Halcove:About

Welcome to Halcove! If you're looking for chat, assistance, queries, or otherwise, this is where you can find me.

If you do need me, I am generally up for sharing information and having discussions in good faith. However, you may find it easier than normal to trigger a response that you may not agree with following one of your actions. This page exists to explain the factors that go into my actions. Please also click the subheadings under each new line for further information, when applicable.

If you're looking for help...

Limit pointless filler.

Time is valuable. Please don't be disrespectful by wasting it. You can be polite by including your greeting and other fluff in the same message as your actual query.

If you include substantial filler in your message, it can come across as desperate, overly friendly, overly excited, etc., and result in an expedited exit from the discussion.

Don't ask to ask.

You're more likely to get a response if I can see your entire query at a moment's glance, without the fluff of "politeness". If we aren't friends, you're engaging in a transactional conversation. The only reason you're talking to me is to extract information from me; not to maintain a relationship, especially if we're probably never going to talk again after that interaction. Allowing people to efficiently interpret your question allows for them to efficiently answer them.

If you "ask to ask", I'm going to respond at whichever time is most convenient to me, as the question you asked seems to be very low priority. I may even forget that you asked me and end up ignoring your query.

Instead of "Are you busy?", ask "Could you help me with documenting the Tegra X1?".

Don't parade your "solution" while asking for help.

Say you want to change the Facebook app theme color. You read online, "sending this command to your phone via your PC can force the theme to change". So instead of asking how to change Facebook's theme, you ask me "How can I send PC commands to my phone?". Instead of addressing the issue you wanted, you're trying to get help with something that isn't actually related, when I could have told you to simply click a button in the Facebook app itself to achieve the same goal. Less time is wasted for both parties if you ask for what you actually want.

If you engage in this behaviour, I'm likely to ask you upfront what your actual solution is. If I engage with your question, I'm not very likely to stay engaged once I find out I was helping you with something you never actually wanted to do, since there's now an entire secret boss to the assistance you asked for.

Instead of "How do I use Android's developer options", ask "How do I change Facebook to its dark theme?".

If you're looking to chat..

Avoid assumptions

Assumptions have the funny effect of loudly showcasing your subconscious conclusions. In that, things you may have never asked about may be incorrectly "true" or "false" in your personal headcanon. Your subconscious is highly influenced by internal biases. In making an assumption, instead of asking for clarification, it can be highly insulting as you are taking certain aspects of a person as a given.

If you engage in this behaviour, I'm likely to reflect it. I do hold many internal biases, but I try to actively contain them. If you fail to contain yours, I will reflect this and fail to contain mine. If it wasn't an issue for you to do so, it shouldn't be an issue for me to do so as well. I will also note your failure to ascertain factual information, so I may lose trust in what you say and lower credence to your statements.

Instead of "North wouldn't like to do this"... literally just either ask, or say you don't know.

"Read the room"

I would personally love if you would match the demeanor I am showing you. You're told from a young age to treat people the way you want to be treated. If I am being direct, transactional, sarcastic, friendly, or anything else: I intend to get the same out of you. Please either try to match my demeanor, and otherwise let me know if my behaviour makes you uncomfortable or just seems out of place.

For example, if I am being snippy, it is always intentional. My general intensity and demeanor can also change drastically within a picosecond, which is why I often don't recognise myself as having a conscience. If I'm being snippy in the rare circumstance where my behaviour isn't based on reason or fact, and is otherwise unjustified, I will easily tone it back and apologise immediately. Otherwise, I will tell you which of your actions justify my behaviour. In the latter case, I will not cease with my tone and manner of speech. If you no longer want to engage in a discussion while I'm in this state, it is highly recommended to exit the conversation, or resolve the catalyst.

Other

I care for your actions, which you are personally responsible for. I expressly shed no concern about your societal status, your employment position, or any shoddy sense of authority that you may employ on yourself.

For maximum social equity, you will be treated with an identical timber as the one you approach me with.

Look at me as a mirror; if you don't like what you see, take a look at yourself first.

For example, aggressive dispositions will be met with an equally aggressive tone in response. I will be equally as pleasant as you are, otherwise.

In general, the following should also be kept in mind when interacting with me

• Any statement of material fact is subject to debate. A premature dismissal of debate or discussion without any attempt to engage in discussion will result in complete dismissal of any further claims. Statements of immaterial fact or vague guidance is also subject to interpretation, which is subject to debate by proxy.
• Critiques, criticism, and arguments must be based on verifiable fact. Discussions not based upon observable or verifiable evidence will be immediately discarded with this due notice, if it is not predicated as an opinion.
• Critiques, criticism, must be based on locally observed evidence, and must be backed by verifiable fact. Critique and criticism based upon assumptions or prospect do not have a concrete basis in reality, and may not be used for criticism for an action that has, or hasn't, occurred in reality. Only empirical and factual evidence may be used for this purpose.
• Critiques, criticism, and arguments based on false premise will immediately be discarded without prior warning. As these issues address concerns that are inherently unrelated to me, your judgement will not be granted on them.