#memprime

[copperbadge]

I found a clue piece at a restaurant downtown, snd looked into it further. Apparently there is an IRL clue game happening in Chicago.

www DOT cluewalkingexperience DOT com SLASH chicago

I actually just saw a flyer for this! When I was at O'Hare getting ready for the route, there was one of those "here's things tourists might like to see" and the Clue flyer caught my eye.

I don't think it's something I'd want to buy a ticket to just because I have too much theatre experience and I'm adjacent enough to the LARP community to feel weird about it, but I grabbed one of the flyers because I think it would make a really fun one-shot for a LARP. At some point I'm going to find someone to pitch it to, eventually :D Just like, a day where you start out having to solve a mystery and follow clues around the city or a region thereof -- there's a stop for lunch at a Plot Relevant Restaurant, maybe you have to get into one of the museums briefly to meet up with an NPC who can send you on your way, maybe at one point you have to do some puzzle solving on a train on the way to your next station.

It would need to be fairly straightforward and you'd have to put the plot on "rails" a little to prevent, say, the players from deciding they want to investigate the Field while the NPC is at the MSI, and of course you don't want to be super disruptive in public, but with the right game designer and the right players it could be done.

[artsy-alice]

Just checking in to see how you are doing.

I'm doing good! I got sick during the past weekend, so I had to stop with the ko-fi runs for a bit, but I'm feeling better now and looking forward to jumping back in to finish the rest of the pieces!

[itschrisboys]

i got the same thing, and i haven't tweeted in months!

That photo of the flag in your dad's garage that got stolen has made it into the grubby paws of Elon Musk. I'm so sorry.

ARE YOU SERIOUS

[thebibliosphere]

Do you have a preferred brand of enameled cast iron cookware? Please and thank you.

Le Creuset is the one almost everyone knows. I like them, and I even like their stainless steel range. (I’ve had terrible luck with All-Clad over the years, but my LC stainless steel pots have survived, well, me so that should count for something.) They are expensive af, but if you wait for the sales, sometimes you’ll manage to score a piece that will last you a lifetime for 50% off.

Same with Staub, Staub is probably the best-known rival to Le Creuset. I have one of their dutch ovens, and it holds up just as well as the LC, if not actually better. I feel like the meat inside stays juicier, though it is harder to clean imo. Not sure why, might just be a me thing. They used to be slightly cheaper than LC, but I’ve noticed a steep rise in their prices over the last decade. Again, look for them in the sales and you’ll get a piece that will hopefully last you many, many decades with the right care.

Lodge has recently (I say recent, it might have been years ago but what is time) brought out their own enameled cast iron products, and while they are much more limited in range than the other two, it seems much more affordable and would be a good starting point for someone to figure out if they want to invest in enameled cast iron pieces. I haven’t used any of their enamel products, but I do like their cast iron skillets and would hope that level of quality carries through. Might give them a whirl with some of my Christmas money if I find a good deal :)

[guqin-and-flute]

Dkjfd yes, I will, I just update really late at night and I'm too tired to write a summary and then, uh, completely forget to actually put things in AO3 😅 That's actually happened to a couple things, I'll try to get on that tonight! Thank you for the reminder and the lovely comment!!

[robininthelabyrinth]

I'd like more Baxia/NMJ bodyswap please and thank you!

Close - extra 3

-

It wasn’t actually, strictly speaking, necessary for Nie Mingjue to spend two weeks as a saber after he got a nasty concussion on a deliberately sabotaged night-hunt, but he was tired of being in charge – he’d refused the Chief Cultivator title on principle, but he seemed to somehow have gotten stuck doing all the work, possibly for lack of other options – and, well, he could. So why not?

Obviously Baxia wasn’t capable of leading his sect, much less the cultivation world, but he did have one sworn brother left of the two, however distracted the remaining one was by Meng Yao’s plight, and anyway his brother needed to figure out the details of running things sometime before Nie Mingjue actually did die of qi deviation.

“You’re not going to die, stop being so dramatic,” Nie Huaisang grumbled. “The sect healers said that your meridians are clearer than they’ve ever seen in our family and that you may well have solved the problem in our clan’s cultivation method to the point that they don’t see any reason you can’t cultivate straight into immortality.”

Nie Mingjue did not respond. He was, after all, a saber.

“I can feel you being smug in there!”

It was a natural state for sabers. That was his story, and he was sticking with it.

Baxia laughed inside his mind and reached out with a human hand to pat Nie Huaisang on the head, her action still a little overly rough by the look of his face. She’d seen a parent do it to their child and been charmed by the action; she seemed to think it was the human equivalent of being polished.

“Ugh, da-jie, stop that, I’m a grown-up – more to the point, I’m a grown-up that’s going to be running the sect for the next few days until da-ge’s concussion is better!”

Baxia held up two fingers.

“…two days?”

She shook her head.

“Two weeks?”

A nod.

“I – but – da-ge, you can’t do this to me!”

Yes, he could, Nie Mingjue thought with a smile that had some bite in it. And he would, too.

“But there’s a discussion conference about to happen!”

It was all planned out already – Nie Huaisang only needed to attend in his place. What was the problem?

“Da-ge! You get out of that saber this instant and talk to me!”

No.

“Da-ge!”

-

It wasn’t so much that Nie Mingjue had overlooked the question of the discussion conference, but rather he didn’t think it was especially relevant to him as a saber, and of course Baxia would just sit there and scowl at everyone, her aura so intimidating that no one would dare come near.

He overlooked only a single problem: that a discussion conference meant guests, and guests meant swords.

Talkative swords.

In a manner of speaking, anyway.

Nie Mingjue had grown accustomed to the strange way of seeing things that sabers had, more qi detection than actual vision; he had learned to adjust to the strange way that he could almost taste evil, the way his blade was a single jagged tooth eager to drink down blood; he had become familiar with having a body made of sharp steel, immune to pain but vulnerable to dents.

Despite that, hearing the other swords converse was – utterly bizarre.

It was one thing when all around him were the sabers of his Nie sect, since obviously Wei Wuxian didn’t carry one and the Wen sect didn’t either, and Lan Xichen was far too polite to carry his sword openly in the halls of the Unclean Realm. Those sabers surrounded him like a raindrop fallen into a well, familiar and comforting and just the same as him – the same implacable hatred of evil, the nuances of their personalities in greater or lesser degrees, often echoing their masters. They rarely conversed, merely affirmed each other upon meeting, a low subvocal purr of contentment to be around the like-minded.

(Aituan sounded like a rusty door, squeaking and yawning, but however weirdly good-naturedly he was, he was still a saber, with his share of bloodlust and hatred and rage buried deep inside his metal.)

The swords, however…

Shuoyue was a rippling brook, gentle and clear and perhaps a little shallow, a little too flexible, while Bichen in contrast was steady as the earth – more saber-like, despite the double edge. They emitted a feeling like the curved vowels of Gusu and the straightness of their sect rules, the serene mountains and the generous plains, pristine and perfect right up until they met some of their neighbors (the newly formed Su clain, for example) at which point it was all screech-screech-screech.

The rule against gossip in the Cloud Recesses apparently didn’t apply to their swords.

Nie Mingjue would have expected the Jin sect swords to be flashy and bright, as gilded on the inside as they were on the outside, but they were actually a fairly quiet lot. He wasn’t sure if it was their masters’ poor cultivation – though it could be, they were weaker as a general rule than the other sects – or something else lurking behind, some secret of cultivation that he oughtn’t know.

Suihua was fairly pleasant, though: bright and almost maternal in the way she fussed about her wielder, secretly adjusting herself to compensate for any weaknesses in his form. She got along surprisingly well with Aituan, which Nie Mingjue wouldn’t have guessed, and Baxia hummed a reluctant note of approval as well.

Perhaps he should consider cultivating more of a relationship with the young Jin Zixuan, with such an excellent recommendation. Sure, he wasn’t his sword – unlike sabers, which reflected their masters in full, swords seemed to be more of a concave image, similar but distorted to more or lesser degree depending on the distance between master and sword – but the sort of person who would cultivate a sword like that probably needed all the real friends he could get.

Sandu, in contrast, was something of a disaster, something that Nie Mingjue hadn’t expected and, in hindsight, really should have. The sheer amount of power that the sword exuded was impressive, and he was stalwart and true, another saber-like one, but unlike his combative, grumpy, and uptight (but generally well-meaning) master, he was aimless and gamboling, mischievous in a vague unintentional sort of way, liable to make trouble more by accident than on purpose.

Reminded him of Aituan, actually. Children among swords…

It was really a fascinating insight, he thought to himself, amused. He could use this to his advantage in the future, even though he wouldn’t, politically; it seemed an unfair advantage. But perhaps as a means of making friends…

Hmm.

Speaking of friends –

-

“I don’t understand,” Wei Wuxian said, looking from Baxia to Nie Mingjue and back, eyes so notably not darting towards his Suibian that it had to be intentional. “Suibian isn’t a saber.”

“No,” Nie Mingjue said, already regretting having returned to his human form simply because of the skull-wracking migraine the concussion had left behind. Plus, if Nie Huaisang ever found out that he’d been willing to return for this but not to do the paperwork, he’d find a way to stab him no matter how great the difference in their cultivation.  “She isn’t. But she’s willing to compromise.”

“…what?”

Nie Mingjue wasn’t sure how to explain it. “You’ve interacted with Baxia when she’s - uh - upright, yes?”

“Yes, of course. Don’t think I haven’t noticed that it was mostly her during the conference – she nearly made Sect Leader Yao cry, and didn’t say a word the entire time. I want to know her secret method.”

“I’m fairly sure her method is ‘be a saber’,” Nie Mingjue said dryly. “Still, my point is – would you say that you have an understanding of her? Baxia, as opposed to me?”

“I don’t think anyone can really understand –”

Nie Mingjue leveled him with a look.

“Okay, fine, yes. She’s got a lot of personality, your Baxia. What does that have to do with you wanting me to cultivate Suibian with your sect’s technique?”

“A variation on my sect’s technique, since I’m obviously not teaching you the main technique itself. My point is, during the conference I had the opportunity to converse with a number of different swords –”

“Hold up!” Wei Wuxian held up both his hands. “You talked to the - to people’s swords?!”

“It’s not really talking,” Nie Mingjue admitted. “They’re mostly not as sentient as Baxia, especially for the younger generation. But they still have spirits; they wouldn’t be spiritual weapons if they didn’t. Anyway, it occurred to me that you weren’t using Suibian because of –”

“That incident we do not discuss.”

“…yes, that. Without a golden core, it’s impossible for you to cultivate in the traditional Jiang sect sword style -”

“Wow. You just completely missed the hint that I didn’t want to talk about that.”

“It’s not missing a hint if I ignore it deliberately. Anyway, the fact that you’ve cultivated Suibian in that style for all these years means that they are accustomed to that style, but since by coincidence I was able to converse with the other swords, I thought it worthwhile to feel out if they would be willing to consider adopting a style variation on the Nie sect style, with more emphasis on utilizing resentful energy as swordsmanship.”

Wei Wuxian looked stricken. “You – think that’s possible? I – no, I tried, it doesn’t –”

“You trained your sword to resist outside influences, I know. You can’t not teach a sword that; obviously no one wants Suibian being controlled by any ghost, corpse or yao that happens by. But I think with me in the saber and you on the outside, we might be able to work out a method by which Suibian could distinguish between resentful energy generally and resentful energy being wielded by you. That woudl allow them to respond to that energy as if it was your own…”

Wei Wuxian was hugging him. Why was he hugging him?

“I’m going to switch to Baxia if you don’t let go,” he warned, and Wei Wuxian let go at once.

His eyes were teary.

“I would like that,” he said. “I would like that very much.”

[baoshan-sanren]

Drinking game: every time WKX says "A-Xu".

the entire fandom dies from alcohol poisoning by ep 5

[kexing-wen]

Welcome back!

yooooo im here 🙋

[drwcn]

Hello there! What's the difference in usage is "a-name" vs "name-er"? Example: A-Xian The Untamed vs Dong-er in The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty? Is it just what sounds better or is it a regional thing? Thank you!

Don’t quote me on this, but I think, if we’re talking regional stuff, that the “-er” is more North, and “a-” is more south. Mostly because southern dialects have a harder time pronouncing the “-er” sound. 

That being said the way “er” and “a” are used is a little different too. 

[1] “A-”

For one thing, “A-” is pretty gender neutral. 

In dramas, “A-name” is a more.... plebeian form of address. It’s more “down to earth”, home-y, you know? What I mean is, the families that would use “A-” don’t tend to be nobility or royalty etc. 

Of course, xianxia is a little different than historical genre, so we have to take that into consideration. 

If you think about it, with the exception of Meng Yao being called A-Yao by Lan Xichen, canonically the people who use the “A-” diminutive the most are the Jiangs and Wen Qing’s sub-branch. Wen Qing’s branch is pretty close to being peasants and the Jiangs are known to be the more free-spirited, salt of the earth type people. The other sects mostly just refer to their family member by name: “Zixun”, “Zixuan”, “Xichen”, “Huaisang” etc (unless I’m misremembering). In other shows, you’ll see background characters (servants, chauffeurs, waiters) being referred to “A-” sometimes. 

[2] “-Er”

The “-er” is more feminine. You’ll see it being used for girl’s names more. My family actually subscribed to the “-er” use for me when I was little. 

In dramas, you’ll see young maid with the “-er” name sometimes. 

But this is not an exclusively lower class thing. 

Upper class can very much use the “-er” address for their children as a form of diminutive, and not just for girls but for boys too. This is where it gets kind of counter intuitive: you will not typically see poor families referring to their sons as “name-er”. 

If a male character is referred to as “name -er”, it is typically the noble, royal families who do it, and most often, it is only their mother and grandmother who refer to them this way. Their male relatives and more distant female relatives just refer to them by name. 

Daughters of noble and royal families can be called “name-er” by most of their family members. 

Hope this clarifies things. :) 

[copperbadge]

memprime

When did they move out of the chase auditorium?

I’m not sure! I think possibly during COVID. Obviously they stopped taping live shows in front of an audience during COVID and I think possibly they wanted a bigger venue for social distancing. Apparently at some point after Carl Kassell left they also started letting you pick your seats in the old venue and you can definitely pick them at the Studebaker, which I wish I’d known, because I basically stopped going because I got tired of standing in line for 2+ hours for general seating. 

But a couple of months ago I saw a sign for the show posted up outside the Fine Arts Building on Michigan, and the change of venue convinced me I should hit up a show again. 

kingedmundsroyalmurder

You are living out my childhood dream. Glad it was a good show!

I had a great time, yeah! 

Incidentally -- and I’m using your comment to spring off this, but I think people in general should know that it is almost comically easy to attend a taping of WWDTM if you’re going to be in Chicago on a Thursday. Way easier than it used to be, in fact, and I used to go all the time back when I first lived in Chicago. 

It’s in the Studebaker Theater which is right downtown and from what I saw last night doesn’t really appear to have any bad seats, it’s quite an intimate space. Tickets are relatively reasonably priced and not super hard to get (April’s tickets get released today and I’m planning to pick up a ticket and go again) and it’s a 7:30 show that actually starts on-time and lasts about two hours. If you’re coming into Chicago or looking for an excuse to visit, it’s a great way to kick off a weekend vacation. Do recommend! 

Waiting.....waiting....

[ID: the interior of the Studebaker Theatre in Chicago, with a massive projection screen with the logo of the NPR panel show Wait Wait Don't Tell Me. Podiums on the stage await their hosts and panelists.]

[artsy-alice]

☕️ #OctKofiRun24 Day 7 for @memprime 💙

another special wenzhou scene~ ☁️

[bigbadredpanda]

Do you by chance know why Tencent deleted episodes 1-20 of The Founder of Diabolism Q from their YouTube? Thank you!

I’m not sure why some episodes from MDZS and MDZS Q were removed from Youtube, when I try to access them I get a notice that there was a copyright infringement claim filed by some Chinese company unrelated to Tencent? I don’t know ^^' Anyway, the episodes are still available on the official platform WeTV with English subs here!

[kedreeva]

Regarding 'pls update' ask (and critique not requested by the author): Writers have a right to not receive negative feedback. Readers have a right to not leave kudos, or comments if they don't know what to say.

I personally got a msg on AO3 from one writer that asked that I not provide spelling corrections because it made them feel stupid. I've had writers who beg for critique, but get mad when they get 'negative' feedback. I've seen posts from authors that say comments are better than kudos. I've had people get pissed off at readers who provide non-consensual feedback. I've seen posts that say 'don't just leave a keyboard smash; wtf does that even mean?', and other posts that say the opposite. The posts mention are tumblr posts.

As a reader, I have only so many spoons to deal with the myriad variety of the type of feedback authors want. At this point, I've learned to make use of the backspace button copiously if there are many (or very atrocious) spelling errors, or if an author says they won't post the next part of a fic on AO3 unless they get X number of kudos or Y number of comments. (Don't ask for examples; I backspace so fast once I see that type of AN.)

I no longer provide spelling critique to authors, unless it is unclear in the text what they are going for. In these cases, I ask what word they meant, as it is unclear in the text.

I still provide kudos, but unless it's something that really moves me (or I have read the story repeatedly/followed the author for a long time, and know they are ok with messages of this nature), I don't leave messages much anymore.

Writers have a right to not receive negative feedback. Readers have a right to not leave kudos, or comments if they don't know what to say.

On the one hand you’re correct, on the other hand, there is ALWAYS the fall back of a simple “thank you for sharing” after reading a story. That’s not something a reader has to invent, it’s a common courtesy after receiving a gift you said you wanted (via searching for it, and continuing after reading the tags etc). Readers absolutely have a right to not leave any comments they don’t want to, but it definitely isn’t fostering any good kind of environment for writers if “hey thanks” is asking too much of readers.

I personally got a msg on AO3 from one writer that asked that I not provide spelling corrections because it made them feel stupid.

another example of why even “simple” corrections shouldn’t be left unless they’re asked for

I've had writers who beg for critique, but get mad when they get 'negative' feedback.

They shouldn’t have been asking for critique if they didn’t want critique, and that’s not on you if you provided it after they asked.

I've seen posts from authors that say comments are better than kudos.

They are

I've had people get pissed off at readers who provide non-consensual feedback.

As well they should

I've seen posts that say 'don't just leave a keyboard smash; wtf does that even mean?', and other posts that say the opposite. 

Everyone is going to have their own opinions about specific comment types, but I believe that the majority of people are fine with keysmashing, as common social interaction makes this one apparent as a good thing not a bad thing. There’s always going to be people who don’t like X specific type of comment, even if that comment is broadly socially acceptable, but at that point, that is on them, not on the reader. A “pls update” is poor form from a reader because it is a demand for additional free work, a writer getting mad over “a;kglksdjfhs” is poor form from the writer because it is scorning a reaction that has been broadly socially-agreed-upon as positive even if it is not eloquent. Of course we all wish for long, detailed praiseful comments on our works, but writers should absolutely understand that.... they’re the ones that are writers. Readers, like the title suggests, are readers but not necessarily writers (although some are both, since you cannot tell which are which, it’s best to assume they are readers only). Expecting every reader to be a writer for you is going to lead to disappointment.

I’m glad that you’ve learned to use the back button instead of commenting negatively or with critique. I’ve never understood the “won’t post more until X reaction has been reached” notes either, and I also do not read those kinds of fics. I back out if there are too many spelling errors, I back out if it’s a wall of text, I back out if dialogue isn’t separated by speaker, I back out if I see first or second person..... the back button is a friend!! It helps you avoid things you don’t like, and prevents you from ruining anyone else’s day.

It sounds like maybe your mainstay of interaction with fic previously was critique, and if so, then I know that the current shift in commenting etiquette is probably rough on you. On the one hand, that sucks, but on the other hand, I am glad you’re adapting how you need to in order to carry on. Change isn’t always pleasant for everyone involved, but it is worth it in the end.

[luv-cat]

Does Claire own the Cream Heroes channel again?

yep, as of august 2020 !! you can read her update about it here

[gingersnapwolves]

If the publisher folded doesn't the copyright revert back to you?

Oh, yeah, I can and absolutely should work on getting it published by someone else, but I never have. Which I’d like to say there’s a good reason for but it basically comes down to brain weasels and I should probably discuss it with a therapist.

[guqin-and-flute]

WHT didn't you put a mustache on LWJ in the background?

Oh my god, you’re so right, I apologize profusely