#overuse of brackets

[dontsayimhere]

ok so I came across a little malcolm bright fanfic (don't worry babes, linked below, go enjoy) and it began a lil bit of brain rot so hear me out:

(spoilers for the fic, go read it first if you want, commentary/word vomit bit is below)

ok so in this malcolm has a seizure disorder which Gil knows about, but not Dani. stuff gets figured out, others are updated etc. etc.

BUT

my lil goblin brain couldn't leave well enough alone so after like the third time reading this i've decided to pen (or rather type) these ridiculous things i can just about call thoughts

SO

let's set the scene, malcolm (yh for some reason my brain thinks the name looks better lower case? sorry if that bothers you but now it's slightly more symmetrical?) has a seizure while Gil and Dani are there.

(also not trying to romanticise anything, just going off what i got)

Dani and Gil are both used to the Complete Human Disaster™ that malcolm is so obviously they both know seizure first aid for future reference.

(also gentle reminder, if you don't know this go find out, there's like st John's ambulance videos that make you a functioning member of society in under 10 mins)

now, based on the confidence that each of them seem to have regarding the situation, they keep looking at each other like "huh, they seem to have done this before"

so they end up each thinking that malcolm must have epilepsy/a seizure disorder that the other knows about but they never got told.

they look after him, do all the things you have by now learned in helpful video format (wink wink) and everything is fine, right?

THEN

when malcolm eventually wakes up, and is told what happened he is understandably eloquent in saying "wtf, how, why etc." and his surprise makes them realise that for once he wasn't just conveniently leaving out information.

i feel like this started out fine and got slightly more unhinged and less logical as it goes on but if that isn't life i don't know what is

the point may have gotten a little lost and it petered out a bit but i said a thing and it's done so woo

[ghosts-of-the-apocalypse]

FUCK YES!! sorry but I absolutely called it! Lucifer is a silly guy!

Excessive ramble/theory tid bits ahead!~

How can you look at him and think he won't be a silly little guy? People saying he'd be a big intimidating scary king of hell? No way dude just look at him.

And like the way he looks so upset in Ep1 when he lost his ability to create. That's not the face of a guy seeking revenge and filled with anger, that dude is just plain ol' depressed. The way he slowly just walks off screen...

Lilith on the other hand? She is the definition of girlboss.

She's out here inspiring all the demons. Look at that power. She's in control. She's in charge.

While Lucifer's in his depressive state she's out here trying to lead all of hell. She's vengeful, (ik reds are quite a common colour in Hazbin Hotel) but the way it emanates in a glow behind her combined with her pose. It's just shows so much power and malice. You cannot convince me otherwise that she hasn't been pulling the strings since day 1.

I'd even go as far as to say she was the one who had the idea to tell Lucifer to give Eve the apple. Just look at her stance as she stands back to see Lucifer going over to Eve, overlooking the plan. She knows what's up.

(Also just a note but Eve looks so sad here. Girlie is trapped with Adam like she's in her own personal type of Hell. Btw I'd like to throw a theory out there that Eve and Lilith are sisters)

Ngl I do think Lucifer and Lilith split because of this whole power dynamic. Like Lucifer just couldn't keep up with Lilith's ideas or didn't believe in them. Like, Lucifer tells Charlie in Ep5 that Hell and it's people are terrible. This contradicts Lilith's whole thing of wanting to round up all the demons and potentially lead a fight. She THRIVES in Hell. For Lucifer, it's just constant punishment.

I feel like Charlie despite looking up to Lilith, is experiencing quite a bit of miscommunication. They both want to save the demons but in different ways. Charlie's way being through redemption but Lilith's maybe being through a war against Heaven.

Now it's just figuring out where the hell (pun not intended but enjoy) she's been for the past 7 years. (Honestly, I think she's just been off plotting with Eve.)

Another side note, but like the way Alastor just stares at this portrait in the pilot for such a weird prolonged amount of time is not helping my Lilith and Alastor theories calm down. Bro is the radio demon and is broadcasting everything back to Lilith.

He 100% sold his soul to Lilith, tried breaking free, but couldn't.

[thenyougetbackup]

the harry design to my peter

yes pete made the bracelet with the exact same red as his suit he thinks he's so slick 🙄 (harry always wears it)

[tyrannuspitch]

oughghghhghghhhhh

the problem with learning to love titling is that you end up with a lot of your best titles attached to vague concepts rather than completed works and no matter how vague they are you still kind of go...... but i Must write this at some point. bc i owe it. to the title

[fitzrove]

Obsessed with my professor. We got feedback on our first assignments (mostly on writing style) and he basically said (after praising the general content 😌): "You seem to really have a thing for brackets. Please stop immediately." 💀😂😂😂😂😂

[widowspeakconnoisseur]

Silly blog PSA!!

To the person in my ask box, I'm not ignoring you, I was just making my Halloween costume lmao. I know I've been slightly (very) inactive.

Here is visual proof with the Thranduil crown I made (the base is the wrong colour because I'm stupid). I will likely correct that later.

This is the end result of the whole costume:

I think, all things considered, it turned out pretty good! We were kind of on a budget so it's not entirely accurate. Creative liberty and all that. My mother made the robe out of a duvet cover and I made the crown using garden wire, lots of hot glue, fake leaves and acrylic paint. I also really need to make my bed lmao. That part of the background is very distracting.

Yes, the censoring on this photo is genuinely ridiculous but A) I don't want to dox myself and B) I don't want Tumblr to see my cringe ass phone case. (Also yes, that is a Monster High doll in the background. Ladies, form an orderly queue).

[gaylightisminetocommand]

I JUST FORGOT WHERE BRACKETS ARE ON THE KEYBOARD

[syrinq]

thinking about the fact that i absolutely despise the, usually sci-fi, but not always trope of ''ouhh unknown optionally futuristic possibly evil force'' but it's designed like some basic minimalistic architecture bullshit

none of these things have killer swag to me. why aliens from an in-universe standpoint would understand human-crafted shape theory and human mathematics is beyond me. this has the same amount of effort as space alien that's really just a purple human to me.

the only time i'll allow a simple sphere to be the status of god is in flatland, because all my homies live in a 2d fuck world and something 3d would truly fuck up their entire perception of existence itself. interstellar is the closest thing i'll accept to a human-esque visual representation of the 5th dimension or something that's ''unfamiliar and geometric or some form of formulaic''. thanks for coming to my tedtalk 2.0. Good Bye Now

[sporadicartcomputer]

uh hi. i wanted to illustrate one of the introductary scenes for SecUnit's character, since that would go along well with this being kind of my first post here. i... think that makes some sense. i promise more Murderbot diaries fanart after this (calling it content feels icky)). (did I start overusing brackets becouse of these books? possibly).

and i hope i captured SecUnit freaking out while trying to keep its composure at the same time well. as weird as it sounds, i like seeing depictions of it being nervous, becouse this side of it is what got me to relate to it so much in the first place (besides the heavily implied neurodivergence. though i guess the two go hand in hand). examples: in the second panel of the second page i tried showing how Gurathin's words affected it by making the speech bubbles visually "choke" (?) it, though it kept its face straight. oh, and i made it look much shorter than it actually is to mirror the way it is feeling!! figuring out details like that was pretty fun

(i'm sorry for any inconsistencies and the messy colouring and linework, i have ADHD and i get incredibly bored when i spend time trying to make everything "perfect" and looking the same in each panel... )

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Punctuation Marks

In speaking, we use pauses and the pitch of the voice to make what we say clear. Punctuation plays a similar role in writing, making it easier to read.

Punctuation consists of both rules and conventions. There are rules of punctuation that have to be followed; but there are also punctuation conventions that give writers greater choice.

The standard English punctuation is as follows: period/full stop, comma, apostrophe, quotation, question, exclamation, brackets, braces, parenthesis, dash, hyphen, ellipsis, colon, semicolon.

. PERIOD/FULL STOP

Use a period/full stop to mark the end of a sentence:

We went to France last summer.

We were really surprised that it was so easy to travel on the motorways.

In addition to closing sentences, we also use full stops in initials for personal names:

G. W. Dwyer

David A. Johnston, Accountant

Full stops are also used after abbreviations, although this practice is becoming less common:

Arr. (arrival)

etc. (etcetera)

Dr. (doctor)

, COMMA

We use commas to separate a list of similar words or phrases:

It’s important to write in clear, simple, accurate words.

We do not normally use a comma before and at the end of a list of single words:

They travelled through Bulgaria, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland.

American English does use a comma in lists before and:

We took bread, cheese, and fruit with us.

Note: the Oxford comma, also known as a serial comma, is placed immediately before the conjunction—usually “and,”. “or,” or “nor”—in a series of three or more terms.

We use commas to separate words or phrases that mark where the voice would pause slightly:

I can’t tell you now. However, all will be revealed tomorrow at midday.

We had, in fact, lost all of our money.

James, our guide, will accompany you on the boat across to the island.

' APOSTROPHE

Apostrophes are used to mark possession and to mark contractions. They are also used to denote a quotation mark in material that is already being quoted.

It was James’ car that the drunk driver hit.

“James said, ‘If you come any closer I’ll call the police.’”

'...' or "..." QUOTATION MARKS

Quotation marks in English are ‘…’ or “…”. In direct speech, we enclose what is said within a pair of single or double quotation marks, although single quotation marks are becoming more common.

Lydia said, “Is this my prom dress?”

Quotation marks are used to inform a reader either of something that was spoken or something that is being directly copied from another work. Quotes should also be placed around a word if it is used in a specific context or otherwise bears special attention. In informal applications, quotations can also be used to denote something that is ironic.

? QUESTION MARK

Use question marks to make clear that what is said is a question. When we use a question mark, we do not use a period/full stop:

Why do they make so many mistakes?

! EXCLAMATION POINT/MARK

Use an exclamation point/mark after a command or other expression that expresses strong feeling or deserves special emphasis:

For the last time, stop distracting me!

Fire! Fire!

We use exclamation points/marks to indicate an exclamative clause or expression in informal writing. When we want to emphasise something in informal writing, we sometimes use more than one exclamation point/mark:

Listen!!

Use exclamation points sparingly. Overuse dilutes their impact.

( ) [ ] { } PARENTHESIS, BRACKET, BRACES

Parentheses note non-essential information that could be skipped without altering the meaning of a sentence. Brackets are most commonly employed in academic writing within a quotation where the writer is omitting or explaining something. In either case, the writer places a bracket within the quote [explains or places an ellipsis and] closes the bracket to continue the quote. Braces are used quite rarely and are employed to essentially make a list within a list.

Cora (the woman who lives down the street from Jane) works as a paralegal.

Professor Brown claims, “She [the novel’s central character] is an example of a strong African-American woman.”

Before I go on vacation I need to pack my bags {clothes, toiletries and shoes}, unplug the TV, and close all of the windows.

more on: ( ) PARENTHESES

Use parentheses to enclose information that is helpful or informative but not essential:

When you get to that big farmhouse (three miles from I-270), turn left.

If parentheses enclose a question or exclamation, keep the question mark or exclamation point inside the parentheses:

Shema received Omar’s text (when did he get an iPhone 6s?) and replied yesterday.

However, capitalize or include periods only if the parenthetical sentence is not enclosed within another complete sentence:

I told my partner (we had been married only five days) that I missed her desperately.

I told my partner that I missed her desperately. (We had been married only five days.)

more on: [ ] BRACKETS

Use brackets to add an explanation or comment to a direct quote:

Berta wondered aloud, “Why did it [Joker] end that way?”

“This poem [“We Real Cool”] made Brooks famous,” explained Professor Choi.

Use brackets to enclose text that is already in parentheses:

According to this chart (Temperature Extremes [Fig. 4]), we've had a record-setting winter.

Put the Latin word “sic” in brackets to indicate that a mistake in a word or phrase appeared in the original source:

Their fundraising letter began, “Dear Fiends [sic].”

— DASH

Dashes are generally not in common use but denote a tangent within a thought. There are two kinds of dashes, an “en” dash and an “em” dash.

En dashes essentially are the same glyph as hyphens but fill a different purpose. Em dashes are longer, an easy way to remember is that an en dash is the length of an “n” and an Em dash is the length of an “m”.

I think that my dog is a genius — but doesn’t everybody think their pet is?

Dashes are able to substitute for commas and semicolons in the right situation. They can replace commas to note non-essential information or semicolon to note an example. Despite, and because of this versatility dashes should not be frequently employed in your writing.

The multitude of applications make dashes easy to overuse taking away from, rather than adding to clarity in your writing.

Note: Dashes can either connect to the surrounding words or be separated by a space, it is an issue of style, be sure to ask your professors if they have a preference.

more on: — EM DASH

Formed by two hyphens, dashes mark an abrupt break in a sentence. Less formal than either parentheses or commas, a dash—highlighting whatever is set apart—also creates a dramatic pause.

Use a dash (instead of parentheses) when a parenthetic expression is lengthy, contains commas, or deserves special emphasis:

My grandmother's house—the apartment in the city, not the clapboard cottage on the beach—has been sold.

Daynel told me—and don’t breathe a word of this to anyone—that he was fired Wednesday.

Use a dash to emphasize or to set off a single word, an appositive, or a summary:

There’s one way in which to succeed—hard work.

I cannot believe what she puts on her hamburger—sauerkraut.

They graduated, married, and divorced—all this change in just six months.

Use a dash to show an abrupt change in thought:

You are NOT dragging me to that movie—oh, what the heck, start the car.

Use a dash to mark an interruption or pause in dialogue:

“Would—would you mind terribly?”

- HYPHEN

Hyphenate multiple words acting as a single adjective before a noun:

state-of-the-art design

greenish-blue eyes

Hyphenate compound numbers:

twenty-eight

ninety-three

Hyphenate certain prefixes and suffixes:

all-school assembly

self-esteem

Hyphenate words to avoid ambiguity:

Since Sylvia auctioned all my records, I’ll have to re-collect them.

Hyphenate some compound words to avoid awkward double or triple letters:

anti-inflammatory

cross-stitch

Use a dictionary to check standard usage of hyphenated words, e.g., whistle blower, whistleblower, or whistle-blower.

Never use a hyphen between an adverb ending in “ly” and the adjective it modifies.

. . . ELLIPSIS

Use three spaced periods (ellipsis) to indicate the omission of one or more words in a direct quote. Beginning a quotation with an ellipsis is unnecessary. End a quotation with an ellipsis only if words have been omitted from the end of the final quoted sentence:

“Now, as a nation . . . we were founded on the idea that everybody should have an equal opportunity to succeed.”

“brilliant . . . an amazingly insightful film”

If the ellipsis represents the omission of a complete sentence or more, use four periods instead of three:

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person. . . . We are the change that we seek.”

: COLON

Use a colon to introduce ideas or a series of details that explain the preceding independent clause. A colon may call attention to an appositive, example, list, or a quotation:

Only one thing was important to her: the truth.

The reasons for divorce are many: money, infidelity, children, or boredom.

The sense of unity with nature is vividly shown in Zen Buddhist poetry: “An old pine tree preaches wisdom.”

Use a colon when required by convention:

Biblical references: Genesis 1:1

Business letter salutations: Dear Professor Devall:

Certain titles and subtitles: Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution

Periodical Volume and Number: Harper’s 203:16

Periodical Volume and Page Number: Harper’s 203:98–101

Time: 12:15 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.

; SEMI-COLON

We use semi-colons instead of full stops to separate two main clauses. In such cases, the clauses are related in meaning but are separated grammatically:

Spanish is spoken throughout South America; in Brazil the main language is Portuguese.

/ SLASH

The slash indicates contrasting terms or paired items:

Durand took Advanced Astrophysics on a pass/fail basis.

Although the player/manager committed eight errors in three innings, he still wouldn't take himself out of the game.

When quoting a poem, use a slash to indicate the end of a line, adding a space before and after the slash:

“The best lack all conviction, while the worst / Are full of passionate intensity.”

Sources and other related articles: 1 2 3 4 5

[moons-dunes]

Bound

For Kinktober- Prompt: Bondage

Write-tober Masterlist

Moon Knight Masterlist

18+ Only MDNI

Summary: Marc gets a little tied up

Pairing: subby!Marc Spector x softdom!fem reader

WC: 1.4K

This work contains: bondage obvi, overuse of the word “bound”, handjobs, multiple orgasms (m receiving) mild overstim, PiV sex, unprotected sex, begging, needy Marc because my bb deserves to be taken care of, very little dialogue, literally not a plot in sight. The sickness brain fog was my co-author.

Y’all know I had to use this gif. It would have been illegal not to

Soft black ropes slid through your hands smoothly, easily being manipulated into a series of loops and knots that decorated Marc’s skin as he knelt on the edge of the bed for you with bound legs bent beneath him.

The ropes criss-crossed on his chest and back a few times, accentuating both his pecs and back muscles. You had essentially made a chest harness, but that was just for decoration.

The real fun began when you grabbed two seperate lengths of rope.

“Gonna give me your hands, pretty boy?” You asked as smoothly as you could muster, which was harder than it seemed when Marc was such a beautiful sight in front of you.

“Yes, ma’am,” he responded obediently, holding his hands out for you. A jolt of electricity seemed to shoot through you at his complete and total submission.

You made a loop out of the rope, then wrapped it around his wrist a few times. Making a larger loop, you passed the first one through that one, then under the rope that wrapped directly against his skin. Passing the smaller end through the bigger loop again, you successfully finished the knot.

“Good?” You questioned in full seriousness this time, tugging lightly at the length of rope that was left. “Not too tight?”

“It’s perfect,” Marc responded quietly, and you repeated the process on his other wrist.

With both of his wrists comfortably tied, you gave him a sweet kiss before standing up to your full height.

Grabbing one of the extra long tails of rope, you reached up to loop it through a steel bracket you had installed on the posts by the bed. You stopped when Marc’s arm was extended about halfway up, securing the rope tightly to the bracket.

You did the same on the other side, then stood back to admire your handiwork.

With his arms stretched out like they were, you took a moment to admire his muscular build. The black ropes across his chest really made the natural curves of his body pop, adding fuel to that fire inside of you.

Marc’s breathing was picking up as you stood there watching him in awe, his cock already hard and leaking.

“You remember your safe word?” You asked before you got started with anything else, slowly stripping yourself of your clothes until you were completely nude as well.

“Daffodil,” he responded immediately, and you smiled.

“Good,” you praised, your hands cupping his face. You kissed him deeper this time, and he eagerly leaned into your touch.

Your hands travelled from his face down to his chiselled chest, and you massaged his pecs just to make him squirm a bit.

He moaned against your mouth as you tweaked his sensitive nipples, gently rolling the perky buds between your fingers. His cock twitched between the two of you when you did, begging for attention.

“Please,” he rasped out when your hands came to rest on his strong thighs, barely grazing where he wanted you most.

His bound hands instinctively tugged at his restraints, pulling the small amount of slack he had in the rope taut.

He spread his knees as much as he could, which wasn’t far with his thighs beautifully tied together, as a silent invitation to keep going.

You decided to have some mercy.

You climbed up onto the bed, kneeling behind him and letting him rest against your chest as far as the ropes would allow.

You wrapped one hand around his achingly hard cock, and the other snaked around to rest in the centre of his bound chest.

He arched his hips into your hand, and he threw his head back when you gave him a quick squeeze.

“Baby, please,” he begged you, his hips jerking erratically.

You slowly started to pump your hand around his length, loving the little sounds that escaped his mouth.

Your own arousal was quickly growing, your skin growing hot against Marc’s.

You loved that you were the one that could do this to him; make him completely submit and melt into you.

You sped up your hand, gripping the rope across his chest with the other as Marc started squirming.

“Such a good boy,,” you continued to praise him sweetly, ghosting your lips along the shell of his ear. “Letting me tie you up all nice, like a pretty present just for me.”

“Thank y-you,” he stuttered out as he felt himself growing closer, eyes squeezing shut as your hand continued with a steady pace.

You could tell he was close when he started pulling harder against the ropes that kept his arms extended, rattling the posts slightly. His thighs strained against their own restraints, and his bound calves twitched under him as well.

“There you go, you can cum, baby,” you gave him the permission he was looking for, fingers of your free hand tracing the intricate pattern you made over his chest. “You’re being so good for me.”

With a few more strokes, he was cumming all over your hand with a choked moan. His head pressed against your shoulder, soft curls tickling your neck as you continued until the spurts of hot cum stopped.

Marc breathed heavily against you, eyes still closed as the pleasure washed over him completely. Once he started coming down from his high, you moved from your spot to untie the ropes from the brackets, but left his wrists as they were.

You helped him lay backwards until his head was comfortably on the pillows, and secured his hands to the bed frame this time so they were above his head.

Crawling over to his side, you helped him unbend his knees slowly. He let out a small sigh of relief as he stretched his legs, even with them still bound together at the thighs and calves.

“You think you can give me one more, honey?” You asked as you crawled up his body and straddled his hips, his cock already half hard again.

“Yes, ma’am,” he responded with a blissed out grin, big brown eyes looking up at you with desire blazing in them.

You reached down between the two of you to line him up with your dripping pussy, slowly sinking down onto him with a soft groan. You loved the stretch, and how perfectly Marc always seemed to fill you.

After a moment of adjustment, you braced your hands on his shoulders and started lifting and dropping your hips. This time you kept your eyes glued to Marc’s gorgeous face, taking in every little expression that crossed his features.

Once you found the perfect angle, you rode him faster and fell into a steady rhythm. Marc bucked his hips as much as he could to meet yours, giving you that little bit of extra stimulation.

Both of you were moaning openly, too caught up in chasing your respective highs to care about volume control.

Marc was hitting that magical spot inside of you, making you unravel fast. You weren’t able to even give him fair warning before you were clamping down on him and cumming all over his cock.

He let out a higher pitched whimper as that was enough to bring him over the edge again, making him oversensitive quickly.

The movement of your hips got sloppier as you rode out your own orgasm, eventually coming to a stop as you tried to catch your breath.

Through the cloudy haze taking over your brain, you reached up and released the knots that were keeping Marc’s wrists wrapped up. The ropes fell away pretty easily after that, and he simply shook them off before you felt his hands on the skin of your back.

The fog in your head started to clear, and you carefully climbed off of him, immediately feeling empty.

You made quick work of the ropes around his legs, knowing exactly which knots to undo first for a quick release. Then you moved onto his chest.

Marc sat up and pulled you into his lap before you could start, nuzzling his face into your neck as his arms wrapped around you.

You worked on the few knots at his back, eventually freeing him completely from the intricate ropes.

Once you dropped the mess of rope to the floor, he leaned back again with you still in his arms, pulling you down on top of him while you giggled.

“So, did you enjoy yourself?” You asked with a grin, letting yourself snuggle into him fully.

“That was amazing,” he assured you, arms still wrapped tightly around you. “We are definitely doing that again.”

[b1eedthefreak]

18 and writing like Chatgpt? lol “Hot, pulsing warmth filled you deep” / “Hem brushed your hips” / “Moonlight spilling” / “Thighs bracketing” / “walls fluttering like a vice” are some of THE most typical AI fav sentences copy pasters like you that speedpost overuse lmfao you are Ctrl+C Ctrl+V with a filter. at least be original if you plagiarize the bots. Get tf off tumblr if you can not write any dd fics without generic AI bs

hi anon, i write everything i post on here, not ai. i’m not sure what my age has anything do with this this, but i write my own things. when i don’t post for two ish days i post like three things that i wrote within those two days that are usually short. i don’t know what else to say other than i don’t think chatgpt can write smut, which is a majority of what i post. i started this account over my spring break where i had time to just write and then post a couple drafts. i don’t promote the use of ai, let alone promoting it to write fanfiction. i started this account because i started twd and really liked daryl enough to write for him. i thought i had the qualifications to write because i took ap lit in high school, i wasn’t aware i had the grammar of ai. i have nothing else to say to this other than i don’t use ai, i write all of the things i post 🙂

[ghoulinfuschia]

(adding sort of onto the typing quirk ask) i jsut realized v replaces w's with vv UR A GENIUS i love that i just had to point that out hehehe :)

Oh my god I can finally talk about this— I’ve been assigning typing quirks MD characters and I need to share.

Uzi: Bookends her dialogue with “︻デ═一 “ and in an ideal font her O’s would look like sniper targets.

V: Replaces her W’s with “VV” and bookends her dialogue with these < >

Khan: [] Every sentence begins and ends with two brackets [] Like this [] You can probably guess why []

Nori: N>ori w>ould type with brackets bef>ore her “o”s. Since “nori” means seaweed” I thought making her o’s look like fish would be funny.

Lizzy: ★彡She overuses emoticons. Like every other ☆ word will have ☆ a star or heart ☆ sandwiches between them ☆ Maybe she even uses faces!! (๑>◡<๑) To convey how she’s feeling at the time :(；ﾞﾟ'ωﾟ'): Draw out words and emphasizes with exclamation points. So laaaaaaame!!!!! ★彡 It becomes a little exhausting to read.

I still have yet to figure out one for N. All the ideas I’ve had for him so far don’t feel cool enough. Same with Doll. Her speech is already unique amongst the cast since she’s the only one to speak Russian. I’d like to figure out quirks for them too though.

Once I do I’ll probably reblog this and update.

[liketwoswansinbalance]

SGE Characters as Literary Things

(Not all of these are actual literary or rhetorical devices; some are just writing techniques, forms, genres, mediums, etc.)

This is a bit abstract, so I’m curious about how subjective these might be. Does anyone agree or disagree? And feel free to make additions if you think I left anything out, or request another character that isn’t here.

Hopefully this makes (intuitive?) sense. As always, I'm willing to explain my thought process behind any of the things I've listed.

Also, anyone can treat this like a “Tag Yourself” meme, if you want. Whose list do you most relate to, use, or encounter?

⸻

LANCELOT (I know—how odd that I’m starting with a minor character and not Rafal, but wait. There’s a method to my madness. Also, watch out for overlap!):

Metonymy, synecdoche (no, literally, to me, these are him.)

Zeugma

Analogy

Figures of speech

Slang, argot

Colloquialisms

Idioms

TEDROS:

Simile

Metaphor

Rhyming couplets

Rhyme schemes

Sonnets

Commercial fiction

Coming-of-age genre

Line enjambment

Overuse of commas

Cadence, prose speech

Waxing poetic, verse (not prose)

Alliteration

Kinesthetic imagery

Phallic imagery/sword sexual innuendos (sorry)

The chivalric romance genre

AGATHA:

Anaphora, repetition

Semicolon, periods

Line breaks

Terse, dry prose

Semantics (not syntax)

Elegy

Resonance

Consonance, alliteration

Pseudonym

Narrative parallels

Realism

Satire

SOPHIE:

Sophistry (yes, there is a word for it!)

Imagery

Italics, emphasis

Em dash

Aphrodisiac imagery

Unreliable narrator, bias

Rashomon effect

Syntax (not semantics)

Diction

Chiasmus (think: “Fair is foul and foul is fair.”)

Rhetorical purpose

Provocation, calls to action

Voice, writing style

Rhetorical modes: pathos, logos, ethos

Metaphor

Hyperbole, exaggeration

Sensationalism, journalism

Surrealism

Verisimilitude

Egocentrism

Callbacks (but not foreshadowing or call-forwards)

Narrative parallels

Paralepsis, occultatio, apophasis, denial

Hypothetical dialogue

Monologue

JAPETH:

Sibilance

Lacuna

Villanelle (an obsessive, repetitive form of poetry)

Soliloquy

ARIC:

Sentence fragments

RHIAN (TCY):

Unreliable narrator

Setup, payoff

Chekhov’s gun

Epistolary novel

RHIAN (prequels):

Multiple povs

Perspective

Dramatic irony

Situational irony

Chiaroscuro (in imagery)

Endpapers

Frontispiece

Deckled edges

Narrative parallels

Foreshadowing

Call-forwards

Foil

Death of the author

RAFAL:

Omniscient narrator

Perspective

Surrealism

Etymology

Word families or 'linguistic ecosystems'

Latin

Verbal irony

Gallows humor

Narrative parallels

Call-forwards

Circular endings

Parallel sentences or balanced sentence structure

Narrative parallels

Foil

Juxtaposition

Authorial intent (“return of the author”)

HESTER:

Protagonist

Allusions

Gothic imagery

ANADIL:

Defamiliarization

Deuteragonist (second most important character in relation to the protagonist)

Psychic distance

Sterile prose

Forewords, prologues

Works cited pages

DOT:

Tone

Gustatory imagery

Tritagonist (third most important character in relation to the protagonist)

KIKO:

Sidekick

Falling action

Dedications, author's notes, epigraph, acknowledgements

Epitaph (Tristan)

BEATRIX:

Pacing

Rising Action

Climax

HORT:

Unrequited love

Falling resolution

Anticlimax

Malapropism

Innuendo

Asides

Brackets, parentheses

Cliché

EVELYN SADER:

Synesthetic imagery

Villanelle

Foreshadowing

AUGUST SADER:

Stream of consciousness style

Imagery

Foreshadowing

Coming-of-age genre

Elegy

Omniscience

Rhetorical questions

Time skips, non-linear narratives

Epilogues

MARIALENA:

Diabolus ex machina

Malapropism

Malaphors, mixed metaphors

Slant rhyme

Caveat

Parentheses

Footnotes

MERLIN:

Deus ex machina

Iambic pentameter

Filler words

BETTINA:

Screenwriting

Shock value

[strangeharpy]

3, 4, 5 for fanfic meme!

In reference to this post:

What are your top three most commonly used tags on AO3? Fluff (17), Canon-Typical Violence (15), and Canon Compliant (14). Weird that with as much as I love h/c it's not in the top 3. The other two make a lot of sense though.

What are some words or phrases you feel like you overuse? Oh god, so many. Of course, when asked, all the commonly used words/phrases leave my brain. But just know that there are a lot and I keep having to go through my drafts and prune them so my final fics don't get repetitive. I tend to use square brackets around phrases I catch myself using a lot so I can easily ctrl+f to find them and root them out.

What’s something you learned while researching a fic? Hmm, that's a good question. I once had to research how much blood you could lose before dying, but I'll be darned if I can remember how many pints that is now. Though that feels very pedestrian lol.

[the-seas-song]

Tumblr is being extremely weird right now and won't let me answer @transexualpirate's ask about why I hate Tony/Pepper. This post is my answer to him:

Hi! Sorry for the late reply, my life got crazy.

The short answer: Pepper emotionally abuses (and slut-shames) Tony from IM2 onward.

The long answer: Pepper's behavior is extremely subtle, and a lot of people miss it. Unfortunately, it's been so normalized (at least here in the US) that a lot of other people will deny – and even defend! it. However, I grew up with family members like her and I have a background in psych.

I have to start this off with a disclaimer: I CAN'T be objective/un-triggered when talking about Pepper Potts or Peggy Carter (we don't shoot at someone just because we have a crush on them and they kissed (got assaulted by) someone else!)

Anyway, back to Pepper. …. I thought I could write out a full analysis without getting too triggered, but I can't. So I've included links to some great articles that cover the nuances of emotional abuse:

https://nycchildtherapy.info/emotional-abuse/ (Pepper checks almost every box on this list)

(scroll down to the 4 horseman) https://www.marriage-family-counseling.com/good-marriage.html

Personally I feel like the term 'gaslighting' gets overused, but it's definitely applicable here:

How do you know that you're being gaslighted? A victim experiences increased self-doubt as the gaslighter insists that what he or she remembers, thinks, and feels is wrong. The manipulative individual will introduce lies in more sensitive arenas, aiming to disrupt and distort foundational aspects of the victim’s being, wearing them down, establishing confusion, and forcing them to rely on the gaslighter’s version of reality.

Passive-aggressiveness is just as insidious as gaslighting:

Passive aggressive people take genuine pleasure in frustrating others. They are masters at getting others to act out their angry feelings--to explode and appear crazy--while the passive aggressive person sits back and watches the emotional outburst with satisfaction, total control, and always with their own poise intact.

Here's the transcript (and my commentary in [brackets]) from IM3 (a transcript can only do so much, because a lot of this is tone of voice as well as word choice):

[later Pepper returns to Tony's home, as she gets out of the car she sees a large stuffed rabbit outside the house that Tony has bought for her as a gift, she walks inside]

Pepper Potts: I'm sorry I'm late. I was... What the...? What is that?!

[she notices Tony sat in his Iron Man suit on the couch]

Pepper Potts: You're wearing this in the house now? What is that, like Mark 15? [criticism and sarcasm]

[Tony looks at the small number marked 42 on the suit]

Tony Stark: Uh...yeah. Something like that. You know everybody needs a hobby.

Pepper Potts: Oh, and you have to wear your hobby in the living room? [passive-aggressiveness]

[Tony rises and walks toward her]

Tony Stark: Just breakin' it in. You know, it's always a little pinchy in the gooey bag at first, so.

[Tony shakes his ass and Pepper laughs]

Tony Stark: Oh hey, did you see your Christmas present?

Pepper Potts: Yes, I did. I...I don't know how I could have missed that Christmas present. Is it gonna fit through the door? [more sarcasm and passive-aggressiveness]

Tony Stark: Well actually, uh...it's a good question. I got a team of guys comin' tomorrow, they're gonna blow out that wall.

Pepper Potts: Okay.

Tony Stark: So, uh...tense? Good day?

[Tony walks up behind her and starts massaging her shoulders]

Tony Stark: Ooh shoulders, a little knotty. Naughty girl. I don't wanna harp on this, but did you like the custom rabbit?

Pepper Potts: Did I like it? Tony Stark: Nailed it, right? Pepper Potts: Wow. I appreciate the thought very much. [even more sarcasm and passive-aggressiveness; withholding the validation Tony's seeking]

[Pepper turns to face Tony, she rises from her seat and stands close to him]

Pepper Potts: So why don't you lift up that face mask and give me a kiss? [not only takes control of/manipulates the situation but makes it physical/sexual]

[Tony knocks the metal helmet on his head]

Tony Stark: Huh. Yup, dammit. No can do. You wanna just kiss it on the...

Pepper Potts: Uh-huh.

Tony Stark: The facial slit?

Pepper Potts: Well, why don't I run down to the garage and see if I can't find a crowbar to shimmy that thing open?

Tony Stark: Crowbar. Yeah.

[Pepper starts walking towards Tony's lab]

Tony Stark: Oh, except there's been a...uh...a radiation leak.

Pepper Potts: I'll take my chances.

Tony Stark: That's risky.

[Pepper walks down the stairs to Tony's lab]

Tony Stark: At least let me get you like a Hazmat suit or a Geiger counter or something like that.

[Pepper sees Tony is in fact not in his Iron Man suit, but in the lab exercising as he remotely controls the suit, which follows Pepper into the lab]

Tony Stark: Busted.

Pepper Potts: This is a new level of lame. [explicit criticism and contempt]

Tony Stark: Sorry.

[Pepper notices the food tray in the corner]

Pepper Potts: You ate without me? Already? On date night? [passive-aggressive criticism, even though she was the one late and didn't call ahead]

Tony Stark: [referring to Mark 42 suit] He was just...

Pepper Potts: You mean you?

Tony Stark: Well, yeah. I just mean we were just...just hosting you -

[Pepper scoffs] [passive-aggressive contempt]

Tony Stark: -while I finished up a little work.

Pepper Potts: Uh-huh.

Tony Stark: And yes, I had a quick bite. I didn't know if you were comin' home or if you were having drinks with Aldrich Killian.

[Mark 42 suit turns its face toward her]

Pepper Potts: What?

Tony Stark: What?

Pepper Potts: Aldrich Killian? What are you checking up on me? [defensive accusation]

Tony Stark: Happy was concerned. [THE TRUTH]

Pepper Potts: No, you're spying on me. [gaslighting]

Tony Stark: I wasn't...

Pepper Potts: I'm going to bed. [Pepper turns and starts walking off] [passive-aggressive power play]

Tony Stark: Hold on. Come on. Pep.

[as Pepper starts walking upstairs]

Tony Stark: Hey, I admit it! My fault. Sorry. [NO ITS NOT]

[Pepper stops and looks at him]

Tony Stark: I'm a piping hot mess. It's been going on for a while, I haven't said anything.

[Pepper walks back down]

Tony Stark: Nothing's been the same since New York.

Pepper Potts: Oh really? Well, I didn't notice that, at all. [sarcasm]

Tony Stark: You experience things and then they're over and you still can't explain 'em. Gods, aliens, other dimensions. I...I'm just a man in a can. The only reason I haven't cracked up is probably because you moved in. Which is great. I love you, I'm lucky. But, honey, I can't sleep. You go to bed, I come down here. I do what I know, I tinker. [he pauses for a moment and sits down]  [lots of healthy I statements!]

Tony Stark: But threat is imminent, and I have to protect the one thing that I can't live without. That's you. My suits, they're uh...

Pepper Potts: Machines. [gaslighting]

Tony Stark: They're part of me.

Pepper Potts: A distraction. [GASLIGHTING]

Tony Stark: Maybe.

[Pepper walks towards Tony and they hold each other. He rests his head against her chest and she removes his headband that controls the Iron Man suits]

Pepper Potts: I'm gonna take a shower. 

Tony Stark: Okay.

[Pepper turns to walk off, then stops and looks at him]

Pepper Potts: And you're gonna join me. [sexual control/manipulation instead of validation and comfort]

Tony Stark: Better.

[later that night, as Tony and Pepper are sleeping, Tony starts having nightmares about when he was in New York with The Avengers and had to get rid of the nuke in space, Pepper wakes and starts to shake Tony awake]

Pepper Potts: Tony! Tony! Tony! Tony...

[suddenly Pepper gets grabbed and shoved off Tony by Mark 42 suit, this wakes Tony who commands the suit]

Tony Stark: Power down!

[the suit shuts down and Tony hits it making its pieces fall apart, he looks over at Pepper who is in shock]

Tony Stark: I must have called it in my sleep. That's not supposed to happen. I'll recalibrate the sensors. Can we just...just let me...just let me catch my breath, okay?

[Pepper rises and starts to leave]

Tony Stark: Don't go, alright? Pepper?

Pepper Potts: I'm going to sleep downstairs. Tinker with that. [verbal attack and gaslighting]

[Pepper leaves the room]

Pepper has every right to be scared and upset here. She does not have the right to take it out on Tony – especially since he is obviously still in the middle of his ptsd episode. Even then, his immediate response is to take responsibility and explain the actions he's going to take to keep it from happening again. This is incredible! Most people aren't able to do this in a normal setting, much less during a ptsd episode.

And we know Tony's still going through it, because he then desperately begs her not to leave. And not only does she leave, she does it while blaming him and Iron Man. But Iron Man didn't create Tony's trauma. The wormhole did. The Iron Man suits are the only security blanket Tony currently has.

Lets contrast this with Steve. MCU!Steve (and Stony) are not nearly as abrasive or antagonistic as people make them out to be. In fact, the reason why Steve's “Oh God, Tony! Every time. Every time I think you're seeing things the right way...” and Tony's “And you’ve been a complete idiot!” hit so hard is because they don't normally talk this way. They don't insult or verbally attack each other (at least, not since the helicarrier)

AOU is a perfect example:

Bruce Banner: This is insane.

Steve Rogers: JARVIS was the first line of defense. He would've shut Ultron down, it makes sense.

Bruce Banner: No, Ultron could've assimilated Jarvis. This isn't strategy, this is...rage.

[Thor barges in and grabs hold of Stark by his throat, holding him up]

Clint Barton: Woah, woah, woah! It's going around.

Tony Stark: [to Thor] Come on. Use your words, buddy.

Thor: I have more than enough words to describe you, Stark.

Steve Rogers: Thor! The Legionnaire.

[Thor lets go of Stark]

Thor: Trail went cold about a hundred miles out but it's headed north, and it has the scepter. Now we have to retrieve it, again.

Natasha Romanoff: The genie's out of that bottle. Clear and present is Ultron.

Dr. Helen Cho: I don't understand. You built this program. Why is it trying to kill us?

[Stark starts laughing, Banner subtly shakes his head at him to get him to stop]

Thor: You think this is funny?

Tony Stark: No. It's probably not, right? Is this very terrible? Is it so... is it so... it is. It's so terrible.

Thor: This could've been avoided if you hadn't played with something you don't understand.

Tony Stark: No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It is funny. It's a hoot that you don't get why we need this.

Bruce Banner: Tony, maybe this might not be the time to--

Tony Stark: Really?! That's it? You just roll over, show your belly, every time somebody snarls.

Bruce Banner: Only when I've created a murder bot.

Tony Stark: We didn't. We weren't even close. Were we close to an interface?

Steve Rogers: Well, you did something right. And you did it right here. The Avengers were supposed to be different than SHIELD.

Tony Stark: Anybody remember when I carried a nuke through a wormhole?

James Rhodes: No, it's never come up.

Tony Stark: Saved New York?

James Rhodes: Never heard that.

Tony Stark: Recall that? A hostile alien army came charging through a hole in space. We're standing three hundred feet below it. We're the Avengers. We can bust arms dealers all the live long day, but, that up there? That's... that's the end game. How were you guys planning on beating that?

Steve Rogers: Together.

Tony Stark: We'll lose.

Steve Rogers: Then we'll do that together, too.

[Stark looks at him for a moment before turning away] 

Steve Rogers: Thor's right. Ultron's calling us out. And I'd like to find him before he's ready for us. The world's a big place. Let's start making it smaller.

I bolded the verbal attacks, you statements, and sarcasm – all of which come from Thor and Rhodey. Steve's angry and feeling triggered (he is obviously flashing back to SHIELDRA and Howard and Peggy's betrayal), but he's not using abusive speech patterns to express his anger.

[Steve and Tony are chopping wood outside Barton's house]

Tony Stark: Thor didn't say where he was going for answers?

Steve Rogers: Sometimes my teammates don't tell me things. [looks at Barton with his kids] I was kind of hoping Thor would be the exception.

Tony Stark: Yeah, give him time. We don't know what the Maximoff kid showed him.

Steve Rogers: “Earth's Mightiest Heroes.” Pulled us apart like cotton candy.

Tony Stark: Seems like you walked away all right.

Steve Rogers: Is that a problem?

Tony Stark: I don't trust a guy without a dark side. Call me old fashioned.

Steve Rogers: Well let's just say you haven't seen it yet.

Tony Stark: You know Ultron is trying to tear us apart, right?

Steve Rogers: Well I guess you'd know. Whether you tell us is a bit of a question.

Tony Stark: Banner and I were doing research.

Steve Rogers: That would affect the team.

Tony Stark: That would end the team. Isn't that the mission? Isn't that the “why” we fight, so we can end the fight, so we get to go home?

Steve Rogers: [rips log apart] Every time someone tries to win a war before it starts, innocent people die. Every time.

Tony is the one who escalates the conversation here (“Seems like you walked away all right.”) – Steve's angry, but his tone is conversational and he's opening up to Tony. His response to Tony is sarcastic (“Well I guess you'd know. Whether you tell us is a bit of a question.”); but it's still direct, and he still isn't using any insults. He's expressing his anger in a mostly healthy way.

[Steve and the twins turn up at the lab]

Steve Rogers: I'm gonna say this once.

Tony Stark: How about “nonce”?

Steve Rogers: Shut it down!

Tony Stark: Nope, not gonna happen.

Steve Rogers: You don't know what you're doing.

Bruce Banner: And you do? She's not in your head?

Wanda Maximoff: I know you're angry.

Bruce Banner: Oh, we're way past that. I could choke the life out of you and never change a shade.

Steve Rogers: Banner, after everything that's happened--

Tony Stark: That's nothing compared to what's coming!

Wanda Maximoff: You don't know what's in there!

Steve Rogers: This isn't a game--

Wanda Maximoff: The creature--

[Pietro uses his speed to destroy the lab equipment]

Pietro Maximoff: No, no. Go on. You were saying?

[Barton shoots the glass Pietro is standing to stand to destroy it, and Pietro falls through]

Wanda Maximoff: Pietro!

Clint Barton: What? You didn't see that coming?

Tony Stark: I'm rerouting the upload.

Bruce Banner: [to Wanda, as he grabs her] Go ahead, piss me off. [After some fighting, Thor enters and hits the cradle with his hammer, sending a powerful bolt of lightning through it that brings the body to life] Wait! [they all look in shock at the new entity]

[Vision launches himself at Thor, who throws him at a window, but he catches himself right before hitting it.]

Vision: [In JARVIS' voice, as everyone gathers around him] I'm sorry, that was...odd. [to Thor] Thank you.

Steve Rogers: Thor, you helped create this?

Thor: I've had a vision. A whirlpool that sucks in all hope of life and at its center is that. [he points to the gem inside Vision's head]

Bruce Banner: What, the gem?

Thor: It's the Mind Stone. It's one of the six Infinity Stones, the greatest power in the universe, unparalleled in its destructive capabilities.

Steve Rogers: Then why would you bring it to...

Thor: Because Stark is right.

Bruce Banner: Oh, it's definitely the end times.

Thor: The Avengers cannot defeat Ultron.

Vision: Not alone.

Steve Rogers: Why does your “vision” sound like JARVIS?

Tony Stark: We... reconfigured JARVIS' matrix to create something new.

Steve Rogers: I think I've had my fill of new.

Vision: You think I'm a child of Ultron?

Steve Rogers: You're not?

Vision: I'm not Ultron. I'm not JARVIS. I am... I am.

Wanda Maximoff: I looked in your head and saw annihilation.

Vision: Look again.

Clint Barton: Yeah. Her seal of approval means jack to me.

Thor: Their powers, the horrors in our heads, Ultron himself, they all came from the Mind Stone, and they're nothing compared to what it can unleash. But with it on our side...

Steve Rogers: Is it? Are you? On our side?

Bruce is the one who insults Tony here (and poor Steve just wants to understand what the hell is happening).

Back to Pepper. A lot of people forget that Rhodey was the only one who wanted Tony to grow and change:

James Rhodes: You don't respect yourself, so I know you don't respect me.

Tony Stark: I respect you.

[cut]

James Rhodes: You are constitutionally incapable of being responsible.

[cut]

James Rhodes: That's what I'm talking about. When I get up in the morning and I'm putting on my uniform, you know what I recognize? I see in that mirror that every person that's got this uniform on got my back!

Tony Stark: Hey, you know what? I'm not like you. I'm not cut out...

James Rhodes: No, no. You don't have to be like me! But you're more than what you are. And you don't see it.

Tony Stark: Can you excuse me if I'm a bit distracted here?

James Rhodes: No! You can't be distracted right now! Listen to me!

Contrast this with Pepper and Happy:

Tony Stark: Same drill. They've been dealing under the table, and I'm going to stop them. I'm going to find my weapons and destroy them.

Pepper Potts: Tony, you know that I would help you with anything, but I cannot help you if you're going to start all of this again.

Tony Stark: There is nothing except this. There's no art opening. There is no benefit. There is nothing to sign. There is the next mission and nothing else.

Pepper Potts: Is that so? Well, then, I quit. [Pepper throws the lock chip on the table.]

Tony Stark: You stood by my side all these years while I reaped the benefits of destruction. And now that I'm trying to protect the people that I put in harm's way, you're going to walk out?

Pepper Potts: You're going to kill yourself, Tony. I'm not going to be a part of it.

Tony Stark: I shouldn't be alive, unless it was for a reason. I'm not crazy, Pepper. I just finally know what I have to do. And I know in my heart that it's right.

Pepper Potts: [Pepper picks the lock drive back up.] You're all I have, too, you know. 

And:

Happy Hogan: Yeah, I miss you too. But the way it used to be. Now you're off with the 'superfriends', I don't know what's going on with you anymore. The world's getting weird...

When we are in a relationship with someone (it doesn't matter what kind) and they grow and change, we are left with the choice of either growing ourselves, or walking away/growing distant with that person. 

Pepper does neither. She uses emotional abuse to try to control Tony and manipulate him into acting the way she wants him to act – giving up Iron Man and living a selfish civilian life as her kept genius.

This is in direct contrast to Rhodey, Yinsen, and Steve, who see that Tony has had the potential to be “Earth's Best Defender” all along.