#also it means i can't write academically at all but ppl think i can

[theloveinc]

read so many books as a kid that i basically taught myself how to write... and now i always run into the exact same problem in every single writing class i’m ever in, which is that.... i genuinely want someone to pLEASE teach me how to write using a formula😔😔😔😔😔😔😔and no one ever will :((( 

like... i don’t wanna write conceptual, interesting, thematic, literary short stories ... i wanna write janet evanovich style harlequin fanfictions. that’s IT. 

[fitzrove]

Akflflg hot take. The most annoying kind of reaction to media is when people assume that depicting prejudice (lampshading it!) is the same thing as being prejudiced. No, D*nna T*rtt writing about elitism and racism doesn't mean she's advocating for it - in TSH she is picking apart a privileged academic culture for all to see and pointing out that people who contribute to that kinda suck actually. No, Em*rald F*nnell portraying rape culture and violence against women (and men [almost] going "unpunished") on screen doesn't mean she advocates for those things, it just means she's making a comment on the kind of society we live in. No, Michael Kunze portraying explicit antisemitism on stage doesn't mean he's an antisemite - if people looked at the framing of Hass for even one second they would Get The Point (= hey guys did you know that the late 19th century wasn't a fairytale time to live in because it actively led up to the 20th, and did you know that this kind of rhetoric is still common today and yet many people are "blind and mute" to it and don't care enough to work to stop it). I do understand criticisms of the number (ie. it being triggering) and I don't mean to speak over people who are discomforted by it (or feel that it's tokenizing oppression etc - valid points to be made, and as the number is not about prejudice against my background, I will defer to ppl more affected than me), but I truly think that for people not personally affected by the prejudice portrayed in it, there's a responsibility to see it and reflect. You don't get to clean it up to make the show more family-friendly or comforting. It's not intended to be a feel-good escapist experience even though the marketing masquerades it as one.

Also separate rant that I go on every month or so. Like omfg I just really dislike Conspiracy. It makes Rudolf a useless hack 😂💀 Like I'm sure Hungarians irl enjoy their independence but it's not the point of the show akflpdkgpel. If Die Schatten werden länger (reprise) is not explicitly about the anxiety brought on by the seemingly unstoppable rise of fascism that nobody else seems to care to stop it, I don't want it and it's pointless. And that's what it was about originally...

Portraying evil/oppression/prejudice - especially evil things that people tend to shrug off and minimize in their daily lives because it feels too insidious and widespread for them to bother to fight it - is a pretty central thing in art that has a message, and it's honestly such a dumb take to go "omg why would they write about that, that's so [type of prejudice]" in cases where the CENTRAL THESIS OF THE WORK is "x is bad, it's real and exists in the world we live in, and the general public isn't doing enough to stop it". That kind of reaction shows that you just legit can't read and would rather have random "Good Representation" (which can also be important! But while representation has its place, it's not enough to just have random unaddressed diversity if you want to change people's mindsets) than a work that actually criticises the status quo, points out unaddressed privileges and prejudices, and makes a meaningful point.

[angelsdean]

I kind of get your point but also all art and creativity should be open to criticism. As an artists you have to have a thick skin. You can't go around expecting people to only have positive opinions. Negative and Positive deserve to be shared and as an artist you decide what you ignore. If I read a bad fic and choose to share why I dislike it the author can choose to ignore me, realize what the target audience is or isn't, or take the criticism to improve something.

People sharing negative criticism also helps audiences choose what they consume and that has value. It's like restaurant reviews you need to see the good and the bad where people say "lacked salt for my taste" to help make a decision.

full stop if you need other ppl's opinions to make your own decision on whether you should be reading something then you need to develop better skills. someone else's opinion shouldn't hold that much weight. just look at the thing yourself and decide.

i'm not going to get into a debate over this. but there is a time and place for criticism and there's a difference between offering someone constructive criticism to improve and leaving unnecessary mean comments or publicly dragging someone's work for the "bit" or to seem funny-ironic-whatever on tumblr dot com. reblogging someone's art or writing just to dunk on it is not okay. people in fandom are not making these things as a job, it's a fun hobby! i've been in professional and academic writing and art critique workshops. there is always a basic level of respect given when critiquing people's work. that etiquette is not often found online where people will tear apart someone's work under the guise of "constructive criticism." fandom artists and writers did not sign up for a workshop, they're not sharing their work for unsolicited criticism. they're doing it for fun as an act of sharing something they made with others who have similar interests !!!

if you can't appreciate they act of creation as a form of connection, joy, and love between people and can only think of how to tear others down because your need to "critique" something is so great then idk what to tell you. (also. what to "consume"? what has "value'? art and writing and really any creative work is not for consumption. things made of joy and creative expression and that are not actively harming anyone inherently have value)

anyways, treat people with basic respect and kindness. it's really not that hard. and, age old wisdom, if you have nothing nice to say don't say anything at all. if something is not "your taste" that's fine! no one is saying you're not allowed to have preferences. but you can just, quietly close out of a tab or scroll past an art post you don't like instead of feeling the need to comment your opinion on everything.

[lettucedloophole]

(Self-hating trans girl from the previous ask)

Thanks for responding! Could you clarify what "third-sexing" and "degendering" mean? Why is it inherently violent? For context (since I unintentionally made it sound like this was based on Janice Raymond's views), my view on the possibility of trans women being a third sex was mostly influenced by the article "A Rose is a Rose: The Nomenclature of Sex and Oppression" by Margaret Deirdre O'Hartigan (you can find it in issue 5 of the TransSisters journal on the Internet Archive: archive.org/details/transsistersjou1994unse_1). The article was originally published in 1980, a year after The Transsexual Empire was published, and the author responded to a lot of terf beliefs, but she argued that trans women should be a third sex instead of women (she used "changeling" as a new name for them).

The question of trans men being a fourth sex especially wasn't something I thought about. My instinctive response is no, that I don't think there's a problem with them using the label of "man" or using male spaces, but I don't know why I think this about trans men but not trans women. The terf response to something like this would usually be "because trans women are male (and therefore dangerous)", but honestly this neglects the fact that, even if they were both classified under the same name, trans women just aren't the same group as cis men and aren't treated the same (which was also the basis of them being a third sex in the first place). I guess it just feels wrong in a way that I can't explain, so it probably has a lot more to do with internalized transphobia/transmisogyny than any reasoned argument.

Anyways thank you for explaining your view on this, it helped me change my mind. I got into terf beliefs in like 2022/2023 and it's been a gradual process of trying to unlearn. I don't hate trans people, and I love and care about trans women, but lots of terf ideas can feel almost inarguable in spite of that. I got as far as non-essentialism, but it wasn't really clear to me how that leads to a pro-trans position so I was just stuck there for a while. The article I mentioned earlier about trans women being a third sex was basically the only pro-trans explanation from that standpoint that made sense to me.

of course! third-sexing (as i was using it) is just the act of deeming trans women a third sex instead of women, and degendering is stripping someone of gender and usually entails dehumanization as a result. it can simply refer to instances where trans women are they/them'd, for example, but the sense in which i use it and have mostly seen it used (on socmed, admittedly, though there's academic writings on this definition too) is something more like how black women are seen as lesser women to the extent that they would be grouped in with men and face violence or just not grouped in with other women. and since humanity is intertwined with gender, the degendered person is seen as less human as a result. it's not a term exclusive to black women though, arguably all woc are degendered (particularly brown/black/darkskinned women), intersex women, lesbians and trans women. women who have traits that are considered masculine.

why degendering is violent is more apparent with the way i described it, and i would say third-sexing is a form of degendering and that's part of why it's violent. since the two gender system is normal, denying trans women's womanhood is a denial of their normalcy. this argument isn't sufficient though as some ppl (nonbinary ppl like myself) declare a denial of the binary and thus, normalcy, but this doesn't mean they desire marginalization. so being acknowledged as outside of the gender binary is not always violent, but third-sexing in particular is.

as to why third-sexing is inherently violent, i touched on this in my last response but i think the world shows evidence of this. i have no theoretical basis for why i think this, just the practical basis that third sex groups in diff cultures (like hijra or fa'afafine) are marginalized and many identify themselves as women, but in spite of this are said to be a third sex by onlookers. a denial of womanhood so often means violence for trans women. in this precarious situation, it seems counterintuitive to suggest a roundabout solution when the solution has already been recommended from the majority of those people, yk? i know that sounds flimsy, but i hope i can expand upon my feelings by sharing more about third-sexing.

a possible counterargument here is, what about nonbinary people? if trans women are marginalized by being forced out of the gender/sex binary, wouldn't nonbinary people also be? and so, rather than arguing that trans women are women, wouldn't it be better to just dismantle the gender binary as a whole? and in the long term, yes. but being recognized as women keeps trans women safe now. nonbinary people being outside of the gender binary is just an additional layer of marginalization they have to deal with for the sake of their authentic identity. and i don't mean to pose trans women and nb people as mutually exclusive groups, ofc trans women can also be nonbinary but i think i would have to say a lot more words to try and qualify what i mean to not give off that impression temporarily. lmao.

i'm retreading here, but i think it's important to hone in on the fact that self identification of gender in trans people helps destroy the myth of an innate gender & sex. this is lost if trans women are seen as a third sex, considered too marked by maleness to be women. the idea of being endlessly marked by maleness is itself bioessentialistic and leaves no hope for women to ever be free of oppression, if male violence goes beyond the social. and ultimately, i suppose i just don't think there's much of an argument for trans women to be a third sex instead of women beyond discomfort, especially if you don't feel the same about trans men. trans men are more often perceived as just women or men i think, and there's less contention about them being taken as either of those groups than trans women being taken in as women. i see the trans women i know as women, and the world knows this too, though they claim otherwise.

about that transsisters article, i read it and i sympathize with it, but it does seem a little outdated. for example, it uses "h*rmaphrodites" to refer to intersex people, and the publication even acknowledges this lapse in terminology. referring to people on the fringes of sex as "changelings" is romantic, and i appreciate the way she justifies it in terms of magic keeping a group alive, but practically i do think it's a bit othering and implies impersonation. no hate to her for using it for herself, she can reclaim that language if she wants. i found she also identified as an "archigalli," chief priestess of the gallae (transsexual roman priestesses) she discussed in the piece after "a rose is a rose." i think this identification shows she may have romanticized the third sex role without having experienced the full brunt of its effects, as most third sex groups are in colonized societies afaik. i would recommend this piece on hijra and third-sexing to get some insight into their oppression and problem with third sex roles.

margaret deirdre o'hartigan identifies as a transsexual woman now, i think, based on this interview with the university of minnesota. she still has some comparatively conservative views about transsexual people for a trans activist, like reservations about lia thomas. i had these same reservations when i was a terf, but knowledge is power, and looking up things showed me it's merely an issue of transmisogynistic discomfort rather than any genuine wrongdoing on lia thomas' part. i think it's important to remember that, and to skeptically look into conservative rhetoric about trans people. you can still have reservations about some things, like the rare misogynistic trans woman, without forsaking faith in yourself and trans women as a whole. a shitty trans person doesn't have to act as confirmation of anything about yourself or others.

and truly its my pleasure! i made this account in the hopes of offering another (radical feminist) perspective so i'm happy it's serving its purpose. i got into terf beliefs before you did but it seems like they haven't evolved much at all. you're getting out pretty recently so do give yourself grace as you unlearn these things. i didn't mean to insinuate that you hated trans people, i sure didn't, some of it is just internalized transphobia and then there's just a shit load of propaganda working against us. just center your love of other trans people and women and you will be okay 💙

im very glad i could help, but my asks and messages are always open if you need anything else. happy deprogramming! 🎉

[wooahaes]

Glad to hear you are feeling better! My tutor said that not many people used pop up for their project so part of me took that as a challenge haha (also pop is so cool, there are so many intricate pieces out there!). My dissertation was "the power of music", but I'd deliberately made it vague because I didn't know what to focus on lol. I'm sort of looking at "does music make you smarter". The Mozart effect gets referenced at lot, but it only affects spacial reasoning not intelligence -🍧

There does seem to be a link between studying music and good grades, but it could also just be the students personality not the effect of music. An article i read suggested that when people ask "does music make you smarter" they imply "smarter at something else" which I thought was really interesting. It's definitely interesting to read up on. I think that music does make you smarter, but smarter at music lol. I'm always happy to share about my projects, it's nice when people are interested -🍧

My thoughts on uts. Firstly, it is such a comforting series. Idk how you do it, but every part leaves me feeling warm! I absolutely loved the whole book plot in wonwoo's part. Every part makes me so soft for the 95s, but you keep breaking my heart over cheol haha. I hope I don't sound impatient, but I'm v excited for his part. I can't wait for him to finally get his happy ending? I actually love uts (and all your other fics) so much. I hope you stay well! 🍧

hiii lovely, sorry for not getting to this sooner! i hope your project has been going well (and i hope you figured out pop up if you went with it! i love seeing the intricate pop up art <3). but ooo the power of music sounds like such a cool topic!! i get making it vague through, since i think its good when to stay vague when you're still narrowing down what you really wanna look into.

i can believe there's a link between studying music + good grades, but i do wonder if it's only a certain kind of studying music? like most people default to classical, but i legit listened to whatever i felt like when i did schoolwork/studied because not having lyrics made it harder for me to focus weirdly enough. the "smarter at something else" part is def interesting tho! plus it makes sense with the whole studying music being linked to studying something else. pls feel free to share whatever you like with me! i love hearing about other ppls pursuits, especially in academics <3

aaa tysm!! that means so much to hear, especially with some parts not being the most positive haha (kwan hao wonu) but i'm glad they still have that comforting/warm energy. im glad you enjoyed the book plot in wonwoo's part! i wanted to have some kind of connection to the teasers while stepping firmly away for wonwoo's to be more about him and the reader since reader getting the same ending as him would pretty much have meant they're destined. plus the shifting details is meant to stay in the same vein of 'weird shit happens' lol (also it was just fun to play around with writing something like a storybook).

hehe i'm glad abt the 95z tho! cheol might be the leader of the entire group, but i like making it clear that hannie and shua both also are an important factor in keeping everyone comfy/happy/cared for <3 also whoopsss (over cheol) <3 (its ok i break my own heart with cheol)

im glad ur excited though! trust me, i'm excited for it too. i have a lot planned for it and i honestly kinda think it might be longer than all the other parts once i'm fully done with it? but i'm absolutely satisfied with the plans i have, just gotta write the other parts to get to him <3

i hope you stay well as well! stay hydrated n rest well, mwah <3

[canichangemyblogname]

in ur tags on the post babafett reblogged, u said that intelligent ppl r the most likely to question authority. but there r rly smart ppl who support authority, even dictators and such. can you explain why that is.

A lot of the supposed intelligence for popular talking-heads is simply branding. Take Elon Musk for example. He's not an inventor. He's not an entrepreneur. He's not an engineer. And he's not the founder of Tesla. Most of what he's achieved has been with his father's money and through branding. He has lots of people working very hard at his public image.

The same goes for literally everyone on TV or in the public eye-- from politicians to news anchors to actors. Everything they say--unless they say some dumb ass PR nightmare-like shit--is carefully crafted. Believe me, I've been on that end of things.

Does that mean there isn't some real smart kid behind the scenes writing their speeches and press releases and transcripts and op-eds? No, there is. Might they be working for problematic people who want to look smart to the average viewer? Yes.

Which brings me to my second point. While we may have the urge to write off these "rly smart ppl who support authority" who are Ivy-league grads just because their daddy's money got them there, we still need to remember that they can be quite smart. These smart people who maybe support--say--fascists know what they're doing. They know why it's considered wrong. They're still saying and writing and engaging with these ideas with intention. Never underestimate the allure of whiteness under white supremacy. And never underestimate these people just because they seem to be saying something really out there or because they support problematic causes or because they were born with a silver spoon in their mouths.

A lot of intelligent white people are very aware of how things work and very aware of how oppressive white supremacy is, and they still support authority because it allows them to retain their political or economic power. And they know it does. This, even if they turn around and say that they aren't racist or that they don't think their country's wealth was built on the backs of oppressed people and colonialism. They know they are lying through their teeth. They are depending on your ignorance and your gullibility. They want plausible deniability, so they try to convince the average person that they're really-really smart and they know what they're talking about.

Because they know it's bull shit. And I know. And they know that I know. But you don't, and that's where these seeds can be planted. Someone like Jo Rogan or Laura Ingram are depending on you not knowing that what they're saying is absolute horse shit. They're hoping that their branding is going to work and that you'll think they're really smart and like they have all this (exclusive) knowledge that you need to know and can't get elsewhere.

They know they can pull the wool over the average person, but doing so would require an ironic anti-intellectualism. Because while they paint themselves as smart or an "expert" or as "true woke" (they misuse it, IK), maintaining power means denying others access to knowledge and information. Their brand might depend on them sounding like they know what they're talking about and are educated (while the educated are brainwashed), but their "enemies" are institutions of education. That's why they attack the academic integrity of universities or ban books or ban certain subjects.

They need the knowledge, and they especially need the knowledge of how to take advantage of our current social and economic structures and weaponize them against certain groups. And you need to be kept in the dark so they can succeed. They do this by making and keeping education exclusive.

You're also ignoring how the support of such authoritarian movements is often painted as a challenge to traditional institutions or authority. It's not, and those who lead these movements know that what they're doing will likely strengthen the current power structure into something more absolute. They can weaponize it, knowing that doing so will allow them to retain or assume more power/influence. All the while, they can convince the average viewer that their movement will change things. And if the viewer feels disaffected, the messaging will be even more successful.

These "rly smart ppl who support authority" want to strengthen the current power structure to continue to benefit them or the benefit them more. They say and do what they do with intention. They might not actually be all that clever or creative or intelligent--especially as authoritarian movements choose ideological purity over competency--but they're still self-aware and they make knowledge exclusive and they act with intention.

It's also important to know that a lot of people who support authority and go about life unquestioning it, could be not that smart. For example, there are entrance exam scores that are "too high" to join police forces.

Alternatively, they might have been indoctrinated into a cult. A lot of these authoritarian and fundamentalist movements use cult-tactics for recruitment and retainment. It's based in a very intentional psychology and there's no such thing as being "too smart" to be indoctrinated into a cult. A lot of the people you're referring to might have even been fed this since childhood. They take advantage of vulnerability and can very successfully propagandize and influence very smart people.

[cherryblossom-chopper]

Greetings, Liv!

So my friend Emma sees that you're accepting Mashup Reqs so they ask me to send this ask request to you for them;

Hello🙏✨

I just saw your page and think your works seem cool, So I'm here to send a request 🖐️💟

This is my firt time to send anyone an ask sor excuse my language and words haa-

I'm Emma. Or in Japanese ‘ Eima ’ (Ei that means Eternal)

I'm a Cancer, an ENTJ 3w4(But prefer to be alone rather than joining people in social-related stuffs) I have Depression and ADHD. Queer (She/Her, They/Them or anything—) I prefer any gender But mostly Masc.

I'm Thai and half Chinese. I know 6 languages and I can speak 3 of them.

I enjoy staying alone, Drowning in my thoughts. My hobbies are art-related like Drawing, Playing Music(I love playing Cello the most ayaaa💌♥️💗💓💟✨), Writing stories, read books (mostly European and Japanese classic novels like Crime and Punishment, No Longer Human, And Then There Were None)

I have a younger brother that's very energetic so I need to take care of him all the time since we were young.

My interest are Every king of arts, stories, cosplay, photography, writing, occult, music.

Not sure if this necessary but I'm Simping for middle-aged men lol

I'm scared of being in large spaces and crowds, also scared of socializing with people I don't know pretty well. But I'm really confident when it came to something that can satisfy my ego- (and No one can hurt my pride! Hah!)

I'm a solitude person and don't really have friends (cuz' I don't think I need them anyways) I'm not good with words so I mostly communicate through my actions. I tend to be uncomfortable around very cheerful ppl (and people around me are mostly that type of person, So I often Isolate myself from them)

I have low determination and often find academic things boring.

I'm very strict about privacy. I don't intrude other's and They can't intrude mine. (If they went to far, I immediately stop and cut of everything)

My favourite animals are Reptiles and Avians. Mainly Snakes and Hawks, Owls, Ducks.

Here's my informations!

Hope I don't mess anything up here ehe-

Btw thanks for accepting my request 🙏💟💗💓✨

Welcome to my page, dearest! You're so talented! I'm impressed!

~~

I ship you with Kuzan (Aokiji)

I suspect Kuzan would be very intimidating for you to talk to at first. He's a quiet and apathetic guy who also happens to be like seven feet tall. A massive man. For one reason or another, though, I think Kuzan would be interested in you and pursue you, as he actively goes after anything that interests him.

His muted responses and on-the-go kind of attitude seem like they would fit really well with your needs for privacy and solitude. Kuzan doesn't mind giving you space because he also values alone time. But he makes it clear that you can always reach out to him for anything you need.

I think Kuzan would enjoy listening to you play music. Sure maybe he'd fall asleep, but he can't help himself. Your presence comforts him. I think he would like to simply relax in the same room together. No one has to talk or do something outwardly interesting. The two of you could just sit in silence doing different things, maybe you're both reading, or he's playing on his phone, and you're writing. It doesn't matter to Kuzan all that much.

Relationship Trope:: Stanger's to Lovers

[radio-charlie]

hey charlie. i just want to show understanding towards what u have to contend with and what ur life has necessitated u to be in order to survive or carve a place for urself or to feel worthy of existing as urself. i know u hold a lot of pain (wow understatement) and that expecting or wanting u to not need to contend with it is foolish. i don't want to treat the path ur life has taken and the challenges u have to face on that path to be less legitimate(?) of a human timeline. u know what it mean? like not all of us can just put our focus into only contending with the societally canonical conquests of academic/marital/career success and not have to deal with anything else. paths having to deal with far messier things have a place in our human tapestry so i don't want to ask u not to live the ways u have to live. and i also can't be an authority on what u need or need to do.

and i also wish that u could cut urself some major slack and focus on ur own nourishment more. not suggesting u check out of any work u feel like u need to do in this world, but maybe looking for communities to invest ur work into who invest back into u? bc charlie u are not going to be okay and u are not going to make nearly as significant of an impact on improving people's lives if u don't take more consideration of what u need in order to sustain ur own vitality. u're burnt out trying to straighten out the bad-faith-fraught world of reactionary sjw philosophy and idk, i'm not sure that that's all that different from rearranging deck chairs on the titanic hoping that'll help it not to sink. u're a cognizant and responsible crewmate charlie, and i hope u find a ship that u don't have to tear urself apart to keep afloat. there's gonna be a ship and a crew strong and spacious enough to hold ur heartache and make space for ur blunders, that's not going to need u to hold all the burden in order to not fall apart. and then u can contribute to something that stands strong and provides people sturdy transport, rather than spend all ur days cobbling back pieces of a ship that is getting increasingly unsuitable to hold anyone. we need intuitive men who aren't strangers to the messiness of truth to nourish themselves so that they can nourish others effectively.

alright. that is what i wanted to say. ur level of thriving matters u know? to God and to those of us who can see the essence within u that wants to express itself but can only do so properly if u give more of a shit abt what u feel. it matters to the people in ur future who will need u to be resourced and fully grounded in order to feel safe relying on u. now i leave this to u, and it is up to u know if what i said is fair or not. my suggestion is to take ur time considering this, and to not take this message to mean u're being obligated to rush through any choices and changes. i simply wanted to say what's on my chest. i respect ur timeline and ur judgement. i wish u well.

hey anon. i was quite surprised to receive this, because i didn't think anyone would write me smth like this. thank you for taking all that time and effort, and thank you for like, giving that much of a shit about what's going on with me, that you would give this thorough, thoughtful and honest feedback on the way i'm doing things. i might have to reread it a few more times before i can really understand the implications of everything u said and decide where to go from here, especially re: finding a new community, but it means the world to me that u care this much and have tried to see me in such a kind light where other ppl just sort of dismissed me for their own convenience ig.

tbh some of the ppl i work with for sj stuff are really good friends and "colleagues" (we're not officially in the same org but we do work together on projects), but i think they too are so burnt out from everything that none of us can be much support to each other, although there are plans to go for group hotpot when it's safer to dine out heh. we've had some good rant sessions abt the state of socmed sj here, which is sadly where Culturally Irrelevant Learnings for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Bangsar-Mont-Kiara proliferate. ah anyway not going to talk ur ear off about that, it won't be anything you haven't already seen on this blog probably. i'll be keeping what you said in mind, and might even print it out when i get home. thanks again. i owe u one

[unproduciblesmackdown]

currently t posing as hard as ever thanks to also being stuck in [i can't believe i have to create what i want to create] mode... comradeship... ✨🔮🍺⚡

ugh smh at all of us attempting to create anything......comrades in this mess for sure B/ when will we learn

✨ Favourite aesthetic?

i can enjoy some like Muted Atmospheric type palettes......like, dim lighting / atmospheric distancing, maybe some monochrome-leaning stuff, Desaturated Colors which is wild as i never use this aesthetic myself lmao and am being unusually “restrained” if i choose Non-100% Saturated Colors.......i like some nighttime / dusk type Visuals although then within that i like both like, more ~realistically~ muted/dark stuff And Also like stylistically brightened / more saturated blues than you’d Really see at night, plus maybe some Warm Lighting from some source, don’t have to lean full thomas kinkade with it or whatever but it’s good. and Sunset type lighting where there’s both like, some colorful Lighting but also more desaturated shadows.......i don’t go so much for earth / jewel tones really like, either Lighter & Brighter or Darker & More Muted is my like Palette sensibilities apparently

🔮 Any advice you would have given 10 y/o you?

i have to like count out like what year of school are people in at whatever age....that’d be circa 4th/5th grade i guess?? not much going on. 4th grade was that one [several scenes from julius caesar] where it was like oh this is pretty clear You’re A Theatre Gay (which i only put together v recently for how obvious it was lol) and also of Course You’re Trans lmao like, may as well explain not only what Being Trans is (i don’t like, particularly remember when i became aware of That Being A Thing was?? like i know i knew by 14 but...) and go ahead and explain being Nonbinary coz it Was a good few years before i like, heard of that as a concept.....speaking of the Circa-’10s Dialogue i could’ve explained “you aren’t obligated to like, lgbtq-dom to Come Out to your family” b/c my Attempt at that only inconvenienced me and it’s just not a good/true sentiment for anyone lol........took a minute to like, get Perspective on things where i had this assumption that i’d Age Out of what turned out to be more inherent issues like [you are autistic, and also queer, and ppl don’t always just Make Friend Groups by high school age lol] and [family dynamics are not all Like This and it seems like the ‘rents approach is Wild b/c it is and it’s not Really going to fundamentally change so just don’t worry about the Continual Strife lol not on you actually] like, there’s a real On The One Hand But On The Other matter where my getting to go away to college gave that chance for some crucial Distance / Perspective on things about myself and my existence, but also forever in “i kind of hate school despite whatever parts are alright-to-good” club and did i need to rack up the tuition-etc Costs, would i have been able to get the Perspective in high school? probably in part but i also would’ve probably hated the [academic] part more and also would’ve been around most of the same ppl since kindergarten and yet i was sitting at the Odds N Ends lunch table probably just reading, so even though i was also not magically Socially Thriving in college, it was better from that angle too.......maybe could’ve told myself to do Backstage Theatre Stuff, since there was that issue of “i like to Perform but didn’t quite enjoy Family Members seeing it lmao”......compromise about your theatre gayness? who knows. generally tell myself to not worry about being Not Unruly as much, see: [the conflict is inevitable and too fundamental] lmao from many angles......who tf knows what primers on [Political Awareness] i could give a 10 yr old, that’s sure developing more in those years............idk like there’s Much 2 Consider but at the same time even Theoretically i’m not pressed to mess with the timeline lmao. like really just Maybe the small tip like “people are trans and specifically being nonbinary is A Thing and you are not obligated to Come Out To Parents” like, lord knows you get enough of their [i suspect and resent my progeny is not gender &/or sexualitying Correctly] without even bothering to confirm it for them

🍺 Favourite drink?

damb.......i like a Coffee alright for like, non-practical reasons i.e. all caffeine is likely to do is make me even sweatier than usual........tea can be pretty good, i like fruit / mint flavors (separately...).......sweet tea / lemonade combo (or just sweet tea ft. like a lemon wedge) pretty much fucks, or just regular lemonade on its own lol.......orange juice is okay, teresa was talking abt orange juice And apple cider last night like yeah apple cider’s okay, i went from liking apple juice to finding it intolerable and now i think i Can power through it w/o enthusiasm but apple cider is always great. grape soda is good and so is orange soda, sprite, ginger ale......and also Grape Juice is rly good......s/o to Water, idk that anyone’s enthused or anything on average but thank you for the hydration........idk i’m just out here like Sipppp........just wanna avoid anything Overall bitter really (tea / coffee always gotta be sweetened.....if i’m having Alcohol it’s gotta be like some cocktail and even then i've like multiple times tried and failed to just power through a pina colada. various unsweetened Teas have also just been like, i’d rather have the plain water. oh yeah and sparkling water, tf is going on there, Gross......avoided it wholly for years but last i checked cherry juice Specifically is intolerable 2 me) but idk i guess yeah if you take the Average of everything the answer is just like. water.........this just epitomizes my Asks Answers lmfao there’s no real answer but i take forever writing down whatever thought crosses my mind in the course of figuring it out and go tl;dr n/a or [the most boring answer possible]

⚡ Ever had a Greek Mythology phase?

i feel like i’m sort of forgetting some aspects to the “not really but kind of” answer like, most summers i’d Partake in some sort of daytime 2-3 week Activities camp lmao and i feel like one of them of yore mayyyybe had some kind of greek mythology theme to it b/c we had yknow like these smaller groups and i think we had to come up with Skits explaining greek myths b/c our like 4-5 person group did Arachne and i’m fairly sure that everyone else’s was along those lines lmao nothing Completely Different.......most of what i really remember was like, first of all it’s that “i cannot simply Think Of An Idea” problem lmao like tf do you mean Create A Skit......but it wasn’t just Me so we worked around it lol. and anyways the most Memorable thing was like, the day before we were gonna Present these skits we were like “uh how are we gonna have a Visible Spider’s Web” and one of the people were like “i have like a sheet with a spiderweb design on it” and we were like are you gonna forget to bring it though, and then she forgot to bring it, and when someone in our group like told An Adult like “uh what do we do if a sort of essential prop is Unavailable” we were unhelpfully brushed off with “you’ll just have to use your imaginations” and so we bitterly were like Oh Is THAT The Sentiment Then............and what we did is like, i don’t remember what [sort of chorus / narrator] greek god i happened to be playing but i was the one to hold up the “web” like wow amazing weaving here, as per the myth of arachne, and since we didn’t have anything and were told to just use our imaginations to rectify the issue, i held up the corners of Absolutely Nothing and announced it was sure an incredible woven spider’s web, i.e. the audience had to Imagine It.........a real memorable event of Inspired Pettiness from us like 9 yr olds or whatever the fuck. lmfao. of course nobody would’ve given a shit either way but we were somewhat pressed about it so it was fun to just like, get that Stress brushed off and in turn go “ah fuck it then” lmfao

[luvdsc]

Hihi Cat! I've come to deliver some good news! (This is pretty long huhu ToT)

MY ERB HAS BEEN APPROVED AND I CAN PROCEED TO RECRUIT PARTICIPANTS!! Ahh it's been such a blessing to be able to proceed immediately! I've actually hit my target amount of participants in less than a day (IT'S CRAZY) but I'm gonna collect more responses cuz the more the better! (Would you wanna check the questionnaire out? I can PM you the link!! :3)

Also also I PASSED THAT FINALS! The one I took a day after my vaccination (1st dose) ToT GAHH I'm so happy I won't even ask for more, it's enough :3

I've been writing my thesis during this sem break but it's progressing pretty slowly cuz I've been so drained from last semester and the vaccine itself. Huhu but I've written a brief rundown for my proposal so there's a rough idea there, just needa rly assemble it into a clear narrative. And yes I agree! Psychology studies are a beautiful fusion of science & human essence imo, and its fascinating learning more abt ourselves and how we as the human species progress in life ya know? 😌

I got my second dose exactly a week ago and got the same side effects - headache, arm soreness, hunger, fatigue; I felt like a fusion of psyduck & snorlax HAHAHAHA 😂 - it wasn't anything serious so yay I'm fully vaccinated! (in a few weeks time keke I'll be)

HAHAHAHA my vaccination appointments were pretty eventful. The nurses and volunteers were all so warm and friendly! I'm the type of person who feels whatever's being injected into me, it's not the pain that I wanna distract myself from (it wasn't pain tbh) but that sluggish discomfort I get from the needle ejaculation >//< sooo as they showed me the vile and syringe before injecting me, I prepped my Yangyang photocard in my hand. During my second dose, the nurse thought I had some fancy way of taking a video when in actual fact I was just looking at my Yangyang photocard hehe UwU she asked me whether I wanted to see the needle going in (smtg I can't look at tbh) and I was like HELL NAH ToT

And also some recap from the previous ask!

There's no need to apologise for the delayed response okie!! UwU my sem break is ending this week, but I've spent my time completing my academic research trainee tasks (transcribing audio clips), I've also created the content & design for my uni's newsletter, did some thesis writing, and I took a course on financial planning on Coursera to prep myself for the adulting life ToT

And idm sharing my back up / failed topics! I didn't have a lot of cards in my hands, but here are some of em!

1) time perspective and meaning in life 2) anticipatory nostalgia 3) not a topic but a variable! fragility of happiness / happiness aversion

what ideas did you settle on for yr art pieces? If you dm sharing, I'd love to hear abt it! 💖💖💖

Tbh I can't think of a fav ice cream flavor hmm 🤔 i rly didn't think it'd be so hard thinking of a fav ice cream flavor but the first that comes to mind is green tea! I like them milky flavored ice cream😍 though my fav from this ice cream place I go to is thai milk tea, it's so fragrant and milky!! 🥺💖 I just got myself a tub of milk & biscoff gelato keke UwU what's yr fav ice cream flavor? :3

For my course structure:

We have 2 long sems (Jan - Apr, & Aug - Dec, 16 weeks) & a short sem (May - July, 9 weeks)! Our sem breaks are only around a month then it's back to sleepless nights ToT AND YES those weeks were the most stressful weeks ever 🥺😭 I'm glad I'm graduating soon for that reason 😂(though idk what awaits in the working world ToT that is another fear I have :/)

Thank you for being part of this journey and being open to listening to my lil adventures! 🥺🙆🏻‍♀️💖😭 esp w the amount of responses and ppl helping me, I feel a lil more motivated to work and excel in this pregnancy (thesis, I call it pregnancy cuz it's around 9 months too HEHE) Since the pandemic, it's been pretty hard separating studies & hobbies :/ I've learnt it the hard way from my period cramps last sem (mine's the severe type where you can faint ToT), and it was also on my last paper for finals !! Very traumatizing ._. but I'll continue to manage myself better! :3

Huhu Cat since you're working now, I also wanna ask abt yr experience in job seeking! Cuz unemployment is a real deal here esp. w everything that's going on :') I don't have working experience either (only had 1 through internship) and it literally feels like I'm going into the unknown ToT I've been running over some case studies and assessments just to better prep myself for this. Do you have any advice as someone who's already working? UwU

Take care and stay lovely as always!! 💖💖💖

hi, sweetpea !!!! 🌸 omg major congratulations for getting your ERB approved, honey bee !!!!! 🥳🥳🥳 that’s absolutely amazing, and I’m uber proud of you 🥺💗💗 also, it’s wonderful that you hit the required number of participants so quickly !!!!! (And I would love to participate if the questionnaire is still open 🤧)

AND HECK YEAAA CONGRATS ON PASSING THE FINAL TOO 🤩🤩🤩🤩 big congrats to you all around, miss smarty pants 💓💓💓

Oh gosh, I hope you got to rest during your semester break too ): you’re working so hard, please remember to take care of yourself !! 💕 your mental health is more important 🤍 have you finalized your proposal now? And omg yes exactly !!! It’s so interesting to see the thought process behind an action and how it can be manipulated or influenced by various stimulants or there’s also the argument between nature versus nurture too and how that affects psychology and it’s just all so cool to learn about 🤩

Omg you had so many symptoms, I’m so sorry to hear that 😭 I only had a sore arm, but that’s what happens when I get any shot 🤧 I hope you’re feeling better now 💘💘

I’m really glad to hear that the nurses and volunteers were kind and friendly !! it’s always comforting to have nice people as doctors, especially when you’re trusting them to stick a needle in you bshdjdjdkd omg yangyang to the rescue !!!! 💞💞 we’re not allowed to record record any medical appointments, like I think the nurse thought the person in front of me in line was recording when they were getting their vaccine and said they weren’t allowed to do that 😅 and aaaaa I always have to look when they inject me, I don’t like being taken by surprise 🤧

oh my gosh you were so productive over your semester break !!!! :o and oooo you do content & design for your school’s newsletter? Do you do stuff like graphic designing and write articles? 💓 and how was the financial planning course !! Did you learn a lot? Did you like the studies? :’)

aaaaa those topics sound so cool ??? 🤩🤩 I would definitely be down to read about those omg 💛

for my 3D design class, I decided to do lightbulbs and flowers as my overarching theme for my art pieces !! I included a couple pictures below under the cut at the bottom 💓 the first one is a soft sculpture made out of newspaper, and there’s a pencil next to it for size reference, the second one is made of wires that I shaped myself, and the third one is made of foam boards that I cut and assembled myself as well 💕 and I included a picture of my final painting project! it’s a triptych and I believe the size was like 18 x 24 for each one? If you click on the picture, it should be better quality!

omg I love green tea ice cream too !!!!! 🍵🍦 I like going to somi somi for their matcha and milk swirl ice cream with red bean taiyaki 💚 I only had thai milk tea ice cream once, but it was phenomenal 🤩 I wish they sold it near me too !! milk and biscoff :o I’ve never tried that flavor! I’ll have to see if it’s sold around here :’) green tea is my favorite, but I also really like everything but the... from Ben and Jerry’s !! 💛 also alcoholic ice cream.... like there’s this one kind where it was a breakfast esque type with vanilla, corn flakes, and bourbon, and it was delicious 😋

omg what 😭😭 you’re basically going to school year round with no break bahsjdjdjdkd when I was in uni, i had a month off for winter break (usually something like dec 9 - jan 9) and then mid june to mid September off, so around three months of summer vacation? Your school schedule sounds absolutely brutal 💀💀

and omg of course !!! Thank you for letting me be a part of the journey 🥺💗 bdjdjddj pregnancy omg that’s such an interesting way of seeing it :o sending you all my love and support for a successful delivery of your thesis baby 🥰🥰 oh yeah, it’s definitely been a struggle to separate everything, especially when the lines between home and workspace blur with online school or working from home. And oh my god ???? Are you okay ?? Did you go see a doctor or take any medication? I hope you’re feeling better now !! Please take care of yourself 😭

ah, I got my job through my internship, so I’m not sure how helpful I will be 😅 but during the process of interviewing for internships, there were several rounds for each company that range from a group interview, a one on one interview, video interview where they give you random questions that you have to answer on the spot (some of mine were discuss the stock market, give a sales pitch on something you’re interested in, etc), a test, etc. I think it’s different depending on the job you’re going for, but that’s what I had to do in the business field! It’s important to study and prep for all of this!! It’s like taking an verbal exam for one of your classes. And also make sure to study the company’s website and familiarize yourself with what they do/sell.

My one piece of overall advice would be about interviews! Interviews are important in which the person interviewing you is seeing if you’ll be a good fit with the company, not in terms of skill, but personality. They already know you’re qualified and have good skills - that’s how you got the interview. With the interview, they’re essentially trying to see how personable you are and if you will work well with their team. Some people are so intent on proving their skills that they kinda just rattle off all their achievements and whatnot, and it’s like... the interviewer already knows this, it’s all on the resume they reviewed when they decided to give the interview offer. Be friendly, open, maybe make a little small talk at the beginning (“hey, how are you? any weekend plans / how was your weekend?” This is what I did for all my business interviews, and I got an offer back from every one 🤧💗), make appropriate jokes / be a little funny, just show that you’d be a fun person to have in the office whom people will want on their team, but that you will also be dedicated to the job and work hard 💘

And thank you so much, honey bee!!! 💞 I hope you’re doing well and having a good week , and please take care as well 🌷🌷