words are like magic spells except if you cast them without meaning them they get weaker for everyone permanently
Conversation
Replying to
this used to really piss me off (wrt, e.g. ‘literally’)
i think i’ve since made peace with it more. it’s all part of the natural rhythms of language/memetics
better a thousand new words bloom than our language stagnates, unchanging
2
20
Would be a great way to have the protagonist reinvigorate a tyrannical order of Proper Magical Word Use priesthood by inventing new portmanteaus, bigrams and trigrams.
To fight the dark forces of weaponized language ambiguity.
It’s a fantasy Politics and the English Language.
3
Replying to
But what if you could make a golem that spams spells without understanding them?
1
Replying to
Language actually works better like that imo, but you gotta make sure both people understand what is promises and what's magic
Quote Tweet
normalize discussing and believing that the other person is using language in a magical (e.g. to provide emotional impact) way so you don't end up fighting everyone that tells you "it's gonna be okay" on the basis that they are, in fact, not omniscient
2
Replying to
so the exponential increase of information production starting with gutenberg and leading into the digital age has leached the magic from the world. thus tech must re-create the magic it has superceded.
Replying to
gonna ransom all the words you like. pay up or i'll completely destroy "permanently".
1
1