#Thank you for coming to my Tedtalks

[tired-fandom-ndn]

Controversial opinion but we need to apply anti-cringe culture shit to "edgy" art too. Like songs/poems/art/etc are not bad just because they're angry or sad or otherwise emotional and they're not bad for dark and violent. So much "edgy" stuff is just explorations of dark topics and/or mentally ill people working through shit via art.

Cringe culture isn't just bad when it's applied to positive expressions of emotion, it's also bad when applied to the angry and sad shit too. Let people be angry and sad in their art. It's fine.

[wolfythewitch]

Aphrodite

[buggachat]

tbh I really like the idea of married Adrien and Marinette adopting their kids. Both because it's kind of a flex on Gabriel and Emilie (who thought that the appropriate response to difficulty conceiving was to hunt down ancient magical artifacts and then create a magical son that they could puppeteer and control...... because adoption/surrogates were apparently.... beneath them. or something.) but also because I just think it'd be really cute.

Like, imagine Ladybug and Chat Noir, heroes of Paris, adopting Parisian orphans. imagine Marinette and Adrien struggling to get on the good side of a "difficult" traumatized child who used to spend their days in the foster system fantasizing about Ladybug and Chat Noir saving them without realizing the new parents trying to connect with them rn ARE Ladybug and Chat Noir. Imagine them fostering kids themselves and just being A+ stellar parents between Adrien's patience and Marinette's attentiveness and both of their affection. idk I just think there's a lot there and it could be sosososo sweet

[juice-enjoyer]

v1 is a cat lover to me

[calculust-prime]

My opinions on Umemiya Hajime must be viewed as a triplicate. Please consider the following:

Umemiya, hair back and jacket on: A threat. The strongest. The leader. Not looking for smoke, but ready to scrap. Don't make him repeat himself.

Ume-nii, hair back and no coat: Oldest brother. Plant dad. Always tells you when you did a good job. Will protect you. Sends you plant pictures. Vegetable enthusiast.

Hajime, hair down and no coat: The bestest most gentlest boy to ever exist. He's just a lad. Pacifist. Love, not war. Don't touch him. Must protect his smile. Too good for this world. He's so excitable. Just look at him. 😭

Thank you for your time.

[tokenducks]

My hottest take is gender bend/ fem Charles should be named Charlotte and not Charlie. Charles doesn’t go by Charlie so why would Charlotte.

[sunshineandwhiteroses]

Sejanus was definitely a physical manifestation of Coryo's good conscience. Sejanus represented kindness and innocence that borders on ignorance due to his upbringing, the same upbringing that Coriolanus should have had, if his father hadn't died. Sejanus lingers around, annoying Coryo with his goodness that reminded me of an angel on your shoulder.

And then we have this scene that I just can't stop thinking about where we can see how Coriolanus is not quite at Dr. Gaul's level regarding her ideas about the Hunger Games, but they're the only ones standing. She literally comes down to his level to hear his ideas. And in between them, Sejanus. She asks him what he thinks the Hunger Games are for and his answer in this moment doesn't satisfy her, and then when Sejanus dies, the barrier dissolves, and he knows the answer she wants and sets himself up to become her.

[acabspocky]

[bayleafpaprika]

thinking about how Oda chosing Luffy, a pirate, to be the protagonist of One Piece may be one of the most brilliant story moves by any shonen mangaka ever. by virtue of its main character being an in-world criminal, OP naturally lends itself to becoming a story about the exposure of a society festering with corruption for what it really is, and the dismantling of a dystopia and its propagandist facade. you simply do not get a story like that with a shonen protagonist who conforms to or tolerates the shitty system they're born into

[tuktukpodfics]

The Problem With "Dao Swords": My love-hate relationship with pleonastic translations

An essay that no one asked for.

A lot of fanfics call Zuko’s broadswords “dao swords.” As a Chinese to English translator, this phrase makes me pause every time. Here is my humble opinion on “dao swords” and other pleonastic translations:

What the heck is a pleonastic translation?

I’m so glad you asked! “Pleonasm” is a fancy term for a redundant phrase, like “black darkness” or “burning fire.”

A pleonastic translation is a phrase that puts the source language and the translation back-to-back. A common example is “chai tea” which literally means “tea tea.”

“Dao swords” is a pleonastic translation. “Dao” 刀 is the Chinese blanket term for blade. The phrase basically means “sword swords.” Sounds pretty silly, right?

Pleonastic translations are bad?

I think it depends on your audience, the text purpose, and how special the word is.

In advertising, pleonastic translations can help increase a product’s searchability. Ex: “Longjing Dragonwell tea” would appear in a Google search for either “longjing” or “dragonwell.”

Tourist destinations often use pleonastic translations to help foreigners navigate. Ex: “Nanzhan South Station” on a map helps foreigners know what the place is, but also gives them the Chinese pronunciation so that they can communicate with their taxi driver.

In literature, a pleonastic translation is a succinct way to introduce a culturally significant term without a footnote or distracting tangent. A lot of translators will sneak in a pleonastic translation the first time the word appears in a text, and then use the untranslated term alone every time after. Ex: "He slouched on the kang bed-stove. His grandmother sighed and took a seat on the kang too.”

Is "dao" a culturally significant word?

No.

Dao is a super mundane word used to describe any kind of single-edged blade, from butter knives to ice skates. It feels weird to keep such a normal word untranslated. Using the Chinese word emphasizes its foreignness. They’re not just swords, they’re special, Chinese swords. 

Yes, words take on different meanings as they pass from culture to culture. That’s how language works. But English is also a unique case. Because of imperialism. I think English speakers have an obligation to avoid exotifying every-day words.

Also, English is a global language. Chinese speakers are reading your translation, and…I dunno...“sword swords” feels off putting. Disruptive.

But I want to acknowledge the real-life culture behind the swords

Giving credit to the cultures that you're borrowing from is an A+ idea.

...I don't know how to do this in a fantasy setting.

Zuko’s swords and fighting style is based on oxtail sabers (牛尾刀）and Shaolin dual broadswords (少林双刀). @atlaculture has a very cool post on oxtail sabers. But calling his swords "oxtail sabers" doesn't work because cows don't exist in atla. Shaolin is a type of martial arts that originates from Shaolin temple in Henan, China (Shaolin itself literally means “young forest”). But you can’t call them “Shaolin broadswords," since Shaolin does not exist in the Fire Nation.

It’s quite a pickle.

Maybe just use a footnote?

So what should I call Zuko’s swords?

I don’t know.

I think you can just call them broadswords. That’s what the TV show calls them.

Dao by itself could work too if you need to differentiate Zuko's dao from Sokka's jian (double-edged blade). Readers can probably figure out what dao means from context.

If it’s not clear from context what dao means? *sigh* ..."Dao swords" it is, I guess.

To end on a happier note, here is a video of Chang Zhizhao busting some sweet moves.

[solarpunkani]

I made an iNaturalist group/project for Naturalists of Color!

Why? I don't know, I just thought it'd be fun! I know Projects, at least as far as I know, don't really have much of a Chatting Feature or anything along those lines, but I thought it might be nice to see IDs from other people on the site and feel a sense of community about it.

Maybe I'm being too soft about The Pictures of Creatures site, but so often I'm made to feel that being interested in gardening and nature to the extent that I am is Weird, too Nerdy, Too White, and this is all on top of the general safety concerns pushed onto exploring and admiring nature while Black (in my case). I thought a group like this would be a nice reminder that, hey, people of color can be avid naturalists too. Or just starting out, or just finding cool bugs and wanting to share! It's all welcome!

[tired-fandom-ndn]

"I'm scared of what predators might do if we acknowledge preteen sexuality."

It is a proven fact that teaching children about their bodies and about sexuality, providing them with safe resources to explore and ask questions, and giving them the language to describe their experiences and feelings and anatomy makes them less vulnerable to abuse and more likely to ask for help when they ARE being abused, mainly because they actually know how to describe it and why it's wrong.

"Protect the children" narratives overwhelmingly hurt children instead and make them way more vulnerable to abusers. Puberty doesn't stop just because you plug your ears and pretend it's not happening, and kids without safe resources and places to ask questions will go look for that information somewhere else.

[wolfythewitch]

Diomedes

[the-maddened-hatter]

Look this might be kinda dumb but I'm going to post it anyway:

I've been watching a bit FOPANW, I never really watched the original growing up, but I've seen a little bit of it in YouTube and NW looked cute so I was like "yeah sure, why not?" and it's cute & fun, I like it pretty well.

I like Peri, he's neurotic & stylish and I like that in a character

but I have a hc/propaganda to share for him even though it's not *ever* going to be canon- I think his wand/cane should genuinely be some kind of mobility device either for when he's not floating or that in some way helps when he floats.

Like I know it's just for style and to reference the original rattle, but I think it'd be cool if he had some magical medical reason for it, and it'd tie in kinda well with the overprotectiveness of his parents

[desos-records]

the moments in the Lockwood and Co show that really break my heart are the ones where Lockwood’s armor cracks. god bless the actor, his expressions are so subtle but convey so much.

you see it a little when he’s asking Lucy if she’ll take the job (if she’ll stay), then a little with Kipps (telling Lucy not to stay), a bit when his charming words, a weapon as real as his rapier, fail completely on Barnes

but the first real break happens when Lucy’s possessed because he’s completely unprepared for this and it has nothing to do with the ghost and everything to do with how she’s touching his face and how she’s looking at him (like she loves him, like she means it when she says that). and worse, how she’s asking him not to hurt her (he’s afraid he will one day)

then again when Barnes tells Lockwood to fire Lucy (that he won’t be able to let her stay), probably because there’s no one to see his face. his mask shoots right back up as soon as he turns around. 

and again when Lucy threatens to quit

“we need you [I need you].” 

“why?” 

“because [it’s too soon to tell you this] because you’re [someone I already can’t stand the thought of losing] you’re Lucy Carlyle [and you make everything better]”

you see it a little after they blow up the well, but it looks more like a strange sort of relief than a break (Lucy and George are safe) and all he needs is a little grounding (holding Lucy’s hand). the real one happens when Fairfax calls his bluff and points a gun at him, not because of the gun, not really, but because his words can’t protect him (but Lucy can)

when he apologizes to Lucy for yelling at her (hiding how rattled he was by George’s comment about his feelings for her), his armor doesn’t break so much as he sets it down on purpose this time. he can’t stand the thought of hurting her and if he has to come out from behind his mask to make amends (if that’s what it takes for her to stay), he will

there are cracks all over his armor when Winkman threatens him (because his words mean nothing here), but it shatters when he threatens Lucy. he’s begging this man to kill him for the chance that Lucy lives. and oh, when Winkman says he’ll kill Lockwood first so he won’t have to watch her die (his words don’t just fail to protect him, they fail to protect her)

and you can see that part of him wants to set it down when Lucy asks him why he was so so quick to die for her, but he just managed to pull it back together and the wound is too raw. he understands that she’s angry with him (and he cannot stand that), but I’m not sure he understands why. because it doesn’t occur to him that she cares about him too (that she cannot stand the thought of losing him). all he can process right then is that Lucy’s alive and she’s angry with him, but at least she’s safe now

from the beginning he’s constantly trying to make sure she’s safe, but he’s more and more obvious about it. it isn’t George saying Lockwood’s in charge, not her, that gets him moving (he could barely sit still as it is), it’s the reminder that she’s in danger and he’s not there to make sure she’s safe. he was fully prepared to break down that basement door if it meant rescuing her. he grounds her the best way he knows how (the way his hand runs down her forearm before he holds her hand) and tells her

“we’ve got you now [I’m here].”

“you’re safe now, okay? you’re with us. [I’ll make sure you’re safe].”

there’s still more hairline fractures when he sees Lucy with Kipps, when he sees her with Fittes. which is why he gives her the necklace. the thought of her maybe choosing someone else sends him running to tell her how important she is to him (as clumsy as it is) and ask her to stay. it’s not as outright as before because it’s not just them, it’s everything he’s threatened by

“I can’t compete with this [with someone else for your favor]”

the worst of it, of course, is around the auction. before it starts, the DEPRAC agent sees right through him, giving Lockwood a painful reminder of his age (which he tries to act above) with one hand

and when he and Lucy are fighting, he pushes her away, would’ve charged in there alone, but she stays (it’s much too real now). she calls him out and his armor fails him, but he still can’t seem to process her point. he thinks just being around him (much less getting close to him) will hurt her. failing to understand that losing him would hurt her (and it is far too late to turn back)

and then after, when the DEPRAC agent dies and Lockwood is so quick to blame himself, it isn’t just a break. he loses all of it. his center is on full display, his fear and his bleeding heart. he can barely stand.

he still reaches out to Lucy to ground himself (because when he can’t protect himself, she does) and she’s so forceful with her feelings for him. she’s not gently touching his face, but holding his head and jarring him back to present (which is the real way Lucy loves). he can’t hold onto her properly or even look at her, but she’s the one who gives him back his armor. she presses their foreheads together and he takes a breath and he starts to build it back up

it’s ramshackle and unsteady, but it’s back by the time they step out of the car. it’s still nothing against Lucy. and he realizes here, as she’s walking away from him, what she’s been trying to tell him

so by the time he quietly steals into the kitchen, he’s left it behind again, because he’s learning that he doesn’t need it with Lucy (it’s hardly protection if it’s hurting her). this is his center too, the part full of love, and it’s no mistake that it happens in the kitchen, the center of their house. and he’s more honest than he’s ever been

“don’t give up on me.”

“the bottom of the thames used to be a far more appealing place to be.”

“and really no one would have cared.”

“but now... [now there’s you and you care and I won’t hurt something you care about].”

and of course it does come back during the final fight (it is a survival instinct after all) and when he’s collapsing, in pain, afraid (old habits don’t go away overnight). but Lucy and George push back before he goes too far

“this isn’t how you die.”

“how do you know?”

“we won’t let you.”

“never.”

he’s in a place where he can start healing (now that the wound’s been cleaned out), which is why he opens the door. because, yes, his armor is useful, but he doesn’t need it with George and Lucy

[calculust-prime]

Look out into the distance with me and picture this...

Imagine the softest boy that ever was soft

...is trying to fucking kill you

Thank you for your time.