#I need to complete my English assignment and I am writing this instead

[rosehippiefield]

I love that no character is one-dimensional:

Sara is not goody two shoes protagonist with unwavering hope (I like Makoto it's not his slander I really promise I love kind guys), she has the highest chance of winning. It can't happen to ultimate cinammon roll. The balance between her caring side that wants to protect everybody and using charisma to her advantage is so tricky and yet it works (though I am a bit baffled at how she changes without Joe in AI simulations).

Joe is not only cheery cheesy best friend that dies just so you can cry about it (even if it's true as well). Joe is distrustful, he is scared and he kind of wants to escape with sacrifice card knowing what it entails. So he came up with a plan where good people being majority would live, and if not he can feel less guilt. Amazing idea! And we all know how he returns in second chapter. A sing of ungrounded guilt that doesn't correspond to reality whatsoever but can't be combated with logic alone. In best case scenario it is defeated with reminder of how real Joe behaved, showing how faulty our perception can get from trauma.

Keiji is not just sexy detective that supports Sara, oh no. This guy gets close to our heroine on purpose and I dare say kind of uses her for own gain. Then, his trauma doesn't equal all of his character nor it magically justifies killing Megumi, it simply explains his current actions. And of course I really want to believe that he is not some creep flirting with people in most suspicious way. He just needs excuse for evading akward questions. This man, deprived of sleep because of his sins, is both cunning and kind, capable of cruelty and striving to be like his idol.

Kanna and Gin are not annoying children that constantly need saving or exist to evoke sympathy. In Kanna's case sympathy is natural, but it is not the only thing going for her. Kanna is about giving a chance, letting go regrets, making thought-out sacrifice and when it fails moving on to make sure it doesn't have to happen. She develops constantly, bringing ideas to the table and trying to get all group stay united. Kanna makes conscious choice to spend time with Shin to get information, so while she can be manipulated it's not always the case and she's not all naїveness. Her arc of overcoming trauma and insecurity may seem familiar to characters from other media, but it is unique and distinctive.

Gin is autism representation without making him vilain or weird. He has some pecularities, for example, wearing animal-like clothes and repeating animal sounds, and yet nobody bats an eye, so surely he's no outcast or useless (on the contrary, he is quite useful remembering names in the bar, using scent, helping morally etc). Gin's the least morally gray of the cast, but it doesn't mean he is cardboard nice support kid either: he has his dislikes or his own thoughts (he is quite distrustful toward Kanna because he's younger and doesn't use age as justification for her actions).

Reko seems simple enough, a hot-tempered rock star, emo/punk lady many would like to date. Strict to the strong, kind to the weak. She had a lot of changing in the past and it continues here, she is becoming softer. But it's not her only trait: she's a talented singer that was interested purely in music and it's perfection. She ignored to some degree her happiness, her band, her beloved brother for the sake of art. She wasn't indifferent, but appeared as such. And now, finally having a better understanding of what's important and bright future ahead she ends up in a death game with Alice. Their plotline is prominent in second chapter and is devastatingly tragic.

Alice looks like comic relief with his exaggerated reactions and bizzare choice of words (personally I love this type of speaking it's cool). But he is actually not only a scaredy cat: he is a person without a purpose. He searched for it in a path with sister, but no happiness came, only murder of Midori. Alice hides his soft side to not be hurt, he on purpose builds a wall and appears so arrogant because when he was openly kind the close ones were indifferent (not to mention prison, I admire how Alice kept his sanity at all).

Shin is a prime example of morally gray character done right (majority here are morally gray but with him being antagonist it's far more prominent). I have seen various post about fandom interpreting him either as "totally evil manipulator", "Kokichi/Nagito kinnie", "cinnamon roll he did nothing wrong" or "what a loser". But he's not just good or bad, him having antagonist status doesn't make him Ouma copycat or Komaeda's successor, and while I get him being a loser is funny it's not the only thing to define him (though it's more of a joke than serious interpretation). Shin is very insecure and distrustful guy who "sees shadows where there aren't any" (quoting Sara) due to 0% and wants to live, using all methods... until he gets attached. He plots mainly against people he considers his enemies (to tell the truth, with 0% anybody could be classified as enemy), and I think he wouldn't abandon those close to him like Kanna, perhaps partly due to guilt of using her. In general, his actions, while obviously not the best (and he knows it perfectly well), come from fear of death and paranoia rather than pure malice or craziness.

Nao may appear as mentally weak girl you constantly have to help and can't rely on. Yes, Nao has problems with dependance on other, but she has her own aces up her sleeves. She's creative, smart, open-minded. For me her advantage lies in unexpectedness: who knew she saw through AI's lies? For her own sake and for the group Nao is capable of difficult actions like puching fake Reko. This girl is about growing more responsible, learning to trust your own judgement (she has great intuition by the way) and becoming independent.

Kai is quite too unique for stereotypes in my mind, a mysterious but awfully suspicious man. He looks so feminine but don't let that deceive you: he's assasin. Assasin that doesn't kill. Kai is the person escaping from his bloodied, horrible, traumatic past into right, calm, tranquil future with only householding chores and not killing attempts to protect... wrong people (Sara is not bad person, but her father is likely to be tied to Asunaro). So poor househusband is leaping from one abusive enviroment into another, but now being genuinely loyal and unaware of all skeletons kept in closet.

Q-Taro is certainly not only kindhearted big muscular guy (that dies in certain chapter) or stupid. Yes, he looks like parody on American, yes, all his accents make his speech a bit silly and stereotypical. No, he's not dumb. In fact, many plot twists involve him in some way (especially the banquet). Also, he could sacrifice his life for somebody, but he is equally capable of doing the opposite. Q-Taro is quite honest but not above tricks to leave this place, he cares for th group (taking into accout his team-spirited profession) but prioritises himself until later; he knows how sinful people are including him and that allows him to forgive quickly.

Finally, Mishima dies so early you don't hope to see him after 1.1. But if you think he's the shock value first victim that dissapears after, you are not quite right. Mishima, being dead, yet has influence on story as well, either through mystery of his head or AI that appear three times (maybe something is really up with him). Not to mention Ytts where his character shines and not burns. Him being almost perfect doesn't ruin anything, it motivates to become better as well because he wasn't always like this. Plus, he's no ideal, Mishima understands how world works but is passionate to a fault, not to mention his suspicious behavior. He is example of a person that matured, overcame his main faults and inspires the same in others.

Of course, everyone can interpret these characters differently and it's great, those perseptions can be true all at once. They are so interesting and captivating thanks to many layers of depth where everybody can see something unique.

[prettieinpink]

CREATING A STUDY SCHEDULE/ROUTINE 

PLANNING/SCHEDULING

LIST YOUR ACADEMIC STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES. This is so you can allocate time accordingly and avoid wasting any time. 

PRIORITISE ANY SUBJECTS. These may be subjects that will help you in your future career or just a subject you especially want a good grade in. Anything for these subjects then becomes the most important on your to-do list.

DIVIDE TIME EACH DAY. Not all days you are going to be able to sit down at your desk at the same time. Instead, according to your energy levels and planned activities, divide your time.

E.g I have cheerleading after school and I'm going to be so tired, so I’ll do my studying in the morning instead. 

ESTABLISH BREAKS. Depending on how long you can study for, place a suitable break in between. This helps make studying more productive, but only if your breaks are. 

CREATING

USE YOUR TIMETABLE. On days you don’t have a specific subject, dedicate more time to that one. 

CONSIDER YOUR LEARNING STYLE. This helps to be a bit more specific when creating it, instead of winging it and just doing anything. Having a consistent way of studying helps us learn better. 

E.g I’m a visual learner, so I’ll watch animations. I'm an auditory learner so I’ll watch a video of someone explaining it. 

KNOW WHAT YOU WILL DO DURING STUDYING. Do not just wing studying, it’s unproductive and you’re more likely to waste time instead of using it.

 Before you start studying, write a to-do list of everything you need to do during that session and how you will do it. Less time time-consuming and allows you to use time productively. 

SAMPLE – this is Lanny’s daily study routine without any upcoming tests, as an early bird, kinesthetic learner and needs breaks to think with clarity.

Morning

Review my flashcards in preparation for any test. 

Write/note any flashcards I'm struggling with. 

 Afterschool

Check seqta/school website to access my courses, in which I’ll write down which subjects I had. 

Do a few quick blurts on paper of everything I learned in those subjects with prior reading. I only do this for HASS, math and science + any electives that require it. (blurting method)

Then I recheck my blurts, add in anything that I’ve missed and correct with a different coloured pen. 

After, I push those papers aside but I do not discard them. I’ll then complete my online science homework + class workbook. If I happen not to understand anything I’ll watch a video on it and then complete some questions on that. 

I’ll take a break around now because, on an estimate, it has been around 20-40 minutes since I started depending on how my science homework is. I usually eat something and then get back to it. 

Math is next. I’ll complete any math homework, then I’ll practice doing math questions on my own. What I like to do is watch a math video, pause the question without the answer then watch to see if I got it. Effective because they explain it and I can see where I went wrong without analysing my working out which is rather time-consuming. 

I take another break. Math stuff usually takes around 20-30 minutes. 

I then do HASS, which is the easiest. I usually read an article or watch a video on hass then apply that knowledge by answering questions OR doing assigned chapter work. 

I do not study English after school, but I usually read an assigned passage/book and then try to apply any techniques/knowledge by taking that paragraph apart and analysing it. Sometimes, I write my paragraphs using any taught techniques and then mark them. 

Then, I redo my blurtings again but without prior reading then recheck and correct. Then I am finished for the afternoon!!

Evening

Review flashcards then watch a video/read an article on what I was struggling with in the morning but I do not do anything to consolidate this knowledge. 

That is all, please feel free to ask me about any questions about studying as I don't really post much about it, I'll love to help out any fellow students! 

[screemnch]

The Pathologic Russian and English analysis: Artemy Burakh the Haruspex.

On this episode of “I am definitely not okay and dedicate my time to sillygoofy things” - we look at the Haruspex in the Bachelor's campaign. This alone took me a whole month, because there is a lot of funk happening in my life, so the Changeling will have to wait a little more. Anyway. Y’all maybe don’t know the drill quite yet, so let’s start at the beginning.

What is the Haruspex like in the English version? Well, discarding the “sweet but tired dad” persona that the entire fandom has assigned the poor guy, the impression I got while watching people playing through the game is that he is first and foremost a very impulsive person, and that, in a way, carries over to his speech. He’s also very cryptic to the other healers, in that ominous “you shouldn’t have done that” way. If I hadn’t read at least a bit of his dialogue lines for the previous analysis, I would have assumed that he’d be the one to use all those “rough” words every other sentence, since that’s how people from outside of the capital cities are usually portrayed. In the Bachelor’s campaign, he is almost like a goddamn cryptid, that tells you he doesn’t know what antibodies are and then presents you with a panacea on the very next day - he speaks very little and does not bother with niceties besides the honorary title. In the Changeling campaign, all those factors seem to be even more emphasised. Overall he acts even more distant, even more ominous and is even more threatening, since it’s seen through the eyes of a scared little girl (she’s also a miracle worker but we won’t talk about it now). Both of the campaigns are, of course, drastically different from what we have in the Haruspex campaign - which is where we get to see the whole “guided by the heart” thing in action. From the other two’s perspective, he is an ominous, potentially volatile, but still helpful figure. And his speech matches that exactly. So let’s get cracking.

As the Bachelor: the vibes are pretty consistent between the English and Russian version. The Haruspex is just as cryptic and curt in both of them, and doesn’t talk in the manner usually given to all these “rough and dangerous” types in Russian fiction. In all honesty, I think it’s the fact that his manner of speech is so simple and short that made translating it to English so much easier (or at least I think it was). Sadly, there is so little dialogue, that it also meant I barely get to talk about anything interesting, since what little there is to look at, is mostly accurate. But, when there ARE differences… Oh boy are those differences. So, you’ll see a little bit of other characters in this analysis as well because these interactions in the Bachelor campaign felt almost like an afterthought. Like, the writers knew how the wanted them to meet and part, so in the middle, they just used Burakh to be a tool for exposition, and not much else. Additionally, the “fairytale-like” way of speech that Artemy has in his own campaign seems to be gone here, and I can’t wait to see what happens to it with the Changeling. With all that being said, here is the more fun stuff: aka the snippets and screenshots! Once again, the chronological order is dubious at best, and most of this was written at two am in the morning, so I hope this isn’t completely insane.

Very interesting choices made in the translation here. First and foremost - instead of relying on his heart to guide him, the Haruspex specifically says that he is guided by “his love” which, depending on how consistent this change is, might strengthen the connection between several different themes. Now to the fun part - “it’s a shame we aren’t standing together.” I need you people to understand that I am trying to remain as impartial as possible when I write these, without inserting my own opinions of the story or anything. But, the much more word-for-word translation of that line would be “Pity, that we aren’t together.” And yes, people being “together” does also have the same connotation in Russian as it does in English. And while I understand that it’s mostly likely supposed to imply “allyship,” I think it could be worded a lot better, had the writers wanted to avoid misunderstandings.

Let’s focus on the last sentence here: in English, the Haruspex says he admires Rubin’s determination to help people. In the original version however, the sentence is “He deserves respect.” See, the interesting thing here is the difference between “I” and “everyone.” Where in the English version Burakh voices his personal approval of Rubin, in Russian it’s an unspecified, but general statement, which bears the implications that others should respect him as well. And while the difference itself isn’t too significant on its own, when paired with the fact that Rubin is someone who’s on the run from half of the town, it hits a bit different. 

Also, and I didn’t really know where to stick this, and maybe this could’ve waited until we actually got to Rubin as a character, but yeah. I wanted to point out specifically that the word “master” in Russian doesn’t have a dual meaning. Cuz, correct me if I’m wrong, in English this can both refer to a master of a certain activity (ie martial arts master) as well as a proprietor of something (ie master of the house). In Russian, however, the word “master” refers exclusively to a “master of their craft” type of people. A master of a property is referred to as an “owner”. The “Mistresses” in Pathologic are also referred to as “owners” (with a suffix that indicates female). This creates a bit of a confusion, because the word exists in both of the languages, but only shares some of the meanings. And uh… This is related to this quote because uh… Something-something recognition of expertise.

I’m personally a big fan of the themes of freedom, and how different people react to losing their freedom of choice, or dealing with the information that they were never free to choose to begin with. And that brings us to this little line, which I find particularly interesting. In the original Russian dialogue, Burakh says that he had already “lost” his freedom, in the way one loses something in a game. I feel this shines a different light on both how he eventually reacts to being told that he’s just a toy in a child’s game (he’s had to deal with disempowerment this whole time, it’s nothing new to him) but also with how he views his loss of freedom. Not something that some higher power has revoked from him, but rather something that he himselfs basically “gambled away.” In that sense, I can see the eventual reveal that everyone is simply a toy in a sandbox being a relief. In the way that it wasn’t his fault after all, that everything was predetermined, and that he couldn’t have carelessly lost something he didn’t have in the first place. Makes me wonder what the dialogue between these two would’ve been like if they’d met on the first day in this campaign.

I have a shamefully small amount of notes as I go through these, so I’m literally latching on to anything to talk about. I pointed out how dry and laconic the Haruspex is, but god DAMN if that doesn’t make for text that’s easy to translate - and that gives me less things to work with. For example this - a simple word difference in the last sentence that you couldn’t possibly translate properly without sounding illiterate. Because as it is - the translation is accurate in the last sentence. But that’s because “evil” in English is both a noun and an adjective. In Russian, however, the adjective for “evil” also makes for a synonym to “angry” and that doesn’t fit with the meaning conveyed here. Burakh calls Clara “evil itself” the embodiment of evil, all that shabang. It’s something that is recurrent in people talking about her, from what I’ve seen - people address her as a concept, and link her to more generalised ideas, rather than specific characteristics. Either way, it’s a fun thing to think about.

Hi, confused, I’m dad. I did a thing where I tried to read the English dialogue in its entirety first, because I wanted to avoid talking about information that was already accessible in English, and I remember being confused at this line, because… The cattle grounds were on the other side of the Gorkhon? Since when???? It didn’t make sense with the rest of the dialogue either, and the Russian version says “on this side of the Gorkhon” so… What gives? Assuming that the website is accurate (cuz if not, then I’d have to go and check in the actual game which would take hours to get to) does this then just mean it was a simple translation error? Or did the writers decide to change the lore as they were translating? It confuses me so much, because overall the game is well translated, so I don’t get how no one noticed that the meaning of the sentence becomes completely flipped here. Anyways, if you’re like me and that confused the hell out of you in English, just know that it makes sense in Russian and you can sleep soundly. Also, on the more chill note, there is no reference to a kraken in the Russian version, the deposits are compared to octopus tendrils.

I know this isn’t Bachelor time again, but I wanted to point out that there’s a switch back to the formal “you” here, and I feel like it throws a wrench into my previous theory. Or maybe it supports it. Let’s try to be objective here. The simplest explanation could be simply that this is a continuity break, that this was completely unintentional from the writers, and that I am trying to figure out why the curtains are blue in a situation where they are, indeed, just blue. But we like fun here, so let’s assume the curtains are blue for a reason. The real problem is whether this works with my previously established theory, or if it's for a completely different reason.

If we are going with the supposition that the Bachelor switches to formal “you” when he is uncomfortable (which some people found strange when I brought it up, but it’s a legit thing in Russian. Like, I do that sometimes when I want to place a little bit of professional distance between myself and whoever I’m speaking to, though sometimes the person might get upset if you do that) then one possible explanation would be that he is uncomfortable with the implications that this new knowledge has brought to light - a huge residential part of the town is sorta kinda maybe doomed. It could also be the overall dread of what the other piece of news would be.

On the opposing side of this argument is a somewhat mundane explanation that would bypass my theory completely. The idea that the switch to a more formal language was either an attempt to keep the conversation civil and “professional” at a spot where a conflict of interests could potentially emerge, or the possibility that it simply happened because sometimes a person doesn’t know where they stand, or what would be more appropriate in this situation, and opt for the safe formal version.

I do want to apologise, in case y’all don’t wanna hear these hypotheses of mine, I just thought it would be unfair to pretend like my explanations are the only ones out there, so yeah.

Welcome back to “mom pick me up, the translations are being weird again” this time - "my confidants are alive. Are you sure they’re alive? I see no problems." Perfect, flawless logic, I love. And while I understand that the original Russian version uses a very “ye olde” version of “if,” I still assume that the translating team spoke Russian and understood the meaning of the sentence. For context - the modern version of “if” in Russian is “если” (yesli). However, in this line, the Haruspex uses an older word “коль” (kol’), which implies a condition, or an “if” scenario. But the word itself isn’t extinct, people still understand what it implies, the same way native English speakers would know that “thou” means “you.” Like, I can’t imagine how the meaning got flipped in here, it just confuses me. Either way, the “I see no problems with that” is also kinda wonky, because it makes it sound like Burakh has no problem with the “my bound are alive - so I’ll be at the meeting” logic. In Russian, he specifically says “-I’ll come. I see no obstacles.” As in - there is nothing to stop me from doing so. Anyway, translation wonky, let’s see how the rest of it goes.

Now that’s an interesting difference. And a morbid one at that. This is the line where the Haruspex talks about his bound “rebuilding the settlement and turning their lives to become the angels of its foundation.” Which I interpreted more in the sense of - becoming the highly revered figures of the town, with lots of authority and responsibility - like angels. And I’m curious to see how y’all interpreted this, because I did not anticipate the Russian version in the slightest. And it’s this: “... my bound, that are destined to bring this town back to life and lay down their lives under its new cornerstones.” For one, I find it curious that both in English and Russian there is such a similar turn of phrase - because “lay down their lives” could have been translated almost word for word. But also… I am so confused. Is the sacrifice in this sense a literal one? Or does he simply mean a dedication to the town so strong that it could count as giving up one’s life? Either way, this is definitely a curious difference in translation, and I’m not sure what to make of it.

The interesting thing is… For the most part the “Are you aware that we turned out to be toys” dialogue starts the same in both the Haruspex and the Bachelor runs, only diverging in a few character-specific moments. This is one of them and… I don’t even know where to begin with this bit of dialogue, and not because it’s bad. I think it’s translated well, but there are about a hundred tiny little differences that change the vibe a little to the left, make some phrases more bitter and others more candid. For one the whole “take a closer look” in Russian is a direct invitation to compare the two healers, not an implied one. Secondly, instead of not being “a toy to keep” Burakh says that he (in a literal translation) “isn’t to be pitied.” But because Russian is a funky language, what this phrase actually means is - he doesn’t see himself as worth being concerned over, someone who, if sacrificed or given up, wouldn’t be seen as that big of a loss by others. Someone who others would readily discard, without feeling guilt, pity or sorrow. And I have big feelings about that. Additionally, the line about the Bachelor being “an entirely different thing” is kinda funny to me, because it’s a pretty long sentence in English, but in Russian it’s just… Four words, two of which are only two letters long. It definitely carries a different vibe, simply because of how laconic it is, it comes across as much more of an exclamation. In the closest to a literal translation while still remaining coherent, he says “You’re a different case!” which in turn conveys the vibe of “But look at you!” and while I think the translation does a great job at communicating both of them, they also lose the abruptness of the exclamation, which I think adds to the line.

Still not Bachelor hours anymore, but I wanted to point out that the “You’re having fun… Somehow I fail to join in” is a line that sounds sombre and distant, but the Russian version is “You’re laughing… But I don’t find this funny at all” and it has the wording of a child entering their “sulking mode” because someone made a lighthearted joke that they don’t get. Ok, maybe not that extreme, but there’s definitely a lot of bitterness to it, because the idea of being dolls clearly affects the Bachelor very heavily, and then he sees the Haruspex just being like “yeah we might be dolls. So what? You only care cuz you’re made of better materials anyway, lol.” And I imagine that’s pretty hurtful.

Reading this in English, I could practically feel the “there was supposed to be an idiom here, but it’s one of the ridiculous ones, so we had to translate the meaning instead” coming from this line - particularly the “not a single weak spot anywhere” part. And sure enough, the original Russian version says “...everything was done cleanly - a mosquito won’t sharpen its nose” (the nose, obviously being the proboscis). And while I am a big fan of Russian idioms, and was a proud owner of not one, not two, but three books on them as a kid, I’ve never actually heard of this one. The phrase itself means a job perfectly and flawlessly done, to the point where it can’t be improved upon. The leading interpretation to its origin is the idea that a mosquito’s proboscis is a perfect tool for its purpose - long enough to reach blood and thin enough that a person usually doesn’t even feel a mosquito bite until it’s too late. A mosquito’s “nose” could not be any thinner or sharper - therefore a mosquito won’t sharpen its nose.

God, how is it that in the series of dialogues that are the most dry and direct, in the few places where discrepancies are present, the discrepancies are the most confounding and meaning-altering ones? This is still from the dialogue in which the Haruspex and the Bachelor discuss Aglaya on the final day, and the choices in the translation are kind of confusing to me. The original line is “As far as I understand, in the orders given to her, the Powers That Be have concealed (or kept from her) the fact that they want to save the town specifically alongside the Polyhedron.” And while you can still get that implication from the surrounding dialogue, with the whole talk of “she would’ve caught on to the scent of foul play,” it’s still weird that this line was translated so differently. Because as it is, it creates the feeling that it was more of a “technicality” scenario. You know the trope: “I never said anything about so and so, therefore this little inconsistency is going to screw you over, should’ve read the fine print” etc. Almost gives this dialogue a sense of snark, while it’s the exact opposite. The English version weighs in more on the Powers That Be being cold and inconsiderate, while the Russian version is specifically aimed towards emphasising the idea that Aglaya is not to blame. You know. What this whole dialogue is about - Burakh “painting Aglaya as the victim.”

And that’s about all I’ve got for the Haruspex from the Bachelor’s point of view. There are a few things here that shine a new light on some of the themes, or specifically the relationship between Burakh and his sense of fate and control. The overall theme that there is always something higher up that is either in charge or to blame for the things happening, and that Artemy usually takes on as much responsibility as possible because there are only a few things that are truly up to him. Like, that’s why he doesn’t blame Aglaya for her spite or deception, and why he isn’t hostile to the Bachelor in this run - he sees both of them become disillusioned and spiteful, when they find out that all the decisions have been made for them. But as someone who’s never felt much freedom, from responsibilities and choices made and imposed on him by his father, to him being able to see the Lines and where they lead, he’s had to learn to be grateful and accepting of the little choices that he is allowed to make.

And while these closing remarks aren’t exactly exclusive to the Russian version, it just makes me understand the Haruspex ending better. Like, it took me a while to figure out why he’s the character who’s seen as the one “capable of being actually free” or whatever it is that the devs say to Clara (you). It’s because everyone else who is aware of their nature (except Clara, maybe, I’m not sure yet) is someone to whom this is a disheartening and devastating revelation - they become blinded with this knowledge and end up “acting out” exactly the way they were supposed to. Aglaya doesn’t manage to disobey or defy the Powers That Be, nor does Daniil. Yulia too - though she doesn’t know this is all a children’s game, her theory about the “tripwires of fate” is what ultimately traps her in the path chosen for her. The Haruspex on the other hand, not only had to grow up with the idea that he’s fated to become the Warden - serving the purpose of the Kin, but quite literally could see the way things are predetermined. The fact that they’re all dolls, to him, is just a different way of seeing the Lines. So it makes sense that the best ending in the Haruspex run isn't the Termite ending, but the ending of any of the other healers - because then he actually makes a choice. Exercises the little bit of freedom that he has. It's a very interesting progression, where as the Bachelor you , the player, can claim responsibility for his choices, as the Haruspex you can make a choice despite the game's predetermined nature, and then as Clara you get to do both. Throughout these campaigns, you are gradually gaining freedom from the constrictions of the game.

Either way, who knows how long it will be until Clara's point of view on the Haruspex, I certainly don't. But if there is any feedback or stuff, I'm always open to hearing it.

[study-with-aura]

Wednesday, January 24, 2024

Welcome to whirling Wednesday! I say that because it seems to whirl right by. It can feel like spinning for hours on end and then suddenly the spinning stops and everything is a blur until refocusing. Unless, of course one spots, then the dizziness is held to a fix. Always remember to spot. My spot today was looking towards my phone call with my brother tonight. In this sense, I consider spotting to be something to look forward to at the end of the packed day. It keeps me focused instead of spinning in many different directions and losing track or motivation.

I need to sleep.

Tasks Completed:

Geometry - Learned how to find areas of triangles and quadrilaterals + practice finding areas of parallelograms, triangles, and trapezoids on KA + practice finding perimeters and areas of rhombuses and kites

Lit and Comp II - Reviewed units 4-6 vocabulary + read chapters 1-2 of Emma by Jane Austen + read about content issues in discussion notes + worked on my biography writing assignment

Spanish 2 - Reviewed vocabulary + read my speech out loud to my dad

Bible I - Read Deuteronomy 13-14

World History - Added to my timeline + took three quizzes on the American Revolution (not for a grade) + looked over key terms for the new unit + read the introduction to the Industrial Revolution, Nationalism, and Imperialism in the 19th Century + watched 15 minutes of episode 1 of Victorian Farm on YT (I saved the playlist and I might watch the rest of it when I have time. It looks good)

Biology with Lab - Completed cats genetics lab + reviewed vocabulary notes

Foundations - Read the definition of obedience + completed Lumosity daily brain workout + watched a video on using openers in public speaking + watched a video on the presentations by Steve Jobs + wrote the opener and closers for my speech

Piano - Practiced for one hour

Khan Academy - None today (It was already assigned)

CLEP - Completed Module 6 reading "Age of Revolutions" 10.1-10.3.4 + watched the Module 6 introduction video 6.0

Duolingo - Completed at least one lesson each in Spanish, French, and Chinese

Reading - Read pages 8-43 of They're Watching You by Chelsea Ichaso

Chores - None today

Activities of the Day:

Extracurricular robotics course

Ballet

Variations

Journal/Mindfulness

-

What I’m Grateful for Today:

I am grateful for my mom who agreed to help me with ideas for my literary analysis paper. (Sometimes there are perks to having a mom who is a university professor that teaches English and French literature.)

Quote of the Day:

You can’t get to know yourself if you can’t sit with yourself for a while.

-We Deserve Monuments, Jas Hammonds

🎧Six Idylles Op. 24 No. 5 - Agathe Backer-Grøndahl

[xbalayage]

I was wondering... What's the part about writing you enjoy the most?

Sorry I got to this so late! I've been busy today! <3

The part I enjoy the most about writing, is that it's always been my release, my form of expression and art. I've been writing roughly since I was 11-13 years old. If I remember correctly, I started roleplaying/writing on Tumblr, Deviantart, Myspace, Skype, AOL and on some FB groups back in the day. And BOY, was I terrible at it. But it was fun and enjoyable, an outlet for me in my crazy life. I even did some cringe and silly ones on places like WeeWorld and Club Penguin, hehe.

But thankfully, though I was bad, I never gave up! I started understanding what writing truly was and how much I enjoyed it. School made me realize more with writing assignments like English class and Creative Writing. A book that'll forever stick with me is Lord of the Flies because we had to write it for class but said we had to choose a character and speak from their perspective during the course of events that was happening and I chose Simon! And my teacher loved it!

It gave me a better understanding of truly trying to understand a character to the core of who they are. And it helped make my writing better of the characters I wanted to portray instead of just being silly and cringe with it, I truly wanted to do the character justice to their feelings, thoughts and actions. And it led me to the writer I am today! I love trying to paint a scene for the audience and feel immersed in what's going on. I might've lost my touch a little bit, but it doesn't hurt trying to get back to the roots and water them!

Like, for instance, a character I absolutely loved was Axel from Kingdom Hearts. He was my baby and I miss him so much sometimes. And trust, I was COMPLETELY TERRIBLE at him at first, but after realizing I needed to become better and look at the fundamentals of this character did I finally become better and made so many friends from it. Then I branched off to other characters of different personalities to better my writing.

So to finish this off, what I love about writing is truly getting to understand the characters I adore and want to portray at the center of who they are, and just hope I do a damn good job at it. I'll research, spend time and truly get every ounce of info on the character I can and allow the words to leave my fingers tips and onto the page or keyboard.

[brezchez]

The difference between a want and a need

A/N:

Sooo LoZ brainrot is fierce atm. And with my exams coming up I thought what better way to practice for English language than writing a story!

The idea was that Zelda and Link are presented as opposites through their personalities and attitudes: Zelda is argumentative and fairly irrational whilst Link is compliant and composed. So it is more or less based on their canon personality traits in the original game which I deemed were complete opposites when I first played it.

Idk if I showed that as clearly in this fic but regardless I hope you enjoy it anyway.

That all being said, please enjoy :)

--------

The Great Hall - Hyrule Castle

“But Father, I do not need him!” Zelda fumed. Her father, as always, was being unnecessarily stubborn over a matter that shouldn’t have happened. The idea of having a personal knight assigned to her was simply absurd and ridiculous. She didn’t need an escort; she was sixteen, not six.

“No, Zelda. It has been decided. The dangers in Hyrule are growing out of hand. Therefore, it is essential that you be watched over and supervised in order to keep you safe, at all times,” the King replied. His demeanour was annoyingly calm, as if he didn’t understand Zelda’s anger, or even elected to ignore it entirely.

“I am not a child anymore. I am almost of age-”

“Which is all the more reason for you to be kept an eye on!” her father interrupted, this time with a more insistent tone.

Zelda almost audibly scoffed at her own stupidity to believe that she could have had a chance at winning in this feud. She should’ve known by now that arguing with her father was futile; no matter what he always got his way and she was fully aware of that after 10 years of consistent on-and-off conflicts.

Crossing her arms, the princess looked away from her father and muttered, “Sounds more like the habits of a Yiga spy to me,” under her breath.

At this, the King’s glare hardened at her.

“I will not tolerate this attitude, Zelda," he said. His voice was calm but stern, and tinted with an assertive anger that stilled Zelda’s thoughts. “Not as your father and certainly not as your king.”

Silence blanketed them like ice over a lake as his words sank in. Hands falling to her sides, Zelda bowed her head in submission and, begrudgingly, accepted defeat, as she always did.

“I apologise, Father,” she answered, trying to conceal her frustrations as best she could.

The King simply hummed. It was unclear whether he accepted her apology or merely tolerated it.

“He will be accompanying you starting from tomorrow, everywhere you go. Apart from your quarters, where he will instead be waiting and guarding outside your door. He will never leave your side and you will do no such thing to abandon him.”

The whole situation was almost laughable; it was ridiculous, Zelda thought. But before she could get a word in, her father said, “Is that understood, Zelda?”

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

“Of course.”

There was little more she could do when he finally dismissed her.

– – – – –

1 week later:

The Ancient Columns - Tabantha

The ancient relics of the Skeikah and the ancestors from 10,000 years ago never ceased to amaze Zelda. To think that they were actually designed by people! She was sure she would never truly be able to wrap her head around the complexity of every monument or artefact they would come across.

Looking up at the wondrous structure, she slowly stepped forward, marvelling continuously at its idiosyncratic architecture and design before reaching a sort of pedestal.

Curiously, she tried placing what had been named as the ‘Sheikah slate’ against a central glowing blue symbol. But nothing happened.

The princess deduced that it must have been designed to be exclusively accessed by the sword’s chosen one, which disheartened her slightly, as she was eager to discover what was inside. But no matter, designs could always be worked around… at least she hoped.

As if in cue, the faint sound of galloping hooves was suddenly heard approaching. Zelda turned around who it was, and as she identified the horse’s rider her initial confusion turned to frustration.

It was him.

Gripping the slate a little tighter in her hands, Zelda glared at her knight annoyedly. She had already told him to leave her and wait for her at the bottom of the hill that led to the columns, hoping that it would buy her at least a little privacy and time to herself.

But no.

He just had to be her guardian angel, didn’t he?

For the past week, he had been following her constantly, wherever she went. When her father said he would never leave her side, he had meant it. It didn’t help either that her new knight barely said a word to her as well. She wasn’t sure why and she didn’t feel it was necessary to ask him for a reason, so she assumed it was because he disliked her. Wasn’t that always the one reason why people wouldn’t talk to each other?

“I thought I made it clear that I am not in need of an escort,” Zelda said, walking towards him and making little effort to hide her irritation.

The knight didn’t answer and merely stared at her.

Zelda sighed exhaustively. “It seems I am the only one with a mind of my own,” the princess retorted, then continued to order him to return to her father as she had done countless times before. She didn’t care how pointless it was to refuse his service, she did not need him!

However, the knight seemed to ignore her demands, like he always did, and as she started to walk back down the hill, he infuriatingly began to follow her again.

Zelda sighed once more, before angrily shouting, “And stop following me!”

Her blurt seemed to surprise the knight, as he halted his movements and stared at her – his eyes betraying the slightest hint of surprise. Zelda held his gaze, hoping her words would start to sink in in his stubborn mind, but she was surprised to see his eyebrows start to furrow slightly instead.

“You know why I can’t do that, your Highness,” he answered, calmly but firmly.

“And why is that?” Zelda argued, crossing her arms and tilting her head expectantly.

“The King gave me strict instructions and I must follow through with them. So, I’m sorry but I won’t stop following you. I can't."

Zelda was taken aback by his audacity. The nerve of him!

“Are you defying an order from your princess?” she asked, taking a step closer to him.

“I don’t need to follow your orders. Only the King’s,” he replied, his attitude calm and composed. Zelda stared at his expression, unsure of what she was searching for in it. But whatever it was, it was concealed annoyingly well.

She wouldn’t be able to win this fight. But of course not, she never could. Not with her father, not with her knight, not with anyone. Even with her position as princess, the only thing she could do was to sit and submit. She had power in her kingdom, but what good was it if she couldn’t do anything with it?

Zelda gave a final defiant glare at her knight, then groaned frustratedly and continued to walk down the hill – her knight and his horse close behind.

– – – – –

Kara Kara Bazaar - Gerudo Desert

The sands blazed beneath her feet as Zelda sprinted through the dunes. Her eyes frantically darted left and right seeing nothing but a blur of muted yellows and the occasional flash of red.

Zelda looked behind her for a split second, searching for her knight who had suddenly disappeared. She couldn’t see him.

But she had no time to wonder where he was. Not when she was being chased down by the Yiga.

Sand grains in the air flew into her eyes, but the princess continued to run. She couldn’t stop. She could feel the adrenaline being pumped through her blood, fighting to keep her moving as fast as she could.

Suddenly, two Yiga assassins appeared out of nowhere, blocking her path. Zelda tried turning back, but there was another waiting for her.

Her breathing shallowed. Her heart raced. Her legs buckled beneath her, plummeting her to the ground. Zelda shuffled back as the Yiga assassin neared her, but the sound of vicious sickles being drawn behind her froze her in place.

She was trapped.

Zelda looked between all three of them, terrified of who would strike first. Fear and dread enveloped her as the Yiga member to her right twirled their sickle – the blade glimmering with murderous intent under the burning sun.

They approached her, and raised their blade.

Zelda squeezed her eyes shut and readied herself for the pain as it came crashing down.

CRK-SHING!

But no blade pierced her.

Zelda warily opened her eyes and caught sight of a vicious sickle falling beside her in the sand. Then, she noticed a familiar hue of blue beside her.

It was him. Link.

The princess gazed at her knight, who stood strong and defiant against the remaining two assassins. His cerulean blue eyes were firm and courageous, showing nothing but a determination to protect her; a notion that warmed Zelda inside. Despite all her bitterness, all her resentment towards him, Link continued to stay by her. Anyone else for sure would have left afted becoming too fed up with her stubbornness, but Link stayed. His loyalty never faltered.

And that was something truly admirable about him.

Her knight gestured his head, telling her to get to a safer spot, which she obeyed too with no hesitation.

Seeing her move, a Yiga member lunged towards the princess, but Link swiftly halted their advancements. And as the second attempted to do the same, he stopped them just as efficiently. The three were quickly engaged in a fight - the sharp sounds of metal clashing and clanging ringing throughout the dunes as blades met barrier.

Link easily gained the upper hand. There was no hesitation in his movements. No wavering uncertainty. No fear. Every swing of his legendary sword was done with purpose, with intent, as if his fighting patterns were each carefully planned which resulted in flawless execution.

The same could be said for his use of his shield, which was traditionally a defensive asset in a soldier's arsenal. Yet somehow, he had managed to utilise it as an offensive tact. Through the use of "parrying" as Zelda once heard Urbosa call it.

The princess watched her knight from her safe place behind a rock, seeing his fluid movements that displayed an element of grace as well as aggression.

Some might have said that he looked like a work of art in that moment. (And Zelda would have been one of them.)

Finally, Link disposed of the last Yiga assassin, drawing out his blade from their chest and kicking their lifeless corpse to the ground, allowing the sands to pull them under and fuse them in time with Mother Nature. Sheathing his sword, he looked around, searching for the princess. He caught the glimpse of her golden locks behind a rock and ran to her.

"Your Highness," Link said, kneeling in front of her. "Are you hurt?" he asked, concern laced his voice. Zelda smiled reassuringly.

"I am safe and unharmed," she said as she met his eyes and watched the worry in them melt away like the snows of winter under a warming sun.

"Thank Hylia." She heard him mutter under his breath, relieved. Biting her lip, Zelda looked away for a moment before meeting her knight's gaze again.

"Thank you," she said softly, "For saving me."

Link's eyes widened in surprise; he wasn't used to gratitude, especially one coming from the princess, who had originally been detesting him for weeks and voicing her hatred profusely. However, it seemed that she heard his thoughts, as she continued…

"I know I have not been the most gracious and kindest soul to you these past few weeks," she began. Link listened intently. "But I realise that I may have been taking you for granted. It seems that you play a much bigger role than I had initially assumed. For that I am… sorry."

If someone had told Link that the same princess he had been assigned to look after 4 weeks ago would be apologising to him now, he would have called that person barking mad. Yet here he was, hearing a heartfelt apology straight from her.

Link couldn't help the slight curve on his lips as he replied, "You're forgiven your Highness. And you're welcome."

Zelda exhaled relievedly and smiled softly.

Perhaps she did need him after all.

--------

Pt. 2?

[coquelicoq]

I am summoned once again, and while I am dying to hear you talk more about the different 'r' sounds in french (i never thought so much about it ngl i am fascinated), I will instead ask one vowel /ɑ̃/ and one consonnant /ʒ/ if that's okay? -☆

[re the french phoneme fic trope ask game]

/ʒ/ my beloved 🥰 this exists in my native english, so i will call our relationship an arranged marriage, in that its inclusion in my personal phoneme inventory is entirely dependent on the choices of my parents (i.e., to speak english to me from birth (though they are both monolingual so it wasn't much of a choice lol)). but it's one of those happy circumstances where after i spent some time getting to know it in my teen years, i fell in love with it of my own accord and now we're very happy together!!

the funny thing about you asking me about /ʒ/ in the context of french is that even though it is an english sound (including in the word 'leisure', which is SUCH a baller word to pronounce. mouthfeel off the charts), i always think of it primarily as a french sound? it's just very frenchy to me. maybe because the french word 'je' is often shortened to just this sound. also french has an easy way to write it (j/ge/gi all correspond to it pretty unambiguously, with the exception of some /dʒ/ affricates found in anglicisms (fucking english. typical)), whereas in english it's just another one of the seventy-five ways the letter s can be pronounced 🙄 and if you need to transcribe it for slang that doesn't have an agreed-upon spelling, good luck lol. if i want to say "the usual" but leave off the last two syllables, how do i spell that? can't say "the us" because that looks like the pronoun 'us' or 'U.S.' "the uz" looks like it would be pronounced like 'ooze'. i've seen "the uj", which took me a while to figure out, "the yooj", which is clearer but looks comical in a way that distracts me from the content of the sentence, and "the uzh", which is generally what i go with, but we're all just winging it. so inefficient. to be clear though, none of this is /ʒ/'s fault! she can't be held responsible for how she's spelled, she's an angel and we're glad she's here, it's just that french knows how to treat her (like a lady) and maybe that's why i more strongly associate her with french than with english.

/ɑ̃/ is another sound that technically exists in my dialect of english as well, though i feel like it might be a more open vowel (meaning the tongue is lower in the mouth) in french than it is in english? they feel slightly different in my mouth when i say them. also, /ɑ̃/ is phonemic in french in a way it isn't in english - for the most part in english, vowels are nasalized before nasal consonants and not in other environments, whereas in french you don't even have to say the nasal consonant, you just nasalize the vowel and bam, new phoneme. which is pretty sexy, i think we can all agree (<-person completely out of touch with how little most people care about phonetics voice).

anyway, how to describe my relationship to /ɑ̃/ in shipping language, as per the original assignment...that's a tricky one. the elephant in the room when talking about me and /ɑ̃/ is actually /ɔ̃/. /ɑ̃/ and /ɔ̃/ are pronounced very similarly - the difference is that the lips are rounded and the mouth is slightly less open for /ɔ̃/. in my dialect of english, /ɔ̃/ (and its non-nasal equivalent, /ɔ/) doesn't exist at all. (this is called the cot-caught merger, because 'cot' and 'caught' sound the same ((kɑt]) in my dialect.) so the fact that (standard parisian) french has both the /ɑ̃/ and /ɔ̃/ phonemes is problematic for me; i hear both of them as /ɑ̃/ and therefore can't tell the difference between, e.g., banc and bon. this means i overuse /ɑ̃/ in french, at the expense of /ɔ̃/. so i would actually call this arranged marriage (with /ɑ̃/) that is simultaneously a slow burn with a side of unrequited pining (with /ɔ̃/) and ot3 endgame. i think probably the unrequited pining was from /ɔ̃/ to me in the early years, but eventually it grew tired of me never even acknowledging my existence and decided i could go fuck myself. by the time i had grown up and opened my eyes to the beauty of /ɔ̃/, it was too late... i'm still doing my best to win it over, though. calling it a slow burn is maybe overly optimistic, but what can i say? i live in hope.

[langbloor]

On Language, Pronouns, and Gender - Part II : Hindi

TL;DR : Hindi has no gendered pronouns but has gendered verbs. Every noun is gendered in Hindi - even abstract nouns such as ideas, phenomena, concepts, etc. Verb inflections and second person pronouns in a sentence encode that gender information.

Link to Masterpost

Part I : Japanese

Part III : Bengali

Note : I am a native Hindi speaker but not a linguist. I last studied hardcore Hindi grammar in 8th grade and I am in my mid-20s which means I may write things that purists may find off. If I make a grammar mistake, feel free to point out/correct me/start a discussion. But be polite about it please!

You read that TL;DR right! Hindi has no gendered pronouns! Despite that, I think Hindi is one of, if not the most gendered languages out there. Though, gender in Hindi, to me personally as a native speaker, feels much more nebulous than in English - not sure if all native speakers agree since gender is something so personal and unique to a person. Especially in their native language!

The amusing part about gender in Hindi is that it gets assigned to words regardless of whether they are living or nonliving, animate or inanimate, concrete or abstract. Nouns conveying ideas, concepts, phenomena, etc have a gender. Most of these things aren't even capable of using a first/second/third person identifier! So maybe using verbs to include gender information of things and ideas sorta makes sense....? (note : this is how I justify Hindi's gender bs and this is my conspiracy theory, not a known fact and I might be completely off).

Let's take a deeper look at this and consider the Hindi translation to the English proverb - 'To each their own'. The English proverb isn't gendered and uses the explicitly gender neutral pronoun 'their' to denote the gender neutrality of the usage of 'Own'. The Hindi alternative is 'जैसी जिसकी सोच / Jaisi jiski soch'. The transliteration of that would actually be 'Whatever one's own thinking may be' but the contextual usage of the phrase is the same as 'To each their own'. Hindi speakers or folks even vaguely familiar with Hindi will notice the usage of 'जैसी/Jaisi' or 'जिसकी/jiski' - both of which are gendered female usage of 'Whatever/how ever/whichever' and 'one's own/their own'. So what's going on here? Does the Hindi version imply the proverb is only for female identifying folks? No! That's because unlike the English alternative, it is not the 'own' that is being gendered here! It is सोच/Soch! सोच means thought/think and can be used both as a noun (thought) and a verb (to think) and is gendered female. That's correct, no matter Your gender, all your thoughts are female. Both 'Jaisi' and 'Jiski' are gendering Soch/Thought. जैसा जिसका सोच (Jaisa jiska soch), which uses the male inflections 'jaisa' and 'jiska' would be grammatically incorrect since the subject of the phrase is still the female word 'Soch'. 'Own', which is the subject of the English version is actually folded into 'Jiski' and doesn't need to be explicitly stated here.

The above is an example of a gendered abstract noun. Now let's look at gendered verbs. Consider, once again -

English - I am eating (gender neutral)

Hindi (Male) - मैं खा रहा हूँ।(Main kha raha hoon)

Hindi (Female) - मैं खा रही हूँ। (Main kha rahi hoon)

The first person pronoun in both these translations is मैं/Main. Note that this 'Main' doesn't rhyme with chain and should instead be pronounced as something closer to Meh with the 'h' replaced by a nasal tone (don't feel like you have to get this right now, I'm just being explicit to slightly avoid things being wildly mispronounced due to the limitations of the English alphabet). The verb here is खा (kha/eat) with a progressive inflection denoted by 'रहा/raha' or 'रही/rahi'. हूँ /hoon is sort of an auxiliary verb and can be considered a translation for 'is'. The verb inflection (raha/rahi) is where the gender information here is. This is usually the case in Hindi for almost every noun. In very casual speech, you can again omit the first person pronoun and say 'kha raha hoon' or 'kha rahi hoon' (just like Japanese) but that still leaves you with the verbs where the gender information is encoded in. So what now? Is it impossible to escape the gender binary as a Hindi speaker? Well, not quite. Here are a few suggestions on how to go gender neutral in Hindi-

Suggestion 1 : Polite Speech with Second Person Pronouns

Hindi, like most Asian languages, has a casual speech and a polite speech. Polite speech in Hindi doesn't quite change how you refer to yourself in first person but the sentence structure significantly changes when speaking in second (or third) person. The English second person pronoun 'You' simply doesn't capture all the connotations and context. Here are the levels of politeness in Hindi (M is male gendered and F is female gendered)-

Rude/Very Casual - तू/तेरा/तेरी (Tu/Tera (M)/Teri (F); You/yours)

Casual - तुम/तुम्हारा/तुम्हारी (Tum/Tumhara (M)/Tumhari (F); You/yours)

Polite - आप/आपका/आपकी (Aap/Aapka (M)/ Aapki (F); You/yours)

There is actually no escaping the gender binary with the Casual/Rude versions. However, with the Polite version, you can, in most cases, get away with using the male inflections for any gender. Maybe there is a rant to be written somewhere about 'why male default?' here but that's not for this post or this blog at this time. The point here is, male inflections of आप don't sound off even if you are using them for non masc folks. Here's an example -

English - What will you eat?

Hindi (Polite, Explicitly female) - आप क्या खाएँगी? (Aap kya Khayengi?)

Hindi (Polite, Male/gender neutral alternative) - आप क्या खाएँगे? (Aap kya khayenge?)

I use she/her pronouns in English and female verb inflections in Hindi. If someone addressed to me with the 'Male' translation of 'What will you eat?' in order to not gender me, I won't find it odd at all. This doesn't quite work with तू/Tu or तुम/Tum - the casual You alternatives. If someone asked me 'Tu kya khayega? (Male version)' instead of 'Tu kya khayegi? (Female version)', ignoring the fact that they are being very rude, I would also find it weird and feel very misgendered. 'Tum kya khaoge?' (male version) wouldn't be very rude to me but I would again feel misgendered if I'm not asked 'Tum kya khaogi?' (Female) instead. Polite speech 'Aap' as a second person pronoun bypasses all that. But this is just second person and the rest of the language is still very gendered and you can't really be polite to everyone at all times - being polite to people too close to you or are your friends/peers may seem very weird. So what now? Consider suggestion 2.

Suggestion 2 : Plural First Person Pronoun as a gender neutral alternative

Fun fact about Hindi, the third person pronouns aren't really gendered - much like the first person pronouns. The casual third person pronoun in literary Hindi is वह (Wah, pronounced similar to Wuh) and the version that gets used in colloquial speech is वो (Wo). The polite literary version is वे (We, pronounced similar to Way) though it doesn't get frequently used in colloquial speech and verb inflections paired with वो/Wo are used to contextualize politeness levels. However, these are all gender neutral pronouns and once again, the gender information gets packed into the verbs. But hold on now, this is all standard textbook Hindi and this isn't all there is to it!

So uh, remember when I said I use female first person verb inflections? Well, that's not quite true because I speak Bihari Hindi. Hindi vastly differs regionally. Bollywood Hindi often reflects what my mom calls Mumbaiya Hindi or at most Delhi Hindi. They do 'try' to highlight UP Hindi or Bihari Hindi from time to time, but it never feels natural and, as a native Bihari Hindi speaker, I can always tell if it was rehearsed or if the actor speaks like this natively (Drop in my askbox if you want me to judge an actor's Bihari or UP Hindi).

Something unique to the Hindi spoken in Bihar, Jharkhand, and Eastern/Central UP is the usage of the plural first person pronoun 'हम/Hum' for self instead of a collective. Simply replacing the already gender neutral 'मैं/Main' may seem futile, but it does change the verb inflections. Watch this -

English - I am going.

Hindi (Standard, Female) - मैं जा रही हूँ। (Main ja rahi hoon.)

Hindi (Standard, Male) - मैं जा रहा हूँ। (Main ja raha hoon.)

Hindi (Bihari, Gender neutral) - हम जा रहे हैं। (Hum ja rahe hain.)

And voila! We have gotten rid of the gendered progressive raha/rahi and instead changed it to the gender neutral 'rahe (pronounced - rahey)'. Note that contemporary standard Hindi would classify the Bihari Hindi alternative as grammatically incorrect for first person singular and only to be used for first person plural. But as someone who speaks Bihari Hindi, this is how I talk. Most of my speech when referring to myself is gender neutral. When I refer to others, I often use male inflections with the exception of second or third person casual speech (Tu/Tum or Wo sentences). This approach does have a few caveats. If you already speak standard Hindi and are not around Bihari/UP Hindi constantly, it might be hard to suddenly switch or pick it up from scratch. The other, even worse caveat is stigma. Bihar and UP are among some of the states where blue collar workers migrate out of the state to earn their bread. Bihari Hindi, nationwide, very much has an image of the working class associated with it and is looked down upon due to the classism and casteism ingrained in Indian society. I speak Bihari Hindi unbashedly, because that is me and I am not going to change how I talk just because other people may find it 'odd', but if you are outside of the Eastern Gangetic Plains and considering switching to Bihari Hindi for gender neutrality, people may find your Hindi 'weird' and comment on it.

Suggestion 3 : Change the subject

Another thing to note is nuance and context and how much of that omits personal gender information. We noted above that 'Jiski' in the 'To each their own' translation already folds in 'own', entirely removing the need to gender it. Similarly, you can do this trick where you change the subject of your sentence to something else entirely and remove the need to gender people. Here's an example -

English - What do you think about this? (Gender neutral, second person)

Hindi (male, casual) - इस बारे में तुम क्या सोचते हो? (Is barey me tum kya sochte ho?)

Here, 'sochte' is the male inflection for 'soch' (think). Female version would be 'sochti'. Here are some gender neutral alternatives (underlining the new subjects and their gender inflections)-

इस बारे में तुम्हारी क्या राय है? (Is barey me tumhari kya raay hai?)

इस बारे में तुम्हारा क्या ख़याल है? (Is barey me tumhara kya khayal hai?)

इस बारे में तुम्हारी सोच क्या है? (Is barey me tumhari soch kya hai?)

New subjects were : Raay (opinion; male), Khayal (thought, opinion; male), Soch (thought; female). Note that synonyms may have different genders. But that's not the beast I am tackling in this post. I have successfully made multiple 'gender neutral' alternatives to a sentence that was gendering the person I was talking to! I may have changed the original English to 'What are your thoughts/opinions on this?' in the process, but the overall meaning was retained. These three are not even the only options. Honestly, just find nouns that can replace your verbs and change the subject to the new noun you found and then gender that! Simple, yeah? Hmm no not really. All of this is actually very instinctive for native speakers and the mess that gender in Hindi is, takes time to learn and work through.

Despite all that, I do feel more nebulous about gender in Hindi than I do in English. Maybe the fact that everything is gendered has something to do with it? Native speakers misgender things in Hindi all the time, though in a very specific way that is very hard for me to put my finger on as a native speaker myself. Although, native speakers can tell when non-native speakers misgender things because sometimes, they get caught up in who to gender in their verbs, themselves or the abstract thing they are talking about. More than often, non-native speakers gender themselves in a sentence instead of the concept, which is the subject that should be gendered. Hindi translation of 'Your thoughts' will always have 'thoughts' gendered instead of 'your' for instance. It is not like native speakers are perfectly clear about what to gender in a sentence either, but we don't think about it and go with a gut feeling - something that you can only develop in a language after either years or practice or cultural assimilation or if it is your native language.

I always have a lot to say about Hindi and gender in Hindi but this is where this post ends. Gender is difficult in Hindi but maybe us Hindi speakers should think more about it and talk more about it and try to come up with our own approaches on how to respect people's genders and gender nonconformity in our language. Much internal conversation needs to be had!

Check out Part I here if you haven't already and see you in Part III!

[desolateice]

Quick links

In-progress fics:

Muffuletta 

For the start of the All Valley Skills Challenge’s first prompt “Back to School” I decided to dig out two drabbles I did for the All-Valley 100 and expand upon them. It’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a while but couldn’t find the time. What is it? Set somewhere during TKK3, Johnny and the cobras are starting college. Johnny, overwhelmed by it all and bored because Sid and his mom put him in a studio instead of in the dorms, goes to his first class a little drunk. He doesn’t pay attention to the assignment which is to write a letter, and ends up writing to Daniel only to find out in the next class that the teacher sent his letter. What is a muffuletta? It’s a sandwich! While researching for the fic (I’ve sent the guys to UCLA) I tried finding traditions and possibly traditional UCLA food. What I ended up finding was that UCLA used to (possibly still does in some form) have a huge Mardis Gras event every year. So I looked up New Orleans popular foods for Mardis Gras and saw that the muffuletta had Italian origins and couldn’t pass that up. It’s starts with Sicilian bread, specifically a Sicilian sesame bread and then the sandwichi is filled with olive-salad (celery, carrot, cauliflower, olives (of course), giardiniera (italian relish), oragano, garlic, and olive oil), salami, ham, provolone cheese, swiss cheese, and mortadella (a type of Italian sausage). Where am I? Around chapter 4. I’m doing research for UCLA traditions and things for the guys to do around campus. I don’t know how much or how quickly I’ll get this done due to other fandom events I want to participate in like the Reverse Bang and CKHalloween, both of which are going to make my October hectic. First Chapter

Most Recent Chapter

Hardboiled Gunpowder Tea

A Root Beer Floats and Green Tea alternative route. This one is Tommy/Johnny. However you do not need to have read the other fics to read this one.

What is it?  Set pre-the karate kid, Kreese has gone missing, the boys are told he’s dead, but mystery loving Tommy thinks something is wrong and is on the case. What is Hardboiled Gunpowder Tea? Hardboiled is a term, a sub genre, in mystery novels, it’s usually for a detective unphased by violence and devoid of sentimentality. It’s also used for boiling, i.e. an egg. Gunpowder tea is a type of tea, specifically a green tea that’s been rolled into little pellets, sometimes called pearl tea, but generally in English called gunpowder due to the resemblance. Where am I? Research mode. I’ve written three chapters and know about where I want to go on the romantic side of things, but I want to work on the ~mystery~ and plot. What am I using for research? I’ve got a pile of mystery novels on my desk I need to read. 🤣 First Chapter Most recent chapter

Completed fics under the read more

Completed fics:

Umibudo 🧜‍♂️ Complete 🍍

Chozen won my 2023 mer-may poll. E rated Johnny/Chozen set after the All-Valley at the end of TKK1 beginning of TKK2 and beyond. Note it earns it’s E rating. What is it? Set right after the All-Valley Johnny struggles with everything that has happened and while feeling sorry for himself ends up fishing a guy out of the sea, not realizing he fished out a merman. He has a one night stand (er middle of the afternoon stand???) to distract himself from everything. Chozen is on a mission to find Mr. Miyagi in a desperate attempt to save everything he cares about on the island, while struggling with his instincts.

What is Umibudo? A type of seaweed that looks like a bunch of little grapes, also known as sea grapes. First Chapter

Final Chapter

Moodboard by ZappedbyZabka

White chocolate coconut vanilla latte ☕ Complete 🍵

M rated Dutch/Johnny set from before TKK through TKK3.

What is it? A coffee shop AU where Dutch is working at coffee shop in order to pay for his cobra kai lessons and after the events of TKK and the start of TKK2 Johnny starts working there too. What is a white chocolate coconut vanilla latte? It’s a drink offered by an USA coffee shop chain that’s name inspired this fic, however that’s the description of the drink, the actual drink is called something like white angel and I don’t think it’s necessarily a latte. (I’ve never been 😅) But every time this cafe is mentioned I think of Dutch and I think he owns a coffee shop. So thus this fic was created.

First chapter

Last chapter

Easter egg: almost all of the chapter titles have to deal with coffee and the final chapter is a nod to the cafe that inspired the fic.

Puppy Chow 🐶 Complete 🌕

For the Cobra Kai Halloween 2023 prompt: mad scientist. T rated Lawrusso (It was originally M, but I bumped it down to T) What is it? John Kreese spends his time leading up to the All Valley digging through Dynatox old experiments before settling on one to put in a drink to give Johnny that he thinks will ensure victory. It doesn’t seem to work. Johnny (in the Cobra Kai time) is losing track of time, keeps waking up in strange places and has ever since he lost the All Valley. He fears what he’s been doing, thinks he’s gotten black out drunk each time, but in actuality is a werewolf. What is puppy chow? Puppy chow was like the best snack for people to make and bring to school when I was in like elementary school. It’s a box of chex mix cereal, 2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips, 3/4 cup of peanut butter (smooth), 1/3 cup of butter, and powdered sugar. Essentially everything gets melted, mixed and tossed in powdered sugar. It actually goes by a lot of names but where I grew up this is what it was called. You can read more about it and how it got it’s name here. First Chapter Final Chapter

Candied Apples 🍬🍎 Complete 🗡🎣

For the Cobra Kai Halloween 2023 prompt: witches M rated Lawrusso (was originally T but I bumped it up to M) What is it? A sort of high fantasy quest AU. In this world everyone is given a quest. Generally in the valley where Daniel lives it’s something simple that helps determine one’s future job, like go get fish for the local duke. But he gets a very important quest, only part of it’s gabled. He decides the quest must be to find an unhappy princess and make her happy, so he leaves his town to go find an unhappy princess and is joined by Johnny who seems to be a rich gentleman or night who wants to travel with him. However he keeps talking to witches which is a huge red flag to Daniel. Johnny’s on his own quest and having an awful time. What is a candied apple? It’s generally a whole apple dipped in a sugar glaze that hardens or caramel, it’s kinda sticky and difficult to eat, but if you can cut it up it’s easier to enjoy. I was thinking of witches and snow white when trying to name this and that poisoned apple from the film. First Chapter Final Chapter

Amaretti🎄🎅Complete 💝💘

Pitch hit for the Cobra Kai Secret Santa for ohnoitsthebat E rated Lawrusso What is it? Set in the 90′s when Mr. Miyagi is gone to Boston. Mr. Miyagi tells Daniel he should make it a holiday. Holidays are the only times he sees Johnny, the two of them and the cobras generally meet up at Ali’s for her holiday parties. Johnny’s picked up a job at a local craft store so the two end up scrapbooking and thinking back over the years and realize just how much they mean to each other. What’s an amaretti? An italian cookie using almond flour First Chapter

Final Chapter

Dark ‘n’ stormy 🥂🌩 Complete 🎃🍕

For the All Valley Skills Challenge Trick or Treat prompt E rated Lawrusso What is it? Johnny decorates the dojo for Halloween and Daniel complains that Johnny got everyone a treat but him, so Johnny asks him what he wants. Ends up going through a bunch of Halloween costumes Daniel bought specifically for Johnny while drunk shopping online. Johnny thinks he’s being tricked but they end up spending Halloween together, bonding over old Halloween traditions they don’t have any more and missing them and Johnny learns the costumes are truly a treat for Daniel. What’s a Dark ‘n’ stormy? Alcoholic drink: rum, ginger beer, lime First Chapter Final Chapter

Camp Stinging Nettles⛺🥾 Complete 🔪💖

For the Cobra Kai Halloween 2023 prompt: serial Killers

E rated omegaverse Lawrusso

What is it? A serial killer at camp atmosphere. Set in a wonky time frame around college after TKK3 and then a time skip a couple years later.

Johnny is a camp counselor at Camp Stinging Nettles and has been every since he could be. Before that he was a camper. He likes the kids but hates the counselors because they harass him for being an omega.

This summer Daniel LaRusso has decided to join the team as the camp chef. He’s surprised to see Johnny and even more surprised to find out how awful the counselors are. As time goes on, all the trauma and angry from everything that’s happened to him causes him to snap.

Major trigger warnings for this. I made the camp counselors OC’s so I wouldn’t like kill off any friends, but Daniel does kill people and there’s highly dubious consent that doesn’t seem like there is any consent until you get to the other pov. He does, in much later chapters kill of characters from canon but off screen and well it’s sort of a good for him type of thing. So just, tread carefully. Also because it’s omegaverse so like everything that goes with that.

What are stinging nettles? Stinging nettles are an edible plant. It can be eaten in a lot of different dishes and is relatively healthy however it does also sting if not handled carefully.

First chapter

Final Chapter

Bûche de Noël 🎅🎄Completed⛄🩰

Ships: Lawrusso, Shannon/Kumiko, Chozen/Dutch, Carmen/Amanda What is it? Multi ship Secret Santa rated T for Raphiday. Amanda visits her cousin in the new town she moved to for the holidays, Mistletoe Falls where she falls in love and breaks things off with her big city LA boyfriend. Only, said boyfriend comes to visit and try and win her back only to realize he doesn’t have a chance and every available bachelor in town might just be flirting with him. Staring: Amanda: the new at risk teen helper quick to punch out the lights of anyone who flirts with her girl though a bit of a klutz Carmen: local nurse Jessica: Happy people are coming to visit and working in the local rock climbing shop Dutch: the local bartender Kumiko: in charge of the ballet and the yearly performance of the Nutcracker Chozen: the town baker and multi-year reigning champion of the local Bûche de Noël contest. Terry Silver: local lumberjack and owner of the local lodge and christmas tree farm with his business partner. Shannon: visiting town with her grieving boyfriend and instantly swept off her feet and off to follow her dreams Johnny: Grieving son who hates Mistletoe Falls despite his family’s legacy. Daniel: A guy trying to solve random mysteries in town and see if he can win back his girlfriend or maybe find love somewhere else unexpected. I tried to fit in as many Hallmark holiday movie tropes in there as possible. What is a Bûche de Noël? It’s a French roll cake, usually like a angle food or sponge cake with a filling of whipped cream or icing covered in more icing and things to make it look like a log or a tree branch and generally it’s a Christmas thing. First Chapter Last Chapter

bagel and lox for me and a maple bar for you Completed

A oneshot for the CK Reverse bang for this art by GJ draws. What is it? An E rated Lawrusso oneshot. Set during Cobra Kai, sometime after the last season. Daniel is teaching his students waiting for Johnny to arrive, and he doesn’t, but then he does, but it’s not his Johnny. He slowly learns that each day he gets a new Johnny but it’s not his and he eventually has to find and help rescue his Johnny and get the other Johnny’s home to their own universe. Background and very minor Cobra Husbands.

Gelato Completed

A oneshot for the CK Reverse Bang for this art by boyswhomaybewatchedsunsets

What is it? A T rated oneshot set in a summer after the All Valley but waaayyyy before Cobra Kai. Daniel is working at his family’s villa in Italy and Sid, Laura and Johnny stay there. Arguably Lawrusso, arguably Gen.

Cinnamon French Toast Completed

A oneshot for the CK Reverse Bang for this art by Lego Cobra Kai What is it? A oneshot about grief and comfort. Set during Cobra Kai. Miguel asks Daniel to check up on Johnny because it’s the anniversary of Johnny’s mothers death so he show’s up to comfort him. Arguably Lawrusso, arguably gen, rated T.

Earl Gray ☕🕺Completed🐝🦚

 A Root Beer Floats and Green tea alternative route. This one is Dutch/Johnny. You don’t need to read the other fics to read this one. What is it? Set pre-The Karate Kid through The Karate Kid 1. Dutch’s parents continue to pressure him about joining the Season, a fancy upper class time of parties and balls, however they keep trying to set him up with girls. He doesn’t want to go. So he concocts a plan, if Johnny pretends to be his boyfriend his parents will have to rethink everything. Fake Dating AU What is Earl Gray? A type of black tea flavored with the oil of a bergamot rind, (a citrus similar to an orange). First Chapter Final Chapter Easter Egg: Each chapter title is a fairy tale or folk tale inspired by the chapter, mostly princesses. See final chapter notes for the list.

A Feast for Fools 🧘‍♂️🍷 Completed 💕

What is it? A what if silverlaw (Terry Silver/Johnny Lawrence) CK fic. Terry Silver finds out about Cobra Kai immediately in season 1 and goes undercover as a yoga instructor and ends up falling for him. Johnny Lawrence gets to meet a badass who can do high kicks, learns yoga and meditation, questions the Cobra Kai creed early, shows off his competence, gets support, love and care from someone who didn’t know him before.

First Chapter

Final Chapter

Playlist

Wine Dark Night 🍷🌃 Complete (One shot) 🌕🍷

What is it? General one shot fic focused on the Cobras, specifically Bobby. After watching Night Screams 1987 (all the trigger warnings, it’s a slasher horror film) because of a meme and because it stars Ron Thomas who plays Bobby I was challenged to write an AU. So I did. This fic completely spoils Night Screams 1987 and has a pretty intense opening. However rather than a full AU this is more of a character study of Bobby Brown after what happens after the tournament in The Karate Kid and the rest of the fic is angst and hurt/comfort. Want something a little dark for Halloween go for this one. Especially if you want a serial killer AU but don’t want anyone to actually die.

Cherry Cordial 🍒🍫 Complete 🍫🍒

What is it? Lawrusso fic for the CK Halloween Open Season prompt that is late. Combination and expansion of two drabbles. Daniel attempting a potion to befriend Johnny (tw for sneaking a potion into Johnny’s drink) and then freaking out thinking he accidentally hit Johnny with a love potion coupled with the Johnny finding out what kind of witch he is and learning he’s a love witch drabble. Essentially they both think the other is in love with them.

What is a cherry cordial? A cherry cordial is a type of chocolate candy. It consists of a cherry in a cherry liqueur or other type of liqueur (they are generally alcoholic candies) dipped in chocolate.

First Chapter

Final Chapter Extra Content: moodboard by ZappedbyZabka

Conversation Hearts  💕💗 Complete (Collection of stories) 💝💘

What is it? A collection of short stories varying in rating and ship from T to E. Johnny is in each of them, the majority of it is Johnny/Daniel but there is a Johnny/Lyle, Johnny/Chozen and one Daniel/Johnny/Chozen. Some are set in The Karate Kid era, some are set in Cobra Kai, some in the weird in-between time. One’s a science fiction AU, one is a mob AU. For a full list check out either here or the first chapter which is an index and breakdown. Essentially I wanted to do a prompt list and sent out a request for prompts then worked on them as short stories for a Valentine’s Day event. What are Conversation Hearts? Candies that have been around since 1847, made of corn syrup, sugar, gelatin and food coloring. They’re little pastel colored hearts that are a bit chalky but then have flirty messages on them. Because each one has it’s own saying on it and is a bit different then the other I thought it’d make a good title for a collection of short stories. Index chapter

Buku Buku Cha ☁🍵 Complete 🌻🌸

What is it? Chozen/Johnny fic where Johnny finds himself in Okinawa with amnesia and a lot of injuries and unsure where he is or who he is let alone what happened or if he even wants to know. Set between TKK1 and TKK2. It’s a Root Beer Floats and Green Tea alternate universe. But reading RBF&GT will be unnecessary.

What is buku buku cha? Cha means tea. Buku buku cha, or buku buku tea is a traditional type of tea found in Okinawa. While Japan has matcha tea ceremonies Okinawa had and is revitalizing its buku buku cha ceremonies. While the specific tea might change it is made with jasmine tea, rice (white or roasted) and water. Then a big whisk is used to whisk the tea into a mountain of foam that floats atop the tea. It is impossible to drink this tea without getting some foam or bubbles on your nose. The name translates to tea of happiness and was used during-- in the Ryukyu Kingdom (Okinawa pre-Japan occupation)-- to welcome envoys. It was nearly lost during World War 2 due to the scarcity of rice and a lot of the tools used which were made of wood being burned.

First Chapter

Final Chapter

Playlist

Inspired Art Art by ririririii-i

Wisteria Sherbert   💐 🍨 Complete  🐺 🎅

What is it? Lawrusso fic for CK Secret santa. Note this fic is rated E, heed the tags. Set during Cobra Kai, though the time line is a little wonky. It’s an a/b/o or omega universe where Johnny is an omega but hiding it and working for a company that places him as a nanny in the LaRusso household. There are some hints of darker elements, hospitals, debt and a boss/employee relationship. This is also slow burn so you’ve got to make your way through all the plot set up to get to the smut.

What is Wisteria Sherbert? Parts of wisteria is edible, it’s that purple plant hanging up outside the LaRusso home in Cobra Kai. Other parts are poisonous, so I’m not going to give you a recipe for this one even though I did in fact find one.

The Wisteria is also considered a romantic flower with a meanings of luck and a "devotion that transcends death". Between it's sweet romantic side and poisonous danger it felt a fitting plant and title for this fic. Sherbert is a type of dessert made with mostly fruit juice and sugar but also sometimes egg whites and milk. Sometimes gelatin.

First Chapter

Final Chapter

Playlist Cut scenes and rewrites Cut scene around chapter 21 Cut and rewritten around chapter 28/29

Semifreddo 🧊Complete👻

What is it? Lawrusso fic for the CK Halloween Environment of Fear prompt. Will definitely not be done in time. Set prior to the karate kid films Sid sends Johnny to a distant relatives house in the Hamptons to clean it all up after the owners passing and Johnny finds that he’s not alone in the house. While this is a ghost story and features a Ghost! Daniel, there is no character death and will be a happy ending.

What is Semifreddo? Semifreddo translates to “half frozen or half cold” in Italian. It is a dessert found somewhere between the realm of ice cream and mousse.

First Chapter

Final Chapter

Snake Whisky 🐍Complete🐍

What is it? Lawrusso fic for the CKHalloween Monsterous transformations prompt. Note this fic has some darker elements to it and there will be an explanation of what snake whisky is and how it’s made. TW for nightmarish animal abuse.

Johnny is a shapeshifter and turns into a King Cobra determined to keep Daniel safe.

What is Snake Whisky? Snake Whisky is an alcoholic beverage infused with a snake. It can be found in many different countries and is considered a pain reliever, is used in traditional medicines, and an aphrodisiac. The way it’s made is described in the fic, and thus the TW.

First Chapter Final Chapter

Root Beer Floats and Green Tea  🍵 Complete 🌳

What is it? A long Lawrusso fic set after The Karate Kid I where Johnny is a part of The Karate Kid II and III. Er, there’s so much so it’s hard to summarize this one. Johnny apologizes and there’s a massive ripple effect. It’s about love, healing, forgiveness and growth.

What are Root Beer Floats? Root beer floats are a combination of root beer, a soda found in North America made from the root of a Sassafras. In some countries like South Korea, root beer is unpopular due to the fact it tastes similar to medication found there. The name is a misnomer, there is no alcohol in North American root beer. A root beer float is made by adding vanilla ice cream to the soda.

First chapter Final Chapter

Extra content

All the food in Root Beer Floats and Green Tea Part 1 (Chapter 1-25) Part 2 (Chapters 26-43) Part 3 (Chapters 44-58) Part 4 (Chapters 59-77) Part 5 (Chapters 78-110) Part 6 Coming soon (final part) Cut Scenes and Rewrites: Around chapter 27/28 ended up rewriting and cut

Cut scene from around chapter 29

Original version of chapter 31 that was rewritten Prom prep and magazines that got cut and moved Original ending to chapter 89 that got cut and changed because oof angst

Original angsty chapter 90 Original chapter 91 and start of chapter 92 Playlist

Inspired Art By Zahara who it looks like deactivated, but you can still see them here and here and here. Art by Haruka Spiegel Inspired fic Warm Places, Safe Spaces by usa123

Konpeitō 🌠🛸Complete🛸✨

What is it? Halloween prompt from @ckhalloween, an alien sci-fi Lawrusso AU set during The Karate Kid I. Soulmate AU.

What is a Konpeitō? Konpeitō is a Japanese candy, specifically a type of wagashi. It came to Japan from Portugal and is essentially rock candy. It’s colorful small pieces of sugar that look like little stars. While the majority of them taste like just pure sugar, they do come in flavors.

First chapter Final chapter Playlist

California Roll 🍣🧜‍♂️ Complete 🧜‍♂️🍣

What is it? Another belated Halloween prompt from @ckhalloween that I saved for Mermay. This is a mermaid pre-The Karate Kid I Lawrusso AU where Johnny is a mermaid who gets lost and stuck in Newark.

What is a California roll? A California roll is a type of sushi, specifically a makizushi sushi roll popular in North America. It includes avocado, crab (sometimes imitation), mayonnaise (sometimes), and cucumber, wrapped in seaweed. As a makizushi sushi roll the rice is on the outside of the seaweed and for a California roll that is then rolled in either sesame seeds or roe (fish eggs).

First chapter Final chapter

Playlist

Devil’s Food (Cake) 👿🎂Complete (Oneshot) 🎂👿

What is it? A oneshot for a halloween prompt for @ckhalloween with a combo for demon and fairy tale where Johnny goes into the desert to make wishes or deals with a demon (Daniel) Link is in the title.

What is devil’s food cake? Devil’s food cake is a rich dense chocolate cake that’s layered with usually a buttercream frosting between the layers.

Drabbles

[vyvie]

Untitled and Unnamed

I turn in another half done assignment, not bothering to check if my name is even on it. I might get a better grade if it’s marked missing anyways. I just can’t seem to hold onto my focus. It seems to slip out from between my fingers, and the harder I try to hold onto it, the harder it is to grasp. But there isn’t anything that I can really do about it, so I make do. Guilt and I have a very close relationship. It seems to be all I’m feeling these days. Didn’t do this assignment, didn’t do that assignment. I hardly leave my room anymore, I just wallow in my own whirlwind of thoughts and ideas that never come into focus, like a bad camera.

Everything used to come so easily to me, my attention unwavering during lessons, answers practically being whispered to me with how clear they are in my mind. I don’t know what happened. I feel like something has snapped in my brain, and now it’s like the chain fell off my bike. I pedal all I want, but I don’t make it anywhere. All I do is burn time and energy, and I gain nothing but confusion and guilt. All I feel like is that I’m getting dumber and dumber by the day, even the things that came so easily to me before are just out of my reach.

My mom says it’s just because high school is harder, but I don’t believe her. It’s the same stuff, English, history, math. It’s not that it’s harder here, it’s that I’m worse than I was. That was my limit, and it’s all downhill from here. I don't want to think that I peaked in middle school, but that’s what happened. My partner tells me that it’s not my fault, and that it’s something in my brain, but I don’t believe them. Obviously there’s something wrong with me, but blaming my incompetence on anything but myself is absurd. 

Now I’m laying in my bed, staring at the ceiling, knowing that I have at least three projects that are due by the end of this week, two of which I haven’t even started yet. But it’ll be fine. They’ll get done, probably around the same time that I’m supposed to be sleeping. But four hours a night hasn’t caught up with me yet, so I can’t imagine that will change this week. I try to piece together a thought, but it just doesn’t work. It’s like my brain is full of cotton balls, and I’m struggling blindly to find the different pieces of the puzzle. I get up, and walk past the assignments I need to complete. Maybe there’s something I have to clean.

My room goes from pigsty to pristine, entirely depending on how much my mind needs to run away from the work I have to be doing. I write half of an English paper. Then delete it. I can’t turn that in. So I sit, and stare at the wall, or the floor, or the spider slowly building a web in the corner of my room. Anything but the work that makes me shake with stress. I mean, who actually cares about The Catcher in the Rye. I definitely don’t, which is why I’m using summaries and articles to tell me about the book instead of reading it. I can’t sit down and read something anymore. I used to love to read.

I feel like my identity, everything that set me apart from everyone else, that made me unique, is gone, and that I’m just blending in with everyone else again. What was my personality? Who am I? Does anyone know? I feel like I’ve lost myself, and I can’t find the person that I am supposed to be. Maybe they died in eighth grade.

Unanswered texts fill my phone notifications. I swipe them away. I don’t have the energy to talk today. 2 hours later, I pull myself from my bed, and deep clean my room for 4 hours. I don’t have the energy to do work, I tell myself as I do every chore, every task in my house. Other than the things that need to be done. I’m being so productive, getting nothing done. I’m so tired of this. I lay in my bed, midnight now, and I don’t sleep. How could I, with how many things are stuck in my head that I can’t seem to get out. I’ll do that English paper, and all three of those projects tomorrow. I’m sure I’ll have more energy tomorrow.

[clementines-writing-corner]

mental health, the inadequacy of words, & being kind to yourself

Hello friends.

I am going to be very transparent with you all. I did not get anything done this week. It was a very rough week for me mental health-wise and I could barely drag myself through completing my class assignments, let alone think about writing creatively for fun. (Technically this blog is a class assignment for now, but I try to think of it as a fun hobby so I don’t burn my inspiration out. Having to post once a week for class is just extra motivation to continue to work on my creative writing as opposed to neglecting it for “more important tasks”.) 

I was disgusted with myself this week. I was bone dead exhausted. I kept wanting to cry and cry and cry and never stop, yet the tears would never come. I was so, so very angry, at life, at the world, at myself,  in a way that I rarely ever experience. I felt like I could shatter to pieces at any minute. 

I had a talk with my cousin the other night at a family birthday party about the inadequacy of language, particularly the English language, to truly capture emotion. I envy poets and authors who have the skills to evoke even a mere fraction of the emotions they are feeling or projecting upon their characters through the limited conventions of words. I hope to harness such skills someday. I am most certainly not there yet. I cannot even begin to describe to you the depths of my headspace this past week, and yet I still try. To be quite frank, I have not had a depressive episode so bad in months. It makes me all the more glad that I finally made the decision to attend therapy/counseling. 

I know at least one thing my wonderful therapist (she truly is lovely) will tell me when I visit her this week. I need to practice being kind to myself during tough times. I often get so frustrated when I can’t find the motivation to “properly” do my work or devote my time and energy to something important or beneficial, such as working my creative writing muscles as I do in this blog. And I have always been the type of person to project that frustration and anger inwards, instead of letting it explode outwards. But being negative will only keep me trapped in a vicious cycle of mean thoughts and hurt feelings. Being kind to myself, and giving myself space to rest, recharge, and eventually regain motivation is extremely important. I would do well to remember that more often. And I don’t think I’m the only one who could use a reminder. 

I apologize for dumping that on y’all and the jumbled mess I feel that this post has become, but I think it’s important to be transparent about my ups and downs, in life as well as in my writing. I’m still pulling myself out of the hole I dug this past week. Yet, I do want to reassure you all that I am okay. I may not be great, or even good, but I will get there in time. I am okay.

Whatever you all are going through this week, please remember to be kind to yourselves. And even when it’s hard to, try to remember to dot your j’s and cross your t’s. (Sometimes satisfaction is found in the little things.) It will get better soon. It will.

With lots of love and positive vibes to carry you into this next week, 

~Clementine J. Quincey 🪷

P.S. This post was a bit of a downer (much like my week) so here is something that made me smile this past week; a bright spot in the midst of some cloudy weather, if you will. 

Autumn is my favorite season, (I oft tell my friends I was built for autumnal weather), and this song is just so hauntingly beautiful and melancholic. It almost hurts in a good way. When I stumbled across it this past week, I played it on full blast in my car with my heat pumping but the windows rolled all the way down on my way to class. It was the best. ᕱ__ᕱ

[lachlanhumphrey]

123 Steps to Become a SEO Writer

I never considered myself to be an SEO writer, but with time I realised that as a writer who devotes time to writing blogs and articles, I can investigate this topic. You might now be thinking there is nothing new in it. I concur that no writer can achieve SEO success from the very first day of writing.

Now here my intention is merely to express my opinions so that a new aspirant, who has been assigned a task of producing search engine optimization (SEO) friendly content, can acquire a general notion on this specific type of writing style, instead of getting annoyed to listen to this particular word 'SEO article'.

Well, I'm going to presume that you, my reader, are already writers and are fully aware of the fact that your first responsibility as a writer is to help them understand the concept you're trying to get over.

However, I believe that there is nothing special about grammar when you start writing because English is a language that permits you to read and write in your own way while keeping simple basis things correct; if I am completely wrong then we might not hear the words like "bestest" and the like. At the same time, this is much that I can take for granted that you well, revise the writing to make it grammatically perfect.

I'll venture to aid or provide you with a few strategies to improve your writing SEO friendly once you can clearly communicate the topic to your reader:

You must first comprehend what keywords are. I won't define it here because you can learn more about it on Google than I ever could. What I'm trying to say is that you need to understand why you're selecting a keyword and what it actually means. You can never begin experimenting with given keywords if you don't understand what they mean.

If I say that knowing how to utilise keywords is the second item, then I must add that you should only use them when you can incorporate them into a meaningful statement. Never try to force a keyword into a statement if the sentence's context forbids it.

Most of the time, you try to employ them unnecessarily under the pressure of the optimizer. Your optimizer or the client must comprehend that if an article is overstuffed with keywords, good article directories—Ezine is undoubtedly one—and even the search engines will ignore it! Just 1% density is required.

Making suitable keyword placement is the very next stage. Never ever believe that inserting keywords wherever in your work and keeping a density of 1% would take care of everything for you. Thus, the challenge is not just to sate a visitor's hunger—you also need to comprehend the search spider's indexing methodology.

If not in the first line, then definitely between the first 20 and 50 lines, the keyword placement is always preferred at the beginning of the writing. If you look at the Google webmaster tool or read the primary blog posts for webmasters, you can find a guidance regarding Google's indexing procedure.

Maintaining the writing's appeal is another important consideration. You should never appear manufactured right away. You need to give your reader the impression that you are simply speaking with them. You are not trying to sell anything, offer a service, or draw attention to anything in particular.

Just demonstrate your main objective of leading the reader to your specific purpose. Until you have a related subject to educate your reader on, preaching or lecturing is a horrible idea. Always convey thought through your writing, as this will keep the audience interested.

Read More: Freelance Writing Advice: 3 Pieces of Advice on How to Find Online Writing Gigs That Pay Well

[genemains]

Os x yosemite 10.10.2 bootable usb doesnt support fat32 usb

#Os x yosemite 10.10.2 bootable usb doesnt support fat32 usb 1080p

#Os x yosemite 10.10.2 bootable usb doesnt support fat32 usb install

#Os x yosemite 10.10.2 bootable usb doesnt support fat32 usb drivers

What I should have seen when BootCamp 3.2 update was running was a window to ask my permission to continue (allow the software to install). In my case, Win7 event manager reported that BootCamp 3.2 Services failed to install, in particular the KeyAgent service (and without that you get no Apple keyboard and functions and apparently the BootCamp icon doesn't show up in the system tray).Įvent Manager said the BootCamp installer did not have sufficient permissions, so I went to dial down the User Account Control (UAC) settings (in fact, I turned it off). I had the exact same problem, only on a 17" MBP. I have tried following the instructions that seemed to be the answer for this: Verify that you have sufficient privileges to start system services." "Service 'Key Agent/Mac HAL' (Keyagent/MacHALDrivers) failed to start.

#Os x yosemite 10.10.2 bootable usb doesnt support fat32 usb drivers

However I'm having difficulty installing the drivers, I had to first bypass the issue with the 圆4bit drivers by running it through CMD as admin but I get the Errors I recently reinstalled fresh Bootcamp (Windows 7 圆4) on my iMac running Yosemite. Pay attention to format bootcamp partition as NTFC as it is FAT32 not supported by windows 7! Pay attention to format bootcamp partition as NTFS as it is FAT32 not supported by windows 7! And follow the instruction on windows installation. Stick it to your Mac USB port and switch on your computer. Then copy all files from a windows installation image to it. A drive is subsequently assigned when the procedure is completed: With this chain of command, a new partition is created, then selected, activated and then formatted to FAT32. You can delete all existing partitions from the USB stick with this command: Now, identify your USB stick and enter the following command as a number (instead of "#"): With this command you can display the list of drives. In order to use DiskPart, open the command prompt as an administrator and then follow these instructions:Įnter the following command in the CMD window: So use any windows computer and make bootable USB as described: It means that bootcamp did not make USB bootable as he promised. To translate from English to simple English: Your USB is not bootable. Just read carefully what is written on black screen! I'm open to ideas, I have trawled all over the web and no-one seems to have the same problem as I do."No boot disk found.

#Os x yosemite 10.10.2 bootable usb doesnt support fat32 usb 1080p

I have had no real sucess in the audio drivers, I am using Ethernet (writing this post on my Hackintosh) and as I have NVIDIA, it works in 1080p and it is smooth but as I'm booting in safe mode, the scaling animations are laggy. I have checked this multiple times and have always checked that the Chimera v4.0.1 is always checked which it is. I have used MultiBeast, installed the recommended drivers from other users who posted on here as well. I used to have to boot using 'GraphicsEnabler=No' but that is no longer needed.

#Os x yosemite 10.10.2 bootable usb doesnt support fat32 usb install

So I boot from the USB I used to install and everything works fine apart from me having to add the '-x' boot flag for it to boot without freezing. I've installed Yosemite and all the features work brilliantly, only that when I come to start my machine using the HDD that Yosemite was installed on, I get an error about Windows error due to recent software changes. Building a CustoMac Hackintosh: Buyer's Guide

[englishmajorgodcomplex]

Project 1 Reflection

I hated this project. There, I said it. I know, I know, hate is such a strong word. I loathed this project; I abhorred this project; I despised this project. It doesn't matter which words I choose, because the end result is the same.

It's not a matter of the content of the project. Overall, it was quite clear. The directions made sense; it was clear what the objectives and expectations for the readings and project were; the process was laid out, right there in front of me. I respect Professor Davis, and I commend him for his ability to adapt his teachings and explanations to fit the needs of the students. I have no hard feelings, but I still hated this project. I suppose it wasn't the project itself that I feel so harshly towards, but instead, the entire process.

I struggled immensely with the readings. I have never been one to find joy in more academic pieces--I love reading and writing, but I'd rather not read about the process of writing. Right away, I found myself questioning signing up for this course, and overall, I questioned my decision to be an English major in the first place. I could spend my entire life reading and analyzing the works of Virginia Woolf and Gertrude Stein, but I could barely focus more than 10 minutes at a time doing some of these readings. I struggled to stay focused; I got lost in the language and terms used; I wanted to take naps instead of doing the readings (don't worry--I still did the readings).

I thought something was wrong with me, especially because the main focus of this project happened to be the most confusing for me. I'm not one to problem-solve. I'm anxious; I'm avoidant; I'm easily tired and quite boring. Thinking about a problem that needed to be "solved" was the beginning of my suffering. I had a hard time understanding rhetorical situations at first, but as I began to grasp these concepts, I struggled with transferring these concepts into my day-to-day life. If you gave me a rhetorical situation, I could separate it into its smaller pieces and acknowledge it as a rhetorical situation, but when it came to relating it to my own personal life experiences, I felt completely lost.

Eventually, I found my way. Somewhat, at least. As I finally began to find my way through these texts and the application of their concepts to my own real-life experiences, I had yet another setback. I can't blame myself for getting sick, nor could I have planned for that, but it definitely caught me off guard. Perhaps I could have planned for this project better and managed my time better, so that when I neared the end of the deadline, I wouldn't have felt so all over the place. But things happen; schedules are crazy; life is unpredictable. My brain felt so hazy and I was even more unfocused than before, so I was forced to do my work in small increments in between unplanned naps. (This is quite hard for me, because typically the only way I am able to complete assignments is by doing it all at once--uninterrupted.)

I completed the assignment; I submitted it. Was it perfect? Not at all. Was it complete? I suppose. I easily could have done more work; I easily could have done better. Considering the various problems I encountered during this process, I can't be mad at myself for my shortcomings. Towards the end, it became my only goal to finish this assignment, whatever that looked like. And that's exactly what I did. I can't say that it doesn't hurt my perfectionist self a little bit, but I need to remember that this is a process; the entire point of these college courses is to learn. I'm not meant to know everything; I don't have to know everything. I just have to have an open mind, ask questions, and do my best.

It doesn't have to be perfect--it's not meant to; I can hate it, but I still have to do the work. And that's exactly what I'm doing. I'm trying; I'm allowing myself to have a hard time; I'm asking questions; I'm being open to new things; I'm learning.

[jafartamam12]

Learning English (4)

Feeling Tired Because Teaching

My activity today starts with waking up before subuh and continuing with reading Quran half juz, at the second of half juz 19. After that, I sleep for one hour and continue teaching. Teaching was completed at 9.00 O'clock, after that, I continued by reading some articles provided in the English language and reading the book The Power Of Habit amount 30 pages. And after this, I felt tired and slept again for two hours, from 11 Am until 01 PM, Fiuhh. But after that, I feel fresh.

Everyday that i have assignment for teaching i felt tired, why? Maybe after trough the preparation and action of teaching my energy and power was drained. But, fortunately, i still keep going and growing for achieving my goals. I believe my effort this can invite result one day. I have strived to avoid distractions as best as possible just for fulfilling my to do list. And this to do list i hope this transform to my daily habit and make my life is more meaningful. Hihi

The Lesson From My Reading : Conveying One Trick of Atomic Habits

Alhamdulillah I have read some pages from The Power Of Habit that wrote by Charles Duhigg. This book, according to me, is different between Atomic Habits. This book, according to me, thicker than Atomic Habits and the writing is more small than Atomic Habits. So, if we read this book, for 30 pages, i think if we compared with Atomic Habits, we capable for reading 50 pages, and this so much reading, if we measure it as daily habits. But, fortunately i can accomplished it, despite i savor it with little sleepy. Haha

In my reading today i get some lesson. The Lesson is if we want build good habit and break bad ones we must use the cange of routine to each habits, whether bad and good. In a habit there is cue or trigger, routine or action, and result or reward. Nah, we dont change all of this part, we must maintain the trigger or cue and maintain the reward, instead remove them, we just need remove and change the routine from bad habit to good one. Finish.

For instance, he give a story trough his book, there is person who want change his bad habit like drink alcoholic and transform it to good habit. The cue is craving drink when he feel bored, the routine is drink alcohol and the reward is feeling of satisfaction. For transforming it is trough maintan the cue and reward and change the routin. So if this person get the cue (craving for drink when he bored) we give him some activities like talking each other, healing with friend, traveling with family, etc (transformation and change of his routine), and with it (with his routine) he feel satisfying and become refresh again. And make this as much as possible until he can feel comfort for the new good habit. This how transforming bad habit to good habit works!

Keep Going, Keep Growing

This sentence i found it from one youtube witch i watched his video, but i forgot the video. This wise word, according to me, encourage me for continouing my effort to achieving goals. Sometime we felt that what we have strive and stuggle on it like nothing result and the good news doesn not appear and we feel tired and hopeless. But the correct one step that we must take is just keep going and keep growing.

This principle refers to our effort and strive for doing good without being distracted by other activities outside ourselves. No matter what result we look at now, we must keep going toward our goals and release it for growing to what we pursue on it.

One again, Just keep going and keep growing.

Ciputat, 02 Juni 2022

[ninastarkov]

gahhdkdksjsbab just finished a big section of a major english assignment and i am very relieved yet at the same time... there’s a lot to go...