#it doesn't auto capitalize i

[androphagy]

when i say "cis men are inherently more dangerous than cis women, trans women, and trans men" the "inherently" is because those are the cultures we're usually in when speaking on trans issues online, especially on tumblr. it is NOT BIOLOGICAL, it is centuries of sociopolitical patriarchal-dominated grooming. it's not biology that makes cisgender men "more dangerous" whatsoever it's the literal historical context of cismale entitlement being funneled through decades and decades of "you're a man so do whatever you want."

this isn't applicable to trans women and trans men because trans women lose that "privilege" the second they're anything other than Good Cis Male Archetype. femininity is punished in people who are viewed as Supposed To Be Men to all different degrees and pretending like trans women have any form of oppressive status over cis men (which is a take i've seen from terfs fairly regularly) is fucking insane. tell me what does a trans woman GAIN from putting herself out there and becoming something societally people, even other cis and trans women, will punch down on at first opportunity. she doesn't!!! she gains nothing but another target on her back!!!! trans women and transfems are seen as this nebulous "other" waiting behind every bathroom door to attack poor random cis women and children and if you can't see that and how prevalent that ideology has become eurocentrically you may just be completely out of touch beyond what i can tell you here.

trans men don't have that same context because unless they were born into a family that raised them fully in the way today's (and im speaking specifically on western/eurocentric ideals) men are raised and don't acknowledge their anatomy at all aside from positively, which is a fairly large part of misogyny, they're going to see misogyny for a good long while regardless of (if they ever do!!) passing status. and that passing privilege can be yanked out from under them if they're outed, medical misogyny is rampant no matter how masculine you look - if you still have a vagina, you will never be seen as male in the eyes of most people. trans men and the transmasculine are consistently erased, correctively raped and abused, and subjugated so they can't "identify" as male in the first place. the swept-under-the-rug-edness of this issue isn't the fault of trans women though!!!! visibility isn't a cake where it'll run out if someone takes more!!!!

the intercommunity "axis of oppression/lateral aggression" theory is specifically to pull apart internal biases surrounding the beliefs and behaviors of queers who are on varying levels of othering dependent on their own personal situations and externalization vs internalization of harm/support. for example its not calling out YOU, specifically, for being wary around people with penises; historical context, as i mentioned earlier, coupled with personal trauma and modern sociopolitical theory contribute to the unconscious bias against sharing the women's room with a trans woman regardless of how much of an ally you claim to be (as a transmasc, cis woman, newly-out transfem, etc.) it doesn't make your beliefs right in being anxious about going to the bathroom while a trans woman is in there too, but it gives you a starting place to begin to work on not having those beliefs. it is not a moral failing to have more privilege than someone else!! you can use that privilege to help them or at the very least see where they're coming from and deconstruct your own internalized bigotry!!!!

don't turn every conversation specifically about trans women's struggles into a "but all trans people --" because that's not what the post/conversation/etc is about. you can make your own post. when a trans woman is talking about how she's been affected and targeted in the bathroom by cis women and refers to them as AFAB, she's probably NOT rubbing her hands together and thinking how she's also "taking a swing" at trans men and transmascs. believe people when they say what they mean especially on a public and largely anonymous forum!!!

trans women have every reason to be afraid of cis men that people AFAB do. are there risks such as pregnancy which can increase that fear in people AFAB? yeah, absolutely. no one is arguing against that. trans women and trans men are arguing that they see bigotry and targeted aggression outside and inside the community, and the inside is on mostly personal-to-clique levels...which happens in every community regardless of it being queer focused or not. a trans woman snapping at a trans man for being entitled online isn't her saying "all trans men are like this and they're basically not even trans because they chose to be men", she's angry at the entitlement, not the trans status. she's viewing it from the extremely trodden-on status of a woman who's being attacked relentlessly for something she has no control over (just like how trans men have no control over being born with anatomically female parts!) just like how trans women can unlearn patriarchal entitlement, trans men can not internalize it and inflict it onto others with the misguided belief of that being how they're going to be seen as a man/that that's just what men do.

personally i think there's been a massive schism intentionally driven by terfs, transphobic queers, and cis people (men and women) between transmascs, transfems, trans women, and trans men because it's easier to break down communities once you sew enough discord and make everyone think no one else understands them and is out to get them at first opportunity (and my hypothesis on hyperindividualism running parallel to modern identity politics goes further into that.)

if you make everyone in the same demographic believe that the other has no way of understanding or relating to one another, then what's the point of having the community to begin with? bigoted groups -- cis, trans, conservative, leftist -- utilize that to really dig their claws in with their "divide and conquer" stratagem, and no one is exempt from being a potential transphobe because of their status of being trans.

compassion for those hurting in a system designed to hurt them will carry you so much further than getting aggro the second someone disagrees with you.

[msommers]

3, 11, 24, 28, and 42 for riya, ellana and meredith!

MUAH!! a smooch directly on the nose tyty // random dnd questions

3) How would your PC describe themselves?

RIYA — depends on the day. some days you'll get the “bewitching and stunningly bold, with a lovely dash of dazzling intelligence beneath the charm. and, dare i say, the most alluring and sultry mage the grey wardens have ever had the pleasure of recruiting” ego response that's incredibly hammed up for humor, and recently we’ve unlocked the chance to receive a vibe of “i am the most pathetic Clairmont to ever walk Thedas. let the fucking demons take me next time.” because she's at her wit’s end, dramatic as all hell, and incapable of finding an in-between. 

ELLANA — i’ve come to the conclusion she’s one of those ridiculously humble girlies. it’s ridiculous because you can look at a list of all the insane deeds she’s done with the inquisition and then she’ll say shit like “oh, i’m just a woman doing her best to encourage peace and unity along my given path.” and it’s like ok. shut your mouth and acknowledge the miracle-worthy things you’ve accomplished while still maintaining your gentle spirit or else i’ll slap you.

MEREDITH — during the origins era she’s the type to try and stick to the obvious basics and then derail into soapboxing just a little bit. you know, like state her name and titles > list her efforts and accomplishments > define her current goals > start spiraling into “and i have been vilified by the loathsome usurpers attempting to take control of our kingdom. they slaughtered their way into stealing my birthright and then treat the people of Ferelden like cattle to slaughter or trade on a whim, and i wILL NOT ALLOW TH-” [insert 10 minute righteous rant that maybe only half the people in the room wanted]. did she describe any part of her personality? nope, but you can sure as hell figure it out through that 15 minute speech.

11) How does your PC show affection?

RIYA — as brashly as she approaches everything else tbh, girly has no shame. a lot of it is through blatant flirtation because that often makes people feel good from the attention and compliments, which is usually her goal through expressing affection. after that it’s mostly physical touch, though it’s in her favored displays rather than asking/adjusting to what others like (she’ll change if they talk to her about it but the default is w/e she vibes with), ie: kisses to cheeks, linking arms while walking or standing beside someone, leaning into/against them while sat together, taking their hands and squeezing them (idly giving them a kiss to the back of the hand if they’re fairly close), etc etc. tbh she’s open to just giving a full-on kiss if the person she’s giving affection to is on the same wavelength as her with it not having to be a romantic thing lmao. also!!! gift giving. that’s a pretty prominent one from the rich girl.

ELLANA — her bread and butter is affection through physical touch. every way it can be done?? it’s on her roster. unlike the slut wizard above, Ellana pays close attention to how people want to receive the touch and adjusts accordingly. she’s also big on acts of service to show people how she cares deeply enough for them that she notes things she can do for them to bring them happiness or simply lighten their workload. gift giving but it’s flowers 90% of the time, hope you enjoy floral scents. if she has the time then she likes to bake for people 🥰

MEREDITH — casual and gentle touches, ie: touching their cheek or elbow, briefly clasping hands, hand to their lower back to guide them somewhere, etc etc. likes to give personalized gifts that vary in size and effort, but always display that she's thinking about the person and cares (her go-tos are arranging for their favorite dish(es) to be served in a personal meal, and gifting them whatever they'd last mentioned wanting/needing), they usually come with a little parchment card that has a message written in her hand. with those she's closest to, giving hugs is a favorite. 

24) If your PC found a book that detailed their whole life, from birth to whatever death they’ll have, would they read it and why?

RIYA — she could probably get out a joke or two about reading the book if it had sections dedicated to her sexual endeavors or favorite social events she’s attended, but she'd be far too scared to actually open the thing. the thought of seeing what else she's gonna have to go through in the blight and then how she'll die is terrifying enough, but there's also the potential she reads that she dies like a week later and she'd simply rather not know that, thanks. she's going to fry the book with a lighting bolt now actually. 

ELLANA — torn on this one, but i'm leaning towards yes. she develops a bit of an irrational obsession with the idea that she'll be in historical accounts and spirals thinking about the details that they'll forget or likely erase, so i think she'd probably be drawn towards looking at anything that claims to detail her actions. i also think Ellana would have the opposite instinct of Riya and would want to know of her death so that she'd be aware of how much time she has left to do her work. 

MEREDITH — she'd overthink the pros and cons of it for so long that whatever friend she has nearby will just take the thing and toss it into the nearest fireplace to end her suffering lmao

28) When your PCs want comfort, what do they seek out?

it's the way you've made me realize that i haven't truly considered what Ellana OR Meredith find comfort in. i'm a failure of an oc mother. for them all i'm gonna rule out just going to partners because that's a given. 

RIYA — it was Bastian for several years due to how close they always were, and she still finds herself searching for him on first instinct tbh. she had a specific person for so long that she now defaults to seeking out people for comfort, usually the nearest friendly face(s) that she believes can bring her support or a well-needed distraction. if the platonic solutions fail, she's just gonna go find somebody to fuck and pray that works 🤷‍♀️

ELLANA — i’m thinking that she tries to search for the familiar, which in her case would be things related to the dalish. wrapping a blanket made by her mother around her shoulders, reciting proverbs from her keeper and hahren, baking/cooking herself something they'd always have during travels, etc etc. helps to reconnect her to the roots that she constantly worries she's being torn too far away from. she also seeks out the company of loved ones and friends, sometimes that's enough to help. 

MEREDITH — the ideal would be a nice fire to sit by with a cozy blanket, her mabari, and one of her embroidery projects. it all helps tremendously to calm her and the time spent on something that requires her attention to do properly aids in resetting her focus, the comfort found in relaxing her mind and body. i think comfort from others isn't something she instinctively searches for, but she's fortunately filled her circle with many folk who do the engaging for her and they provide comfort through their support and care. 

42) Who is your PC’s favorite NPC(s) and why?

RIYA — setting my own bias aside and not counting her family members bc that's too easy,,,,probably Lucin. she loves that he matches her energy without hesitation, shares and indulges her finding comfort in material things, and that he shows so much respect for boss lady Satine (smth smth reminds her of the men she's been surrounded by her whole life, feels familiar having that respects-women-wholeheartedly vibe around). top reason he's the fave tho comes from their conversation way back in session 4 where Lucin confirmed that he genuinely believes in the heroism of the wardens and that there's good to be found in them, because that's the exact kind of influence Riya needs in these early warden days as she's struggling with every aspect of her new life. she's losing it with each day that he's not there to influence her but that's probably fine, whatevs. (honorary mentions: leroux, babette. i miss you babes i'm incredibly biased in my love for you idgaf) 

ELLANA — banning inner circle options bc too easy: Briala! Ellana’s a little obsessed with her tbh. the woman is so brave and remarkably intelligent, and Ellana greatly appreciates how direct she can be amongst the droves of people who hide their intentions behind deception or an excessive amount of honeyed words. they also share the familiarity with bearing the weight of countless people relying on them and could have some helpful chats about it. it goes without saying that Ellana’s admiration and respect for Briala’s efforts to aiding the elves is boundless and she swears herself as an ally, promising her aid in whatever capacity is allowed.

MEREDITH — it’s been too long since i did a fully playthrough of the game but i think i recall Teagan being up there on her list of faves. he was outspoken against Loghain which immediately made him bestie material, he’s practical and brave, and dedicated his all to protecting redcliffe during its hour of need which is something that little miss “this kingdom is in my blood and i was born to protect it” admired greatly. there’s also smth to the idea that she’d probably already know him from attending landsmeets and other nobility gatherings, but clearly meeting in the middle of a civil war and growing blight did a lot more for their bonding lmao. i remember thinking that she’d likely turn to him rather than his brother as an aide after taking the throne, so i’ll just trust that old vibe check. maybe i’ll actually return to my replay soon but who knows (honorary mentions: nathaniel, sigrun. i did not expect how much she'd admire the two of them while replaying the dlc last month, they really snuck up on my ass)

[corrodedbisexual]

I can read a short post with no capital letters but if you decide to write a fic like that, I'm sorry, I'm scrolling by. My brain hurts too much from seeing a whole paragraph as a single giant lowercase sentence.

[cerebralisis]

I decided to make my analysis of So High School into a separate post, because I can’t help but think of this song every time I see photos of Taylor at the games. And sure, it sounds like a love song on the surface until you remember that Taylor was bullied in high school and start to dig a little deeper. Feeling "so high school" is not something a 34 year old woman wants to feel.

Let’s look at the lyrics.

"I'm sinking, our fingers entwined, cheeks pink in the twinkling lights" = To me this sounds like drowning, embarrassment, and diving in with the sharks

"Tell me 'bout the first time you saw me" = You mean her first Chiefs appearance when they 'slid off in the getaway car' at the end? Nothing good starts in a getaway car, babes.

"I'll drink what you think and I'm high from smoking your jokes all damn night" = I mean...

“I'm watching American Pie with you on a Saturday night" = What do we know about this movie? We know that it is renowned for its high school immaturity and misogyny. It’s about a bunch of horny boneheaded men who treat women like sex objects instead of people. Sounds a lot like football culture to me.

"Your friends are around so be quiet. I'm trying to stifle my sighs." = I'm in the box with your friends and family. I need to hold it together so I don't offend them, but I legit hate this.

"Cause I feel so high school" = SHE HATES THIS.

"Bittersweet 16 suddenly" = I don't think she was a fan of high school, you guys.

"Are you gonna marry, kiss, or kill me? It's just a game but really, I'm betting on all 3." = A clear reference to that kiss/marry/kill interview with Travis, while also saying "we're gonna get together, put on a show for everyone, and I'm going to slowly die inside until we're done."

"Get my car door, isn't that sweet. Now pull me to the backseat" = All I hear with this is Movie Director Taylor giving instructions to her leading man so they can get a good reaction from the audience.

"You know how to ball, I know Aristotle." = You're a jock. I'm a nerd. We are not compatible.

"Touch me while your bros play grand theft auto." = The official song lyrics on Spotify put grand theft auto in lowercase the first time and capitalized the second time. The capitalized GTA could refer to Travis's friends playing the video game, sure. But also - you know who was arrested in August 2023 for grand theft auto? Bashaud Breeland, a cornerback for the Kansas City Chiefs who played with Travis in the 2020 Super Bowl.

"It's true, swear, Scout's Honor" = Look it up, I dare you.

And my absolute favorite:

"On the brink of a wrinkle in time" = This is TTPD, folks. Of course there's going to be a literary reference. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. The main character is a girl named Meg who is incredibly bright but struggles in school because she doesn't fit in with the other kids. After meeting a trio of badass witchy women, Meg travels to far-off worlds (a sort of deep portal time travel, you might say) where she joins the battle of light vs. darkness. What do we know about Taylor’s usage of light and darkness throughout her discography? It's giving… Reputation vs. Daylight? Shrouded in secrecy vs. out in the open? Based on everything else that Taylor has been hinting at through TTPD (not to mention Evermore and Midnights), it sounds like she is on the verge of diving into a much larger battle. And if I had to guess, I would bet that this battle will start during the Reputation re-release. Around Halloween. 🎃 When exile ends. Almost exactly 2 years after the Bejeweled music video was released. Maybe the old Taylor can't come to the phone right now cause she's dead?

I'm just speculating, but I will add that the 3rd book in the Time series is called A Swiftly Tilting Planet. There is a poem referenced through the book that goes like this:

With Ananda in this fateful hour, I place all Heaven with its power, And the sun with its brightness, And the snow with its whiteness, And the fire with all the strength it hath, And the lightning with its rapid wrath, And the winds with their swiftness along its path, And the sea with its deepness, And the rocks with their steepness, And the Earth with its starkness, All these I place with God's almighty help and grace between myself and the powers of darkness.

The word ‘Ananda’ mentioned above is the name of a character in the book, which is significant to the story because it’s a Sanskrit word that describes the eternal bliss that accompanies the ending of the rebirth cycle. If this series is what Taylor is referencing then it’s sounding more and more like she’s going to kill off Taylor TM and be done with the games, done with the reinvention. The plot summary of A Swiftly Tilting Planet says that it’s a book about "going back in time and changing might-have-beens." What decisions would she have made differently if she could do it all over again?

I don't know, friends. Take from this what you will. All I know is, this woman and all her brilliant duality is going to send me to a padded room. ✌🏻

[dullgecko]

bear with me here bc this is a semi long one? a few weeks ago (i meant to send it then too but was intimidated) a friend and i were talking and had Thoughts as to how the Bad Kids would text- and so i kinda wanted to say our takes and see yours.

also i am so sorry bc this was longer than i meant it to be.

Adaine (Freshman year) uses proper grammar and punctuation. her texts would be the most like reading a formal paper. no typos (or next to none), point succinct, and one message. also no slang or contractions, at least at first. Junior year? not much has changed, but she uses some emojis and abbreviations. in her crystal, all the gang is their name and maybe an emoji to represent them. her texts are all typed out in the messages app, especially long ones. she Knows what shes saying- although there is definitely a lot of editing bc anxiety be like that

Fabian? he used all the text slang, minimal punctuation. especially in freshman year, he wanted to be seen as cool and, in some ways, tough. come junior year? he Knows he's cool- hes the maximum legend. minimal typos (intentional ones Not included), Everyone is a nickname (he'd never admit it, but Riz is *not* in as "The Ball", hes in as "The Ball (🕵️‍♂️🔍🏀)", or some other combination of emojis with it). Punctuation? optional. *hates* double texting, but also doesn't go back and edit his messages as he writes them so sometimes theyre a little out of order.

Fig? her messages are often chaos. a few more typos, will send different thoughts as messages. uses some slang, but not always (it depends on her mood). the rest of the gang is under some sort of nickname/initials/hyper specific reference that most wont understand. some are fully just emoji combos. Will use emojis regularly, will use slang, doesn't care if she makes typos. long messages are done in her notes app, and the app is definetly passcode protected (except its the date of her first kiss with Ayda so its easy to guess). punctuation? nah. capitalization? rarely

Gorgug? doesn't use capitalization, but does use punctuation. changes how he types when talking to TBK or his parents. a few typos, but hes probably got autocorrect on so most don't slip through. tends to get his thoughts out in minimal messages. his friemds are in as their names, nothing special. some text slang, some emojis, but not often.

Kristen? if you think Fig's style is a mess, Kristen's is worse. Her friends are all under nicknames and emojis, her messages filled with typos, autocorrect and auto capitalization are off, and she rarely uses punctuation. will double text, her sentences are run ons, she over uses emojis, and she over uses text slang.

Riz? his texting depends on what he's doing. working a case? likely to have a few more typos or words that don't have spaces between them. will shorten words so less focus is off the case. when he isn't busy, will send a whole essay if he's asking a simple question. autocorrect is off because it annoys him and kept saying his name was wrong, but his crystal does automatically capitalize words. his friends are in as nicknames plus a couple emojis to identity them quickly. doesn't use emojis often, at least when texting, but will often react with them instead of responding.

Adaine is for sure the bad kid that has the most impeccable grammar when texting. Its almost like she's writing a formal letter, though she does chill out a bit after sophomore year and starts typing more casually. At the very least she stops beginning her texts with 'To *name*' and ending them with 'Regards, Adaine Abernant'.

Fabian would be almost as bad as Adaine, have you heard the man talk? Though he does sometimes not bother with the grammar and spelling if he's tired. Frequently uses emojis. Sends pictures CONSTANTLY.

Riz is a multiple texter. He needs to get the thoughts out of his brain NOW and he'll be damned if he's going to properly format those texts. Fabian has to suffer through this the most and sometimes he'll get about 20 texts in rapid succession as Riz infodumps on him as quickly as possible. Has the small issue that if he's tired he'll forget the common words for things and Fabian gets a horrible mishmash of thoughts that are half ghukliak spelled out phonetically (because of course his crystal doesnt have a goblin keyboard setting) and completely incomprehensible. It's more likely to happen at 3am and the ONLY way you should respond to these texts is 'go to bed' or you'll get 50 more.

Gorgug is the most normal out of everyone. Just texts like a regular guy. Will sometimes multi-text but its not excessive. His messages are at least understandable.

Fig is almost as bad as Riz with the multi-texting. Could vibrate your crystal right off the table if she's in a mood. Texts flip between pictures and messages constantly. Punctuation and spelling are an afterthought.

Kristen will read a text message, make a note to reply to it later then forget about it. If you need an immediate answer from her about anything you're better off calling.

[cinderspots]

Do you guys ever think of how beautiful it is that even when you come and go, you live on?

Specifically, I'm talking about word and speech patterns. For me and several other people I know, when I am close with someone, I intake the things they say and make them a part of my vocabulary. Isn't that nice to know? That there is a forever inside joke between people you once knew and the ones you know now?

When I was a sophomore in high school, I knew these two girls, one a senior and one a junior. Now I am friends with said senior post high school, but at the time, I and her did not talk. But i adored the junior, who was best friends with the senior. Not in any sort of weird crush way but more like the friend crush, they are so cool type of thing- but the junior had a habit of saying "so true" in response to very serious or silly things with no remorse or impulse control before backtracking when they realized it wasn't appropriate- they told me that they started doing it because of the senior. And then even now, years later, I myself saying "so true" like a parrot who's repeating the words of an owner no more, but remembers all the same.

When I was even younger, a baby freshman, I was (to my undying embarassment) not only a wattpad enjoyer but a wattpad role player. If you don't know what that is- close your eyes and let yourself remain innocent young one. There was this one person I roleplayed with in particular @imsososolesbian that had a fixation on the oxford comma- that's right I wasn't born with the comma affliction- and after talking to them (with the // of real conversation before we immediately decided we'd rather just talk to each other than play pretend) I noticed that I had developed this habit of using the comma far far too much (the disease unfortunately is uncurable and set for life) because the speech pattern worked on me through text rather than talk. Me and that person don't talk anymore and that's really sad sometimes, but I like to think that maybe I gave them something back, like my tendency to leave auto cap on so all my texts start with a capital unless I'm on my computer. We pass each other like ships, and I try to check in, and they do the same, but we aren't quite as close as before. That's okay.

Also in Freshman year I became friends with a group of kids on my bus (it ends in tragedy and the familiar ridiculous high school drama) and this one girl in the group who was my age and shared chemistry with would spell out LOL with her hands and say the letters individually- to be ironic it occurs to me now, but back then I just thought it was funny. At first, when I adapted it into my vocabulary, I did it the same, but I found that my brain did not like moving my hand along with it, and so I just spelled it. LOL and LMAO were and still are my big offenders because I was not doing it to be ironic. That girl literally altered my brain chemistry, and I can not think of it another way. Because the things we take from others are changed in our care, but that doesn't make it any less shared.

Hearing Mariah Carey, who i actually did not care about before we had this tiff about her last Halloween, makes me think of @bee-nutauthor . Because it doesn't always spread the way i expect, the song, the name, the words themselves make me think of my friend. I don't look at art anymore and just think in legible thoughts, I eat art, I eat your praise, I bark at things I like a lot, I use abomination words that do not exist, I am extremely familiar with pompompurin because @dead-finch-420 a fixation, in fact Finch is my fixation spreader because theyre always dragging me into it. Isn't that nice too? To be thought of when someone enjoys media, to be remembered we long as that media exists and if not there in memory of it? Because the closer I am to someone, the worse it is. In all the other examples, I would describe the people I picked things up from as an acquaintance friend. Not particularly close, but close enough. When I see bugs, I first scream (loudly), and then I think, "Would Lemni like this?"When I watch horror or see the sky during the night, or view the snow as it falls, I think,"Would MJ like this?" I think and think and think and it's all because of these things, these words, the visions, and I see everyone I've ever known in everything there is to see.

In my Junior year I started to use the word "girl" and "girlie" because of a coworker that I grew very close to used it very very often on me, she also inflicted me with the "like" curse for its second round on my brain- it hasn't gone away since. We still talk because I can remember you when you're still here, which can be sad sometimes, but also comforting in a way. If I can remember you while you're here, I can remember you when you're gone.

@split-milk-7 Someone who I view to be my best friend has inflicted many vocabulary additions. We met on a re8 Miranda discord because Miranda lovers are so very rare, and we decided that of course we should be friends married and we are technically wife and spouse. But they had a particular fixation on using "bestie" to refer to me every other sentence. I am physically incapable of not using the word "bestie" in a sentence while talking aloud to people. I could not resist it. My brain decided it liked that word above all, and so here I am.

@h-doodles I was never someone who bit before I joined the meower server, filled with people who I consider to be my closest friends in the world - and I've never met a single one of them. I find that I like biting. I will think of them eternally as the meowers, for all our jokes will live in my head for years until I can no longer remember why I say these things, but I say them all the same. Because it's inevitable that you forget, but do they need to remember you for your words to live on? People will continue to say the things you said, and they may not know you gave that to them, but it will continue to spread the same way slang spreads eternally. It lives. @zeleneagle, I am not awake, I am an awaker. For some reason, I use :3 now. I bite because I love, and sometimes because angy, boi, floof, birb, borb, whatevah, music, movies, pictures, life, and death, it's everywhere.

To me, you are everywhere.

And I think that's beautiful in a way that I myself can not always appreciate, on the days when the world seems so dull and empty and unwelcoming and so not made for me. I think I should try and think of this when it gets like that, when my bed feels like the only place I can be safe. That the world is full of you and friends and love alongside the enemies and hate and sadness. And if the world is full of you, then doesn't that also mean it's full of me? That I might live on in others the same way you live on in me? That I made an impact on someone, however minor, that I mattered? That you mattered?

I wonder what I've given off to someone else to live on and be remembered for. I hope it wasn't something stupid like me saying people's names in a British accent and pronouncing it really wrong on purpose.

They might resent me a little for that

[harlequinoccult]

what kind of texters are the ro's?

(i bet overdose goes ham on the emojis when texting, has shit grammar, sends multiple quickfire short messages, replies instantly, capitalises words for emphasis and uses !!!!!!!!! a lot. cold on the other hand is a lot more composed and impersonal and they end all their messages with a fullstop. black dahlia is curt and to the point. and i'm guessing sweetheart uses the heart emoji a lot.)

Very accurate~

Elysium LOVES being overly verbose as a bit. on some "Shall we have a luncheon at two or three in the afternoon my dearest?" type shit. Likes sending audio of his voice in a message and will often send pics through their day. sends those cheesy ass Thinking about you! gifs that moms send ironically. frequently used emojis -> 😘✨💋💪🏾

Overdose never capitalizes anything unless its For A Bit, they typo a lot and its 50/50 if they bother to fix it, no emoji spam unless its funny, but does use emojis as contact names (surprisingly smart, just in case someone goes through their busted ass phone). will constantly send memes. frequently used emojis -> 😈🥴🤘🤪

For Cold, it does depend on how much they like you, they are very formal when they don't know you, basically like they wrote a letter, otherwise if they're friendly/romanced they're more casual. Never makes typos. Saves contacts by their initials. frequently used emojis -> 🙂😑🤐🐈(sends you pics of cats they see)

Dahlia is a...very efficient texter, yes. very particular about using punctuation, LOVES using ominous ellipses.....she wants more plant emojis. apple are you listening. give her more. saves people with different emoji plants. frequently used emojis -> 🥀🙄😡🖕🏿

Sweetheart is a double triple quadruple texter. Does not know texting etiquette. sends those cheesy ass Thinking about you! gifs that moms send completely unironically. saves people by nicknames. frequently used emojis -> 💖🥰😝🫰🏽

The Host has their phone all suped up and untraceable so they use and abuse text styling often, for emphasis. Auto correct is the bane of their existence however, and they can't turn it off. very proper texter otherwise. doesn't save people by name, they memorize numbers. frequently used emojis -> 🤩😫🥺📸

[castiellesbian]

How do I know Destiel is more culturally relevant than azcrow? Because my phone doesn't auto-capitalize azcrow

[vacantgodling]

*rolls in*

🌵- What did you start with first for your WIP? Worldbuilding, character, or plot?

🥸- Which character is most like you?

🏡- Would you live in the world you created? Why or why not?

*rolls out*

okay auto-cy-bot lmaooo thank u for the ask :DDD

🌵- What did you start with first for your WIP? Worldbuilding, character, or plot?

pff lmao it depends on the wip. i'd say like. 60% of the time i start with a vague inclination of a plot. 30% of the time its a character and then 10% of the time its the worldbuilding/lore/world itself lol. how it progresses from there is also up in the air but i think that's about accurate

🥸- Which character is most like you?

if we go by the main wips -> erecia from paramour is probably most like me (logical, sarcastic, loyal, but also not getting involved in other people's shit if she doesn't have to), ven from vdtrt (quiet, peace-making but is silently stewing at all times), forte from tcol (responsible, chill, loyal, surprisingly snarky), and carlos from jenna the reaper (all of the above but literally tired of everything in the world at all times)

🏡- Would you live in the world you created? Why or why not?

terrae (from tcol) ABSOLUTELY. yeah there are monsters and shit but like the pros outweigh the cons i want to Be There. magic?? all black people?? some economic system i have yet to figure out but its NOT capitalism?? the only places there i wouldn't wanna be from are snake's canyon (perpetual darkness), eros (just. drama), or kiskkaddon (literally the desert is expanding and is no bueno). but like, let me live in lathsbury or bass landing and i'm PRESSED. lapsundi however is a Hell No from me.

galere? absolutely not lmao that place is a MESS. the political strucutre is a joke, the over-involvedness of the church, the wealth gap disparity also eldrich beings controling everything um????? like unless i was stupid fucking rich i refuse to live there LMAO. the other countries of that world i haven't figured out AS well as galere, but i also wouldn't wanna live in alizath its way too cold for me. also. constantly on the brink of war and social ruin is Not Great.

[icy-berg]

5 Course Meal a La Flame

Like him or not, there's no denying that Travis Scott has been one of the biggest names in hip hop in recent years. His combination of unwavering energy, electrifying auto-tuned vocals, and both aggressive and melodic beats has solidified him as one of the most unique artists and performers ever. Outside of rap, the man is a marketing machine, from his deals with McDonald's and Nike, to his own brand of seltzers (RIP Cacti I was getting ripped off those bois in 2021). All this goes to say, he has had an extremely impressive run so far, and I can't see him stopping any time soon.

I wanted to break down 5 of my favorite songs of his. His catalog is eclectic and features so many different styles packed into various singles, albums, features, etc. Let's run it.

wonderful (ft. The Weeknd)

Very glad I waited to write this up because Trav brought out Abel at his Sydney show last week. I heard this song pretty late, after Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight had been out for a while, but if this shit doesn't get you FLOATIN then I honestly don't know what will. These two on track is a guarantee for a spooky, heartfelt song that still slaps the walls. The closing song on the album, I easily could've seen this being an intro depending on the direction he wanted to take things.

sdp interlude

Smoke some. Drink Some. Pop One. Travis strings some simple phrases together and makes it slam perfectly on this interlude off Birds in the Trap. It's another reminder that he can adjust his voice to fit any production, no matter how wild and trippy it gets. The layering of the vocals and the transitions on this track are hypnotic, feeling as if you are actually crossfading in and out of consciousness. The Tavatli remix of this song is also one of my favorite Soundcloud remixes in recent memory.

3500 (ft. Future & 2 Chainz)

Let's take it back to Rodeoooooo with this one. People forget the chokehold 2 Chainz had the game in back in the early 2010s. The man simply could not miss. Then you throw Pluto in to make a Big 3 and there's no way you're ever looking back. The chorus alone on this song ripples throughout the room whenever you play it. No surprise again that La Flame switches things up and slows it down only to spike the energy back up again. It's just child's play for him at this point. Here's yet another remix, this one brought to you by my favorite spin instructor in the nation's capital, Techno TJ.

Black & Chinese

Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho dropped in the midst of an insane run for Travis Scott and Migos, so I was on the edge of my seat when it hit while I was home from college on winter break. Black & Chinese brought an unusual speedy element to the table that I feel like we don't see as much from either of these legends. Hearing that beat rumble and then Travis slide onto the beat feels so organic, then they proceed to pass verses back and forth like a game of ping pong. If you want to hear a track from a collab album that has a natural electricity to it, this is your song. Also check out Motorcyle Patches, that shit's a bop too.

COFFEE BEAN

It's tough to pick a song from ASTROWORLD, but I opted to go with COFFEE BEAN because it just has such a powerful, slow bounce to it. Cactus Jack himself takes his time telling a story and pouring his heart out over the beat, taking a break from his usual powerful ebbs and flows. Just like wonderful, this is a closer for the album, and fades out to end the rollercoaster ride perfectly. He's tuckered himself out across the journey, and is ready to unwind and release his feelings in a calm, collected manner, leaving the audience guessing for what music he'll create next.

Honorable Mention: 2013 XXL Freshman Cypher

This might be one of the most underrated XXL cyphers ever. Backwards hat Trav spitting about speedin on a motorcycle in Abu Dhabi, playin hockey wit some broads in Sweden. Sheeeeesh. With a perfect intro from fellow Freshman class members Joseph Badassery, The Baby Boy Bronsoliño, and the last Black Hippy to get a Wiki, this snippet was before it's time. Travis has changed a lot, but looking back at his roots you can still see the resemblance crystal clear.

[mandy4ever69420]

what’s your take on the pimping thing then?

oh lol. i think he is a loud annoying manager. who can be evaluated like basically any loud annoying manager. everyone who works for him was there of their own free will (up to and including specifically being mad that they couldn't work that job after getting scabbed) and he should probably have bumped their pay but getting the same pay back with a nicer boss (like, of the variety that doesn't keep you in line with "drugs and beatings" but in fact doesn't take well to customers giving you shit) and suckier location is not that bad a deal after getting scabbed.

genuinely like with sex work the general best way to evaluate ethics imo is "would this be a serious problem if this was happening at a Macy's" and. personally. if i worked at a macy's and my manager called me an annoying bitch and then beat the shit out of a customer for yelling at me id be sort of offended but pretty much fine. sucks they got arrested but the fuck was he gonna do. better to evaluate this as an example of the traumatic nature of arrests

if you read what SWers online have to say about the term pimp it's kind of like. insanely poorly defined for mostly the purpose of villainizing and prosecuting people. i recall specifically one woman said she couldn't have a joint bank account with her boyfriend without risking him being prosecuted for "pimping". like maybe what most people are picturing in response to the word "pimp" like grand theft auto or something. but if you (please) accept that sex work is normal work then you kind of have to accept that someone who manages location and personnel and cash and protection details has like. a normal job. also that the customer base is normal

mickey calls kevin the worst pimp he's ever seen because kevin was doing a bad job at protecting cash and employees. and kevins like ahah am i supposed to be offended ?? but like yeah dude. you are doing a bad job and not protecting your employees or earnings. you live under capitalism that's kind of important.

also the pimp thing is a big part of what initially caught my eye w shameless! i thought it was interesting to include this side of sex work in a normal non glamorous non villainous context. i <3 under discussed careers in media

[reasonableapproximation]

Trying to calculate capital gains on crypto, mostly out of curiosity. (I recently sold some, but not enough to need to report.)

I would have hoped it would be mostly easy. I've been tracking my assets with ledger. So for approximately every fraction of a bitcoin I own, I can see

This is the day I bought it

This is how much I paid

And this is the fees I paid

E.g. "bought 0.00724641 BTC on 2018-05-07, I paid £51.99 of which £1.99 is fees".

There are some exceptions: I have some that I got from mining or from the bitcoin faucet way back when, stored in a wallet on my computer that I couldn't figure out how to access again; I got someone else to do it for me in exchange for about half of what was in there. In my ledger this is just recorded as a 0.03 BTC input that I got given for free. And there's an in-progress bet that involved someone sending me $100 of BTC.

(Other coins are more complicated: I once bought BCH, converted it to BNB, converted that to SOL, moved the SOL to a different place, staked the SOL, moved it back, staked it again and eventually sold, and there's fees involved in lots of these steps.)

But ignoring this I'd hope it would be simple enough? But not really.

I think partly this is because calculating capital gains isn't an objective one-right-answer calculation. If I buy 1 BTC, then buy 3 BTC, then sell 2 BTC, then sell 2 BTC, it matters which order I sell them in.

Okay, but I think FIFO is pretty standard? But I don't think there's a way to specify that I'm doing that or any other approach that could be automated. I just need to manually say "okay, the BTC that I sold here are the same BTC that I bought here", and the way to do that is to specify the date and unit price when I bought them.

Which, I get having this written out explicitly in the file, that seems reasonable, but I'd hope for some way to auto-generate the posting, and I don't see one.

...also I've been letting the unit price be implicit, instead specifying the lot price. Which means the unit price has 16 decimal digits, which aren't written in the file, and which I need to copy exactly when I'm selling or the lots won't quite match up. (Which is mostly fine, but when I want to print lots explicitly it means it doesn't show as "I bought BTC valued at X and then sold them" but as "I bought BTC valued at X and on the same day went into debt for the same quantity of unrelated BTC valued at X±ε".) And sometimes exact isn't enough due to rounding errors.

So I'm converting lot prices to unit prices, which there ought to be a way to do that automatically too but afaict there isn't. (Unless I want to do some python scripting, which might be fun I guess but also might be super frustrating depending how good the API is.)

I've looked idly at hledger as well but from what I can tell it's no better at this. I don't think I've looked closely enough at beancount to know, that might be worth looking into. But I have over 7 years of financial data in ledger and it would probably be annoying to convert it all - just crypto would be fine I guess, but then I'm using two different CLI accounting tools.

[catgirl-catboy]

hi! since you seem pretty pro-ai, i have a question. how do you reconcile that stance with the growing threat ai has on creative jobs? especially right now with the wga strike, when one of their main issues is ai. not trying to trap you or start a fight, just genuinely curious as someone with a foot in both fanfic and professional writing who doesn’t fully know how to feel.

I wouldn't say I'm pro ai in the sense that I think ai is uncritically great.

I think ai is morally neutral, and that it is only getting misused under capitalism.

I am absolutely down for ai being improved upon to progress society, and think ai could actually be a helpful tool for a lot of jobs humans don't want to do!

(Look me in the eye and tell me the current youtube auto generated captions are acceptable. Look my Hard of Hearing ass in the eye.)

That being said, the current people that are funding and working on the ai are scumbags that are clearly in it for a cheap buck and not to progress humanity forwards!

(maybe I'm an optimist, but I want to program something great one day. Something that other programmers build upon, and eventually people are still benefitting from my existence long after I'm gone!)

That being said, it isn't as easy as "magically hope the people behind chatGDP grow a spine or replace them with better people" I feel the the government should regulate ai more, so it isn't down to the morality of the current big name cooperations!

This will likely not happen, since governments always wait to pass laws on technology until it is far too late. I'd say:

If an Ai was used, it has to be disclosed and the programmers who wrote the ai credited.

In order to train a commercial ai on something, you have to either get consent from the people that made it (same as reference photos) or pay them. It should be like stock photos.

The companies shouldn't be able to tell users what they can and can't use the ai for. This is a slippery slope, and I could very easily see it leading to the "sorry, we refuse to write anything thats anti-big company! Sorry (suck my dick)

I think it should be under the same copyright law as fanfiction. You can use an ai to make whatever the fuck you want, but if you sell it the people that came up with the idea can come after you. As for ai completely stealing human jobs, it doesn't seem very likely. Ai automating people out of a job has always been a fear, and writing/art is the least likely field for this to happen in. The ai can't make anything original. If, lets say, the dataset goes up to 2020, then the ai won't be able to comment on modern events in the slightest. An ai can make SW fic, but once a new movie drops, its dataset will no longer be accurate. Therefore, the ai depends on humans to keep datasets up to date. Also, current ai is not good enough to recreate a modern TV show. Have you tried Ai? Do you think you can get it to keep a plot going for more than 1-2 prompts? Let alone an entire 22 minute episode? It'll be all tangential and clunky. even if some person actually wanted to write a show in this way, they'd need human editors to make it make sense. And at that point, if you're already paying humans, there's no point in relying on the ai. Another flaw in this "using ai to write shows approach" is that the ai isn't static? Like, if a new update roles out, the writing of the show can be completely off and that may not be fixable. I don't think anyone in Hollywood would want to put their faith in the competency of a bunch of random programmers.

We should have debated the morality of ai before we made it, if thats what tumblr wants. Its too late now. Can't put the genie back in the bottle.

There's no way that random internet users will have the same impact on the way ai plays out, since its up to the government and big cooperations.

I advise anyone who feels strongly about the subject to lobby to their government (or maybe the ai creators, but the government is your best bet.) instead of trying to peer pressure internet users into a boycott that will not affect shit in any way.

[flicker-away]

lace nosk!

i somehow completely forgot that winged nosks and non-winged nosks are two totally separate things and by the time I realized that i'd accidentally smushed them together, i was partway through the line art, so.. oh well

tumblr doesn't make the first letter of a sentence auto-capitalize this is amazing

[viiwu]

how i think WxS characters type,,,

tsukasa: surprisingly he types kinda normally, has auto caps and autocorrect on. always signs his message off with 'Future International Star, Tsukasa Tenma! ☆". each sentence is a seperate message

emu: uses a ton of kaomoji's ever since nene introduced them to her, every message has one. fast typer, messes up 90% of her messages to the point they're practically unreadable (somehow rui can understand them??). she also enjoys using speech to text since she thinks it's cool. sometimes she sends words separately, also sometimes accidentally sends full capitalized messages.

rui: auto caps is turned on, likes using emojis (his favorites are 🥳,👾,🌠,🎈,🪅 🪁. he just randomly adds them to messages), would send gifs too.

nene: auto caps and autocorrect are on, thinks the kaomojis are cute (will never admit it). doesn't really like texting often (but she hates calling too), so expect her to send a single word/sentence in reply

[theysaywhatasadsight]

Requested by @nobunagas-chatelaine <3

-so how u guys become friends is kind of a funny story, it's a rainy day and you, having recently joined as Aditya's new assistant, really want some chai pakode

-you're complaining to a friend on the call how much you miss your hometown and the food you got there. He overhears this and you hear him ordering the car around and asks you to get in. Initially you think it's a meeting he needs u to take notes in but he really is an awk lil boy who wanted you to have what you wanted so he asks the driver to take him to the best tea stall in the area

-the tea's not as good as the company as you sit and talk with the driver and the chaiwalla while the rain pours heavily around the little stall. He lets the conversation wash over him and for the first time the ever present storm in his mind is quiet and he discovers maybe he is a chai person

-the next time is when you are the only two left in the office prepping for a pitch and as he looks up from his laptop you're there, stinky from stress sweat and hair frizzy from stress, and he thinks he's seen god

-you want to leave his company because you're kinda sorta tired of being an assistant, and your good marketing skills are what a friend with a startup wants. You think your newfound friendship with him would fizzle out, but when he sees you have a passion for the startup he helps contribute ideas and puts you in contact w his mom to be an investor (also he's thrilled that you're no longer working together so he doesn't feel like ur forced to b in his presence you CHOOSE to be that means so much to a boy who's used to everything being there for him only because of his privilege)

-you keep going on chai dates on which initially he's a bit grumpy but later as he sees how fun and talkative you are he lightens up a bit too

-One night his car breaks down and you wander the city all night going from auto to auto, and you're like. Help. I love men when he takes off his coat and rolls up his forearm to help a auto driver get his vehicle going

-he used to have a thing for bikes in college but stopped riding because his dad didn't like it. You mention how in college you took your brothers bike and would go out with friends in the rain and the same night he's purchasing one

-and ur sitting behind him like. Oh. Oh no. I love boys and sitting behind them and talking like he's literally shuts his mouth and listens to your bakwaas and how the market is terrible and how capitalism is evil and ur gonna live in the jungle and he is just hm :) yes will u build a cabin or live saadhu style he's cute ok

-u slowly bring out his smiling old self again and u even accompany him to his ex's wedding, where he looks at her and realises he's lost feelings for her because he's found someone he actually clicks with. U joke that ur only there for paneer tikka and he's like. I will buy u paneer tikka forever

-and you can't help it you just fall for this sweet man who's so angry at the world and himself and you feel happy when you help him calm down and realise hey life isn't so bad. And he's so cute to look at and sometimes hold hands with (while crossing roads)

-So you do what you did last in college and buy a notebook and write about your days with him. And how much he smiles when you say a bad joke or how he likes his tea or how he frowns at you when you smoke occasionally and how he likes his alcohol, you write how he takes care of you and if he let you, you'd love him back too

-so one night you go clubbing with him (he hates the crowd but he loves to dance with you) and when no one recognises him and youre leading him through the crowd and shaking your hair he's like. Ok we can deal with this much

-when he sees you get a bit drunk he immediately abandons the one drink he was nursing and gets you both a cab, and he's gently leading you to your bed (this is the first time he's at your apartment and heyyy this is so you and cute and he has a few decor opinions that hes gonna tell you but why should he he's not gonna live here.... And now he's imagining living here)

-he deposits you on ur bed while he goes to the kitchen to get you water, and sees your diary on the dining table. And he swears he didn't mean to pry but diary flips open when he switches on the fan and he can see his name

And so much more. Words to admiration and love and all the little details about him that leave him speechless. That someone wanted him so intensely and beautifully, despite his flaws, made him nearly collapse

-and now he can't look you in the eye. Except he's going to because you're his best friend even if now he knows you both love each other too much

-so when he needs a date for a gala in the US, he convinces you to go and takes care of your outfit and hey oh no ppl think we are a couple and we only have one room

-and when ur slow dancing at the end he smiles a bit widely and makes a snide joke about your writing and you're aghast until he looks at you and winks you nearly die from the emotional overload

-you still go to have chai pakode but this time to invite the guy to ur wedding and he's like. well I'm gonna charge more to have a stall there heheheheh