Poetry Fishbowl Open!

[ysabetwordsmith]

The Poetry Fishbowl is now CLOSED.  Thank you all for your time and attention.  Please keep an eye on this page as I am still writing.

Starting now, the Poetry Fishbowl is open!  Today's theme is "Neurodiversity."  I will be checking this page periodically throughout the day. When people make suggestions, I'll pick some and weave them together into a poem ... and then another ... and so on. I'm hoping to get a lot of ideas and a lot of poems.

Click to read the linkback poem  "Nascent Wisdom" (15 verses, standalone).


What Is a Poetry Fishbowl?

Writing is usually considered a solitary pursuit. One exception to this is a fascinating exercise called a "fishbowl." This has various forms, but all of them basically involve some kind of writing in public, usually with interaction between author and audience. A famous example is Harlan Ellison's series of "stories under glass" in which he sits in a bookstore window and writes a new story based on an idea that someone gives him. Writing classes sometimes include a version where students watch each other write, often with students calling out suggestions which are chalked up on the blackboard for those writing to use as inspiration.

In this online version of a Poetry Fishbowl, I begin by setting a theme; today's theme is "Neurodiversity."  I invite people to suggest characters, settings, and other things relating to that theme. Then I use those prompts as inspiration for writing poems.


Cyberfunded Creativity

I'm practicing cyberfunded creativity. If you enjoy what I'm doing and want to see more of it, please feed the Bard. The following options are currently available:

1) Sponsor the Fishbowl -- Here is a PayPal button for donations. There is no specific requirement, but $1 is the minimum recommended size for PayPal transactions since they take a cut from every one. You can also donate via check or money order sent by postal mail. If you make a donation and tell me about it, I promise to use one of your prompts. Anonymous donations are perfectly welcome, just won't get that perk. General donations will be tallied, and at the end of the fishbowl I’ll post a list of eligible poems based on the total funding; then the audience can vote on which they want to see posted.

2) Swim, Fishie, Swim! -- A feature in conjunction with fishbowl sponsorship is this progress meter showing the amount donated.  There are multiple perks, the top one being a half-price poetry sale on one series when donations reach $300.



3) Buy It Now! -- Gakked from various e-auction sites, this feature allows you to sponsor a specific poem. If you don't want to wait for some editor to buy and publish my poem so you can read it, well, now you don't have to. Sponsoring a poem means that I will immediately post it on my blog for everyone to see, with the name of the sponsor (or another dedicate) if you wish; plus you get a nonexclusive publication right, so you can post it on your own blog or elsewhere as long as you keep the credits intact. You'll need to tell me the title of the poem you want to sponsor. I'm basing the prices on length, and they're comparable to what I typically make selling poetry to magazines (semi-pro rates according to Duotrope's Digest).

0-10 lines: $5
11-25 lines: $10
26-40 lines: $15
41-60 lines: $20
Poems over 60 lines, or with very intricate structure, fall into custom pricing.  Epics usually cost $.50/line. 

4) Commission a scrapbook page. I can render a chosen poem in hardcopy format, on colorful paper, using archival materials for background and any embellishments. This will be suitable for framing or for adding to a scrapbook. Commission details are here.  See latest photos of sample scrapbooked poems: "Sample Scrapbooked Poems 1-24-11"

5) Spread the word. Echo or link to this post on your LiveJournal, other blog, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Digg, StumbleUpon, or any other social network.  Useful Twitter hashtags include #poetryfishbowl and #promptcall.  Encourage people to come here and participate in the fishbowl.  If you have room for it, including your own prompt will give your readers an idea of what the prompts should look like; ideally, update later to include the thumbnail of the poem I write, and a link to the poem if it gets published.  If there is at least one new prompter or donor, I will post an extra freebie poem.

Linkback perk: I have a spare series poem available, and each linkback will reveal a verse of the poem.  One person can do multiple links if they're on different services, like Dreamwidth or Twitter, rather than all on LiveJournal.  Comment with a link to where you posted.  "Nascent Wisdom" has 15 verses and stands alone.     
 

Additional Notes

1) I customarily post replies to prompt posts telling people which of their prompts I'm using, with a brief description of the resulting poem(s). If you want to know what's available, watch for those "thumbnails."

2) You don't have to pay me to see a poem based on a prompt that you gave me. I try to send copies of poems to people, mostly using the LJ message function.  (Anonymous prompters will miss this perk unless you give me your eddress.)  These are for-your-eyes-only, though, not for sharing.

3) Sponsors of the Poetry Fishbowl in general, or of specific poems, will gain access to an extra post in appreciation of their generosity.  While you're on the Donors list, you can view all of the custom-locked posts in that category.  Click the "donors" tag to read the archive of those.  I've also posted a list of other donor perks there.  I customarily leave donor names on the list for two months, so you'll get to see the perk-post from this month and next.

4) After the Poetry Fishbowl concludes, I will post a list of unsold poems and their prices, to make it easier for folks to see what they might want to sponsor.

5) If donations total $100 by Friday evening then you get a free $15 poem; $150 gets you a free $20 poem; and $200 gets you a free epic, posted after the Poetry Fishbowl.  These will usually be series poems if I have them; otherwise I may offer non-series poems or series poems in a different size.  If donations reach $250, you get one step toward a bonus fishbowl; three of these activates the perk, and they don't have to be three months in a row.  Everyone will get to vote on which series, and give prompts during the extra fishbowl, although it may be a half-day rather than a whole day.  If donations reach $300, there will be a bonus fishbowl.


Feed the Fish!
Now's your chance to participate in the creative process by posting ideas for me to write about. Today's theme is "Neurodiversity."  I'll be soliciting ideas for neurovariant people, their friends and families, special education teachers, social workers, other neurotypical people working with neurovariant people, activists, outcasts, perceiving the world differently, struggling to survive, being yourself, discovering your strengths, working with the brain you have, meeting other neurovariant people, fighting against oppression, stimming, spinning, hand flapping, sensory seeking, sensory avoiding, going nonverbal, asking questions, exploring new techniques, learning what you can do, sensory rooms, quiet rooms, homes, classrooms, studios, government offices, the wilderness, other places where neurovariant folks hang out, autism, sensory processing disorder, dyslexia/dyscalculia, synaesthesia, dyspraxia, augmented/alternative communication, meltdowns, zones/fugues/hyperfocus, fidgets, adaptive equipment for neurodiversity, theories of mind, the nature of consciousness, activism, representation, and poetic forms in particular. But anything is welcome, really. If you manage to recommend a form that I don't recognize, I will probably pounce on it and ask you for its rules. I do have The New Book of Forms by Lewis Turco which covers most common and many obscure forms.

I'll post at least one of the fishbowl poems here so you-all can enjoy it. (Remember, you get an extra freebie poem if someone new posts a prompt or makes a donation, and additional perks at $100-$300 in donations.  Linkbacks reveal verses of "Nascent Wisdom."  The rest of the poems will go into my archive for magazine submission.

Comments

Prompt

[dialecticdreamer]

How does Heidi Langenberg deal with a neurodivergent child who desperately needs an emergency foster care placement? Who's part of her support team when she's reaching beyond what the official network can deal with urgently?

Re: Prompt

[ysabetwordsmith]

This inspired "The Light of Intelligence." Heidi needs to find a placement for a thrice-exceptional girl: legally blind, unusually smart, and superpowered.

254 lines, Buy It Now = $127

[technoshaman]

The denizens of the Lacuna decide that the big central food court need a bolthole (or three?) for when people get overstimulated... quiet comfort, whatever the local equivalent of Microfyne is, possibly weighted, low lighting, soundproofing, etc...

Also, I have discovered, for reasons for which privacy maintains, Squigz. Squigz are, according to both amateurs and professionals, the ultimate fidget toy. You can fiddle, you can snap'em against each other, you can throw them at polished surfaces (which could get really fun in zero gee), they're relatively soft and about as safe as you can get... if you winged one really hard it might damage an eye, but it's not going to damage anywhere else, they're specifically designed for that...

Poem

[ysabetwordsmith]

Your Squigz prompt contributed to "The Light of Intelligence." Heidi needs to find a placement for a thrice-exceptional girl: legally blind, unusually smart, and superpowered.

254 lines, Buy It Now = $127

[we_are_spc]

Do Shiv and Persia ever meet back up? What happens when they do?

Someone doesn't find out until they're an adult that they are neurodivergent.

-Fallon~

[mashfanficchick]

Fallon, may I ask you an etiquette question?

(No, really; I'm not going to ask it without your permission. You have the right to decide where and when you feel like answering questions I'm sure you get every day.)

[peoriapeoriawhereart]

Twice-exceptional.

Foreign languages and the dyslexic.

Venn diagram flowers.

Strengths discounted.

[mashfanficchick]

Oh, yes! All of these! Especially the 2E one! (Or, perhaps, if you're dealing with soups...3E?)

[mashfanficchick]

You know the thing about penguins and being autistic? This one: https://candidlyautistic.tumblr.com/post/146042314375/sparrows-and-penguins

I would like to see something with this idea. I especially would like to see the penguin's family reacting (positively!) to the news that xe is a penguin.

(Because I'm not sure how clear I'm being: this doesn't have to be a literal penguin. It's more about a family reacting to the news that "oh, hey, no one ever told you your kid's neurodivergent? Oops." I'd like it to be a teenager, but I'm also okay if you want to combine it with we_are_spc (Fallon)'s second prompt.)

Poem

[ysabetwordsmith]

This contributed to the free-verse poem "Sparrows and Penguins." When the Fledging comes, everyone else in the family sprouts sparrow wings, but Humboldt is a penguin. This turns out to be a good thing.

83 lines, But It Now = $42

Try this

[ng_moonmoth]

I'll leave others to cover the Army of One storyline for now, and explore in a different direction.

Right now, I'm wondering how many of the so-called "village idiots" were actually neurovariant folks who weren't able to cope with the teaching methods available in their time/place. Likely storylines: Clay of Life, Fiorenza, Frankenstein's Family -- but if something else comes to mind first, go with it!

See also Norton I, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico.

Re: Try this

[ysabetwordsmith]

This inspired the free-verse poem "Dreaming Idiots and Trusting Fools." Victor and Igor take in another unusual boy.

167 lines, Buy It Now = $84

[curiosity]

Kraken petitions SPOON to update policies and take a broader view because reasons. Granny Whammy is not amused.

Blocks is assembling a network.

Is Howl a soup or is something else going on?

Poem

[ysabetwordsmith]

This inspired the free-verse poem "To Think What Nobody Has Thought." Granny Whammy isn't keen on working with supervillains ... but Captain Left and Captain Right have other options.

133 lines, Buy It Now = $67

[janetmiles]

Synaesthesia

I think the previous prompt about "by the way, you're a penguin" would fit really nicely into Fledgling Grace, but I could be wrong

Drummers' brains are different

Regarding intelligence, the idea that in some ways it's just as hard to be two standard deviations above the mean as it is to be two standard deviations below the mean

Deliberately rewiring one's brain

Neurodiversity that starts later in life, for example, as a result of traumatic brain injury

Prophets: are they divinely inspired, mentally ill, neurodiverse, or other?

Poem

[ysabetwordsmith]

Your Fledgling Grace prompt contributed to the free-verse poem "Sparrows and Penguins." When the Fledging comes, everyone else in the family sprouts sparrow wings, but Humboldt is a penguin. This turns out to be a good thing.

83 lines, But It Now = $42

[gingicat]

My boychik would like something about stress levels, feeling piled on (especially wrt middle school responsibilities and expectations), and electronics usage.

Currently he is sitting across from me eating Goldfish and watching a Let’s Play video from EthanGamerTV on YouTube.

Poem

[ysabetwordsmith]

From this I got today's freebie, "Let It Fly Away."

[redsixwing]

Diagnosis is a user manual, not a sentence, and that's as true of self-diagnosis as it is the formal kind.

Poem

[ysabetwordsmith]

This contributed to the free-verse poem "Sparrows and Penguins." When the Fledging comes, everyone else in the family sprouts sparrow wings, but Humboldt is a penguin. This turns out to be a good thing.

83 lines, But It Now = $42

[kellan_the_tabby]

Keras, with his prey-species thinking, is _surely_ neurodiverse. How does that change how he deals with predator-brain humans? How does Marmalade, with his tiny predator brain, help with that? Or is Marmalade neurodiverse too? (His face-claim counterpart certainly is...)

[dreamwriteremmy]

Ooh I second both of these animal-like-thinking neurodiversity topics because apparently while it seems to be a common thing with some systems we know and don't know... We did not really get much useful advice that groks with our experience of it from our circles.

- Cecil

[wyld_dandelyon]

Trouble distinguishing faces and remembering names.

Numbers that change places.

"ooooh, shiny!"

Poem

[ysabetwordsmith]

This contributed to the free-verse poem "Sparrows and Penguins." When the Fledging comes, everyone else in the family sprouts sparrow wings, but Humboldt is a penguin. This turns out to be a good thing.

83 lines, But It Now = $42

[bairnsidhe]

I'd be interested in anything about executive dysfunction, particularly that nasty tendency people have of mixing up motivation with function ('you just need to WANT to clean your room' while I've literally been intending to go grab my favorite book and read it for the past hour but can't quite get to the first step.)

Additionally, the idea that neurodivergence is speciated. It's not neurodivegent if your whole species does it, but if you're raised out of that context, it can seem neurodivergent or even pathological. Or if you're out of context. For instance, if the Teff crew went somewhere that had ASD as a standard (loads of diversity, but nobody is Core-Standard!NT). OOOooh, Schrodinger's Heroes teff over into Army of One for a bit. Ash hangs out with V and Astin, Pat joins Shuttlecock for stitch-n-bitch. Quinn and Kay visit that club/dungeon from that one poem about Bottleneck.

What about people who self-medicate their varience issues with alcohol? That would put them under Shaeth, right? I can picture his Paladin going about spare with a group who drinks not to escape their own pain, but to tolerate other people's behavior towards them (often, the problem isn't my difference, it's the REACTION to my difference, and while I don't, many deal with that by drinking so they don't care what others say)

[gingicat]

Ooh, I like the Shaeth prompt.

There are also those people with bipolar who drink to dampen the intensity of mania and can’t stop in depressive mode. In part, this us because they don’t know they’re doing it.

[librarygeek]

1) Libraries are good places for neurodivergent people.

https://ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com/4049042.html

https://ysabetwordsmith.dreamwidth.org/10703849.html

The prompt: How is Aston and the Order of Hypatia dealing with Haboob's disappearance? Can a Sufi mystic who does the spinning meditation show up? Rashi, and the whirling dervishes...

https://ysabetwordsmith.dreamwidth.org/10993721.html

https://ysabetwordsmith.dreamwidth.org/11039115.html

2) Seconding the idea about a historical setting and their understanding of autism, though I would like an absent-minded (problems with executive function autistic, maybe dyspraxic clumsiness) sage, clergy, teacher showing HOW to teach those "village idiots" nonverbal or gibberish types, maybe Frankenstein's Family or Hart's Farm?

I'm learning techniques and strategies for NT and other people through classes for a behavioral science minor with my Bachelor's degree in Information and Library Science. Those of us who are autistic geniuses can extrapolate from other learning, we just don't have the built-in intuition on people and social situations.

3) Lacuna, dealing with taste or smell sensory seekers, I'm pretty badly scent avoidant for floral scents. Love the ocean and even low tide stink though! :-D You can take the islander away from the ocean, but they won't take the ocean away from me!

[bairnsidhe]

>>3) Lacuna, dealing with taste or smell sensory seekers, I'm pretty badly scent avoidant for floral scents. Love the ocean and even low tide stink though! :-D You can take the islander away from the ocean, but they won't take the ocean away from me!<<

OH! You too? I've got a super-nose for some reason and most of the things that are made for normal noses to enjoy are just... too much. Or synthetic and crappy. But the scents I like are deemed "icky" by broader society. Horse-sweat, for example (okay, almost any mammalian critter if it's happy and sweating from heat/exercise) smells clean and good and happy, copper in the forge smells hot and spicy and alive, fresh dirt turned over in the garden (assuming your dirt is happy dirt. Unhealthy dirt is bland and sad.), that really specific dust scent from old books. I'd wear any of those in perfume.
But no, have five types of fake flower mixed with vanilla and alcohol, and one sandalwood extract sadly polluted with musk from a cage-raised critter, why dontcha. *grumps at the perfume industry*

[gingicat]

Hypermobility often correlates with autism, in good and bad ways.

Bipolar disorder and the Dunning-Kruger effect — mania gives you a feeling of being able to achieve anything, depression shows you just how badly you screwed up but takes away all the energy needed to *fix* it and also makes you feel worthless.

[zeeth_kyrah]

Dunnin-Kruger can also be called the Jeckyll and Hyde effect -- especially if combined with sandcastle syndrome (where the person builds up big projects during mania cycles, then destroys them in depressive cycles).

so hopefully I'm doing this right

[torc87]

Ok, so, prompts

: Creating your own users manual for the way you work.

:Wouldn't Frankenstein's arc work w this? We know the body was affected - walking, etc. But piecemeal births could affect the mind too, most likely.

:So, last one. I recently met someone who also has adhd and it was like meeting a long lost friend. We Got each other. Lots of shared experiences, easy comprehension, ability to share ideas and tools. It's wonderful. It occurs to me that most people need something like that. Someone who gets them. So, something about that maybe? Or about not having that and neurotypical loved ones finding ways to make that better? Or...not knowing you wanted that till you get it.

:Hmm, does Natasha count as neuridivergent in lifc since she processes emotions diff? Bucky def has to deal with brain he has, and discover his stregnth.

:Frustration. What about the emotions that coping with not getting a users manual and having to essentially figure it out by trial and error brings up? Especially when the try parts aren't working yet? Figuring out how your brain works, step by step, rewiring what you can, creating shortcuts and labeling buttons...

:Hmm, brain as a complex machine, sold/given out in stores. What would those stores look like? The complaint dept? Returns not allowed, what would a convo btwn a customer and a salesperson be like? ( Ok, fantasy sci fi here)


: Lateness and time management. Connected to executive function. How would lacuna accomodate for that?

: Hmm. Alcohol and Shaeth poems prompt. Is it sensory seeking ir sensory avoiding? Sone who drink unsafely are also doing other unsafe activities, often to cope, or as a sensory seeking thing. Thrill seeking and unsafe risk taking are symptoms in a bunch of diagnoses. How would Shaeth deal w that? His Paladin w her common sense?

:Shaeth is prob used to a lot more sensation. If anyone has a neurovariant brain it's a god that feels his followers. He went from feeling lots of them to a few, from battles w noise and scents and high energy activities, adrenalin filled, to quiet. Dies he long for any high stakes adrenalin filled thing again?

:The moondoor has a few neurovariant characters. And wrrewolfs don't think typically. You've establishes werewolfism doesn't cure mental illnesses, but does make people think differently. Where's the line btwn that? Why does it cure physical, not mental?

Re: so hopefully I'm doing this right

[ysabetwordsmith]

Yes, you're doing it right. \o/

Your frustration prompt contributed to the free-verse poem "Sparrows and Penguins." When the Fledging comes, everyone else in the family sprouts sparrow wings, but Humboldt is a penguin. This turns out to be a good thing.

83 lines, But It Now = $42

[readera]

I think I remember seeing Knitting in the Army for One verse, so someone learning to use crafts or crafting materials to stim would be interesting.

Poem

[ysabetwordsmith]

This inspired the free-verse poem "New and Useful Stims." Darmid sets out a variety of craft projects for people to explore.

55 lines, Buy It Now = $20

[alexseanchai]

Inconveniently timed nonverbalness; coping strategies for same

Queer romance autistic-style

The high co-occurrence of queer identities and neurodiversity

"I'm not like other girls"

Poem

[ysabetwordsmith]

This contributed to the free-verse poem "Sparrows and Penguins." When the Fledging comes, everyone else in the family sprouts sparrow wings, but Humboldt is a penguin. This turns out to be a good thing.

83 lines, But It Now = $42

[erulisse]

how does use of magick or devotional practice get adapted by neurovariant folks? Frex, I know that sitting-quiet types of meditation can be difficult for some people for a variety of reasons and that some people prefer walking meditation instead. or other things.

Also, it's currently Beltane in the northern hemisphere and not everyone is into sex... nonsexual fertility celebration?

Poem

[ysabetwordsmith]

These prompts turned into a lavish description of "An Alternative Beltane." Join neurovariant and asexual Pagans for a romp in the garden!

48 lines, Buy It Now = $20

[chanter1944]

*How are the various and variously neurodiverse folks who fled Epizygis settling in in the Lacuna? We've seen one family of four, but that's four of, I believe, eleven. How are the rest?

*Does Jordy consider himself neurodiverse? I know he was misdiagnosed several times before his powers flicked on and stayed on, so does he have if not a foot, then at least a toe or two in ND communities in addition to powering up?

*Dovetailing with the immediately prior prompt, though feel entirely free to use one without the other: Jordy and Gilly and the start of a beautiful platonic friendship. Ground or cave-dwelling, beneficial social insects mean an excellent time for both halves of this duo.

*I've tried to write this prompt four times or more now, and fallen down every time. Social isolation and well-intentioned but clueless family and care providers mean an unhappy teenager's nonstandard wiring, on the order of non-ASD neurodivergence of some flavor or other, is missed, assumed to be entirely socially driven, until somebody else (Leela Louvois? Simon?) with more of a clue says "Hey, could you be...? No, that doesn't mean nuts. If you want to--what do you mean 'apparently it's all in your attitude'? Who sold you that line, and can you sell it back at a steep discount?"

Hitting send before I lose my nerve and delete that last one.

Poem

[ysabetwordsmith]

For an unhappy teenager and a happy diagnosis, see "Sparrows and Penguins."

[alatefeline]

Prompts:

The difference between being forced to take a sick day, and being allowed to take a mental health day.

Building an adult-functional mind using broken pieces of childhood.

(Maybe for LIFC!Hulk-and-Bruce) Accepting something gives you more control.

Norms being culturally determined, and culture being specific to time.

Poem

[ysabetwordsmith]

Your norm prompt contributed to the free-verse poem "Dreaming Idiots and Trusting Fools." Victor and Igor take in another unusual boy.

167 lines, Buy It Now = $84

[mama_kestrel]

What constitutes neurovariance being context dependent. Everyone insists a child's behavior indicates that they're on the autism spectrum...until they shape-shift into a cat, for whom the exact same behavior is completely natural and expected.

Understanding something or someone out of your past based on knowledge of neurovariance gained in the present.

Stimming "under the radar", so to speak. If it's socially acceptable to knit, embroider, spin, carve, mend harness, etc. during times when people sit together, then you don't need an excuse for moving hands. (Yes, I've been temporally adrift all day. It's been interesting.)

The capacity to perceive the numinous and mystical directly as an aspect of neurology. Perhaps listening to the song of the stars is not simply metaphor.

Poem

[ysabetwordsmith]

Your "under the radar" prompt contributed to the free-verse poem "A Brief History of Stimming." I've had it in my head for a while that stimming is just a denigration of something that's been with us all along, and used to be considered a necessary part of life -- having something in your hands every waking minute. So this poem looks back at that, and how it changed.

64 lines, Buy It Now = $32

[ellenmillion]

Skids in very late.

I’d love to see more about Ularki if you’re still taking prompts!

A different perception of smell

Poem

[ysabetwordsmith]

Your Torn World prompt inspired the free-verse poem "Slow and Fast." It compares the strengths and weaknesses of Ularki and her agemates.

24 lines, Buy It Now = $10

[fayanora]

Because I have a character like this, inspired by a fan fiction story, I want to see what you make of it: a character who is a psychopath but was raised good; who struggles to emulate compassion and love when they don't naturally feel either of those emotions.

Also looking for blurbs of the two latest monster house poems, I'm thinking of sponsoring one when I get money this month, unless someone breasts me to it.

Poem

[ysabetwordsmith]

In Terramagne-America, children with disabilities are often paired together to help each other through life. In this case, Bob was born without a conscience and Tom was born without feet. They do just fine together.

43 lines, Buy It Now = $20

[mashfanficchick]

I know I prompted already (and I'm so excited to get to read the poems I helped inspire!), but in case you're considering writing something in LIFC:

Not one of the Avengers is really neurotypical. Tony is a giant ball of twice-exceptionality exploding all over the place. Bruce-and-Hulk suffer from (wording used on purpose) being trapped in the same body. Natka bears the marks left on her by the Red Room, and Bucky the ones by Hydra. All of those are pretty obvious. But Steve processes things differently from most people due to growing up in a different world, Clint (as Tony has pointed out) can calculate complicated trajectories on the fly, and I'd be pretty surprised Betty didn't have some neurodiverse traits as well (starting with the fact that anyone who can go toe-to-toe with Tony on engineering is DEFINITELY more than two standard deviations above the norm in at least some areas). Granted, all these characters are disasters...but their neurodiversity ain't why!