#for once i know ive been slacking in this regard apologies

[lostacelonnie]

Definitely understandable i easily lose the energy to talk with people when i have to interact with family. So you're good. Ah yes the dont worry about it approach my favorite. Especially when what you do in regards to you is your business. Well between last message & now i forgot so thats a good indicator of how thats goin. Beaches over here are hit & miss but the closer ones to me arent as popular thankfully. Hm. What is a2 knowledge & how is it getting worse? I adore colder climates heat is not kind to me at all. Tents are. Well. Some are decently priced depending on how big of one you get. Oh i definitely recommend going with friends its a lot of fun. Ive been slacking a bit on the game but so far clara is workin for me. Probably wont have enough for kafka. Oooh good luck to you with all your pulls. Story spoilers aren't a major thing for me because the how is always still fun. Definitely understand some just dont want em at all. Every time i try minecraft im like. Never sure what i want to do. So kudos to you for stickin with the game & having fun. Smaller cities are nice love having close stuff without being in like. A big city. Ah dang i hope you find that dye again in the future. Makeup is hard it should be easier for those who wanna wear it. Ive been so busy i missed. So many events whoops. Problem of bein stuck level gaining to continue story. Motivation is hard to come by. I busy myself reading or looking up new science discoveries when i dont wanna leave my room.

thankies ahdhfjfj!!! and, once again, apologies for the late reply. my grandma fortunately left a while ago but i was feeling Cranky and didnt wanna sound Annoyed With Existing ahdjfh. still kinda dying inside since i return to school in 2 weeks but fuck it we ball we stay silly etc. COMING BACK. yeah like "nobodys gonna know-" "theyre gonna know." "how would they know". and understandable sjdkfgjk consider this your reminder then. and ahh fair i live pretty far away from the sea so i dont really know good Spots i guess. BUT i do like lake beaches since theyre way more quiet most of the time. and basically im not exactly sure in how many countries it applies, im thinking most of europe? but essentially language knowledge here is divided by levels, a1 -> a2 -> b1 -> b2 -> c1 -> c2 with c2 being the highest. and well i guess theres also a0 but thats just when you start. a2 is just speaking Basic English, so like enough to survive if you go to an english speaking country but not much more. for reference, by tests ive done, my level is like between b2 and c1 so very decent but i dont know most of the "fancier" and more specific words. and with it "getting worse" i mean that [at least from what our teacher told us] the textbooks are getting easier and easier so people are leaving school not actually knowing almost anything. yeah SAME its been so hot here recently so ive been Suffering. and yeah i know but me and my mother dont really know if its a good idea to buy one since we dont really go camping anyway. but maybe when im an adult im gonna get more into it, esp if i have ppl to do it with. and ah thats nice to hear!!! i DID manage to get kafka and her lightcone so ive been having fun with her recently. actually overpowered. tho i heard shes quite f2p friendly. and oh understandable!! i unfortunately used to be on tiktok where they spoil EVERYTHING and its impossible to avoid so ever since then ive been extra careful. tho i kinda feel that way ab fontaine rn [cos i ended up actually being kinda interested] since i cant download it rn but still am excited 4 the story despite knowing little unconnected bits. and fair, minecraft def isnt for everyone but its very good for chilling out at least to me. rn im procrastinating on beating the ender dragon so im just maxxing out my gear rn. and yeah but im still gonna see whether or not i wanna live a long way from my family. oh well i still have time. also thanks!!! i have not been successful yet but i bought another dye so im gonna keep you updated on that. and ahhhh understandable, ive been Grinding so i didnt have that problem sjfkg i should build my sampo but. ah. i hate grinding artifacts. pretty excited for the 1.3 simulated universe update tho!!! esp since im really curious about the aeons so seeing more of the propagation is sth im looking forward to. but good luck!!! and VERY real i like doing wikipedia deep dives esp about marine animals. im a fishpilled oceancel but i unfortunately suffer from Not Remembering Anything Ive Read Ever.

[bookshelfdreams]

So. Phrenology.

The study of the human head!

Not quite.

Phrenology does concern the human head, but it's more accurately described as the attempt to extrapolate personality traits and biographic facts from the size and shape of the skull. It's based on the assumption that each function of the brain is situated in a specific area and those expand or atrophy depending on how much they are used, like muscles. This is reflected in bumps and dents in the skull; if you know which area of the head corresponds to which brain function, you can "read" the skull of a specific person.

Note that "brain function" largely does not mean what we would consider actual brain functions, like speech, motor skills, or memory but more vague personality traits and such.

Doing phrenology as a parlour trick is kind of like astrology, or palm-reading. You build this whole system of arbitrarily associating personality traits with easily observable features people have no control over, and being successful largely depends on how good you are at exploiting the Barnum effect. It's not difficult to pull this off at all, but Stede screws up spectacularly. This is because he's a terrible liar, bad at reading people, and not confident enough to be a convincing conman (Frenchie would have killed it).

I am 100% certain that this very moment is the first time Stede ever hears about the concept. (It was developed in the 1790s and, like most pseudoscience, is more of a 19th century thing, but we're gonna ignore that, historical accuracy is for losers). When you watch the scene and focus on Stede it's a hilarious string of wtf expressions.

(wish I could gif that scene)

He's able to deduct it has something to do with feeling people's heads but he has no idea what he's supposed to learn from palpation. He makes a guess and fails because he doesn't recognize that literally all he has to do is tell Antoinette that she's a born fashionista, the smartest person in the room, and hot as hell.

There's something else that I find significant about it. At its heyday, phrenology was an integral part of all manner of gross, misanthropist bullshit pseudoscience, it was used to "diagnose" criminal tendencies and educational prospects. Of course it has its place in scientific history; for example, phrenology was also one of the first theories that proposed that the human brain is malleable and rehabilitation an option.

Overall though, it's outdated and bigoted, and even at the time, some people recognized that it's largely bullshit. It has contributed a lot more bad than good to the world. It's foundational to racism and eugenics, which of course culminated in the detailed categorization of human beings into "races" under national socialism. Culturally, this idea that outer beauty is reflective of moral purity and good character is still pervasive.

And this is an idea that ofmd rejects at its very core. In this story, conventional beauty and attractiveness has no bearing at all on character or worth. You are not what other people think of you. You need not let society's preconceived notions define you.

They bring up phrenology deliberately to discount it, to make fun of it; Stede, who is well-read and educated, doesn't even know what it is. Because it is insignificant. It's nothing more than a funny anecdote.

Look at these rich dumbasses, they actually believe the shape of your skull has any bearing on who you are as a person. lol.

[unmistakablyoatmeal]

11 question meme x 2

I was tagged a long time ago by @carpemermaidtales with 11 questions and I totally slacked off on answering them (mainly because I didn’t know what 11 questions I’d ask anyone else, haha) and now I’ve got 11 more from @dewitty1! So I’m gonna try to do this and not get even more further behind!

(This is really long so it’s all under a cut)

from @carpemermaidtales

1. Would you embark on an exploration expedition in space or in the deep sea? These are both terrifying and exciting prospects! Today I’m feeling the deep sea because I’ve been craving shark movies. Is that a good enough reason? IDEK.  

2. What are three things that make your day brighter? Waking up with @lqtraintracks and knowing that she doesn’t have to go home soon because now we share a home! My doggies and kitties. And today? that Gal Gadot gif I reblogged earlier, haha.

3. Do you have any goals for 2018? Nothing super specific, only continuing on working on things I started in 2017 - write more (which uh, I failed at in 2017 spectacularly, but 2018 is going much better in that regard!), read more, give away/donate all the clothes I do not wear (I’m working on it!) and continue to eat better, stay on top of housework and the like, and explore all aspects of my creative passions. 

4. Top song(s) that get you pumped up to take on the world? This is probably going to out me as a big dork but always “Roll With the Changes” by REO Speedwagon. But also “Her” by BlockB and “The Beat” by Topp Dogg and “Fire” by JYP (with Conan O’Brien and Steven Yeun) and well, lots of other kpop tbh.

5. If you had to pick five, what would your favorite tropes be? OOOH. Okay. Fake Relationship/Fake dating; Friends with Benefits; Mutual Pining; Rivals to Lovers; Accidental Bonding 

6. What’s something you’ve done that you’re proud of? Pass? Can I pass on this one? Gah. (Okay the gf said I could NOT) so I guess I’ll say, once I co-produced, co-directed All in the Timing by David Ives (a collection of One-Act plays), basically because I read it in high school and loved it and decided one day to do it and built the whole thing from the ground up--no theatre company backing, no money to start out with, etc. And I’ve got some mixed emotions about the whole thing because of unrelated stuff, but by itself, that was a pretty huge accomplishment. 

7. What’s something you’ve been meaning to try/do that you’ve been putting off? Well...write 50K+ fic, lol, but I am doing that with @lqtraintracks this year! Does that count?

8. Dance party in your underwear or late night swims? Dance party all the way! Unless I suddenly had a pool in my backyard, and then both. ;)

9. You’re stuck in the apocalypse: pick your team? Can I choose Glenn and Michonne from The Walking Dead? :D

10. You see a dog in the street, do you hug it? YES ALWAYS.

11. What’s the next dream vacation on your list? I really want to go to a wlw-only beach resort. Does that sort of thing exist? 

From @dewitty1

1. How often do you real “real books” over fanfiction? Never? lol I mean, I have several that I’ve been meaning to get to, but I haven’t been reading a whole lot of anything, and my fic list-to-read is just more tempting atm! 

2. Should dogs be higher in the ratings scale than cats? Try to convince me. Haha! As a dog and cat owner, I love them both. They both bring a different joys and different headaches. I’ll leave it at that. :)

3. What is your worst habit? Procrastination. 

4. Would you change the Hogwarts house colors or keep them the same & why? I think the colors are fine? I guess! Well, maybe I’d give someone purple because that’s my fav color. And since I’m a Hufflepuff, I’d be tempted to give them purple, but yellow is so fitting and yellow and purple -- nah.

5. Did you take the Pottermore quiz & do you think it was accurate? I did it a long time ago and got Hufflepuff, which is super fitting. Though the gf has commented that I’m probably more Slytherpuff that pure Hufflepuff, haha.

6. Do you believe astrology is fairly accurate, or is it just nonsense, and the stars have no bearing on your emotions/personality? Oh gosh--I mean I will look at that stuff from time to time and sometimes it can be so accurate and sometimes I don’t relate at all. I definitely wouldn’t let it drive my life or base decisions on what astrology says--for example, @lqtraintracks and I have looked at couples compatibility based on our signs and it basically said we’d be better friends than a couple and that’s just a bunch of bs right there. ;) 

7. What magical theory that is never explained in the Harry Potter books would you like to explore more fully? since @lqtraintracks and I have had many many discussions about privacy spells and Muffliato and how that works--do you cast it on yourself, do you cast it on other people and it fills their ears with buzzing? Can you cast it just on one person or is it a whole group thing--basically how the f does that work? So maybe that? I know that’s a super boring answer, but I mean, there has to be a better privacy spell than Muffliato, is all I’m saying.  

8. What do you do to get yourself out of a funk/depression? Watch something stupid or something I’ve seen a thousand times. Like comfort food, but tv. Usually something Star Trek or I’ve been going back to The Good Place a lot! But honestly, if I’m feeling down, sometimes the best way to cope is just to accept that I’m having a sad day or a down day and if I just let myself be okay with that and not try to force myself to adult or cheer up or be happy, that can really help. That and sleep.

9. If money were no object, what would you do with your life? I’d probably still be doing what I’m doing right now, but start a foundation for LGBT youth and something to support the arts, and just try to do some good with the extra $$.

10. Was Harry really oblivious as they say, or was he actually observant when he needed to be? My initial thoughts on this is that--he’s both. And that he’s oblivious about maybe social things and has some social awkwardness but that yes, he’s observant when he needed to be about a whole host of things? But honestly...I need to reread canon, lol. I feel like I’m a bit more influenced by fanon!Harry and I do love an oblivious!Harry when it comes to a certain blond pointy bloke fancying him. :DDD

11. Do you enjoy doing these quizzes, or are they as difficult for you as they are for me? lol… Haha omg these are so hard. I don’t particularly enjoy talking about myself, but I do love to be tagged and included. it’s my introvert-self versus wanting to be included and such. Push and pull! Also, I’m crying at the thought of coming up with 11 questions and tagging other people. Haha.

OKAY now I’m tagging @omarandjohnny @untilourapathy @bixgirl1 and @lqtraintracks (yes yes, I know you hate me now) but only if you want to and I apologize for the sucky questions I’m about to come up with off the top of my head! (Also anyone else? Please have a go if you like!)

1. What is your favorite meal of all time?

2. What’s the first movie you ever remember watching?

3. Write a two sentence story for me. (my gf made me ask this and she’s a big cheater.)

4. What is your absolute favorite trope of all time?

5. What’s something that scared you but you did it anyway?

6. It’s Sunday. It’s raining. What do you do?

7. What is your favorite way to procrastinate?

8. What’s your favorite way to tell somebody off?

9. What are you listening to right now?

10. “Friday, I’m in Love” - A great song or the best song?

11. What’s the most annoying question you’ve ever been asked on a meme?