#preconceived bias

[shyfurby]

I have not posted any of my analysis to reddit yet and I think I might just post it and ghost it. I've already spent too much time looking at other people's threads on there to feel any way good about interacting with folks.

I already went in an added the "I know you're going to bring this up let me save you the time" section which is exclusively touching on the frequent topics of:

"well what about the fingerprint nostrum and finger mimics? He is clearly just a crackpot"

And

"it's definitely some weird elaborate sacrifice to Metyr thing"

[thepringlesofblood]

Mamut: No, Ayla, I don't see any problem with haphazardly re-creating a complicated ritual you only know half of which scarred you for life, without the extremely knowledgeable trip-sitter and father figure you had with you last time, using the drugs you have leftover from it which you've told me get more potent over time and have been sitting in your medicine bag for like three years. I'm sure it'll be fine. I know things. I met that guy once. Spring Festival's gonna go great.

Mamut: Unrelated, hey Jondalar, I feel like something bad is going to happen to Ayla around the time of the Spring Festival that you're going to have to save her from. Certainly there's nothing I can do about it.

[screambirdscreaming]

At the bus stop one time there was a gaggle of preschoolers waiting to catch the bus for a field trip day, and someone walked past with a couple of friendly little dogs, to great general delight.

But after a little bit, the dogs were getting overwhelmed, and the preschoolers were gently coaxed to back off so the person with the dogs could continue on. Specifically, one of the preschool teachers said, "Sometimes, when you're small, being surrounded by big people can be a bit scary and overwhelming. Even if they are friendly."

This was recieved as great wisdom: after all, the preschoolers were also small, and understood how scary and overwhelming big people could be! And the dogs were indeed even smaller than the preschoolers, so it made sense.

What was funny and charming was that, upon absorbing and reflecting on this wisdom, they all felt the need to tell it to one another. In tones of great insight, they turned to one another and said, "Did you know? Sometimes when you are small, being surrounded by big people can be scary and overwhelming! Even if they are friendly!" Back and forth, without any particular concern that they were all saying the same thing. Have reached comprehension of an insight, it must be shared!

I must say that this behavior is less charming in tumblr users than in preschoolers. Not least because tumblr users, having gained a little analytical skill to misuse, insist on Summarizing and Generalizing and Unifying the insights they repeat, quickly turning any interesting new information into formulaic dogmatic mush.

[change-the-rules]

one of the worst idek what you would call it but I guess family (? cultural?) beliefs? superstitions? I was raised with was ppl die in threes bc now whenever someone dies on top of normal death feels my anxiety ratchets waiting for the next 2

[makotonaegiunderstander]

constantly reminded why I left DR for seven years LMAOO. the fans are so infuriating 😭😭 the franchise known for its incredible amounts of misogyny, racism, ableism, homophobia, and transmisogyny unsurprisingly is CHOCK full of it in w fans and no one even realizes it. also frequently Ishimondo fans are so damn aggressive for some reason and I say that as someone who actively likes that ship… not even sure why so many of them are so defensive against people wanting to talk about other characters, it’s like some of them only tolerated the game for the yaoi 💀 obvs not all of them bc I like the ship too but man. I guess it’s the same for all the super popular boy ships in the series (like Komahinata for the second game etc etc) but man you gotta wonder why they’re so upset considering they make up almost all the fan content for DR ever

[jackietaylorsghost]

I find it funny how the majority of people who hate Jackie hate her because of their High School experience. Like they call her a mean girl when she made the team say nice things about each other when they were fighting

The math is not mathing-

and when they left her out of the allie plan cus she wouldn’t like it

[sharedblood]

has someone done a comparison of demon blood (bodily alteration by an outside presence that has repercussions) to the mark of cain (bodily alteration by an outside presence that has repercussions) the variation of it being done To you (victim status) to because of it You are altered and thus Wrong (non victim status)

giving in to the demon blood = moral failing

giving in to the mark = victim of circumstances

(things i’m still processing: the relationship of how it (the alteration) makes the body feel, what it pushes the character to do, how the character must detox and what this looks like, how the surrounding characters interact with the alteration)

[ms-spkhd]

Part one

Admittedly, Eddie feels really fucking stupid about it in retrospect. Jeff tells him, in that soft and placating way he tells him anything, that he should stop worrying about his hindsight bias. Yeah, right. Hindsight bias doesn't apply for Steve Harrington dangling himself in front of Eddie's face like the metaphorical carrot on a stick.

It feels like a kick in the head, if anything. One that rattles his brain against his skull like the ricochet of a bullet. Or a maraca with a single, tiny bead in it, if he wants to be more technical about it.

But that's beside the point. What's important is that Steve Harrington is, like, into Eddie--which definitely throws all of his preconceived notions about boy wonder with serial monogamy problems of the heterosexual variety out of the fucking window and past the goalpost--and Eddie's been farting around for the past few months twiddling his fucking thumbs about it.

Well, it's not definitive.

The more that Eddie ruminates on it--and he spends several nights ruminating on it--Jeff's theory that Steve might be tipping the Kinsey scale sounds like...well. A theory.

It's the doubt that comes rearing its head that stops Eddie in his tracks from actually doing anything.

("Wow," Jeff grumbles as they hotbox in the back of Jeff's hand-me-down olive green Pinto a week after their stunning revelation, "trust Virgin Supreme to self-sabotage when someone is begging for you to climb on his lap and--"

"I told you that in confidence," Eddie spits as he digs through the glove compartment for a cassette to replace the oft-abused Kill 'Em All tape that's been blaring on repeat for the past two hours. "You're really mean when you're high, you know that, right?"

Jeff shrugs and takes a hit of the blunt they've been sharing. "I'm releasing my inhibitions. You can't silence me.")

Eddie trusts Steve. Of course he'd lay down his life for the man that dragged him out of hell without a single look behind like a preppy fucking Orpheus. But there's always the lingering thought that, despite everything they've gone through together, Eddie loving Steve would be the tipping point that ruins everything.

He finds himself balancing the line of keeping it in, too scared of the risk his heart will pose on their friendship, and fully committing to the pipe dream of Steve Harrington possibly wanting him back.

And, in Jeff's wise words, Biblically.

"Hey, Bird," Eddie asks Robin one night at the drive-in theater when Steve's out buying their snacks--medium popcorn loaded with cheddar powder and butter for Eddie, since he just popped a Lactaid ten minutes beforehand, and Milk Duds for Robin--"What would you do, hypothetically, if you think someone is really into you--"

"Here we go," Robin sighs, leaning back in the passenger seat. Eddie can't help but feel miffed at her dismissive attitude, but he knows for a fact that she's all ears.

"--And you, hypothetically, really like them back, but you don't know for sure if they actually, hypothetically, want you, or if it's just wishful thinking on your part?"

"Any you mean this totally hypothetically?" Robin says as she turns to face the rear seats where he's sitting and chewing at his cuticles.

"Yeah. This is a theoretical situation that I want your input in. Think of it like a...thought experiment."

Robin nods with narrowed eyes, like she sees through the bullshit with an all-seeing eye. "Right. Thought experiment. Is this hypothetical person a queer or not?"

"It never crossed your mind," Eddie confirms. "She looks like the posterchild of suburban heterosexuality, but she's gotten very invested in your very gay sex life out of the blue recently."

"So which one of you is the man invested or tell me about what eating out is like invested?"

"Tell me what eating out is like invested."

Robin hums in thought, tapping her index finger against her chin like the situation is really vexing her. "That sounds pretty gay, Eddie."

She is right, that does sound pretty gay. But it doesn't help him in his predicament at all, since Steve seemed to back off about the 'so do you play rock paper scissors to find out who gets it?' questions after Eddie frustratedly admitted that 'DnD club president and metalhead virgin at almost twenty' wasn't exactly a hot item in Indianapolis, much less Hawkins.

"Okay, new layer," Eddie says, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. "What if, say, instead of asking you out--which you think is her next move--she starts trying to set you up with a bunch of girls you don't know."

There's muffled chatter from outside the Beemer's windows. Cars rev in the distance as they pull into the lot. Eddie watches Robin in contemplative silence as she thinks through her answer.

"That is difficult," she concedes, and Eddie is feeling more desperate than ever. "Can't imagine that ever happening to me."

Eddie mumbles, "Thank God it's a hypothetical."

"But if you think about it, it's either some misguided attempt to put me out there, or it's a Hail Mary to get me to realize I like her."

"Okay, well. Both options seem pretty hard to differentiate when you don't know what the fucking context behind the action is."

"For what it's worth," Robin says, her expression softening ever-so-slightly, "I think it's the Hail Mary. It's not my place to tell, but you should really give up the idea that it's wishful thinking and give it a shot."

Eddie's a millisecond away from asking, is it that obvious? before there's a sharp knock against his window. He yelps, head whipping around to find Steve with that sly grin slapped on his stupid, handsome face.

Eddie rolls down the window and tries to school his expression. He doesn't need to, really, because Steve shoves the popcorn into his hands and declares, "A medium sized popcorn with cheddar powder and lots of fucking butter for you, my friend. Bone of a teeth."

"Just fucking say it regularly," Robin groans as he yanks open the drivers seat door and tosses her a box of Milk Duds. "I know you can, you jackass!"

Steve laughs, full and hearty, as he turns to look at Eddie in the rear seats. He's like bottled-up sunshine contained into the shape of an American heartthrob. He's like Venus as a boy.

Eddie feels like he's staring down the barrel of a gun.

Another week of ruminating goes by, this time with Robin's words echoing in his head like a reverb pedal, and Eddie keeps that yellow pick near his heart the entire time. It's a real push and pull type situation, he realizes. His heart goes one way, his brain goes the other, which is fucking typical.

He doesn't talk to Jeff about it, because he knows he'll get the same answer, and he doesn't dare talk to Robin about it again. He feels she knows too much, and he has know idea how much she's accidentally telepathically transferred to Steve.

Eddie is about halfway through debating shaving his hair off as a way of regaining control when he finds Steve standing on his doorstep like a fucking Mormon.

"Eddie, man," Steve says with zero preamble, "my cousin's boyfriend has a roommate that I think you'd like."

"Nice weather we're having," Eddie responds blankly. Frankly, with the way things are going, he's getting sick of it.

But he can't help the way that Steve still looks beautiful as his eyebrows bunch together and pretty pink lips pinch into a thin line.

"Come on, man. I think this'll be a good start for you. I think he's into the same bands as you. I think Kathy said he was a Skid Row roadie, or something like that."

"I'm not that big of a Hair Metal guy," Eddie admits, and Steve deflates a bit.

"Well, if it helps, he kind of looks like me.' Jesus Christ. "Devastatingly handsome and all."

Eddie's damn near about to snap like a worn-out Stretch Armstrong being mauled by two pitbulls. He feels like he's about to blow a fucking gasket in front of the guy he's been holding very ill-advised affection towards since his sophomore year of high school. The very same guy who's been trying to set Eddie up with literally everyone with a functioning penis with exception of himself, the only guy Eddie has wanted. Ever.

There's no way Steve is that dense, right?

Eddie knows that the guy's smart, despite everyone telling him otherwise. Steve can definitely do mental math better than Eddie can dream of doing--since Frankie Gershwin passed down the sacred Hellfire DM calculator once Eddie took over Hellfire after he graduated--and he actually graduated on time, unlike yours truly.

But Eddie doesn't fucking get it.

"Steve," Eddie blurts, rather unceremoniously, "what are you doing?"

Steve blinks. His smile wanes dangerously low. "...I'm setting you up with a handsome dude."

"I don't understand why you're doing this though. Are you fucking with me, or something?"

"No, dude, I just..." Steve's expression shifts. His shoulders sag and he rakes a hand through his hair. He looks devastatingly earnest. "I just want to see you happy."

"If you want me to be happy," Eddie snaps, "then just ask me out yourself, since I've fucking been in love with you since April."

Steve freezes, hazelnut eyes like full moons on dinnerplates.

Eddie's hand flexes on the doorknob as he resists the white-hot urge to slam the door shut on Steve's shocked face. Maybe he should take a vacation down south to Mexico. Perhaps change his name and never come back. Hopefully there'll be sweet and earnest boys with olive skin and luscious hair waiting for him on the beaches of Cancun. Holy shit this is a fucking disaster.

"Oh," Steve says.

"Yeah, oh."

"You love me?" Steve asks, eyes sparkling like the rural sky. He draws closer to Eddie, raising a hand that begs to touch him.

"When have I not?" Eddie admits as leans into Steve's touch against his shoulder and laces their fingers together.

I guess I was, uh. I wasn't expecting it." Steve smiles softly and gazes at their intertwined hands.

"Do you?"

"Do I what?"

"Love me too?"

"Oh God." It's like Eddie's staring straight into the sun, with the ways Steve's smile grows more intense with each second. He wants to have it burned into his retinas. "Of course I do. It feels so stupid how much I'm obsessed with you."

"You know, you have a weird way of putting it, what with all the setting me up with guys I don't know," Eddie chirps. Steve chuffs and shakes his head like a guilty dog.

"I guess I wasn't expecting you to want me back. I wasn't sure you'd go for guys like me."

For jocks hangs heavy and silent in the air between them, as if Steve hasn't quite jumped over that hurtle of guilt over the person he was in high school. Sure, he was king of the letter crowd, but he's nothing like the douchebag from '83. Steve would never shove him into a locker or be a general chest-beating moron around Eddie, because he's not a moron. He's sweet and dorky and a little misguided, sometimes, but he has the heart of the size of a mack truck and a kindness to show it.

The thought of Steve talking Eddie's ear off about Sportsketball and the works sends an excited little shiver down his spine.

"I would," Eddie says, completely and utterly honestly. "God, I would for you."

He brings Steve's hand to his lips and smacks a wet kiss over the soft skin. "And the necklace..."

"That was my Hail Mary," Steve admits with a bashful shrug of his shoulders.

"I haven't taken it off since you've given it to me."

Steve releases his grip from Eddie's spindly hand and brushes his fingertips against Eddie's collarbone, tugging at the chain of the necklace until it untucks itself from underneath Eddie's shirt. Eddie watches the way that Steve lights up like a fucking electrical surge at the hint of sunshine yellow against his pale skin. It makes Eddie flush a bright red.

And when Steve's palm flattens against Eddie's chest and pushes him inside Eddie's new government loaned trailer, he lets himself be pushed against the wall and kissed.

And kissed, and kissed, and kissed.

Sufficed to say, when Eddie wakes up the next morning with Steve drooling against the back of his neck and his warm hand splayed against the skin of his naked chest, Eddie vows to always take Jeff's word for it.

____________

holy shit i was not expecting for part one to get that much fanfare. to be honest, i was totally intending for it to be a one and done to explore eddie and jeff's friendship, and believe me, my heart is so warmed by the reception it got. i recently have gotten myself out of a months long slump and have been swamped with college work, so i apologize for my writing being so few and far between. thank you all and i hope this is the resolution you were waiting so patiently for! :)

@grtwdsmwhr @eyehartart @bananahoneycomb @notasmoothman @colidamae

[snekdood]

ppl who criticize ppl for “anthropomorphizing animals” sure do love saying they have autism though huh

[bookinsomnia]

I'm not trying to start any beef in the fandom or anything...but even though word of God is that Mel and Langdon are purely platonic there have been some pretty odd editing choices made that seem to suggest something more.

First, when Mel first comes and ask for Langdon's help in episode one with the sleeping boy, Mel and Langdon walk away while the camera lingers on Dr. Robbie watching the two of them. Then Dr. Robbie turns his attention to Collins who, it is implied, he was in a romantic relationship with while she was a junior resident and he was her attending.

Second, when Langdon is taking care of the fight bite in episode nine, the camera pulls out to the two different hospital rooms that each of the women fighting are in. In one room there is Javadi and Matteo who are romantically linked (albeit one-sided), and parallel to them in the other room there is King and Langdon. This may be a coincidence, but this scene is pretty important in establishing that Langdon is very tuned in to Mel's emotions and needs.

Third, in episode 13, which had almost no Mel and Langdon interaction, except for when Mel is with the woman with PTSD and they are looking around the ER together. I saw a post that said that the camera was from Mel's POV because how it lingers on Langdon for a second, and that is the moment in which Langdon looks up at the camera. Again, may mean nothing except that I am looking for confirmation for my preconceived notions, but Langdon seems to be hyper aware of Mel at all times, even when they are not working together.

I know that a lot of this can be confirmation bias because I do find the pairing cute, and I do feel like that gif of Charlie with the red string from It's Always Sunny. I just needed to get my thoughts out there. Again, not trying to start any beef with anyone. I, too, believe that men and women can just be good friends, and I do not want to yuck anyone else's yum. Keeping this in the Kingdon hashtag instead of putting my thoughts in the more general Pitt hashtag for that reason.

[joejhang]

fanon neil vs canon neil

god i am so FUCKING done with the aftg fandom mischaracterising neil i'm literally writing fucking ESSAYS about it and pacing circles muttering about it under my breath it's driving me up the goddamn wall so i am going to word vomit brain dump yap about all of it in an incoherent tumblr text post. spoilers ahead continue at ur own risk

i've said it before and i'll say it again I HATE FANON NEIL. istg this fandom LOVES to mischaracterise neil and ykw i think i know why. they take the smallest most unnoticeable parts of his personality and then exaggerate them to disproportionate and unrealistic levels in order for him to fit their idea of a conventional, stereotypical and desirable main character. they smooth out his jagged edges and prick at his "insecurities" to make him more likeable, more acceptable and more conventional of a narrator/main character and in doing so erase so fucking much of his personality and draw as a character that he loses just about all of the flavour that made me love him in canon. and also especially within the andreil dynamic this fucking fandom just loves to tweak neil's character until he's basically unrecognisable just so they can cram andreil into some preconceived socially acceptable clichéd ship dynamic. because andrew is perceived as the typical mysterious, moody and grumpy love interest therefore neil just has to be the sunshiney smiley blushing cute softboy in exchange. yeah because all gay ships have to be grumpy-sunshine and black cat-golden retriever dynamic. i raise you: andreil's dynamic doesn't work because of their differences it works because of their similarities. if u think about it andrew and neil are honestly very similar people in the way they think and process emotions and events and that's what allows them to connect and understand each other. andreil would not work if neil was super sunshiney and a blushy soft mess and andrew was the stoic, never smiling, unemotional stone of a guy the fandom loves to make them. just accept they do not fit into the conventional boxes laid out by booktok for what gay ships look like. i fucking digress.

neil is also just insanely mischaracterised on his own. people love making him very jittery and insanely oblivious and easily flustered with a generous serving of self-esteem issues. i hate to break it to you guys: neil josten is not insecure. i don't think there's a single instant in the series where neil is actually insecure about anything. as a narrator, person and character, neil is very realistic, pragmatic and logical. ruthlessly so. i'd say on this, neil is even more cerebral and unemotional than andrew is. neil is very straightforward and realistic abt himself in his narration and i'd honestly say his opinion and views about himself are one of the only things in the story that isn't affected by his narrator bias. if neil is anything, it's self-aware. i'm now going to present all my fucking evidence.

neil doesn't have a sexuality crisis. literally in the entire series never once does he even question his fucking sexuality. it's implied he's already figured out he's aspec/demisexual from the moment nicky questions him about his sexuality. neil says "i don't swing" and follows up in his narration: it wasn't quite the truth, but it was close enough. and later when he starts his relationship with andrew he doesn't ever question the nature of his feelings towards andrew or even anyone else and is pretty clear about it when andrew breaches the topic: "kissing you doesn't make me look at them any differently" so yeah neil is pretty certain and aware of his sexuality.

neil isn't insecure about his appearance. i feel like this is gonna require a bit of work to explain but hear me out. it is mentioned several times that neil has a complicated relationship with his appearance because he looks so much like his father/abuser. this is obviously understandable; you wouldn't want to look into the mirror and see the man who gave u all ur scars. that being said, neil doesn't have a lot of strong emotions regarding his appearance. most of his feelings of panic tied to when r*ko dyed back his hair is because of how it would be a lot easier for his father to discover him now that he has his original colouring back. i'm also pretty sure neil knows that he's cute. like it's never explicitly stated but i've reread aftg maybe fifty times and trust me i can read between the lines. neil explicitly says that he has a "love-hate relationship with his reflection out of necessity" and while the "hate" part of that statement is obvious: he doesn't like that he resembles his father, i've sort of just accepted that the "love" part of it is that he knows he's kinda fine. it's not brought up by him at all bc neil as a person is not one to linger on people's appearances almost at all. i think the only people to get a decent amount of lines dedicated to their appearance in the narration are allison and andrew. but yeah i genuinely don't think neil thinks he's ugly or unattractive and he's probably definitely been told how cute he is by others enough that he doesn't harbour any delusions about how he looks. regarding his scars, he never expresses any insecurity towards them and how they look, he just doesn't like them on display understandably bc of how acutely they point to his past and childhood that he's trying to hide.

neil is actually very very confident in his own and other people's abilties. this is esp regarding exy. he knows he's good at the game. like he knows. the most distinct example i can think of for this point is when kevin tells neil that he was at castle evermore to try out for the perfect court when they were younger. neil doesn't even doubt for a fucking second that he would've made it onto the perfect court. never does. he skips over the second-guessing and doubt part and just straight up starts daydreaming about the future he could've had playing with kevin and r*ko. like that really got me bc it's easy to assume neil would be super unassuming and have low self-esteem but no like neil doesn't doubt for a fucking second that he deserves to be perfect court. it's just that he doesn't believe in r*ko's delusions enough to play along with it by the time he gets the tattoo. he's also insanely confident about the foxes and their abilities and also kevin by the end of the series. at the beginning he takes a pretty realistic vantage point and says that with the way things are, the foxes will never beat the ravens. but even with that pov he still has the gall to challenge r*ko on LIVE TV and i doubt he's lying when he declares so boldly to everyone that if the foxes were united they'd be an unstoppable force (and guess what he was fucking RIGHT). and by the end, when the foxes are united, he has no more room left for doubt at all. some guy tells neil to kick the ravens' asses and neil just replies with zero hesitation "that's the plan". like he's so fucking on board with it. and he never once doubts that kevin is the best striker in the game. like literally never. at first he considers r*ko and kevin on par with each other (possibly, it's never stated outright) but by the end he literally has no doubts when he says "kevin is the best striker" like goddamn the amount of confidence neil has is so underrated.

neil is a very unemotional narrator. it actually gets me all the time how logical and ruthlessly pragmatic neil's narration and inner monologue is. some of the only strong emotions portrayed in neil's narration are anger, irritation and occasionally grief, which is only ever triggered by major trauma-inducing events (e.g. dr*ke). almost all of his inner monologue is analytical and observing others and dissecting either other people or the situation he's in. and almost all of his decisions and actions are made based on impulse and instinct. neil is a very instinctive person. this is outright stated in the way he plays exy; in theory, he can't give u a lot, but in the heat of the moment he's at his best. this applies to practically all facets of neil's life. he never plans his moves or what he's gonna say (except like that one time when he planned out what half-truth he was gonna tell andrew post-columbia). he's super quick and on the ball and literally does whatever the fuck he wants at any given moment. he's also insanely good at compartmentalising. like it's difficult to explain but while his priorities are obv hilariously skewed, they're also very clear in his mind. things he considers unimportant he simply just doesn't think about. what others look like and what they think of him don't factor into his internal monologue or his thoughts at all he literally just files them away in the back of his mind until they do end up becoming useful or important to him. he barely comments on andrew's appearance at all until andrew becomes someone worth staring at and admiring for him. the only reason he describes allison and renee in the detail that he does is because it's important in understanding how and why he reacts to them the way he does. this man was literally about to lose his goddamn mind at the fall banquet but he specifically reserved his mental breakdown for after the banquet so he could spend his time roasting the fuck out of r*ko. bro fully locked in and was like "clock riko now break down later" and i respect it.

neil doesn't actually have a martyr complex. it's funny because almost all of aftg is him being the absolute fucking opposite of a martyr. he wilfully sticks around the foxes knowing he's putting himself and them in danger. he doesn't "sacrifice" himself until he's absolutely forced to by his father's people. by then, he's already told himself he can't and won't run and he's smart enough to know he'll never get away anyway. and going to evermore wasn't about self-sacrifice or martyrdom it was about protecting andrew and those two are pretty fucking different. he knew he was coming back from evermore and he knew that he wouldn't die there, despite all the shit he went through, so i don't think that can be counted as "self-sacrifice". he was doing what he had to do to protect andrew, the same as andrew would've done for neil or aaron or kevin or anyone else he'd sworn to protect. the kidnapping in baltimore was the culmination of neil's character arc, which isn't really about learning to be selfless and self-sacrificing, it's about learning to stand his ground and stop running. those things r crucially different: neil not running in baltimore wasn't about selflessness, it was about courage. yes, part of it was obviously inspired by the foxes and motivated by not wanting them to be hurt but i truly believe it ultimately was about neil learning to stand his own ground and make his own home and have it be something he's willing to die for. call it whatever u want honestly i just don't think neil is as much of a martyr/sacrificial lamb as the fandom makes him out to be.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Cognitive Bias

Cognitive Bias - a strong, preconceived notion of someone or something, based on information we have, perceive to have, or lack.

These preconceptions are mental shortcuts the human brain produces to expedite information processing—to quickly help it make sense of what it is seeing.

The many types of cognitive biases serve as systematic errors in a person’s subjective way of thinking, which originate from that individual’s own perceptions, observations, or points of view.

There are different types of bias people experience that influence and affect the way we think and behave, as well as our decision-making process.

Examples of Cognitive Bias

Confirmation bias. This type of bias refers to the tendency to seek out information that supports something you already believe, and is a particularly pernicious subset of cognitive bias—you remember the hits and forget the misses, which is a flaw in human reasoning. People will cue into things that matter to them, and dismiss the things that don’t, often leading to the “ostrich effect,” where a subject buries their head in the sand to avoid information that may disprove their original point.

The Dunning-Kruger Effect. This particular bias refers to how people perceive a concept or event to be simplistic just because their knowledge about it may be simple or lacking—the less you know about something, the less complicated it may appear. However, this form of bias limits curiosity—people don’t feel the need to further explore a concept, because it seems simplistic to them. This bias can also lead people to think they are smarter than they actually are, because they have reduced a complex idea to a simplistic understanding.

In-group bias. This type of bias refers to how people are more likely to support or believe someone within their own social group than an outsider. This bias tends to remove objectivity from any sort of selection or hiring process, as we tend to favor those we personally know and want to help.

Self-serving bias. A self-serving bias is an assumption that good things happen to us when we’ve done all the right things, but bad things happen to us because of circumstances outside our control or things other people purport. This bias results in a tendency to blame outside circumstances for bad situations rather than taking personal responsibility.

Availability bias. Also known as the availability heuristic, this bias refers to the tendency to use the information we can quickly recall when evaluating a topic or idea—even if this information is not the best representation of the topic or idea. Using this mental shortcut, we deem the information we can most easily recall as valid, and ignore alternative solutions or opinions.

Fundamental attribution error. This bias refers to the tendency to attribute someone’s particular behaviors to existing, unfounded stereotypes while attributing our own similar behavior to external factors. For instance, when someone on your team is late to an important meeting, you may assume that they are lazy or lacking motivation without considering internal and external factors like an illness or traffic accident that led to the tardiness. However, when you are running late because of a flat tire, you expect others to attribute the error to the external factor (flat tire) rather than your personal behavior.

Hindsight bias. Hindsight bias, also known as the knew-it-all-along effect, is when people perceive events to be more predictable after they happen. With this bias, people overestimate their ability to predict an outcome beforehand, even though the information they had at the time would not have led them to the correct outcome. This type of bias happens often in sports and world affairs. Hindsight bias can lead to overconfidence in one’s ability to predict future outcomes.

Anchoring bias. The anchoring bias, also known as focalism or the anchoring effect, pertains to those who rely too heavily on the first piece of information they receive—an “anchoring” fact— and base all subsequent judgments or opinions on this fact.

Optimism bias. This bias refers to how we as humans are more likely to estimate a positive outcome if we are in a good mood.

Pessimism bias. This bias refers to how we as humans are more likely to estimate a negative outcome if we are in a bad mood.

The halo effect. This bias refers to the tendency to allow our impression of a person, company, or business in one domain influence our overall impression of the person or entity. For instance, a consumer who enjoys the performance of a microwave that they bought from a specific brand is more likely to buy other products from that brand because of their positive experience with the microwave.

Status quo bias. The status quo bias refers to the preference to keep things in their current state, while regarding any type of change as a loss. This bias results in the difficulty to process or accept change.

How to Reduce Cognitive Bias

Even though cognitive biases are pervasive throughout every system, there are ways to address your bias blind spots:

Be aware. The best way to prevent cognitive bias from influencing the way you think or make decisions is by being aware that they exist in the first place. Critical thinking is the enemy of bias. By knowing there are factors that can alter the way we see, experience, or recall things, we know that there are additional steps we must take when forming a judgment or opinion about something.

Challenge your own beliefs. Once you’re aware that your own thinking is heavily biased, continuously challenge the things you believe is a good way to begin the debiasing process—especially when receiving new information. This can help you expand your pool of knowledge, giving you a greater understanding of the subject matter.

Try a blind approach. Especially in the case of observer bias, researchers conduct blind studies to reduce the amount of bias in scientific studies or focus groups. By limiting the amount of influential information a person or group of people receive, they can make less affected decisions.

Biases make it difficult for people to exchange accurate information or derive truths.

A cognitive bias distorts our critical thinking, leading to possibly perpetuating misconceptions or misinformation that can be damaging to others.

Biases lead us to avoid information that may be unwelcome or uncomfortable, rather than investigating the information that could lead us to a more accurate outcome.

Biases can also cause us to see patterns or connections between ideas that aren’t necessarily there.

Logical Fallacy vs. Cognitive Bias

Cognitive biases are often confused with logical fallacies.

A cognitive bias refers to how our internal thinking patterns affect how we understand and process information.

A logical fallacy refers to an error in reasoning that weakens or invalidates an argument.

Cognitive biases are systematic errors in a person’s subjective way of thinking, while logical fallacies are about the errors in a logical argument.

Source ⚜ More: Notes & References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

[potato-lord-but-not]

Is yellow and the silles (John, Arthur, oscar, and noel) a ship??? You don’t have to respond to this question but I have been.. .. confused

not to me !!! yellow isn’t romantically involved with any of them, he is the most affectionate towards Oscar tho because he’s the only one without any preconceived bias towards yellow and therefore treats him like just some guy who needs some kindness.

[s0s1mple]

yes yes im a sunoo bias myself and I actually never asked in Tumblr before lol

i was wondering if you could do a yandere stalker sunoo like in a school situation? Cus I can't be the only one that thinks that sunoo fits an obsessive psycho personality 😝

No no he ABSOLUTELY fits that sort of vibe. Like, so cute and friendly, then absolutely batshit behind the scenes hehe. I got you! (Also I'm SO SORRY this took so long, I had this header made for ages and then got caught up with work. Sorry!!)

Closer - Kim Sunoo

TW: General yandere behavior, stalking, delusion, unwanted kisses, stealing (senior year, both are 18)

Masterlist

Sunoo thought you were radiant. Absolutely radiant, like sunshine personified. Some people might think him odd for having such an opinion, especially since you were quiet and tended to keep to yourself, but Sunoo would fight them tooth and nail until they understood exactly how warm and wonderful you were.

How it was you who greeted Sunoo first when he arrived at your school all those years ago. Others had flocked to him of course, as they always did. Drawn in by his smile and his extraverted nature, plucking at his cheeks and cooing, telling him just how polite and wonderful his voice sounded. He'd had such things told to him his entire life and, while he always appreciated the love of others, he also had grown accustomed to it. Everywhere he went, the same thing.

You're my age? Oh, I thought you were younger with how cute you are!

You can dance too? And sing? What can't you do, Sunoo?

You're so friendly! I can always depend on you!

Sunoo had those who didn't like him of course, mostly other boys who thought him too soft around the edges or that his interests were unbecoming, but Sunoo knew well enough not to be bothered by such things. He knew who he was, and he didn't need others to tell him.

But you didn't tell him who he was. Who he should be. Who he was expected to be.

No, you just sat with him quietly as he walked over to take a breather from gym class. You were fiddling with the hem of your shirt, pursing your lips at the sight of a thread out of place. Sunoo peeked over, humming, and spoke up. "I can fix it, if you want."

"Hm?" You looked up, surprised at someone talking to you. "Fix it?"

"Yeah. My mom taught me how to sew, so..." He trailed off, smiling welcomingly at you. It was painted all over your face just how introverted you were, your eyes darting around nervously and your fingers fiddling even more. You dipped your head.

"That's sweet. I can figure it out, though..." He noticed something interesting about your language then. 'That's sweet.'

Not 'you're so sweet' or 'that's nice of you' said in that enthused, too-happy to gush over him way. Just an observation that the action he took was nice, not attributing it to him immediately.

Maybe it was stupid to read so much into such a small statement and its phrasing, but Sunoo's observation was proven accurate as he tried to talk more to you.

"I went to the carnival this weekend! They asked me to perform for the kids there, so it was pretty fun."

"Oh, you did? Sounds fun. Must have taken a lot of work to get that good."

Not 'you're so talented,' not 'I wish I was as talented as you,' or even 'Wahh... I'm sure the kids loved it, Sunoo!'

Truth be told, he had put a lot of effort into it.

You didn't make assumptions, just listened and complimented and then shrunk back into yourself like you weren't the first person in his whole life to create a preconceived notion the millisecond you met him.

He didn't get much chance to talk to you that day, nor the next, nor for a long time after. You two had gym together, sure, but aside from that your schedules were completely different for a long time. There was no time to rush up and talk to you, especially since you seemed too skittish and he felt he might need a reason.

All the same, Sunoo still saw you. Still appreciated you, more and more as he saw the parts of you others didn't. The way you smiled softly to yourself when you were proud of something you'd made or a grade you'd gotten. The little squeal you let out when your college of choice answered back and accepted you. The way your nose scrunched when people were too loud, the way you hummed to yourself when you settled down to study in the library, the way your hair blew around your face when you walked home, the way you greeted your mother with a hug every time you saw her, the way you fed the same stray cat every time you went to the park, even when it was raining, the way-

Sunoo could go on and on about you. About your cuteness, your warmth, the moments where the breath was knocked out of him by how beautiful you were. And he did! Just... not verbally.

Sunoo had never been a shy person. Not really, anyways. Quiet sometimes, sure, humble other times, but not shy. But with you? He felt like a floaty mess. And on top of that, he was scared of scaring you off. You were so shy comparatively, and he feared he would break down if you rejected his presence. So instead, he found a different outlet for his admiration.

Sunoo scrap booked.

Every little new thing he noticed about you he wrote down. Every picture he took of you looking your best- which was everyday!- he pasted down into his journal. He swiped the pencils you left behind and doodled pictures of you inside with them. Washi tape and pressed flowers, markers and stickers, anything and everything to try and decorate pages of YOU and express just how much he loved you.

He didn't think that all those things could ever show his desire, but it was at least a hint. Something to compliment your features as he longingly stroked a finger down your polaroid face and giggled to himself in the dead of night.

He did all this, and it did curb his need to approach you, to bask in your light, but at the same time he was... getting antsy.

Sunoo needed you like he needed air. Needed to be closer. First it was peeking through your windows, trying to see how you lived and catch sight of your cute face while you snored. Then it was invading your home, poking around and pretending like you'd invited him there. Him! Then he took things, things that he could pretend you gave him and things that reminded him of you. Oversized shirts he could use as pillowcases, the little figurine at the back of your shelf that you wouldn't miss, your favorite toothbrush...

Sunoo sat up abruptly, startled by the sound of steps coming up the staircase. He floundered for a moment, leaping off the bed and looking for somewhere to go. He couldn't escape back out the window, not in time at least. And there was no desk where he could hide, or a closet big enough, and the door was opening and-

"Shh, shh! H-Hey! It's ok!" Sunoo pressed you against the door, hand pressed over your mouth, tense and frantic. Almost instantly you were completely frozen in fear, wide eyes peering up at him, and the first thought through Sunoo's head was that he wanted a picture of that face to line his next page with. "It's just me. It's Sunoo, ok?"

You hardly breathed, but he could see your eyes tearing up. Panic, self-loathing, and sympathy rushed over him all at once. He shushed you over and over, gently pulling you from the door into his arms. Your hands hovered, wanting to shove him away but too frightened of what he might do in return.

Little did you know that Sunoo wouldn't dream of hurting a pretty hair on your little head.

"I'm sorry, I- I didn't want us to meet again like this-" He stammered, petting your hair as he pressed over your mouth with his other. He pressed his forehead to yours. The mere contact warmed his bones, settled deep in his chest, and despite his worry and fear he felt a smile spreading over his face. You were here, right here in his arms, and god did it feel good. "I just- I've really liked you for a while now and I wanted to see you..."

Sunoo leaned in, feeling your breath stutter against his hand, and pressed his cheek to yours. Soft, sweet, like a lover's nuzzle. He giggled as he pressed a gentle kiss to your cheek. Then to your forehead. Then your nose, your chin, the spot below your jaw. Peppering everywhere, trying to use you as an outlet for his love. Sunoo sighed happily as, after a moment of hesitation, he pressed his lips to yours. Then he leaned right back, practically vibrating with excitement.

"I just wanted to be closer."

[rum-sugar-pirate]

SOTM thoughts

This is basically a copy paste of a comment I left on tiktok but still:

It’s not terrible. It is honestly much better than security breach. I like the gameplay and stuff like it’s very interesting. It was just very hard for me and I’m guessing lots of other long time fans(considering the extremely divided community opinions) to get over our own personal preconceived ideas of the storyline. I’m still not the biggest fan of the direction but it’s far from bad, just not what I personally wanted from it and that’s okay. Someone said it would’ve been better as a stand-alone/spinoff and I totally agree.

I don’t like how Henry and William aren’t the ones who created the franchise in the first place. It gives them lesser roles imo and makes them less grandiose than they previously were. I understand this could be bias, as I love those two characters A LOT. I’m fine with Henry being a bit of a sleaze bag, he’s no saint! Had that been the plan from the beginning I think it would’ve been awesome, but since I’ve believed one thing for so long at this point it’s near impossible for me personally to accept it. Autism or whatever.

From this point on however, Im not viewing it as a part of my personal canon for FNAF. I like to stick to my own AU/theories/opinions and probably will never talk about SOTM in depth after this point. I just like yapping about my feelings on things. Maybe someone will agree 🤷‍♂️

But yeah, Henry in a microwave.

[cantareincminor]

Lives May Hinge

Given my recent Handler obsession, I've been rereading chapters where she features heavily, including chapter 63. This is the chapter where WISE has to thwart an assassination attempt on an opera singer without Twilight's help.

At the start of the chapter, as the WISE rookie spouts off about the tabloids smearing the opera singer, we see several shots of Handler in Fullmetal Lady mode. Shadowed or invisible eyes, threatening expression and actions.

Then she says this, which struck me as a layer deeper than everything else:

"Never forget that lives may hinge on any little scrap of information."

Now it could be that she's just referring to how the last war started in the first place. Both sides accused the other of instigating the war, as we find out during Franky and [Redacted]'s argument on the hillside. Ordinary foot soldiers had no idea which version was true, mostly believing the propaganda they were sold by their country's leadership.

She could also be referring to her experience in intelligence in general. The success or failure of many missions may have hinged on a seemingly insignificant piece of information.

But during this readthrough, something about Handler's expression, her shadowed eyes and the deep tiredness they hold, made me think she's talking about something personal. Endo often uses these solemn close-ups of characters' faces and eyes when they're thinking about the personal losses they suffered in the war.

For example, Twilight in chapter 20 (bomb dog arc):

Yor, in chapter 91:

And for Sylvia, in chapter 78, we see this:

We pretty much know that Sylvia's husband and daughter died in the war from her epic speech to the university students. It's possible she's talking about her husband when she says: "Have you ever discovered a blown-off piece of your lover stuck to a wall?"

But how exactly did she lose them? Could it be that a "little scrap of information" could have been the difference between their survival or death?

The backstory I've created for Sylvia in the Orpheus universe is that she was already working for WISE when she was married with a kid (she reveals this during Chapter 35 in her conversation with Yor). Her husband was fully supportive of her clandestine career despite the risks. And when her cover was blown, the Ostanian military bombed her home and killed her husband and daughter. All these years, she's had to live with the haunting guilt and regret of what she could have done to save them. In The Signal and the Smoke, I plan to explore this in more detail. Maybe it was a simple, tiny mistake she made on a mission that gave her away to the enemy. A scrap of information that escaped her grasp and ultimately led to the deaths of her family.

And that is why she is so exacting in her methods. So intent on cutting through noise and bullshit for the truth. So keen on having concrete data and evidence to back up any claim. And drilling the same instincts into her agents. It's not just to preserve the peace at large. It's to save people she cares about from dying, and to teach her agents to do the same.

This is what also gives me hope about how she'll deal with the eventual Twiyor reveal and the knowledge that Yor is a Garden assassin. In her own words, she will not view everything in black and white. She won't try to make everything fit into preconceived notions. And she won't rationalize.

She will be aware of her own bias, and after the initial anger and disbelief and shock have passed, she'll try to save as many lives as possible with her decisions. The Forger family will have a formidable force in their corner when all the cards are on the table (and after Handler reprimands Twilight so harshly she makes him cry lol).