#makes my sensory issues NON EXISTENT

[pendragora]

Thinking about how aegon sleeps naked

I understand him, sleeping naked rocks

[nixthemagicdragon]

"So neurodivergent means rude? Is that it?" - my mother, 3 minutes ago, in the most condescending tone you could possibly fucking imagine, talking to my dad, assuming I can't hear her, after I was trying to tell her not to touch me without my consent (for the 1000000th fucking time) and asking her not to compare me to other kids my age, ending in yet another full-scale argument/screaming match

[drdemonprince]

Thousands of people did not just suddenly stop using headphones one day because they felt like it, or because they stopped caring about people with sensory sensitivities like me. No, people stopped using headphones because cell phone manufacturers stopped including headphone jacks in their products. 

My sensory-processing issues are a physical element of my disability that would absolutely still exist in a world without capitalism. Like my poor fine motor control and reduced muscle tone, my sensory processing issues debilitate me: there are tasks I simply cannot perform because of how my body is wired, and this makes me different from most other people in ways that are non-negotiable.  Still, my physical disabilities are worsened quite clearly by capitalism: Because large corporations have both a profit motive and a vested interest in reinvesting those profits into advertisements, and because the internet does not receive public financial support, my daily life is bombarded with bright, noisy, flashing, disruptive advertisements, which makes it far more difficult for me to process relevant information and can swiftly bring me to the verge of a meltdown.  If the internet were funded as a public utility and was therefore not sandblasted in ads, I would be less disabled. If my local streets were less plastered in billboards and littered with junk mail advertising chain restaurants, I would be less disabled. 

Because companies like Apple financially rely upon consumers replacing their phones on an annual basis (despite how unsustainable and murderously cruel continuing to mine cobalt in Sudan for the production of all these new phones is), I must replace my phone regularly. With an updated phone model I lose my headphone jack and have to adapt to a new operating system and layout, and so my sensory issues and executive functioning challenges are exacerbated.  In a world where phones were produced in order to help human beings function rather than to make money, I would be less disabled.  Thanks to capitalism, I cannot exist in public if I am not purchasing anything. I cannot simply be present in a store, coffee shop, or even public plaza, enjoying my surroundings and taking the sight of other people in. I must contribute to the economy in order to justify it. If the brickwork of a nearby building fascinates me and I crave to feel it against my palms, I have to pretend that I wish to buy it, and be prepared to tell anyone who asks that that’s what I intend to do. I can’t even stand on the corner and feel the sun on my face without worrying my neighbors might find it unusual and send the cops.  As an Autistic person, I often can’t fake being a perpetual consumer well enough. My desire to simply elope around my environment and take in new, interesting sensations registers as suspicious or concerningly mentally ill. And so I am further disabled and excluded from public life. 

The full essay is free to read or have narrated to you at drdevonprice.substack.com

[novlr]

I’ve been reading some craft books and online posts about the world building because my story is an urban fantasy set in present day US, in a fictional town, and theres not a secondary world where the fantasy happens, it’s all in the real world, except the magic is a secret that only certain people know about, but all of the resources I find about world building only talk about fantastical worlds that exist by themselves and not the kind of more subtle world building that I’d have to do. Do you have any tips?

Worldbuilding for urban fantasy is the perfect opportunity to explore the mix of the mundane and the magical. It involves crafting a universe where the impossible becomes possible, yet is grounded within the familiar settings of our own world. This requires a delicate balance—immersing readers in the fantastical without breaking the spell of believability. Here are some essential tips on worldbuilding for urban fantasy writers.

Understanding urban fantasy

Before delving into building your urban fantasy world, it’s crucial to understand what sets this subgenre apart from other forms of fantasy.

Recognise the defining traits of urban fantasy, which typically include a contemporary setting combined with supernatural elements.

Familiarise yourself with the genre’s common tropes and themes, like hidden magical societies, the coexistence of magical and non-magical beings, and the contrast between the ordinary and the extraordinary.

Critically read successful urban fantasy novels to see how other authors have balanced the real and the fantastical.

Consider reader expectations for the genre, and the flexibility it has for innovation and subversion of norms.

Determine the tone and mood you want for your setting, as this will influence all other aspects of your worldbuilding.

Creating your magical systems

The magical systems in your urban fantasy will offer a unique flavour to your world, determining the capabilities of your characters and the challenges they face.

Where does the magic in your world come from—is it drawn from nature, ancient artefacts, parallel dimensions, or something else?

Decide if magic is commonly known or if it’s a secret kept from the general populace. If it’s a secret, why? And what are the consequences if it becomes known?

Develop the limitations and costs of magic, as these constraints can drive conflict and plot development.

Invent magical organisations, guilds, or societies, detailing their roles, influence, and how they operate in your story world.

Create distinct magical phenomena that occur within your urban setting, which can become landmarks or points of interest in your narrative.

Consider how technology and magic interact; do they coexist harmoniously, or are they in constant contention?

Creating realism in your urban setting

Realism in urban fantasy is about making the reader recognise and connect with the world you have created as something that is both other and familiar.

Include lots of real-world details, including accurate descriptions of city life, technology, and culture. Make sure you research for accuracy.

Use sensory details to make the urban environment come alive—smells, sounds, textures, and tastes that the reader can relate to.

Include social and political issues that resonate with contemporary society, allowing readers to draw parallels with their own experiences.

Develop a diverse cast of characters whose life experiences and backgrounds reflect the complexity of a modern urban society.

Integrate authentic dialogue that mirrors the way people communicate in modern life, including local slang and mannerisms, both real-world accurate and unique to your setting.

Consider the logistics of an urban environment, like transportation, law enforcement, and the economy, and how these are affected by the presence of magic.

Character development in an urban fantasy

Characters are the heart of your story, and the way they react to fantasy elements in their real-world environments will drive a lot of your narrative.

Create protagonists and antagonists whose motivations are shaped by the intersection of the real and the magical in their lives.

Develop backstories for your characters that explain their relationship to the urban setting and the magical elements within it.

Design character arcs that reflect the challenges and growth that come with living in a world where fantasy is reality.

Introduce secondary characters that highlight the diversity of the urban fantasy landscape, from magical creatures to human allies and adversaries.

Explore the psychological impact of a dual-world existence on your characters, including the strain of keeping secrets and the wonder of discovering magic.

Use character relationships to explore the nuances and complexities of your urban fantasy world.

Plotting your urban fantasy

Your plot is the vehicle through which readers experience your story world. Urban fantasy requires careful attention to pacing to give both elements equal weight.

Construct a plot that intertwines the urban and the fantastical, using the unique aspects of your setting to drive the story forward, rather than relying on the mundane.

Introduce conflicts that arise from the overlap of the magical and the mundane, be they societal, personal, or existential.

Use the setting itself as a character, with its own moods, secrets, and evolving role in the narrative.

Create set pieces that showcase the extraordinary within the ordinary—magical battles on the rooftops, secret meetings in subways, or enchanted parks hidden in plain sight.

Develop a pace that balances the exploration of your urban world with the unfolding of magical elements and plot progression.

Consider the use of multiple viewpoints to give a broader perspective on how the urban fantasy elements affect different characters and society at large.

Blending the real and magical

The key to urban fantasy is making the reader believe that magic could exist in their own world, interwoven with the everyday.

Introduce the fantastic elements gradually, allowing the real world to serve as an anchor for the reader’s suspension of disbelief.

Develop a set of rules for how magic operates in your world to maintain consistency and a sense of order.

Use recognisable landmarks and urban elements as grounding points, then twist them with your fantasy elements.

Establish the history of magic in your world and how (or if) it has shaped society and its infrastructure.

Consider the impact of magical events or beings on the everyday lives of both your characters and the city’s unsuspecting inhabitants.

Intertwine the real and the fantastic so that they feel inseparable, each substantiating the other’s existence.

[himbeereule]

Орлёнок Demo Release

Finally, the demo is here! It's not exactly January anymore, but better late than never, right?

You can play it right here!

I also made a post on the CoG forums, if you want to check it out: Link

Features include:

Meeting your family! And getting bullied.

Getting executed!

Rising from the dead!

Celebrating life by slaughtering some rebels!

(Being extremely miserable!)

Feedback:

This is, quite obviously, a work in progress. It is made available so that you, the reader, can give feedback that improves the game.

So, while you can - and should - obviously tell me whatever you want, a specific list of what I need most in terms of feedback can be found here:

Language. English is not my first language (actually, not even my second one), and I mostly read non-fiction academic works when I read in English, so my writing is certainly not at the level it should be. If you have any concrete issues, please tell me, and I'll try to learn how it can be improved.

Spelling. I don't expect much in the way of outright errors, but I do know that I mix up British and American English all the time. The intended style is American English, so please point out spellings that are wrong in that regard.

Inconsistencies. There are a lot of variations between scenes, and I'd like to make the story as immersive as possible; so, if a phrasing, a character's behaviour etc. feel like they don't fit into the choices you previously made, please tell me. In detail, if possible, otherwise I won't be able to amend it.

Sensory descriptions. AuDHD makes my brain process sensations, including visual impressions, very differently, which means I often end up forgetting those exist. Please tell me about scenes that lack description in that regard. (My first grade elementary school report card called my writing 'efficient and devoid of feelings', and I'd very much like to move past that.)

Technical problems. The code should be pretty solid, but with how complicated it is, it'd be weird if there weren't at least some problems. If you find them, please try to include as much detail as possible when telling me about it. (CS Quicktest and Randomtest are not usable due to the complexity of the code, lol.)

You liking the story. I remain thoroughly convinced that I am a worthless person who isn't able to, nor deserves to create anything, and currently my only motivation to continue this project is derived from pure stubbornness. So, if you, for some reason, actually like this demo, please tell me. It won't change my mind about how bad I think it is, but it will force me to continue in order to avoid being even more of a disappointment.

Additions. If I like your idea, I'll probably add it right away; if I'm unsure, I'll do a poll. You can get me to do almost anything if you say you're sad if I don't do it.

Formatting. Although I try to playtest as much as possible, it's not that easy with how many variations there are, and in VS Code it's sometimes hard to see how well or badly readable text passages actually are.

CWs/TWs (v0.0.1):

Graphic violence and gore

Attempted sexual assault (against the player, avoidable, f!MC only; also against an NPC if massacre route is chosen (is dealt with quickly))

Suicide attempt (by the player, avoidable; f!MC only)

Loss of loved ones

Massacre of civilians and/or PoWs (avoidable)

General misery

(please let me know if you think this needs additions)

As of yet unfinished content:

Autistic variations do not exist yet for the latter part of the demo

Only one of three locations for taking a walk available for now

Tooltips are incomplete

Asexual is not available yet, as it requires a lot of additional scene variation text

Special (psychopath) routes are missing from some scenes as they were added late in development

Choices that are locked and marked as (WIP) are unfinished

Interaction routes for Semyon/Selena, Mikhail/Marina and Leon/Leah. They are top priority for the first set of updates

It is recommended that you play this with a stable state of mind. If you choose the suffering paths because it's relatable and/or as a coping strategy, please make sure you have support available and avoid triggering yourself too much.

The whole point of this game (apart from the dress-up part) is that, no matter how bad things get, you shouldn't stop fighting. It's your enemies who deserve destruction, not you.

Please keep in mind that I am both literally insane and pretty reasonable, so: if there is anything you find grossly offensive, don't assume I meant anything bad by it. Just explain to me why you think it shouldn't exist, and if I am convinced, I will amend it.

[bettathanyou]

hii i just wanted to say i really appreciate how much love you put into all of your writings, its all so heartwarming and detailed, and you capture cedrics character SO well. you have such an in depth understanding of his personality and its commendable. i really admire your dedication and love for this guy and how willing you are to share it with others :]

but ya i have a request, a headcanon list (or story/anything u wanna do) of Cedrics autistic behavior and maybe how he would act with an autistic partner? the idea of there being this mutual understanding of each others needs is really sweet to me. also i personally hc him with adhd alongside autism so it would be neat if that could get mixed in somehow, too :D no problem if not!

ANON. WTF YOU'RE GONNA MAKE ME CRY FR?? THAT MEANS SO MUCH TO ME, THANK YOU. I get so scared of MISCHARACTERIZING Cedric, so to hear that I have an in depth understanding of him from you made my entire day, month, YEAR. I hope this headcanon list is good and up to expectations!!

AuDHD Cedric The Sorcerer Headcanons (With Autistic S/O)

Coming from someone with AuDHD with an autistic best friend, I can't stress how much source material I have to speak about this sifkdiieis

FIRST THINGS FIRST. SENSORY ISSUES GALOREEEEE. That man will shrivel and die if he were ever in the modern era and came into direct contact with a microfiber towel.

A secret Headcanon I have (outside of the reasons I listed in my first headcanon list about Cedric!) Is he wears gloves BECAUSE Cedric has sensory/texture issues. His potion ingredients seem incredibly bizarre at times, and I'm sure the textures of them just get overwhelming at times. If you're wondering why the fingertips are exposed, he might need the extra grip to handle delicate objects, etc etc.

His robe is basically a weighted blanket, argue with the wall. He needs to be regulated somehow, and he's still a nervous wreck anyways

We know Cedric's speech is affected by his audhd. Dude has pedantic speech, overly emotive or deadpan, his volume control is non-existent when excited.

Expanding on that, his tendency to mix up words for spells seems a little... Neurospicy, on top of the anxiety

Forgets spells constantly. Not actually forget how to do them, just forgetting they exist cuz adhd

Has CHRONICALLY turned his workshop inside out because the thing Cedric was using just disappeared after he set it down!

(it was in his hand the whole time lol)

HC that outside of, yk, lack of personal space because no one knocks except Sofia, Autism rage whenever you're being interrupted from a task, especially something your fixated on, DRIVES HIM SO INSANE

Lack of patience. Just. Irritable, and same

His only friend (before Sofia) was an animal companion. C'mon y'all.

Music is so important to Cedric! It helps him regulate. He sings, he dances, he appreciates the dragon Acapella! Definitely uses music to stim, as well as dancing. He does it way too much. Audhd people usually are very connected to creative outlets such as music

Speaking of, his flying machine? CEDRIC IS AN INVENTOR. SO MANY INVENTORS ARE/WERE NEURODIVERGENT

Cedric is so genuinely shocked by kindness from Sofia even though she's consistent with it. That can definitely be trauma, but also feels like a lack of emotional permanence

Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria SO BADDDDD Cedric would have a shutdown about it (thanks ADHD)

Prone to more shutdowns than meltdowns. But as we know, shutdowns inevitably lead to meltdowns anyways. I hc that Cedric is definitely seen as "melancholic" because his mood shifts as well as masking (poorly) his mental state after having meltdowns in private

Definitely tugs at his hair, bites himself, hits his head/fists on hard surfaces during meltdowns :((

Cedric's job as royal sorcerer is fun for the knowledge as special interest aspect, but the social parts leaves him in bad burnout, at least before his redemption

Still hates the social aspect of his job though

Potions are his special interest

The amulet of avalor was a hyperfixation, there I said it!

Due to trauma, but also to adhd, I think Cedric has no emotional object permanence. Dude for real acts a little TOO shocked towards Sofias kindness-

There is two types of audhd: sarcasm is the only language they're fluent in, and cannot distinguish sarcasm to save their life. Cedric is the first.

Sofia is the second type LMAO

Where's the same outfit everyday. Like. Cedric would buy the same set of clothes/outfits because too many choices are just overwhelming, and too many textures are Bad

Speaking of textures, again

Picky eater

I've never seen Cedric eat anything except those jellybean looking candies at his parents house

Jellybean/sweets as a safe food

I hc personally that Cedric is familiar with food magic because he conjures his own meals. I can't imagine people would respect his needs/wants enough to be especially accommodating, so he did it himself

Cedric talks to children as equals because of the lack of social hierarchy due to autism

However with the royals his age he is desperately trying to please people for the sake of acceptance (mood)

Okay

Rapid fire s/o headcanons!

Y'all either talk for hours, or parallel play without a word

Doing Nothing Together While Vibing Is Essential

Even though y'all understand each other well, sometimes the weird social rules you force yourself to mask with still stick. So sometimes y'all will have to ask "are you mad or are you unmasked rn"

Same thing with sarcasm. Taking jokes too literally so then you gotta ask for clarification. At this point it just adds to the joke xD

Cuddling/hugs is the best because THE DEEP PRESSUREEEEE

But also don't touch me when I need space pls

Infodumping whenever the chances arise

Seeing cedrics eyes sparkle his smile lines crease when talking about something that excited him feels like the warmest ray of sunshine

Cedric will sometimes get distracted by how much he loves you and loves seeimh you being happy while infodumping and will ask you to repeat things while apologizing profusely

Cedric will buy you little comfort objects you like or give you cool things he finds

Pebbling!!!

Sometimes y'all need to sleep alone for the sake of space, but other nights you gotta be in each other's skin

And both are okay!

Laying in bed doing a separate activity until bedtime is a good compromise when one of you doesn't want to spend the night, but still wants time together

Switching hyperfixations

Adopting each other's vocal stims/speech mannerisms

Suddenly you're saying Merlin's mushrooms UNIRONICALLY

When shutdowns happen, y'all have communication cards! Very helpful for both parties :))

You both doodled in the margins of each other's communication cards

Cedric chronically loses his and you now you're just letting him use yours until they manifest again 😭

Meltdowns, Cedric needs to be alone. He just can't handle ANYONE seeing it, even you

You respect that... And take care of him afterwards with whatever he needs

Whatever way you need support during shutdowns/meltdowns, Cedric accommodates without question

Just

So much love and acceptance and CHOOSING to put in the work in your relationship

Anyways, that's all I got! Feel free to add on! TYSM for the ask!! This was so lovely and self indulgent to write lmaooo

[finniestoncrane]

Yanno what id love to ask this purely for self indulgent reasons. What do you think of arkham eddie with an SO who's also autistic since we all are pretty damn sure he is? Like does the connection between them happen faster due to similar communication styles, how does he feel about parallel play, etc

YOU ARE JUST PREACHING TO ME THIS IS URGH and it made me feel so soft and warm. i'm going to try and NOT make this about my self-insert oc, but this is literally her and eddie, they are autistic 4 autistic/bisexual 4 bisexual love

but yeah, this is my daydreams literally written out 💚

i figure eddie would never have been diagnosed. he's old enough to not have been identified as anything other than "gifted" at school and i think his parents seem like the type who would avoid diagnosis out of ~shame~ so he'd be misdiagnosed or not diagnosed at all (until batman comes along with his non-degree and decides eddie is an obsessive compulsive narcissist. which yeah, fair. but also hello pot, this is the kettle speaking????)

anyway i think he would avoid all long-term relationships out of trust and a need to prove himself as above human needs and completely elf-sufficient, but it'd be easiest for him to get on with someone who is also autistic, even if they had very different communication styles. and i bet that would confuse him at first like "why does this idiot not bother me as much as all the other idiots"

a lot of the "bonding" would be done in silence, and would probably come from a place of blunt honesty, where eddie realised he could trust his new friend because they're either not afraid enough to lie to him or are too honest to know better. and he'd relish the ability to turn to someone and say "you are making my space crowded with your existance and i need you to leave" without them getting all moody, because they'd understand immediately

there might be a point where he picks up on things that make his new buddy a lil bit different, but i think he'd recognise them as brilliance before he thought of them as something "wrong" with them. mostly, because he'd see himself reflected back. hyperfixations and obsessions with certain acts/scenarios/things, an either intense focus or a complete lack of it, prone to sensory overload (which eddie doesn't know the name of before he meets his friend, he just assumes he has anger issues and is bad for going into tantrums), and there's bound to be a point where they both come to the realisation that neither of them understands other people's emotions or morals (cue a shared conversation about how people think batman is acceptable but not eddie)

going back to the bonding in silence thing, he's 100% given the key to life when he realises parralell play works for him. like you're telling him that you can be in the same room with someone and do your own thing completely, but they're there if you think of a stupid pun or you want to walk over to them to say "look what i made" have them go "wow!" and then turn around and go back to work???? where has this BEEN all his life (although now that he thinks about it, he did enjoy quietly reading amongst the other inmates at arkham)

anyway, i think at a certain point he'd find the bravery to tell his new friend that he thinks they're soulmates. maybe he'd follow that up with a confusion about romantic intent or interest, maybe he'd request a formal recognition of their friendship. and no doubt his lil buddy would be confused until eddie says "we're soulmates because we are literally the same person. we do all the same things. we think the same way." and his friend is like "that's sweet, eddie. and yeah, we might be soulmates. but i think a lot of that is because we're both autistic"

and eddie is like

"we're both what? so you're? and i'm? OH!!!!!!!"

and then everything falls into place, like he's just solved a complex riddle he didn't even know he was working through and he's stuck standing there for a while like:

[darkurgetrash]

Get to Know Me Tag ~

Hiya! I got tagged in a few different 'get to know me' tags so I thought I'd just combine them here, hehe. Thank you so so much to @dutifullylazybread @weaveandwood @orangekittyenergy and @blackstaff-blast — I really love these tags, both answering and reading others'. What can I say? I'm a gemini.

No pressure tags! ~ @lemonsrosesandlavender @savriea @graysparrowao3 @heytheresunflower

Do you make your bed?: Yes! I'm not a neat-freak, but I consider myself quite neat

Favourite number: When I was a young child someone asked me this and I didn't know what to say so I pretended it was '86'. Since then, that's always just been what I've said… couldn't tell you why lol

What's your job?: Between roles atm, but usually a copywriter

If you could go back to school, would you?: For sure. I was really let down as a kid by the system, if I could go back but with the wisdom I have now, I would love to. As for further education, I loved my undergrad but I can't see myself realistically studying more on account of chronic illnesses

Can you parallel park / Can you drive a manual car?: Nope. I was good at parking and driving back when I was first learning over 10 years ago but never took my test because I got a lot of anxiety driving. I live in London now, so there's no urgent need to learn, but I will have to some day.

Do you think aliens are real?: Yes. Ain't no way we're the only life forms to exist in the whole universe, pleaseee

What's your guilty pleasure?: I love Britney Spears 💁‍♀️

Tattoos?: A small one, on my ankle. Two hands in a reference to Twin Peaks. I also just love the design — even if my tattoo artist did a slightly shoddy job and told me they did the exact same reference on tonnes of people ayyy lmao

Favourite type of music?: Easy answer is indie, though even that is a huuuuge umbrella. Some of my fave musicians are Mitski, Bright Eyes, AURORA, Radiohead, EELS, and Thumpasaurus. Also, a long-time MCR fan.

Do you like puzzles?: I'm wayyy too ADHD for them tbh but I don't mind some types of puzzles, like in video games. But even then, they can't go on for too long, lol

Any phobias?: Crowds are def my biggest one. I’m scared of pretty normal things I’d say, like hornets. I do have a lot of sensory issues though that give a similar feeling, the most unusual being cardboard. Do NOT touch it near me, I WILL scream. And slight trypophobia… 🤢

Favourite childhood sport: Always hated sports and exercise, even as a kid

Do you talk to yourself: I sing to myself (and in general) a lot and have big echolalia, but I don't really talk to myself in the traditional sense. Now my partner on the other hand… he does not stop yapping for even a second in the day.

What movie(s) do you adore?: The immediate go-to's in my brain are The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Pride and Prejudice (2005), Your Name, and… Shrek. Non-ironically.

Coffee or tea: Earl grey tea with oat milk, please! If not an option, I'll go for an oat milk mocha.

First thing you wanted to be growing up?: I… okay. I don't even know if I should admit this, but it's kinda funny… but remember, I was a CHILD. like, FIVE. My sister wanted to move to Africa and be a mango farmer (???) and I wanted to go with her so I said I wanted to sell shoes there because I saw a gap in the market. 😭😭

Last song I listened to: No You Girls - Franz Ferdinand

Favourite colour: Lavender

Favourite flavour: Depends on what it is, but most likely either chocolate or strawberry

Current obsession: BG3, if y'all couldn't guess. 😂

Last thing I googled: 'Sacrum'. Girly doesn’t know what body parts are called.

Favourite season: Late autumn

Skill I'd like to learn: I'd looove to be able to sew and make clothes but I am the most cack-handed person you will ever meet. I literally got kicked out of textiles class when I was in school because I was so bad they thought I was messing about on purpose 😬…

Best advice: Be cringe, be free. People will either not care or think you're cool for your authenticity.

Currently watching: I don't really watch TV! Still getting through Dungeon Meshi, lol

Currently reading: I've been trying to read 'Interview with a Vampire' since the start of the year, but my brain only has room for BG3 fanfic it would seem… SO, here's a list of my current bookmarks hehe. Special shout-outs to @lemonsrosesandlavender @crystal-overdrive @ghostcouncil @weaveandwood @sinelaborenihilsr2 @dutifullylazybread @notlikeparis

Relationship status: Been in a relationship since 2016! Also, taken by Gale Dekarios in my head. 💜

Sweet/savoury/spicy: Big, BIG sweet tooth.

[thekeeperof-thefandoms]

Fine. I need mutuals to lose my sanity with so I give you my Hazbin Hotel hcs based off my OCs.

Please I am so fucking abnormal about my OCs and would love to elaborate on them any time!!! Please if you want specifics about their interactions with their respective partner or character sheets (I cant draw vivzie style good and I have some generic AI art of them I refuse to post it because I don't believe in using ai art for anything other than private use. I paid money for the one that's my profile pic cuz its my dnd character.)

Vox with a big tiddy goth girlfriend reader. Short, chubby, v insecure. Also feral adhd gremlin who copes with dark humor. Makes Vox's ADHD worse. They give each other vocal stims. Call and response echolalia. Vox is constantly assaulted by memes now. Honesly they bring out the inner goblin in each other but it's fine cuz it helps Vox unwind and emotionally regulate finally. She's bi too so anytime Vox (who canonically is more into men) finds a guy he likes they can totally bring him in for a threesome. She leans towards women so it goes both ways. She's a sub for women but tops for men (especially Vox's bratty ass).

Alastor with a skinny non binary autistic person. People mistake them for a twink. Some days they're more fem cuz they want to be pretty. Usually anxious, quiet, enjoys reading and listening to Alastor's music or radio static. Then you get them to unmask and they're a barely stable perpetually exhausted creature thriving off of caffeine and memes. Alastor adores their chaos and listening to them ramble. Appreciates they try to find modern culture he'd relate to and enjoy. They spend time co-existing to bond, doing their own thing next to each other. No pressure to initiate intimacy or anything other than friendship. Autistic person gets a lot of Alastor's sensory ick (esp about touch) without being nosy and just accepts their murder gremlin radio friend. (Accidental platonic partners).

Valentino getting a fucking therapist (he needs one. I see the bi-polar theory and as some one who worked with bipolar people I can see it but he could just be a terrible person). That therapist having two main personalities after death (based on a book a read where a person's ghost was split into two people from before and after their trauma). Both are qualified therapists. One's a 2000s emo boy who's esthetic is Laughing Jack. Except plot twist they're from the south (based on a kid I knew in high school). Puts Vox in his place more often than not by just tying him up and whisking him away to have his tantrums in private (they probably [definitely] fucked.) Tough love kinda but in a way that actuall forces Valentino to confront his issues and deal with it. The other is basically if Harley Quinn got a Homestuck Trickster design. Very sweet. Very blunt. Chaos incarnate. Elaborately finds ways to put Valentino in situations that make him uncomfortable so he has to deal with them and then pavloving him with candy or sex when he's a good person. They're both helping in their own way because now Valentino has to think about his actions, emotionally regulate, and is rewarded for good behavior. The whole dynamic is cute and sexy but also kinda twisted.

Plot twist, Alastor's accidental QPR, Vox's chaos thicc witch, and the unhinged therapy duo are all besties from when they were alive and it means Vox and Alastor have to be civil to each other cuz their partners are friends and they don't wanna upset them.

Bonus points cuz they make friends with Angel and Angel gets to watch two candy themed clowns walk his boss's ass like a dog.

Lucifer gets the AUDHD diagnosis he didn't know he needed ("oh, that's what's wrong with me"), lots of comfort and validation, and a healthy dose of therapy as well.

[t00thpasteface]

Hiiiii₍⁠₍⁠◞⁠(⁠ ⁠•⁠௰⁠•⁠ ⁠)⁠◟⁠₎⁠₎

Could you explain the hipster Vs fandom war. I've been on here for like four years and I never knew that existed lol and btw I really really love your art and you are one my biggest inspos for how I imagine and draw my Clark.

i'm not sure i can explain it in a way that makes sense, and certainly not in a way that makes you say "i understand why this was such a big deal", but gl'bgolyb knows i can try.

first, let me take you on a sensory experience... picture in your mind the following things... skinny jeans... nerd glasses... a weirdly dapper fashion sense in a time where everything is baggy and neon... boom, you have 2010-2014 online tumblr hipster culture. and also 70s elvis costello, oddly enough.

although admittedly i don't know his stance on pumpkin spice lattes.

anyway. now that that's burned into your brain, consider a significant population of this exact type of person that has already been well-established on this microblogging platform around the turn of the decade. tumblr doesn't really have an app yet because smartphones haven't taken over everyone's life yet, and online fandom culture is still largely dominated by deviantart as the main "fandom hub". most people, myself included, are getting their main meme fixes from facebook (which your parents were not yet on) or the icanhazcheezburger image-aggregator network. THEN EVERYTHING CHANGED WHEN THE FANDOM NATION ATTACKED.

somehow, a huge crowd of people who considered their favorite books/movies/games to be core personality traits began to set up shop on this fair slate-blue isle. i number myself among this crowd, having been lured here by google-image-searching for miscellaneous fanart in 2011. the "old guard" largely belongs to, and continuously attracts new bloggers within, a burgeoning subculture that 100% defines itself by bucking popular trends and social expectations... whether or not this is actually accomplished by purchasing beverages from starbucks and putting old film filters on every photo, i cannot say.

you may be seeing an issue already arising: hey, if the hipsters hate everything that's popular and gatekeep all their interests, and the fandom bloggers are obsessed with extremely popular franchises and are hell-bent making them even more popular, isn't that going to cause a little friction?

well, yes. it caused a fuck ton of friction. a division arose early on between "the fandom side of tumblr" and "the hipster side of tumblr." some people, like myself, played both sides. others abstained from the rigid dichotomy and considered themselves to be on another "side," like the science side of tumblr, known for explaining relatively straightforward STEM concepts in large essays that began with something like "listen up fuckers."

ahhh, unfriendable. such a narrow little window in time where cheezburger sites and facebook had equal sway in the online zeitgeist.

interestingly, as someone who trawled a LOT of aesthetic tags, the most popular of which was simply #aesthetic (it was shockingly consistent in there), i never actually saw hipster bloggers complaining about fandom bloggers. it was always the other way around, with fandom bloggers bragging about how much they're freaking out the squares to get cool points with other fandom bloggers, all while never actually engaging with the hipster bloggers because their tags rarely overlapped.

hi, marge! we're freaking out the hipsters!

regardless of whether there was any material reality to it, or if it was simply a Minitrue level of entirely fictional warfare, this concept entrenched itself into the fandom bloggers, likely as a way to still feel "edgy" and unique while, again, obsessing over extremely popular and mainstream things like doctor who, pokemon, avatar the last airbender, the brand-new mcu, and other decidedly non-counterculture media. even with things it felt like no one irl had heard of, like hetalia and homestuck, those were online juggernauts nonetheless, the former of which had dominated deviantart for years and the latter of which prompted hotels and convention centers across the world to implement very strict rules about unsealed body paint. people treated fandoms like they were some sort of exclusive country club with membership fees and a dress code. and dunking on hipsters became an entire genre of Fake Internet Story, which were already pervasive on this website.

what's the point of being in a clique if there's no outgroup to flex on? #swag

this whole phenomenon ran concurrently, even symbiotically, with other tumblrisms like "tumblr university" and those horrendous "not like other girls" memes...

which means, of course, it was absolutely dead in the fucking water once DashCon happened in 2014. i don't need to tell you what happened at DashCon (there's a million essays and videos about it if you're one of today's lucky ten thousand who's never heard of it), but all across the fandom side of tumblr, it felt like finding out your parents lied about santa claus. turns out the fandoms you're in don't actually say anything about who you are as a person, a bunch of tumblrinas can't just will a fully functional micronation into existence just by wearing tacky merchandise in a public venue, and magic probably isn't real.

i wish i had some grand way to end this story, but really the moral is the same as it ever was: online drama is eternal, inescapable, and completely fucking worthless. if you only post to get mad at shit, especially if you're just making up a guy to get mad at, cut that out. touch grass. look at images of cats. i don't remember any of the enemies i made from this era, but i fondly remember all the friends, and i'm richer for making those positive connections. that's all for today's episode of Tumblr History with Toothpaste Face... remember to tip your waitress and stay minty.

[ace-touya]

Headcanons I Have For Some of 1-A

Not all of these are my own and some are very popular/common, but I thought of a lot of them myself too!

Izuku Midoriya

His mum taught him to crochet

His favourite fruit is apples

Before he got One For All he’d try to be a hero by doing cliche good guy things, like helping old people cross the road and getting cats out of trees

Mumbles hero facts in his sleep

Tells his mum about Ochaco all the time

As a child, because he knows his dad’s quirk was breathing fire, he once asked his mother of Endeavour was his dad

Autism and ADHD, heroes are his special interest

Shoto Todoroki

He’s autistic, this is barely a headcanon at this point it may as well be canon

Uses he/him, but doesn’t really care if people use other pronouns

He stimmed a lot as a child but was constantly told off for it until he stopped, now he can barely recognise his own emotions because his stims were different depending on how he felt

He only takes cold showers

When he started talking to them, he would ask Natsuo and Fuyumi to tell him stories about Touya

Katsuki Bakugo

He’s gay

Hard of hearing from his explosions, Class 1-A are trying to learn sign, Present Mic is helping because he’s also hoh from his own quirk

stole some of Izuku’s All Might merch when they were children because he was too embarrassed to ask for any

his favourite colour is pink

he’s genuinely scared of his mother

him and Ochaco have been close friends ever since the Sports Festival, but he won’t admit it

Has really bad ADHD posture

makes tiny explosions as visual stims

One of his ways to distress is by cleaning, but because of his ADHD he struggles to actually clean, so he continues to be stressed

Ochaco Uraraka

Before they moved into dorms, she used to save food from the cafeteria to take home to her parents

Can carry Izuku, Iida and Katsuki. Katsuki swears she’s using her quirk, but she isn’t

She has ADHD, and finds it really hard to think before she speaks, also tending to interrupt people a lot

Her attention span is non-existent, and in middle school she was always scared of telling her teachers she couldn’t focus or hadn’t been listening, but she finds it a lot easier to do that in UA

She plays Animal Crossing New Horizons on Izuku’s Nintendo Switch

Tenya Iida

Autistic as well

Talks really fast most of the time

Dresses up as his brother for Halloween almost every year

He made a group chat for class 1-A for important things but everyone just uses it to send memes that he doesn’t understand

Momo Yaoyorozu

Having her hair up helps her focus like Violet from a Series of Unfortunate Events

She’s autistic as well, and really struggles with social cues, especially flirting

make-up gives her sensory issues

Midnight was the only teacher Momo confided in about her low self esteem. The fact that Midnight believed in her helped her stay motivated when she didn’t believe in herself

She gives the best presents because she can buy expensive things and if she can’t find anything she thinks people will like she just makes them stuff

Tsuyu Asui

Uses she/they pronouns

Has synetshesia, and will randomly tell her classmates that their voice tastes like x, or their name is y colour. For example, Ochaco’s voice tastes like marshmallows and Katsuki’s name is yellow

Also autistic! She does t-rex arms all the time canonically

She likes styling the other 1-A girls hairs

Eijiro Kirishima

Wears eyeliner

made the Bakusquad group chat

He looks up to Mina and Fatgum even more than he looks up to Crimson Riot

He’s banned from the dorm room kitchen by Katsuki

ADHD! Executive Dysfunction has it out for this man and the rest of the class basically keep him alive

Kyouka Jiro

sensory overloads constantly

Bisexual

listens to music to help her sleep

she video calls her parents almost every day in the dorms

Exclusively drinks fizzy drinks

Takes a lot of photos of random things that her classmates do, and makes it into a photo album

Denki Kaminari

Trans masc

Pulls finger guns whenever he compliments anyone

Has a really wide range of music tastes

Tries his very best to keep Mineta in check

He loves just dance

Fumikage Tokoyami

Uses they/them pronouns

Their room is usually a mess. Clothes everywhere.

writes and reads poetry, their favourite is The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe

Chirps as a stim

Knows morse code. Nobody knows why

Yuga Aoyama

Genderfluid

Attracted to men

Does yoga

Cheese is his comfort food

He’s autistic too. Nobody in this class is nuerotypical, not even their homeroom teacher

Knows how to braid hair

[ettawritesnstudies]

in the tags on a recent post you said your day job is "mind numbingly simple" do you know if that's common of chemical engineering jobs?

(i am currently pursuing a chemical engineering degree and honestly don't know that much about chemical engineering jobs. but i would not mind a simple job that gives me mental capacity left to write at the end of the day)

So it strongly depends on the kind of engineering work you end up going into and any job will vary in complexity on a day to day basis but with a chemical engineering job you have a lot of different options!

Specifically I'm a R&D Applications Engineer/Technical Customer Service in a polymer science role for a big international corporation so I'm working with existing products in a company and figuring out how to make them work for customers who are having issues.

What this looks like on a project to project basis is that we get an email from the customer or the plant outlining the problem and what kind of material they're sending us to test, I design the experiments we need to do to validate all the variables and properties, and then I spend a few weeks in the lab churning out data, then plug it into an Excel spreadsheet, crunch the numbers, throw that in a PowerPoint, and send it off to the relevant personnel.

The mind numbingly simple part is the standing in lab running through tests because it's hands-on labor that requires very little thinking once you've established your parameters. I usually just put on an audiobook or a podcast to kill time. The design of experiment can get somewhat complex and you have to be very good at time management if you have multiple projects with time sensitive lab components going on at once, but the number crunching has never required anything more complicated than 10th grade algebra. I'm not doing much chemical formulation either, just following established recipes and procedures within my company, but I'm learning more specific stuff as I go.

Now I'm only a year out of college and I've never had an internship or anything that WASN'T in a non-lab setting, so I can't speak to how something like a Process Engineer spends their time. I knew I didn't like being out on the plant floor because it's often Loud and Dirty and Sensory Overload so I tried to avoid applying for those roles. You learn a lot more about the production that way though, just not my cup of tea. You also have chemical engineers who design entire chemical plants and control systems (which is very very cool and important but I was bad at those classes lmao). Some also go the biochemical angle and get into pharmaceuticals but medicine scares me.

That's just my personal take but I encourage you to talk to your professors and upperclassman and see what they have to say! Career fairs >>>>>>> linked in for getting anywhere in this hell of a job market if your school has them and I hope you have a better time of it than I did during the COVID times. 🫡

[exuberantocean]

Okay, maybe this is me being very Gen X here, but what is with all these kids being super picky eaters? Like yes, yes, I get that certain issues exist like sensory processing disorder (which my kid has), but either my kids are only attracting nuerodivergent friends (possible especially as my son is nuerodivergent himself) or there is a much higher level of picky eating in today's generation of kids.

What is worse is that none of the parents warn me. They drop their kids off for sleep overs or meals, and the kids will be like "the only thing I eat is pancakes" and then their parents pick them up and will be like "oh yeah we can't get them to eat anything other than pancakes." That would have been useful information!!!

My daughter's one friend only eats oranges. That's it. He is constantly ill with something (no scurvy at least) and I can't help but think it's because he needs a more diverse diet. And the parents are just like, yup, only oranges. Another mom I know makes two different pastas at dinner because her two kids will only eat differing pasta shapes.

It is wild to me. Bewildering. I mean, yes, as mentioned before certain accommodations need to be made for certain disabilities BUT if your kid is not getting adequate nutrition to thrive I think that's an issue! And you need to find a balance. I'd also balance the need vs the added stress on the whole family to accommodate. Sometimes that means it's easier for the whole family to eat gluten free for the member with celiacs because it'll simplify meal planning. Sometimes it means one kid is just going to have to eat the non-preferred pasta shapes.

[nikkiiiscute]

Frank Frankly's Character Analysis !TW! Metal Health, M4ss4cr3, death

Eddie got his analysis so of course his husband would have one! (Fun Fact! despite Wally being the main character, Frank shows up in 18 outta 53 images!) fun facts outta the way, HERE WE GOOOO!!!

He likes Honesty and Truth - quote from his bio "He enjoys being frank, even if it means being Frank" i love this quote on his bio and this is the main reason they're my kin.

2. Frank is an Asperger? - Although he is confirmed to be autistic by @partycoffin , his personality makes him an Asperger (My tito has Aspergers so i know the gist of it). His official Bio points out his Bookworm Tendency, and his Grumpy attitude and that points it to Asperger Syndrome. So here's the traits

Resistance to or Obliviousness of Social Niceties, Blunt Honesty ("Frankness")

Non-Instinctual Facial Expression (his neutral face is a frown and not a smile like the others)

Comprehensive Academic Knowledge, with unique Specialist Subjects (Bookworm who loves Butterflies)

Periodic Emotional Volatility, "Meltdowns" (His Head Physically Spins when angry, to the point he is exhausted and dizzy; he also flaps his arms when excited)

Adherence to Formal/Traditional Decorum to navigate social situations (he has a few costume changes of his own, talk about that later)

Sensory Sensitivity and rigid dietary habits (Frank is shown making Green Gelatin Salad on two separate occasions, I'm guessing he likes the Color and Softness)

Anxious in otherwise Moderate Stress events (he was freakin out when carpooling with Wally)

Friends in different age groups (Poppy and Julie are confirmed as autistic so poppy might be older and julie maybe younger. i have friends a grade below me)

3. Entomologist job from a university??? - Y'all prolly already know this, Frank's love of butterflies isn't just a hobby non non, he is infact an entomologist, we can confirm this with the spinning head GIF, there's mounted butterfly specimens on his wall. Alright alright, Bug Collecting won't buy you a can of beans and traumatizing Howdy from the Bodega, UNLESS your an employee from a University to research the nearby Insect Wildlife. (It's not rlly mentioned in The Show but most of them have some sorta job) I think thats how Eddie reunited with Frank bcuz the university might be working in the military program Eddie enlisted in back in 1953. What is obvious is that This University MUST exist or frank and eddie wouldn't reunite.

4. Ethnicity Analysis Time!!!!! - Frank showed his ethnicity through his Valentines Card (thx frank!). Frank is wearing an Old-Time Safari Costume when catching Butterflies, but it's not just a stereotypical costume non non, the design is inspired by a VERY specific Uniform. he's wearing is a British Expedition Bush Jacket, topped with a matching Safari Pith Helmet, Light Tan Fabric of the Indian Variety. Although the card is in a pinkish hue, I can tell that the uniform is a tad bit lighter so its a Light Muslin Fabric. Yeah Sure, the British Invasion of the 60s revived the Shacket look for Women's Fashion, but Frank's pragmatic personality made it clear that he was issued that Expedition Uniform with Function planned in it. In addition with his Grey skin, Black hair and his iconic Unibrow, He is designed to look like The Stereotypical Depiction of a Gentleman Scientist of Hindoo Colonial Heritage or to simplified it, he came from Hindu / Indian origins.

5. Frank's Story - Frank Franklin was born in 1942 and was born Half Indian from his mother, He was fascinated with bugs and specifically Butterflies as they represent change and rebirth. He was teasedfor having his name as his last name (Have u guys even heard of Tweek Tweak?) even with his blunt honesty he made friends and even became childhood sweethearts with eddie. One day in Senior High, Eddie said that he was gonna enlist and may return 2 years later, Frank was worried as to add salt to the wound his soon to be Ex sunny became toxic and mean-spirited so ofc they broke up. 2 years later he was working as an Entomologist at St. Marioneta University (I made that up) and then he ran into Eddie, they were happy to see each other still okay so on an unknown date in 1969 they married in secret (THANKS ALOT TIME PERIOD D:<). months later in October 11 1969 a man named Ronald Dorelaine Isekai'd Frank, Eddie and some friends you know to the World of Welcome Home, but tragedy struck 4 years later, An event known as The Playfellow M4ss4cr3 killed the crew and the stars of the show but Dorelaine's body was not found and was reported MISSING and presumed dead, This marks the 50th year they were stuck in the void, Are they longing for Freedom or The Sweet release of DEATH?

Wanna hear a wholesome fun fact? In Hinduism, Butterflies are symbolic of birth, ancestry, marriage, deceased soul, death and divinity. No wonder why frank is so attached to Butterflies.

Thank you for reading! o(*￣︶￣*)o

[lily-orchard-gossip-blog]

So I said that I was thinking of doing a little breakdown of why Lily's writing was so boring, and this is me doing that.

This is going to be very technical, though, and it's not going to have much narrative analysis in it.

So I'm not going to be talking about Lily's problems with story, character or settings. That's its own can of worms, and isn't actually the main cause for why her writing fails to entertain.

So... what is the problem; Is it the lack of good words? The constant use of past tense? Non-existent imagery? A failure to invoke any sensory detail at all?

All correct, and definitely something I should cover later.

But not the main issue, which is...

Her sentences are WAY too long.

Alright, I guess I should explain.

When you write a story, it's usually a good idea to mix up the lengths of your sentences.

Short sentences are great for fast-paced moments. They help showcase anger, panic, intensity, or even convey the urgency of a scene.

But if you over use short sentences, your story could read as choppy or even kiddish.

Long sentences are great when you want to invoke a character giving careful consideration, slows a scene down, and stops the reader from plowing on faster than you want them to.

But on the flip side, they can also be incredibly long-winded, and exhausting to read.

This quote from Gary Provost explains it pretty well:

Alright, cool. But what does any of this have to do with Lily and her writing?

Everything, my dear reader.

Lily writes run-on sentences after run-on sentences. She's consistently writing 20+ words per sentence, and even goes as high as 40 at certain points.

This is the sentence length from chapter 1 of TSR:

And this is just the intro. It actually gets so bad that she almost had a fifty-word sentence at one point.

The only time this lets up is when Lily writes dialogue. However, most of her sentences from the dialogue scenes range from 17 to 19 words, unless a character is speaking.

And, since I know you're curious, yes. This is consistent across most of her fics. Here's a shot from Two Loving Mothers:

Here's a snippet from the Sith Resurgence Wiki:

And for fun, here's one from a WOW fic she wrote called This One Has Suffered Enough:

Now, a devil's advocate would argue that Lily isn't always writing long sentences. She's got sentences under twenty words, too, so why is it a big deal that Lily has longer sentences?

Well, for starters:

The longer you make your sentences, the harder they are to understand.

Long sentences force people to slow down and work harder to understand what you've written.

Long sentences can make the point hard to figure out.

They can also be incredibly draining to read.

The problem isn't that Lily is writing long sentences. The problem is that Lily is consistently writing long sentences in almost every paragraph.

When you add this on top of Lily's already formal style of writing, it kills the engagement even further. It starts to remind people of all those research papers they had to read for school.

Part of me can't help but wonder if one of the reasons Lily writes with such length, is because she wishes to invoke more sophisticated literary styles.

But there is a difference between:

 A few years ago in fact, when she was just a teenager, Aliana had come to Jakku with her mother and had spent most of the day with a very young and very distraught looking scavenger who seemed to struggle to pull parts off a downed speeder. (Sith Resurgence Chapter 1, 47 word sentence.)

And

The impression I had was that we were leaving the West and entering the East; the most western of splendid bridges over the Danube, which is here of noble width and depth, took us among the traditions of Turkish rule. (Dracula Chapter 1, 40 word sentence.)

In Dracula, the long sentence cleverly uses a semicolon. That semicolon indicates to the readers that the sentence has two different idea's that are being bridged together. That way, our brains have to do less work in reading it, and, the author can still get us to slow down and pay attention.

In Lily's sentence, while it's readable, it's also inefficient.

The sentence doesn't need to be 47 words long. If you cut out the fluff, and reword it to be more efficient, you can easily weed it down to 35 words, which, while still isn't great, is much more concise.

Here's just a quick rewritte of that very same sentence:

When Aliana was a teenager, she had come to Jakku with her mother and had sent most of the day with a young, distraught looking scavenger, who struggled to remove parts from a downed speeder. (35 words)

Of course, there is a lot more to go over, beside simple rewording, but that's for another post.

The point I'm trying to make here is simple:

It doesn't matter how good of a writer you are. If you write nothing but long, difficult sentences, your reader is going to get bored. They are going to stop paying attention, and they will abandon your story.

And I've just decided to make this a series, because they are other issues that bug me just as much as this!

[stevensaus]

In a discussion about consciousness on Mastodon, I noted that consciousness is a state, not a quality. That's important, when we talk about whether or not entities (whether they be human-shaped or AI-shaped) as having "consciousness" and "self-awareness". Mikeydangerous asked a really important question that's been bothering me for a while when looking at myself: ... how would you define the difference between understanding and pattern prediction in relation to consciousness? That's how AI generates the intelligent-sounding platitudes it does. It sees the context of those sentiments in enormous sets of data and builds it from there with no real understanding or creativity. At best, it's scaled-beyond-human capability pattern matching. At worst, it's scaled-beyond-human capability plagiarism. Because that's where Descartes falls down, isn't it? Right, quick recap. Descartes, while writing to convince the Roman Catholic Church that science isn't inherently heresy, tries to find some kind of rock-solid truth, some certainty that he can build from. It's from this that we get "I think, therefore I am;" Descartes states that since there is a point of view, that point of view must exist. He then immediately jumps straight to "my senses must be accurate, because God wouldn't be mean like that," which we now know is absolutely not the case at all. Our senses are fickle, easily fooled, and prone to error. That's important because while there are visual tests (Necker Cube, the mirror test, the one I suggested) that may correlate with being conscious, they could also simply be artifacts due to the makeup of our sensory "hardware" and the ways our brains process visual information rather than being a sign of consciousness in ourselves and others. So let's ignore that, and go back to Descarte's central thesis: I think, therefore I know that I am. Given what we know about consciousness, as MD points out, how do you tell the difference between being conscious and being a sophisticated pattern-matching machine? How do you know that any entity -- including yourself -- is not a philosophical zombie? Before someone says it, no, art is not some safe haven of consciousness. We are only able to "tell" the difference between AI generated "art" and the work of inspired humans only by the errors it makes or its repetitive nature. Once again, it's a processing and fidelity issue, not some special quality only possessed by consciousness. (Wait with your objections, folks.) That idea becomes a lot more immediate and real when you've had the fact that there are non-conscious (semi?) autonomous routines that are capable of moving your body around and interacting with the environment without bothering to inform your consciousness. 1 And unlike Descartes, we know that our senses are inaccurate and betray us -- not only in terms of effects too small for us to typically notice (such as the relativistic effects of when you tap your toes to a catchy song), but because even if we accept that emotions are something more than just biochemical reactions, those biochemical reactions do occur. But that's where our philosophical zombies come to the rescue, in a way. Or rather, testing for them. Remember, all of the ways -- fictional or real -- that we've tried to come up with for testing for consciousness are really tests of processing speed and fidelity. Even the visual tests could be artifacts of our biology. Except the ability to incorporate a new paradigm -- not just regurgitate it, but comprehend it -- is beyond the ability of a pattern-recognition system. Therefore, it is not "I think, therefore I am." It is, instead, "I comprehend, therefore I am." So back to art. The process of art seems to fulfill this test perfectly; it is synthesis and transformation, which require exactly the kind of comprehension that I'm talking about here. However, the production of art is not sufficient. In an situation reminiscent of Mead's philosophy about consciousness

and mind, the interaction between art and viewer is separate from the process of its creation. (This definitely applies to written works; I know from personal experience talking to people who have read mine.) In some ways, the artistic process is a perfect example of both the utility and philosophical frivolity of this whole thought experiment. You can demonstrate that you exist and are conscious through the creation (or transformative appreciation) of art, but you cannot extend that to any other entity. And as a practical matter, testing for the kind of synthesis and comprehension I'm talking about would be difficult (except when large groups of people self-own themselves). And we haven't even touched on some of the implications about humans; I'll just point out that when it comes to children, babies fail the mirror test until about age two, and in some ways they're operating on the level of rats until five or six years of age. 2 As a practical matter? I don't know that it's going to ever be easily determinable whether or not an entity is conscious -- or rather, that they are capable of a self-aware consciousness, let alone if that is their default state. But, having extended Descartes' argument sufficiently to handle my own existential question about whether or not I exist, I'm no longer entirely sure it's the right question to ask. PS: Yes, the title is a programming/philosophy joke. It made me laugh. 1 This becomes an even more fraught question when you start talking about multiples and systems, as some people with DID experience it. 2 From this Radiolab episode, relevant portion of the transcript clipped here. Featured Image by bess.hamiti@gmail.com from Pixabay https://ideatrash.net/2024/11/meditations-on-zeroth-philosophy.html?feed_id=487&_unique_id=6738e27b46199