#and they all did very well speaking english and tried very hard to communicate with us it was cute :((

[ach-sss-no]

tags by @pazithigallifreya (by the way the fic mentioned is one of my favorites of all time and you can read it here and i strongly encourage you to do so)

Tags are referring to this post but I'm making a new post because i'm about to go off on a tangent. let's talk about the fate of the wormtongue for a second

so book wormtongue has a lot of very odd and direct parallels to sméagol where he's starving and crawling around and allegedly eating a hobbit and all that junk, right? he even goes through the arc of 'I committed a capital crime, stole stuff and made myself repulsive to my home community, a somewhat rustic group of people living east of the Misty Mountains with an Old English naming scheme, and then got banished and had to wander through the wilderness cursing the hardness of the world'.

the first time I read that it seemed almost like a bizarre non sequiter that these characters have so much in common when gríma never touches the Ring, and then i had a major fridge horror moment

frodo's recently witnessed the death of gollum, right

the person he tried to save and offer an olive branch to but in the end sam unwittingly sabotaged it while he was asleep gollum was too far gone. gollum couldn't be saved. he literally bit the hand that (tried to) feed him, he rejected frodo, he fought frodo, he took the ring, maimed frodo for life as a final f-you, etc, and gollum's death can ultimately be attributed to gollum. and sauron. frodo put the geas on him and probably stays up at night thinking about it, but that's because frodo has an extremely strong moral sensibility; he was very much provoked. gollum took the ring and did a lil dance and fell into the hellpit rip gollum

so frodo comes home

and right there is sméagol 2.0 who comes in out of nowhere. frodo offers him clemency

here's the crucial difference.

Saruman laughed. 'You do what Sharkey says, always, don't you, Worm? Well, now he says: follow!' He kicked Wormtongue in the face as he grovelled, and turned and made off. But at that something snapped: suddenly Wormtongue rose up, drawing a hidden knife, and then with a snarl like a dog he sprang on Saruman's back, jerked his head back, cut his throat, and with a yell ran off down the lane. Before Frodo could recover or speak a word, three hobbit-bows twanged and Wormtongue fell dead. - The Return of the King

Gríma's final act is to kill Saruman, who

just curbstomped him in the face

is actively trying to sabotage his shot at redemption

terrorized this whole community

and, crucially, also just tried to kill frodo, and everyone else also wanted to kill Saruman at that point, but Frodo said no

and then flee.

Frodo's own countrymen panic and kill Gríma on the spot when, by my reading, anyway, he did not appear to be a threat to them.

this is not Sméagol, whose penultimate act was to bite off frodo's finger and steal the Ring and who died by freely and deliberately choosing to do the thing that he had been told multiple times would lead to a direct and immediate game-over (grab the Ring).

this is way worse imo this absolutely is the piling on of absolute horror

[adascore]

One For The Money, Two For The Show

pairings: lionesses x captain!reader

warnings: swearing. england’s captain gets a red card for the very first time, and it doesn’t go down well with the team.

author’s note: first time writing for the woso community lol :) anyway, hope you guys like it !!

•••••••

''I went for the ball! You have eyes, right?''

The referee gave her a look, the same one a disappointed parent would give their child after letting out a swear word. ''Keep it clean, you know better.''

The England captain had raised an eyebrow at that last bit of the sentence, the officials usually not keeping her experience as a player in mind. Y/N just gave her a mindless nod, the yellow card was given- no need to fight it anymore.

''Clearly not a foul.'' Georgia said to her teammate, sticking out her hand for a subtle high-five.

Y/N chuckled at the midfielder’s words. ''Don’t worry about it, G.'' She slapped her hand, jogging back to her position.

The game continued, more yellow cards having been handed out to both the English and Scottish players. The referee’s patience seemed to have run out by some weird, unknown reason that none of the players had worked out.

Despite this, Y/N wasn’t too worried about her own yellow card. She’s had them plenty of times in the past, for the right and wrong reasons, so she was practically chilling on the pitch as her team led the match 3-0.

However, this changed as Hempo received her first card of the night.

She and the Manchester City player had a great friendship. Lauren joined the squad at a young age, and Y/N knew how hard it could be as the youngest of the team, so she took her under her wing. The younger one had been immensely grateful for the striker’s support, finding a role-model and older sister figure in her.

The captain hadn’t seen what had caused the referee to lift up the yellow card towards the winger, so she separated from the players as they were waiting on a corner, and walked over to the official.

''Why did you give her a yellow card?''

For some reason, the question was too much for the woman in the neon clothing, and without any words, she pulled the same card she had given out seconds ago and held it up high.

Realization dawned on her, the outcome of two yellow cards was one of the easiest rules in football.

Y/N didn’t even see the red card being brought out, her heart dropping to her stomach working as a distraction to her surroundings.

''No, no, no- what did I even do?'' As soon as the gears in her head started going again, her mouth started speaking.

The referee didn’t answer her question, simply letting out a deep breath as she could see the sea of Lionesses running up to her. ''Fucking hell, she didn’t even do anything!'' Rachel yelled, a big frown on her face as she fought her way to the front.

While a large number of her teammates argued back-and-forth with the referee, Millie and Alex brought their younger captain into their arms.

''It’s okay, don’t worry~'' They chorused, repeating the words over and over again, seeing the distress on their teammate’s face.

''I just asked her a question! I swear, it was just a question!'' Y/N defended herself, rambling almost.

''We know, we believe you, don’t worry about it.'' Alex assured her, feeling sad as she watched the captain’s distress unfold.

The referee tried getting closer, urging Y/N to get off the pitch. ''You have to get off now, Y/L!''

''Why are you giving me a fucking red card? I just asked you why Hempo got a yellow! What, we can’t ask questions now?'' She was going through all the stages, anger taking over as she pulled herself out of Millie and Alex’s embrace, stomping over to the referee.

''It was the tone, Y/N.'' She answered, although she didn’t seem too sure herself.

The striker’s eyes widened. ''What tone?! I asked you a simple question!'' She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

''You’re going to give red cards for questions now?!'' Ella spoke up, her voice booming above those of the others.

''Y/N, get off the pitch now, you’ve wasted enough time now.''

The captain had an uncharacteristic, defeated look on her face. She was about to take off her captain band, but a hand stopped her. ''No, you’re not going anywhere.'' Millie grabbed her arm, and gently dragged her behind herself, so the Chelsea player worked as a human shield between the referee and her teammate.

Y/N was touched by her team’s protectiveness. As the captain, she was often the one to stick up for others or argue with the officials a little longer than necessary if it pertained members of her squad. The fact that the center forward had never received a red card in her professional career, must have been an extra factor. She wasn’t a clean player, per say, but she knew how to toy with the boundaries of the game, and her great argumentative skills greatly helped in avoiding being booked.

''You alright?'' Lucy asked, pulling her further away from the chaos.

''I got a fucking red card, Luce! No! I am not okay!'' She let out, the older woman instinctively caressing her back at the visible frustration. ''You’re good, it’s alright.''

''It’s not- oh, fuck sake.'' Y/N swore, glancing away from Lucy to her teammates still fighting her red card with the referee.

LJ joined them, watching the chaos unfold. ''I turn around for one second, and suddenly everyone is running towards the ref.'' Lauren said, her indifferent tone making Lucy chuckle.

''The boss got a red.'' The Barcelona defender explained.

The youngest James sibling's eyes widened. "What? You?" She pointed at the captain, who nodded, unamused.

Y/N could see the official signaling for her to come closer, ignoring the arguments the Lionesses were giving her. ''You have to get off now, this is becoming a hazard. I’m not going to change my decision.'' She said, matter-of-fact.

It was evident that whatever the captain would tell her, would fall on deaf ears. ''Whatever, you’re fucking miserable.'' She looked her in the eyes as the insult was spoken, not an ounce in her mind or body caring about the consequences of it.

The truth was that she was the miserable one. It might have been naive of her to think she could go her entire career without receiving a red card, but she didn’t expect today to be the day.

She walked over to Millie, taking the captain's band off and handing it over, without saying anything further.

The rest of the English squad watched with sad eyes, and disheartened feelings as their captain, and arguably most important player, walked off the pitch with still double digits in game time left.

Sarina had jumped out of her seat the minute the referee pulled the second yellow card out of her pocket, infuriated over one of her key (and personal favorite) players being expelled from the game over something silly as asking why her teammate was being booked.

As Y/N passed her to go inside the tunnel, the Dutchwoman grabbed her hand, her eyes still on the game. ''We’ll talk, okay?'' Sarina didn’t expect an answer back, having worked with the player long enough to know she would want to chat with her about it.

It was a despairing sight to see the world-class player stroll all alone to the changing room, her usual confident aura replaced for hung shoulders, and eyes that told the entire world what she thought of herself.

Disappointing.

That was the best word she could come up with to summarize her feelings; disappointed in herself, disappointed in the officials, but above all, she felt like she had disappointed her team and staff- and as the captain, that was something hard to swallow.

She sat alone in the changing room- members of the staff figuring she wanted to be left on her own.

That changed as the door opened.

Keira had been subbed off a few minutes before the incident had happened, Katie taking her place on the midfield. She, along with the entire bench, had a hard time believing what was happening in front of them.

A bad feeling settled in her as Y/N walked off the pitch all by herself, not a single soul following her. Therefore, the Barcelona player excused herself and trailed their captain.

''You mind?'' She already knew the answer, but asking didn’t hurt.

Y/N shook her head, motioning for Keira to take the spot next to her. ''You? Never.''

''How you feeling?''

''Like shit.''

''Yeah, I predicted that.''

The striker chuckled at the monotone voice, feeling some sort of delight after what felt like forever. ''I’m so confused.''

''You’re not the only one. I didn’t hear what you said, but it couldn’t have been that bad for you to get another yellow- and don’t even get me started on the first one, obviously not a foul.'' Keira rambled, yet sounding sophisticated.

''I just- I feel like I let everyone down. I know we’re leading the game, but still- I should be out there playing. I’m the captain for fuck sake.'' Y/N swung her arm towards the door, before letting it fall on her knee with a hard slap.

Keira sighed at her words. ''You’re always so hard on yourself. No one is angry at you or disappointed.''

''I’m not hard on myself, Kei. I just have an important role in this team, so I can’t afford to make mistakes.'' The captain clarified, although it didn’t do much to dispute the midfielder’s words.

''Yeah, that sounds like someone who is not a perfectionist.'' The sarcastic tone didn’t escape Y/N, and she bumped their shoulders. ''No, but, come one. You know what I mean- not only do I have to keep the entire team together, I also have to score goals or make sure that someone else scores them.''

It was the first time she had truly expressed the pressure that was being put on her, she was known in the team for keeping it all to herself. Keira attentively listened, feeling almost honored it was her that the captain was venting to.

''I like the pressure, though. I know I can handle it, I’ve been doing that for years, I know I was only made captain cause Steph got injured, but it’s still a huge deal to me, you know? I know I don’t always say it, but it really does.''

''We know it does. You might not say it, but it shows. You’re the best captain I’ve ever got to work with, you have a way of getting everyone together.'' Keira interjected, complimenting her leadership skills.

Y/N raised her eyebrows at the praise. ''Best captain, huh? So better than Alexia?'' She mentioned the captain at Barcelona.

Keira lightly slapped her arm. ''Yeah, you like that, huh? Don’t tell her that, though.''

''You know I’ll tell her as soon as I get the chance.'' Of course the England captain wouldn’t mention it, but making her friend think that didn’t hurt.

''If that makes you smile, then I’ll take it.''

''You’re flattering me, Kei.'' Y/N muttered, not quite believing the praise that was coming out of her mouth.

The midfielder scoffed. ''Hey! I’m being genuine!'' She exclaimed, almost offended. ''Don’t let this one game affect your confidence. I know you like everything perfect, but these kinds of things are out of our hands,'' she referred to the referee’s decisions, ''you’re still the boss, you know? Or what did they say after the Euro’s… you’re an icon.''

The captain gave Keira a little shake at the mention of the compliment she had been given by a reporter after the final at Wembley, embarrassed by being called iconic. ''Oh, shut it, you!''

''It’s true, though! It stings right now, but you’ll get over it. By the time the next game comes around, no one will be talking about it anymore.'' Keira’s words did give her some comfort, knowing it was the truth.

''Yeah, I know… It was kinda cute, though- the way everyone was defending me.'' A small smile found its way to the player's face.

''You always do it for us, so it was time we all do it for you.'' She simply said, as if it was not a big deal.

Y/N did not answer, unsure of what an appropriate follow-up could be.

''Did you see Tooney’s face? I know she was being serious, but it was too good.'' Keira chuckled, reminding the captain of the way Ella immediately started yelling with a scowl.

The striker laughed a bit louder this time, starting to see the humour in the situation. ''Yeah, what a lovely girl.''

''She was ready to start a revolution for you. Probably still is.'' Keira grinned, enjoying the shift in Y/N's mood.

''And then you had LJ who didn't even know what was happening, she came up to me and Lucy- totally confused.'' Y/N explained. 

The midfielder bursted into laughter at Y/N's revelation. ''Wait, LJ didn't get the memo?''

''No, she just casually walked up to us and was like 'why is everyone running towards the ref?' I guess she thought it was a new halftime tradition or something. Lucy filled her in and her eyes almost bulged out of her head.'' The captain chuckled at the memory. 

''Classic LJ.'' Keira remarked. 

As they chatted, the sound of the crowd outside the changing room echoed, reminding Y/N of the ongoing game. 

''I should apologize to the team later.'' Y/N considered, realizing she hadn't addressed her teammates properly after the incident. 

''No, they know you're not the problem here. Besides, we all know you're not a fan of early showers.'' Keira teased. 

She chuckled at her friend's joke, but couldn't shake off the feeling of dejection. Keira noticed her demeanor was shifting again. 

''Don't worry about it, they know you didn't do anything wrong,'' Keira reassured her. ''Besides, half of them are probably still arguing with the referee about the whole situation.'' 

Y/N snorted at the mental image. ''True, they're a protective bunch.'' 

''Well, we've got a great, certain center forward to look up to,'' the Barcelona player winked, ''you're still our captain, Y/N. Red card or not.'' Keira added, a genuine smile on her face.

''Thanks, Kei,'' Y/N said, appreciating the support. She leaned back against the locker, trying to let go of the frustration that still lingered. 

''You know, you should focus on the positives,'' Keira suggested, her tone thoughtful. ''We're winning 3-0, and I'm sure the girls have got an extra motivation now.'' 

''I guess you're right,'' Y/N sighed, ''I just wanna fucking play.'' 

''I know, but you can still analyze, see things you wouldn't notice on the pitch.'' 

''Always the optimist,'' the captain teased, a small smile breaking through. ''I'll try to channel my inner tactical genius from the sidelines.'' 

As they continued chatting, a sudden knock echoed through the changing room, drawing both Y/N and Keira's attention. The door swung open, and in walked another teammate, a familiar face with a sheepish expression. 

''Are you fucking kidding me, Hempo?'' The striker exclaimed, though there was an amused grin present. 

Lauren shrugged her shoulders, sitting down in her cubby. ''I figured I'd join the exclusive red card club with the captain.'' 

''Seems like it's the trend today.'' Keira added, joining in on the laughter. 

''Y/N always tells me to just follow her lead, so…'' 

''Hempo, this isn't what I meant by that.'' 

The trio shared more laughs as they bantered through their early exits of the game. The tension of the match outside seemed to disappear as they focused on their camaraderie. 

requests are always welcome!

[loves1ckgirl]

Denki Kaminari with an online best friend

Denki x American! reader

Online friends + maybe romantic-ish

Note, I have no idea how to write in the grammar of someone learning English so I’m just avoiding contractions and using a bit of chat gtp to make the sentence to be a little more incorrect lol.

He initially met you while playing a FPS at 3am

The game between you and both was mostly silent aside from some English and Japanese cursing, Denki understood some what you said

You however; did not understand him, but assumed he was expressing the same frustration and wasn’t just getting upset at you

After your first game was played, he had sent you a few emojis and a little english

The game you had been playing along side some random from Japan had gone surprisingly well. It was such a bad game for the loser you wondered if it was because they were absolute garbage or all of a sudden you became a gaming god. As you leaned back in your chair and attempted to fix the knot that formed in your back from hunching, you looked back at your computer screen. There you see a friend and message request.

Kaminarieki

“You are good at playing. Can we play more?”

As you read the message, you decide to respond and pray he wasn’t some 30 year old incel. After all, you were bored, and a bit lonely.

After that first interaction, you would go on to play with him often

However, neither of you talked very often especially after you came to the conclusion you didn’t speak the same language

In the end, there were still some short convos

Kaminari liked these, as he thought you were cool

The fact that UA English classes were more rigorous helped him in talking to you (a hero needed to communicate with a large variety of people)

A couple of months in, he was struggling with his classes exponentially, and no amount of help by his friends would help him,

He then thought it was a good idea to message you and explain that he thought it would be nice to talk and learn through a fluent speaker instead

Kaminarieki

“Can we talk a lot I am learning English I think your cool.”

“I’m down. It’s late now though. I have school is tomorrow okay? Also, the your should be you’re”

Kaminari sends a cute little heart emoji,

“Yes. Thank you.”

For awhile, you’d avoid many abbreviations and some complex Slang

Eventually Kaminari had gotten more advanced and you spoke more casually

After exchanging Instagram and other accounts, instead of mostly talking as you guys played, it started during school and random times of day

The time difference didn’t mean much since the both of you had terrible sleep schedules

(Although, he was a bit more regular due to his hero school)

As you talked to him you obviously found more of his personality and it had become more endearing tbh

He’d most definitely google English pick up lines

Eventually as his friends noticed his behavior and how if he’d planned to play with you he’d decline

Also how he’d be texting more than before (mostly on his Sundays and Monday’s as you’d be awake the longest when he was.)

Lowkey hates the time difference tbh.

Anyway, as his friends noticed him typing away on those two days in particular they’d begun to ask questions about who he was texting

“My friend.” He’d say, looking up from the phone for a second before continuing the text. Mina had begun even more curious than previously.

“Whaaa? Friend? Who?” She asks, leaning over the couch and Kaminari’s shoulder. She sees joke flirty messages that he sends and receives.

He ended up telling them about you and explains that’s why his English grade was getting better

Anywayyy he’s overall super cute with you

Basically just being himself

If you ever wanted to learn Japanese he’d 100% do his best to help you enthusiastically

He tries his best to keep you updated since it’s its hard to talk to you regularly

[ask-the-clergy-bc]

What would the Emeritus brothers be like with a bilingual s/o? Specifically, one whose mother tongue they don’t speak? Like Spanish, Portuguese, or Mandarin, to name a few examples.

Thanks for opening up requests! Love your blog! 🖤

Thank you so much!! <3 I hope you enjoy!! <3 

Papas with a Bilingual S/O 

You did ask for an S/O with a mother tongue the Papas did not speak, so I’m going to follow that guideline. But I DID just want to add a fun fact in there as well! 

The Papas are actually all polyglots, meaning they can all speak multiple languages! Some more than others for one reason or another. When it comes to being a demonic pope with legions in so many parts of the world, you HAVE to speak so many different ones! However, this doesn’t mean they all speak every language to exist (except maybe Primo.) 

I also kept the reader’s native tongue vague so you can apply whichever you’d like! :)

-

Papa Nihil: He might speak several languages, but he’s not exactly the best at picking up new ones these days. Sometimes you can’t teach an old dog new tricks… but that doesn’t mean he won’t try! Whether he learns your native tongue or not, Nihil is happy to listen to you speak. Nihil adores when you playfully teach him new words or phrases. He is happy to use the best ones on you! Nihil is happy to know enough of your first language to convey his feelings or know yours. So expect him to at least know how to tell you he loves you, or that he wants you to have a good day. Truthfully, when it comes to his love of horror movies he might ask you to translate certain iconic scenes into your native tongue! And best of all? He will be putty in your hands when you flirt in your native language! Daily you get a lot of, “Amore, how do you say *insert random mundane word* in-?” Random words he has asked about so far; TV, blanket, carrot, window, Ghoul, screw driver, and swimming.

Papa I: You would be hard pressed to find a language Papa couldn’t speak, or at the very least understand everything you were saying. Papa is a legendary linguist within the Ministry, and has led many apprentices in keeping dead languages alive. But that doesn’t mean his verbal speaking is perfect in every tongue! So he was delighted when you were open to letting him learn more from you with your first language. These impromptu lessons are actually what caused you both to become close friends and eventually a couple! Papa appreciates all your efforts in teaching him, and he is a fast learner. He has even gone so far as to encourage you to teach lessons to the siblings of sin, if you were so inclined! In your daily lives he will always speak to you or leave you thoughtful notes in your first language. The only difficulty he has is learning slang and common sayings… but you find it both hilarious and a bit adorable when he tries!  

Papa II: Funnily enough, you both don’t know each other’s first language. Most of your communication has been through English! So it was a fun time for you both when you became closer to deciphering each other’s native tongue. You mutually wanted to be able to understand each other in all three languages; Your first language, his Italian, and English! So it was a lot of work and fun together. Papa absolutely loves teaching you Italian every chance he can. Claiming that it just sounds so much better rolling off of your tongue. And in turn, he cherishes every time you sit in his lap to teach him more of your language. Papa picks it up rather fast, even if it’s not entirely perfect. You both eventually know enough to hold a conversation in each other’s mother tongue! Though Papa prefers letting you get to speak, no matter what the language is. He just finds your voice soothing overall. He also happily teaches you how to curse someone out so you can use it in the ministry! You laughed at the generous offer! 

Papa III: Ever the romantic, Papa finds it incredibly charming when you flaunt your linguistic skill around him! Language is such a beautiful and fascinating subject! There is nothing more interesting to him than learning how each different language communicates- especially when it comes to poetry and music. He is wrapped around your finger each time you use your first language to flirt with him. Papa will constantly encourage you to try and seduce him with your words (even if you only pretend. He’ll never know what you’re ACTUALLY saying if you say it with enough flirty tones!) While proficient in the languages he uses regularly for his Papal duties, it takes him a little longer than his eldest brother to pick up your first language. But that doesn’t stop him from trying! Papa will go out of his way to make sure he knows the basics so he can always tell you the most important phrases of your mother tongue! Such as ‘Good Morning/Night’, ‘Thank you’, all the pick up lines, and eventually ‘I love you.’ Though the majority of the time, he uses it to flirt with you or gossip. 

Papa IV/Cardinal Copia: One of the original reasons you fell for Copia was that he went out of his way to learn your native tongue when you first became friends. According to him, you always exclusively used Italian when speaking with him. It was only fair that he learned your first language too! Copia was a hobbyist linguist on top of being an official tome translator for the ministry at one point. So he was happy to learn a new language to converse with you! As a couple, this is one of his favorite ways to bond with you. He sees it as a chance to grow closer to you while perfecting his grammar and pronunciations! Typically, Copia will switch to your native tongue when you are alone or at home. But he’s also not above utilizing it in public when he doesn’t want others to eavesdrop… or just shit talk someone in the room he can’t stand.

[aszles]

csm chapter 120 but in toki pona (first 10 pages)

alright hellooo!!!! this is my first published translation in 2024 i guess!

of course i'm marketing this towards english speakers since i'm not sure if there actually is a part of the csm fandom that speaks toki pona... i hope you'll stick around to see something a little fun and different!

so if you don't know what toki pona is, allow me to explain! ☝️🤓 toki pona is a conlang created by Sonja Lang where the main draw of it is that it has less than 200 words! it sounds like it may be tricky to speak with so few words, but it's surprisingly easy and very fun! i always recommend it to anyone who has a bit of time on their hands and wants to try something new.

here i was mostly trying out gimp for comic translations, and so i translated the first 10 pages of chapter 120! i chose this because... it's silly! also fun fact, the start of this chapter was one of the things that pushed me to read chainsaw man!

ok that's enough preface rambling, let's get on with it!

i think typically the first page should be full sized if it has to, but nayuta peace sign is just so cute..!

alright, if you wanna feel like you're on a date with asa then keep reading to find an english translation and translator's notes! if not... feel free to leave, i hope you eat something nice today! (omekapo!)

semi-literal translation:

yoru: woof! woof! woof!!

nayuta: HAHAHAHAHAHA!! yoru: woof woof! wooof!! denji: Nayuta! what did you do?! nayuta: i turned her into an animal. denji: why?!?! nayuta: because she [kissed] my thing! (here she basically says that yoru interacted with nayuta's thing using her mouth. it's a very vague statement)

denji: i'm not your thing! turn her into a human now!! nayuta: want food! can't! (technically she says "food desire! no ability!") nuh uh! denji: ah?! i'll make food. when you eat turn her into a human!! nayuta: 'kay!

denji: eat and turn her into a human. i'm not joking. nayuta: hey! this is my food! bad! bad!! nayuta: hey... do you really want her humanity? (sounds very weird in english but i'm not sure a better way to put it) denji: what?

nayuta: Denji. every woman tries to kill you, right? why is this animal different? denji: why...? i have a feeling. nayuta: hmmmm.... good. (this is being used as an affirmation similar to "alright" or "very well then") you won't die. okay. i'll turn her into a human.

nayuta: but, two things. if they're not good to you, then she'll be an animal forever. denji: what are they?! nayuta: number one. i can eat ice cream (cold sweet) all the time. denji: i want (it) too. nayuta: number two.

nayuta: don't be nice to her. denji: are you joking?! nayuta: uh, i'm (being) real. this is the best. she's bad to my nose. denji: your nose?

denji: is she like a wet animal? nayuta: weirdo, wet animals are good! anyways, don't be nice to her! i'll change her knowledge... so that to her you didn't come (today)! denji: you'll what?! then she'll hate me!

nayuta: not important. you won't talk to her. denji: ahhh...

denji: you're number one, nayuta...

tadaaaa! there we have it! now time for some translator notes, of which there are actually not a ton.

toki pona is surprisingly difficult to adapt for different kinds of characters. due to having no register, it's hard to make characters seem more punky or polite than normal, and to distinguish between adult and child characters. here particularly we have the issue that, while Nayuta is a child, she's also super smart! so making grammatical mistakes doesn't really seem in line for her character. the main action i took was doubling up "la" with her. this isn't incorrect, but there are more optimal ways to say things to avoid ambiguity. i thought that perhaps a kid wouldn't think ahead with their words as much as an adult would, and may end up with this quirk in their speech.

related to the last note, one possible way of making a character seem younger or less proper is having them use nimisin ("unofficial" community made words). it's a fun idea, but it's kinda inaccessible and also... i don't really know nimisin! guess i'm not hip enough >_<

the name Nayuta luckily fits with toki pona phonetics (with the y changed to a j)! Denji doesn't quite, so i opted for Tensi. this is the most direct tokiponisation of his name. it sounds a bit like tenshi! (angel in japanese)

just a little something. i went with humans being "jan" and devils "monsuta" (hybrids and fiends may be jan monsuta and monsuta jan respectively, or they could have nimisin) so.. why are these two using jan? well for Denji that's an easier question, as he is basically human-first and also had the name before he became a hybrid. (also there's no need to be so descriptive with a headnoun) as for Nayuta, she uses jan because she's sort of undercover. depending on the circumstances, or when referring to her with her real name (like saying Control Devil in english) she would be monsuta. some devils who gave themself a name use jan, while others such as Power use monsuta (because why would she call herself a human when devils are clearly superior?!)

suwi lete or lete suwi? that is the question. here i decided to go with suwi lete because i think the most appealing aspect to Nayuta is likely the sweetness!

i hope this was at least somewhat enjoyable! i wonder what i'll find to translate next >w> thank you so much for reading if you did! sina lukin la mi pilin pona a!

[doodle17]

The Astubelief Family

I and a mutual @nhieeeen were discussing some lore and Headcanons on D'arts family so here goes some ideas!(Disclaimer: none of this is canon, and is all made for fun)

The Astubeliefs are a mysterious family of Psychics. With their strange fascination with the paranormal and expertise in Cryokenisis, and being able to communicate with the dead for limited amounts of time, they are relatively known with fellow Psychics.

They often travel to nearby Fairs, Carnivals and Circuses to perform their fascinating and supernatural ability on those who wish to communicate with lost loved ones, or enemies. The Astubeliefs are easy to spot, their trademark colors of yellows, greens and oranges, along with their strange hats make them stand out. Not to mention, there's something about the family that makes them look... Dead.

Natasha "Volkov" Astubelief.

Natasha was a relatively quiet, Christian and peaceful woman. She always had a love for space and the stars. She'd tell stories about constellations and planets to her children every night. She died giving birth to her last child, Ania. Despite it being one if the family's main hobbies, Natasha was never fond of the whole communicating with the dead thing. In her eyes, she thought that speaking with spirits would keep them from passing on into Heaven to rest in peace. Ronan and Natasha, though they never fought often, when they did, it would usually be about this.

Ronan Astubelief.

Ronan is a very quiet but strict man. He always kept to himself and trained all of his sons. Ronan is very powerful mentally, and can somewhat communicate with the dead, using a similar method to an Ouji Board or Crystal Ball. After the death of his wife Natasha, he was consumed with grief. Some say he went crazy, as he even believed he could revive Natasha. He experimented on dead animals, and horrific attempts like that. His discovery soon lead him to learn that he'd need a living vessel of some kind to keep her alive. He was too old and weak, not as strong as he used to be. His youngest son, D'Artagnan however...

Seymon Astubelief.

Seymon is the eldest son. He takes after his father, being the family's caretaker after Natasha's passing and his father falling into sadness. He tries his best to keep the family together, but forgets to care for himself at times. Out of all siblings, he is definitely closest to his father's abilities in communicating with the dead.

Vlad Astubelief.

Vlad was and has always been a "Mama's boy" so after his mother's passing he distanced himself from his father. To say he's spoiled would be and overstatement, but he is quite rude and whiney at times whe he doest get his way. Despite his somewhat childish demeanor, he is a professional at using Cryokenisis. He means well, but unfortunately, he's isn't the best with coping.

Filipp Astubelief.

Filipp is definitely the weakest Psychic in the family, but he makes up for it with his physical strength and personality. Filipp usually spends his time playing and entertaining his younger siblings. When things get grim, he tries his best to put a smile on all their faces. Only being able to levitate a few things, and can barely make a flurry with Cryokenisis, he can lift almost anything. And it's hard not to feel at least the littlest at ease when he gives you a smile.

Yuri Astubelief.

Yuri is almost completely mute. Selectively mute. When he does speak, he talks in Russian and rarely speaks in English unless he absolutely has to. Yuri is definitely the more meek Astubelief child. Usually hiding away keeping watch over Ania. The paranormal, and death in general has always frightened Yuri after his mother's death. Which is unfortunate, because like Seymon and his father, he can communicate with the dead, sometimes unwillingly, causing him to have nightmares.

Ania Astubelief.

Ania is the only Astubelief daughter, and the only one of their children who isn't Psychic. Because of this, her whole family is overprotective of her, constantly watching over her. Her father, though he loves her very much, can't stand to look at her because of how much she resembles Natasha. Ania feels like the only people who understand her are Yuri and D'art. Yuri is quiet, so it's easy to talk to him, and D'art is closest to her in age. Despite all these issues, she's the cheeriest of the family. A small beacon of hope that keeps the family together.

D'artagnan Astubelief "Volkov".

D'art is the youngest son of the Astubeliefs. Not only is he incredibly strong mentally, but his Cryokenisis skills are exquisite. D'art has noticed how strange his family has been behaving since his mother's death. It's impacted everyone differently, but the one he's worried most about is his father, who seems to be a quiet, sad, shell of a man one moment, and raving, mad scientist the next. D'Artagnan has a similar situation as Yuri, having nightmares about spirits and the dead.

here's the whole fam in a better light :)

After his siblings convinced him to check on their father, D'art came to the horrific realization that his father was trying to bring his mother back from the dead. In a desperate attempt, he tried to convince D'art into helping him revive him mother. With his powerful psychic abilities, he could keep her alive. This, however, would mean both D'art and his Mother would basically be half living... half dead.

Not only is this extremely dangerous, but D'art would basically become a zombie. And for all they know, it wouldnt even work. So he ran away to Whispering Rock. He changed his last name to his mother's maiden name, Volkov, so he wouldn't be associated with his old one if his family ever came looking for him.

Roblogs are greatly appreciated :)

[rowanaelinn]

Illicit Affairs - Chapter Fourty-Eight

Masterlist

A/N: I absolutely hate this chapter, but I hope you guys won’t share the feeling! It’s bad, like very bad, but I did promise you all the chapter today so here it is! If you feel like it, I can rewrite it, as I'm unsure if this actually makes sense or not.

Also a good news I wanted to share... I'm going to study in the US next year!!!! I'm so so happy, really. I can't wait to learn more English

Warnings: talk of death | Word Count: 5,000

The only thing she felt was the sour, metallic taste of blood in her mouth. Maybe it was because she kept biting her inner cheek, or maybe it was from the way she kept anxiously assaulting her hand with her teeth. Tears had long dried on her skin. It was as if she was stuck in a haze, and no matter how much screaming her brain did, she didn’t move or speak. She knew the man driving was speaking to her, but she couldn’t comprehend the words. 

All she wanted to scream at him was to drive faster and faster. He wasn’t going nearly as fast as she needed him to. If he’d let her drive, things would have been better. But he didn’t. She had no idea how she ended up being driven to Doranelle by Sam, but she remembered closing her eyes once on that sidewalk, and the next time she opened them she was in her car, Sam on the driver’s side. 

She had to snap out of this. Snap out of this terror that had paralyzed everything but her mind. She wished the fear had paralyzed it as well. Then maybe she wouldn’t feel like she was dying.

Which she would if they didn’t make it in time. Or if Helia… Or if that little bundle of joy and sunshine didn’t make it at all. Aelin would rather end her life than live in a world so cruel and joyless. 

She had no idea what happened, only knew that her little girl… She was hurt. She wasn’t alright. This… This wasn’t right. 

She was going to be sick again. She didn’t know where her phone was. She had to call Aedion, she had to tell him. If things turned badly… She needed her cousin with her. 

And yet, she made no moves to find her phone. 

Because it felt too much like the last time. 

It felt too much like the time she called him, announcing that Celaena had passed away. 

Aelin couldn’t make the calls anymore. She’d lost that strength along the way. She wouldn’t be the bearer of awful news anymore. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t imagine the way Fenrys had felt, making calls in the stead of—

Rowan. 

Why hadn’t Rowan called her? 

Oh, Gods—

What if he’d—

He had to be okay. He had to be fine. But if he was—why had Fenrys been the one to—

Someone grabbed her hand, stopping her movements. She hadn’t even realized she was moving, that she was doing something. 

“Aelin, you need to calm down,” Sam said, eyes on the road and one hand on the wheel. “You’re scaring me, you’re breathing weird.”

“I need my phone,” she breathed, looking everywhere for it. “I need to call him.” 

“Call who?” 

“My phone,” she snapped, ignoring where the fire came from. “Where is it?”

Sam frowned, but he dug in his pocket and handed her the device. “We’ll be in Doranelle in just a few minutes.” 

She said nothing. Her hands shook as she typed her password and called Rowan’s number. The line went dead right away, and her heart dropped. She tried again, and the same thing happened. Had he… Had he blocked her number? For the last six months they communicated through Fenrys or another one of their friends, but if… Even if that option broke her already mutilated heart, she rather that than him being hurt. If he was… The sheer idea of it made tears burned her eyes. 

“C-Can I get your phone, please?” 

Sam didn’t ask questions, only typing in his password and handing her his phone. She almost didn’t catch it, but she gripped it hard, dialing the number she knew by heart. But once more, the line went dead immediately. His phone was off. 

She hid her face in her hands, trying to keep her breathing regular but… He could be hurt. Helia was hurt. She thought that if she lost one of them, she’d die. But if she lost the two of them, how was she supposed to hold on? 

She startled when she felt a hand on her shoulder, “We’re there.” Sam said, voice hesitant. Aelin looked out to see they were indeed parked facing Doranelle’s hospital. She hadn’t told him where to do, but he’d taken her phone… Fenrys must have told him. 

Aelin allowed herself one breath. One deep, focused breath.

And then she was out of the car, rushing toward the entry. She wasn’t wearing her coat anymore, she had no idea when it’d been taken out—

On her heels, Sam was there. He asked her to slow down, to tell him what was wrong. How was she supposed to explain that? She couldn’t, she had no information… 

Cold air hit her skin as she entered the hospital, walking toward the receptionist who had her eyes wide open. Aelin must look awful. She forgot how cold it was in this goddamn hospital, especially during the summer. 

“Miss, are you alright?”

“Where is Helia Whitethorn?” she asked, her voice barely human. She wasn’t in the mood for any small talk, or even just a polite conversation. 

The woman frowned, “Miss, you look distressed, is there anything I can—”

Aelin’s tempter rose, “I just want to know where—”

Sam’s hand cupped her shoulder, “Listen, we just heard that she was here tonight. We would really appreciate some information.” 

“Are you family?” The woman asked. 

“No, but—”

“Yes,” Aelin cut him off. “I’m family.” 

She frowned, looking conflicted. “It’s policy that I cannot give you information about a patient if you’re not a family member.” 

“Can’t you hear? I am family.” 

“Can anyone prove that?” 

Aelin’s entire body tensed. Her—Helia. Helia was waiting, and this woman was wasting her time. This wasn’t right. “Do you have any idea who I am?” She hated playing this card but…

“Excuse me?” 

“My father is the chief of surgery, Rhoe Galathynius? You know him, I suppose. Tell me where she is before I call him.” 

Her face paled, and she typed something on her computer. 

“What the fuck was that?” Sam asked, voice barely louder than a whisper. He was frowning, looking at her as if she was thing strange thing. 

“It’s me loving people,” she snapped, turning back to the woman. 

“All I can tell you is to go into the fifth waiting room. I don’t have any other information.” 

Aelin only thanked her, and then she was running. Even in the stairs. The elevators were too long, too slow. She needed to be there. She took a turn right, then left, then right again until she reached the room. The door was opened, and she stopped in the doorway, breathless. Heads shot up, all familiar but only one mattered. She could have drowned in the sadness and despair of these beautiful green eyes. She let out a quiet, painful sob when she saw his arm in a sling and the scratches and bruises on his face. He stood, as if compelled. 

She couldn’t take it anymore. She ran, throwing herself at him. He groaned, and she realized she must have hurt his arm, and yet she was wrapped into the most bone-crushing hug she had ever been in. She could barely breathe with the way he squeezed her. He was alright, he was in her arms. She squeezed him harder, almost as a way to realize that indeed he was right there. He was with her. His hand cupped the back of her head, pressing her harder into him, as if he was also trying to wrap his mind around the fact that she was there.

She pulled out a little, a little unwillingly, and she only realized then that she had started crying again. “A-Are you okay? You fine?” 

“You’re here,” he breathed, surprise and shock hon his face. “How are you here?” 

“Fenrys,” she answered, still breathless “H-He called me.” 

She turned her head to Fenrys, and her heart broke at the sadness in his eyes. If she had more will, she would detach herself from Rowan to wrap her arms around Fenrys, but as if he knew what was on her mind, he shook his head. “We’ll get some coffee,” Fenrys said, and after that, all of his friends left, Connall squeezed her shoulder on his way out, and she smiled at him weakly.

There was just Rowan and her in there now. The moment she heard the door close, it was like it started something in Rowan. His body started shaking like a leaf, and worry spread through her veins.

His breathing sped up, turning irregular. “Hey, Rowan,” she breathed, hands on his face. “Look at me, look at me,” she begged him to do, having to force in face in the right angle. 

The distress in those beautiful green eyes when they met hers was nearly enough to bring her to her knees. But she fought. Because so many times he’d stood in her shoes, so many times he’d helped her when she needed. She would do the same, because it was the least he deserved.

“It’ll be okay,” she said, weakly. “Everything’s going to be fine.”

“The car came out of nowhere,” he said, voice shaking. She’d seen him bad, but she had never seen him in such a state. 

It terrified her.

She was supposed to be the unstable one. 

“It hit her side, and I-I couldn’t do shit, Aelin,” tears escaped his eyes, and Aelin’s entire heart shattered. 

“Where is she?” 

He closed his eyes, more tears streaming down his face. He fell into a chair, leaving her cold. He passed a hand through his hair, then looked up at her. It was defeat on his face, as if he was accepting that life had screwed him up. Again. “In surgery. Her brain—it was swollen and bleeding. Too much. Two of her ribs were broken and they punctured her lungs.” 

Aelin sat in the chair beside him, her whole body shaking. Almost as a reflex, her hands shot out for his, grabbing it tightly. He was hesitant at first, and then his hand closed around hers. Good. They would need each other tonight, more than they perhaps ever did.

It was as if her brain knew that she had to focus on him, because the mess turned into quiet. She angled her body toward him, “Hey, Rowan,” she breathed, and her free hand gently grabbed his chin, forcing him to look at her. “Everything will be fine.” 

He shook his head, trying to shake away her grip. “You don’t even believe that yourself.” 

She swallowed. “And you said it yourself, I have a track record in being wrong.” 

He cursed, his face falling in his hand after he let go of her. “I’m sorry, Aelin.” 

She shrugged, even if he didn’t have his eyes on her. “It’s okay,” she breathed. “I have said worse to you.” 

He shook his head, sighing heavily. 

Worry kept eating her from the outside, and she had to hold back from heaving for air. She needed more information, needed to know all the details. But she knew that Rowan was in shock right now. That asking him to relive the accident would only hurt him, if he could even recall what had happened. “How long has she been in the OR?” 

“An hour and twenty-four minutes,” he answered flatly. “Twenty-five, now.” 

And the fact that he counted, that he was counting what could be his last minutes in this world with her… She was going to be sick. 

“H-How long does it usually last? The neuro part.” He knew that more than her, and maybe taking his mind off his worry to switch it toward his job, the thing he loved so much… 

He looked at her, and he was quiet for a while. She thought he wouldn’t answer, that he’d leave her question pending in the void. But then, he said, “When there are no complications, around seven hours.” 

“And when…” She breathed, not even voicing the rest of that sentence. 

Then, she knew it hadn’t been a good idea to ask the question, because his voice was nearly frozen as he answered, “When the patient doesn’t die on the table, which happens in more than sixty five percent of cases for children under six, it can take up to twelve hours.”

She had the urge to tell him she wouldn’t die, that she would be fine, but the words died on her tongue. He was right, she didn’t believe it. She had a bad track record with keeping loved ones around. 

Oh—

Oh, Gods. What if it was her fault? 

She’d known. Known that she should have stayed away, that she should have never let herself in Helia and Rowan’s life. She’d made jokes about it, but it was very real. Aelin had brought her curse and miserable existence on Helia. She’d hurt her. Not only with the accident, but with everything else. 

She’d wormed herself a tiny space in Helia’s heart, and then started to take more and more space. And then, Aelin got selfish. She took off, because she was scared of facing her love for Rowan. She’d hurt Helia, and the girl had been too good to be angry at Aelin. 

If she died tonight, Aelin would never get over it. 

Never. 

Two dead around her was a coincidence. 

Three was a pattern. 

If this was her fault… How was she supposed to keep on going? She couldn’t. This wasn’t fair. She hadn’t… She had never hurt someone on purpose, she’d always tried to please people. Was that… Was that how life repaid her? By snatching away everyone that she loved?

Her aunt, her sister, maybe her daughter. 

Who was next? Aedion? Rowan?  

She rather it be her. In that moment, those dark thoughts she’d always fought to keep at bay, to keep silent, they came back. And she knew, that even if a miracle happened tonight, these thoughts would keep eating at her slowly. Maybe they had never disappeared, maybe they carefully waited the right moment to come back. 

Ever since the night Rowan left in his car, leaving her in her parents’ parking lot, she had felt them come back. They’d somehow disappeared in the months prior. But she’d fought harder than ever, for Helia. But now that they are in once more… 

Maybe they’d never disappear. They would always come back. 

Just like ivies. 

She was thorn away from that train of thought, from falling deep into that well of self-hatred by the door opening. 

She supposed she and Rowan looked rough, if the look on Lorcan’s face was any indication. There was sadness in his eyes, obviously, but pity, too. If she hadn’t been so… lost, she might have huffed. Getting pitied by Lorcan Salvaterre. Great, her life was just getting better and better. 

“A nurse just came by,” he said, and Aelin was at the edge of her seat, waiting for the rest. “There was a complication, more bleeding than they expected. But she is stable.” 

And even if the pain didn’t ease, breathing became a little easier. “Thank you,” she nodded. 

Lorcan’s eyes stayed on Rowan for a few seconds, until Rowan gave his best friend a slight nod. Lorcan left, then. She looked at him, at the man who had meant everything to her just a few months ago, the one who might still do, and he looked absent. 

She understood more than anyone perhaps how he felt. The utter despair, the fear of being left alone. She urged to show him that he wasn’t, that even if everything turned to hell today, he wouldn’t be alone anymore. But it wasn’t her role anymore, was it? He’d moved on. But if she could help…

She stood and grabbed his phone on the small table in front of them, pocketing it. “I’ll get us some coffee, and something to eat.” 

He looked up then. “You don’t have to.”

She only shrugged, and opened the door to then close it behind her.

Rowan’s friends were all talking outside of the room, quieting the moment they saw her. Sam was there, basically with them but still withdrawn. She was surprised, if she was honest, that he was still there. “Hey,” she breathed, crossing her arms for more warmth.

Lorcan opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, she was wrapped in Fenrys’s arms. For a second, she stayed motionless. With carefulness, she slowly hugged her friend back. It didn’t have the same desperation as her embrace with Rowan had, but it felt nice. Good. 

“Thank you for calling me.” 

His eyes were red when he pulled back, and her stomach dropped. She looked around and realized, it wasn’t just Rowan and Aelin. These men loved Helia, too. Everyone was worried.

“I’m glad you’re here.” 

Sam took a step in her direction, laying a hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay?” 

No, she wasn’t. She shrugged, giving him a barely-there smile. She turned to Rowan’s friends. “H-He said something about a car. Are the other people involved here as well?” 

They all threw a look at each other. “He didn’t say a word to us, you’re the first person he talked to,” Lorcan answered. “But from what I heard, only his car was found.”

Dread filled her veins, her heart. “They just left them there?” 

“Oh, Gods,” Vaughan breathed, grabbing his partner’s hand. 

Aelin’s shaky hand covered her mouth as she tried to regulate her breathing. She wanted to lose it, but she couldn’t. She’d done it already; she could do it now. She could be strong for Rowan. 

She nodded a few times before saying, “I need to call his, hum, their insurance. Fuck, Helia’s grandparents too and hum,” she through, her brain hurting. “Aedion too.” 

“Aelin,” Sam breathed. “You already asked me to call Aedion.” 

She frowned, “Did I?” 

“Yes,” he nodded. “When we got in the car, don’t you remember?” 

She shook her head, passing a hand through her hair. Was the floor shaking under her feet, or was it just her legs? She was hot all of a sudden, her cheeks and chest burning. 

“And I called him before that,” Fenrys added. “Just after I called you.” Right, it would make sense that Fenrys called Aedion. They had this… thing. How could she forget? 

Rowan’s phone was taken from her hands, and she looked up at Lorcan. “Get your ass back in that room, girl. You’re not making the calls thing time.”

“I-I need to, to help him. You don’t get it.” 

“I get it. You know I do,” he said. “What you don’t get is that you’re not alone anymore. You have a support system, you have us. You let us to everything, and you just wait for your daughter to get better, okay?” 

Tears burned her eyes, and she wiped them away as quickly as they appeared.

“Daughter?” Sam asked, surprised in his voice. 

Right. He didn’t know about Helia. She never knew how to explain that situation. Fenrys, always here to help her, answered: “It’s a long story.” She looked at him and hoped her eyes conveyed her thanks. She didn’t feel like explaining how her path crossed Helia’s. 

“Get back in there, Aelin,” Vaughan said. “Rest if you can.” 

“We’ll bring you two something to eat.” 

And Lorcan was right, she wasn’t alone anymore. Hesitantly, she nodded, allowing them to care for her. 

---

The light was shining through the window, warming up the skin of her arms as the sun’s light hit directly on it. She hadn’t slept at all, fear too present to even think about closing her eyes for an instant. She sat next to Rowan in silence for the whole night. 

Aedion had arrived last night, worried. Somehow, he’d known that saying anything would have no impact on the way she felt, so he stayed quiet. He sat beside her and held her hand, Fenrys sitting on his other side. The room had filled with Helia’s family, though her grandparents weren’t there as they were keeping an eye on Loren. She was sure that it was better for them to babysit a hyperactive boy instead of waiting at the hospital in silence, doing nothing and only awaiting disaster. Especially after they… After they lost their daughter. Lorcan kept them updated every hour, Elide there to hold his hand. 

Marion was there, too, as well as other nurses. The woman she’d nearly always known threw her a knowing look, as if entirely unsurprised to see her there. Maybe Elide had told her, or maybe she had known before. Her father had said that many people voiced their concern. As careful as they’d been, it had not been enough.

She was lost in her thoughts when she snapped back to reality as someone new entered the room. Her father. Her heart leapt out of her chest when she saw his tired face, a woman surgeon next to him. 

He’d been the one to perform surgery on Helia. That much she understood right away. 

As if in sync, she and Rowan stood at the same time, taking a step toward the two surgeons. Her father’s kind eyes were on her, but her own gaze must have been pleading enough that he didn’t address her first. The woman spoke first. “She’s alive.” 

Everyone in the room let out the longest breath they had, and Aelin wasn’t an exception. The relief, it was almost as hard to take as the worry. Or maybe she was just feeling physically weak. She held on Rowan’s uninjured arm to keep her upright as the woman went on. “I could repair the damage done to her lungs, and there shouldn’t be too serious consequences, though she will need regular checkup throughout her whole life now. But this is a brave little girl you have, Dr. Whitethorn.” 

Tears socked Aelin’s cheeks as she nodded. Yes, she was so, so brave. And she was going to be fine. Rowan seemed to realize the same thing as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pressing her against him. Helia was going to walk out of this hell of a place, and she would—

“She is brave,” her father said, though his voice… It didn’t sound right. “Her brain was more swollen than we anticipated, it was pressing hard against the bone. The whole area was flooded with blood. We could repair most of the damage done, but even know, her brain remains swollen. More swollen than it should be.” 

“W-What does that mean?” Aelin dared to ask. 

“That we don’t know how much damage we are looking at until she wakes up by herself, which could take time. Especially after such heavy trauma on her body.” 

“How long?” Rowan asked, though she suspected he already know. Maybe he needed someone to confirm was he dreaded to hear, or maybe he asked for her… But anyway, her discomfort didn’t only come from the way he squeezed her shoulder. 

“In the best-case scenario, hours, of course. But… More realistically, days. Maybe weeks. If she… If she even wakes up,” her father said, his voice slightly quivering. 

It was as if the floor fell under her feet. What did he mean by that? Would she never wake up? Would her little body grow older and taller, all without the sparkling soul inhabiting it? “I don’t believe it will happen,” her father said, and she didn’t understand how she ended seated on her chair, her father’s hands holding hers as Rowan still stood motionless. “But it’s a possibility I must warn you about, even if it’s impossibly slim. I promise, love, the past isn’t repeating itself.”

She knew it didn’t mean anything, that her father wasn’t God, and yet she breathed, “It always repeats itself, dad.” It felt different to tell him such a thing, no matter how true it was. She shook her head, her breathing quickening. She couldn’t stand to be there anymore, she couldn’t stand to wait for the next bad news. 

She tried to stand up, but her father pushed her back into her seat. She didn’t understand, there was almost no one else in the room. Only she, her father, Rowan and Aedion. Rowan was standing, still staring into the void, but this time Aedion was standing in front of him, hands of his shoulder, trying to speak to him but he was perhaps too gone to hear anything. Maybe she was too, because the buzzing noise in her ears faded as her father’s rough voice woke her up. “You are not running. You will stay, you’ll go into her room and take her hand. No. Running.” 

“You,” she breathed, a sob escaping her. “You ran.”

“And you’re not me,” he almost hissed. “Everyday of your life, you’ve shown that you are better than I could ever hope to be, baby. You carried this family, you always were so, so strong, Aelin. I ran because I’m weak. You’re not, and right now, I need you to strong again for little while. What I did to you wasn’t fair, life was not fair to you, but you have the power to make it fairer for that girl. For your girl. We can’t change the past, but you can forge your future.” 

Then, she voiced what scared her. What had been eating at her for months, for years even. Her voice quivered as she asked, “What if I’m not enough?” 

His face hardened, “Never say such a thing about yourself. You stepped up when you didn’t have to, you’re more than enough Aelin. Don’t overthink it, just let your love speak. Remember? There’s no such thing as loving too much.” 

She nodded, trying to breath in deep. Told to get a hold of herself. He was right, she’d already stepped up.

And Helia… When she woke up, because she would, she didn’t deserve to feel the way Aelin had years ago. No, when she will open her big, green eyes… Gods, Aelin was going to hold her so tight. 

And because she knew she could, Aelin gathered all her strength. She stood, and took the three steps needed to be at Rowan’s side. With no hesitancy, she wrapped her hand around Rowan’s, and he looked up at her. And maybe he saw something in her eyes, something that hadn’t been there before, because he squared his shoulders back. “Let’s go see her.”

---

She didn’t run, but she cried. It was crazy how she could still cry even after all these hours. When she saw Helia’s small body, bruised and that tube in her throat, helping her breathe, it’d been hard. But she tried to ignore it, she made attraction of all these things. What she focused on was who was under these tubes and bruises. Her beautiful Helia, and she couldn’t stand to see her on that bed too big for her all alone. It seemed as if Rowan had had the same thought. 

Without saying a word to each other, they both sat on chairs at opposite sides of the bed. They each grabbed one of Helia’s tiny hands, and they didn’t let go. 

Hours passed, and Aelin never said a word. When Aedion, Lorcan, her father or even Gavriel came, offering her and Rowan any sort of things, whether it was food, drinks, fresh clothes, they refused. She didn’t want to leave Helia’s side for a second. 

But when the sun started to set, fatigue became stronger than her will. Keeping her eyes open was a struggle, and when she looked at Rowan, be looked bad. Exhausted. But he didn’t look at as if he was going to fall asleep in the next second. 

His eyes shifted to hers, and his face softened slightly. “You can sleep, if you want.” 

She shook her head, “No, if she wak—”

“Then I’ll wake you up,” he assured her. 

She stayed silent for a few seconds and asked, “Are you sure?” 

He nodded. “Rest Aelin, you need it.” 

“So do you,” she said, her voice turning raspy. 

He shrugged, “You’ll do the same to me when you wake up.” 

She almost wanted to smile at that, she lowered her head so it rested on the side of Helia’s leg. “Deal,” she whispered, before she fell asleep in a breath. 

---

Maybe minutes, or maybe hours later, she felt something being deposed onto her back, covering her. She wasn’t exactly awake, but she felt an heard what happened around her. She also felt warmth spread through her, thanks to the additional weight on her back. She was almost falling back asleep when she heard someone ask, “Are you her boyfriend?”

Rowan. 

Rowan asked that, she was pretty sure. 

“Why would you think so?” Another man answered, his voice less familiar. 

There were a few seconds of silence until Rowan answered, “She’s wearing her date shoes, and you arrived together.”

“Her what?” 

He’d noticed that she always wore the same shoes whenever she was on a date. How had he noticed such a small detail? She felt as she was seen whole, and it nearly sent a shiver down her spine. But still, she didn’t move, her eyes not opening. 

“It does not matter,” Rowan answered, his voice slightly raspier than it usually is. Maybe it was because of the fatigue, it must be. “Even if you already treat her well, treat her better. She always deserves more.” 

Silence, and then, “What is between me and Aelin is none of your business.” 

Maybe the conversation kept on going, maybe she did hear a door close. But she would never know, falling back asleep as quickly as she did earlier.

••••••

@sheharahu // @morganofthewildfire // @thestoriesyoutell // @fromthelibraryofemilyj // @swankii-art-teacher // @itsforeverinnocent-blog // @becarefuloflove // @imnotsogoodatthis // @rowaelinismyotp // @a-court-of-milkandhoney // @feysand-loml // @elentiyawhitethorn // @live-the-fangirl-life // @story-scribbler // @loves-books // @fangirlprincess09 // @theysayitscrazy // @danibutterr // @endlessdaydream // @thegreyj // @gracie-rosee // @acreativelydifferentlove // @cretaceous-therapod // @louphantomdragon // @mis-lil-red // @backtobl4ck // @whoever-you-choose-to-love // @lemonade-coolattas // @mad-madeline-ace // @the-introverted-bibliophile // @leiawritesstories // @emilyoftheshadows // @anniesbookshelf // @rainbowcheetah512 // @astra-ad-mare // @story-scribbler // @superspiritfestival // @wordsafterhours // @rowaelinrambling // @black-daisy-water // @fireheart-violet // @livsdriverslicense // @charlizeed // @ladykreads // @mariamuses // @autumnbabylon // @justreadertings // @highqueenofelfhame // @earthtolinds // @bowdawn // @psychopath-at-heart // @ginnyweasley06 // @cookiemonsterwholovesbooks

[leorawright]

mercenaries discovering that their s/o learned the language of the home country of everyone on the team so they can communicate better plz

Of course

Mercs seeing their s/o learn every mercs language

Scout

For him you'd probably just have to learn Boston slang

But he's flattered anyway

In fact he's surprised you bothered yourself learning every language

He does find it admirable though but will not admit it impresses him

Soldier

Of course you want to communicate with the other mercs as well makes perfect sense

Soldier doesn't care about learning other languages but seeing you do it is admirable

Soldier will congratulation you and your dedication to your colleagues

Demoman

He's tried to learn some of the other languages before but it hasn't worked out

So when he learns you did he'll ask you to teach him

Demo is very impressed with how many languages you were able to learn so quickly

Pyro

They don't really have a language but you learning how to decipher their muffled voice surprises them

Only Engineer knew what they were saying

And figuring out you learned every other language as well solidifys their love for you they picked the most kind hearted person ever

Heavy

He's in shock for a second when you yell something in Russian at him on the battlefield and then turn and say something in German to Medic

He finds your dedication admirable and he's still struggling to learn English himself

He'd also be every grateful if you offered to teach him

Medic

Of course you would you're amazing

Medic is very proud that you went through the trouble to learn all these languages

Expect him to speak to you in German so you two can have a private conversation

(Most of it is flirting but you know)

Sniper

He's surprised by your feat

Almost no other merc has tried this hard to communicate better

But he's also wanted to learn the other languages as well so expect him to shyly ask you to teach him

Spy

You've put more effort than he ever has and to him that's admirable

He does like to flirt with you in french now

And you can always tell if a Spy is impersonating him because Spy only speak French to you so if Spy speaks English the other teams' Spy is impersonating your Spy

[avelera]

On Language in "Giving Sanctuary" - Behind the Scenes

I've been considering articulating these thoughts for a bit, but figured I might as well now. Language use is one of those things I think the writer worries about 10x more than any reader ever does, but I wanted to explain for my own sake why the way Hob, Dream and the other speaking characters of "Giving Sanctuary" communicate is for the most part entirely modern and largely out of step with the way people spoke in the 1680s. Because I have spent a great deal of time thinking about this and justifying it to the invisible reader in my head that's just as hung up on history as I am, which is a vanishingly smaller percentage of actual readers.

There are a few reasons for this:

1 ) The Sandman show does not have Hob and Dream speaking Middle English in 1389, so I feel pretty much at liberty to have them speak as modernly in "Giving Sanctuary" as they do in the actual source material. That really should be the end of the discussion but I have a few more thoughts. (Because of course I do.)

2 ) Historical fiction really is as fantastical rather than realistic (plus reliant on worldbuilding) as any fantasy or sci-fi story. Almost no one is ever doing a perfect recreation of a historical time period they didn't experience. We are always as writers worldbuilding to a certain extend when writing any experience, but in particular when writing other time periods. There is a constant tug-o-war between "Old-timey enough to evoke the sense of the time period presented" and "Not so accurately old-timey that modern audiences are completely disconnected from the story." I want to grant the pleasures of reading a story set in another time, while acknowledging that there's a reason that reading centuries old stories without any update or translation is hard and not always fun, and my story would be the same if I went for perfect accuracy.

Frankly, the vocabulary, morals, concerns, humor, and slang of a perfectly photo-realistic representation of the 1680s would be very nearly impenetrable, in my opinion, if it were represented accurately. We'd feel completely disconnected from the story or at most, have passing glimpses of relatability while wading through the language of a distant time period. I wanted the story to feel immediate, so I wanted to mostly use the language of today, the way the show does, and for probably the same reason.

3 ) I just don't want to do all that fucking research. Dear lord. Short of digging my way through Paradise Lost and a bunch of other literature from the time, there was no way I was going to be able to fluently represent the language of the 1600s and even if I did the language of literature still wouldn't be perfectly accurate. It would just be more "evoking" and a lot more of me stressing out for something most people wouldn't care about and that might actually make the story less enjoyable for a wide audience.

4 ) That said there were a few places where I tried to evoke that we're in a different time period, using some stock historical fiction tropes which are probably of dubious accuracy if I actually dug into 1600s literature. Things like dropping contractions, or throwing in the occasional archaism, formal language, or old-timey swear word.

In the name of perfect accuracy, may of these "old timey" things aren't accurate for the time either if one were to dig into the fact that say, Hob would probably be much more careful about using curse words that involve saying the Lord's name in vain, that sort of thing. But that was just one more thing I did not want to worry about, because it takes a lot of effort for very little return, in my opinion, and writing is hard enough as it is. These are the sort of concerns that keeps historical fiction writers from actually writing their story a lot of the time, because they go down the research rabbit hole and end up with a PhD but no historical fiction novel to speak of. (If this story was being written for publication, I'd probably still write this all the same way, then just go to a scholar of the time period and ask them to help me alter certain lines to be more accurate, but I'm not publishing this, so I won't lol.)

5 ) Now, as one last for-fun character note about the use of language, one might notice if they pay close attention that Hob's level of formality and modern language shifts in the fic. In my own mind, that has to do with his comfort levels. At the beginning of the story, he's much more formal, especially with Dream, and especially when he's nervous around Dream (in ch. 4 when talking about holding hands, he gets perhaps the most formal we ever see him because he is very nervous and starts talking too much and getting very archaic and loses track of his point as a result).

As the story has progressed, though, Hob has grown more comfortable around Dream and more comfortable speaking frankly with Dream. As a result, his language has grown much more modern, using contractions and a more casual tone.

6 ) As a final note, there is a conceit in the story that you, the reader, are not hearing things as they are actually being said. In theory if we were to time machine back to when the story is taking place, the way Dream and Hob talk would be very different. There is an idea inherent that the narrator is modernizing the language for the modern viewer. Everything that's being said is being accurately represented as far as spirit and tone, but the literal word choice has been altered for viewers like you :)

[natequarter]

⭐️!!!!!!

Ask game: Offer a director's commentary on a particular story.

before i get started, i just want to sneak in this beautiful line from the fic i'm about to talk about:

“God’s fish, what are you talking about?”

yep. real tudor expletive. it has a whimsical charm, if you ask me. anyway, down to business.

“Heywood?” John said. “Well, you know me: I—”

i like to sprinkle bits of history into my, well, historical fanfic. john isn't a real person (i made him up, he's humphrey's irritating and very calvinist best friend. he thinks sophie's going straight to hell), but the author referenced - john heywood - very much is! he was a catholic playwright who served every tudor monarch bar henry vii, seeing as he was literally twelve when he died. i think adding those references to real figures fleshes things out a bit. also, i like to allude to historical figures a lot without actually bringing them into the story, particularly the tudor monarchs who ruled over humphrey. it adds a real sense of the narrative being haunted by the spectre of elizabeth i and the gradual move towards anglicanism without me needing to accurately characterise real historical figures

“Sans fucking blague,” Sophie snapped, and he blinked at her.

“Did you just…?”

“Oui.”

this was funny, but also an opportunity to drop in the fact that sophie does know english perfectly well (she's about twenty-five here), she just refuses to speak it. nonetheless, humphrey kind of forces her hand into speaking bits of it, else he wouldn't be able to understand her at all - also a good mirror for the bone plot, where humphrey mixes english and rudimentary french to communicate with sophie. (just speak his language, oh my god)

He sat up. “You’re still here?”

He hadn’t meant for his voice to rise like that.

Sophie nodded. She was still holding his hand.

writing their canon relationship is so hard, not only because there's not much to go on, but also because... neither of them are, strictly speaking, the villains in this situation. they're just really mismatched. there's a fine line between making one of them a bit antagonistic and making one of them straight up cruel (sophie toes this line on a regular basis). it's rather difficult to humanise both of them at once, but, well, i tried

“Right,” he said. “It’s funny … I’d never have guessed that I’d end up here with you.”

“On est marié,” she said softly. She was looking at him in a funny way, as if she were searching for something; he wondered if she had found it.

He always worried that he was too easy to read.

i wrote this in what for me is a very barebones style, in an attempt to capture the raw sadness and honesty which i think permeates humphrey's life. they're alone, he's not trying to be so much more than he is here... but when so much of your life is a performance, it's hard to be honest! court politics is messy, complicated, and often cruel, and humphrey is a very genuine person. he struggles both with losing his identity in hiding himself and with being too open around someone who, frankly, he can't be open with

there's also, imo, a very genuine, if deeply buried, affection between the two of them. they're lonely! they're both so lonely! they're alone together in a viper's nest, and you never know who will bite. by this point they've known each other for over a decade, they live together, their lives are intertwined - it's hard not to have some kind of relationship. but at the same time... they can't just go to each other for comfort, but they are each other's anchor, after a fashion

“I could never leave you,” he said. “Not that I’ve tried,” he added hastily. “It’s strange, isn’t it? But—well—” Humphrey fumbled for words. “At the end of the day, it’s just you and me. I mean, sure, there’s other people who’ll stick around—but that’s their choice. You and me … like it or not, we’ll be together, in this world and the next.”

obligatory reference to sixteenth-century religion at the end there... anyway, it's not really there in canon, but in most of my fics with humphrey and sophie, even if there is no explicit romantic/sexual connection, there's usually some kind of ust thrown in there. we see that humphrey is very awkward around her in canon, he fumbles himself/his words/everything a lot, and accidentally comes off as flirting at one point. i kind of just built on that to leave an underlying tension of some kind between them. it's not love, it's not even really lust, but as i said, they're lonely, and in this fic, they take very brief comfort in each other. by shagging a lot. whilst drunk. that's one of my sadder headcanons for them - they had sex a few times over the years, not enough to really constitute a relationship, more a desperate cry for help human contact. in this particular one they were both drunk out of their minds and it's humiliating for both of them, but i do think there's a spark between them. if they chose to act on it, which for the most part they don't, they would be going at it a lot more (things escalate a lot). as it is, they're just alone together. misery loves company

“Vous croyez?” she said in earnest.

“Um,” he said.

In that hesitant moment, she kissed him.

like i say, Things Escalate. if humphrey's awkward around sophie, sophie is (this is entirely conjecture, frankly) the impulsive one. i.e. she's the one jumping his bones (heh), not the other way round. frankly, humphrey is aware of the power dynamic between them, and doesn't want to push it. sophie, on the other hand, is used to being the one who can't really exist freely because of her status as a french catholic, so she takes what she wants when she can. in this case, her husband!

He had only ever gone to bed with one other person—dear, sweet Jane: that had been three years ago now, and at any rate it had only lasted two months before he’d lost his nerve and asked her in the kindest way he could think of to leave. 

jane is also a bit of a ghost in my sixteenth-century ghosts fics. she was (briefly) humphrey's mistress, before the guilt got to him (it got to him very quickly, poor lad), and he broke it off. he really doesn't like the thought of betraying what little honour sophie has, because he actually has a conscience

She pulled away, momentarily, and said: “Then do you want this?”

Which was a question that didn’t need answering; he pulled her in for another kiss, deeper this time, and took pleasure in her soft moan against his mouth.

“Please,” she gasped as his hands wandered lower, down towards her chest, her eyes wide and wanting. “I—I need you.”

It would have been hot—it was hot—he was already hopelessly distracted and they’d barely gone anywhere—if not for the fact that it was the first and last time he had seen her give in and let herself rely on him.

this kinda sums it all up; sophie is rather isolated in england, and, having been married off at a very young age in a country where she couldn't speak the language, she doesn't trust easily. (unless, you know, they're catholics.) humphrey is aware of this, but he also only sees the distant and cold side of sophie for the most part, so he's inclined to be bitter about it... somewhere, in the back of his mind. he's not really thinking with his head at this point

Once he had been distracted by such a small feature it was not difficult to let himself admire the rest of her: that normally harsh, unsmiling mouth, softened by the innocence of sleep; those long, deft fingers, perhaps apt for creation in a world where she did not loathe tapestries; her eyelashes, her collarbone, her philtrum—that gentle dint in between a nose and a mouth which both went straight down.

She was beautiful, and he didn’t know a thing about her.

sophie hot. thank you for coming to my ted talk. humphrey is well aware of this, he just doesn't often have the opportunity to appreciate that or indeed her softer side, which she only really reveals to him in her most vulnerable moments (i.e. asleep or shagging him)

“We are never talking about this again,” he said. “Ever.”

“À propos de—?” She sat up, as he had, and looked around in bewilderment at the evidence of the careless attention they had paid each other: at the doublet tossed onto the floor with haste, at the tangled sheets around them, at the various bruises blossoming down from her neck, and said, “On ne le discute plus jamais.”

this is the equivalent of a one night stand except with your wife who kinda hates you and who you're going to have to see for the rest of your lives together. they both immediately come to the same conclusion (they don't actually remember all of it and they're both horribly hungover, as well), that this is hugely embarrassing and best forgotten. i thought that was quite funny: both their identical reaction and the classic drunken one night stand scenario except it!s tudor england and you're literally married and oh thank god we have ruffs to hide those love bites. also, it's a reference to another fic:

More curious still was that when she unfolded the letters, they were creased, as if they had been unfolded and then refolded over and over again, read and reread until the contents bore evidence of careful attention.

which is itself isabelle/thomas, so i'm sure there's marital and romantic parallels to be drawn there

“You ramble too much,” she muttered, and then lay back down again, hair fanning out like a halo for a particularly annoying saint—not that he could picture her ever martyring herself.

“Well, I’m sorry,” he retorted. “Next time, I’ll—”

anyway, there's the more typical side of their relationship (and more comic) coming through. also, another reference to christianity; specifically, sophie is framed as a saint, with the halo referencing catholic imagery - the kind that was destroyed in many english churches during the iconoclasms of edward vi's reign

He rolled his eyes, and set out in search of a jug of water.

and we return to the status quo! the middle of this a tragedy. the end of it is a bit of a sitcom, really. sophie is irritating, distant, and, above all, intentionally unhelpful. humphrey doesn't know how to talk to her and at this point can't be bothered. their relationship turns back to what it was. the brief change ultimately does not last. anyway that was way too long. whoops

There had been that incident after he accidentally shot an arrow through Sophie’s favourite tapestry (it was a long story, and to be fair to her, she only had one tapestry she liked, so really it should have been easy to avoid), when she’d yelled what had sounded like some rather nasty French words, and then stormed off and refused to so much as exist within ten feet of him for a month. The court gossip that had emerged from that debacle had been worse than usual.

it does have a (very long) sequel, and i think this particular anecdote is relevant to the above post, in which sitcom-esque reversion does not ensue and they actually have to face the consequences of their actions. it takes... a while

(link)

[password-door-lock]

Maybe

The (reader insert) mysme linguistics department AU that's been bouncing around in my head for months now; 3k words Rating: General Audiences

“Is there something wrong with that sentence?” Saeran asks, frantically scribbling in his notebook as he speaks. “It’s okay if you have the context, I guess,” you decide, “But without context, it just sounds weird to me.” “And what kind of context do you need?” Saeran seems to be a lot more direct with his questions than his brother has been, and he’s offering none of the same assurances about your general performance as a language consultant. Or: You agree to an interview about your native language. It's not at all what you expected.

This is literally just my niche daydream scenario of choice made as accessible as I could to those who aren't linguistics majors! The basic concept is that the twins are interviewing you about your native language for their research. I did include some English-specific stuff but I still tried to leave it fairly vague as far as what MC's native language is to make it slightly more immersive for as many people as possible. If anyone is interested I can definitely write more in this universe, possibly with some romance!

Read it on Ao3!

To be honest, you're a bit nervous about your upcoming interview. After all, you've never been interviewed for anything before— you were shocked that you even got a call back from the research team doing a study of your native language. You'd only applied for their study out of curiosity— how does one study a language via interview, anyway? After consulting with a few of your friends, you arrived at the conclusion that the researchers must want you to teach the language to them. That should be easy, right? You've been speaking it your whole life, and although Korean isn't your first language, clearly you've been able to learn it well enough to communicate your way through college and into a job here. How hard could it really be to mediate between the two?

Very hard, apparently. You're not sure how much you're supposed to have prepared, but you are coming into this interview with quite a bit of experience failing to explain basic concepts in your native language to a few of your friends. Hopefully, the researchers will know what they're doing— well, of course they will. Who are you kidding? They got approved to conduct a study, after all. That must mean that they have some sort of plan to go on, and you doubt that they would have selected you as a consultant if they didn't think you'd be able to help them. Nevertheless, you nervously adjust your button-down for the fifth time since getting off the train before opening the door to the room where the interview will be conducted.

You are greeted immediately by someone with the reddest hair you've ever seen. “MC, right?” He addresses you in your native tongue, and you blush, not having expected him to know anything right off the bat. If he's already conversational, what does he need you for? Maybe you’re supposed to help him teach somebody else.

“Hi,” you manage. “Yes. Hello.”

“Don't be shy,” he beckons for you to follow him into the room and leads you over to a table where another researcher— also with red hair— is waiting. The first guy is wearing yellow-and-black striped glasses with a matching yellow-and-black hoodie; the second sports a charcoal grey sweater over a pale blue dress shirt. You're not sure how you're going to tell them apart if you come back for a second interview— they've got to be identical twins. Although, you probably won't be coming back for a second interview, if they already speak the language you're supposed to be teaching them. Not that you have any clue how this works— maybe they need help developing language-instruction curriculum, or something along those lines. “I'm Saeyoung,” the one with the glasses pulls your chair back for you, “And this is Saeran. He'll be taking notes, if that's okay?”

“It's fine,” you assure them both. “Good to meet you.” 

“You mentioned on the form that you were okay with recording,” Saeran deadpans. He sounds like he's reciting from a mental script— you suppose there must be at least a few questions that they need to ask for legal reasons. “Is that still true?”

“Yes, of course,” you fidget nervously. He's certainly very intense, and this is not turning out to be what you expected at all. “Um... the form didn't explain what you would be doing?” 

“That's because our faculty advisor doesn't know,” Saeyoung grins, which instantly sets you more at ease. He seems like the type of person you could be friends with, in a non-interview setting, and it doesn’t hurt that he’s quite pretty. “And he made the fliers. All we want to do is ask you some questions about how you say things— and we might also check to see if our ideas about how we might say things are correct. Anything we ask you, just answer honestly. We’re looking for native speaker intuitions here, okay? But that’s just about everything we need from you.”

“Really? And will that help you learn?” You're still confused about how this works. Surely there are professional language teachers they can consult? They work at a university, after all.

“It may not help us with speaking, but it will absolutely help us with our research,” Saeyoung explains. “I wish I could tell you what I'm studying, but if I did, it might make you start to doubt your judgments. Just relax, and tell us whatever comes to your mind naturally. We'll take it from there.”

“Okay,” you nod. “Although, you already speak very well.”

“I've had a lot of practice,” Saeyoung assures you, “But you're a native speaker. You have intuitions that I'll never be able to access on my own.” 

Saeran snorts, but says nothing, and you can't help but agree with him— his twin is a bit intense, too, now that you think about it. “I mean, if you think it'll be helpful…” You trail off, unsure of how to go about this, but grateful that you don’t actually have to teach your native language to the researchers. Of course, knowing that much doesn’t help you to understand what kind of information they’re actually seeking, but Saeyoung and Saeran both seem to know what they’re doing.

“You'll do great,” Saeyoung assures you, “And even if you do a terrible job, you'll still get the cash prize at the end.”

You look to Saeran for clarification. He doesn’t seem like the type to mince words. “Compensation,” is his only explanation. “As noted on the form.”

“Oh, right.” You weren't even thinking about the compensation when you signed up, but the amount they’re offering will certainly go a long way if you attend multiple sessions.

“Alright,” Saeyoung grins. “Let's get started. I have a picture that I want you to describe, if that's okay.”

He slides a sheet of paper across the table to you. Someone has printed the Longcat meme onto it, and in full color, too. “Oh, it's Longcat,” you note.

“See ? People know Longcat,” Saeyoung addresses his brother in Korean. Based on his tone, you get the feeling that there was some heated debate involved in the image selection process. “I told you they would.”

“One person knows Longcat,” Saeran corrects him, “The last five didn't.”

You can't help but smile. “Am I really the only one?”

Saeyoung shakes his head mournfully. “People are so uncultured these days. It's a tragedy.”

Saeran rolls his eyes, before redirecting his attention to you. “How would you say ‘People know Longcat?'“

You get the feeling that he's asking you about your native language, since he already clearly knows how to say it in Korean. “Um...” you consider it, before offering a rough translation. Saeran seems to like it, as he begins vigorously scribbling on a notepad in front of him. “That's how you would, like... express the same idea? But did you mean word-for-word?”

“Never give us a word-for-word translation,” Saeran mumbles, shaking his head.

“He's just being dramatic,” Saeyoung assures you, “But please try to be as authentic as you can. If something is awkward to say or not how you would express whatever idea, just let us know, alright? We won't be mad. Now, would you mind pronouncing 'Longcat' again?”

Saeran rolls his eyes, but doesn’t interrupt as you repeat the word again. He has notes about that, too, which strikes you as odd— you wonder what he could possibly be writing to differentiate your version of 'Longcat' from his own. “Was that good?”

Saeyoung laughs. “If you're saying it naturally, then of course it's good.”

You blush. “Sorry. I'm just a little bit nervous... I've never done this before. I don’t want to mess up your research.” 

“Don't worry,” Saeyoung pats the Longcat picture as if it were a real cat, which, to his credit, gets a laugh out of you. “Just say whatever comes to mind about this picture. It'll help us, I promise.”

“Oh.” You look at the picture for a moment, not sure what you're supposed to say. “Well, it's Longcat, which is... like, a cat that is long?”

“What am I supposed to put for the free translation?” Saeran hisses in Korean.

Saeyoung shoots him a look that says 'shut up' in every language before turning back to you. “Don't mind him. Keep going.”

Considering you don't even know what a free translation is, Saeran’s comment isn’t hard to ignore. “Um, well, there's someone... holding the cat. Maybe that's to make it longer?”

Saeyoung nods, while Saeran continues taking frantic notes. You don't see how what you're saying is that interesting, but if it makes them happy, then you're glad to contribute— even if you are a bit confused. ”Sorry, and how would you say 'maybe they're holding the cat to make it longer?'“ It's giving you a headache to switch back and forth between languages so much, especially since you typically use only one at a time.

You translate his expression to your native language as best you can— the word order is different, of course, and you're not sure if Saeyoung wants you to phrase it as a question or as a statement. The most ‘correct’ way would probably be a statement, but you settle for translating the question to a question. That seems more accurate, even if it’s less grammatical. “But I don't know if that sentence is... like, correct .” Suddenly, you're very worried that you'll be teaching the twins how to speak incorrectly. Then, an even scarier idea pops into your mind: since they're both already so advanced, they might be judging you, and—

Saeyoung laughs. “Of course it's correct.” He waves you off. “You're a native speaker.”

Your eyes widen. “I say things wrong all the time. Like, I say ‘like’—”

“A discourse marker,” Saeran mumbles, talking more to his notes than to you. It doesn't sound like a bad thing, but you're not quite sure.

Saeyoung shakes his head. “And I say ‘well.’ There's literally no difference.”

“Yes, there i—” You start to correct him, before you remember that he's an expert, and also paying you. Maybe it would be best for you to refrain from correcting him on any point— but, then again, he explicitly asked you to correct him if necessary. This linguistics thing seems very complicated. “Never mind.” 

“It's just part of the language.” Saeran shrugs. You get the feeling that if he's on board with ‘like,’ then it's probably fine, considering how grumpy he seems about everything else. 

“Exactly,” Saeyoung agrees, “We want to know as much as we can about how you actually speak, MC.”

The way he says it makes you blush. You know very well that the twins are really only interested in your speech for how it will help them with their research— but, still, they’re both such intense and passionate people, and to have all of that attention trained on you… well, you can’t really beat yourself up about the heat that’s rising to your cheeks, can you? And, anyway, you’re here to help them with their research, not to beat yourself up— you’d better start participating properly. You examine the Longcat photo once again. “Do you want me to just keep describing it?” 

“If you want,” Saeyoung replies, “Otherwise, I have other ways of extracting information.” He wiggles his fingers menacingly, earning a giggle from you and a light shove from Saeran. It doesn’t look like it hurt very much, but Saeyoung rubs his side where his brother’s elbow made contact. “Okay, I get it! Hey, MC— how would you say, ‘Maybe he pushed me to make me shut up?’” 

You glance hesitantly in Saeran’s direction, and he raises his eyebrows in a gesture of invitation that you might classify as playful, considering his typical affect. “It’s a good question,” he concedes with a slight smirk. 

Oh. Alright then. Nothing to see here— just two beautiful twins interrogating you about your native language, as if you could be expected to throw together any combination of words while they’re both looking at you so expectantly. You offer a vague translation. “At least, that’s how I would say it. I know there’s other ways.” You then list a few alternative expressions which have the same general meaning. 

“Okay,” Saeyoung glances at his laptop, which, presumably, contains notes for how he wants to conduct the remainder of this session. “What if I knew for a fact that he pushed me to make me shut up?” 

You consider this. “Um… I guess it would be like, ‘He pushed me to make me shut up.’ But now that I think about it, Saeran didn’t really, uh, push you. He elbowed you, so ‘He elbowed me to make me shut up,’ would be better.”

“Okay,” Saeyoung says again, “So, then, do you think ‘Maybe he elbowed me to make me shut up,’ would be better, too?” 

“Yeah, but ‘pushed’ is still okay,” you explain, though you’re sure he already knows that it’s a permissible word. “I just think it’s wrong in context.”  

Saeran regards you with brilliant green eyes. “Back to the cat,” he taps on the photo with the clicker at the end of his pen, “Could I say, ‘They’re holding it to make the cat longer?’” 

You wince. “Uh… I don’t know.” You really do have to think about it for a moment— surprisingly, it’s not easy to determine right away whether a sentence is appropriate. In all honesty, something about it feels off, but you don’t know how to explain what the problem is. “I think so.” 

“Is there something wrong with that sentence?” Saeran asks, frantically scribbling in his notebook as he speaks. 

“It’s okay if you have the context, I guess,” you decide, “But without context, it just sounds weird to me.” 

“And what kind of context do you need?” Saeran seems to be a lot more direct with his questions than his brother has been, and he’s offering none of the same assurances about your general performance as a language consultant. 

You bite your lip as you consider the inquiry. “I think just the picture of the cat would be enough? But even that is a little weird. I think ‘They’re holding the cat to make it longer’ would be better. Did I say it the other way around before?” 

“What if I said, ‘Maybe they’re holding it to make the cat longer?’” Saeran asks, neither relenting nor answering your question. 

“I don’t know,” you admit, “That does sound a lot better for some reason, but I still don’t like it.” 

“Hm.” You’re not sure if that’s a positive sound, and Saeran seems too occupied with his notes to elaborate further. 

“That’s alright,” Saeyoung assures you, redirecting your attention back to the picture. He’s standing beside you now, so that he can reach over and point at the image without having to lean across the table. “Why don’t you just tell us more about what you think is going on in this picture?” 

“Do you want more ‘maybe’ sentences?” You ask. There seems to be a trend forming here, and you want to be as helpful as you can.

Saeyoung grins. “You’re a sharp one,” he observes. “Yes, we want more ‘maybe’ sentences, please.” 

You chew thoughtfully on your bottom lip as you consider this new request. “Well,” you study the picture in front of you, paying special attention to the wrist of the person holding onto Longcat, “Maybe that watch is a Rolex?” 

That gets both twins smiling. Maybe this language consultant gig won’t be so difficult after all. 

The hour dedicated to your interview goes by surprisingly quickly; it feels as though it’s over before it’s even begun. The twins seem very interested in your guesses and conjectures about the Longcat photo, though you still have no idea what they could possibly be planning to use this data for. “Is there anything else you need from me?” You ask, just after the timer goes off. Saeran, it seems, anticipated that he and Saeyoung would get too wrapped up in the interviewing process to end it promptly without the aid of an alarm— you can respect that, you decide. You were pretty wrapped up, too.

“No,” Saeran assures you with something almost like a smile.

You might be persuaded, were it not for Saeyoung's simultaneous declaration of, “Oh, yeah, but we can save that for the next session.”

“If you want me to stay, I can stay,” you offer, “I've been having fun with this ‘maybe’ business.” You don’t know any of the technical terms, but you get the feeling that the twins are approaching some sort of breakthrough. Even Saeran was fairly animated during the final segment of the elicitation. 

“We have to meet with our faculty advisor,” Saeran explains, perhaps a bit regretfully. “But you can come back next Wednesday, if you'd like.”

“We can also do phone or video interviews,” Saeyoung elaborates. Sometime during the interview, he took to sitting on the table beside you, which you don't suppose is very professional— then again, he did also show you photos of Longcat. Maybe professionalism works differently in his field than it does in yours. “If that's easier for you.”

“I'll come back,” you assure them with a smile, “But I'm bringing snacks next time.” You don’t like the thought of the twins rushing around campus, working for free on this project of theirs before hurrying to a meeting with some professor. They should at least get some refreshments in between, right? 

“Bring something sweet,” Saeran orders.

“Please,” Saeyoung adds on his brother’s behalf with a sheepish smile.

As you leave the classroom that they've taken over for their research, you can't help but wonder what you’ve gotten yourself into. 

[dates-with-the-void]

Dating the Void Gals

I wasn't expecting to post the gals today, but I did so here we are! Bel'Veth was a big wing for me, since she was more recent in comparison to the other Voidborns. So I had to read her wiki to get an idea exactly how she's like to throw some headcanons out there. Enjoy~

—

Rek'Sai

You are perhaps the first person to exist to be fluent in Growls. Because that's a requirement in order to date her.

It's also a requirement you want to be a step-parent to her children, and said children have to like you. She was a mother first and foremost before a romantic partner, her children take priority.

At first it was a simple fancy for her, the legends about a massive beast underneath the sands, devouring anyone who crossed its territory was exciting and you wanted to uncover it.

Guaranteed your soul left your body several dozen times when she surfaced and chased you down.

It took you practically begging that you weren't going to hurt her and you weren't a threat, for her to settle down.

She's far more intelligent than most give her credit for, just because she doesn't speak any languages from the region. She understands English and Shuriman very well, just that if she did actually want to speak the language- she lacks the vocal cords to do it.

Just because she understands the languages, doesn't mean she can read or write. But you could teach her braille so she could communicate that way as well if you physically can't translate a word she said.

It took her a while before she trusted you around her children. Its easier to fake no harm to someone ten times your size, then to someone smaller and squishier than you.

When she did trust you around her children, it was then she basically fell hard for you. The children liked you, and you liked them. Doting on them like any parent would, all while being gentle with them, strict when needed to be (like when they tried to eat your arm, you kinda had to try and tell them no while prying them off without accidentally hurting them.)

*Series of growls* "Rek'Sai that's not how marriage wor- and I'm kidnapped now, okay."

She adores you, and she makes it obvious. So much so, you're certain no one would believe you the Void Burrower is an affectionate and loving worm.

—

Bel'Veth

Respectfully, she is the "man" of the relationship and it is a blessing to be accepted into her life, rather than the other way around.

She radiates every toxic red flag you could imagine in a relationship, except the only real red flag she has is wanting to change the world into her own image- and overthrow her 'parents'.

She won't ever lie to you, in some cases you might wish she had but she never will. She will be upfront and brutally honest with you, to a fault. But that's because she has no use for lies or manipulation when its obvious you're going to be her mate- whether you know it or not.

It's mainly the accumulative human DNA she absorbed during her creation that caused her attraction towards you, and she knows it. But she's not opposed to having a significant other to share in the birth of her new world order.

It's both a benefit and self-indulgence, to see how she can mold the inhabitants into her image, and to satisfy her desire for a partner.

She wouldn't change much on you, in fact she is willing to compromise on how much you're willing to change for her. Because she wants you, not your body. If the changes do end up changing who you are, depending on how severe. She will end your body's existence in respect for you.

But that wouldn't happen because she's confident she will succeed in keeping your personality throughout your metamorphosis.

If it wasn't obvious enough, she was the one to go out of her way to pick you because she had seen you, and after she's studied you she's deemed you the perfect partner for her.

Only deal-breaker for her is if you flat out fight against her in her mission, but you won't :)

[tigresslanzhu]

It’s Your Character That Counts: Buster Moon

Yeeeeeeah, things aren’t looking that great for Buster, but we all expected that.

We all know that Buster absolutely sucks here. The guy kept up the facade of the $100,000 prize money in the first film (although in his defense, the extra zeroes were an accident), he kept promising previous stage crew employees that there’d be payed, but because of financial constraints, couldn’t do so and COME ON! He was willing to steal electricity and water, all for the sake of keeping his theater afloat!

And don’t get me started on the second film. He stole equipment to break in to the Crystal auditions, promised a major celebrity would perform in the newly pitched space opera and of course, continued to lie about it, even when he got caught. To be honest though, he did try to find Clay Calloway and was confident that he’d get him to agree to perform after 15 years of solitude.

I can’t really say anything for the future of Buster Moon, as we’re not getting any solid information on a well deserved Sing follow-up, but I think we all know that Buster is going to lie to get his way again all to get ahead!

Well… he’s getting there in regards to respect.

You can see that during his open auditions he let anyone who wanted to perform, and at least unlike Jimmy Crystal, he let them all finish before making a proper verdict. That doesn’t stop him from axing some good performers for ridiculous reasons, (nervous flatulence, being too tall to communicate, etc.) And even with the acts he wanted to keep, he still belittled most of them in some way. “A soulful guy like you tenderly playing the keys” to Johnny, him rolling his r’s when addressing Rosita the first time (DUDE, just because someone is named Rosita, it doesn’t automatically mean they are Hispanic) and don’t get me started on his “pop star princess” suggestions for Ash! Also we know that the real reason Buster didn’t want the red panda idols in his show was because he had never been taught about Japanese culture before so communication was almost impossible. It’s quite clear that he had ZERO tolerance for these performers who didn’t speak English.

The second film? Much better. He treats his cast much better, although he’s still not perfect. Buster notices that Meena isn’t very comfortable with Darius, but because he had won a bunch of awards, he still pushes her in the role. And do you call breaking into a reclusive rock star’s mansion respectful? No siree Bob! Even if it did help Clay in the long run, I’m sure there are more proper ways to get his attention. Maybe he could have tried to contact Clay’s lawyer? I dunno! 🤷🏻‍♀️

This is sort of conflicting… In regards to perseverance, Buster has got it down natch! In regards to doing what he should and setting reasonable goals? Uhhhhh… NO! The guy said he wanted to do a singing competition, but went about it the wrong way! Instead of selecting only six slots for his favorite acts, he should have charged for an audience to watch these performers and vote on who they wanted to move on!

It takes him a long time to realize the consequences of his actions, but to he honest, he does try and correct his mistakes on occasion. When Jimmy confronted Buster about him “firing” Porsha, he told him that it was a misunderstanding, as he wanted to give the lead role of Out Of at his World back to Rosita, not that the mogul listened, but the koala did try!

This one is a pinch higher than the last pillar, but only slightly. As mentioned before, Buster did give everyone a chance to audition for the Singing Competition and left no one behind. While that definitely helps him be a fair person, the theater owner is awful at one important aspect of fairness… BEING A GOOD LISTENER!

If you think long and hard, the main contribution of the conflicts in the first film were because Buster didn’t listen to his co-stars. No matter how many times Ash points out that she’s not going to wear pink or sing cheesy pop songs, hehe koala still expected her to do what he wanted. He didn’t seem to want to hear any of Johnny’s concerns and he clearly seemed to favor Mike a lot more than everyone else.

Okay, this one is pretty self explanatory and the fullest pillar of them all! All his decisions, good and bad are mostly because he cares! He cares about his theater, his dad’s efforts, his cast and crew… that doesn’t make it right, but Buster does want to do all he can to show that he’s a compassionate person!

Yeah, no!

I only have this a little higher than trustworthiness because after the first film, I think he got a little better at managing money and is better able to pay his dues when necessary. The guy still broke the law on several occasions in both films and even used Meena as an accomplice. Heck, by Sing 2, he makes everyone an accomplice! Once again. I should state that if another Sing movie happens, we can guarantee that he’s gonna disobey more laws and that he’s lucky he’s not dealing with a lifetime in prison!

[getallemeralds]

ok heck it uhhh stickmolus

(this is still one of my fav drawings for it. the guuuyyyys)

it is! a Henry Stickmin au! taking place in our Limoliverse setting, which is the catch-all name for.. several stories we haven't made any content of except character designs and incoherent tumblr posts. um. hm. WELL the part that matters is that everybody is aliens!

it's a very loose adaption of the whole series, except with the twist being that henry is jumping between routes willy-nilly and potentially even creating brand new ones as he goes thanks to breaking things in unexpected ways. you know how it is with spaghetti. also there's a lot of background worldbuilding that we are very bad at actually implementing

(also it has an askblog! @stickmolus is in a weird limbo state on account of the exhaustion and my difficulty to keep up an ongoing interactive project, but its fun to read and i still think about picking it back up. i want to so bad. i am my own worst enemy)

quick hits:

Henry is.. something! nobody knows what his species is, including himself. he just straight up spawned one day and immediately began doing crime. this immediately got the attention of the CCC, especially once he started pulling out every power and item out of his back pocket and launching between timelines at random.

everyone's response to him is some form of panic on account of him being an Unauthorized Fucking Thing. speaks english but also writes in minecraft galactic and can make nether portal noises. he's not mute but there's a pretty big language barrier he's trying to work around and when he is able to talk to people he's pretty sparse with words. his head is weirdly shaped and i admire max's ability to actually Make A Whole Ass Sculpture Of This Guy oh my god i just looked over at my shelf and got emotional

i did animation memes with all 3 of triple threat and henry's is RENARD!

Charles is a pilot for the Limolian military and is certified in both air and space travel! good for him. he's a limolus, which is kinda the "mascot species" for the setting seeing as its. named after them. they've got your basic run-of-the-mill psychic powers tropes and are heavily inspired by Giegue from the Mother series! i could talk about them for a very long time. LET'S TALK ABOUT CHARLES.

charles was stationed on earth for a while and as a result is considered kinda Weird because he picked up a lot of earth culture stuff. he's fluent in both english and lilio so he's henry's translator, although his translation is pretty loose and skips details and basically he is not reliable no matter how hard he tries. i love him

his animation meme is BAM BAM! and it was really really fun to make. i love drawing charles i love thinking abt charles he is My Boy

ELLIE oh my god this drawing doesnt have her tattoos. what the hell. ellie is ALSO a limolus! they can be colours besides red its just that ellie and charles are both red. anyway. she's very good at telekinesis because canon ellie already uses the force, so that's her solution to most problems. her relationship with henry is a bit rockier from the get-go due to a communication barrier on Several Levels, but theyre able to get along! ..in some routes. oops.

uhhhh she's actually got some pretty intense backstory that hasnt come up yet because Ellie Has Not Appeared On The Blog At All for the love of god why did i pick the order i did its gonna be FOREVER until we see ellie AUGH. but she got locked up in the wall for some Pretty Serious Crimes (like uh. treason?) and even in timelines where she joins up with charles there's some friction because of that.

her animation meme is Wolf in Frenzy which is probably the best one ive made so far ngl

Reginald's anatomy is terrible and i hate drawing him. also he's a musae, which are very long/tall and very venomous. the toppats overall are a ragtag group of people of various species and various backgrounds, in stark contrast to the govt which is like 90% limoli. also he's a pathetic noodle of a man but that doesn't stop him from being a tricky bastard

i didn't animate him but he shows up in RENARD for like 5 seconds if that counts

uuhhhh also i have a "#stickmolus au" tag. which is probably pretty incoherent. im tired

[an-angels-fury]

My thoughts on 'Frankenstein'

DISCLAIMER: Please, forgive me for any kind of grammar mistake. English isn't my native language and this post turned out too long.

Hey guys, how you're doing?! 😄👋

So, I finished Mary Shelley's Frankenstein 3 days ago and well... what can I say... I love it 😍

After my reading, I wasted most of my time reflecting about this so horrifying but touching story, the main themes aborded through the plot, the complexity of the characters and their relationships and the way the development of all those topics moved me and spoke to my heart.

My intention with this post is to talk about some of my feelings towards the story and the lessons I took from it, but don't expect any kind of 'in deep analysis' come from me - honestly most of my thoughts were already beautifully articulated by other people who are already familiar with the book longer than I am - as much as I wanted to be capable of doing it myself.

But, anyway, right to the point:

It really got my attention the poetic and detailed way Mary Shelley describes the nature and the characters' reactions when they find themselves in contact with it. After a little reserch of mine, I saw the book was publicated for the first time in 1818, during the literary school of Romantism, which had as one of its main characteristics the adoration and appreciation of nature, which explains a lot.

This element is not only very present but also very meaningful, especially for Victor Frankenstein's character, who already as a child, demonstrated a great fascination for the mysteries and secrets of creation and was desperated to understand this cycle and its mechanisms, explore its origins and consequenses (the main reason he chose to study natural philosophy in college) to the point he naivily and arrongantly tries to break the natural bounderies between life and death, paying a terrible price in the end for giving in to his delusions of grandeur and trying to play the role of God.

Also, as much as I wish to slap Victor pretty hard in the face, I admit I couldn't help but still pity him to some extent. Seeing him losing all his loved ones (who also deeply loved him in return), innocent people, in such a brutal and violent way because of his irresponsability and how the guilt, the graudal lost of sanity and the growing thrist for revenge makes him reach the miserable state in which we find him for the first time at the beginning of the book truly made feel for him in some moments. (P.S.: Henry Clerval, Justine, William and Elizabeth deserved better...)

But still, even though Frankenstein recognize his fault for his actions and realized he made a terrible mistake, it frustrated me how he never understood where he truly failed, where his real fault lies upon. Even in the end of his life, he never realized that his mistake wasn't to make the Creature and give him life. His mistake was to reject the Creature because of his appearence (and for being too scared to assume the responsibility of raising and teaching him), to be uncapable of seeing the humanity within him and leaving him all by himself, feeling absolutely no weight in the conscience, to survive in a cruel and prejudiced world that would only receive him with the same fear, hate and disgust in its eyes just as his creator did.

THE. CREATURE. HAS. MY. WHOLE. HEART ❤️. Honestly, the chapters where he tells his story to Frankenstein and his last appearence at the end of the story are just my favorite parts of the book. His whole journey, since the moment Victor rejected him to the moment they meet each other again in the mountains, is terrifying, touching and heartbreaking.

Mary Shelley does a brilliant job at showing us the humanity in the Creature. We see him struggling to survive. We see him learning how to read and speak and communicate all by himself. We see him discovering what fire is and what it can be used for. We see him living close to a family and, after weeks of watching their routine, being melted by their kindness, their companionship and all the love they share between them, longing intensely for someone to embrace, accept and love him too. We see him trying to help others and thinking about a careful way to introduce himself, but not doing it for being too afraid of being ostracized again. We see him trying to prove he has nothing but purely good and sincere intentions with other humans and wanting to show himself as someone worthy of love only to be rejected and hurt again and again because of his hideous appearence. Through each line from each page, I felt his happiness, his sorrow, his loneliness and misery, and his anger when treated with injustice. I was fascinated by his inteligence and curiousity and his deep desire for more knowledge about the world. I related to his incredible ability to demonstrate empathy and his search for a place (or someone) to belong to.

Yes, I know that at some point, the Creature starts to nurture a burning hate for the humanity, becomes a murder and starts to kill all the ones who are close to Victor as a form of revenge, to make his creator's life as lonely and miserable as his own, since he brought him to the world, even when the Creature never asked to be born, and then refused to give him the company and acceptance he always desperately craved to. No, nothing justify killing people (except in extreme situations, like self defense or to defend others), specially innocent and vulnerable people who never did anything to you. But, just as the Creature asked, he alone should be considered a criminal when all the mankind sinned against him? Of course, we can't generalize that all people in the world are evil but, when you stop for a second to think and put yourself in the character's shoes, it's so easier to understand his point of view. It could be summerized like:

"Oh, if the world hates me so much and only see me as a monster and everything I do to prove otherwise is meaningless in its eyes, what's the point of keep trying to be good? It's better to quickly assume the personality that others forced upon me and simply act accordingly. You're all uncapable of seeing in me anything but a monster, so from now on, I'll become the monster you fear so much. Only this time you'll have a real reason to be afraid of me..."

Monsters are not born monsters, they are created from the moment you treat them as such. They don't know any other way to act because people have never offered them a chance or opportunity where they could demonstrate the capacity to love and be good that they have within them. Why is the monster more deserving of the punishment than those who made him/her this way (those who mistreated, abused and disowned him/her simply for being different)? Are these people really less "monstrous" than the monster itself? What truly means to be a monster? It's a fact that humans are naturally programmed to fear and distrust what they don't understand or can't explain. It's the way we find to survive, to protect ourselves from the unknown. Maybe we shun the monster because we are too afraid of looking at the monster's eyes and seeing the reflection of our own souls - our feelings of pain, sorrow, loneliness and suffering - in it. We are too afraid of finding ourselves relating to the monster and see that it also lives in us - or even that there's actually humanity in the monster's soul as well. We are too afraid of realizing that maybe we are the true monsters after all (or, at least, that we all have the potential of becoming one). 🤔

As someone who absolutely loves The Phantom of the Opera, I couldn't help myself but think of Erik everytime I read the book parts narrated by the Creature. Both were rejected by their parental figures and by everyone else who crossed their paths in life because of their physical appearences, turning into very lonely and miserable individuals who were seen as nothing but monsters in the eyes of the mankind (and their own) and wished to be loved and accepted for who they were. Even though these characters were outstanding men with extraordinary gifts and abilities and had in their hearts the deep desire of being good, nothing they tried to do was enough to prove the existence of their humanity. Because of that, they saw no way out but embrace the monstrous persona, created from their suffering and horrible life experieces, as a form of rebellion and self-defense against their tormentors and humanity in general. I really love to imagine that Erik would see a lot of himself in the Creature if he read the book 🥹.

In this moment, I'm searching for book adaptations to watch. For now, I've only watched the classic movie from 1931 and... I have to admit that I got disappointed. Except for Boris Karloff's amazing performance as the Creature, the movie itself didn't impress me so much. I mean, don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed the experience of watching it and I can see why it's such a horror icon from cinema history. But I'd rather find other versions that didn't downplay the complexity of the novel like this movie did. If somebody has any recommendations, just tell me please 👍

Well, that's it! I truly hope some of you enjoyed this post 😘✌️

Thanks for your attention

☝️

(I didn't watch this version yet, but I'm in SO in love with the the Creature's characterization in this one. HE'S SO LOVELY 😍)

[englishhighbrowss]

English Language Myths: Let's Set the Record Straight

by Kim Jushua Irinco

Despite the fact that English has been the most studied language in the world, there are still many, including me, who are confused and unsure about it. The English language is also considered to be the most significant language in the world for a number of reasons. These includes

1. English is the language of business — Global businesses speak in English. English language is the most dominant language in business, and many international companies such as Samsung, Nokia, Microsoft, and Apple use English as a form of communication. Also, learning the English language makes you employable not only in the US or UK; it is also required in many countries where English is not the official language. Studies from Cambridge English stated that English is important for over 95% of employers.

2. English is the language of the world. Approximately, there are about 400 million native speakers of the English language, trailing only Mandarin and Spanish. The English language is considered the global lingua franca, so it serves as the common language people use to communicate. The English language is also used as a primary or secondary language in many companies, organizations, and business transactions.

3. English is the language of science and academia. The English language is the dominant language used in different research projects and in academia. Many different scientific research studies, publications, and books are written in English. It is very hard to find scientific research in different languages or dialects, such as Filipino; there is only plenty of research in the Filipino language. English proficiency is a key for those who are seeking knowledge. Despite the fact that English is one of the most important languages in history, there are still a lot of misconceptions about the language. There are still people like me who are confused about the different rules and concepts with regards to the English language. Even if you are a native speaker or it’s your second or third language, you are not immune to these different misconceptions. So, let’s try to list some of those misconceptions. Let us begin by busting the myths.

Common Misconceptions in English Language

1. “You are proficient in English if it's your first language”.

When English is your first language or you are native to a nation that mostly speaks it, you are confident and might assume that you know how to use and speak it well. You understand people who are speaking, and they can understand you as well. You even know how to read the language, but what if you tried writing an essay or a research paper? Only by  then will you realize that you really don’t know how to use and speak the English language. I know this because even though it is not my first language, I used to think that I knew how to speak and write English until I started to write essays and research papers. Even other graduates admit that they cannot write an advanced composition. The truth is that learning and mastering the English language is challenging because it is a language that has been constantly changing.

2. “You need a large vocabulary in order to speak English well.”

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, there are approximately 170,000 words in use today and an additional 47,000 out-of-date terminologies. Did you know anyone who knows every word in the English lexicon? If there is, may I meet him, her, or them? It certainly helps to have a large vocabulary to learn any language, but only knowing all the words might not significantly help you. Simple, yet meaningful words that you can use in everyday situations are all you need; fancy words are not necessary.

3. “Living in an English-speaking country is necessary for effective English language learning.”

This statement is simply erroneous. Yes, it will certainly help if you are in a country dominated by the English language because you are surrounded by people who speak it. However, even if you happen to live in a nation where English is not the primary language, it does not mean that you will not have the capacity to acquire and learn the language. There are many examples of this such as the English scholars here from the Philippines and in other countries. We have English teachers and students who are able to use it in their daily lives. So, if you truly want to learn, your surrounding cannot abate your capability of learning the language.

4. “There is only one correct pronunciation for English words.”

Some people believe that there is only one way to pronounce a word. But because the English language has been evolving, we are aware that the said statement is invalid. There are many examples of this word, like the word “aunt”. It has two pronunciations: "ant,” like the insect, and "ahnt,” which rhymes with want. Another example is the word almond, which has three pronunciations. First is "ALL-mund” — “L” is pronounced, and th “al” sounds like “all”. Second is "AH-mund" — “L” is not pronounced. The last one is "AW-mund” — L is not pronounced, and “a” sounds like aw.

5. “I’m too old to learn English or any other language."

It is unfortunate that many people give up on language learning because they're old. There is a saying: “You cannot teach an old dog new tricks!” But this is not true; yes, learning a language will be more difficult for you than for a child, because children still have a strong memory and can absorb information easily. Adults, on the other hand, possess motivation, experience, and knowledge that can aid in language learning. So, do not give up on learning a language or anything just because you are old, because when it comes to learning, there are no barriers.

6. “Learning how to speak English takes a long time.”

It actually depends on the student. When you are motivated and teachable, you will be able to manage it efficiently, quickly, and effectively. However, if you truly want to master the English language, it will take a long time. It may take several months or even years. Simply put, when learning any language, just have fun and fully immerse yourself. Only then will you become proficient in the language you are learning. Therefore, persevere. You can succeed!

7. “British English is the only ‘true’ English”.

It is a misconception to think that British English is the original form of the language persists throughout the world. In actuality, American English has managed to hold onto many of the traits that the British brought with them when they immigrated to the New World. The British lost some of these subtleties to the languages over time. Having so many "correct" versions of a language may not seem tidy and orderly, but that is the reality. All of these English translations are, of course, occasionally interchangeable. So, there is no “correct” English because the language changes depending on the location and situation.

References: 1. The Importance of English 2. 8 biggest misconceptions about the English language 3. 6 Misconceptions About Learning English 4. Number of Words in the English Language