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I know a whole lot of finns have already made posts about this (and with my notoriously shit memory, I may have already written one too), but too late, I can't be stopped: Finnish pronouns. I can't recall where I got any of this info, and if someone who knows better can verify whether I'm right or wrong, I welcome it.

The finnish language has the pronouns hän, which is she/he, and se, which is "it". In official written finnish, hän is the pronoun used of people and people alone, and se is of animals and inanimate objects. But this is where it gets funny. Written finnish is different from all dialects of spoken finnish - no spoken form of finnish naturally uses the pronoun hän in normal conversation. The entire human pronoun was introduced to the finnish language artificially, as the men who translated the bible to it felt it was ungodly to not at least have a distinct pronoun for beings with an immortal soul.

However, the attempts to introduce the new pronoun soon ended up somewhere along the lines of "ok fine, you can call each other whatever, but the king and God are Hän (and please show up to church sober)", so the whole pronoun more or less ended up as a linguistic equivalent of those fancy plates your grandparents have in a glass cabinet for Extremely Special Guests, and nobody is actually fancy enough to require such formality.

Regardless, this has stuck to spoken finnish, but mainly as a stylistic choice of sardonic people, sarcastically using "hän" of people they do not actually respect, heavily implying that this person has far too high opinion of themselves and their own importance.

Hän funnily enough also emerges when some people talk about their pets, though the sarcastic implication of "this person considers themselves more important than they truly are" is there - a bossy, spoiled tiny dog is hän the same way your snobbish and difficult great-aunt is.

There is probably a number of languages that have one or several pronouns that are defined by a person's status instead of gender, but finnish is the one language that has a formally neutral but informally reverential pronoun, that in spoken use is almost exclusively used sarcastically to communicate that this person actually is not respected.

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About Dazai

So this scene has been floating through my head since I saw it.

Dazai’s character has always bothered me because he’s so hard to read, and in the end that ’s kinda the point. This started out as a way to explain the bandages, but I guess it’s now a ridiculously long profile and I’m so sorry. Warning for Massive Spoilers ahead for the second season of the anime. Also heartbreak warning because I am, in fact, using screens from the Oda episodes, including *that* scene. There are excerpts of the manga, also, but I’ll try to keep spoilers vague in that department.

さらに読む

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Once again absolutely flabbergasted abt the fact that english doesn’t have a word for jaksaa

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Pieces of Viking pottery with traces of cat and dog paws, seen at the Musée de Normandie in Caen Castle

“So back in the day pets already ruined their owner’s artwork.” - My sis who took the photo

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😭 why are they like this

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Samuli Paulaharju: Kainuun mailta (1922)

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So I was inspired by this post to try something like this.

Have you ever wondered what's your special skill? Well now you can find out... But wait, there is a twist! This quiz is made to simulate the experience of filling out a typical uQuiz as a non-American. When you don't know the actors, the music, the candy or the lifestyle. This is not meant to be anything serious, just some silly fun!

Try the quiz here!

Please note that this is made from an European (and mostly Nordic/Finnish) perspective, but the purpose is not to be comprehensible for every European. The main purpose is to be incomprehensible.

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americans will let their bombers and death drones travel literally anywhere on this planet to drop their depleted uranium and godknowswhatelse contaminated bombs on civilians, nature, etc and then deadass be like:

uhm you’re mad that we bombed you?? what are you? an iraqi terrorist? a serb nationalist? lmao anyway here’s yet another movie depicting you all as primitive monsters and shows how our poor hero soldiers were traumatised from destroying your country.

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Underwatched Animated Films I Recommend You See at Least Once in Your Life

EDIT: i didn’t expect this post to get so many notes. for the record, these are just my personal recommendations, not a definitive list of best underrated animation. i also did not include anything made by Disney. I know that they made some movies that didn’t get as much attention as their other hits, but lists of underwatched Disney films are pretty common, so I thought I’d make one of films by studios that aren’t household names. 

Angel’s Egg (1985)

This movie is a nearly silent film with painstakingly beautiful frames and environmental details. All I can say is that it is a real piece of art worth watching and can be watched on YouTube here.

Les Triplets de Belleville (The Triplets of Belleville) (2005)

An incredibly quirky, strange and humorous French film, also with almost no dialogue. The colors, creative storytelling, and almost caricature-like designs make the Triplets a must-see. The setting and timeframe is left sort of abstract, but it’s a clear transition from last-century rural France to the hustle and bustle of urban America. Lots of homage is paid to cartoons from the 1920s.

Mindgame (2004)

This movie, quite like the title says, blew my mind. It’s also incredibly strange and out-there, but the awkward imagery gives way to real emotion and huge payoff by the end. The colors and animation are delightful, and always tailored to the situation. It is an amazing intersection of an altered state, a love story, a struggle to get home, an existential trip, and an unlikely group of friends. I almost always cry when I watch this. Seriously, can’t stress this enough. There is absolutely nothing like Mindgame. 

Le Chat du Rabbin (The Rabbi’s Cat) (2011)

Rabbi’s Cat is a French film based on a French comic by the same name. The comic artist also directed the movie. Honestly, the dialogue  in this is unmatched. Both Cat and Rabbi are witty and have the best banter. The setting is one of the most unique and real-feeling I’ve ever seen a film take place in: a Jewish community in Algeria. It’s wonderful and incredibly charming, could not recommend more.

Tekkonkinkreet (2006)

This movie hits me on a number of levels. I have so much love for the two orphans, Black and White. The story quickly becomes raw and almost difficult, as it touches on a lot of the feelings we see in things like Grave of the Fireflies, but in a much more abstract way and on a much grander scale. Also less sad, but there are very sad parts also. I guess the best way to describe this movie is intense. While there are a lot of sweet, domestic moments, none of the gruesome reality is sugercoated for you. 

The visuals are all completely stunning; the art is on another level. Treasure Town is a rich, fantastical environment and the characters flow through it effortlessly, like water. You gotta see this at least once in your life. 

Chico and Rita (2010)

An American/Spanish romance between an aspiring piano player and a young singer. The film opens in Cuba and has a vibrant and unique visual style while exploring a multitude of music styles and cultural backdrops. It’s touching and sweet, but does not erase the hardships of being a black music star in America or living through the Castro regime. 

Wizards (1977)

Ralph Bakshi is notorious for underappreciated gems. Wizards is set in a post-apocalyptic fantasy world where magic is real and man has survived the radiation to evolve into fairies, elves, and dwarves. It’s a classic nature vs industry story with Bakshi’s unique spin. My favorite character is Necron 99, the assassin robot turned pacifist. I’ll warn you though, Bakshi films aren’t everyone’s taste (he’s responsible for Fritz the Cat, which against my better judgement I recommend as well).

Wizards was completed during the dark age of animation, and its fascinating to see how Bakshi gets around these limitations to produce something that grossed more than twice its budget.

Memories (1995)

Memories is a three part anthology based on three different manga short stories, Magnetic Rose, Stink Bomb, and Cannon Fodder. While the entirety of the movie is beautifully animated and worth the watch, the best of these is the first one. It is a mysterious, tragic sci-fi horror short film set in space and worked on by Satoshi Kon (so of course its amazing). 

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Wise woman, healer and midwife Eeva Maria Kurtti (Sodankylä, Finland 1920)

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Peko

(or Pekko) is an agricultural deity of the Finnic peoples. He is the progenitor of Barley, but in some cases, has become symbolic of agricultural yield and even fertility by extension.

The etymology of the name Peko is disputed. Encyclopedia Britannica holds that the name is loaned from Byggvir, a Norse deity of barley. Others claim the name originates from Latin Petrus (Peter), through the Russian pet-name Pet’ka.

There are a handful of in-depth accounts of Peko’s worship from Estonia, but all preserved idols originate from the Seto-Võru area. In each village where Peko was worshipped, there was one idol which was hidden in a granary year-round. A feast was held in his honor on the evening before Whitsuntide, and the idol was moved indoors. Beer was prepared, and a congregation formed to pray for a successful growing season, asking that Peko protect their crops from snow and hail.

source: Uno Holmberg, Mythology of All Races - Volume IV - Finno-Ugric, Siberian

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Väenusko Collection

Organizing mine and others’ posts about Finnic-Ugric paganism, or väenusko, and related topics.

Last updated: April 14th, 2020

General:

Väenusko: The Finnic peoples Why ‘väenusko’? Why not Finnish paganism? What is väki? Can I practice if I’m not Finnic? Is väenusko closed? Why it is so hard to differentiate between Finnish and Karelian beliefs

Magic, Shamanism, Etc.:

Väenusko: Shamanic and Witch systems Runolaulajan alkusanat / Rune singer’s prelude The origins of disease & healing On luonto and magic

Myths, Gods, Etc.:

Bird Myths List of characters in Finnish mythology The gods of Väenusko do not require adoration The Sauna Spirit Creation of the World Emuu Everything moves in circles Of Being Born On altars The gods do not call to you

Festivals:

The Day of the Bear Vernal equinox

Karelia:

Karelian intro short history of karelians and the karelian language in finland Karelia didn’t “use to belong to Finland” Karelia Areas Karelian worldview

Literature:

Books I use Kalevala is not a reliable source

Translations:

Notes on “Tales of Finnish History – The Pagan Times“

Other:

Kuutar and Päivätär association

Blogs:

@parantajanpolku @harakanlompolo @kaamosnoita @uralangs @uralica @mythologiafennica @mythologiauralica @luxfennica

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All right, guys, the rest of tonight is (possibly) going to be spent tracking the progress on the Ever Given, a 400-meter-long container ship that ran aground in the Suez Canal and is currently struck. 

LOOK AT THIS. 

Because, yes, if that picture doesn’t clue you into just HOW BIG OF A PROBLEM THIS IS…

ALL OF THIS

Just look at this disaster.

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don't cross the virtual picket line - boycott amazon MARCH 7 – 13

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siis pitäskö mun pelätä ku kerran mun historian ope rupes huutaa ja otti harjanvarren nurkasta ja rupes jumppaamaa sen kanssa?