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classiclanguageacademy · 8 months

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How simple is it to acquire German as an additional language?

Starting the journey of German learning can feel like stepping into unfamiliar territory. We’re ready to figure out its simplicity and probably timeline.”

What helps or makes it hard?

Your Language Background

“Your language roots act as the foundation for your German-learning trip. As an English speaker, you already have an advantage! Similarly, some aspects become simpler as a result of the similarity between English and German. Let’s look at how a person’s native language might influence their road to learning German and why it often advantages people who communicate mostly in English. Prepare to put your language skills to good use on your journey to German fluency!”

Staying Positive

“Introducing cheerfulness turns learning German into pure delight! Call it an exciting journey in which each new word introduces a previously unknown universe. Maintaining a positive attitude makes even the most challenging parts feel like interesting puzzles to solve. We’ll go into greater detail on how to maintain a positive attitude, which not only adds fun to your German learning journey but also improves memory retention. So prepare for some laughs and join right in to learn German with confidence!”

Learning Around You

“Transform your environment into a German-language place! Train yourself in the vocabulary. From identifying objects with their German names to using linguistic tools, creating an immersive environment turns every viewpoint into a learning opportunity.”

How German Works

Tricky Grammar? Not so much!

“German grammar should not scare you! We’re going to make things simple. We are going to break down the difficult components into understandable rules. Think about studying the German language like putting together a puzzle; we’ll do it together.”

Words, Words, Words

“Building your German vocabulary is similar to creating advantages! We’ll make the process easier by showing you how to collect phrases that help you express your ideas. Come, let us make education a word-filled trip! 🌟📚”

Talking the Talk

“It’s time to earn the German accent! In this section, we will share simple tips to help you speak like a true German expert. Prepare to be amazed by your improved pronouncing skills as you tackle complex clarifications and common mistakes.

For more information about Foreign languages, visit Classic Language Academy

How long does it take?

Realistic Expectations

“Let’s look at German learning with realistic expectations! Enjoying the tiny victories along the way is enjoyable, much like growing plants and acknowledging their growth. We’ll find out how steady growth can lead to significant language success! 🌱🎉”

Quality Practice is Key

“Rather than entering countless hours, it’s all about smart exercise. Understand how choosing high-quality training over excessive content is critical to learning German conversation skills. Let’s make each practice memorable!”

Challenges for Indian Learners

New Sounds and Letters

“Take care of the unique patterns and symbols of the German language culture. Our guidance will help you understand both the alphabet and speech sounds in German, transforming such new challenges into exciting learning opportunities.”

Understanding German Ways

“Find the unique and interesting elements that define German culture. Getting knowledge of the culture makes learning German much more interesting, providing a new dimension to your language journey.”

Tools to Make Learning Fun

Cool Language Apps

“Explore interesting language apps that turn German study into an enjoyable game. These apps make the task of learning new words and phrases seem effortless. Prepare for a one-of-a-kind, dynamic approach to learning German!”

Online Learning and Tutors

“Figure out the magic of learning German in a digital environment! Explore interesting courses and helpful instructors, highlighting how these online tools can bring learning German from basic to truly enjoyable. “Your language journey begins now!”

Tips for Success

Keep It Regular

The secret to success is consistency! Make German study a regular part of your day. Consistent practice, like nourishing a plant, will help you improve your knowledge of the German language over time. Let’s work together to develop the habit of continuous learning! 🌱💬

Practice Every Day

“Interesting tips for practicing your German language abilities daily and speaking in an accent. Perseverance is important! Make speaking German a regular habit. Whether speaking fundamental phrases or exploring new words, incremental learning over time leads to great progress. Prepare for a daily multilingual journey!”

Hear from Others

Success Stories

“Explore inspiring stories about people who learned the German language. Read how they overcame challenges and achieved fluency. The shared experiences indicate the possibility of learning German; it is a realistic action.”

Handling Challenges

Frustration? Let’s beat it!

“Build a skill to control frustration while maintaining a desire to study. Are you annoyed? Fear not, as we have strategies in place to solve this. Understand how to turn annoyance into impulses, making your German educational journey simpler and more fun. Are you prepared to keep going during difficult periods? “Let’s ride through it together!”

More Than Just Words

Cool Job Opportunities

“Becoming proficient in German can lead to great job chances. Companies value language abilities, and your proficiency in German could be the distinctive advantage that leads you to amazing professional opportunities. Use your newly acquired language abilities to explore exciting professional opportunities.”

Dive into German Culture

“Get into the world of German documentation, films, and music. It’s an exciting approach to transform learning about Germany into a fun experience! Exploring these facets of its culture will provide you with authentic experiences that will make your educational journey bright and meaningful.”

Your Learning Journey Wrap-Up

Your German Adventure

“Consider the transformation you’ve experienced through acquiring German while preparing for further linguistic endeavors. Embark on an expedition enriched with language revelations and cultural marvels. Navigate your way through a trove of German expressions, uncover unique phonetics, and immerse yourself in an experience where each session is an exhilarating component of your adventure into mastering this new tongue!”

Final Thoughts

“Embarking on the study of German is an expedition, not a sprint. Savor each phase and anticipate what’s yet to come! When you near the completion of your exploration of learning German, take note: it’s more than just mastering a language; it’s about embracing the thrill. Appreciate every incremental progress, revel in your expansion, and eagerly await the fascinating linguistic paths that lie ahead.”

#Learn German Language #German Language Learning #Foreign Language #German Language Course #German Language

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yokohamabeans · 2 years

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Hello Yoko, I hope you're well! I really enjoy your blog and thoughts. I have a few questions if you wouldn't mind, one translation-related and two for analysis/hc stuff. First: re the Tenjiku folks, do they have different/specific speech patterns each or do they all more or less talk the same? Second: Mocchi was said to come from Kawasaki in 227, does that give us any clue about his socio-eco bg? Last: Kakucho said Mucho taught him "how to be a real man", what are your thoughts on that?

ANON Thank you for your lovely words! AND I DO NOT MIND AT ALL! In fact, I got really excited by your questions! I have a soft spot for Tenjiku/Bonten/Rokuhara members so they're always a topic of interest for me.

Disclaimer / Warning: You may have overestimated my understanding of the Japanese language and knowledge of Japan ahaha... I am still a learner, so please take my attempts at translations with a big fistful of salt! This is also an open invitation to anyone fluent in Japanese to jump in and correct me if I've gotten anything wrong.

Alright, here goes!

On: Tenjiku Speech Patterns / Mocchi & Kawasaki / Kakucho’s Relationship with Mucho

1. Speech Patterns of Tenjiku Members

This one’s hard for me to answer because I don’t have a native grasp of the language, so I’m very likely missing out on a lot of nuances / slang in their speech patterns. So far, to me, it doesn’t seem like there are any particular differences in the way all members speak. They’re all speaking roughly and impolitely, the way anime boys are typically portrayed to speak hahaha. And even though Tenjiku is from Yokohama, they don’t seem to speak in an exaggerated ‘Yokohama accent’ where ‘jan (じゃん) is often used as a sentence-final particle. I guess this is because most Tenjiku members are said/implied to be from Tokyo, except Mocchi. Even so, Mocchi and the other Tenjiku mooks do not seem to have any distinctive speech style or Yokohama accent. Then again, accents can also come from the intonation as well which we can’t hear from manga. Maybe any linguistic differences may be more apparent in the anime? (Anyway, I don’t think Yokohama accent is as huge of a thing as other accents like Osaka-ben. I believe people who live in Yokohama mostly speak just like Tokyoites.)

TLDR: Tenjiku members don’t seem to have any distinctive speech patterns between each other (or even in comparison with the general rest of the cast). Then again, I could be wrong about this.

2. Mocchi & Kawasaki

Hmm, I'm afraid to say that we simply do not have enough information about Mocchi to conclude his socio-economic status.

Firstly, Kawasaki is a city, not a district like Roppongi, so the scope is entirely different. Because it is a city, there are varying levels of wealth across all sorts of wards and areas in Kawasaki, whereas Roppongi is a particularly affluent area in a city. Therefore, it's hard to decide if someone's rich/poor just by knowing they're from Kawasaki, but if someone tells you they’re from Roppongi, you can kinda assume they're rich.

That said, Kawasaki is generally considered to be cheaper to live in than Tokyo, or even Yokohama. And because of its convenient location and close proximity to Tokyo, it's a good option for people who work in Tokyo but cannot afford to live there. Kawasaki, especially its southern area, is industrialized and home to many factories since the post-war period. In the past, the city had more factories and somewhat had a reputation of being an industrial / 'blue-collar' area, so people had the impression of it being a rough place (i.e. home to more ruffians, less safe, less clean). However, this has changed in recent times with de-industrialization. It still has many factories, but it's also become more residential (especially in the northern areas) and contemporary, with many tourist spots like museums, so I don't think people still think of it as a 'rough' place. I’m just sharing what Kawasaki’s like in case you wanna make any guesses about Mocchi based on it! (Fun fact: I've been to Kawasaki for a quick stop at their famous arcade (Anata no Warehouse), and found the immediate area around the main station to be really chill! It had a suburban feel to it.)

Back to Mocchi; perhaps if Wakui-sensei had told us where in Kawasaki he is from, we could have more of a clue. BUT! In the manga, Mocchi is simply said to be from Kawasaki, though it did not specify if it's Kawasaki the city, or Kawasaki the ward in Kawasaki City. I guess common sense tells us he meant Kawasaki City, but IF we ASSUME that Mocchi is from Kawasaki the ward too, we can perhaps squeeze something out about his background? Kawasaki Ward is home to one of the largest ethnic Korean populations in Japan, with its own Koreatown. Perhaps, PERHAPS Mochi might have Korean blood in him, from this fact? Many Zainichi Koreans (permanent residents/citizens of Japan who are ethnically Korean) adopt Japanese-style names, so it's not impossible that Mocchi has this heritage even though his name is Japanese. Zainichi Koreans were historically discriminated in Japan and could only mainly take on 'undesirable' jobs (like construction or gambling), so socio-economically they were not high up on the list. Some Zainichi Koreans also turn to crime and criminal organizations, which could perhaps provide some context to Mocchi being a delinquent? I feel like I’m reaching for straws here though. Please let me emphasize that Mocchi being Korean is not my conclusion or personal HC. I am only LIGHTLY TOYING with the very vague idea that he might be, haha. It's better if you just disregard this whole spiel, really!

TLDR: We simply do not have enough information about Mocchi to conclude anything about his socio-economic background, or even his background at all haha. I'm sorry to disappoint, anon!!

3. Kakucho and Mucho

Oh it certainly does seem that Kakucho’s relationship with Mucho is one of his more positive and healthier ones!! That scene where Kakucho stopped Mucho from stabbing Angry/Takemichi with a knife in Chapter 164? It’s brief but quite revealing about their relationship. I know you’re only asking about one particular line, but I think there’s more to be said about the whole scene so I hope you won’t mind me rambling about it too! Let’s break it down:

Firstly—“You taught me to be a man among men.”

In Japanese, Kakucho says: 「アンタから漢を教わった」 the meaning of which is what’s conveyed in the translation, so I don’t have much else to add.

In case you were wondering: the word for ‘man’ used here, 漢 (otoko), is slang for ‘manly man’, someone who is tough, strong (both in terms of personality and physical power), courageous and honourable. Basically, the traditional image of masculinity. Kakucho by nature is an honourable person, even as a kid he thought it was wrong to gang up on others (Chap 165). Therefore, I’m sure that in Tenjiku, he would’ve gotten along best with Mucho, who also holds strong moral values of honour and is portrayed as the ‘elder brother’ type. Mocchi also seems to value honour in fights, so he’s another person who could be on friendlier terms with Kakucho, but Mocchi is comparatively more chaotic and battle-thirsty than Mucho haha. I personally think Kakucho didn’t interact or hang out with the Haitani’s or Shion as much because they seem to be sneakier and generally not so respectful in disposition, so Kakucho probably disagreed with their views. Also, Tenjiku!Kakucho seems to have a particularly strong ‘tough guy’ vibe in his appearance and dressing, so he could also have been influenced by Mucho in this aspect.

Secondly—“I don’t want you to be ruined by Tenjiku.”

In Japanese, Kakucho says 「アンタまで天竺に染まるな」, which honestly is kinda hard (for me) to convey the nuance in an English sentence that is grammatically correct, haha. Instinctively and immediately, this sentence strikes me as “Don’t be tainted by Tenjiku. Not you too.” I’m not saying this is how I’ll translate it, but more like the impression I got from the line.

The fan-translation is more or less correct I suppose, though I feel that ‘tainted’ is closer to the original than ‘ruined’. It also doesn’t highlight that Kakucho is saying 「アンタまで」, which means “even you”. This implies that to Kakucho, Mucho is the pinnacle ‘good guy’, who the corrupting influence of Tenjiku should not reach. This further implies that Kakucho views Mucho differently from the other Tenjiku members, which provides more evidence that after Izana, Mucho was most special to Kakucho within Tenjiku. (Lmao sorry Ran!)

Thirdly—Kakucho’s pronoun for Mucho

In English, the pronoun ‘You’ just means ‘You’, but in Japanese, there are several ways of saying the pronoun ‘You’, and it can show what the speaker feels towards the person they’re addressing.

As of Chap 247, Kakucho generally uses Omae (お前／オマエ) and Temee (テメエ), depending on who he’s talking to and his mood at the moment. (This is the same for the rest of the TR boys (and Senju), and is typically the norm for most male characters in animanga.) However, it is only with Mucho that he uses Anta (アンタ). They’re all rude ways of saying ‘You’, but this is how they differ:

Omae (お前／オマエ) - This pronoun is generally considered to be very informal and rude, though it’s used by boys and men for people they know who won’t mind it, like close friends or spouses/partners. I’ve also heard it used by superiors to subordinates in workplaces. Kakucho uses this with Izana and Takemichi, or when he’s in a neutral / positive mood.

Temee (テメエ) - This pronoun is considered to be derogatory and more vulgar than Omae, so please don’t use it with anyone you know haha. It feels like a word a guy will use on someone he wants to beat the crap out of. Kakucho uses this when he’s mad / hostile, such as with Takemichi (when he was being spiteful about Takemichi not understanding his bond with Izana), Takeomi and Mikey.

Anta (アンタ) - Out of the three, Anta is the least rude. Boys and men also use it with people they’re close with, and I feel that it’s more acceptable to use it with elders you’re close with (like parents) as opposed to Omae. Women sometimes use this too with their husbands, though it may come off as more admonishing. It’s generally still very informal though, and if you use it on a stranger you’ll sound like you’re picking a fight. Nonetheless, between the three, Anta is the most ‘respectful’. Kakucho has only used this for Mucho (not even Izana), so it further insinuates that Mochi had Kakucho’s respect. (Kakucho hasn’t been shown to use the ‘you’ pronoun on other Tenjiku members yet btw.)

You hear second-person pronouns in animanga like Omae / Kimi (君) a lot, but in real life, Japanese people tend to avoid using it and prefer to simply refer to the other party by name. Even the neutral / formal Anata (あなた / 貴方) should be used as little as possible when speaking to someone. This link here explains the differences in the ‘You’ pronouns used in animanga really well, if you want a deeper understanding!

Bonus: I noticed that Ran referred to Hakkai as Otaku (おたく) when they were starting their fight in Chap 156. Otaku (おたく/お宅) is an old, respectful way of saying ‘You’, but Ran used it playfully (Ran uses Omae for other people). And yes, Otaku also has the entirely different meaning of a person who has obsessive interests haha.

Lastly - Mucho’s Relationship with Kakucho

Again, the only interaction shown between them is when Kakucho stopped Mucho’s knife. In the fan-translation, Mucho says “Get out, you shit” but in Japanese, he says 「どけクソガキ」, which translates better to “Out of my way, damn brat”. To me, Mucho calling Kakucho a brat highlights the age difference between them. Knowing Mucho and his inclination to be the ‘big brother’ type, he probably saw Kakucho as another youngling he could take under his wing, or at least be a role model to, like Sanzu.

We don’t know exactly when Kakucho was introduced to the S-62, but based on the S-62′s jail term and ages, I’d say that Kakucho met them when he was 13-14, and probably only had a year or two with them before the Kantou Incident. So it’s not like Mucho was there to guide Kakucho through his formative years like Izana, but I think because of how ‘manly’ and ‘big-brotherly’ Mucho was, and how Mucho at his core was a good guy, Kakucho looked up to him the most and was most definitely influenced by him in some way.

In addition, Mucho was one of the most shocked people around when Kakucho stood up to Izana. Attention was specially given to his thoughts about it: 「誰より忠誠心の強い、あの鶴蝶?!」/ “The one whose loyalty is strongest [to Izana], that Kakucho?!” I’m sure it’s very clear to every Tenjiku member how loyal Kakucho is to Izana, but from how Mucho found it so incredulous, it kinda implies that Mucho knows Kakucho’s feelings on a deeper level than other Tenjiku members, perhaps?

TLDR: After Izana, Mucho was closest to Kakucho in Tenjiku, and Kakucho looked up to Mucho a lot.

And so, here you have it! I think I ended up being... not so helpful in answering your questions about Tenjiku speech styles and Mocchi, but I had lots to say about KakuMucho hahahaha. IT WAS SO FUN ANSWERING THIS ANON!! THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTIONS!!! If you have any more, I’d love to answer them! Especially if it’s about Kakucho hehehe

I hope you have a good day/night!!

#anon #asks #TR Braindumps #Kakucho #Tenjiku #Mochizuki Kanji #Mutou Yasuhiro #Mucho #Haitani Ran #TR Guesstimates #TR Headcanons #my translation

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deborahdeshoftim5779 · 3 years

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Merlin & Arthur’s friendship: clichés versus reality (Part III)

Following on from Merlin & Arthur’s friendship: clichés versus reality Part I and Part II, here’s Part III.

CLAIM 5 #: Merlin thinks fighting is meaningless violence

Merlin certainly claimed it-- but his actions told a different story.

It took me a long time to understand that Merlin was in fact very similar to Arthur. This realisation came while rewatching episodes 5x03 and 5x04 in particular; in the latter episode, Merlin admitted to Arthur that if someone had murdered his father, he would probably have sought vengeance. Yet we know that Merlin hated vengeance, and that he had physically intervened to stop Arthur from yielding to said vengeance.

This led me to see how Arthur and Merlin’s friendship became a coping mechanism to deal with the loss of their respective family (literally and figuratively).

One key way that Merlin is similar to Arthur is that he, too, pretends not to like something in public, while his actions speak differently.

Hence why Merlin loved claiming that fighting was pointless, that it was just “sweaty men knocking the sense out of each other” (episode 4x09), and appeared not to enjoy training sessions. Episode 1x02 had a hilarious and undoubtedly genuine example of Merlin abhorring the art of war, as he struggled to hold his weaponry, tripped, tumbled, and probably ended up with tinnitus! “D’you you hear clanging?”

I used to think this change occurred much later, but episode 1x02 showed Merlin eagerly watching the tournament just one day after he complained about having to learn more fighting techniques and about being Arthur’s servant.

Also, after being pilloried for being clumsy with Arthur’s armour, the first thing Merlin did was to seek Gwen’s assistance. Look how proud he was later, when he put everything on correctly. “That was much better,” Arthur said, to which Merlin responded, “I’m a fast learner.”

This suggests that, being a resourceful person who lands on his feet, Merlin quickly realised that he would have to learn about warfare if he was to make his way in Camelot.

I already have a lengthy post proving that Merlin had excellent capabilities in battle, and that Arthur had potentially trained him better than his knights. See the link below this post.

However, the greatest evidence that Merlin respected the art of war was his insistence that Arthur stand up and fight to reclaim Camelot. This occurred chiefly in episode 3x13, when Arthur was discouraged by Morgana’s treachery, and in episode 4x13, when Arthur completely lost hope and abdicated the throne.

In both episodes, Merlin helped take back Camelot not only using magic, but also with the sword. Notice that in episode 3x13, Sir Lancelot never questioned Merlin’s ability with a sword. Instead, he was impressed by its powers. As far as Lancelot was concerned, Merlin was “the one Arthur should knight. You’re the bravest of us all and he doesn’t even know it.” So Lancelot knew that Merlin was a capable fighter, and would embody the noble warrior so admired in Camelot.

Ironically, Lancelot did not live to see Merlin dressed as a knight in 4x05 during the mission to trap King Caerleon.

Of course, we have an example from Merlin’s own mouth: “You’re a great warrior,” he said to Arthur in episode 1x13. In episode 3x01, he was impressed by Arthur fighting blindfolded against two opponents, though he quickly tried pretending that he had “seen better”. In episode 3x04, he laughed at Dagr’s threats against Arthur: “I’d like to see you try!” Then he tried persuading Gwaine to stay in Camelot on the basis that, “You and Arthur: you fought well together.” During that episode, Merlin was impressed by Gwaine’s fighting before and during the mêlée.

In episode 5x05, he watched Arthur duelling against Mordred unarmed, then stood up to applaud the king. We can safely assume this occurred many times, since Merlin attends all training sessions and is responsible for maintaining all of Arthur’s armour. Many scenes, such as in episodes 4x05, 4x09, and 5x03, show him either polishing or putting on Arthur’s armour.

So why all of Merlin’s dismissive comments? For one thing, he didn’t like the braggadocio and arrogance of many knights-- or those who would wish to be knights. Hence why he called Valiant a “creep” in episode 1x02, much to Arthur’s amusement. Secondly, he did not see the point of certain tournaments, such as that of episode 3x11. It didn’t help that Arthur said, “The only rule is: there are no rules.” Thirdly, the death toll alarmed him. “Cause last time this tournament was held, three men died... That was just on the first day.” (Also episode 3x11.)

Another reason that hit me while rereading this: Merlin wasn’t naturally good at fighting. Remember that Arthur said, “I’ve been trained to kill since birth.” (Episode 1x01) This suggests some natural talent on his part, though greatly improved with hard work. Meanwhile, Merlin not only fumbled with weaponry, but faced merciless teasing from Arthur about his lack of skill. To compensate for his feelings of incompetence, Merlin linked Arthur’s fighting prowess to his arrogance: “How long have you been training to be a prat?” (Episode 1x01)

While he had a good point, it was also a way to dismiss his inexperience with fighting and other facts of life. We have to remember that he came from a tiny, poor village. Camelot could have been another planet.

Despite all this, when it came to watching Arthur train, watching Arthur train his knights, and, most importantly, fighting to defend Camelot, Merlin had nothing but respect for the art of war.

CLAIM #6: Arthur (mostly/always) needed Merlin to make big decisions

Untrue, as the following examples will demonstrate.

By the way, Merlin helped fuel this idea that his decisions were necessary for Arthur’s rule. In episode 4x11, he asked Gaius whether he should do anything to cause Arthur and Gwen’s reconciliation. Gaius rightly asked, “You don’t think that’s a little arrogant?”

In episode 3x07, Arthur decided to rescue Gwen’s brother-- a complete stranger-- from the Castle of Fyrien. Just one episode later, he succeeded at the majority of his quest in the Perilous Lands despite being enchanted to lose his energy. Needless to say, the choice of retrieving the trident of the Fisher King was Arthur’s alone, made after a night of contemplation.

Another great example comes from episode 4x05, where Arthur repented of his wrongdoing to Caerleon and his kingdom, and refused to make his men risk their lives on his account. He then took matters into his own hands, pleading with Queen Annis to invoke the right of single combat.

In episode 4x06, Arthur only told a few people that he was riding through the Valley of the Fallen Kings. Merlin wasn’t one of those people, hence why he said, “Arthur. You are not serious...Nothing good ever happens in the Valley of the Fallen Kings. Nobody in their right mind would go in there.”

How come Merlin didn’t know? Arthur said, “The routes are secret, Merlin: that’s why *we* chose it.” Emphasis my own. Later, we discover that Arthur had discussed this with his council, a select number of knights, and Agravaine.

My favourite example comes from episode 4x11. Arthur negotiated with a longstanding rival, Nemeth, over the status of the lands of Gedref. We cannot underestimate that achievement. Arthur said that the lands have “long been in dispute”, and when he announced the end of their negotiations, the knights looked extremely nervous. Arthur had to allay their fears by calling it a “fair and honourable agreement”. That may have been a polite way of saying that they had avoided humiliating sacrifices and war.

On top of that, Arthur sealed the treaty by securing an engagement to the Princess of Nemeth-- exactly the kind of political savvy that his father had encouraged. “Your marriage should have been used to form an alliance with another kingdom…” (Episode 5x03.)

The first thing Merlin said was, “How come I didn’t know any of this? How come you didn’t say anything?” I will not go into why Merlin’s reaction here was presumptuous and arrogant, but we can see that Arthur deliberately kept this information from Merlin to avoid disagreement and argument.

Of course, the great episodes 5x01 and 5x02 show Arthur risking everything to save his men “or die trying”, because to do otherwise would be to sacrifice his beliefs. In episode 5x04, Arthur decided to rescue King Rodor from King Odin, in spite of the immense danger and the holes in Princess Mithian’s story. In episode 5x05, he decided to beg the Disir for Mordred’s life, because he did not want another innocent man dying on his behalf.

And so on.

TO BE CONTINUED IN PART IV

More on Merlin’s fighting skills

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taison · 4 years

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Why Kanji?

The first question I think all of us had on the topic of kanji was “but why does Japanese use this clunky alphabet” literally why, there’s thousands of these characters and they look like a pain to write. And movements has come and gone on wheter or not to keep kanji, some of these movements have even been ideologically motivated. Jay Rubin in his book Making Sense of Japanese was rather dismissive of Kanji and by making the bold statement that he thinks “kanji have nothing to do with grammar or sentence structure or thought patterns or the Japanese world view, and they are certainly not the Japanese language” he made a fair reason to why he wouldn’t set aside time to explain it. And I’m not going to argue with him too hard here, because doesn’t he have a point? A child will be perfectly decent fluent masters of the language before they even learn kanji, so if you’re primarily learning through spoken conversation or through listening then kanji will probably be low on your priority list because you’re already efficiently learning! So what’s the point?

Researching arguments on why kanji should stay or be abolished I can say I’m kinda left at a 50/50 because yeah, everything kanji supposedly exists to clear up you will have no problem conveying when speaking. But mostly I find learners discussing this topic to be kind of trite because most of the learner arguments for abolismnent come from people who seem to be making points that are convenient and logical from their linguistic and cultural (or personal) perspective. Like both native chinese speakers and Japanese speakers have historically felt similarly that chinese characters can be more complicated than they need to be which led to the invention of kana in japan hundreds of years ago and huge simplifying overhauls of the alphabet both in China and Japan in recent history, Korea has even mostly done away with their usage of chinese characters! And in practice speakers of Japanese will freely pick and choose when to even use them!

It can also go deeper when discussing the thought of no more kanji we have to remember this writing system is steeped into the culture, by phasing out Kanji completely won’t that put the written cultural heritage in risk of becoming inaccessible? This is not something I will claim to be qualified to speak on so instead I will get into what persoanlly made me a believer: it comes back to how this system just makes sense when you get used to it. It conveys information at a glance, when you reach a certain level then skimming through text is unbelievably easy, from a literary perspective its so playful in a way languages utilizing the roman alphabet wishes it could be. Rather than an obstacle imagine its the longest flight of stairs you will ever climb and on the way up you will notice the ways everyone makes it as convenient to climb as possible. Like kanji has a free for all usage hingeing on things like efficiency (being able to cram as much information as possible in the least amount of space, or at a glance), an aesthetic one (simply saying “I just don’t like how that word looks written with kanji” is reasonable grounds to just write it in kana), to remove ambiguity (japanese is a homonym maze), and maybe u just want to make puns (japanese being a homonym maze makes it the dad joke dream!) Basically kanji usage is kinda related to convenience, and in the age of computers and predictive text writing kanji (and looking them up) is easier than ever so why make the added effort to get rid of it? And I haven’t even gotten into how for us learners it makes learning and remembering vocabulary easier down the road!

At the end of the day I don’t think there is a right answer to “should kanji stay” because first of all: not our (the learner’s) call to make, and second of all the reasons why its stuck are really good, the more kanji you know the more you will probably find yourself leaning into the “kanji is pretty handy, it should stay” camp. And don’t use this debate to wiggle your way out of the that fact that you need to be open to learn kanji to learn japanese. Especially if your reason to learn involves the need to be literate. Its as simple as that at the end of the day. But don’t take this as me not being sympathetic to the kanji struggle, I know the sensation of hitting a passage with more than 2 kanji I’ve never seen before in my life and my eyes glazing over as i close whatever I was reading way too well.

Further reading: this interesting thread in a linguistics forum, a quick tofugu piece on why kanji is necessary, and a japanjunky piece on a bit of history and why even when just traveling knowing some kanji will be invaluable aaand an obligatory Cure Dolly video

#korean and chinese speakers and learners i’d also love to hear your perspective on chinese characters #kanji talk #just the wikipedia page on simplified chinese and korean hanji are also very interesting!#long post

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boogiewrites · 4 years

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Never Break the Chain Pt. 4

Part 4 of 5

Characters: Javier Peña x OFC

Summary: Esme is left with the harsh reality of her feelings with Javi and what loving him means. Lead by her heart and her gut she leaps into action to try to secure her hopes of having a future with him. But in their line of work, things can take a turn for the worse in a second.

Warnings/Tags: Injury. Canon Typical Violence. Life or Death.

Click on my icon then go to my Mobile Masterlist in my bio for my other works and chapters. (Had to do this since Tumblr killed links, sorry.) Please like, comment and reblog if you enjoyed it! It helps out us writers A LOT!

To hold herself together in times of distress Esme had to fall apart from time to time when she was alone. Tonight was going to be one of those times. She secluded away in her small hideaway in the mountains. She had always enjoyed her own company, knowing the difference between being alone and being lonely, but the latter was heavy on her back as she sat red-eyed on the bed, looking out the plantation shuttered double doors in her bedroom.

Her mind couldn’t decide if talking to Javi had been a mistake or not. She felt every buried emotion in a rush that left her a sloppy, blotchy mess. There was no one around for kilometers to hear her, so she let it all out. The rosary she’d mentioned to Javi was occupying her hands as she bounced her legs, full of anxious energy.

Before, the consequences of knowing Javi were something she could deflect, although the coincidence of knowing a cop from over four thousand km away from her childhood would be a hard sell, she hadn’t worried drastically about it. The more intricate reality of how she felt about him was what she was wrestling with. The fact that she had seen him, touched him, talked to him were no longer what ifs’ or fantasies but hard facts. The fact she was struggling with most intensely was that she was still very much in love with him. Before he was a memory, a myth, a story to be told over drinks. He was now the man in the next town over, sharing her same sentiment in both love and life. They weren’t kids anymore, he’d been right about that. Which meant seeing their lives for what they were in the harsh light of day and not through rose-colored glasses. Where they had wanted to be was no longer a thing to strive for, it’d become a prison of their own making.

She didn’t know if it was her body getting worn or the years of repressed emotions that made her feel so damned exhausted. The thought of going back into the den of the same men that wanted her one love dead suddenly wasn’t as easy to sit with. There were real consequences now. For both of them.

Perhaps it was paranoia, but it’s kept her alive this long. She had her bug-out bag by the bed, rosary wrapped around her wrist, and slept with her shoes on. She rubbed the wooden beads like a worry stone; even though she hadn’t been sure what she believed in for many years. Especially not after the things she’d seen, or the things she’d done. There was a strange comfort knowing Javi had a similar sort of experience. Even if she wouldn’t have wished it on anyone. Maybe he would understand. Maybe he was just as tired as she was. Maybe… she had some hope for a future. She had to talk to him again. This time with a purpose, to ask him to leave with her instead of abandoning him again.

———

As she had following every breakdown, she’d dusted herself off and got back to it the next morning.

In a dress and heels that said, ‘Don't fucking question me.’ She walked into the stone-columned entryway in a powerful man's home. It was a nice morning, not a trace of her collapse the night before remained on her face. She sat poised, with understated jewels glinting in the sun. Yet, her favorite accessories were hidden in places the sun wouldn’t hit, those were her weapons.

She had been establishing herself to get to this client, networking, and performing feats to gain trust in a trust-less circle. Playing it cool, she kept her face set into a lovely neutral but curious. It was a grand promise of cash. She found herself in the right spot for the rule as old as time; supply and demand. If she could seize the articles that had been taken from their owners, she would be compensated with a bigger payday than she’d ever encountered. The sentimentality of the pieces, the danger in the retraction, and the previous failures of those that had come before her secured the pay to be something someone like her could not resist.

“They were in my family... generations ago… before their family decided to fuck over mine we were joined by marriage, then by blood. We have not been able to get them through legal or... other means. But you, Estelle, I believe you have a chance to be successful.”

It was flattering but she was already decided by her motives. Enough money to run. And far. Not to mention a comfortable life on the other side when she sold what she’d accumulated over the years and combined with her savings. She’d played it smart the last few years and pulled the plug on the extravagant lifestyle that had beckoned her to this sort of work in the first place. She saw it as a sign, a dazzling neon one directing her to do it. So with a smile and a handshake, she did.

These people she operated with were not the cartel, but that did not make them just as dangerous. They had their hands in every sort of money stream and political influence. They couldn’t go into this location she was to infiltrate guns blazing, they had to have more finesse and mystery. Which is why they hired out. No connections made for less chance of blowback and made it easier to deny the job was them. And by the time they had to worry about such things, she’d be long gone.

She was being personable, enjoying a cocktail by a sapphire-blue pool and eavesdropping on the conversations around her. While ignoring the guy trying to impress her that had perched next to her she was tuned in to the young man that had a two-way radio by the stone fence that enclosed the pool.

They spoke English from time to time which she found unusual. But if they were looking to not be understood it wasn’t the worst approach. The staff here wouldn’t be able to understand them. Most of the men presumably wouldn’t recognize it either. Esme however spoke fluent English. She was raised by a Mexican mother who pushed her to speak English to fit in in Texas. At home, she was one person, a fluent tongue, and outside she was the brown girl that was berated with “HABLA ENGLAISH?” By every white woman she ran into. It had saved her more than once; when she was younger and especially now.

“The pigs are out today.” A statement she knew wasn’t about the animal was caught.

“Pigs are out every day.”

“They think they’re up to something.”

Esme knew that the people that were being referred to were the drug runners. These mining types didn’t pay much mind to cops, they paid them off when they needed and they were mostly left alone. When you have the foresight to build a public image with legal means of income, it’s easier to hide the sketchy shit.

“The gringo is asking questions.”

One of the white boys must have been trying to gather intel in the force. It could be Javier's partner but she couldn’t know for sure.

“Boss? Do we need to let the boys in town know? Is there going to be anything we don’t want them getting mixed up in?”

He thinks for a moment, Esme seeing him out of the corner of her eye, a squint down the mountain and onto the sprawling city below. “Our boys are in the east today, yes?” a pause and a nod of acknowledgment. “Tell them to come home.”

With that order, her jaw tightens. Esme knew something was going to happen. These men might not be narco’s but they certainly knew them, and ordinarily, they would tip the other off to trouble. Business going as usual was best for all involved. Normally she’d head back to her hideaway, let it all play out. But she knew if there was some trap that Javi’s partner might be falling into, that meant trouble for Javi. She couldn’t stand by idly and wait with that knowledge.

She remained composed, finishing her drink before a schmoozy goodbye, a promise to catch up as soon as plans were made. She acted nonchalant until she was past all the checkpoints, she knew better than to act in any sort of rush. Her little cabana was tucked away out of sight from the road between the deeply nooked mountain homes of powerful men and the city. She tried calling into town, a risk she was willing to take while she scurried to change her clothes and add a gun to her ensemble. She asked for Pena first. When she was informed he was not there she asked for his partner, and the same answer found her. She hung up swiftly, heavily armed but light on information. She knew the east side of the city would be the smallest area she could narrow it down to. She hoped her mind didn’t fail her at calculating where to go.

On her motorbike she darted about the streets, eyes peeled, heading by Javi’s place and finding his car gone, and the oil spots now dry, in its wake. He hadn’t been home in a while. Was it the smartest idea to break into an officer’s apartment? No. But was she? Yes. Javi had always been a researcher, if they were going to be zeroing in on a place, he would’ve been to it already. He was an active learner, not passive. He’d never be satisfied with being told what to do, he had to get in and see, touch, taste, and smell for his own opinion to be formed. She took a quick loop around, finding nothing out of the ordinary and circling back to the front door. The place was nicer than she’d expected, it did smell like liquor and cigarettes but so did he off hours. A little mirror and a catch-all basket by the door on a small table was her target, and inside were matchbooks, places she’d watched him go before buried beneath but one she wasn’t as familiar with on top. A pool hall, which wasn’t Javier’s style, sat like a sore thumb. She took the hint, this must’ve been the place they were headed, or at least close to it. She pulled her hair back and looked at herself once in the mirror before a nod to reassure herself and once again she was back out among the busy streets.

She pulled up and parked by a small marketplace, a casual place to leave her bike while she set off on foot, eyes behind her glasses ready to pick up any little nuance. Sadly seeing a guy with an automatic rifle wasn’t automatically a tell for narco behavior, this part of town was rough, you had to defend yourself. The uptick in the number of guys sauntering in the streets with them did however raise a red flag. She took to the rooftops with light feet, sneaking about and hopping from ledge to tin roof, shimmying up pipes and broken walls to scan. Not many were out on their rooftops, making it easy for her to cover lots of space fast, but that was also a bad sign. Like before a natural disaster happens, the animals clear out. The sentiment was the same.

She found a nice place to camp out, shaded by the sun and out of sight of the street on a corner near the pool hall. She could hear the static of a two-way radio a few buildings over from time to time, each time it made her jolt and she was growing impatient. The only thing that kept her calm was that she hadn’t heard any gunshots, and even that was grasping at straws. She eyes a few streets down, higher-end vehicles in red and blue, one after another. This meant one of two things, narcos or cops. She leaves the safety of her cubbyhole and crawls about to find a way to move quickly. She wasn’t being the most stealthy, leaping from ledges, but she had to follow the cars. Her instincts had been right.

Men in and out of uniform pile out, talking quietly, moving swiftly. Now she had to worry about staying out of sight as she got closer. She saw men on the rooftops she hadn’t noticed before, with sights on their guns and she would bet itchy trigger fingers. The static of a distant radio blurts out, a hushed voice in Spanish says “They’re here. Moving into position.”

It was a trap. The situation made her stomach drop and her pulse quicken. She wanted to be close, to warn them… well, to warn Javi. She was about to insert herself into the narco’s game and that would put a huge target on her back. It would potentially ruin her chances of booking this career-ending job she’d landed. She pulls out her gun, switching the safety off, and lowering herself with burning thighs as she used all her slyness. She could get away with it if she was smart about it... and killed all the witnesses.

She knew between the choices of standing by and watching Javi die, or intervening and getting ousted, she could only live with herself in one of those situations. Better to go out fighting for someone she loved than to be a coward and die with regrets. She jumps ahead, closer to where they seemed to be funneling to, various bursts of static around her as she studies to keep a close eye on not coming across anyone lurking.

She sees that shiny, coiffed head of black hair she’d wanted to run her hands through just days before, the lean build and tight jeans wrapped up in a bulletproof vest. His head was on a swivel, she knew he could look after himself but wasn’t about to take chances. She finds a man on his stomach, gun through a small slot in the wall, and aimed in their direction. She takes her moment patiently, padding foot over foot closer and closer with her gun drawn and her knife at the ready in the other hand. He wore no identifying markings, he wasn’t one of them, he might’ve heard her if he was. He was too zeroed in, potentially coked up so she had to act discreetly. She paused until that coke nose of his itched, hand off the trigger for only a few seconds before she latched and covered his mouth, head back and stabbing in deep to keep him making any sounds. It’s not that she wanted to kill him, she just saw no other way for this interaction to go down.

From here she had a better vantage point and was trying hard to look away from Javi and keep her eyes on every alley and rooftop. She lines up her eye with the scope, seeing it was aimed right at the group, she notices a man across from her, just a slight bit of an angle, an accomplice she assumed. The group moved forward, inching closer to being in between the two guns' direct line of sight. There wasn’t even a need for the sights at this point, a spray could take most of them out in a few seconds. These were calculated kills.

“Dibs on the gringo.” a crackle over the radio in Spanish, then another, “Which? There’s so many.” a hiss of laughter and she hears it from the other side of a half wall. They must’ve had multiple men camped out, she knew they intended to kill as many as possible. She couldn’t scream out, she couldn’t shoot them, she had to find that millisecond between when they would shoot and let their position be known. “When they get to the cars. Wait. Then fire.”

“What if I don’t fuckin’ want to? I want to shoot this smug look off this mother fucker’s face.”

“We won’t get them all if you don’t wait.”

She had pieces of information and tried to see the whole picture. She believed in the car there was a remote bomb being held by one of these sicarios. It’d take a good piece of them out and render them blind. It was a plan that had worked many times, but this time she’d be happy to fuck up a well-laid plan.

“Get the white boy, he’s been snooping. I got the mustache. Asshole fucked my sister.” If this had been any other situation it would’ve made her laugh, or at least crack a smile. But now it gave her a target, a plan of action.

“Maybe if your sister wasn’t a whore.” one laughs then a hiss follows throughout the rooftops among the static.

“Fuck you, man. Shut up or I’ll make sure you get shot today too.”

She moved as quickly as she could, having to backtrack to not be seen and climb over the wall to sneak up on the boy who was claiming Javi as a prize. She hunched over him, taking a chance at being seen, but since she couldn’t make out the placements of any of the other voices, she took her chances. A tension-filled hush fell across the street, no one but the cops out now. She waited for the man to readjust his arm, a sure sign of pulling the trigger shortly. They were holding their breath for the bomb, and she was assuming it was the double-parked cars, waiting for the group to get between them and hit them from all angles.

He swallowed, then popped his neck, settling down, face away from the hole he aimed out of and she took only a second to make up her mind. She shot him in the head as he braced himself.

“TRAP!” she screamed with all the force she could manage, tasting blood as she hit the ground, the cops now on high alert to the rooftops, and the guns fired. She’d given them enough time to duck for cover, having to take out the gunfire from one side of the street herself. She heard the bullets whizzing by as she hunched and ran down to the street, an alleyway where Javi had huddled down a moment before she saw the men barrel down the stairs opposite them. They’d had the same idea. “JAVI!” she screams, gun out and trying to peak from behind a dumpster.

His eyes were wild for the second he met hers. Confusion is all that read on his face, unable to answer under the gunfire.

“FOLLOW ME!” she shouted, firing off rounds to cover him as she motioned him towards her.

“You wanna explain-?” He’s caught off by the bombs in the street going off, knocking him back.

“SHUT UP AND RUN!” she shouts, shoving him forward, “You’re surrounded. Head West!” it’s all they needed, him hitting the pavement as hard as he could and her grabbing him by the vest to jerk him the way she needed. She hoisted him up against walls, all while hearing the men shouting and the stray spray of bullets hitting the corners they’d just passed. She knew they weren’t concentrated west, the men would instinctively run east towards the station, towards the backup, but she knew better.

She raced ahead, a small blocked-off space high up is what she yanks him down into. They don’t speak for a moment, catching their breath and her pushing him down to look out to see if anyone had been able to keep up with them.

“Now can I ask a fucking question?!” he rasps out.

“I got wind of something going down in the east today. So I came. And you should be kissing my ass for saving yours!”

“We were about to-”

“About to get blown the fuck up. Whatever you thought that was, it was a trap.”

“How did you know?” his eyes narrowed at her accusingly.

“I know that look and no, I’m not working with the narcos. I overheard some cronies at my meeting this morning. I narrowed down the options, ran across town and scoped it out, took out two guys, and then...lit the keg and ran.”

He blinks rapidly in response, processing the information.

“Yeah, you’re welcome. They wanted to kill you and your partner pretty bad.”

“Doesn’t surprise me.”

“Apparently you fucked one of their sisters?”

"I stand by my response.”

She smiles at him, something he doesn’t expect. He doesn’t have time to react until a few stray bullets hit something near them causing them to hunker down again.

“You could’ve gotten killed you know.”

“I’ve done it before.”

“Not funny.”

“It’s a little funny.” she rolls her eyes.

“I’m serious.” he grabs her wrist. “I have to deal with you being with these other... assholes and not the ones I deal with. Don’t make me worry twice about you.”

“I’m a big girl. I can handle it. I promise. I wasn’t about to let you walk into an ambush.” she states defensively.

“I’ve made it out before.” he huffs defensively.

“You will until one day you won’t.” when she meets his eyes again, after seeing his soot-covered knuckles wrapped around her wrist, she adds “If I can keep your ungrateful ass around long enough to make up for all the shit I put you through I’m gonna do it.”

He looks her up and down, but not how he had countless times with women, but biding his time to figure out what about that statement he wanted to ask her first. “What do you want me around for if you’re not gonna be there?” It was direct and hurtful, but also a fair point.

She stops looking out and meets his dark eyes to hers, she looked almost offended. “I want to be around,” she says softly. “I just wasn’t sure how.”

“Stay with me. Stop running. I’ll keep you safe.” he moves his hand from her wrist to interlock his fingers into hers.

“Over 20 years and you still haven’t come up with anything else?” she jokes and squeezes his hand. “I did want to talk to you about it. About… us...” she spoke softly and paused, ears perked up to the movement outside.

“What do y-”

“Shh.” a quick and low serious squeeze of his hand. “Someone’s close.”

“Where the fuck are you Javi?” blares out over his radio on his chest. Not a second later, bullets are coming through the back of their hiding spot, scrambling to get out, despite her fighting him, he covers her.

“Rooftop. West.” is grunted out as he and Esme wrestle to be the one to shoot the perpetrator.

She hits his chest and then right in the head, falling in a slump before she notices Javi is no longer hovering and trying to keep her down. A quick turn, intaking the rest of the space, knowing more would be on their way soon, and whether they were cops or sicarios she couldn’t let them find her. In her rush she hasn’t noticed Javi on the ground, she sees his face for only a second, slightly confused before looking at up her the moment she sees his side and hands covered in blood.

“Oh fuck, Javi... no.” She spits out and immediately ducks over him

“S’not... good news sweetheart.” He gives her a smirk, one she’d seen a thousand times on a younger version of his face. She knew with that expression alone it was indeed not good.

She doesn’t get time to react, to even breathe before more shots make her go into survival mode. She covers him, dragging him to a nearby brick wall to at least be safe from one side while she covered the others.

“Can you watch behind me while I look at this?”

“Yeah.” A pause while he holds his gun out. “I can try.”

“Was that your partner on the radio?”

“Yeah should be here soon.”

“Let’s hope so.” She grits her teeth and can’t tell if the shot went straight through, which meant he would probably be okay if it hit in and was now embedded in his stomach. Either way, this wasn’t ideal, to say the least.

“There’s-“

Before he gets it out she’s turned and shooting more men trying to get on the roof, none having the foreign blonde hair and pale skin of his partner.

“You should get out of here... y’know. They’ll ask questions.”

“I’m not leaving you.” She applies pressure to his side and he lets his head fall back to the wall with a heavy breath.

“Now is a hell of a time to start.”

She gives him a hard brow but would normally laugh because he had a point. “I never... ugh.” She grunts in frustration, shooting another man a few rooftops over. “I never wanted to leave you.” She continues trying to figure out the best way to slow the bleeding down. “It's the last thing I wanted to do. You know that right?” She asks to receive no response.

She sees he’s lost consciousness. Now it was proving to be worse than she had hoped. Cursing under her breathe, fighting back tears, the burning making a splitting headache form in her forehead, she uses the only thing in sight she can, taking her shirt off and ripping it tie a makeshift tourniquet around him.

She hears a bark from a man that sounds almost familiar and a dead giveaway as a cop. His partner was almost there. “You’ll be fine Javi.” She whispers, not knowing if she believed it or if he could even hear her. She kisses his cheek and holds his head close for a moment. A few seconds of kissing his hair, trying to forge a deep memory from a rushed moment. Just in case.

“JAVI?!” She hears shouted.

“UP HERE!” she shouts, knowing she had to get away but wasn’t going to leave him until she had to. She was soon not given a choice when orders were barked at her on sight.

She used her savvy, knowing how to get away, even if it was a stretch. “He’s shot.” She says backing away with her hands up to the edge of the roof. “Murphy, please don’t let him die.” She begs as the man’s face softens for a moment, she recognized he must have understood who she was.

The man coming up behind him however didn’t. He fires off a shot, hitting her and forcing her to make an abrupt jump from the rooftop.

“SHIT!” Murphy barks again and shoves the other man’s gun to aim down at the ground. “Don’t shoot HER!” He shouts in the man’s face. “She was helping him! Can’t you see that?!” He runs to the edge, looking down and seeing nothing but a dumpster and a few drops of blood on the pavement. Javi had been right. She was good.

@jaegeeeeer @likedovesinthewnd @inkededucatednnerdy @biharryjames @ladamari68 @past-romantic @weliketomoveit @shikin83

#Javier Pena #Javier Pena Fanfic #javier pena x reader #javier pena fic #javier pena fan fic

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silkylious · 4 years

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Mistyping of Katsuki Bakugo (MBTI)

i’ve been meaning to post something mbti related but really didnt have an idea what i should do, but i noticed something in the bnha community thats related to mbti and wanted to share my thoughts on it! this is related to personality types and all that jazz so if that isnt your cup of tea then you can scroll past this! :)

i see a LOT of people typing Bakugo as xSTP, mostly ESTP but sometimes i see people typing him as ISTP, and frankly i could not disagree more. He SCREAMS ENTJ to me, here’s why:

first off if we’re just talking about the four letters, can we all agree that he is not an introvert? for the love of fuck Extrovert does not = “omg i love everyone hehe xoxo” you can be an extrovert and still be wary, cold and distant when it comes to interpersonal relationships. introversion and extroversion arent styles of communication or “vibes” its how people gain energy. some ppl gain energy by spending time alone, and are more stimulated by their internal world i.e reading a book and contemplating the plot alone. while others gain energy by spending time with other ppl, they’re more stimulated externally i.e having a discussion about a book with a friend. see the difference here? one is more stimulated internally (thinking about something alone), the other is more stimulated externally (having a discussion with someone else). all of us can do both, and we all need a healthy balance of both, its just a preference.

now when it comes to bakugo, the guy thrives on external stimulus, he literally gets pumped up for fights and shit, and most of the time he instigates them, hes always had a posse of people following him around even though he could easily shun them away completely. whether those were real friendships or not isnt the point, the point is hes always kept them around for his stimulus. so no, bakugo isnt an introvert, not by a long shot.

I’ll clear up why hes an intuitive not a sensor later on, but holy fucking shit. bakugo is a perceiver????? no way in hell. the only way i can see any hint of perceiving nature in him is that he’s occasionally impulsive, and even that barely means shit. bakugo is known for how hard he works, dude has been work since inception to reach his goal, and he does it in a very structured manner despite how he acts. he literally goes to sleep at 8pm, need i say more? bakugo also respects rules and authority and he’s a perfectionist in every sense of the word. so how in the fuck do ppl see him as a perceiver????

now i’ll be explaining his function stack (ENTJ) from my point of view, while comparing it to the function stack of an ESTP

ENTJ: Dominant Te (extroverted thinking) >> Auxiliary Ni (introverted intuition) >> Tertiary Se (extroverted sensing) >> Inferior Fi (introverted feeling)

ESTP: Dominant Se (extroverted sensing) >> Auxiliary Ti (introverted thinking) >> Tertiary Fe (extroverted feeling) >> Inferior Ni (introverted intuition)

ENTJ Dom Te: bakugo’s Te manifests in many ways, first of all his drive. as mentioned before he’s one of the most hardworking people in the series and that is in part to his self-discipline, he is remarkable at regulating himself in ways that meet his own standards and goals. and speaking of standards, Te uses objective standards to regulate circumstances, routines and construct reliable frameworks, so for example how he has a curfew, how he works out regularly, and that also means he’s harsher on himself when he doesn't meet those objective standards like how when he didnt meet the standard of “an indisputable first place” during the sports festival arc he went bat shit. Te in communication is very direct/straightforward and that exactly describes bakugo. he has a very “no bullshit” attitude when he talks and his words never hold any double meaning, just the way he talks is extremely to the point, as opposed to ESTP’s Ti which relies heavily on accuracy and precision. Ti users (ESTPs, ENTPs, ISTPs and INTPs) are very picky with their words and perceive other ppl’s words that way too, which sometimes causes misunderstandings i.e Te user says something that they think is straightforward but Ti user needs more clarification/accuracy.

Aux Ni: here’s why i see bakugo as an intuitive. i can see why people see him as a sensor, he’s extremely pragmatic and practical, its obvious as day that hes kinesthetically intelligent, but i dont think hes a sensor because he isnt a kinesthetic learner (Dom/Aux Se). he doesnt need any tangible stimulus to understand or grasp a situation/concept. for example, a character who is a kinesthetic learner in anime is Naruto (when jutsus are explained to him he doesnt understand shit like when he was learning to do the rasengan but once he was given a practical exercise he was able to understand and learn it) bakugo isnt like that, he is very capable of grasping situations even if he isnt directly involved. his Ni is also shown in how he fights and assesses situations. noticing people’s fighting patterns and making a solid prediction off of that comes naturally to him (much like midoriya who is also an Ni user), but paired with his kinesthetic intelligence (Tertiary Se) that’s what makes him such a good fighter, what gives him such great technique. Ni also shows in how creative he is with his quirk, bakugo knows all the ins and outs of his quirk and uses that to his advantage by creating new moves and ways of using his quirk.

Tert Se: this is where his kinesthetic intelligence comes in, his Se is shown through his fighting, cooking, ability to play music and just how practically capable he is. there isnt much to point out here, his behaviour speaks for itself but for the 100th time hes just kinesthetically intelligent not a kinesthetic learner, thats why Se isnt one of his main functions, it isnt what he uses to intake information, process and learn as opposed to Dom/Aux Se users (ESTPs, ISTPs, ESFPs and ISFPs).

Inf Fi: being the last function, Fi is very underdeveloped in bakugo, and it shows. he struggles with his own feelings and as a result opts for expressing the only emotion hes comfortable with, anger. Now if he was an ESTP he’d be using Fe as Tertiary function which i cannot see at all. Tert Fe users (ESTPs and ENTPs) are skilled at recognizing other people’s emotions and using that to their own advantage i.e being persuasive and/or charming, often described as cunning or masterful with people. perfect example of that from bnha is Hawks who is an ENTP, the way he uses the Ti-Fe axis in communication is the definition of cunning. bakugo is not like that at all.

so yeah thats about it, let me know your thoughts on this if you’d like to share!

also Gordon Ramsay is an ENTJ and hes blonde and angry so you cant convince me otherwise lololol

#mbti #entj #estp #istp #bnha bakugo katsuki #bakugo katsuki character analysis #silky talks

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rigelmejo · 4 years

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2 more thoughts regarding the massive immersion approach:

Flashcards and Massive Immersion Method

while i’ve seen some people who do it insist that its about moving AWAY from flashcards/srs grinding, and only doing that in order to make it easier to immerse... i am not sure that’s how it ends up in practice. i’ve read comments by some people about how immersion should be where the a lot of the progress is coming from. But on the other hand, from my view, even the immersion eventually involves a lot of sentence mining (you making srs flashcards from immersion, to study). And the creator of the method, Matt, seems to think a good indication this method will work for you is if you have a decent tolerance for flashcard grinding.

Also, on a more practical level, he thinks structured study is very helpful for your learning and is part of what helps you learn faster. He thinks a combination of immersion (both reading and pure listening) starting early on and regularly, with structured study to help you learn first very useful things to you (common words, writing system, grammar patterns, eventually words/grammar in the things you specifically want to understand) helps support your immersion efforts. Structured study in his plan is srs flashcards and sentence mining - although I personally think you could also substitute ‘structured study’ for textbooks, word lists/flashcards/podcasts you pick based on your needs, basically any material where you’re actively studying and reviewing instead of immersing. Now I mainly agree with this point, as much as I don’t like structured study of any kind any more then much anyone else. It really does help make immersion more tolerable, and more effective, at least for me. Structured learning is kind of like scaffolding you put on yourself, or floaties before diving into the deep end. It gives you things you can grab onto more easily when you immerse, and help you remember more effectively the things you pick up as you immerse. It’s probably why most language learners, no matter what structured study methods they use, do more then ONLY listen/read in the language with absolutely nothing else being done (a lot of polyglots on youtube seem fond of making word lists with example sentences which sounds a lot like a more chill non srs sentence mining method, a lot of articles i’ve read of learners going for basic ability to speak/read go for using frequency lists and grammar guides early on as their base to learn from - which is what i tend to do).

Anyway... basically, as much as I’d love if massive immersion approach had less flashcards... it doesn’t appear (to me) to have any less flashcards than AJATT or 10k sentences methods. Maybe it does, but once the sentence flashcards go into the thousands it all seems like an Awful Lot to me. On the upside, I would again like to mention there is at least one example of a guy named Chris who did the massive immersion approach for japanese for 18 months and got to a good reading comprehension, listening comprehension, and speaking level, who did the kanji flashcards and 2000ish frequent words in sentences and grammar example sentences in the beginning, then mostly did not sentence mine after. Here’s his interview about it. During, and after those initial flashcards, he immersed, looked up words occasionally (and did not always make flashcards of new words). He tried to switch to a monolingual dictionary halfway through, which seemed to help him. And he didn’t really study/immerse more than 1-3 hrs a day, with the heaviest ‘dedicated’ time in the earlier months when he grinded through the Heisig kanji flashcards. He’s a good example of a ‘less flashcards in the sentence mining’ version of the approach, that seemed to work out fine for him. So burning out on flashcards, and eventually doing less of them and primarily immersion/looking occasional words up, is a possible way to do the massive immersion approach. And I think this might be the way some people are viewing the massive immersion approach who say the flashcards are really just needed to push you to get into immersion easier - perhaps they’re also people who used less flashcards once the immersion part became more comfortable for them.

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Immersion

A second note: I really do want to reiterate again how much effort I do think this method takes. From an outsider’s perspective, to me it initially looked kind of ridiculous until I actually looked it up. Because all i saw were learners making targeted videos about Only one element of their studies (so it was helpful in a specialized way, but i wrongly thought that video’s tips would be about ALL of studying the language lol). So I kept seeing videos insisting you need to immerse immerse immerse and you’ll learn super fast! But like of course, these learners were also doing studying from sentence mining and grammar example sentences and I just did not know that.

About immersion: it really does help though. At the bare minimum, you should try it some time just because it will REALLY reaffirm your goals in the language. Or it will help you set goals, if you aren’t sure what those goals are. It is also a real fast way to actually check if you’ve 1. made any improvement, 2. are lacking in any areas you’d intended to make improvement (and therefore you need to fix your study plan to address this), 3. what you immerse in might help you realize what you really want to prioritize learning first. It also gives you a dose of reality, to see if you’re worse or better than you thought you were. It gives you chances to PRACTICE what you’ve learned, which will help you remember that info and recall it faster, and get you more comfortable so it’s easier to use that info you know the next time you immerse etc. It puts you into real material you want to eventually be able to engage with, so you can actually see how you’re doing in the language up against more realistic use of the language (versus textbooks and learner made material that is probably on some level tailored to either be easier or focus on some specialties a bit more than the real world which focuses on all kinds of things).

In French, I unintentionally ‘immersed’ in reading from the first few months, and I fully believe that boosted my ability to comprehend the language immensely. I really genuinely did not put that much effort into studying french. I took one well made beginner semester in college, most notably great because our teacher focused on pronunciation, speaking often, learning a ton of regular verbs and conjugations, and learning basic ways of saying past/present/future tense immediately (which broadened what we could talk out in a tremendous way - especially compared to any other beginner course I’ve ever taken). I studied one 300 word list, then sort of studied a 625 and 1000 word list, none of them with flashcards - just looking at and reviewing somewhat regularly. And I read... a lot... especially in the beginning when it was super hard. I read and looked up a handful of words (only ever handfuls, cause I’m lazy). Eventually, I read and rarely looked up words, because I’m lazy and context guesses were enough to me. Eventually, I speed read through a beginners grammar guide in english. Then an intermediate grammar guide in french. My listening suffered cause i rarely ever practiced that, but when i do practice it the skill builds up pretty fast since i generally know most words i run into now. If I went back to french, it’d mostly be a lot of listening/shadowing immersion (shows, and comprehensible input youtube channels), and then having lots of convos to boost my speaking/writing abilities. French... genuinely was SO hard in the beginning. But I think immersing very early got me through the “doing this for more then 5 minutes FRIES my brain its so HARD” stage within a few months.

I think whenever I put off immersion... that just delays when i’m gonna feel that frustration. And its not fun to feel that frustration, but its expected because there will always be some difficulty as you get adjusted to it. And when you’ve studied for over a year? It really sucks to feel like you’ve made progress, only to try to read simple captions on pictures or headlines and website links and understand NOTHING. That’s what happened to me in japanese - I didn’t try to read real stuff for a year, and when I finally did I was pretty crushed that outside of the most basic school/daily life discussions, I couldn’t comprehend anything. Even though in my studies I’d flown through my textbook materials. I should also note, for languages ‘more difficult to learn’ for an english speaker, yes its going to take longer or more study hours to comprehend the same as one could in a ‘less difficult’ language like french. So immersion hurt that much MORE cause I knew even less then after a year of french, even with more hours of study, and immersion was so much harder. It was super demotivating. But in retrospect, I should have just pushed through and planned my goals according to what specifics were making that initial push SO HARD so I could fix them and make my life easier. I eventually did, but I would have loved that kind of clear focus on what I needed to do with my goals BACK THEN.

Because of how my French versus Japanese studies went, when I started Chinese I just immersed right away. A great thing about studying chinese, is at the time I was super into their storytelling and works, and the chinese world has a HUGE amount of incredible works AND a ton of them are easy to access. It’s super easy to immerse in chinese! (I imagine similar is true of english). In French, I only really was invested in french history books, so I didn’t dive into reading much unless it was just those or ‘informational’ stuff like news. (Thankfully french took less effort to improve in). In Japanese, while I’m into some very specific creators and works, I’m actually not really that into anime or manga. And the stuff I am into, I need to grind though goal-focused study to actually finally be able to comprehend enough to immerse in (it took 2.5 years to even scratch the bottom of ‘maybe’ for trying to do that, since I didn’t immerse early on and build my comfort in being able to immerse). I started trying to read in Chinese early, just because I was like “well i did it in month 3 in french so WHY NOT do it with chinese too, it helped my french a ton!” And, well... it did help my chinese a ton, and still does.

It’s also been... way harder every single step of the way then french ever was. And I’m so glad I did it with french first... I built up some tolerance at engaging with materials i only 50% comprehended in french, I built up reading skills with that kind of difficult material, and I had experience seeing that comprehension level noticeably improve every few months. So in chinese, I started with like 20% comprehension and it HURT my brain. But I expected it to be harder than french, and i expected any foreign language to start off well below the comfortable suggestion of ‘98%’ for reading for pleasure. On the upside, it helped me set goals I needed FOR the goal of reading super early. It helped me practice parsing how hard chinese was going to be to comprehend, super early. And I think the difficult comprehension curve for immersing in chinese, compared to romance languages for english speakers, might be why a lot of learners on forums insist reading in chinese took them 2-4 years to even start graded readers. And why many of them say its taking them 20 minutes to read a page, or they ‘pre-study’ with flashcards for like 1 hr a day when they read, etc. While I’m sure those approaches work for them, I think in a way its also kind of a matter of When do YOU want to do those things? When do you want to face that super-intolerable low comprehensibility curve?

Because it will be a few phases: first it will be brutally intolerable, then you’ll get used to seeing a huge amount of incomprehensibility and not getting so bothered by it even though you still don’t understand much, then you start comprehending a bit more each time (possibly aided by some other study methods/reading strategies etc), you feel relieved the comprehension is getting EASIER (even though its only like 60% now that feels WAY less brutally frustrating then 20% did!), and the process continues. You basically first get used to tolerating how brutally incomprehensible it is, how much lower than 98% comprehensible it is. Then every step after feels like achievement and relief because it just keeps getting easier. And by the time you do get to a decently high comprehensibility, it feels fantastic and much easier. No matter when you start immersing, it’s going to progress like this. So if you go from ‘comfortable 98%ish percent comprehensible textbook sentences and flashcards, or podcasts, and comfortable comprehension in your own language mainly’ to ‘dropped into native material in your target language where you just definitely are not 98%, maybe 80-90% at best?’ Its still going to feel brutal.

In a big way I do think it’s partially just a matter of when you want to face the brutal beginning of the comprehensibility curve. Do you want to tackle it early on in the learning stages, in the first couple years? The upsides are, you will only feel like its easier over time, so once you’ve studied more, your immersion also is getting easier. So study progress lines up better with how comprehension progress ‘feels.’ The downside is, of course, you face a brutal challenge that feels insurmountable early on. That could cause you to give up. And because its actual native content in the language - realistically you are NOT going to be able to comprehend as much as you can in your own native language in a year. It’s going to start a low comprehension level, and you aren’t going to be able to just quickly bring it up to comfortable 98%ish comprehension level. It’s still going to take years of study for that. So part of the process genuinely is getting more okay with accepting lower comprehensibility in your target language, and learning to not let that frustrate or demotivate you, learning to not get upset, learning to let go of trying to absolutely always understand everything perfectly, and instead learning to notice milestones in your own personal progress. Learning to appreciate an improvement from 20% comprehended, to 50% comprehended, to 70% comprehended. Instead of super angry you’ve studied for months, only to still be struggling to comprehend - because it will definitely still technically be a struggle at least until you do hit those 90%s in comprehension. So it could be demotivating to think ‘oh yeah, I’m gonna be fluent in a year!’ then you immerse early on, and realize that you may not actually to able to comprehend this target language as easily as your native language in a year. But it definitely grounds to back to reality. On the upside, even if you waited to immerse, you’re probably going to hit this difficult comprehension experience for at least a few months - so you’ll eventually get the reality check. It’s just when do you want to experience it. Early on - so you can use the experiences to both practice and focus your goals on what YOU specifically need?

Or after studying for years - finally getting practice, and now needing to possibly readjust a lot of your long-used study methods because they left some noticeable blank spots that are now impeding your ability to comprehend what you want to comprehend? There are of course benefits to waiting to do immersion until later - you’re less likely to quit studying the language, if you’ve already been studying it for years and are dedicated. Depending on how good your study plan was, you might be starting out at 70-90% comprehension of materials, instead of 20-50%. Which means your difficulty curve might take less time to power through, and be more tolerable depending on if you can handle moderate incomprehensibility more than significant amount incomprehensibility. I don’t know... I tried to do immersion later on with Japanese, and while I definitely won’t give up, it was also such a huge difficulty curve that I had to replan my study methods to fill in all the blanks before I was ready to try immersion properly. I think with chinese, where i started some immersion early on, i would have been SUPER ready to give up and quit, if I didn’t have my french experience telling me ‘just stick with it, it always starts hard and gets easier over time, chinese will just probably take longer to make progress with than french did.’

I only pushed through with immersing in chinese early on, because I KNEW the same study methods worked for me in french so I was going to use them again. And I adamantly tried to just tell myself it wasn’t that hard. I had a chinese teacher in high school, he was great, and one of the things he did was never treat anything as hard. He didn’t act like tones were hard, he just gave us an example and had us repeat him. He didn’t act like hanzi were hard, he just wrote vocab, gave us the pinyin, then told us to write it in our notes - and write only hanzi in tests and homework and classwork. Bam, that’s it. No insistence that we had to use mnemonics to ever learn them (although mnemonics would’ve helped speed it up probably in retrospect). No insistence anything was hard, it was just how the words sounded and were spelled, so we learned. He had a class of 40 kids who were rambunctious and many of whom didn’t pick chinese and just got put into the class, and he still managed to teach well enough that most people passed just fine. That class was fun, and not any harder then any other class. I think one part of the reason was how he treated nothing as overtly difficult or challenging, just another thing to learn. In comparison, I’ve had a japanese class where things WERE taught as very difficult to learn, and i think that intimidated me and demotivated me (along with the myriad of language study tip sites that really hammer home how ‘hard’ japanese is). Realistically, they aren’t necessarily hard, some languages just take more study time then others to cover the same ‘ground’. So anyway, whenever I study chinese, I just remind myself its not any harder then french to learn - it just takes me some extra study time. And I really think this mindset has made tackling both immersion and even just studying vocab much easier to me. I don’t see new words made of characters and freak out, I just think ok ‘this sounds like X, looks like this Y, do I need to do anything extra to remember this?’ Then come up with some mnemonics or examples of it being used etc if it will help me remember it, then move on. With chinese I really... mostly tackled studying the same way I studied French (but BETTER, because I practice speaking, writing, and listening MUCH more in chinese then i ever did in french). But like... I did not study the hanzi with Heisig or anything - and I do think in retrospect, I should, since I think it’ll make new words a bit easier to remember. (I remember new words way easier when I already know each individual character from other words - I don’t need mnemonics for the meaning or the pronunciation when I already know the characters that spell a new word so I can speed up learning it). The only extra thing I did with chinese was listen to tones in the beginning, some tone explanations, and listen to the audio of new words (so i can better remember the tones, so i can have better listening/speaking skills then i did in french). Overall, my progress was not too bad for just diving into chinese with the same overall study method. I managed to learn 1000 words and all the characters in them without heisig etc. (Although, genuinely, shout out to the Tuttle Learn Chinese Characters - 800 characters book, because the mnemonics include pronunciation, help a ton, and I learned probably 500 characters from that book starting out that served as a helpful foundation in studying chinese).

I did not ever try to go the route of ‘study with only pinyin first.’ I know some people think learn to speak first, read/write later, and it is easier. But like? Reading’s always my main goal baby. Everything else is a secondary goal, so there was no point to me putting off characters and real reading. Plus? In chinese??? Knowing how to read helps with shows SO MUCH cause nearly every show has mandarin subtitles!!! If you can read some basic mandarin, picking up words and some phrases from shows gets so much easier! Also, like my chinese teacher did not treat them as overly hard, I don’t want to treat characters as overly hard either. Pinyin is very good to know for typing, and for learning tones/seeing how to pronounce words. But I didn’t want to use it as the only thing i could rely on, any longer then the minimal necessary amount of time I needed to. Also, my lacking listening skills in french really hammered home how important it is to listen to pronunciations ALL THE TIME and especially when learning new words, so I try to make sure a majority of my chinese study and immersion materials have audio I can listen to. I try to learn most new words with audio, since pinyin is not the same as me hearing how to actually say it and recognize it.

#rant #mia #mass immersion approach

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fallout4reactsblog · 6 years

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12/10 blog, would binge read again! Would you be comfortable in writing companion headcanons for a Sole who is mute? That uses ASL? (I'm currently learning out of respect.)

Such kind praise, and a delightfully unique ask!

Cait: It’s no secret that Cait struggles with the signs. She’s willing to learn, sure, but it’s slow going, and she often gets frustrated with herself for not keeping up. “Just give it up. I’m never gonna get it. Ya might as well find someone else to travel with.” Eventually, though, once she’s calmed down, she’ll come back and politely ask if she can resume her lessons. She’s a rapt listener, even if she does get frustrated, and she always makes whatever frustrations sole has over teaching her up to them.

Codsworth: He’d be quite comfortable with it, after all, he came programmed to understand it and had been communicating with sole long before the bombs fell. He doesn’t even blink, and so it’s safe to say that he has no trouble with it at all. The other companions might give him a small glare for getting it so easily and being able to have such natural conversations with sole. “I dare say that you’re more skilled than ever, sir/mum! Good to see your mind is still sharp.”

Curie: Other companions will say she doesn’t count as the fastest learner because she, just like Codsworth, was programmed to understand ASL from the start. The knowledge carries over to her synth body, and once she gets the hang of things she’s quite adept at forming the signs as well as understanding them. “And so my pinky goes here and my thumb goes here, and then aha! That is your name, no?” It’s honestly adorable.

Danse: Danse has a harder time with it than he expects, but he’s grateful for it in a lot of ways. People can be hard to hear over the clanking of his armor, so a non-verbal means of communicating is appreciated. Still, in the middle of battle he can’t afford to always look over at them to keep communication open, so overall he’s pretty on the fence about it, though he recognizes its a necessity and makes an active effort to be accommodating. “We’ll talk to some of the Proctors, see if we can’t get Teagen at least to learn a few so you don’t have to write everything down.” He can’t make signs inside his power armor, but he’s good at them when he’s not wearing it.

Deacon: “This is way better than a secret handshake, boss. No one is going to have a single clue what we’re saying.” He jumps in feet-first, and is surprisingly quick at it. He likes to mostly use it to talk trash about other people while they’re in the room, but sole’s giggling gives it away and Carrington is quickly fuming while wondering what that idiot has said now. He loves using it for covert stealth operations as well, though he has been known to make up the sign if he forgets the right one.

Dogmeat: He is as well-trained in ASL as he is spoken English. Nothing will get that tail wagging more than a sign of “good boy” followed by a nice scratch behind the ears.

Hancock: Hancock puts his Mentats to good use whenever he and sole study together. He’ll pop a few to help his mind process and remember easier, and then once the drug wears off he’ll quiz himself. Whichever ones he messes up or can’t remember, he makes note of and asks sole to help him with specifically. He practices certain phrases, and the next time sole strolls into Goodneighbor, he’s waiting with a grin on his face before he fires off a string of signs asking them about how they’ve been, etc. It makes sole’s day, especially when they realize he’s been teaching Daisy and KLEO some signs to help bartering go smoother.

MacCready: MacCready had a brief intro to a few basic signs, but anything more complex had him reeling, trying to keep up. He might get a bit snappish with sole at first, when he can’t keep up. “Stop signing so fast! You know I can’t keep up when you’re getting like that. I’m- No I’m not going to calm down.” He always apologizes profusely afterward, though,asking sole to just give him more time to understand. When he starts getting the hang of things he’s quite pleased with himself.

Nick: Nick is shockingly quick with ASL. It only takes him a few days before he can understand basic sentences, and after a month or two he’s entirely fluent. He likes it a lot, actually. It’s easy and feels natural to him, and he could chat with sole in ASL for hours on end. He even gets Ellie to learn, too, so she can keep up with them in the middle of conversations. Sometimes they both forget that sole is the only mute one, and there are long periods of time in the office when no one speaks a single word. He likes it because it’s private, moments that only they can share.

Piper: “Blue, hold on. I can’t- Blue! I can’t read them that fast.” Piper isn’t the fastest, but she’s not the slowest, either. Still, she takes her time to learn the signs, practicing them herself at home so she can see both the sign and say the meaning. Once she’s got the hang of it, she publishes a couple in Publick Occurrences, just to make sole’s life a little easier when they’re bartering in the market. She just forgets to inform sole of this, so they get quite the surprise when they catch up on the latest edition of the newspaper.

Preston: He makes himself flashcards. No joke. He has sole make each sign, does his best drawing of it on the front of the card, and scrawls the meaning on the back. He knows he’s going to struggle, so he heads it off as best he can by staying up late, late at night flipping through the cards and only cussing a little when he messes up. Still, he presses on. “The General needs this, so I need it. I’m gonna get this right.”

Strong: Strong… struggles, to say the least. It takes him the longest of all the companions to understand, and even then he struggles on occasion to make out the signs. “Strong can’t see what human is saying! Human need bigger hands.” He’s really trying, though, sole will just have to have some patience with him. Eventually, he’ll understand what he needs to in order to communicate, though he will probably never be able to sign back.

X6-88: The fastest learner, hands down. He makes it a personal point of pride to learn the meanings of all the signs, and when he succeeds at that he starts teaching himself how to do them as well. He’s actually very pleased with the outcome, because it means they can communicate entirely silently while on stealth assignments. “This is an excellent technique for field work. We should have all coursers trained in it effective immediately.”

#fallout #fallout 4 #fallout 4 companions #fallout 4 companions react #cait #codsworth #curie #paladin danse #deacon #dogmeat #hancock #maccready #nick valentine #piper wright #preston garvey #strong #x6-88

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railagraceart · 7 years

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A Noble Tale.

So before you read any farther, know that writing isn’t usually my thing. This is just something I wrote sper of the moment. I haven’t really looked over it either so just ignore the many errors I’m sure are there. However, feel free to share what you think about it. -------------------- DragonAge OC - Elbona Lavellan. A few things to know about her. - Elf, Dalish, rogue, hunter, spy, primary archer. - Lightly tanned skin, very slight showing of freckles on face, shoulder length white hair, bright teal eyes, simple light purple Mythal vallaslin (blood writing) under eyes. - Introverted, friendly, warm hearted, protective, firm, inquisitive/curious, learner, wisdom seeker, loyal, driven, hard worker, wanderer.

I was a solitary child growing up. My parents had a tendency to take in orphaned elves during our travels. Some of them were older than I was, and others younger. It’s not that I minded, our clan became my family more than just my parents. But because I hadn’t grown up with many of the elves my parents took in, I tended to feel disconnected with them. So I would often wander, hoping to find a place to be alone. Few of the other elves my age had a way of thinking similar to mine, and that led me to have very few friendships.

I often got along with the older elves best; any that were willing to impart knowledge with me, to teach me. Because of my interest in knowledge, I would read anything I could, doing my best to understand everything it had to give. Most of the information shared among the Dalish however, was given orally by the hahrens; so I became a patient listener, even more than I was naturally, and persistent in my questions until I gained an understanding.

At a young age I was given a bow and arrow, and they soon became my most trusted companions. I took to hunting quickly, and because of my natural stealth I became a master of treading unnoticed. At the age of 18 I received my vallaslin; I chose a simple design under my eyes for the goddess of protection, Mythal. The pain was harsh, but the silence was welcoming, and no matter the pain I forced myself to keep that silence. Despite how the ritual hurt I found comfort in letting my mind wonder what it would be like, now that I would be given the responsibility of an adult. I became an experienced hunter in my young age and was soon considered a respected protector and provider.

Despite my lack of social interactions, I think I may have been considered fondly by my clan; though I never truly connected with them. I loved them, but I felt I had little place among them. So I did what I knew was good for them; I became greatly skilled in the arts of knives, archery, and stealth, that way I could at least provide for them. Through our time traveling, we often encountered other races. And often my curiosity would lead to a great number of questions toward them. Some were happy to share, merely increasing my interest in the world around me. And all the vast differences on Thedas. Other travelers were less inclined to questions, and thankfully I could usually tell if it would lead to hostilities.

My clan became restless when the recent mage rebellion started disrupting our way of life. Because of this, our clan Keeper Deshanna Istimaethoriel Lavellan gave me the task of spying on the meeting at the Temple of Sacred Ashes between the Divine and the feuding factions. Given my particular skill set and mostly unbiased opinion of other races(even humans), I was seen as the perfect choice to quietly observe and bring back news of the outcome. But no one could have expected the outcome given.

I saw many people at the conclave, high ranks from both sides were housed in the temple. I don’t know how long I was there before the explosion, and I don’t remember anything else that happened that day. I remember finding myself in a place I believe to have been the fade, giant spiders chasing me, and a glowing woman figure taking my hand. When I awoke again, I was in shackles and surrounded by soldiers pointing swords at me. And a painful, flaring green mark was on my left hand. A woman warrior with short black hair greeted me harshly, bombarding me with questions and believing I had caused the explosion that I didn’t even remember. I found out through the array of questions from the warrior, Cassandra, and another woman with red hair named Leliana, that I had been found stepping out of a rift with this green mark upon my hand. I also found out that I was the only one to survive the blast…. All those people... dead

I managed to convince them that I truly didn’t remember what happened, and Cassandra took me outside, then showed me what they were calling the breach. An extensive hole in the sky above a massive rift, where evidently demons had been pouring out for the past few days. I saw the hole expand slightly with a thundering rumble; and my mark flickered with piercing pain in response. I stumbled into the snow as the pain gripped me. Cassandra bent to my level, her eyes looked into mine; she told me that the mark expanded every time the breach did, and that it was going to kill me. But there was a possibility, however faint, that it could help close the breach. That I could help save these people.

She seemed a little surprised when I told her that I would willingly help. As though she thought the shackles on my wrists, the harsh words to my face, or the swords to my throat would change my moral standing. If there was a chance I could save innocent people, I would take it. Her demeaner softened slightly towards me as she helped me to my feet, and guided me through the camp. Even without being told, I could tell that every person we passed thought I was guilty. It’s not that I could blame them for thinking it. Their holy leader and many others ripped away from them, and I survived? Looking in their faces I could see their terror, their utter lack of hope. But were they not more afraid of losing what they had left? A hole in the sky dropping demons who demolish everything in their path, and in their fear they looked for anyone they could blame, so they would see me executed that moment if they could.

When we made it through the main gate, Cassandra released me from my shackles. A decision she would be glad she made. We pushed through the roads toward where the temple once stood and she told me what had happened as we went. The path dropped onto a thickly frozen lake and a couple demons charged towards us. Cassandra told me to stay behind her as she went to face them on her own. Luckily I found a simple bow and arrows among the dead. I aided Cassandra until the demons had fallen, then she pointed her sword at me as if I would strike her down with the very weapons I just used to save her life. But by her demand, I offered to leave them behind. She paused, then pulling her sword away told me to keep them. “I should remember that you agreed to come willingly” she informed me, and that she didn’t want to leave me defenseless. So we marched on.

A little farther on a small rift hovered above a fight between four demons, a dwarf, and an elf. Cassandra runs to their aid and I shoot the demons from a short distance away. Once the demons had fallen, the elf grabbed my wrist and forced it toward the rift. A strange link formed between the rift and my mark, and when he pulled my hand back, the rift sealed. I glanced at my hand a moment before looking back at the male elf, asking him what he had done. He just gave me a slight smile as he replied “I did nothing. The credit is yours”. He then informed me he had theorized that because the magic that opened the breach also placed the mark on my hand, it might be able to close the rifts left in the breach’s wake. Being that he had been correct, they believed it might even be able to close the breach itself. “It seems you hold the key to our salvation”. And suddenly, I felt like a heavy weight had just been dropped on my shoulders.

The dwarf approached me, with what I found to be best described as his own kind of swagger. He had half of his red hair pulled back behind his head, a friendly face, and moderate amount of chest hair he seemed fond of putting on display. “Varric Tethras: rogue, storyteller, and occasionally unwelcome tagalong”. He finished his sentence with a wink towards the warrior who stood behind me. She only scowled at him and turned in disgust. He seemed somewhat pleased at her response. I smiled at his introduction and asked him if he was part of the Chantry, which earned a chuckle out of the elf and a light hearted comment as to whether I was serious. The dwarf hardly glances at him before giving me his attention once again, and informing me that he was technically a prisoner, like myself. Cassandra stepped forward in defense, saying she had brought him to speak with the Divine; though clearly that was no longer necessary. He then commented on how it was lucky for them that he was around to help with the current circumstances.

After that I complimented him on his intriguing cross bow, and he gave me a wide, prideful grin. “Ah, isn’t she?” he glanced around at the beloved weapon rested on his back as he told me her name was Bianca. I made an amused question of him naming his crossbow Bianca, and he just nodded “Of course. And she’ll be great company in the valley”. Cassandra objected to him being involved any farther, but Varric reminded her of their current state in this fight. And the truth of the matter was, no matter what she thought, he was right. She needed him. Cassandra merely turns once more in disgust. I didn’t mind the thought of him tagging along, I believed him to be a rather amusing addition.

Once the short argument between the two made its abrupt end, I turned to greet the elf at my side with a smile, and he greets me in kind. His delicate ears pointed back more than they did up, much like my own. His head was cleanly shaven against his long jaw line and tall thin frame. His eyes and brows narrow, but in a way that was almost welcoming. “My name is Solas, if there are to be introductions. I’m pleased to see you still live”. Varric piped up beside me “He means, ‘I kept that mark from killing you while you slept’”. I asked him about the mark and Cassandra let me know that Solas was an apostate who was well versed in such matters. “Technically, all mages are now apostates, Cassandra” he then told us that through his travels he had learned much about the Fade, more than that of any Circle mage. And that he came to offer his help against the Breach, being that if it was not closed, everyone would be doomed regardless of origin. When I thanked him for his help with the mark he told me I could thank him if we were able to close the Breach without killing me in the prosses. I commended him on his actions, and he simply informed me that it was the sensible thing to do, though sense seemed to be in short supply.

He then turned to Cassandra, informing her that he had never seen magic like that which had branded my hand. And that he found it difficult to believe that even a mage could have such a power as that lodged in my palm. She acknowledges his statement and implores us to move onward. Solas and Cassandra took up the front and Varric looks up at me “Well, Bianca’s excited”, then we followed after the other two. Climbing over rubble left behind from the blast Solas warns of demons ahead of us, and Varric called up to Cassandra “Glad you brought me now, Seeker?”. She made little effort to reply her annoyance before rushing at one of the four demons. I found it strange just how close Varric liked to be to the fray; while Solas tried to stay at more of a distance, standing only a few feet in front of me. Cassandra, as expected, kept herself right in the middle of it.

The demons fell and I subconsciously checked the wellbeing of my new comrades, who seemed relatively unscathed. I found myself leading the odd group when Solas spoke up from behind me; “You are Dalish, but clearly away from the rest of your clan. Did they send you here?”. I could tell when we met that he was not Dalish, but somehow it still felt strange having an elven companion that was not of my clan. I inquired of his knowledge regarding the Dalish, and he told me he had wandered many roads and crossed paths with my people more than once. My people? The way he spoke of them was as though he did not connect the Dalish with our kind, like we where not all elves. I told him we were both of the same people, and his response was almost hesitant, as if he did not quite expect such an answer. “The Dalish I met felt… differently on the subject”. Varric quipped asking why elves can’t just play nice for once. In all honesty, I wondered the same thing. I respected my history, but I didn’t hang on it’s every word like some elves did, and I certainly didn’t hate other elves just because they saw things differently. Dalish, City elves, apostate elves, we are all elves, even though we have been raised differently. But Solas seemed to see the Dalish with a particularly harsh distaste. And I wondered why.

About that time my mark flared, I muffled a short cry as I gripped my hand and took a sharp breath. The three eyed me with some concern and Solas tells them that we must hurry, before the mark consumed me. So I grit my teeth and moved on. As we trudged up the snow covered hill, I heard Varric ask me if I was innocent. I still didn’t remember what had happened, and I told him as much. “That’ll get you every time” he told me, then added how I should have spun a story. Cassandra spoke her disapproval saying how that’s what he would have done; Varric shrugged back at her and told her how “It’s more believable, and less prone to result in premature execution”. Despite how they disagreed, I found myself entertained by their banter.

Cassandra voiced a concern for Leliana as we fought off more demons, Varric assured her that with Leliana’s resourcefulness, she would be fine. A little farther on and we reached the gate to the forward camp, which of course was blocked by a rift and more demons. We helped the soldiers overcome the demons and I used the mark to close the rift. Cassandra called up for them to open the gate and after some passing comments on how I did well and how that stupid mark was good for something, we walked in. Supplies and soldiers were scattered around the long slender camp. I saw Leliana arguing with a man from the chantry and found, much to my annoyance, that I was once again the topic of discussion. Leliana looked relieved at our arrival, this other person, Chancellor Roderick I was told, eyed me with disgust. It took less than two seconds to know that this man was going to be trouble for me for as long as he could manage it. Leliana attempted an introduction, but then this Roderick fellow cut her off with an “I know who she is”, and as this great authority I order this criminal to be bound and sent off to be executed. Like we didn’t have bigger problems. Cassandra scowled at the man, informing him through an array of insults that she did not take orders from him. He sent his own insults back in kind on how she supposedly served the Chantry. Leliana reminded him that they served only the Divine, and after he brought up how Divine Justinia was dead and how a new Divine would be elected, I knew the conversation was going nowhere. And we didn’t have time for that.

I tried to bring the conversation back to the current threat by reminding them that closing the Breach was a more pressing issue. Which just turned him back on me and how I was obviously the one who caused the problem to begin with. He told Cassandra to call a retreat, that the position they held was hopeless. I stood as they discussed how there was still a possibility to close the Breach, and the best path to reach it. But again, they couldn’t agree. I flinched as I felt the pain of the mark jolt through my arm. I could almost feel the slight concern from the elf and dwarf behind me. Though I was yet to decide if that was for me personally, or because if I died, we were all dead. Then suddenly Cassandra turns to me, “How do you think we should proceed?”. And all I could think at that moment was, are you serious? So I asked, if they were really asking me my opinion on the matter. I heard Solas comment on how I had the mark, and Cassandra nodded. She told me how I was the one that they had to keep alive, and since they couldn’t decide, they thought it best that I did. So I betted for Cassandra’s plan of a charged assault, which I gathered with leave us with less casualties. I knew it wasn’t likely I would live through whatever was happening, and if I was going to die, I would do anything I could to keep others from doing the same.

Cassandra set the plan in motion and we once again headed onward for the temple. Soldiers ran ahead of us as we headed up a stone stair case. My heart ached as we reached the camp above; exhausted fighters were trying to rest, tend to the wounded, sharpen weapons, or cover the dead. To think that they could fight so bravely, yet still be lost. The weight on my shoulders just grew heavier. Solas warns of another rift and moments later a soldier’s body is flung down our next flight of stairs. I heard Varric ask something about the number of rifts as we assisted those in the assault; Solas comments on how we must seal it if we are to pass, and Cassandra just rushes me to do so. Once the demons fell, I pulled back and closed the rift. Solas commended my efforts, saying I had become quite proficient sealing the rifts. Varric simply states what we were all thinking, on how he hoped it would work on the big one.

I saw a soldier approach us from the side, one that I assumed to be a commander. An assumption Cassandra soon confirmed. He had short blond hair, a thick fur collar, and a heavy set of Templar armor. He congratulated Cassandra on closing the rift, which she graciosity led him to give me the credit, that it was my mark that completed the task. I gave him my full attention as he turned to me, “Is it? I hope they’re right about you. We’ve lost a lot of people getting you here”. I felt a hollow in my stomach at the last of his statement. And all I could tell him was that I couldn’t promise anything, and that I would do my best. He nodded his approval of the statement with a simple “That’s all we can ask”. Then he informed us that our way to the temple was clear, and we quickly continued on.

We dropped from the broken road down toward the ruins of the temple and I heard Solas in slight awe from behind me, “The Temple of Sacred Ashes” and Varric soon after “What’s left of it”. The ground was heavily scorched, fire still clinging to wooden objects and statue like corpses. We walked through what was left of the great stone building until we reach an open space. My heart drops as I see the true size of the rift. I heard Varric comment on how high up it was and I wondered if I would even be in range for the mark to work. Leliana broke the momentary silence as she came up from behind us, glad that we made it. Cassandra told her to direct her archers around the walls of the temple, she nodded her acknowledgement and started putting the archers in position. Then Cassandra turned to me “This is your chance to end this. Are you ready?”. All I could think was no, but it’s not like that really mattered. So I told her I would try, even though I wasn’t sure I would be able to reach it, much less close it. Solas told me that this rift was the first, and if we could seal it, we might seal the Breach as well. I could only hope that I managed to seal it.

With archers filing around the edge, we made our way towards the stairs. Suddenly a loud voice sounded from the fade “Now is the hour of our victory. Bring forth the sacrifice”. Cassandra asked what we had heard, and Solas guessed that it had been who created the Breach. As we continued, I saw some sort of unnatural spikes of red substance I had never seen growing from the rock. Then I heard Varric speak to Cassandra, and I got an explanation. “You know this stuff is red lyrium, Seeker”. Even though it was a substance to help magic users, I had come into contact with lyrium previously. But this stuff? This stuff was wrong. The lyrium I had seen was always blue, and I believe it only had an effect on you if you ingested it. This red lyrium though, it practically radiated some sort of unstable magic. That alone was enough to keep me from wanting to touch it; but between the tone in Varric’s voice, and his uneasy body language, I didn’t even want to get close. Varric asked why it was there, and Solas informed him that magic could have drawn on the lyrium under the temple and corrupted it. Varric just shook his head “It’s evil. Whatever you do don’t touch it”.

Another echo from the Fade sounded out as we hurry down the steps. The person from before spoke again, saying to keep the sacrifice still. Then a woman calls out for help, and Cassandra recognizes it to be Divine Justinia’s voice. I stepped down onto the floor of the open space, the others close behind. My mark flares again and farther echoes of the scene played out in visual form. I heard my own voice as my figure stepped into the vison, Justinia called out to me, told me to leave and warn the others. But the strange, shadowy figure before her acknowledged me by complaining of an intruder, and telling someone I should be slain. With a flash of light the images vanish, and Cassandra once again sees fit to bombard me with question I could not answer. I told her I didn’t know, and Solas told us that the Fade was bleeding in, what we had seen were echoes of what had happened here.

“This rift is not sealed, but it is closed… albeit temporarily”, Solas let us know that he believed with the mark the rift could be opened again, and closed properly. But of course, that meant we would probably get the attention of demons on the other side. So we prepared for a fight, and I opened the rift. Though I had never seen one in person, I recognized the huge creature that came out as a Pride demon. It was easily the size of a house turned on its side. The archers fired, the people on the ground charged, but the demon didn’t seem anything more than agitated at the attack. They continued wearing it down, and I pulled away from the group to disrupt the rift. After doing so it seemed to daze it temporarily, and a few smaller demons appeared. I did what I could to help take them down, and keep my allies alive; but it was a lot to take on. I could feel myself waning, so much was going on, and I had never been prepared for something like this. Eventually the smaller demons were taken down, and the Pride demon fell. And I gave the rift all I had, praying that it would be enough to finish this. I felt my body fall back as I pulled, sealing the rift. The remnants of it shooting up towards the Breach, and releasing large burst of energy when it reached it. I felt my body collapse as my mark flared, my vision darkened and I soon found myself unconscious. I didn’t remember anything after that.

I woke up in a cabin, raising up to find an young elven girl with a package of some sort. When she saw that I was awake, she suddenly looked afraid, dropping the box she had been carrying. She franticly apologized saying she hadn’t known I was awake. I was utterly confused, but I tried to calm her, telling her it was okay; but then she just dropped to her knees, and begged me for my forgiveness and blessing, that she was just a humble servant. I had begun to wonder what I had done to cause such a reaction from the poor girl, until she spoke again, and it started to make sense. “You’re back in Haven, my lady. They say you saved us”; she told me how the Breach had stopped growing, as did my mark. And how it was all people could talk about for the past three days, while I was unconscious. I had hoped the danger was over, but she told me the Breach was still in the sky, so I supposed it wasn’t. I felt bad for her, the way she nearly tripped over her words, and commented on how she was just telling me what other people said, as though I would be offended by her speaking to me. She told me that Lady Cassandra would want to know I was awake, “at once!” she said. I asked her where Cassandra was and she informed me that she was in the Chantry with the Lord Chancellor, ending her sentence with a reiteration of “at once!”. She had hardly finished speaking before she scurried out the door.

I sat on the edge of the bed a moment to observe the room, then rose to examine some papers on the nearby desk. “Vain hope: Someone better at this than me takes over before the survivor expires. Notes in case”, this was followed by series of notes that I assumed pertained to my well being from the past few days. Evidently the person who had been charged to care for me, was either replaced or accompanied by a mage. That didn’t surprise me given the magical nature of the mark, which was probably the cause of my illness in the first place. Observations on my condition and some treatments that had been used were listed. Apparently I had muttered things in my unconscious state, something about to many eyes, and something called the grey. I didn’t remember making any sort of movements or sounds while I slept, that somewhat disturbed me. I was happy to see that the healer chosen was kind enough to see me as a patient more than a prisoner and seemed to care what happened to my life. Especially under the context that two locals had tried to kill me already. I looked in the box the young elf left behind to find a set of clothes, which I changed into shortly after.

Satisfied with my knowledge of the space I grasped the nob of the door, my since of surroundings prickled at what lay beyond. I opened the door and instantly became thoroughly unnerved at the sight before me. Two soldiers guarded my building, and just past them a path was carved out between a thick gathering of people who watched my every move. As I made my way through the crowd I could hear them whispering, though it wasn’t quite what I had expected. Listening I found out that they no longer thought I was guilty of the explosion, but that Andraste had sent me. I couldn’t understand these people. One moment they would kill me for a crime I didn’t commit, and the next they whispered reverence just short of worship toward me, giving me the title Herald of Andraste. I felt a little better once I got away from the large group; seeing only a few people here and there as I made my up to the large, stone structure at the back of the camp. I stepped through its over sized doors into the main room. Candles lit the sides of the thick hall until I reached its end, stopping just before the door.

I could hear Cassandra arguing with Chancellor Roderick over what should be done with me. The Chancellor still wanted me executed, but I was pleased that Cassandra believed I was innocent. He brought up how I had failed to seal the Breach, trying to convince her of my guilt. Cassandra, however, would not be swayed. And she did not seem like the type to change her mind easily once it was made up. The conversation then turned as to who served who and I decided I had no farther reason to eavesdrop, so I made my entrance. I opened the door and it was like my mere presence offended the man. He ordered the guards inside to chain me and prepare me for transport. Cassandra just told them to disregard the order, and leave the room. They gave her a respective salute and closed the door behind them. The Chancellor scowled at her and told her she was walking a fine line. Her response to him was that the Breach was still a problem and that she wouldn’t ignore it. I tried showing my support for her statement, telling him I had done what I could to close the Breach and nearly died in the process. He looked down on me and simply commented on how convenient it was for me that I had lived through it. My frustration level with that man, was becoming rather high. And by the tone in Cassandra’s voice, I wasn’t the only one. “Have a care, Chancellor. The Breach is not the only threat we face”.

With that the whole conversation suddenly turned on its head. Leliana, who had been quietly listening by Cassandra’s side, spoke up. She mentioned how the Divine didn’t expect such an attack from whoever set the explosion. That the person responsible could have died in the fire, or that they could have allies who still lived. I watched his face twist at her implication, and seemed awestruck that they considered him a suspect. Particularly since they had ruled me out as one. Leliana let him know he was not the only one to be considered, but he turned it back on me. Again trying to persuade them otherwise, asking if they really thought that the fact I lived and I had a magic mark on my hand was just a coincidence. Cassandra told him she thought it was providence, that The Maker had sent me when they needed it most. Even I felt the need to ask if she really felt that way. That I was some heaven sent savior, even if I was a Dalish elf. She just told me that she was not one to question The Maker’s will, and that humans were not the only race who had a concern for the fate of the world. Leliana reminded me that my mark was their only hope of closing the Breach. The Chancellor objects that it isn’t for them to decide, and I saw the look of complete frustration on Cassandra’s face. I watched as she turned grabbed a dense book with an embellished cover, and slammed it on the table in front of him. She asked him if he knew what it was, but clearly didn’t intend to get an answer from him. She informed him that it was a writ from the Divine that gave them authority to act, and as of that moment she declared the Inquisition reborn. I hid a smile as she continued, jabbing him in the chest as she forced him back towards the door. “We will close the Breach, we will find those responsible, and we will restore order with or without your approval”. I was rather happy to see the displeased look on his face as he silently left the room.

Leliana let me know that rebuilding the Inquisition was the directive of the Divine. To find those who would stand against the chaos. But that we weren’t ready, we had no leader, no numbers, and no Chantry support. Cassandra stepped up, saying we had no choice, it had to be done. And that they needed me by their side. I could tell she didn’t want me to feel forced into the responsibility, which I appreciated. But she was right, without me they didn’t have the mark, and without the mark, they were doomed to fail. I asked them what the Inquisition of old was, and they explained that it had preceded the Chantry. That it was made to bring together people who would restore order in a world gone mad. And after that it became the Templar order, but the Templars had lost they’re way. We needed people who would do what had to be done all under one banner once again. Being a little confused I asked if they were still part of the Chantry. Cassandra snorted at that thought, Leliana explained that the Chantry would take time to choose a new Divine and wait for her direction. But we could not wait, we were on our own, and would probably stay that way. I told them that if they were truly trying to restore order, that I would willingly help them. Cassandra shook my hand with an approving smile, and everyone stepped away to start putting the Inquisition in motion.

I wandered through the high bordered camp, Leliana was sending off her messenger crows, and Cassandra walked past, inspecting the work around her. I also saw the Commander I had met on the field nailing posters up for the Inquisition. I paused at the Chantry building as Leliana and the Commander joined me, Cassandra not far behind. And we watched as the largest of the Inquisition’s banners unfurled its full length from its high placement. ------------------------ I have a little more written, but this seemed like a good cut off point, and I’m not sure if I will complete it. I hope to add a picture of Elbona at some point though.

#dragon age #dragon age inquisition #inquisitor #Elbona Lavellan #oc #fanfiction #my story #my fanfiction #a noble tale

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jacewilliams1 · 7 years

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Teaching flying over the years, part two: dealing with the students

Flight instructing was a big part of my flying life from the day I got my instructor’s rating in 1953 until I became a member of the United States Army in November of 1955. Then it picked back up in 1956, when I was attached to an Army flying club. After I got out of the Army in 1957, I was a corporate pilot for a while and then, in 1958, I started out in the magazine business and was no longer an active flight instructor though there were moments which I’ll address in a bit.

I logged 1,390 hours and 45 minutes of dual given. When I started, the pay was $2 per hour and it might have gone up a little after that but the dual I gave while I was in the Army was, for the most part, free because it was my duty. So my active instruction was done mostly in a relatively limited period of time and without great financial reward.

In the magazine business, I did a lot of informal instructing because when staffers would go with me on assignments, I would let them fly and try to teach them how to really use an airplane. More on this in a minute.

When someone would come to me to learn to fly, the first question I would ask is why they wanted to take to take up flying. You want to guess what response I liked best?

Because I always thought I wanted to fly was my hands-down favorite. Folks who came to flying with that thought in mind were always the best (easiest) students.

The GI Bill sent a lot of soldiers to school – including flight school.

Because the Korean GI Bill was still in play when I started instructing, some would answer they were there because it was free. I did not get many of those because I was young, had yet to serve in the military, and they wanted to have more in common with a flight instructor. I don’t remember a reason for learning to fly given by one Korea vet, but I did follow him into the future. A buddy brought me a Wanted sheet from the post office with his picture on it. He hadn’t done anything to hurt people, other than to relieve them of money, but I always wondered if he used his flying in fleeing various heists.

There was one answer I never got but it was easily perceived after a short time with the student. I wanted to prove something. I always thought that was a terrible reason to do anything and I found that students with that attitude tried so hard that they got tied up in a knot and couldn’t prove anything.

Another answer I never got but that was easily deduced had to do with pressure from above, from a relative or employer.

The best example of this came when a local physician bought a new Tri-Pacer and asked me if I would teach him, his daughter and his three nurses to fly in the Tri-Pacer. I told him I was flying charter and had other students but would try to make it work.

Early-on I could tell that he was going to be a difficult student, requiring a lot of time and special attention, and that his daughter and three nurses were definitely not doing it because they always wanted to fly.

I made a deal with the four reluctant aviators. I would give them lessons but when the time came to solo, they had veto power. If they didn’t want to, I would try to explain to the doctor that they just were not cut out for it.

I was surprised when I mentioned to them that they were about ready to solo and all were, well, not eager but willing to keep going. All soloed and did a good job.

After that, attention waned and while I think I recall that one got a private certificate, a year after they started none were still flying.

The doctor progressed to the point where I thought he could safely use an airplane and we became life-long friends. After the Tri-Pacer he got a 250 Comanche and flew it successfully for the duration. He died of natural causes as did every other student I had, as far as I know.

My most interesting student was Hugh Downs, who was the host of the Today show on NBC at the time, in the early 1960s. He came to me as a student through a late-night phone call from my father.

Cessna had made a deal with NBC to teach Downs to fly, with the lessons showcased on Today. This got off to a disastrous start when the first instructor tried to give Downs a lesson when it was too windy for a Skyhawk. Nobody was hurt but the Skyhawk was a bit worse for the wear.

Dwane Wallace was the head of Cessna at the time and this came to his attention. He and my father were close personal friends so Dwane called my father and explained the problem. I think he wanted my father to do it but he didn’t have an instructor’s rating and felt that disqualified him. He volunteered me and that was the subject of the late-night phone call. I had a new student, even though I had a full time job at Air Facts.

I had visions of potential problems and had heard horror stories about teaching celebrities to fly. Lucky me. Hugh turned out to be a nice guy who had always wanted to learn to fly. He was a fast learner and was eager to spend the required time preparing for the private written, as it was called then. But while Hugh was the ideal student, the TV part was a pain.

The producers wanted to film every lesson up to solo with a cameraman and the requisite equipment in the back seat. TV filming at the time was nothing if it was not big, bulky and heavy. The NBC crew beat me to the airport before the proposed first filmed lesson. When I arrived, everything was in place and the 172 was resting on its main gear and tail tie-down ring.

Hugh Downs was a celebrity when he learned to fly, but he was also a fine student.

It was harder to explain weight and balance to a TV crew than it had been to explain it to Hugh, and I understood that the video quality would be better with the more exotic equipment, but I finally convinced them that it could not be done unless they found a skinnier cameraman and used more compact and lighter weight equipment. I still always thought that Hugh might have been the only person to learn to fly in a 172 with the CG near the aft limit most of the time.

A bigger clash with the producer came as the time for a first solo flight approached. We had been flying out of Linden Airport in New Jersey because it was closer to my base and within easy reach of Manhattan (in the chauffeured Bentley NBC provided as Hugh’s airport car). They wanted to do the solo at Westchester County airport with press coverage and an appropriate amount of hoop-dee-doo. They also wanted the cameraman aboard and filing on that first solo. More explaining.

I talked to Hugh about all this and we agreed that it would be too much pressure on him. He was about to go on a nautical vacation, which would include a stop at Martha’s Vineyard. He called when he got there, I flew up in the 172, and the next day I soloed him with absolutely no fanfare. I had wondered if anyone would recognize his voice as he dealt with the tower, but if they did, it was never mentioned.

The final product was nine segments on Today, one for each of eight lessons before solo plus a wrap. I was asked back a number of times when something controversial was going on in the aviation business. I also helped Hugh with a centerline multiengine rating in a Cessna 337 and we kept in touch for a long while after that.

It was hard work, but fun. Then Cessna asked me if I would teach Johnny Carson to fly, same deal. I didn’t really want to do that but thought I would ask Hugh what he thought. I never heard him speak ill of anyone, and he did not in this case, but the fact that he didn’t answer my question told me all that I needed to know. My TV instructing days were done.

In total, I flew with Hugh for 9:50 before his first solo and for another 29:35 after that which included the completion of his private pilot training and his multiengine rating in the Cessna 337. Those times were pretty typical for all my students, though in Hugh’s case the distraction of filming, all of which was done before his first solo, might have added a little time here and there.

To show that all this was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away I’ll tell you an answer I never got as a reason for learning to fly: because I want to be an airline pilot. There were simply far more World War Two pilots with heavy airplane experience than there were jobs.

Another answer I never got was because I want to be a crop duster. Some did go on to that work but it wasn’t what they had planned, even before it was learned that breathing DDT wasn’t good for you.

The most fun I had with instructing came when I was not actually instructing. When I became editor-in-chief of FLYING, I developed a staff of relatively young pilots who could also write, some quite well as it turned out. In running the traps in my P210, which I got soon after becoming EIC, I would frequently take staff members along on trips, and, guess what, they wanted to fly and I let them, in fair weather and foul.

I wanted them to learn how to use an airplane because I had some budget to let them rent airplanes to go on various assignments. Primarily, I wanted them to operate with as little risk as possible and, secondarily, as representatives of FLYING, I didn’t want them to attract any unfavorable attention. You might say that I wasn’t teaching flying but was trying to teach them how to use an airplane for transportation, and to help them learn about weather as it is actually encountered in an airplane.

An instructor’s job is to make pilots safe, not to be their friend.

Some were bold and some were timid. The latter, I didn’t worry about. While they might never learn to get much transportation value out of an airplane, they also wouldn’t get in much trouble. The bold ones were more of a challenge. My job was to convince them they didn’t know quite as much as they thought they knew.

One other factor was at play. When it came to their flying, I was a perfectionist. I pointed out the slightest transgression. After any flight, I would go over a list of the things that they could have done better on the flight. It was not much consolation for them that I did the same thing to myself after every flight. The last thing I ever wanted any of my employees to think was that it must have been okay because I made it.

If you think I came through this unscathed, think again. Three staffers penned articles about my relentless pursuit of perfection. I surprised two of them by running their articles, unedited by me, while I was still EIC of FLYING. The third was published after I moved on. I thought they deserved a prize for this. It is not easy to say my boss is a picky asshole without actually saying it but the message was still pretty clear.

The thing that drove me hardest was the desire for my students, formal or otherwise, to die a natural death. As far as I know, I succeeded though a lot of them are still at it.

The reason this drove me was the fact that when I had been flying for 50 years, I had lost 50 friends or business associates in private airplane crashes. That is one a year and as this number mounted over the years I tried both to understand why my friends had come up short and to pass the message along that flight could be frightfully dangerous if not approached with wisdom and caution.

I did the same thing in writing and always thought of readers as students of a sort. No, I wasn’t directly responsible but maybe something I had said along the way might have kept them out of trouble.

I had one friend who was never a formal student of mine tell me that when he was plowing through weather on a dark and stormy night with minimum fuel, he wondered what I would say if he killed himself that night. After a moment of contemplation, he made a precautionary landing at the nearest suitable airport. One for the win column.

In Part One on this subject, toward the end of the post, I went on a bit of a tirade about autopilots and electric trim and how there is still a lot of misunderstanding of the subject by pilots, instructors and educators.

Not long after that post, I read of an accident in a Cessna 441, flown by an airline transport rated pilot, where the pilot was quite obviously discombobulated by a trim problem that he couldn’t solve. No final report yet, or for a while, so nobody knows whether this was some exotic trim failure or a pilot out of sync with an autopilot. It is food for thought, though, and yet another indication of an area where we need to double-down on thorough instruction on the basics of the equipment in our airplanes. I didn’t know the pilot but that is still one for the loss column.

So, fly on, carefully.

The post Teaching flying over the years, part two: dealing with the students appeared first on Air Facts Journal.

from Engineering Blog https://airfactsjournal.com/2018/03/teaching-flying-over-the-years-part-two-dealing-with-the-students/

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suepaage · 7 years

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How to use an infographic to promote your business

Images alone are eye-catching and easy to understand at a glance, but they often lack information. Words offer more detail, but are more time-consuming to process. Enter: the infographic! In a TMI world, infographics are the beautiful, bite-sized chunks of information that almost everyone still has time to digest. They combine the strengths of both words and graphics to communicate in a powerful way with just about any audience—and that’s why you should use infographics to support your business. Here’s how to do it.

This “how-to” infographic breaks down how winning beer labels are designed. Infographic by mnoriega for 99designs.

Infographics: the basics —

Infographics are most commonly used to provide a summary of a lot of data in a compact space, and can also help characterize the data. For example, they can show how information is distributed in different geographical areas. They can also illustrate a timeline effectively, or depict a “how-to,” an anatomical breakdown, or flow chart with ease. Infographics can provide a visual comparison of products, services, or ideas, and can also depict hierarchical ideas such as how businesses or schools rank. Finally, infographics are ideal for lists and reports, because they make things that are typically dull (like CVs, earnings reports and product lists) a lot more interesting.

Why are infographics so effective, you ask? The brain receives 90 percent of its information visually. Humans are hard-wired to remember images. We only remember about 10 percent of information we hear after only three days—unless it comes with images. Information with pictures gets remembered 65 percent of the time. No surprise there, since 65 percent of us are visual learners.

This infographic provides tips and tricks for international designs. Infographic by GRKN_DESIGN for 99designs.

Beyond these basic facts, research has already proven that infographics increase web traffic. Social media posts with images also garner more engagement: 650 percent more. And according to marketers, infographics are among the most engaging types of visual content.

Infographics and small businesses —

Infographics are particularly useful for small businesses. They are an excellent tool for improving brand awareness, increasing traffic to your website and optimizing it for search. Infographics are also a prime vehicle for establishing thought leadership, since they allow you to show off a depth and breadth of knowledge in a small space.

This beautiful infographic illustrates how the company’s product works for customers, including technical benefits, and the different groups who use the product. Infographic by PS_design for AGPro Systems.

Small businesses spend a lot of time communicating their brand’s story, and infographics get that job done more effectively and memorably. They offer the small business more bang for its buck, because you only have to create the infographic once, but you can use it many times. Share it via email, across multiple social media platforms, in your affiliate marketing information, in your media kits, on your website and anywhere else you choose.

Finally, infographics last. They have a long shelf life, and if you choose the right topics, they remain relevant and shareable for months or even years—the perfect format for evergreen content.

This infographic does a great job laying out all of the things that funding for mining could have purchased. Infographic by LittleFox for MollyTAI.

Striking, successful infographics —

Here are some of our favorite small business infographics, with a few words about why they work.

Compare things

If you have different services, products, or other things you want to compare, infographics are the perfect way to do it. Here is an example of a comparison infographic that shows how much money was spent on mining subsidies in Queensland, Australia—and how else it might have been spent.

Create a timeline

Use an infographic to show the timeline of anything—from the story of your business to the history of education—as the designer has done in this example.

This infographic communicates details about education, all the way back to the ancient world and up to the current moment. Infographic by Mushlya for Accounts30.

PR materials

Infographics are great for your PR kit, and you can use them in a number of ways. In this example, you can see what initially looks like a diagram of an engine, but it’s really a metaphor for the business itself.

This infographic with a sketch style illustration reveals details about the company in a format that looks like a product schematic. Infographic by Henrylim for Espy Search Group.

How-tos

For complex concepts like “how-to” guides and detailed explanations of services, infographics are one of the best possible tools. You can present everything from pain points to solutions visually, and keep your audience engaged.

With this infographic the business visualizes the complexities of their services and solutions, taking viewers from pain point through to resolution. Infographic by Appollo for TruSense.

Product or service showcase

Showcase your product line or service with an infographic that systematically breaks it down, feature by feature. In this example, note the details on time, and the order of the steps people using the service need to take.

The company uses this infographic to guide the customer through the experience they can expect. Infographic by Appollo for Complete Solar.

Lists

Whether it’s a Top 10 list like this example or something else, infographic lists are popular and shareable, not to mention a great way to generate traffic.

This infographic shows, more than tells, the audience about popular mens’ hairstyles. Infographic by mnoriega for Designs1234.

Roll out new product or showcase brand

Your infographic can be a unique way to introduce something new to your target audience. In this example, augmented reality is depicted using graphics and text imposed over photographic images. The overall effect suggests AR and leaves a distinct impression about the concept.

This infographic describes an AR product and suggests the notion of AR by superimposing text and graphics over photos. Infographic by Henrylim for AGLC.

Call to action

An infographic can illustrate a problem and ask viewers to take action, just like a blog post—but far more effectively and more memorably. In the case of this example, the infographic highlights a community problem and offers solutions, hoping to incite action on the part of the reader.

This infographic describes a problem in the community and offers solutions, calling on members of the community to choose one or more solutions. Infographic by DreamMaster for Product Stewardship Institute.

Tips for creating a successful infographic —

Now that you’re feeling inspired and motivated to create your own infographic, here are some of our best tips for creating a successful infographic.

Know your audience

Target the infographic based on who you want to interest, just as you’d write a blog post for a specific reader. This means choosing not just words, but also images, graphics, and colors that speak to your intended audience.

Choose great topics

What kind of infographic are you hoping to create? A “how-to”? A diagram showing how a product works? A breakdown of your niche industry? Compare your ideas about form to topics that are trending in your area to generate a list of strong infographic topics. In some cases you might also want to visualize some of your existing content.

Inform

Research your topic carefully. Using fewer words shouldn’t mean offering less information. In fact, your infographic should offer more value if possible, and it should be better than anything else that’s out there, in any format. Look for statistics, and occasionally powerful quotes.

This infographic uses friendly, “welcome home” colors and a similar image to present its facts. Infographic by Rahadyo W for Mitchell Homes.

Distill

Now that you’ve got lots of great information, distill it down into bullet points. Remember, you’re making your points visually, so each bullet must eventually be depicted. Anything you can depict in place of text, you should.

Flow and shape

Avoid random lists of facts; these don’t make for a great infographic most of the time. Instead, your points should flow together well and tell a story—mostly with graphics and images. Make sure that this kind of clear progression is present.

Get visual and design

Now it’s time to make it all visual. If you’re working with a designer, this part is a cinch; just give them the information, tell them what your goals are, and run with it.

This infographic distills customer profiles into visual characters, and arranges them in a circular pattern, suggesting equal importance for each. Infographic by bntek for snofziger.

If you’re trying to DIY, take it step by step. First, sketch out the information as a wireframe to verify that your narrative functions well visually. Next, make sure your infographic is the right size and shape. Most infographics are 800 to 1000 pixels wide, and as long as they need to be to get all of their information in. You expand vertically so that it’s easier to scroll and read the infographic and it stays shareable.

Next choose style elements like colors, font, and graphics with consistency in mind. The color scheme should fit the infographic’s topic as well as your brand. If you’re writing about cancer deaths, avoid a fluorescent color scheme; if you’re trying to sell baby clothes with your infographic, stay away from a black and red look.

Avoid using more than two or three fonts throughout the infographic; anything more looks sloppy. It’s fine to use something other than whichever fonts spell out your logo or company name. Your aim should be a consistent, on-theme infographic, not an echo of your brand’s logo or publicity materials.

This infographic uses a strong, dark color and a vivid accent shade for an IT/cyber security audience and provides lots of details, scrolling down vertically. Infographic by damuhra for MyITpros.

Finally, proof your work. Make sure that any text that can possibly be visual is portrayed with images or graphics. Cite sources if you’re providing statistics or other information.

Wrapping it up —

There’s more than one way to create a fantastic infographic for your small business. You can use online tools like Canva, Easel.ly, Venngage, or Piktochart to create one yourself if you feel confident enough in your ability to design. Or, like more than half of all marketers producing visual content in 2017, you can work with a designer.

Creating engaging visual content isn’t easy; doing so consistently was the top struggle reported by marketers in a 2017 survey, followed by the ability to produce well-designed visuals. If you feel you would benefit from using a designer but aren’t sure where to start with a freelancer, you always have the option to run an infographic design contest and have our designer community create something special for you.

The post How to use an infographic to promote your business appeared first on 99designs Blog.

How to use an infographic to promote your business syndicated from https://www.lilpackaging.com/

0 notes

pamelahetrick · 7 years

Text

How to use an infographic to promote your business

This “how-to” infographic breaks down how winning beer labels are designed. Infographic by mnoriega for 99designs.

Infographics: the basics —

This infographic provides tips and tricks for international designs. Infographic by GRKN_DESIGN for 99designs.

Infographics and small businesses —

Finally, infographics last. They have a long shelf life, and if you choose the right topics, they remain relevant and shareable for months or even years—the perfect format for evergreen content.

This infographic does a great job laying out all of the things that funding for mining could have purchased. Infographic by LittleFox for MollyTAI.

Striking, successful infographics —

Here are some of our favorite small business infographics, with a few words about why they work.

Compare things

Create a timeline

Use an infographic to show the timeline of anything—from the story of your business to the history of education—as the designer has done in this example.

This infographic communicates details about education, all the way back to the ancient world and up to the current moment. Infographic by Mushlya for Accounts30.

PR materials

This infographic with a sketch style illustration reveals details about the company in a format that looks like a product schematic. Infographic by Henrylim for Espy Search Group.

How-tos

With this infographic the business visualizes the complexities of their services and solutions, taking viewers from pain point through to resolution. Infographic by Appollo for TruSense.

Product or service showcase

The company uses this infographic to guide the customer through the experience they can expect. Infographic by Appollo for Complete Solar.

Lists

Whether it’s a Top 10 list like this example or something else, infographic lists are popular and shareable, not to mention a great way to generate traffic.

This infographic shows, more than tells, the audience about popular mens’ hairstyles. Infographic by mnoriega for Designs1234.

Roll out new product or showcase brand

This infographic describes an AR product and suggests the notion of AR by superimposing text and graphics over photos. Infographic by Henrylim for AGLC.

Call to action

Tips for creating a successful infographic —

Now that you’re feeling inspired and motivated to create your own infographic, here are some of our best tips for creating a successful infographic.

Know your audience

Choose great topics

Inform

This infographic uses friendly, “welcome home” colors and a similar image to present its facts. Infographic by Rahadyo W for Mitchell Homes.

Distill

Flow and shape

Get visual and design

Now it’s time to make it all visual. If you’re working with a designer, this part is a cinch; just give them the information, tell them what your goals are, and run with it.

This infographic distills customer profiles into visual characters, and arranges them in a circular pattern, suggesting equal importance for each. Infographic by bntek for snofziger.

This infographic uses a strong, dark color and a vivid accent shade for an IT/cyber security audience and provides lots of details, scrolling down vertically. Infographic by damuhra for MyITpros.

Finally, proof your work. Make sure that any text that can possibly be visual is portrayed with images or graphics. Cite sources if you’re providing statistics or other information.

Wrapping it up —

The post How to use an infographic to promote your business appeared first on 99designs Blog.

via 99designs Blog https://99designs.co.uk/blog/marketing-advertising-en-gb/infographic-for-your-business/

0 notes

susaanrogers · 7 years

Text

How to use an infographic to promote your business

This “how-to” infographic breaks down how winning beer labels are designed. Infographic by mnoriega for 99designs.

Infographics: the basics —

This infographic provides tips and tricks for international designs. Infographic by GRKN_DESIGN for 99designs.

Infographics and small businesses —

Finally, infographics last. They have a long shelf life, and if you choose the right topics, they remain relevant and shareable for months or even years—the perfect format for evergreen content.

This infographic does a great job laying out all of the things that funding for mining could have purchased. Infographic by LittleFox for MollyTAI.

Striking, successful infographics —

Here are some of our favorite small business infographics, with a few words about why they work.

Compare things

Create a timeline

Use an infographic to show the timeline of anything—from the story of your business to the history of education—as the designer has done in this example.

This infographic communicates details about education, all the way back to the ancient world and up to the current moment. Infographic by Mushlya for Accounts30.

PR materials

This infographic with a sketch style illustration reveals details about the company in a format that looks like a product schematic. Infographic by Henrylim for Espy Search Group.

How-tos

With this infographic the business visualizes the complexities of their services and solutions, taking viewers from pain point through to resolution. Infographic by Appollo for TruSense.

Product or service showcase

The company uses this infographic to guide the customer through the experience they can expect. Infographic by Appollo for Complete Solar.

Lists

Whether it’s a Top 10 list like this example or something else, infographic lists are popular and shareable, not to mention a great way to generate traffic.

This infographic shows, more than tells, the audience about popular mens’ hairstyles. Infographic by mnoriega for Designs1234.

Roll out new product or showcase brand

This infographic describes an AR product and suggests the notion of AR by superimposing text and graphics over photos. Infographic by Henrylim for AGLC.

Call to action

Tips for creating a successful infographic —

Now that you’re feeling inspired and motivated to create your own infographic, here are some of our best tips for creating a successful infographic.

Know your audience

Choose great topics

Inform

This infographic uses friendly, “welcome home” colors and a similar image to present its facts. Infographic by Rahadyo W for Mitchell Homes.

Distill

Flow and shape

Get visual and design

Now it’s time to make it all visual. If you’re working with a designer, this part is a cinch; just give them the information, tell them what your goals are, and run with it.

This infographic distills customer profiles into visual characters, and arranges them in a circular pattern, suggesting equal importance for each. Infographic by bntek for snofziger.

This infographic uses a strong, dark color and a vivid accent shade for an IT/cyber security audience and provides lots of details, scrolling down vertically. Infographic by damuhra for MyITpros.

Finally, proof your work. Make sure that any text that can possibly be visual is portrayed with images or graphics. Cite sources if you’re providing statistics or other information.

Wrapping it up —

The post How to use an infographic to promote your business appeared first on 99designs Blog.

0 notes

hottytoddynews · 7 years

Link

Josh Hinson may look like an Irishman, but he is devoted to saving the Chickasaw language.

The Meek School faculty and students published “Unconquered and Unconquerable” online on August 19, 2016, to tell stories of the people and culture of the Chickasaw.

The Chickasaws know that to lose their native tongue would be to lose a big slice of who they are. And the clock is ticking.

Josh Hinson looks like an Irishman. In fact, in the Chickasaw tribe’s annual Three Sisters Festival, he plays the role of the white trader.

“It’s my burden. It’s my cross to bear. The whitest guy who can talk Chickasaw.”

Despite appearances, Hinson is part of a small army of people devoted to rescuing the Chickasaw language from the approaching threat of extinction.

In fact, most would consider Hinson the general of this army – a role for which he is respected within the tribal community.

“Yeah. Speakers are like rock stars,” he says.

He is referring not to himself but to fluent speakers of the Chickasaw language, those who learned to speak it first, before learning English. There are fewer than 50 alive today.

The language is in a dire state. With the youngest fluent speaker already 70, the Chickasaws face the threat of not only losing their native tongue, but the ancient knowledge and cultural understanding so deeply embedded within it. To lose a language is to lose a large piece of a tribe’s cultural pie. Time and mainstream society have greedily eaten away at it. But the Chickasaws are determined to piece together the crumbs that are left.

Sixty-five years ago, Stanley Smith walked from home to a one-room schoolhouse. He was a young Chickasaw boy in Allen, Okla., and it was his first day of school.

It was also his first encounter with the English language.

Smith was just one of 50 Chickasaw classmates. There were around six white students. The teachers spoke only English.

Along with Indian students who were mostly kinfolk, they struggled to learn the strange language their lessons were taught in. They struggled to communicate with classmates. They struggled to assimilate into the new culture being forced upon them.

“It was hard. But we all helped each other,” Smith said.

In 1880, the U.S. government began requiring Native American children to attend boarding schools or neighborhood schools aimed at casting off tribal influence and assimilating them into mainstream American culture. In these schools, many of which adhered to one founder’s slogan, “Kill the Indian, save the man,” children were often forbidden to speak anything but English. At the time, these trials led many Chickasaws to view their native language as a burden. Many eventually quit speaking it.

This tale is the tale of many tribes sent to government schools after removal to Oklahoma. As a result, the Chickasaws are just one of many on the verge of losing their native tongue because of the struggles students like Stanley Smith faced. Those struggles led to a burning desire to make life easier for their children. And to them, easier meant speaking English. And only English.

When Stanley Smith was a young boy, his grandfather told him never to forget how to speak his beautiful language.

Now that Chickasaw isn’t being taught in every home, it’s up to people like Smith to teach people like Hinson all they know before time runs out. And the clock is definitely ticking.

Easier said than done. Learning Chickasaw entails learning a poly-synthetic language. Whereas English is analytic with a noun, then a verb, and so on, Chickasaw consists of a verb that sits in the middle of a huge word with other stuff attached to it. This one word may be a couple of sentences in English.

For example, ‘Ilooittibaa-áyya’shanattook’ means “we all, more than three, were there, in that place, in an ongoing way, a long time ago, more than a year ago.”

“Turning that over in your head and thinking that way is tough,” Hinson says. “If it takes 15 hundred contact hours to be really good at communicating in Spanish, it takes probably 6,000 to 8,000 contact hours to be really good communicating in Chickasaw. It’s easily as hard as any of the most challenging world languages like Russian or Mandarin Chinese. It’s harder.”

So what possessed him to devote his life to learning and teaching such a difficult language?

Born and raised in West Texas, Hinson grew up removed from the tribe and its culture. What little knowledge of the language he held came from Granny Meme. She couldn’t speak much of her native language herself, but gave her grandchildren Chickasaw dictionaries for Christmas when Hinson was around 8 years old. His copy sits in his office today.

“We would give ourselves names and try to make up sentences… ‘cause we didn’t know what we were doing.”

He’s come a long way. Studying art history for his master’s degree at the University of New Mexico got Hinson interested in the language. He started learning in 2000, went to work for the tribe in Oklahoma in 2004, and says he was able to communicate “pretty well” by 2006. He has four sons—two adopted, two biological.

“When my first biological son was born, I just started really seriously picking up the language. It seemed like a good way to sort of figure out the cultural side of things,” he says.

Unlike the many Chickasaws who stayed in Oklahoma surrounded by their culture, when Hinson moved there, he felt disconnected from the tribe.

“Yeah, like an outlander born and raised in Texas,” he says. “No significant cultural knowledge. Getting the language just sort of, like, sucks you to the center… where it doesn’t matter.”

His job title is director of the Chickasaw Language Revitalization program, in which Smith is also active. Smith taught Hinson, and now together they strive to teach others. It is an increasingly urgent mission.

“We have to get good really quick. We don’t have time to mess around,” Hinson says. “We need to get good, when we can sit right next to fluent speakers and they can say, ‘Well, you might want to say, like, this.’”

The Chickasaw Academy is an intense, full-time language program in which tribal members immerse themselves in the dialect: a two-year long program, five days a week, five hours a day. For those who can’t participate in the revitalization classes, a Rosetta Stone program is being produced, the first 40 lessons of which will be released in fall, 2016. Additionally, the Chickasaws have created apps for tribe members to learn on their own anywhere, anytime. Andrea Kihega is a student in the immersion classes. Having always been interested in her heritage, she decided to study her native language. Kihega and the other students are encouraged not to use notes, only their memories. And while she says that she has struggled to break out and become confident in speaking the language, four years have made her knowledgeable enough to text in Chickasaw.

“I am so thankful today that I can still speak my own language,” Smith says. “I can remember Grandpa told me when I was 6 or 7 years old … ‘Don’t ever forget your language.’ I always think about that and how Grandpa said it’s a beautiful language.”

Andrea Kihega is a student in the immersion classes. She now knows enough to text in Chickasaw.

When Smith and other Chickasaws sought to make life easier for their children by not burdening them with two languages, they never dreamed that it would so quickly lead to today’s drought of fluent speakers.

Once, Hinson was somewhat the same way. He regrets that he wasn’t prepared enough to teach the old language to his newborn.

“I was a coward when the baby was born. I just didn’t feel I was proficient enough to raise him in it. He didn’t have the opportunity to be immersed in it ‘cause I just didn’t feel like I was qualified.”

In a world ruled by English, it will prove difficult, if not impossible, to develop a large core of people who speak Chickasaw first, English second. But perhaps the seed planted within the five people in Hinson’s immersion program can ignite a desire to learn that spreads throughout the tribe. The thought brings a smile to Hinson’s face.

“If we could just get, like, one percent before I die, one percent of the tribe as conversational speakers… Man, that would just be, I can’t even imagine, it’d be super,” he says.

Then, with squinted eyes, he starts pointing and bouncing fingers and running through the math.

“Shoot. It’ll never happen. That’s my wildest dream.”

Reality strikes and he lowers the bar a little. “You know, I’ll just take, I’ll take 10 right now. If we could get 10, highly proficient, second language learners.”

And with the vigorous efforts being made, it looks like he can prevail. More importantly though, the lesson has been learned. The severity of how much tribal culture is bound by language has been realized. If you don’t understand the language, you can’t fully understand the culture.

“There’s really something, sort of this world view, about how our ancestors, and our traditional people view the world that you just can’t have access to in some ways without knowing the language,” Hinson laments.

Walk the grounds of the spacious Chickasaw Cultural Center, a colorful, informative repository of tribal history, and you will frequently hear people offer greetings in Chickasaw. Here and there, more often, people use phrases and sometimes a sentence or two. There is a definite charge of hope running through the Chickasaws today. And maybe Hinson arrived at just the right time to be a big part of that.

As he thinks about it, a big smile spreads across his face.

“The traditional folks don’t care that I don’t look how an Indian ought to look. Because I can speak Chickasaw.”

By Kate Hayes. Photography by Chi Kalu.

LEFT TO RIGHT: Ariel Cobbert, Mrudvi Bakshi, Taylor Bennett, Lana Ferguson, SECOND ROW: Tori Olker, Josie Slaughter, Kate Harris, Zoe McDonald, Anna McCollum, THIRD ROW: Bill Rose, Chi Kalu, Slade Rand, Mitchell Dowden, Will Crockett. Not pictured: Tori Hosey PHOTO BY THOMAS GRANING

The Meek School faculty and students published “Unconquered and Unconquerable” online on August 19, 2016, to tell stories of the people and culture of the Chickasaw. The publication is the result of Bill Rose’s depth reporting class taught in the spring. Emily Bowen-Moore, Instructor of Media Design, designed the magazine.

“The reason we did this was because we discovered that many of them had no clue about the rich Indian history of Mississippi,” said Rose. “It was an eye-opening experience for the students. They found out a lot of stuff that Mississippians will be surprised about.”

Print copies will be available October 2016.

For questions or comments, email us at [email protected].

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