Words

[honetii]

My roommate and I finished riverdale like a week ago and as we were watching it there were a bunch of lines that made us lose our shit so once we finished the show they went back and compiled every single one of them into this absurd 7 minute long video. I feel like y'all would enjoy this over here.

[toastbutteregg]

[gotterhag]

This is an EXTREMELY blessed post! And accurate! When I first moved out I was so excited for my new place I slept on the floor and had my tv there and that was it. Loved it. You grow and you build and you gain and you lose. I lost that place and everything in it. Now I have a new place with new things and it’s very much home.

[dexdefyingstunts]

In the future, there is a small, quiet room that is just yours, where you are safe and you are free. In that room your shoulders will finally start to come down from around your ears.  Nobody can come into that room unless you let them.  In that clean quiet place, you will work and you will study.  You will love and you will heal.

-Captain Awkward, “Should I Move Away From My Abusive Family?”

[bitchesgetriches]

Leaving Home before 18: A Practical Guide for Cast-Offs, Runaways, and Everybody in Between

Ask the Bitches: “I Just Turned 18 and My Parents Are Kicking Me Out. How Do I Brace Myself?”

{ MASTERPOST } Everything You Need To Know About Living Independently for the First Time

[luntfontanne]

thinking about how i genuinely never believed avadeb would or could ever be canon in the actual show because the amount of work and introspection deborah would have to do in order to unpack her own sexuality in her 70s is just not something that could happen realistically or believably in the time frame and scope of the show HOWEVER being diagnosed with terminal cancer and realizing there's one person on the planet you'd be willing put yourself through treatment for in order to spend more time with… that really is a cheat code that does actually change everything and i do think she would reasonably sleep with ava immediately that night after agreeing not to kill herself 🙂‍↕️ like sorry to make this about #mycancer again but #mycancerdiagnosis wasn't even terminal it was easy baby cancer but it did IMMEDIATELY fast track massive realizations and decisions about my life that i'd previously repressed or put off addressing for years so like. yeah cancer really will do that for you. none of the rest of it matters you just gotta Do Stuff while you can. me and deb and #ourcancer <33333

[insomniac-dot-ink]

Gideon from Gideon the Ninth was the strongest soldier for her particular fight because only a jock would have the mental fortitude to remain bitchy against the twin forces of Religious Aesthetic and Goth Society

"This shit is stupid," thank you, Gideon, for never going alt

[pizza9728]

Lasy rosebot art (peak quality)

[vaspider]

Philly Cops Are Reportedly Monitoring Anti-AI Memes, According to Internal Alert

A bulletin from a regional fusion center clocks increasing anti-AI sentiment on social media and warns offline destructive action is coming.

I bring a real "fuck you, I'll make a shitty meme about your shitty environment-destroying bullshit and it's a legitimate form of protest that doesn't indicate any propensity for real life harm" energy to my online presence that apparently makes Philly cops piss themselves in fear, I fucking guess.

[baldgonia]

happy pride month

[taraxippos]

Had been thinking about this post (which is a fake excerpt from an imaginary narrative written to mock 'tumblr prose'), and how most "no actually this is good" comments are highlighting how the construction of individual sentences is interesting, how some of the language is evocative, how it Goes Hard. Because that post is written badly in a very thoughtful manner that focuses on core structural issues rather than going for low hanging fruit of poor technical proficiency with the written word, it is not bad in the most "obvious" of ways. So I think this is a legit learning opportunity, but also I don't want to dunk on anyone so instead I will just preach to the choir of My Followers.

But yeah like to be more constructive than just going "lol tumblr prose bad", really the issue in Large part that characterizes "tumblr prose" (which to be clear I don't think is a discrete thing and at most is a combination of several writing tendencies influenced by the medium of Online) comes down to the lack of real contrast in Any aspect of narrative construction, and an obsession with being quotable and constantly being at 100% of Going Hard (which go hand in hand).

In that post, the character voice is indistinct from that of the narration, and the characters quote one-liners that look Meaningful as excerpts and are borderline nonsensical as dialogue. There is no more than the faintest, most generic hints of characterization; these people exist as vague concepts to say deep words for the reader. The sentence length has little variation from its staccato beat, and so it is awkward to read and fails to complement the action or accomplish anything with the pacing (save for the slight slowdown when the torturer feels all that damp animal electricity). The timing is awkward and exaggeratedly dramatic. The description is a flowery kind of tryhard visceral and seems avoidant of describing anything too directly ("something dark and arterial" where there's nothing being accomplished by conveying uncertainty about what is currently gushing out of the injured character and the simple use of "blood splashed across the stones" would actually be 10x more effective), in a way that does disservice to what is supposed to be a torture scene, and leaves it weightless and ungrounded. In fairness to the people saying "this is good", that is MUCH easier to say when reading this fake excerpt as the standalone piece it actually is, but this kind of writing Cannot function in an actual narrative and is not what an excerpt from well constructed narrative fiction is going to look like basically ever.

It reflects a lot of very typical amateur writing issues that just about everyone has to grow out of (the minimal diversity in sentence length, simulated non-attention to scene pacing and timing), and issues common to fanfiction-influenced writing on social media (allergy to paragraph lengths of more than two sentences, little to no description of the characters or setting because, in fanfiction, the reader already knows their physical characteristics and mannerisms and it doesn't need to be lingered upon, Unlike In Original Fiction). But this particularly hits on an issue I think is semi-unique to narrative writing in the social media milieu, which is a focus on being quotable. This may not even be a conscious impulse at all But It's There. This kinda apparent terror of any moment not being as beautiful and hard hitting as possible (or for comedy, any moment not being A Joke). Everything "Goes Hard", so nothing actually does. A lot of "tumblr prose" type writing is less a narrative, more a string of quotes loosely assembled into narrative that vaguely gestures at things like Plot and Character. It substitutes depth for Suggestions of depth by utilizing stock symbolism without building it into the narrative, and by gesturing at weighty contexts without actually engaging with them. There can be little contrast or effective use of tone, pace, description when your story is a series of Hard Hitting Quotes.

I'm reading Watership Down right now and I think it's a great novel overall and can work as an example of how important it is to utilize contrast in your writing.

This segment is the lengthy first description of the titular down, which the rabbits are now encountering for the first time:

Adams is slowing the pace here to introduce us to the setting of the next segment of the book. The average sentence length is very long and keeps us lingering in the sensory detail, while still varied and thus smoothly readable. This new place is introduced by simultaneously conveying its physical description in vivid detail and conveying its feeling and character, and getting the most out of every described feature to do so. The thorn trees are "wind stunted". The air is "scented". The language takes on a very flowery character and heavily utilizes simile and metaphor. Woodland is "tumultuous with evening", sunlight filters through grass "like a wind" to the small creatures below, in contrast to laying "like a gold rind" on the hill when seen from a distance. This grandiose description is heavily functional and conveys both exhaustive physical detail and a feeling that this place is beautiful, awe inspiring to something like a rabbit, and full of life, though not without quiet hints of danger. It hits because Not Everything In The Book Is Described This Way. It means something that we're lingering like this and stopping to get a sense of this place on every possible level, and moving away from more direct, simple prose to convey the feeling of the place in depth.

This segment describes the rabbit Bigwig being found caught in a snare:

The prose here here has the opposite approach of the first excerpt. The language is concise, direct, and brutal. It only veers slightly away from the literal to describe Bigwig's voice as 'bubbling out' from his mouth, both conveying that the saliva and blood in his mouth is literally bubbling as he speaks, and implying the unsettling way his voice sounds as he's being strangled. The sentences are much shorter on the whole, as fit for the pacing of a tense and rapidly changing scene, and the timing closely complements the action - "There was a pause" not only conveys That There Was A Pause but interrupts the rhythm of this segment; the moment of uneasy stillness is echoed in the act of reading itself.

The scene this is excerpted from is extremely effective and does in fact Go Hard, it's well constructed in of itself but its effectiveness mostly lies in its place in the narrative. It's the culmination of a long, tense buildup as the reader becomes more aware that something is deeply Wrong about the place the rabbits are in, and the payoff is effective in being blunt and visceral, which hits because Not Everything In The Book Is Described This Way. Nothing about these excerpts are particularly quotable because that is actually not what good narrative writing is about.

[cheaphalloweencostume]

The iron hook slid free from his shoulder with a wet metallic shriek. Something black and arterial splashed across the stones between them.

The torturer stepped back instinctively. Not out of mercy. Out of surprise. The prisoner laughed. Not loudly. Worse than loudly. Softly. Like he had just remembered a private joke older than civilization.

“You still think pain is a language,” he said.

Another blow. This time across the mouth. Teeth cracked. Blood sheeted down his chin in long ribbons.

The interrogator hissed through clenched teeth. “Tell me where God went.”

The prisoner turned his head slowly. There was blood in his smile now.

“There are organisms,” he said, “living beneath Antarctic ice that have never seen the sun and have still learned how to eat.”

The room had gone very still. Somewhere in the dark, machinery groaned.

The interrogator grabbed him by the jaw hard enough to bruise bone.

“You think this makes you immortal?”

The prisoner spat a clot of red onto the floor between them.

“No,” he whispered.

“I think it makes you temporary.”

The torches flickered.

For one impossible second, the interrogator became aware of his own pulse. The heat in his veins. The soft wetness of his eyes. The damp animal electricity inside every living thing. The prisoner watched realization bloom across his face and smiled wider, blood running between his teeth.

“You cannot threaten a creature from the dirt,” he said, “with returning to the dirt.”

— excerpt from Shit I Just Made Up To Exemplify How All This Tumblr Prose Sounds

[cheaphalloweencostume]

i am not mad at the sweethearts in the comments and replies going “but i like this!” and i will write a weird hook torture scene in whatever i work on next just for you. with more beautifuler words and actions and dialogue that Means

[thestuffedalligator]

It’s shit being a superhero when you know that the multiverse exists. You spend all day saving people, you’re tired, you want to go to bed, and right before you fall asleep someone says “The High Evolutionary is going to turn everyone on earth into a werewolf!” and every bone in your body says “Fucking. Maybe we can be the werewolf dimension. The Universe Where Everyone Is A Werewolf. There are infinite dimensions where everyone isn’t a werewolf. It could be fine. It could be good even.”

And you fight the High Evolutionary and you win and your world isn’t the Werewolf Dimension. But the thought was there. God the thought was there

[thanergetic-hyperlinks]

do you ever think about how much raw fun the production design team would have with a TLT adaptation?

like, leaving aside issues like “how much of the clothing is supposed to be made of literal plastic and to what an extent do the Tridentarii actually look like they washed out from Disney Channel while everyone in universe still thinks those are appropriately regal looks”

but just like

think about the skull paint

think about the makeup team designing different daily skull styles for Harrow to wear depending on the episode to emphasize or limit different expressions—what designs will humanize her or make her intimidating or evil, and what angles can the actor work? what designs will make it seem impossible for Harrow to look warm or scared or vulnerable—which lighting will then allow the viewer to see those expressions so clearly below the paint's fake gesture?

think about how much storytelling can be done with the different degrees of Gideon's sloppiness—is her skull still simple, bare-minimum but a little more careful, almost respectfully painted, as she grows to genuinely want to serve Harrow?

think about everyone's clothes—

Judith wearing the exact same thing every day because she has 10 of the same suit—Marta going along with it but with a few small personal details, like changing her braids, the occasional discreet bracelet, she takes off her shirt after being injured in the duel and there's a couple sailor-style tattoos, on one ocassion we see the band of her underwear and it's fucking camo

whereas Pal and Cam wear smarter clothes like capes with stylish hoods and a tasteful brutalist brooch upon arrival and at the dinner party because good impressions are important, but immediately ditch that in favor of trusty, well-maintained techwear archaeologist suits, with customized and hand-sewn extra pockets for specific tools (I homosexually need Pal, well-shaven and combed upon arrival, to soon develop stubble and walk around his bedroom with a half-buttoned shirt as he becomes absorbed in research… anywayyy)

and Corona literally has a different fit and makeup in every scene that somehow impeccably matches the specific brand of charm she needs and interacts beautifully with the color of the goddamn room (Ianthe's colors are always struggling with the environment), and the lighting and angles always favor her somehow, except at the end where she looks a mess

Corona and Ianthe making makeup choices that makes them look more or less different from each other depending on how well they're getting on that day

the Fifth always wearing the kind of understated, elegant and refined but simple outfits that do not scream “rich” at a quick glance but are impeccably tailored to their bodies with high-quality fabrics and the few tasteful bits of jewellery cost more than the average citizen can make in ten years

and the teens wearing carefully scruffed hair and a bit of tasteful goth under-eye makeup to express their child soldier angst and then looking genuinely destroyed and with real eye bags during their last few days,

and the Lady of the Seventh looking like Crimson Peak pulled a Paul with Mamma Mia!, only for us to eventually meet Dulcinea as she is, and she just wants to be cozy in her kitsch hand warmers and let others think she's cringe without giving a fuck

can Silas's clothings somehow look like they've just been starched and ironed before every single shot

does Harrow only take a few, extremely ornate and hand-embroidered but antique and worn pieces of clothing that she needs to get creative about combining, reflecting the Ninth's combination of devotional culture and poverty? does she wear the same two veils pinned in fifteen different ways? do her bone ornaments grow linger and spikier when she wants to be more intimidating? is her embroidered megacatholic death metal gothic lolita popess attire still made of fucking like, nylon, because only Abigail and Magnus can afford imported natural fibers from the colonies, and Abigail wearing a wool sweater is the epitome of excess? I'm sorry, it's just I keep thinking about how Gideon's clothes are synthetic and paper and salads are a rarity in this culture

the Emperor Undying, Necrolord Prime and Kindly Prince of Death literally wearing the Steve Jobs outfit while on his tablet

[tibby]

[butchloser]

thinking about ianthe and harrow sacreligiously indulging each other by using last names, sinning and scrambling for scraps of the pre-canonized selves neither of them thought they would miss. the selves that were tied down by something as ephemeral and ridiculous as filial piety and blood. it’s over and done and we can’t go back and don’t tell god but please just say my name out loud

[kaleido-scope-lady]

darkest dungeon rlly nailed its visual representation of stress because yes whenever im having a bad mental health moment it does feel exactly like I've got one of these fuckers over my head sticking its little points into my brain

[ecologyofmedia]

Look say what you will about riverdale. I’m lying you can’t say anything about riverdale. But the women on there were like…… so insane it made me want to jump up and down. Women are NEVER allowed to be as feral with no consequences in media as they were in riverdale. Betty didn’t have a maternal bone in her body and it was just like a normal trait of hers??? Cheryl was downright cruel a lot of the time and she was ALLOWED TO BE. She got nicer but only to the main cast bc they befriended her. Veronica loved illegal business practices and she murdered her dad and she was never even in DANGER of going to prison. I love this show. Let women be people like they are on riverdale…

[nonbinaryjudean]

OCD things that you don't hear about:

episodes of paranoia, delusions, and dissociation

cyclical thoughts/spirals

magical thinking

episodes that can be very similar to psychosis or mania

attributing human emotions to inanimate objects

dermatillomania and trichotillomania

false sensations (like bugs crawling on skin)

paying way too much attention to very small things

physical health issues caused by compulsions

symptoms that are "problematic" (doing things that are considered "wasteful", needing reassurance or validation from others...)

extreme, deep, dreadful fear of things that can't truly be explained

disconnect between emotional and cognitive/logical responses or thoughts

contamination fears

problems with addiction and dopamine regulation

other people trying to force exposure therapy onto you without your consent and it making your anxiety way worse

list making

[l0s3r-g0r3-d3s7r0y4]

What if silence is in fact a sound, but because its a universal sound we just adapted to it and dont notice it anymore

[friends-of-magic]

I actually just wrote a paper on this!!

The short of it is, yes, that's exactly what happens. There's no such thing as pure silence outside of a vacuum (and inside a vacuum you'd be dead). So basically your ears are constantly adapting to the noise threshold of your surroundings and slowly ignoring it. If you were in a perfectly silent room (anechoic chambers are cool!) you would actually start to hear the sound of existing!

[aquilacalvitium]

[darkarfs]

Isn't there some room full of sound baffling foam or something that absorbs all ambient noise and most people go mad from the isolation because they start to hear things like their own circulatory system and their heartbeat pounding in their ears?

Ah, there it is. Orfield Labratories in Minnesota. They say the longest anyone's been able to stay inside was 45 minutes, as they could hear their lungs expanding and their digestive system working overtime.

[transcyberism]

You actually start to hear your own nervous system too. You know tinnitus? The ringing sound some people (especially those with hearing loss) can hear in a quiet room? That's basically feedback/signal degradation inside your cochlea and nerves; it's random neurons in your inner ear firing in the absence of actual stimulation. In an anechoic chamber, besides hearing your blood flowing and your guts gurgling, that tinnitus sound gets (subjectively) louder and louder until it's absolutely unbearable.

[lastoneout]

I have it, though not due to hearing damage, apparently having EDS can just give you tinnitus even if your hearing is perfect(as mine is T-T) and yeah this? This sounds like absolute hell, and I've always had tinnitus so it's easier for me to ignore it, I'm used to it. But god. Quiet rooms, my beloathed.

Still kinda wanna try it tho.