No one could say Dr Jona Ohnn suddenly and completely disappearing from their lab came as a shock. Jona themself had arranged that in that exact scenario 7 months into their disappearance their funeral was to be held, rather than the typical 7 years. They figured that given the danger of their work it would just be easier to get it out of the way quickly. And also that it would be funnier if they did reappear.

They weren’t wrong.

At their funeral, childhood friends recounted with tears in their eyes how they’d unconsciously clamber onto tables to get a better look at science experiments. “Dr Ohnn was like the protagonist of a horse girl movie when it came to science. They knew all the dangers, but those dangers were always worth it to them.” No matter what bizarre theoretical physics puzzle had finally done them in, Jona had undoubtedly been happy to go out like that.

Being a friendly person not taken to keeping secrets or hiding their feelings, Dr Ohnn’s friends were right. As they were ripped apart within a portal of their own creation, Jona was sad only that their research would have to end there.

But then it didn’t.

And Dr Ohnn is oh, oh so very pleased.

They only need some funding now, easily acquired with their new abilities. Just a little more funding. A little more.

The Spot might not be a great nom de plume but hey, they’ve never been a terribly serious person, so it’ll work while they get through the boring part of their work.

Musings on the Belter language

(based on this article and this cheat sheet)

What I find really interesting about the Belter language is that the distinction between Us (Belters) and Them (Inners) is visible on as basic a level as personal pronouns. Many languages have nouns and adjectives to distinguish between one’s own group and the Other, however it may be defined, but Belter does not only have nouns (Inya/Belta), but pronouns. That’s one of the basic building blocks of any language, one of the first things you pick up when you learn a new one. For plural pronouns there’s the general milowda (1st person), tolowda (2nd person) and imalowda (3rd person), but you can specify which group you mean by replacing any of those with inyalowda (Inner) or beltalowda (Belter). I don’t know if there’s a parallel for that in any of the languages that Belter is based on because I don’t speak them all, but even if it is, the creator of the language chose to keep that feature, and I think that’s really interesting. It means that Belters’ alienation from the inner planets runs so deep that it’s not only in the meaning behind the words, but the structure of the language itself. It means that both in-group solidarity and othering are basic building blocks of Belter identity (although this othering probably started with the Inners, not Belters), which reflects itself in their language. And it means that there’s not a lot of space in between - you have to be either one or the other in order to fit into this linguistic system.

In this regard, Belter is very similar to another mechanism of distinction that is also reflected on the level of pronouns, namely gender markers. Belter doesn’t have those, but I think the distinction between Inners and Belters works the same way and has the same limitations as grammatical gender markers (especially in languages that don’t have the singular they option). People are assigned to one or the other based on the accident of birth, and for some people the trouble already starts there - what to do, for example, with the child of Earther parents who was born in space and therefore has the Belter physique, but is able to live on Earth thanks to their responsiveness to gravity drugs? They’d look like a Belter, but they wouldn’t be culturally, and they wouldn’t have the same set of physical and social limitations as Belters. Then, as the kid grows up, other factors come into play that result from a combination of cultural conditioning and identity formation, which complicates things further. This is where the anxiety about people like Miller in season 1, who was born and raised as a Belter but imitates Inners, or the Ilus colonists in season 4 comes from. They don’t fit neatly into one category, and since the distinction between Inners and Belters is a deeply political one, they touch a very sensitive spot, which is why accusations of treachery are never far off.

The way that different languages deal with gender are obviously very different, but I think that this supposedly clear model of ethnonational affiliation and the ambiguities it nevertheless produces are, on a fundamental level, very similar to languages with gendered pronouns and their problems of categorization. Neither the spectrum of biological sex nor of gender really fit into the neat categories that the linguistic system provides, and attempts to create space (= terms) for those who do not fit are met with anxieties and conspiracy theories because the distinction between man and woman, or Inner and Belter, is so fundamental to the language and, relatedly, the way people think that it’s hard to break through these established structures. But language eventually adapts to social realities, even though it might be a bit slow on the uptake sometimes, so I hope that eventually the inventors of the language will add another pronoun for people from the colony worlds, at least. I know that this is a lot of thoughts to have on something as basic as the term beltalowda, but the language and worldbuilding in general seem to be so well thought through that I wouldn’t entirely discount it.

My CMC is called Dev. They're nonbinary n use they/them pronouns! Dev isn't very keen on living in the present moment. They're always daydreaming, even during important conversations. This is a habit built up over years so they can't really help it, but also they don't care all that much pre-joining RFA. And on top of generally not paying attention, they make basically all of their decisions in the moment with no consideration of consequences.

One of the things they do put their daydreaming aside for is language learning! They enjoy the idea that they could just go anywhere at the drop of a hat. They were struggling quite a bit with Korean (especially with their listening comprehension) and so they decided on the spot they would just move there and learn through exposure.

I'm thinking of giving them a pet who's constantly with them. But also that might make their traveling difficult so skdnsks.

Dev's favourite ice cream is probably any sort that has stuff in it, whether it's cookie dough, or chocolate chips, or gum drops. They also love to add toppings, as many as they can!

Their hair is never one colour. They dye it impulsively. It's very dead. They also cut it when they're bored. It doesn't look good and they don't care. At the time of the game they've got orange and purple and green sections.

I'm not quite decided on the route yet, but I think it will probably be Ray's. I think being stuck at Mint Eye and forced to confront everything that's happening would allow them the most growth maybe?? I think they would become more like platonic life partners than a strictly romantic relationship.

If Eunji could have any superpower what would it be? And does she have any prominent scars, if so how did she get them?

- i

I'm so happy to see you here, i!!! And I LOVE DEV.

Making all their decisions in the moment? They'd probably get along with Eunji! 😂

I love that they just up and moved to Korea so they'd learn the language. What's their native language?

I'M ALL FOR A PET THAT'S CONSTANTLY WITH THEM. Could be easier or harder, depending on the kind of pet, lolol. What kind were you thinking?

Ice cream with gum drops? Yum.

What's their favorite hair color and style they've ever had?

I always love a platonic life partners route, and I could certainly see someone who's an impulsive daydreamer ending up on Ray's route. How do you think they handle being at Magenta?

Eunji doesn't have any super prominent scars, but she's a dancer, so she's pretty much always covered in bruises. She does contemporary dance, and when she makes her own choreography it involves a lot of rolling around on the floor. So it's super normal for her to have bruises in weird places, like her collarbones and her feet. It's just from her work.

Maybe relatedly, she's sort of a workaholic. She's the type of person to forget to eat for like sixteen hours because she's rehearsing a single section of a dance that she can't quite get right. When she was living with Kate, she'd sometimes lock herself in their room and send networking emails—like, obsessively—and Kate would call her over and over again to get her to snap out of it and go have dinner or something.

So she'd probably really appreciate the power to extend time. She doesn't want to go back in time (oh god, a nightmare) or forward (even worse), but she'd like to be able to just slow it down every once in a while. What if you could make one minute last an hour? She'd find it so much easier to think straight if the world would stop moving, even if only for a little while.

Ok, so there’s a thing I am tired of and it is this: 4chan/reddit/alt-right loser site of the week deciding to ~~~troll the SJWs~~~ and come up with a new ‘identity’ which is completely fucked up, in the belief that obviously those Wacky Tumblrinas will accept, love and defend it.

This rarely actually happens, because Tumblr is not in fact quite the love-and-acceptance fest it’s painted as and people are generally more invested in basic human decency than in ACCEPTANCE OF ALL THINGS FOREVER NO MATTER WHAT. But what does happen is that people see it, get pissed off, and waste their energy ranting and calling out something that was never real in the first place. Trans-ethnic, trans-fat, clovergender, trans-chrono-whatever-it-was, all of that bullshit.

So I’m going to try to make a quick guide on how to spot bullshit when it oozes into view. THIS IS NOT INTENDED TO BE A DEFINITIVE ANYTHING. Nothing on this list is ‘omg guys this is 10000% a fake thing’ or ‘you failed this test, your identity is Not Real’. I do not want or intend this to be used as a gatekeeping tool; it’s just things to be wary of, especially when you see several of them together. It’s also not an exhaustive list, because fuck, I don’t know what goes on in their weird little alt-nazi brains and I’m sure some of them are sneakier than others.

1) The first and most obvious sign: is the ‘new identity’ or the new blog you’ve found completely fucking offensive and outrageous? Because if it is, consider that it may be intended to be exactly that.

2) References to ‘discovering’ a new gender or sexuality always make me suspicious. I mean, we’re not unearthing these things like archaeologists; we’re people trying to come up with words to describe our feelings and identities.

3) Is something being referred to as [something]-gender or trans-[something] despite it not actually having anything to do with gender? Yeah, alarm bells all over the place. Alt-wankers are weirdly, disturbingly obsessed with gender and trans people and seem to want to shoehorn these terms into everything they ever do. Someone is telling you they’re ‘treegender’ because they identify with trees more than people? Ask yourself why they’re using trans terms and engaging with the trans community instead of doing the very obvious thing and hanging out in the otherkin community calling themselves ‘treekin’. Likewise, if something is being referred to as a ‘gender’ when it looks much more like a romantic or sexual orientation, ask yourself why.

4) Relatedly, wild overuse of the word ‘cis’. If they repeatedly call people ‘cis scum’, be wary. If they refer to ‘white cis scum’ despite no previous references to being trans or POC themselves, be extra double super wary.

5) ‘I hate white males’, ‘die cis white males’, ‘this white male scum looked at me and I’m triggered’, ‘white males should be wiped out’, etc etc. White dudes, I’m sorry and all, but we are just not as obsessed with you as you seem to think.

6) Oh yeah, ‘triggered’. Alt-dickwads are also obsessed with the concept of triggers and safe spaces, but don’t seem to really understand what they actually are. In particular, the phrasing ‘x is my trigger’ (because people only ever have one trigger? Apparently?) or just ‘triggered’ by itself are kinda suspicious. Frequent references to being ‘triggered’ because strangers did not immediately guess their extremely out-there identity and use their neopronouns without being asked to are also pretty damn suspicious.

(I don’t want to go over the top here; it’s also perfectly possible for an actual trans person to be venting and talking about how being constantly misgendered triggers their dysphoria, for instance. Just be aware of the tone they’re using - are they vastly more focused on the evils of the Cis White Males who didn’t use their treeself pronouns than on the pain it caused them to be called ‘him’? Are there other warning signs present? If so, just take it with a tiny sprinkle of salt maybe.)

7) References to being oppressed because people don’t want to fuck them. In particular, if they’re claiming that not being attracted to fat women is ~oppression, be wary; I’ve literally never heard a fat person say this in real life. And no, comments about ‘real men like curves’ do not count; they’re shitty, yeah, but it’s a long way from ‘preferring thin women is OPPRESSION omg’.

This is also a strawman that’s frequently used against trans women, either by dudebros who are convinced that all trans women are desperate to ~trick~ them into sex, or twerfs who are equally convinced that all trans lesbians are trying to get into their pants. Rather than trans women just wanting to be allowed to, you know, exist.

8) ‘Shitlord’. Reddit seems to think all ~sjws~ say this word at least five times per sentence. I have no idea why.

9) Do they use the word ‘proud’ way too fucking much? Again, this is one that’s very context-dependent; it’s totally okay and awesome for people to express pride in their identities! But for some reason, it’s another thing the alt-nazis have latched onto. If their site says ‘proud feminist’ and ‘proud treegender’ and ‘proud to hate white cis men’ all over it, along with other warning signs, maybe think twice before engaging.

10) ‘I’m self diagnosed with epilepsy, blindness, paralysis and a brain tumour!’ Look, self-dx’ing with things like anxiety or being on the autism spectrum is one thing, but if they’re claiming they diagnosed themselves with a bunch of super serious physical stuff? Maybe not so much.

12) If there’s one thing us evil SJW cultural marxists do, it’s worry about stuff. We worry A LOT about being appropriative, about erasure, about inadvertently hurting someone with our words. It’s both a strength and a weakness of our community. Most genuine people when called out will respond by either saying ‘oh shit, i didn’t think of that, what about this term instead’ or getting defensive and start discoursing about why what they’re saying is actually ok. If their reaction is instead to repeatedly yell DON’T JUDGE ME or TRIGGERED or YOU’RE OPPRESSING ME, CIS SCUM and other catchphrases, be on guard.

13) If when looking through the tags for this new ‘identity’, or googling it, you find WAY more instances of people being outraged and calling it out than actual instances of people claiming this identity, there might just be a reason why.

I’m sure there are like a million more signs I haven’t thought of. And yeah, I’m slightly wary of posting this because it’s basically like ‘hey alt-racists here���s how to fool us better’. But honestly, if it stops people wasting their energy on the next ~transclover~ bullshit, maybe it’s worth it.

(Also, I’d like to apologise to any actual trees for using ‘treegender’ as an example throughout. Trees are awesome and you’re awesome, keep doing your tree thing.)

Factoid meme

@feenominal tagged me in an 11 Facts About Yourself meme.

RULES: Tell your followers 11 random facts about yourself, and tag 11 people in return! Tag backs are allowed, but you mustn’t repeat any of the facts you mentioned previously! The facts can be absolutely anything! Whatever springs to mind! Let’s get started!

1.  I have a dent in my head, from being an energetic baby.  Allegedly there’s no lasting brain damage

2. Relatedly, I am not allowed to give blood, as I’ve had brain surgery in a foreign country

3. I never developed the second incisors in my top row of teeth.  Neither baby teeth or the adult equivalent.  XRays show they were never there.

4. I’ve held variations of this username online for nearly 20 years, part of it derives from my RL initials, and part I made up on the spot as there was someone else with my first name in the UseNet channel I was posting to at the time.

5. My favourite film of all time - Harvey (1950), starring Jimmy Stewart

6. I define as gender non-binary.   Don’t worry about pronouns, Whatever makes you comfortable, as I’m comfortable either way

7. I’d resided in three different countries all on a different continent, by the time I was five.

8. I like making pretty pictures...but then you may have noticed that if you follow my tumblr

9. I detest scrambled egg.  It’s the texture

10. I have a tattoo.  I want another

11.I have a habit of sticking my tongue out the corner of my mouth when concentrating

As for who to tag; well I’m not particularly socially interactive on tumblr, mainly following complilation blogs and the like.  Some of those I wpould have tagged were tagged by the person who tagged me.  Plus tumblr is being a pain and not recognising some of the people I want to tag (though I could double tag them I suppose).  Not going to get 11 though...sooo... @clary-of-hope​ @thejoobieshenanigans0x​ @niauropsaka @midwintersong @candle-girl