so,Metacognitionis the practice of thinking about thinking or identifying one’s cognitive process . in essence, metacognition is understanding how you prepare for academic challenges, exams, or tasks, and then being able to reflect on whether you did well, you prepared adequately, and what was most effective. in a writing setting, this type of self-awareness helps you transfer skills in writing, say, fanfiction into writing academically, competitively and professionally.
here’s an articlefrom brown university on the subject i’ll discuss further. there are 3 parts of practicing metacognition identified in this article: planning, monitoring, and evaluation. how might this look like for a fanfic writer?
planning:asking oneself ‘what is my goal?’ ‘what strategies should i use to meet that goal?’ ‘how much time/length do i need to meet my goal?’. so maybe my goal is to write a meet cute where two characters kiss. i’ll need to use a perspective, an upbeat tone, and forward characterization to do this. it’ll probably take 5000 words and two days to write.
monitoring:asking oneself: is my story making sense? am i reaching my goal, or do i need to summarize more succinctly to keep it to 5k? maybe you started with a lot of exposition and now you’re 6k in and the characters haven’t met yet. what went wrong/changed? is it ok that it changed or did you not realize it got away from you? what now?
evaluation: asking oneself: did i reach my goal? was it effective? what would i change next time?
this is where comments come in
it is incredibly difficult to evaluate yourself. comments like “i love this!” actually do begin to touch on the evaluation step of metacognition. it means, in general, the writer is on the right track. comments like “i loved the dialogue between x and y” or “the emotions of this section really hit me” begin to answer the questions of was it effective, did i reach my goal and conversely answer what would i change next time (by adding more of whatever was specified as working well). HYPER SPECIFIC comments, like analyzing the story between the lines or pasting in a line that you really liked and explaining why, is like jet fuel for the metacognition process and i’m not exaggerating. specifically pointing out what was effective and why is incredibly useful
i might elaborate later but fanfic replies literally develop writer’s metacognition and make them better writers
i can straight up credit my writing style to all of my friends and readers who have given incredibly detailed comments. when i found a community who gave feedback like that, my writing improved a thousand times faster than before. so! i guess what i’m saying is give feedback! it goes so much further than you realize!
Inspired: Leave comments because it will make them write better
Eureka-d: leave comments because it will make YOU write better too. It develops your meta cognition as well
The fact that people keep telling me, “Oh god I needed something this positive right now” keeps me writing the happy because I need it too. But the Untamed fandom has some AMAZING readers who go through chapter by chapter and pull out all the bits they like and talk about them and it’s honestly very motivating, mostly because it gets me out of my own imposter syndrome.
Plot twist, positive comments were Constructive Criticism the whole goddamn time
there’s nothing purer or better than how much kids enjoy being picked up and then hurled at soft surfaces
anyone who’s ever been around kids for ay meaningful amount of time should know exactly how much kids long to be hefted up and then just fuckin tossed! it’s so good! they’re so excited to get fucking tossed around like a sack of potatoes it’s so pure
Why do kids love it so much? Like I remember when I was a kid at diving practice during the summer, the best part was when one if the coaches would toss you into the deep end. And in gymnastics coaches would toss us into the foam pit. Do kids just have a evolutionary urge to die?
“Vestibular sense provides information about where the body is in relation to its surroundings. This is the sense that helps you understand balance, and it connects with all the other senses.
When the vestibular system does not develop properly all other senses will struggle to function properly. Without a strong vestibular sense, kids will have no choice but to fidget, get frustrated, experience more falls and aggression, get too close to people when talking, and struggle with focusing and listening. Because they literally cannot help it.”
“Here are a few ways to support your child’s vestibular sense:
Spinning in circles.
Using a Merry-Go-Round.
Rolling down a hill.
Spinning on a swing.
Going upside down.
Climbing trees.
Rocking.
Jumping rope.
Summersaults or cartwheels.
Using monkey bars.
Skating.
Going backwards.
Swimming.
Dancing.
Wheel-barrel walks.”
Yeeting kids, spinning them, flipping them upside down, tossing them in the air, and otherwise disrupting their balance temporarily, is Important For Their Development, specifically for their vestibular sense.
Kids love this because they NEED it.
In other words: Don’t forget to calibrate your child’s GPS!
YEET THE CHILD FOR THEIR HEALTH
Hi! Paediatric Occupational Therapist here who yeets children into pillows for a living. It’s actually more than the vestibular system! It’s also giving them proprioception, which is the feeling of your joints and muscles / where your body is in space!
We all seek proprioceptive input, leaning against walls, pushing against the steering wheel when driving, giving your body a squeeze to wake yourself up, the list goes on! When we ‘crash’ kids into soft things like pillows or beds, we’re waking their bodies up AND calming their bodies down! In other words, getting them into this super nice zone of “just right” regulation.
When I see a child who is bouncing off the walls and can’t seem to stand still for more than a few seconds? I start wrestling with them, crashing them into pillows, giving their body the right amount of input they need to feel good and organised. And suddenly, this kid is able to sit and play attentively or do their handwriting practice. It’s amazing! If you want to know more about why the vestibular and proprioceptive systems are awesome at making your body feel good, google those two words (and sensory processing) and read through some occupational therapy websites!
Side note: As adults, does your body ever feel jittering/jiggly/wiggly/like it needs to move or calm down but you just can’t figure out why? That’s your sensory system saying Hey! I need to feel differently in order to function better! Here’s what you can do:
Jump up and down (vestibular and proprioception)
Give yourself big squeezes (proprioception)
Place your hands on a wall and do push ups (proprioception)
Do cartwheels (vestibular and proprioception)
Get someone to give you the biggest bear hug for at least 10 seconds (proprioception and social connection, also proven to help regulate your sensory system into just right zone!)
Get a drink of water and drink it through a straw OR blow bubbles into the water (way more fun!) (oral motor input and respiration)
Have a shower or a bath (tactile)
Stretch and do exercise (vestibular and proprioception)
Eat something crunchy or chewy (like chips or gum) (oral motor input)
Listen to some music that suits your mood (auditory)
etc etc etc! I’m sure you already have a strategy that your body has figured out works for you. I personally like to chew gum when I feel like i need to eat something but I’m not actually hungry and just need that chewing sensation in my jaw.
Long story short, everyone has a sensory system and we all use regulation strategies like the ones listed above to help make our body feel better. So if you ever see someone (especially kids!) fidgeting and having a hard time focusing, maybe suggest something from the list above!
Are you telling me that push ups are the cure for ADHD leg bounce?
Push-ups have always been the cure for the ADHD leg bounce but for some reason no one wants to hear it.
…you know…dancing…exists. We have other workout options. Even jogging is better then pushups damn we’re not in solitary confinement in a coffin sized prison cell we have options besides pushups, the most boring workout ever invented.
Pronouns: generally doesn’t matter to them, calls themself “it”
Age: Around 1 year old
Height: 6'0
Species: kytinn/Osh-Tekk hybrid
Skills / magic: adept at hand to hand & bladed combat. Sun magic and ability to communicate with insects.
Basic backstory below the cut. Also contains some info about my mk au.
Kreature was the product of Shang Tsung. They were created as a way for Shang Tsung to prove to himself that he wasn’t going soft after the tragedy that now plagued outworld. A deadly storm that ravaged outworld and seemed to steal away magic from the area.
Kreature soon escaped Shang Tsung’s Island and was found by scouting parties that were looking for survivors in the path of the storm. They were then brought to Kotal, who did not approve. As Kreature appeared to be a child he provided care, expecting the child to die from health complications bit, as it became clear that wouldn’t be the case, Kotal begrudgingly let the child stay.
Kotal set Kreature up to train with some of the best warriors he had, which were limited as the storm had claimed countless lives. After about a month Kreature was sent to Earthrealm to A) be out of the way while reconstruction of the city started and B) train with Fujin and the monks of the White Lotus, inadvertently using Kreature as a sign of trust and peace. While with the White Lotus Kreature thrived, finally feeling accepted into some form of community, especially growing close with Fujin who looked past their status as a clone and saw them for who they were as a person.
Unfortunately, Kreature had to return after three months to continue training in Outworld. This adjustment was hard as Kreature was treated as a freak and an outcast. It only took a few weeks for them to dissapear into into the wilderness where they were then found by D'vorah and taken to the hive. D'vorah feigned kindness and care to manipulate Kreature into trusting her when she really viewed them as barely living and nothing more than a clone. She intended to brainwash Kreature and use them to further her own goals.
Kotal took notice of Kreature’s dissapearance almost immediately and sent search parties to find them. It took almost a week of no progress for Kotal to decide to search for Kreature himself. The reasoning he told everyone was that Kreature had been trained and had the capability to be dangerous with the wrong people, but truthfully (whether he wanted to admit it or not) Kotal was scared for Kreature and what might’ve happened to them. Kotal follow his instincts and quickly located Kreature with the aid of his search party. He engaged D'vorah in kombat and defeated her before escaping the hoard of insects with Kreature. When Kotal brought Kreature back home he had a discussion with them. He apologized to the boy and admitted that he hadn’t been treating Kreature kindly, measly tolerating them up to this point. Kotal admitted that he was scared that he might’ve lost Kreature and realized that he cared far more than he thought he did.
Kotal decided to then adopt Kreature, giving the name Ke'tel, and began trying to be the parental figure they needed to grow and thrive. Ke'tel continued to master kombat and slowly gain the respect of the people of Outworld, slowly becoming more than just a “freak.” Ke'tel, while not fit to become Khan, aspires to become one of Outworld’s champions and strive for peace between the realms.
Just looking at the picture and hearing the sound: try to guess the year this came out.
Now try this
what about this?
Mr. Flagio sounds 70s (maybe early 80s), based on the instruments and vocals. Space Art also sounds 70s, same reasons and that I can’t envision an instrumental space-trippy track as being 80s. It’s got the vibe of a record where the starts and ends of the songs blend into each other. More like a very long single track, rather than individual tracks like on a cd. If anything, it reminds me of“Sirius” by Alan Parsons Project, though the trumpet-esque bloopy sounds contrast with the “timeless” vibe I get from “Sirius”. (Might be the strings section that creates that vibe?)
Lots more music chatter under the cut:
I knew Undo’s “Computer Friends remix” was modern just from the title; I recognize Cabaret Nocturne‘s name and their vibe in the song. (I particularly loved their song “Green Karma”.) While I can’t say this is “down-tempo”, I don’t feel the same hopeful tension in that song as I do in the others. Y’know that retro-futurism, where we see the shiny 50s spaceship aesthetic, made with the hope that we’ve left the world’s worries behind? That’s what the 2 older examples sorta have. The contrast of those with “Computer Friend remix” reminds me of modern “synthwave” music versus the music from the 80s that inspired the style-genre.
A lot of synthwave has the associated vibes and imagery of 80s dystopic sci-fi. Carpenter Brut’s “Chew Bubblegum and Kick Ass” takes its title from “They Live” (music video with movie clips, but tiddy warning), and Gunship’s “Tech Noir” takes its title from the club in “Terminator”. I know both of those are related to John Carpenter, but I’ve also seen “Blade Runner” and “[Judge] Dredd” imagery pop up in fan-made music videos. The teaser trailer for the “Rise of the Synths” documentary mentions the influence of “80s pop culture”, but I think the sci-fi/dystopia element sticks out to me more than other stuff. I mean, I got into this genre after watching the first season of “Stranger Things”, which was inspired by those same influences. (Oh hey, that all lines up, around 2015-2016.)
Thanks for bearing with my tangent. I just really like synthwave.
Basically,Mr. Flagio’s “Take a Chance”andSpace Art’s “Onyx” have a retro-futurist optimism. Cabaret Nocturne’s remix of “Computer Friends” by Undo is a retro-futurist pessimism. The future that caught up to us is not the ideal we imagined. This gets reflected into sci-fi dystopias, showing us “hey it could be worse” and “let’s not let it get this bad”, so we vaguely feel better about the shit we’re already in. (Wow that sound cynical. Oops?)
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In contrast, the sound effects of the original mix of “Computer Friends” feels like a bit of synthwave but based more in early 2000s techno. Like, I could fit it into the retro-inspired synthwave easily until I heard the “wub wub wub” sound effect. Then I’m like… wait, what year is this? It came out in 2015 (2016?), but it plays sounds that make me think of the 90s and 00s. So like, synthwave but a different decade? Synthwave influenced by old-school dubstep? Idk.
Gothy industrial electronic stuff. Still kind of upbeat, not sludgy - more mid-tempo really. You can chill, but it’s not a “bouncing full of energy” thing. There are 4 video-mixes in this series, so far.
House music beat (kinda stereotypical “techno” I guess?), really immersive. Like, I don’t realize I’m bouncing around in my seat, as I listen to it. Listening with headphones lets you feel the buzzy effect (isochronic tones). The channel has other mixes, which I haven’t tried yet. This one repeats the songs, but it’s long enough to not really notice.
I really love Johnson’s music, and I’ve posted it before. “Son of a Witch” was the first one I listened to, and then this mix (which also starts with “Son of a Witch”). It’s really nice bluesy guitar - feels like a haunting soundtrack to a southern-gothic horror film. It’s down-tempo, so it may not be great for cleaning. Maybe treat yourself with this mix while laying in the bathtub, trying to cool off on a hot summer day.
All 3 of these have heavy and fast beats. Sort of a grungy, industrial, techno flavor happening here. These are really good on headphones, if you’re trying to drown out noisy neighbors or such.
Live-feed of synthwave music with heavy beats. They’ll probably include groups like Perturbator and Carpenter Brut, if you’re familiar with those acts. Alas, there’s flashing visuals (anime clips), so that may be bothersome. Same dude has some other live feeds, if this slice of synthwave isn’t exactly your speed.
Odd songs that fit well with the “weirdness” of the internet. Jack Stauber and Neil Cicerega (Lemon Demon) are on both lists, to give an idea of the vibes.
“themes of: dark academia, cryptidcore, crowcore, and bastardcore.”
I’m not entirely sure what those terms mean, but it kinda makes sense as I listen. Includes Girl in Red, Mitski, Arctic Monkeys, Lorde, Woodkid, Hozier, and more. Not a happy peppy vibe, but it’s mid-tempo.
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That was a lot of lists, I know, but that’s nowhere near the end of my bookmarks. Not to mention all the shit I’ve just been glancing by lately. Did I get close with any of these? I’d love to learn more about “pathos flavored folk. I think I know what it means, but I can only think of sad and down-tempo things.
