A Porous Bubble: For Introverts with Lots of Feels * HI Comics by Erin Human Some people say Introverts live in a protective bubble / I think that’s right, but also / I’m hyper-empathic, so my bubble / is really porous. / When I’m with other people, / my energy leaks out through my bubble / and theirs seeps in. / Sometimes I’m not sure whose feelings I’m feeling / Yours or mine? / This is why I need time alone / Away from others’ energy / Restoring my own. humanillustrations.com
There’s a very distinct pattern in what one might, if one were being… incautious, name “Internet horror-speak,” a particular patois that’s arisen in the latest years of this very era, a peculiar dialect lashed together from the flesh of Lovecraft and the sinew of internet culture and the bones of… something bony. Okay so I’m probably not going to be able to keep that gag up. It’s the language of Dread Singles
HOT SINGLES IN YOUR AREA, TRAVELING THE SUNKEN WAYS, DRINKING FROM THE LIPS OF THE LOW ONES, WISHING THEY’D WORN MORE SENSIBLE SHOES
and Welcome to Night Vale
Mayor Pamela Winchell The fences in the caves. A heart throbbing for what it cannot have. A heart not having what it needs to throb. The fences in the caves. Heat from below and above, but all is cold betwixt. The fences in the caves. The fences in the caves.
to which I refer.
What interests me though is that’s there’s a very distinct pattern and sort of grammar to how this Internet Horror-Speak (hereafter IHS) works, one I’ve been trying to work out for a while now. There are some very obvious patterns, as well as some subtle ones I’m not sure how to put into words. These are the rules I’ve sussed out, though:
One of the most important rules, and I think the one that might be the most surprising to a lot of people, is to use simple, mundane language. Empurpling the narrative with gratuitous polysyllabisms and grandiose prose is actually wholly deleterious to the desired effect. This actually makes a lot of sense. Purple prose has a serious abstracting effect, in that it draws the audience away from the action and makes it sound more like they’re listening to a story. So using purple prose to describe your indescribable horrors can make them feel less real, where using everyday language helps connect the audience and make them feel more like there’s some grotesque violation of normalcy going on
Use fewer ‘s-constructions. Say “the blood of the fallen,” not “the fallen’s blood;” “the intestines of dawn” not “dawn’s intestines.” This is a less solid rule, and it’s still possible to have a powerfully creepy effect with the ‘s-construction, particularly if the construction comes sentence-finally: “They beat them with sticks around which were wrapped dawn’s intestines,” but “They wrapped the intestines of dawn around thick oaken sticks.”
Use older words. “For” instead of “because,” “kin” for “family,” etc. If this makes them shorter than their modern counterparts, all the more effective.
Don’t use commas with conjunctions, just string conjunctions together. So “They laughed and writhed and screamed and died in the gaze of a smiling god,” but not *”They laughed, writhed, screamed, and died in the gaze of a smiling god.” This one’s variable, but I see the former more than the latter and to me it feels like it has more impact and is more visceral. The latter sounds more planned out, more official, more normal.
Use old-fashioned constructions. “The”+[adjective] constructions are a favorite, as are “the [adjective] one(s).” “The laughing ones steal away the dreams of the hopeful and feast on the teeth of the indolent,” “There are no innocent in this place, for to gaze on the Ancient Ones is to know that innocence is a lie, that blood and fear and corruption are the engines of all that breathes.”
Break word associations. If I start a sentence with “The toaster,” you’re probably going to expect something like, “the toasted fell off the counter,” or “the toasted exploded,” not “the toasted laughed” or “the toaster bled.” There are words we associate with animate things and words we associate with inanimate things, and mixing them up can lead to weird mental reactions. It’s why things like “SPANK HAIR — LICK EYES — WHISPER INTO ASS” are so funny. They make us build associations that we didn’t have previously. A toaster isn’t a thing that bleeds, and hair isn’t something you spank, so putting those words together tends to slightly mess with people and throw off our reading. Welcome to Night Vale does this SO MUCH.
Cecil Wednesday has been canceled due to a scheduling error
Cecil Here’s something odd: there is a cat hovering in the men’s bathroom at the radio station here
Cecil Alert! The sheriff’s secret police are searching for a fugitive named Hiram McDaniels, who escaped custody last night following a 9 PM arrest. McDaniels is described as a five-headed dragon
Last but not least, be vague. Let your words imply terrible and alien machinations at play, let them hint at vast supernatural tableaux of incomprehensible splendor and horror hanging just out of sight waiting to be glimpsed, but don’t ever explicitly tell anybody what’s going on. I put this one last because even though it’s the most important, it’s the most obvious, and I think everybody already knows this about horror. But it’s worth noting that IHS generally dials this up way higher, to the point where it’s hard or impossible to tell what parts are literal or metaphorical. Take this sub-par example:
Moving through the ashen ways of eons past, realms of fire and smoke and emptiness rising up and twisting around its path the beast walked on, burning all it perceived.
One on level, it’s possible that we’re talking about a minotaur arsonist who’s taking to the backroads during a forest fire to avoid the cops. On the other, we could be talking about some incomprehensible eldritch abomination warping its way through infernal dimensions outside space and time, ravaging worlds at its passing. Or anything between. I think this is probably the single most salient feature of IHS: its utter vagueness, and lack of proper context to distinguish the metaphorical from the literal.
But anyway. This is a fascinating memetic phenomenon and one I’d love to see some proper research done on this, beyond the idle musings of a lazy linguist with too much on her hands to spend time analyzing hard data.
Rhythm! The subtle things and the things that you ‘feel’ that you’re having trouble articulating? It’s rhythm. Rhythm is one reason why the last example is ‘sub-par’, and it’s absolutely key to (for instance) Welcome to Night Vale. There’s a pulse going through the prose that organises and structures how it’s read. English tends towards an alternation of strong and weak stresses; if you organise your words so that they start to reinforce that stress pattern, then congratulations, you’ve just invented the basics of English poetry. Part of what makes this particular brand of horror-speak so effective is a heightened control over the stress patterns of the language—not as much as in metrical verse, but still more than is usual for prose. Here’s the Mayor Winchell example from above, but with the stresses marked:
Mayor Pamela Winchell The fences in the caves. A heartthrobbing for what it cannot have. A heart not having what it needs to throb. The fences in the caves. Heat from below and above, but all is cold betwixt. The fences in the caves. The fences in the caves.
It’s not perfect. Sometimes there are two or three syllables between stresses, sometimes only one—that’s normal, for English, because we speed up or slow down our reading depending on the rhythm we are unconsciously picking up from the words. Sometimes the stresses are unvoiced, in the form of pauses like rests in music. But you can see how underlying a lot of what Winchell is saying is a rhythmic pulsing that when read gives the effect of a kind of gnomic chanting that alters the atmosphere of the statement considerably. When you pronounce this aloud, it gives that characteristic Welcome to Night Vale effect; on the page, its power is lessened, but the rhythm is still strong enough that you can detect it, even if you don’t know that you’re doing so.
Most importantly, the presence of exaggerated rhythm is a conventional signal to your brain that it’s now reading poetry, and that puts you into a different mindset—a mindset where you are expecting the ambiguous, the non-literal and the metaphorical. It’s the mindset you get into when reading poetry, where your interpretative mind engages with a text that works on both a metaphorical and a literal level at the same time—exactly the ‘vagueness’ described by velartrill above.
What I’m saying, in essence, is that a (conscious or not) awareness of rhythm is key to being able to write sentences in this style. The choice between ‘s constructions (“dawn’s intestines”) and old-fashioned x of y constructions (“intestines of dawn”) is down to which will best work with the rhythm of your sentence; the effect of the [adjective] ones construction can also be judged based on its rhythmic potential. Almost every effect of IHS, apart from its predisposition towards short, familiar words (which I think is more of a general horror thing; effective horror writers tend to use the vocabulary of their audience), has its roots in its essentially rhythmic nature: its constructions, its rhetorical figures, its ability to waver between metaphorical and literal without committing itself to either.
Tl;dr, IHS is basically prose poetry with a horror angle and a deliberately Anglo-Saxon focus to its words. More of an English literature approach than a purely linguistic one, I suppose, but that is my field, after all.
All of this is fantastic! I knew I recognized the style of the regional gothic posts as being like Night Vale, but I wasn’t sure exactly what it was that was the same other than some wording.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s program director, John Draper, credits the increase in calls to all the publicity about the national hotline – 1-800-273-TALK (8255) – which was heavily promoted by the media. He says Williams’ suicide was “not so much creating distress as finding people in distress. The more people who are calling, the more lives will be saved.”
Noah Belatsky recently wrote an article about the inherent “whiteness” of indie music and how it discriminates against black musicians… and he found it triggered a huge amount of anti-semitic comments against himself.
What became rapidly apparent is that racists are fearful of anybody “denying the right of white Americans to be ourselves.”
Which meant that having a Jewish person daring to say that racism exists against Black Americans triggered an attempt by racists to broaden the idea of ‘the other’. It also explains why white individuals who fight against anti-black racism can also be seen as a threat by racists and be included as ‘the other’.
This, for me, was the most powerful part of the article:
When Donald Trump knows more about American law than you do.
Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee doesn't know that the infamous Dred Scott decision denying citizenship to black Americans is not, in fact, currently "the law of the land."
“I’ve been just drilled by TV hosts over the past week, ‘How dare you say that, uh, [marriage equality is] not the law of the land?’” Huckabee said. “Because that’s their phrase, ‘it’s the law of the land. Michael, the Dred Scott decision of 1857 still remains to this day the law of the land which says that black people aren’t fully human. Does anybody still follow the Dred Scott Supreme Court decision?”
It took radio host Michael Medved to gently point out to Mike Huckabee that Dred Scott was overturned by constitutional amendment a short time later after certain ... unpleasantries. It was a bit of a big deal, and was definitely in all the papers. So no, Dred Scott is most certainly not "to this day the law of the land," not by any possible interpretation, and we must add this to the pile of things about the Supreme Court over which Mike Huckabee is still deeply and inexplicably confused.
“The Supreme Court in the same-sex marriage decision made a law and they made it up out of thin air. Therefore, until Congress decides to codify that and give it a statute it’s really not an operative law and that’s why what Kim Davis did was operate under not only the Kentucky Constitution which was the law under which she was elected but she’s operating under the fact that there’s no statute in her state nor at the federal level that authorizes her."
So while the Republican establishment frets that Donald Trump is not a real candidate and that his rank ignorance of American law and government is an insult to the party, let's all take a moment to note that Serious Candidate Mike Huckabee has never figured out why it is that the Dred Scott decision is no longer being followed today. He presumably believes slavery at some point fell out of fashion and society, over time, just sort of decided to ignore the court on that one.
“Same-sex married couples who were living in states that did not recognize their unions and who previously filed claims for Social Security benefits will be able to collect those payments, the government said on Thursday.
The Justice Department told lawyers for two plaintiffs seeking benefits that the Social Security Administration would apply the Supreme Court’s June ruling declaring that marriage is a constitutional right, Obergefell v. Hodges, retroactively. It would apply to individuals with pending claims who were married before the decision and living in states that did not recognize same-sex marriages.
Details were not yet available, and it is not clear when the Social Security Administration will enact the new policy. But the rules are expected to be applied to previously filed claims that are pending in the administrative process or litigation, according to Lambda Legal, a gay rights advocacy group that represented the plaintiffs. The Social Security Administration was not available for comment.
“With this good news, we are hopeful that widows, widowers and retirees, wherever they lived, who need Social Security spousal benefits earned through years of hard work, will soon be able to receive them,” said Susan Sommer, director of constitutional litigation for Lambda Legal.
This was one of the hardest scenes i’ve ever watched on tv, it’s was heartbreaking as fuck to watch two black people resort to tears because they didn’t want to give into the stereotype that follows when a black person gets upset.
Watching her cry and talk about how she’d had enough of white housemates taunt her, call her “Sheniqua" and tell her that she was about to “get black" and flip her mattress off of the box-spring, throw her belongings to the ground, and three of them at the same time bully her until she almost got to the point of getting violent because she’d had enough and felt so threatened. A black man who’d grown up in the south knew better than to leave her in that situation he had to physically pick her up and take her out of the room.
Had to be carried to the Have Not room, a room known basically as the punishment room. A room that most of this season has been dominated by POC and minorities that the rest of the house deemed “unworthy" or just didn’t like to be calmed down. He had to talk her down, telling her that if there was one person in the house he was going out protecting it would be her, his fellow black woman. He’d gladly throw away money to protect her and make sure no one did something to her. He told her he’d give up a bed so she could sleep in it and not have to worry about those girls. She’d said she was tired of this behavior and the comments and why should they have to back down, that they should retaliate, that they shouldn’t be weak.
She was Malcolm X in the situations while he was preaching to her like Martin Luther King Jr.
He said they had to act better than them because all eyes were on them, they had to stay calm. And thats when she broke down and cried and sobbed in his arms, while he was barely able to control his anger towards that side of the house for doing that to her. They both sat their in tears, praying to God to give them the strength to get through the rest of this competition without blowing up.
They had to decide to back down against the enemy instead of give them a taste of their own medicine. They decided to be better than that situation, I applaud them for being so strong.
It was a hard scene to watch and go through as a woman of color. It was a hard fucking scene.
But when are you white people gonna stop this shit..
Also, when are white people going to stop saying if not for this program, seeing the abuse for themselves they’d keep thinking minorities were overreacting to micro-aggressions of stuff. Do you people not realize that this is a real person going through this? That if you would just listen to PoC when they tell you this shit, they wouldn’t have to be continually traumatized by your racism and collusion with a system of white supremacy?
also, the bold really bothers me, but I don’t feel like going in on why.
note: I’m not talking to anyone in this convo above with that first paragraph. I don’t think any of us are white.
I agree, Frank-E.
But I’ll scratch the surface, because I don’t have the patience for hand holding over this (not saying you are, saying I don’t have the patience to go as deep as I could/should).
But basically: You’re not seeing them be “strong.“ Or, perhaps more accurately, you’re seeing the strength in their human frailty. Which, okay, kudos you finally see Black folks’/POC’s humanity, but why does it take TELEVISED HARASSMENT to understand that this is everyday?
Aaryn (in particular, because I don’t watch the show, but I’ve been getting filled in and seeing stuff around) is not that subtle (to my mind) as to be described as perpetuating microaggressions. If anything, what she’s exemplifying is WWT and Liberal racism. To her, Aaryn, it’s a joke. She thinks (and I’ve seen her actually, literally, say the words) that because she doesn’t say anything “explicitly” racist, she’s in the all clear. However, everything else is blatantly racially motivated. Aaryn’s not just a bully who happens to pay a little extra focus on the WOC in the cast (she’s said some shit about Julie Chen as well). She’s a racist who thinks she can skirt recognition of her acts.
So yeah, you’re seeing strength, and kudos for you to recognize it OP, but it’s not just choosing to “be better" than the “bully.“ The advice to “be better,” the necessity for corralling their emotions, these are survival tactics. It’s not “turn the other cheek" it’s “Don’t engage because it could mean your physical safety.“
When you have CHILDREN being murdered on the street for just breathing while being Black, you think a Black person who loses their cool is safe? (both literally and metaphorically/metaphysically)
I’m going to apologize in advance for the one that includes the reference to E.T. reblog it reblog it reblog it reblog it reblog it reblog it reblog it reblog it reblog it reblog it reblog it reblog it reblog it reblog it reblog it reblog it reblog it reblog it reblog it reblog … Continued
In other words, every single veteran in Connecticut who’d once been chronically homeless — homeless for at least one year or homeless four times in the past three — now has stable housing or is on the pathway to stable housing.
Although cities like Phoenix and Salt Lake City have done this, too, this is a big deal. Connecticut is the first American state to accomplish the feat.
Connecticut made strides by investing where it counts. The state found success by partnering state agencies with community groups focused on providing homeless vets with necessary services. They also effectively invested in affordable housing programs.
It’s really depressing how Labor Day has gone from “give laborers a day off” to “give white collar office workers and executives a day off but make retail laborers work so that executives can get a latte on their day off”
Dear fellow white people: please stop twisting Martin Luther King’s words in attempts to justify bigoted ideas. It’s disingenuous, disgraceful, and embarrassing.
Why the fuck don’t people READ LETTER FROM BIRMINGHAM JAIL
I’ve seen this asshole compared to both MLK and Rosa Parks. Because going to jail for your “right” to deny people basic civil rights is totally the same as goig to jail because you were fighting to grant people basic civil rights. Also, note to my fellow whites, MLK is not our imaginary black best friend we can trot out to justify our bigotry. Stahp.
“What started out as just a casual con visit has since spiraled into an all consuming, passionate hobby thanks to the positive words and encouragement from the cosplay community”
BRB, am turning to the Dark Side so I can set people on fire and use Force Lightning. Am beyond pissed off and level of Done has increased far beyond acceptable parameters.
Will need to consider cool name because Darth Completely Done With This Bullshit really doesn’t work for me.
Darth Nope?
(I feel like I’m reaching breaking point this week too.)
Okay I have always loved this comic and this page but I literally just noticed for the first time that Sophie’s favorite color is THE COLOR THAT LYING CAT IS
Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee doesn't know that the infamous Dred Scott decision denying citizenship to black Americans is not, in fact, currently "the law of the land."
