Quix's Random Bullshit Thread (Comments Welcome)

[Mr Quixotic]

I figure if you don't like something, just don't watch, don't listen, or don't read. Or, alternatively, have a little fun by satirising it. Logic is a powerful weapon,

I think, between us, with what I'd previously posted of Tim Minchin on here, we've pretty much pirated his whole back catalogue by now!

So, for a change, here's another favourite of mine, Jim Jefferies, providing his Australian perspective on the issue of Gun Control.

[video=youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rR9IaXH1M0[/video]

[video=youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9UFyNy-rw4[/video]

 

[Nature Girl]

Ah, you can never have too much Minchin in my book

But what a find this Jim Jefferies is! So glad you posted these. I've always hated guns and could never find any justification for them. They are what they are: hardware to be used for a violent purpose. This guy's facial expression, body postures and delivery is way out there, though. Cheers, Mr Quixotic. I'm off for a YouTube splurge!!!

 

[Mr Quixotic]

No worries at all, the dry humour and delivery has me in stitches every time I watch. Hope you also enjoyed what else you found

 

[Nature Girl]

Lol...he is priceless! Spent way too much time laughing my head off when I've sworn to get on with my writing but you can never do too much laughing. Cheers for tipping me the wink on Mr Jefferies!

 

[Mr Quixotic]

Lol...he is priceless! Spent way too much time laughing my head off when I've sworn to get on with my writing but you can never do too much laughing. Cheers for tipping me the wink on Mr Jefferies!

Laughter's always good, and I saw your journal post. Good luck, writing alone is something I could never do, as I'd, literally, not even know where to begin.

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You have to love Australian politics. Legalising gay marriage has the support of 72% of the population, including the majority of Politicians, but instead of the Government, in a country where it's mandatory for Members of Parliament to vote in line with what their party mandates or risk excommunication, allowing a 'free vote', which, whilst not common is not unknown when it comes to controversial issues, they want to hold a plebiscite to 'ask the people'

The latter would take a year, and cost around $160m dollars, whilst the former could be over and done with in a week, without us needing to be inundated with all the anti- gay/anti-family values/moral-decay-of-society rhetorical bullshit that's certain to surround a Vote Yes/Vote No campaign.

The irony of it being that, even if the people do vote yes, the result is non-binding, still needing to be approved by Parliament, and some of the opposition could be funded by my recently passed away Uncle, who, instead of helping out some close relatives who are in desperate situations, left his entire $1.2m Estate to the Catholic Church. The family had contemplated contesting the will (they knew already) but in the end, decided that respecting his wishes, no matter how much they disagreed, was more important.

I think 72% of the population is evidence enough that the legalisation of same sex marriage already has the required support. What/who are you really scared of?

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I honestly don't know how to respond to unsolicited compliments or other people's impression of my writing, because, possibly much to do with the mental effort of putting my thoughts in order on the page/screen, I personally think of it as no more than adequate, and cannot comprehend what they see that I can't.

It could have to do that I have never considered myself as a artistically inclined, and often joke about having failed finger-painting and join-the-dots in kindergarten, as well as how my shower turns itself off in protest whenever I attempt to sing in it, and view writing and plot/story progression as more of an intellectual, logical and lateral-thinking challenge, than a creative one. That's possibly also why having slow-responding stories, and not receiving a response in a month or so doesn't worry me. I'm not one who has the need to write, in my blood, or a burning compulsion to release pent up creativity.

 

[Mr Quixotic]

Fuck Science, fuck the astronomical calendar, and fuck the solstice, we'll decide when the seasons officially change. So, Happy first day of Spring/Autumn, everyone

That pretty much says it all where I am right now, however, we Aussie's know, that, with the weather warming up, and having had wetter winter than usual, we'll soon have that special time of the year to look forward to:

 

[Nature Girl]

Happy first day of Spring to you in Oz, Mr Quixotic, and thanks for your good wishes re my venturing forth into some solo writing. It's a lovely, windy, sunny-ish, autumnal day where I am up in the northern hemisphere. Glad you don't have to worry bout those pesky bush fires right away! . I mean coping with the arachnids is more than enough for anybody :s

 

[Mr Quixotic]

Happy first day of Spring to you in Oz, Mr Quixotic, and thanks for your good wishes re my venturing forth into some solo writing. It's a lovely, windy, sunny-ish, autumnal day where I am up in the northern hemisphere. Glad you don't have to worry bout those pesky bush fires right away! . I mean coping with the arachnids is more than enough for anybody :s

Thanks Nature Girl, and Happy first day of not-officially-autumn-on-your-side-of-the-world-yet! I'll follow your journal with interest, to see how that writing goes. No, don't have to worry about it right at the moment, but the authorities are already warning of a potentially disastrous fire season. And, talking about arachnids, one of my writing partners sent me the below the other day, which I wasn't aware of!

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Received some nice comments yesterday in regards to Internet Killers - for which I can't take credit, but instead need to give a shout-out to my partner for writing an amazing, instinctively-on-the-same-page adversary, that creates such a fun, tense dynamic -, along with a request for another serial-killer story that I had to, unfortunately, decline.

With writing two such stories now, both of which I absolutely love, along with some very dark themes in my one with Xana, and intense elements in another story or two, takes a lot of out of me. It can be draining, so I probably need something lighter to offset them.

Not a rant, just an observation, but one thing I've found exceedingly difficult to locate on here over the past couple of years are stories with sexual kink/darkness/taboo, in which the female characters are active participants in creating the kink, and constructing the scenarios, rather than simply acting as an empty vessel for the male to sexually act upon.

Honestly, stumbling across any story on BMR where the female character takes it upon herself, unprompted, to initiate even so simple a task as a change of sexual position or location - Oh, no, that might make her 'dominant'; hmm, let's try, slightly interesting in bed? - can appear a miracle akin to the myth of Moses parting the Red Sea. That they can, and are more than willing to, shoulder some of the creative burden in that regard is one of the (many) reasons I appreciate every one of my current partners, and the characters they portray, so much. Thanks for being awesome, guys

 

[Mr Quixotic]

I've a laypersons interest in personality and psychological profiles and quizzes, such as the MBTI, and the like, and earlier this week, stumbled across 'Project Implicit' and the Harvard University Implicit Association Tests:

Rather than try to explain, I'll let the website speak for itself:

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Background Information
Psychologists understand that people may not say what's on their minds either because they are unwilling or because they are unable to do so. For example, if asked "How much do you smoke?" a smoker who smokes 4 packs a day may purposely report smoking only 2 packs a day because they are embarrassed to admit the correct number. Or, the smoker may simply not answer the question, regarding it as a private matter. These are examples of being unwilling to report a known answer. But it is also possible that a smoker who smokes 4 packs a day may report smoking only 2 packs because they honestly believe they only smoke about 2 packs a day. Unknowingly giving an incorrect answer is sometimes called self-deception; this illustrates being unable to give the desired answer.

The unwilling-unable distinction is like the difference between purposely hiding something from others and unconsciously hiding something from yourself. The Implicit Association Test makes it possible to penetrate both of these types of hiding. The IAT measures implicit attitudes and beliefs that people are either unwilling or unable to report.

They take a little time to complete, but I found it extremely interesting. However, beware, you may not like, or agree with, the results.

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Something lighter, from news.com.au, that amused me:

[url=http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/sex-relationships/sex/11-guys-talk-about-how-they-felt-during-their-first-sexual-encounter/news-story/0223c88f04e655787437f3886f5c0732

11 guys talk about how they felt during their first sexual encounter[/url]]

When you think about your first sexual encounter, words like awkward, cringeworthy and bewildering come (no pun intended) to mind. But you can revel in the fact that you’re certainly not alone - the guy lying opposite you was just as perplexed. Here, 11 men spill what was going through their minds when discovering girls and sex for the first time.

#1 "When I first encountered a vagina IRL I thought that it was smaller than I expected and I didn't grasp how it could accommodate… me."

#2 “I was 13, and was quite close with a girl up the street. One day we decided to watch a movie. During this time I put my hand down her chest and cupped her boob. She didn't mind, so I held it for the entire movie. It was small and fleshy but quite hard.”

#3 “Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice.”

#4 “I thought it [a vagina] was the most fascinating, smooth, perplexing and wonderful smelling thing I had ever encountered.”

#5 “The first time I saw a vagina was with a girl I (tried) to have sex with. I was terrified at how complicated it looked and definitely didn't know what to do with it.”

#6 “I was really surprised that women had pubic hair and how much there was (I'm not sure why I expected them not to…).”

#7 “I was extremely excited. And you can quote me on that.”

#8 “I didn’t realise how complicated ‘fannys’ were, I just poked around for a while because there was no Google on your phone back then."

#9 “The boobs were weird, they're just like these udder melons that serve no purpose. I don't see how men love them so much – I’ve since come to the conclusion I’m gay. That being said, I do like men with nice pecs.”

#10 “I was surprised by the initial thought process. Brain just says ‘I want to touch them (boobs, body, vagina)’.”

#11 “I was on a beach in Santa Ponza in Spain so I couldn’t see a thing... a lot of guesswork was involved… still is.”

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And, finally, heard this song on the way into work this morning, which I hadn't listened to in a while, and almost forgot how much I loved, probably, the quintessential Australian Pub Rockers, Cold Chisel, although this one's rather mellow.

[video=youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4Wwq9_zn_c[/video]

 

[Nature Girl]

Didn't! take the tests, Mr Quixotic, but loved the various revelations!

And that Cold Chisel track had a couple of tears trickling down my cheek. Just in the mood I guess. Thanks for sharing.

 

[lait]

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#1 "When I first encountered a vagina IRL I thought that it was smaller than I expected and I didn't grasp how it could accommodate… me."

#2 “I was 13, and was quite close with a girl up the street. One day we decided to watch a movie. During this time I put my hand down her chest and cupped her boob. She didn't mind, so I held it for the entire movie. It was small and fleshy but quite hard.”

#5 “The first time I saw a vagina was with a girl I (tried) to have sex with. I was terrified at how complicated it looked and definitely didn't know what to do with it.”

#6 “I was really surprised that women had pubic hair and how much there was (I'm not sure why I expected them not to…).”


#8 “I didn’t realise how complicated ‘fannys’ were, I just poked around for a while because there was no Google on your phone back then."

#9 “The boobs were weird, they're just like these udder melons that serve no purpose. I don't see how men love them so much – I’ve since come to the conclusion I’m gay. That being said, I do like men with nice pecs.”

#10 “I was surprised by the initial thought process. Brain just says ‘I want to touch them (boobs, body, vagina)’.”

#11 “I was on a beach in Santa Ponza in Spain so I couldn’t see a thing... a lot of guesswork was involved… still is.”

These are probably my favorite ones. xD
I'm dyingggg.
The google one tho.

 

[Mr Quixotic]

Didn't! take the tests, Mr Quixotic, but loved the various revelations!

And that Cold Chisel track had a couple of tears trickling down my cheek. Just in the mood I guess. Thanks for sharing.

The revelations had me laughing. That cold Chisel song is a little sad, as a few of there's are, but then they more which are harder rock, including the below, one of the all-time classic songs, sung by every Australia of legal age, drunk in a pub, at least once in their life (I think I've posted a different clip of it before). Apparently banned from radio when first released. I just enjoy sharing some local stuff, that others over the other side of Pacific may not have heard before:

[video=youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIU_XnCBZS4[/video]

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These are probably my favorite ones. xD
I'm dyingggg.
The google one tho.

I think we have the same favourites, numbers eight and eleven particularly!

And, since they were enjoyed so much, I think I'll need to share the other article that accompanied that one (#1 gets me every time!)

[url=http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/sex-relationships/sex/13-women-talk-about-seeing-a-penis-for-the-first-time/news-story/b5b16e9c83a138916638c209113ce8de

13 women talk about seeing a penis for the first time][/url]
Navigating any new territory can be thrilling, daunting and a little scary.

But when that territory is down someone’s pants, it’s a whole new ball game (pun intended). It’s a destination that comes without a map, guide or Lonely Planet, and the unexpected looms large (or not so). Here we asked 13 women to cast their minds back and share their reactions to seeing a penis for the first time. Their responses are bound to have you nodding your head in solidarity.

#1 “I couldn’t believe it had a hood. Like it emerged from its pyjama and then went back in there to hide when it was done. I also thought it looked like Gonzo [from the Muppets] when flaccid.”

#2 “Soooo this is how big it gets? Or do I wait for it to change more? (In hindsight the guy wasn’t that well-endowed)”

#3 “Pure FEAR. I wondered how the hell that thing was going to fit inside me. I was reluctant to believe it was physically possible.”

#4 “I remember thinking they looked like a mushroom and were so soft to touch and being astounded how much they could change! How does it go from SO soft to SO hard. (And I remember not having the faintest idea what to do with it… I mean really… is the skin supposed to move with the hand? Is this hurting him? I’m supposed to use hand and mouth?”

#5 “I thought it looked like a rainbow – you know how they flop over?”

#6 “The balls are so wrinkly. And squishy. Like a sack of marbles only there are two.”

#7 “I was so anxious I literally was squealing and covering my eyes (what a turn on, right?). When I finally did just bloody look at the thing, I was surprised that it was so bouncy - you know how semi-erect penises sort of flop around a lot? So weird. And oh god, so VEINY. Weirder though was seeing a non-erect penis after sex - they look so sad and deflated, just lying there.”

#8 “I think I was too focussed on trying to pretend I knew what I was doing that I can’t actually notice the penis itself.”

#9 “Is this circumcised or not circumcised? What even is circumcised?”

#10 “A combination of scared and frightened, and grossed out.”

#11 “What is that??”

#12 “I don’t think I even looked at it. I just felt around and hoped for the best”

#13 “There seems to be a lot of skin.”

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Am I a terrible person for hoping that the pouring rain outside continues into tomorrow, so I have a valid excuse for not driving out to visit my brother? I mean, I'd committed to it, before I unexpectedly saw him last weekend, and Christmas is now only three months away. Isn't that enough? xD

 

[lait]

[url=http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/sex-relationships/sex/13-women-talk-about-seeing-a-penis-for-the-first-time/news-story/b5b16e9c83a138916638c209113ce8de

13 women talk about seeing a penis for the first time][/url]

#1 “I couldn’t believe it had a hood. Like it emerged from its pyjama and then went back in there to hide when it was done. I also thought it looked like Gonzo [from the Muppets] when flaccid.”

#2 “Soooo this is how big it gets? Or do I wait for it to change more? (In hindsight the guy wasn’t that well-endowed)”


#4 “I remember thinking they looked like a mushroom and were so soft to touch and being astounded how much they could change! How does it go from SO soft to SO hard. (And I remember not having the faintest idea what to do with it… I mean really… is the skin supposed to move with the hand? Is this hurting him? I’m supposed to use hand and mouth?”

#6 “The balls are so wrinkly. And squishy. Like a sack of marbles only there are two.”

#8 “I think I was too focussed on trying to pretend I knew what I was doing that I can’t actually notice the penis itself.”


#10 “A combination of scared and frightened, and grossed out.”

#11 “What is that??”

#12 “I don’t think I even looked at it. I just felt around and hoped for the best”

#13 “There seems to be a lot of skin.”[/color]

Number fucking one.
I'm done.
Crying. xDDDD #2 Killed me tho. And I feel like #11 is something I'd say BUT LIKE NOT TRYING TO BE MEAN? Y'KNOW? XD I can relate to #8 /dies.

I actually didn't learn what a circumcised peen was until like 10th grade.
Like I honestly didn't get the difference until I saw it and then it was literally a slap in the face. But I remember being ultimately really grossed out. xD Now it doesn't even phase me.

Ugh that was swell. xD

 

[Nature Girl]

That's a real stonking song from Cold Chisel, Mr Quixotic. Not surprised they're so popular!

As for anti/selectively social dilemmas. I'm hoping it's still raining for you

 

[Mr Quixotic]

Number fucking one.
I'm done.
Crying. xDDDD #2 Killed me tho. And I feel like #11 is something I'd say BUT LIKE NOT TRYING TO BE MEAN? Y'KNOW? XD I can relate to #8 /dies.

I actually didn't learn what a circumcised peen was until like 10th grade.
Like I honestly didn't get the difference until I saw it and then it was literally a slap in the face. But I remember being ultimately really grossed out. xD Now it doesn't even phase me.

Ugh that was swell. xD

Lol, I think sex-ed has a lot to answer for in both countries! Although I probably didn't learn too much, I will always remember my eighth grade sex-ed teacher for practically the first words out of his mouth being;

"So as not to confuse anyone, we won't use the terms penis and vagina, but just say cock and pussy, as you do in the playground. At least then, you'll know what I'm talking about. xD The only time in school where swearing was encouraged, and didn't that freedom get abused!!

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That's a real stonking song from Cold Chisel, Mr Quixotic. Not surprised they're so popular!

As for anti/selectively social dilemmas. I'm hoping it's still raining for you

It's brilliant, and whilst they're legendary here, didn't have much success internationally, due mostly to, according to Wikipedia, their songs being about distinctly Australian experiences.

I woke up to bright sunshine, so I had to go visit. It wasn't bad, and we got along okay, and would be the first to help each other out if the other was in trouble. it's just mostly that we're polar opposites. I'm an introvert, where less is more, and silence golden, whereas he's an extrovert, who seems to become stressed if the quiet lasts for more than fifteen seconds, and could talk underwater with a mouthful of marbles, xD

Can be somewhat draining or lead to disagreements when I start yawning, rolling my eyes, answering in monosyllables, so as not to encourage him, or say outright, "Okay, enough already, I get the picture, and rattling on with every tiny detail for the next hour isn't going to make it any clearer." xD

 

[Nature Girl]

Yeah, some bands are like that, and it's no bad thing. If they can reflect an entire culture then that's an achievement!

Lol..."could talk underwater with a mouth full of marbles". That one's priceless!
Glad you got together, though, but know how you feel about silence being golden. I wear out very quickly with most of my family while they are mostly olympian talkers. Takes all kinds, though. Bet it was nice getting home and closing the door

 

[Mr Quixotic]

Yeah, some bands are like that, and it's no bad thing. If they can reflect an entire culture then that's an achievement!

Lol..."could talk underwater with a mouth full of marbles". That one's priceless!
Glad you got together, though, but know how you feel about silence being golden. I wear out very quickly with most of my family while they are mostly olympian talkers. Takes all kinds, though. Bet it was nice getting home and closing the door

Oh, believe me, it was nice getting home and closing the door. Sunday afternoon, the day before work, I need those last few hours to myself, xD

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Enjoyed the below article on news.com.au, and all I can say is that I'm glad English is my first language!

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I’M NOT racist, but English is a bloody ridiculous language.

Just about anybody who has studied a second language can attest to that. You learn basic French or Italian, with its verbal structure and its constant rules, and find yourself realising just how sadistic and merciless our Anglo-Saxon forefathers must have been to make so many exceptions. To illustrate this point, read one of these sentences out loud:

“The bandage was wound around the wound.”

“Seeing the tear in the painting made me shed a tear.”

“When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.”

Or think about this: The words cough, rough and though don’t rhyme. But pony and bologna do. Because why the hell not.

Contract, the noun — as in “Please sign this contract” — emphasises the “con”. Contract, the verb — as in “expand and contract” — emphasises the “tract”.

We waste four whole extra letters on the word queue.

If English is your second language, I am so, so sorry.

To really highlight the insanity that is this violent tool of human communication, BBC reporter Matthew Anderson tweeted a photo of an extract from the book called The Elements of Eloquence.

It points out that there’s actually a super-specific order we use to describe things, known as adjective order. It goes like this: opinion-size-age-shape-colour-origin-material-purpose noun.

Anderson’s tweet went viral, with more than 50,000 retweets, which suggests we’re totally fascinated when confronted with the ridiculousness that is our language.

We also love to waste time trying to prove these wrong. Admit it — when your third grade teacher told you nothing rhymes with orange or purple, you spent valuable brain power trying to prove them wrong. And probably failed to do so. (The Oxford English Dictionary has since pointed out that sporange is apparently a thing.)

It’s the same story with Anderson’s tweet: “So you can have a lovely little old rectangular green French silver whittling knife. But if you mess with that word order in the slightest you’ll sound like a maniac.”

That sentence flows perfectly, right?

But let’s put just one of the words in a different spot: “A little old rectangular green French lovely silver whittling knife.”

Say it aloud. Mate, you sound bats*it crazy. Yet you can’t quite articulate why. You just do.

The most fascinating thing is how unaware we are of the strangeness of English, until we’re confronted by something like this.

Oh, and let’s not even get started on Australian English.

“After smoko I might go down the bowlo s’arvo for a schnitty and bevvy with Tommo, youse comin’?”

Bloody oath.

Now, all I need is for my favourite non-native English speaking writing partner to return. Last time I mentioned her on here, she magically returned from that hiatus the same evening, so fingers crossed the charm will work again

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[Sync]

Heh...the Australian dialect of English is almost a language all of its own. I'm paraphrasing this, but this is a traffic report that was broadcast over the radio one morning:

"Been a bingle out in Broady. Towies and Ambos are on site, and traffic is chockers in all directions."

Any Australian will know exactly what it means.

 

[Fruit]

How about the fact that there are letters in English that are absolutely redundant?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPzAABMozs0

 

[Nature Girl]

Yeah, it's tough learning and teaching English as a second language (and many find it hard as a first!), but I have to take issue with a couple of points here.

Firstly, dove as a verb isn't used in Standard English, only American English. Standard English would use dive and dived.

Secondly, while I agree you can pick up enough French, Italian, Spanish etc. to get by with fairly quickly, there's nothing simple about French if you're looking for word perfect. After all, every single freaking thing is deemed either female or male, or la or le....it gets exhausting!!! :shy:

Also, it's the very influences of French, German, Old Norse, Latin, and a host of others that shaped Standard English as waves of successive invaders brought their languages to Britain and mixed it all up that, I think, makes it so beautiful and rich. I love those redundant letters, as they speak to me of history and cultures which have helped shape much of the western world. While technology pecks away at our enthusiasm and interest in full articulation and expression, I treasure all the idiosyncrasies of the English language even more!

 

[Mr Quixotic]

Heh...the Australian dialect of English is almost a language all of its own. I'm paraphrasing this, but this is a traffic report that was broadcast over the radio one morning:

"Been a bingle out in Broady. Towies and Ambos are on site, and traffic is chockers in all directions."

Any Australian will know exactly what it means.

"There's been a car accident in Broadmeadow. Tow-trucks and ambulances are at the scene, and traffic is backed up in all directions. Avoid the area!"

It's funny, how in PM conversations, and writing on here, I'll naturally revert (generally) to North American terminology, whereas if I was conversing one-on-one with another Aussie, my vocabulary and phrasing would be quite different.

How about the fact that there are letters in English that are absolutely redundant?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPzAABMozs0

Lol, loved that Fruit, of course helped by the dry humour/sarcasm of the British narrator. Thanks for the laugh, and did you know we've already gotten rid of one letter; ampersand @ used to be the 27th, xD

Yeah, it's tough learning and teaching English as a second language (and many find it hard as a first!), but I have to take issue with a couple of points here.

Firstly, dove as a verb isn't used in Standard English, only American English. Standard English would use dive and dived.

Secondly, while I agree you can pick up enough French, Italian, Spanish etc. to get by with fairly quickly, there's nothing simple about French if you're looking for word perfect. After all, every single freaking thing is deemed either female or male, or la or le....it gets exhausting!!! :shy:

Also, it's the very influences of French, German, Old Norse, Latin, and a host of others that shaped Standard English as waves of successive invaders brought their languages to Britain and mixed it all up that, I think, makes it so beautiful and rich. I love those redundant letters, as they speak to me of history and cultures which have helped shape much of the western world. While technology pecks away at our enthusiasm and interest in full articulation and expression, I treasure all the idiosyncrasies of the English language even more!

I haven't much knowledge of other languages, and whether they have the same idiosyncrasies as English, although dived and dove are now pretty much equally accepted as Standard Use here, most likely due to the North American influence.

I just, such as the guy in Fruit's video, enjoy it when people take the piss out of the quirks that seem counter-intuitive or lacking in sense to people that I have spoken to, or written with, where it is their second language, and need to get their head around them. Sometimes also for people whose native language it is.

Like you, I treasure those things, how they've evolved, and why they exist, however, it's still damn fun to mock them sometimes.

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And before the bushfires, come the floods!

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[Fruit]

Your welcome, Quix. It is a crazy language lol

Secondly, while I agree you can pick up enough French, Italian, Spanish etc. to get by with fairly quickly, there's nothing simple about French if you're looking for word perfect. After all, every single freaking thing is deemed either female or male, or la or le....it gets exhausting!!!

English is actually very easy compared to other languages. Adjectives and nouns aren't gender-specific which makes it easier than languages that have forms for each sex. I guess that adds to its strength, because it makes it easier for the language to be accepted globally (well yeah, and British colonization helped).

Then again the vagueness makes the language a bit weaker (since languages are tools of communication, efficiency matters). "You are nice" isn't a very informative sentence; you don't know if its being said to a man or a woman, or if its being said to one or more people. In other languages, the exact same sentence would tell you more because of plural/singular and gender-specific forms of the adjective and pronoun (You say "you" to just about any person(s) in English). This vagueness makes translations a bit more difficult, and sometimes expands small sentences into two or more. Keep in mind there are languages where pronouns are prefixes/suffixes that are added to verbs and nouns, this is where English translations get quite lengthy and makes the language look weak/inefficient. "I am meeting her" can be one/two words in some languages.

But yeah, I see your point that it can get exhausting for a non-native learner of the language.

 

[Mr Quixotic]

That's interesting Fruit. Coming from the isolated backwater of Australia, my knowledge of other languages is limited, to say the least, xD That's one slight regret I have from my travels, it would've been nice to have had a basic proficiency in others, particularly French and Spanish, to better interact with the locals. Next time!

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And, with my stories currently slow, with three partners currently on hiatus, a couple more caught up with real-life, and my usual struggle with finding compatible partners/those who portray the types of independent-minded characters I deem interesting, and that add depth to a story, my mind turned to a random conversation I had yesterday on the relationship between Lawyers and a sense of humour.

Some quotes from a man who did have one, the Defence Attorney in the Scopes Monkey Trial, and another of my favourite Historical figures, Clarence Darrow. I think he must have also been psychic, referencing Donald Trump in the first!

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[Mr Quixotic]

Well, after having a little depressive episode yesterday, wondering if it was even worth remaining on this site, due to the sheer impossibility of finding partners, apart from the ones I already have, who'll write any type of proactive female character - as an aside, on a related note, when's the last time you saw a female protagonist in any heterosexually orientated story on here, and/or when's the last time you wrote one? I'm guessing the answer to that last question for the vast majority would be 'never' -. that mood has passed. Thanks to a couple of awesome collaborators, who've reminded me why I do love this site.

Although, I do still have to shake my head at the rudeness and lack of courtesy of people who approach with a one line request, then after you reply with possible interest, completely disappear without a trace when you expect them to help collaborate on a plot. Or give some better idea of what they're looking for, so you can start to work something up.

Anyways, enough of the negatives, and a special shout-out to the incredible Lait, for writing a character many others wouldn't dare to, in our story, Scaremonger, which has just reached one-hundred-thousand words with the latest post. And, in what may be a record, apart from the opening rape scene to set up the story, that's one-hundred-thousand words without smut. However, that may possibly soon change, as apparently there's a few people who want Kyle and Zai to bang! Or 'do-the-deed' as someone else may have phrased it

 

[Mr Quixotic]

An interesting discussion today with a potential partner, on what drives our preferences. It didn't work out, but we left on good terms, and with the potential to collaborate on the future.

As is the case with me a lot, what I enjoy is clear in my head, but difficult to express to others in the same way. The main thing is that I look for character-driven stories that are, at times, very introspective, with a lot of exposition:

In regards to what I mean by character, rather than plot driven,

[url=http://www.dorrancepublishing.com/character-driven-v-plot-driven-writing-whats-difference/

This is the best explanation I could find[/url]:]

A lot of you have asked lately about the difference between plot-driven books and character-driven books. These terms are thrown around and often used pretty loosely. To many writers, the terms “character-driven” and “plot-driven” imply that one is less important than the other. Is a plot-driven story devoid of strong characters and motivations? In a character-driven story, is the plot stuffy, boring, and unimportant?

Many people draw the distinction based solely on genre, that is, that all literary fiction is character-driven and all genre fiction is plot-driven. But is that true?

What it means

The difference between plot-driven or character-driven really depends on the focus of the story.

Plot-driven stories focus on external conflict and action. The goals of the protagonist are external: get away from the zombies, keep the bad guy from killing innocents, or catch the murderer and solve the mystery.

Character-driven stories focus more on inner conflict, characterization, and relationships between characters. The main character’s goals are internal: overcoming grief and learning to live again, mending a broken marriage, or coping with personal shortcomings.

A good story will certainly have some of both, but there is almost always a heavier focus on one over the other.

What it doesn’t mean

This doesn’t mean that either the plot or the character development become unimportant. Every well-written novel must have a combination of engaging characters and a compelling plot. In successful plot-driven stories, for example, the characters and their motivations are still relatable and compelling to readers. What makes it plot-driven is only that the writing focuses more heavily on the external events than on characterization.

The test

Still not sure if your story is character-driven or plot-driven? There’s a quick test you can take to help you determine which is which.

Do the events cause the characters to respond, or do the characters’ responses cause the events?

Let’s look at some examples:

In The Hunger Games trilogy, Katniss responds to the external events: the government is abusing its people. Does she have her own internal motivations that influence her decisions? Of course. But the focus is on the actions she takes.

Verdict: plot-driven

In Sophie Kinsella’s Confessions of a Shopaholic series, though, the events of the story would not occur if not for Becky’s idiosyncrasies. The plot is compelling, entertaining, and sometimes downright hilarious, but the focus is on Becky’s relationships and overcoming her own flaws.

Verdict: character-driven

Does it really matter which I write?

The short answer is no.

The longer answer is that, while certain genres trend toward one or the other, there are successful stories of all genres written in both manners.

For example, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale is set in a dystopian society, but it focuses on Offred’s loneliness and the contrast between who she is now and who she used to be. It technically qualifies as science fiction, but there’s no doubt that it’s character-driven.

The bottom line: Plot is not a dirty word

Many authors argue that their story is character-driven because they have strong characters with powerful motivation. That their character’s decisions are still what drive the plot. Yes, an evil wizard is going to kill everyone, but the protagonist still has to decide to fight him, right? And the deep POV means of course the reader has to focus on the inner world of the main character. While all that’s true, it doesn’t mean the story is character-driven.

The problem is that, because of that distinction I mentioned earlier (literary=character-driven, commercial/genre=plot-driven), plot-driven novels get a bad rap. The truth is that any well-written, captivating novel must have a balance of characterization and plot, action and exposition, internal and external conflict. If that balance is off, the story will fall flat, no matter what the genre.

Do you start with the characters or the plot when planning your writing?

One of the main issues that is that the potential partner was very intent, on 'flow', and that the start of one post is picked up directly from the end of the previous, without no retrospective posting/reactions. Now, I know that's generally how a novel works, and that in roleplaying, many hate retrosactive/mirror replies, and too much exposition, and don't consider it to be 'story-like'. And one fact I'm sure of is that ever, by some miracle, an editor were to look at any of my stories, 95% of the content would be cut out, deemed as unnecessary.

However, the thing is that a lot of that 95% is what I most love about roleplaying, and I draw a rather large distinction between it and 'story-writing'. A story is usually linear, written from the point of view of one character at a time, whilst in a roleplay, you have two writers with separate characters who experience the same situation simultaneously, from their own unique perspectives.

It's those differing perspectives I'm interested in, even if it requires some mirroring of the 'actions' that lead to them, and the fact that, in roleplaying, you can take the time to really delve into your characters head, provide exposition, background, context and write inner dialogue, to give them more depth, without any need to feel rushed, or gloss over it, more-so than you can in a traditional story. And how much is enough? That depends on the dynamic you have with your writing partner, and their preferences/style; some contain a lot more of it than others.

In the main - this doesn't strictly apply to all of my stories, as I do like variety - I don't write for the 'plot', I write for the people, and it's all about the characters. Why they do the things they do, what events in their lives could have caused them to react certain ways in certain situations, or select one possible path over another, and I love introspection, and elaboration on their inner mindset; the psychology of motivation, I guess, you could call it. Both from my end, and from my partners. It's one of the major reasons I demand that all characters have independent goals because, without goals, or the making of choices outside of those forced upon them by another, there are no motivations. As for the ending question in the above article, my answer is, "I start with what characters, who haven't yet been decided upon, driven by internal desires, might want to achieve, or what their end goals may be, and work back from there.