darkaviarymc

[darkaviarymc]

‘if you hold me without hurting me, you’ll be the first who ever did’

[darkaviarymc]

"Watcher's favourite, Watcher's favourite," Can I be your favourite Watcher ?

[darkaviarymc]

there's something kinda funny to me about certain ways scar tends to be drawn because it's like. okay imagine hypothetically you took a distillation of fanon scar designs and showed it to someone who's never even heard of a minecraft, and asked them what they think this guy might be like. we're ignoring context here, pretend we're showing them a ref sheet. and it's like, alright, here's a rugged looking buff guy. nice abs. lots of scars. he's got a smug grin on his face. very shirtless. he looks like the love interest in a bodice ripper. i bet he's got some dark angsty secret he keeps buried underneath that suave facade. but not buried too deeply, just enough to intrigue.

and then you go watch third life and he is like a cat whose owner keeps desperately trying to make him stop eating plastic.

[darkaviarymc]

Frankly some of you should be hornier over weirder shit. The fear of being too genuine is the enemy of art. Be a bit of a pervert. It's good for the health. Doesn't have to be a sexual thing just own up to being a bit obsessed in some cringe shit it's fine.

[darkaviarymc]

Australian Federal Election 2001: Pranksters follow around Prime Ministerial contender Kim Beazley in an attempt to sneak fake microphones into news footage

Follow for more Batshit Moments in Australian Politics

[darkaviarymc]

oh my god

#whores the both of them

[darkaviarymc]

afternoon fishtalk

[darkaviarymc]

why are french people rude?

Ah well, the safest explanation when an entire country’s people are stereotyped as rude is that they have their own culture with different criteria for politeness than the ones you are used to. It’s probably easier for Americans to forget this than for the rest of the world, because they consume less foreign media than the rest of us (from literature in translation to foreign films) and are less exposed to aspects of foreign cultures that could inform them about different norms of politeness (online interactions happen in their own language and follow their own (anglo) social codes.) With this insular worldview it’s easy to take it for granted that American good manners are universal. They are not!

A very common gripe against American tourists in Paris is that they talk so loudly in public spaces, which is definitely rude here but I assume that in the US, people just have a different threshold for what constitutes ‘loud’ (I wonder if it is due to being used to having more space than Europeans). I also remember a discussion I had with one of my translation professors about the American concept of ‘active listening’ and how negatively it is perceived in France. It may be that in the US it is polite to make ‘listening noises’ at regular intervals while someone is speaking to you, ‘uh huh’, ‘right’, ‘yeah’, ‘really?’, and that you would perceive someone who just stands there silently as disinterested or thinking about something else. In France it is more polite to shut up and listen (with the occasional nod or ‘mmh’) and it’s rather seen as annoying and rude to make a bunch of useless noise while someone is speaking.

There are of course countless examples like that. The infamous rude waiters in Parisian cafés probably seem a lot more rude and cold to people who have a different food culture… People from other cultures might consider a waiter terrible at his job if he doesn’t frequently check on them to make sure they don’t wait for anything, but the idea that a meal is a pleasant experience rather than just a way to feed yourself (esp when eating out) means we like having time to chat and just enjoy our table for a while, so we don’t mind as much waiting to order or for the next course. French people would typically hate if an overzealous waiter took the initiative to bring the note once we’re done with our meal so we don’t have to wait for it, as it would be interpreted as “you’re done, now get out of my restaurant.”

The level of formality required to be seen as polite is quite high in France, which might contribute to French people being seen as rude by people with a more casual culture. To continue with waiters, even in casual cafés they will address clients with the formal you and conversely, and won’t pretend to be your friend (the fact that we don’t have the American tip culture also means they don’t feel the need to ingratiate themselves to you.) I remember being alarmed when a waitress in New York introduced herself and asked how I was doing. “She’s giving me her first name? What… am I supposed to with it? Use it?” It gave me some insight on why Americans might consider French waiters rude or sullen! It might also be more accepted outside of France to customise your dish—my brother worked as a waiter and often had to say “That won’t be possible” about alterations to a dish that he knew wouldn’t fly with the chef, to foreign tourists who were stunned and angry to hear that, and probably brought home a negative opinion of French waiters. In France where the sentiment in most restaurants is more “respect the chef’s skill” than “the customer is king”, people are more likely to be apologetic if they ask for alterations (beyond basic stuff) as you can quickly be seen as rude, even by the people you are eating with. 

And I remember reading on a website for learning English that the polite answer to “How are you?” is “I’m fine, thank you!” because it’s rude to burden someone you aren’t close to with your problems. In my corner of the French countryside the polite thing to do is to complain about some minor trouble, because saying everything is going great is perceived negatively, as boasting, and also as a standoffish reply that kind of shuts down the conversation, while grumbling about some problem everyone can relate to will keep it going. (French people love grumbling as a positive bonding activity!)

Basically, before you settle on the conclusion that people from a different place are collectively rude, consider that if you travel there and scrupulously follow your own culture’s social code of good manners, you might be completely unaware that you are being perceived as obnoxious, rude or unfriendly yourself simply because your behaviour clashes with what is expected by locals.

[darkaviarymc]

What have I done to lose you, but be the creature that I am?

Where will you go?

How will I find you?

Must we, must we say?

Must we, must we say?

Must we, must we say goodbye?

Should I believe in something after you're gone?

Will I grow old and good for nothing, but hoping for too long?

What can I do to keep you from moving on?

lyrics that relate to songbird and pack one hell of a gut punch

#I was going to wait until I had readcthe latest updates to yell at you for this #and now I have read them and I am yelling at you #this is me yelling at you #MOCHI I WILL HUNT YOU AND TWAP YOU WITH SO MANY POOL NOODLES

[darkaviarymc]

Leaves me alone for most of the day, and AS SOON AS I start trying to read, he's on about something.

[darkaviarymc]

Mumbo's Gold Mine Shop

I think it was a cute idea to have the little minecart going around it. (High quality version of the background below:)

[darkaviarymc]

Tycoon is here, to steal your heart!

[darkaviarymc]

Watching my toddler figure out how to language is fascinating. Yesterday we were stumped when he kept insisting there was a “Lego winner” behind his bookshelf - it turned out to be a little Lego trophy cup. Not knowing the word for “trophy”, he’d extrapolated a word for “thing you can win”. And then, just now, he held up his empty milk container and said, “Mummy? It’s not rubbish. It’s allowed to be a bottle.” - meaning, effectively, “I want this. Don’t throw it away.” But to an adult ear, there’s something quite lovely about “it’s allowed to be a bottle,” as if we’re acknowledging that the object is entitled to keep its title even in the absence of the original function.

[darkaviarymc]

[darkaviarymc]

[darkaviarymc]

eepy forehead kisses

[darkaviarymc]

A little fic to go alongside this post :)

-

It's hot in the desert, and Scar can't blame Grian for passing out as soon as they settle into bed. After all, the avian insisted on wearing a shirt; really, the heat would be much more bearable if he didn't. Why else would Scar have been so insistent on discarding his own shirt in favor of keeping his body cool?

Scar lets out a soft huff of amusement as Grian shifts in his sleep, mumbling something incoherent under his breath. Like this, Scar couldn't feel even the faintest urge to kill that came with being red. When he was with Grian, that all seemed to just… disappear. How could he want for blood and death when all he needs is right there in front of him?

Scar shifts so that Grian's head rests slightly on his arm, settling his hand against the man's soft hair. He lets out another content sigh as Grian moves once more to get comfortable, hand resting on Scar's chest as his winged ears brush against his face. It's so peaceful, Scar almost forgets their situation. He almost forgets about the game of death they're playing. He almost forgets that they'll never leave this desert, not ever.

But he does not forget, as much as he would sometimes like to, and he knows better than anyone else on the server that one misstep can lead to the ultimate tragedy. He knows better than anyone how close he is to dying, to leaving Grian alone in a world of death. Scar knows all this, and knows how fiercely he will fight to stay by Grian's side. He refuses to let Grian grieve him. If it came down to it, Scar knows he would look Lady Death in the face and tell her “no.”

He doesn't have to right now, though. For now, there is peace. For now, the desert is unstained by blood. For now, Scar can hear Pizza's soft braying outside, and feel Grian's soft breathing against his skin. For now, they are safe. For now, that is enough.

Scar presses a kiss to Grian's forehead, smiling softly at the unconscious coo the avian lets out, and closes his eyes.