, and learn. Looking at a bunch of adjectives will not help you write or understand the characters any better than you currently do. If anything, it just means you don’t develop or practice your critical analysis skills. In a worse-case scenario, it devalues what a writer does, as it places the burden on them to condense what they know into a laundry list of characterization--as if it doesn't take us tons of time to hone those writing skills. The only real way to get the results you want is to do your own research, develop your own interpretations, and practice, practice, practice. There is no magic pill or shortcut or streamlining or easy way to do it and come out with a quality result. You have to be willing to put in the time and the effort to learn a skill, and that extends to writing, be it for this fandom, another fandom, or even for non-fandom writing. Think about it like this: when you're writing a good research paper, do you go and ask a single other source to gather all your data and summarize it for you? Of course not. You have to go out and manually collect the resources, do the reading, take notes, and gain an understanding of those resources. Then you use your newfound knowledge to summarize and to synthesize your own conclusions in your research paper. The same logic applies for writing in fandom.

I'm not sure why there is this sudden interest in shortcuts. Is it social media shortening our attention spans? Is it the rise of A.I. like ChatGPT making people more reliant on and more comfortable with summaries? Is it that people are concerned with nailing characterization or instant success the first time around? Is it that the internet's so much crueler with comments + feedback that we want to avoid OOC-ness as much as possible? Is it that I just so happen to like talking about character analysis so people think I must know everything? It could be any of these reasons or a combination of them--but whatever the reasoning is, it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It's concerning to me that it seems like people are becoming less and less interested in thinking for themselves and instead are increasingly reliant on others telling them how to create. You NEED to fail and get stuff wrong. You NEED to be able to have the courage to try things on your own. Don't be afraid of failure--failure isn't inherently a bad thing, it is how we learn, grow, and shape our own styles and ways of thinking! I definitely was not perfect when I first started out. I had to fail and stumble and struggle to get my craft to where it is today. So did every single one of your favorite creators. Artists had stick figures, writers had their first words. No artist or writer started off making masterpieces. Arguably, they still don't. Every creator is continuously learning and trying to improve their craft. It's not as though they hit perfection one day and decided to stay stagnant. I feel that it devalues what we make when we try to boil down all the skill we've developed into easy "answer keys" for others to digest. Again, you can ask all you want and seek out as many shortcuts as you like, but that's not going to be properly absorbed into your brain unless you walk the walk for yourself. You can't assume that learning these things will be as easy as reading a summary, memorizing a tutorial, figuring out what brush someone uses, etc.--it wasn't for the people you're asking for this advice from either. Failing is normal and expected. You will also never be able to create something that pleases everyone or something that everyone agrees with--so instead of trying to appeal to an unseen audience, please focus on creating what makes you happy. You have your own creative journeys ahead of you, so don't be scared to walk that road! It can be tough and you'll hit roadblocks and challenges--but overcome them, and you'll become even stronger and more skilled than you were before.

Best of luck!

[nadekosnake]

Sodachi & Nadeko as a pairing — Yay or nay?

Sorry this is late! 🥲 I can’t say I ever thought about it, so I wanted to consider my answer a little more. I’m not much of a shipper in the first place admittedly 🤧

My answer is “this is not a ship for me." The difference in age/where they are in life is a little too much (now in the anime, with Sodachi being in university while Nadeko being in middle school). I also view their relationship to be more like siblings, since Nadeko knows Sodachi as the friend of her best friend’s older brother.

If we’re talking later in life when difference in age/where they are in life is not as large of a factor to affect the power dynamic of their relationship (consenting adults, etc), I do think that Sodachi would still be an older-sibling-figure from Nadeko’s past… I prefer if Nadeko wouldn’t deal with that kind of situation again (speaking about her “crush” on Koyomi). I think an element of Nadeko’s arc is about the deconstruction of the stereotypical anime “imouto” charatype that she was introduced as. So to me, it would be nice for Nadeko to have a partner that doesn’t have that kind of faux older-sibling relation to her, past or present.

Apologies for the long answer! It’s a little jumbled but I hope that this suffices! 🙏😓

[jeremiahthefroge]

yeah fuck it aphmau's 2015 minecraft roleplay series can get me back into fandom culture. sure. why not. adult life is already so fucking weird.

[lilacgaby]

omg one of those being obsessed with his wife for 10 minutes videos but it's prohero!bakugo

the interview starts and he looks bored as hell. his pr manager sent him on this because he fell down in the ranks again because of his gruff image but he can't help it! why get in someone's way if you aren't prepared to get cussed out??

that is, until they bring up his love life. more specifically, you.

his scrunched up face of annoyance vanished immediately, replaced instead by a soft smile and longing gaze.

he talks about you for the bulk of the interview from that point on, even in questions that don't revolve around you in the slightest.

"your fans want to know, what's your favorite food?"

"well, i really like spicy food. ah, you know [name] brought me to this good spot for our first date as first-years, 'been goin' there ever since."

"favorite color changed?"

"nah, but [name] does look really good in red.."

when that interview blows up, interviewers and his team see a goldmine, suddenly you're involved in every question you can be, the fans love seeing his reaction to being told things about you, talking about you, and just anything revolving around you. not like he minds, you're usually on his mind 24/7 anyways.

and when you end up pregnant forget it, now the fans are asking to see you, asking for an interview with the person responsible for boosting prohero!katsuki up the rankings so consistently.

the first interview with you two together trends for weeks, his longing gaze on you as you talk, his fond smile as you express your opinions, the way he looks content when he makes you laugh.

ughh prohero!bakugo who's obsessed with his wife </3

(follow-up)

[snekdood]

i really try to understand why my fellow progressives are so avoidant of actually introspecting on why they think its still cool to bully. im sorry but thats just an inherently conservative thing to want to do.

[shradsmanifestt]

These are the only things You need to know about manifestation :

Manifestation is not a process. You aren't trying to manifest anything. You are just accepting the fact that it's already yours.

Don't get stuck in the trying/learning phase, you don't need it to make sense. You don't need to know how/when/what. Just know that it's already done.

You make the rules in your reality. Stop asking if you can manifest this/that or why some coach was saying this and the other coach said the opposite. Don't accept what they say as true in your reality. What's the point of being the operant power in your own reality if you're just gonna go behind the latest technique/ fad some random person on the internet tells you to do.

The simplest way is the real way. Accept it as true in your reality. That's all there is to it. If you wanna affirm and persist do that, If you wanna do saturation do that, If you wanna listen to subs do that. There is no right or wrong way. Just accept the fact that it is already done.

To answer the question of how can I assume something to be true when it clearly isn't - How come you always assume the worst when it comes to stuff you want? Don't you assume how you're gonna be late somewhere before it even happens? Don't you assume that something's gonna go wrong before it even happened? Don't you overthink all sorts of shit without once knowing what's actually happening behind the scenes? If you can do all this shit with no proof whatsoever, you can assume what you want is true - if you really want it. I said what I said.

Don't be afraid to claim it as true. You aren't being delusional, You aren't aiming too high, No it's not that farfetched, It's okay to want what you want, It isn't impossible (unless you assume it is). Stop letting fear take over your power. If you can desire it you can have it.

More often than not people stumble upon manifestation because they are desperately trying to manifest something. Like their SP, or money or the job or appearance change or whatever it might be. Most people fail at manifesting what they want the most. In my personal opinion, it's because you're so busy "TRYING" to manifest it and just stuck in the process and have just too much resistance. You guys are never like - I have it, but instead like - I'm trying to manifest it. I'm manifesting this and that.

Change that. You are not gonna be stuck in that anymore. You are gonna decide now and here that it is already done. You have it. It is yours. NOT TOMORROW, NOT TWO WEEKS FROM TODAY, BUT NOW.

You have it now. If you can accept this, nothing can stop you from having what you want.