#but there are ways to pronounce names that are…more incorrect than others

[rolandkaros]

not to throw a hissy fit but i’m fed up with commentators mispronouncing player names like it’s really not hard at all sorry

[brightlight-dazzlingeyes]

between the lines | chapter 01

rúben dias x original female character [+18]

synopsis: isabella is a sports journalist covering the premier league. she has sworn to never get involved with a football player. that is, until she meets a handsome portuguese defender. warnings: incorrect journalism references; timeline of events are not faithful to real life; i have never been to england; mutual pining; romantic comedy;  minors dni.

previous chapter | masterlist | next chapter

Chapter 01 — Are you Tottenham in disguise?

It was a chilly day in greater Manchester, and in the morning I decided to pay a visit to my little niece Lucía. She had recently achieved the incredible ability to pronounce my name. Well, not my name exactly, but she does say ‘tía’ with the confidence of a young lady that knows I would die for her.

“She’s so cute!” I say cheerfully. Sienna, my sister-in-law, dressed up the baby in several layers of pastel colored clothing as we prepared to take a walk with her. Baby Lucía looked like a little package of cotton candy. The cutest.

“I know, and you’re welcome!” Sienna winks at me as she puts Lucía in her stroller. She enjoyed being walked around the neighborhood for a couple blocks before going to her daycare. Lucía had a strict and healthy schedule, it actually makes me jealous. The baby has a morning routine! She uses moisturizer! “So, you’re working today?”

“I am! City and Arsenal, later today. Want to bet on the score?” We used to do this every week, the loser would buy ice cream.

“2-1 for Arsenal.” Sienna says.

“I’m going with 3-1 City.”

“Oh, that reminds me!” Sienna looks at me excitedly. “Oh my god, I completely forgot!” She starts giggling. “You’re not going to believe it!” The thing about my dear in-law is that she never goes straight to the point.

“Sienna, come on! Just tell me. What is it?”

“Lucías’s pediatrician is single!” She raises her eyebrow, suggestively.

“Yes, and…?”

“He’s a great guy, I swear! Carlos and I agreed you two would be perfect together. Your brother didn’t tell you?”

No, my brother didn’t tell me. He probably didn’t think it was important, as Carlos never thinks anything is important ever. I’m just glad to hear he’s thinking about my happiness when I’m not around. After delivering Lucía to her important daycare business, we walked together to the Metro. I would be meeting with Melissa Reed, who worked at DAZN, near the Etihad, for lunch. Sienna was being kind enough to walk with me, but I quickly learned her intentions. She’s been trying to set me up with her friends and cousins since the first time we met. Now we upgraded to pediatricians. That 's interesting.

“I don’t know… If things go south it will be awkward between you guys. I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“The guy is a professional, alright? It won't be awkward, don’t worry!”

“How old is he?”

“Less than 50?” She crunches her nose and I laugh.

“Less than 50 is nice. I guess… Set me up?”

What do I have to lose, honestly? I’ve been single for the past 3 years and have been spending my nights daydreaming about football players. Dinner with a doctor under 50 would be nice for a change. Sienna hugs me while promising me I won't regret my decision, which is always a sign someone is making a bad decision, by the way. Melissa agrees with my sister-in-law, when I tell her about the possible upcoming date.

“You need to get out there, girl. If I had your face and your titties, I would have a long line of men at my feet!”

“Well, you do!” I point at her. Mel is gorgeous and an avid heartbreaker, she’s almost a decade older than me, so sometimes she can behave more like a mentor, or an older sister. We met quite recently, through work, always bumping into each other at press conferences, and she quickly became a close friend. 

“You need to be more confident. Words of reinforcement really help, you know?” Mel says, “Just say ‘I’m interesting, I’m smart’.” She fixes her posture, looking at me assertively.

“I’m interesting, I’m smart.” I repeat with a whisper, trying to copy her pose.

“Yes. Go ahead, ‘I can do anything I set my mind to’.”

“I can do anything.” There's a silence as we nod at each other. “I could fix Chelsea.”

“You could fix Chelsea! You really could.” She pats me in the head. “And you're going to rock this date with a hopefully handsome doctor!”

And then, there was the match. So, listen, the thing about working with what you love is: sometimes that’s your only option. When I was a teenager I went through what we called a phase. I stopped talking, I didn’t want to go to school anymore. I lost interest in all my previous hobbies. My dad, who thank god was still alive at the time, took me to a shrink. The guy asked a bunch of questions and all I remember was that in one of my answers I told him ‘the only thing that gets me out of bed is football’. All these years later and that’s still true. 

I worked on the weekend after my dad died even though I hadn’t eaten anything for days. Football is my religion. So I have nowhere else to go. I went to college and graduated in Journalism and immediately started working with the sport. And it’s at night like these that I’m reminded of why I made this career decision. 

It was clear it was a special night hours before the match, there were a lot more reporters and former players in the stadium than the usual. A proper special occasion, with the Prem trophy being displayed in the middle of the field before the game. The City fans cheered like it was Champions League night. Incredible atmosphere. Later, after the Blue’s 3rd goal, one of the chants accused Arsenal of being Tottenham in disguise, referencing the London rivals recent 6-1 loss. I went into the Etihad press room buzzing with excitement. Of course, I interviewed Rúben. I’m in charge of trying to talk to him ever since a lovely interaction with my boss.

“You speak Portuguese, right?” He asked.

“Well, no, but I’m spanish.”

“That will do.”

So now I have to interview every player born in the Iberian Peninsula or in Latin America, regardless of the language I speak. I’m just thankful nobody told him Italian and French are also romance languages. Rúben was shining and smiling brightly, the man looked ridiculously beautiful when he was happy. As he should, it was a magnificent victory and he earned that smile.

“Olá, Isa!” He says.

Oh, shit. He remembers my name. Of course he does, I mean, we talk practically twice a week. Shit. Quick, say something cool. Something sensual, but professional. Make him want you, but don't let him know you want him as well.

“Hi.” I end up saying. The rest went as usual, ‘are you feeling confident about the title’, ‘what are your thoughts on the team performance’, etc. He was charming and polite, and 100% not flirting with me, no matter what my stupid brain tried to convince me. Just because a man has beautiful brown eyes doesn't mean he’s trying to sleep with me. Unless…

“See you Sunday?” Rúben asks as we say goodbye and I just nod, dumbly. I don’t remember him making such questions before. Or maybe I’m just holding on to silly signs because I have a big stupid crush on him.

Sienna: thanks to haaland i’m not paying you ice cream :) also, date set with sexy doctor  monday, lunch, your favorite restaurant and you’re welcome :p

She sends me a picture of said sexy doctor, and I’m obliged to agree with her. He definitely looks younger than 50 and on a 0 to 10 ranking, very close to an 8. Next day I’m in London, meeting up with Sebastian before heading to the Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium.

“Por favor, Isa, let me say ‘bottled’, it’s all I have left today.” The Spaniard says grinning at me.

“You had a rough week, take all the victories you can get, my friend.” I pat him in the back as he laughs. Seb then puts his arms around me as we set up our equipment, still grinning.

“Hey, can I ask you a favor?” 

“Sure…?” I speak, unsurely.

“If my team loses today, just shoot me.”

Working with football is amazing, but being a football supporter is really something else. It’s common for correspondents to get attached to a team of the league they’re covering. For me it never really happened, since I keep moving from league to league every couple of years. Thank God, being a Valencia supporter since a little kid,– thanks, mom and dad – I suffer enough.

I decided to spend the night in London, and only go back home tomorrow morning, so after work I go to the least expensive hotel room I could find. Seb and Melissa accompany me for a few drinks at the hotel bar and then once again I go to bed daydreaming about the one who should not be named. I cowardly open his Insta profile while hiding underneath the covers, like that’s going to protect me somehow. 

Except, there’s something different this time. Holy shit. He 's following me. That’s normal, right? Yeah, we’re basically coworkers! No need to freak out. Come on, Isa, get a grip. He’s not the first player to hit the follow button and he won’t be last. In fact, I have a long list of answered and unsolicited DM’s from the most random players, but we don’t have to go there. After weeks of creepy stalking the poor fella, I follow him back immediately. Maybe that will help. We’re officially practically coworkers now, in a way, right? Just a couple of colleagues who follow each other on social media. No more blushing, no more drooling over shirtless and carefully curated thirst traps.

I open the picture Sienna sent me of the pediatrician. Okay. Monday, lunch… My favorite restaurant, even! Sounds like a good plan.

[olderthannetfic]

I've found in my own writing, when checking for SPAG issues without a beta that's good at that kind of thing, TTS tends to catch a lot more than grammar/spellcheck. It doesn't just catch the mispelled words, which aren't really as much of an issue for me (though they do still occur), but it also catches a lot of the stuff that gets mistranslated from brain to fingers as I'm typing. I have a brainweirdness that can cause odd speech patterns, and one of the things that sometimes happens is I'll type (or speak) a word that my brain thinks is the right one, but isn't, for example:

Killed -> killing/killer/kills (brain mistranslates one version of a word into a different one with the same root.)

Sing -> sink/singe/sin (brain mistranslates one word to another that looks similar at a glance, but isn't what I was trying to say.)

No -> know (brain gets mixed up with two words that sound the same in the inner monologue since they're homophones and sends the signal to type the wrong one [this example in particular is one I have done multiple times!].)

TTS isn't really helpful for the last one, but I have certainly avoided a number of embarrassing mistakes using it that, for some reason, didn't get caught by the checker? Even though I don't think that's an unreasonable addition to make to your average grammar/spellcheck?

However. I have still definitely had to use my best judgement with it, because if a character has a name that is even slightly less than recognizably English it WILL butcher it. Without fail. And if you're intentionally doing something grammatically incorrect, like doing thiiiiiiiiis in character dialogue, obviously it's not going to pronounce that right. And some words, like fang, it just pronounces incorrectly, at least with mine it consistently mispronounces that word.

Still though! I've also noticed that it helped in an area I wasn't even expecting, which has to do with how it pronounces punctuation. I was apparently using the wrong dash, which was causing the TTS function in my writing program to fuck up with one of my favorite ways of writing dialogue (characters getting interrupted/interrupting themselves with an action in the middle of a sentence, my beloved). (I don't use that specific one super often, but I do love putting actions between two parts of the same character's dialogue.)

I've also found that it helps when editing for other stuff too, areas where my eyes kinda glossed over and missed a bunch of repititions of the same word get caught by TTS, areas where the phrasing feels awkward or clunky but sounded nice in my head also get caught by it, and just in general, when I've been staring at a piece for too long it catches a lot of stuff I missed, which makes sense given that common editing advice is to read your writing out loud.

Anyway. I don't know if this would be helpful to anyone else since I've been using this tool mostly as a disability aid (if in a different way than it was probably intended for...), but if your program has a TTS function, it can't hurt to try it out. Bye!

--

[steakout-05]

(quick clarification: this post is specifically about neurodivergent transmeds refusing to use people's neos out of an apparent disrespect and using their neurodivergence as an excuse to legitimately be mean. feel free to add more stuff onto this in the replies!)

hey guys don't mean to be queer on main but i think people using their neurodivergency as an excuse to misgender people isn't ok actually.

i've seen stories of quite a few people who use the fact that they have ADHD (or some other condition that may cause memory issues) and can't remember things well as an excuse to "forget" someone's neopronouns, even after being asked by that person multiple times to refer to them with those pronouns. this isn't ok on so many levels.

first of all, i think it's incredibly guilt-trippy to make someone feel bad about accidentally being ableist by expressing themselves, when in reality, they haven't done anything wrong at all. using funky and obscure pronouns is not ableist in any way just because some people might have issues remembering them, and i think the take that neopronouns are ableist, especially for that reason, is an incredibly ridiculous and purely situational excuse to be mean.

that's like if someone told you their name, and then you got mad at them for using that name because you struggle to remember it and you demanded them to use a name that's easier and more convenient for you to use, rather than the name that the other person feels comfortable with. that's not an accommodation, that's just being an asshole.

second of all, some neurodivergent people (such as autistic people for example) struggle with change and complex concepts like language and pronouns. it's hard to get used to using neopronouns or someone changing their pronouns sometimes, especially when it happens for the first time because you're so used to it. however. finding change hard is NOT an excuse to misgender someone for your own comfort. someone's deeply personal identity should not be the cost of your own convenience, and refusing to acknowledge and respect that identity by not doing the bare minimum that is using their pronouns is incredibly close-minded and harmful.

third of all, the way someone chooses to express themselves is literally none of your business. someone uses pronouns that are confusing and seem grammatically incorrect to you? none of your business. someone's using "stereotypical" pronouns that "make the queer/autistic community look silly"? not your problem. we're all a little silly.

if you're neurodivergent and you find neopronouns, or any pronouns, difficult to remember or understand, here are some tips you can try instead of being mean:

make a fun little chart of people's names, their pronouns and how to pronounce them (ex. Name | Pronouns | Pronounce)! colour code them, use stickers and drawings, anything that will help you remember which pronouns someone uses. stuff like whiteboards and docs can work well for people who frequently change their pronouns or have a lot of them. making the chart fun, personalised and memorable can help a lot with memory issues for a lot of people.

try practising saying or typing their pronouns, whether that's in the mirror or in group chats. there's some really good pronoun dressing room websites that help illustrate how to use more obscure pronouns in conversation.

feel free to ask people! if you can, ask them what their pronouns are and how to pronounce them. i'm sure they will not be mad and will gladly help you learn :) (though please remember to not out someone and their pronouns if they are in an unsafe place. make sure they feel comfortable first before asking/telling someone about their pronouns because some spaces can be really bigoted and unsafe unfortunately.)

make a character that has neopronouns! making an OC that you get attached to can help you familiarise yourself with the concept and referring to that character frequently with their pronouns!

hopefully this is helpful. if you end up seeing anyone in the neurodivergent community use their neurodivergence and an excuse to misgender someone, please block them and don't start an argument. bigotry will not be tolerated in this community or on my blog.

disclaimer: this post is NOT saying that having memory issues/issues with change makes you a bad person, nor does it make you intentionally ignorant and rude. this post is specifically about people who willfully refuse to respect and use someone's correct pronouns on the basis that they're neurodivergent and find them confusing, and choose to intentionally misgender people for their own comfort/convenience.

edit: also!! i should add that this post isn't saying that nd people who legitimately find neopronouns as a concept difficult to grasp (such as people with learning disabilities) are bad people either! that was something i didn't think of when writing this because this post is more about neurodivergent transmeds/transphobes i've seen in the queer and nd communities specifically, but yeah!! i think accommodations absolutely should be made if a neurodivergent person finds themselves having communication difficulties related to neopronouns because some disabled people actually cannot use them. for extra clarification i have added a disclaimer at the beginning of this post. (thanks to @zolf for pointing this out in the notes)

[beevean]

hi, i set out today looking for fellow haters of the netflix castlevania show and it was honestly so tough, but amidst all the "why do people hate castlevania?? it's so great!!" circlejerks i finally found you. and thank god for it. i never played any of the games, so it's good to know at least that they make more sense in terms of characters and plot than that netflix shitshow

a friend who really loves it sat me down about a year ago and we watched the first three seasons or so together before i could finally escape it and never touched it again. i do like the animation and some of the fight scenes, but none of it comes even close to balancing out the corny dialogue, the lackluster character dynamics, and oh GOD the cultural faux pas. like?? why did they not google a single one of the romanian names they very frequently say? i heard at least three different mispronunciations of "târgoviște" and "greșit", and "țepeș" they somehow managed to get approximately half right (it's pronounced "tzeh-pesh", not "teh-pesh"). it's absolutely mind-boggling to me. wikipedia includes standardised phonetic spelling and google translate can just read it out to you. idk how it is in the games, but considering how big on alleged wokeness the netflixvania production team seems to be, they could at the very least have looked up these very basic and frequently used words once or asked a singular romanian for a pointer here and there

i am romanian, so obviously these things tick me off much more than they would someone who isn't. i just think that if they weren't going to pronounce anything right anyway and wanted to use a very generic western european backdrop (note: romania is in eastern europe), they could just as well have set the whole thing in a fake fantasy world and spared themselves some trouble. the houses look german. the priests and churches look catholic. there are way too many blonde people, especially for southern romania. i just don't like it at all

i hope you have great day btw 💞 thank you for lending me some new faith in humanity

Oh 🥺 I'm glad you sent me this ask <3 I feel that there are very few people who outright dislike NFCV (for the right reasons, at least), because you hear left and right about how not only it's excellent on every front, but So Much Better Than The Stupid games, Best Adaptation of All Time, and it kills me inside every time because am I stupid for not buying the hype? So yeah, thank you <3

I'm vindicated that you didn't like the show even without playing the games. The most common rebuttal against antis is "wah you just want the adaptation to be 1:1 with the games!" (or "wah you're just a bigot!", which drives me mad), but I always insist that the show fails on its own product as well. It's exactly as you say, and yes, I was also bothered by how every "foreigner" has an appropriate accent, but the Romanians speak in perfect British English. It wants to be inclusive but it ends up being confusing and lowkey xenophobic - what, Romanian doesn't sound sexy enough for you?

(also count your blessings that you managed to escape S4. Some of the plotlines enraged me like I can't convey in written word :) )

Eh, if incorrect pronunciation bothers you (and as an Italian who has seen what the English language does to their native tongue, I fully sympathize lmao), the games don't do much better. In one game the translator of the manual didn't know that Wallachia was a real place, they thought it was the fantasy town of Warakiya (which is how it's spelled in Japanese), and in another it's pronounced "woh-LAY-sha" lol. The chapels also look very Catholic for the aesthetic, even though the Orthodox Church exists (I'd wager that in Japan they're far less familiar with it). Overall, the settings in the games tend to be vaguer than in the show, rarely namedropped, except for two games set in Wallachia (the ones the show takes "inspiration" from) and two other titles set in Japan. The show tries a little harder, but hardly hides the historical inaccuracies and just went for the aesthetic as well :P

Same to you, anon 💕

[jonquilyst]

Sims get to know me tag!

I was indirectly tagged, but I love doing these tag games haha 😝 Anyway, it’s here in case anyone is curious about me lol

1. What’s your favourite sims death? Probably death by hysteria because it’s just so unhinged lol

2. Alpha CC or Maxis Match? Maxis Match

3. Do you cheat when your sims gain weight? I don’t want to admit it, but yes I do. I just hate how sims’ bodies change so easily when they have that one plate of pancakes or a slice of cake, but even when my sims do eat healthy they still gain weight... I have a set image on what I want my sims to look like and it irritates me when the game changes it (so please don’t take this the wrong way haha... I see my sims as characters with a specific design and I’d like for it to stay mostly the same unless I decide there’s gonna be a change).

I also edit the bodies of sims who are born in-game since sometimes their frames end up looking strange as they age up so I edit them so they look more natural.

4. Do you use move objects? All the time.

5. Favorite mod? MCCC for sure.

6. First expansion/game/stuff pack you got? Outdoor Retreat since it was the only DLC pack at the time! I got the base game a few months after it first came out (in November 2014 I think)

7. Do you pronounce “live mode” like aLIVE or LIVing? People are probably gonna hate me for this, but I tend to pronounce it as “aLIVE.” I’ve always thought of live mode as “we’re now live!” like on TV or nowadays like livestreaming. I’ve always found the other pronunciation strange because I don’t think it’s grammatically correct? If it was pronounced like “LIVing,” then wouldn’t it make more sense if it was called “Living Mode?” Idk, “live mode” just sounds incorrect to me.

8. Who’s your favorite sim that you’ve made? I haven’t shared her on here, but the sim I consider to be an all-time favorite would have to be Kira Benjamin, my cranky old lady who is basically my own Agnes Crumplebottom. She’s a very fierce, boomer attitude-esque elder (dark, scary-looking lipstick included) who is married to a materialistic, child-hating man named Tom. Kira is part of my Newcrest townies collection and she and Tom serve as the “cranky old neighbors” since literally every other family in the collection has children.

9. Have you made a simself? Nope. I’ve thought about it but my simself would never be truly accurate because female sims are so tall in TS4 and I’m definitely not model-height like they are, so... 🤷‍♀️

10. What sim traits do you give yourself? Creative, Cat Lover, and Loyal

11. Which is your favorite EA hair color? I really dig that newer platinum blonde swatch we got in the 2021 update. I like that it’s a warm off-white, since the actual white hair swatch is cooler-toned and looks more like the white hair that older people have, and it doesn’t have the strange green hint like the other platinum blonde swatch has.

12. Favorite EA hair? I don’t really have a favorite but an honorable mention would have to be that braided ponytail from Eco Living. I love it so much!

13. Favorite life stage? YA since that’s kinda like the fresh start/prime of a sim’s life, but toddlers definitely follow closely behind.

14. Are you a builder or are you in it for the gameplay? I’m definitely in it for the gameplay. I’ve built things before but I’ve never been great at it. I prefer to download stuff off the gallery, adjust things to how I see fit, and play right away.

15. Are you a CC creator? Nope.

16. Do you have any simblr friends/a sim squad? I’m still a pretty small simblr with not a lot of friends, but I’ve got a fair number of mutuals on here that I enjoy interacting with 😊

17. What’s your favorite game? Sims 3 for nostalgia purposes, though it’s just as riddled with glitches (if not more) than the Sims 4. I’ve made a lot of memories with that game though 🥰

18. Do you have any sims merch? Nope.

19. Do you have a YouTube for sims? Nope, but I did watch the OG LifeSimmer back in the day and thought about starting one up 😝 Now I for sure don’t want to since I’m not very good at speaking or video editing, but I’ve thought about livestreaming to small groups though.

20. How has your “sim style” changed throughout your years of playing? My sim style hasn’t really changed much, but comparing my Newcrest townies (first made in around 2017) to my newer sims I’d say my sim style has gotten more realistic and natural-looking.

21. What’s your Origin ID? It’s NyhtHacker but I don’t have anything on there since my account is shared between me and my siblings. I did not choose that name, btw.

22. Who’s your favorite CC creator? I have a lot of favorites but here’s some I highly recommend: trillyke, Jius, ClumsyAlien, simstrouble, sheabuttyr, and AH00B.

23. How long have you had a simblr? Since March 2022, so a little over a year now.

24. How do you edit your pictures? I use Photoshop (previously Pixlr until they went the paywall route). I crop the pictures, use Camera Raw for brightening/filtering as necessary, and then add text if needed.

25. What expansion/game/stuff pack is your favorite so far? That’s a toughie but I’m gonna say Snowy Escape. Beautiful world with great CAS and build items; not to mention the Japanese culture. It feels a lot more alive than some of the other worlds/packs and I’m really happy about that.

26. What expansion/game/stuff pack do you want next? I’d really like a fairies-themed pack. Fairies were my favorite occult back in my Sims 3 days, and now that we have all the other occults in TS4 I am crossing my fingers that EA will give some love to my winged friends!

Tagging @glowbloom and @spurgees but feel free to ignore 💗

[hxans]

So, we watched episodes 6 & 7 of Wheel of Time

I think my husband has struggled a little with hearing some names pronounced, I mean, I know it's thrown me off a couple of times, when we're both so used to seeing the names written. Even with the guides at the back of the books we sometimes develop a preferred (incorrect) pronunciation. Anyway watching the opening about young Siuan and he's like, wait, who is she? 'Cause I don't think he quite caught the way her name was pronounced at first.

It's all starting to blur together a bit, which things happen in which episode, which I didn't expect to happen quite so soon, for me in the books I'm pretty good at remembering things up through tFoH and then it gets blurry. At least being 8 episodes if I want to rewtch it's easy enough to do so.

I am way more interested in the white tower polical stuff these days, so that's all very interesting to watch, and I feel I've got to watch it again to catch all the various interplays. Logain was very tragic, and I want more of him. Moiraine was very dramatic with the public displays of humiliation.

The blue sister talking about ships disappearing in the west filled me with dread. That's some bad, bad news right there.

I was right, when we got to the scene where Moiraine and Siuan are alone and they kiss, husband was like, I don't remember that from the books. I had to remind him RJ had some odd ideas about women being "pillowfriends" as novices but usually growing out of it. Which, yes, let's ignore that.

It was interesting how Moiraine kept Mat & Rand separated from Egwene & Perrin, not even telling them they were all in the city. I know part of it was trying to keep the tower from noticing what she was doing, but I can't help but think little things like that will fuel the distrust in her, especially with some of her other choices later.

Loved the scene of Egwene and Nynaeve meeting Siuan, and the way Nynaeve refused to be impressed or cowed, haha.

If I have one complaint, they sent the horses away before entering The Ways and had Mat dramatically hang back before ditching them, I just think him holding on to the horses and noping out of going with them would have made more sense. But uhh, I'm also worried about him being alone, weaponless and horseless and Padan Fain showing up to follow the others.

My husband had left the room just before the openjng for episode 7, so I paused it, and when he came back he was like, you didn't have to do that, and I was like, excuse you yes I did. You'll want to see this. Rand's mum fighting all those men while in labour, that was some badass shit. It's an awesome fight sequence which he agreed was worth watching.

So the Ways were creepy, but I liked the moment that showed Perrin's vision has changed when he could see further in the dark than the others. And then the black wind with everyone's fears hurled at them, for yet another moment of Nynaeve blazing with power.

I saw Uno! Hiiiiii Uno!

And Min was introduced, hi Min. She seems ok so far. She is kinda special that she's the first person Rand is willing to admit to the possibility he is tDR.

Liked Nynaeve getting to meet Lan's family and have her time with him.

Not sure what else to say about the episode. There were a lot of conversations, some awkward moments, a moment that seemed to be unintentionally unrequited Perrin/Rand while they tried to sell us on unrequited Perrin/Egwene, but all of it leading to the moment where Rand and Moiraine ditch everyone to head to teotw.

[bhushita]

The Letter to Nobody

Dearest,

It is cold today. After a week-long heat wave, the bay area has cooled down. It even rained the other day - what a treat!

The rain has clarified the skies. I didn't know the blue of the Californian skies could be any bluer. But they could. They have: And they remind me of home.

I am inundated with assignments. I read most of the afternoons. I don't remember my eyelids being tired this way. This tiredness is new to me, as are the golden sycamore leaves, the souvenirs of autumn. My first fall in the US, tired from reading stories all day long.

Fall.

Such a terse, poetic name for a weather.

You were startled by my admiration when I first admitted it to you. I suspect it struck you as incorrect. In a way, you were right.

Why should the spring buds admire the fall? Why should they indulge in the promise of death, decay, falling?

Fall. 

It is relaxing just to even pronounce it out loud. My muscles groan. In the distant skies, the clouds have thinned out into round patches that look like doily. I smile. I always wanted to learn crocheting. I know I never will. But I will look at doilies and I will look at doily-looking clouds and tell myself I wanted to learn crocheting. Why do I do this? Who am I lying? And I am not even lying. I would like to learn crocheting but only if life was a little longer than it is. I shift my gaze back to my screen. Words. I love them. 

Rustle. Why do I have to be distracted like this?

A swarm of desiccated sycamore leaves. It is cute that they always travel in a band. My windowsill is their nestling place. The specters of autumn. 

Is this a goodbye? Are you here to say goodbye? 

I say goodbye out loud. The leaves receive my idiocy with solemn indifference. 

Indifference. You pretended but you couldn’t be half as indifferent as these leaves. 

I never understood why you, with all your appetite for the unknown, should be threatened by the admiration. But admiration is threatening. In old french, it means to regard the person in awe.

It is threatening to be regarded with awe. What if we couldn't live up to it? What if our existence contaminates someone's pool of awe? Will we be able to live with so much guilt?

I understand you better now. Now that you are gone.

You indeed disappointed me. You faltered when it mattered the most. You betrayed my trust more than once.

Strangely enough, life is setting up a reverse drama for me. I have a far younger boy approach me with the admiration I had for you. And I feel burdened. I try to tell him that this is stupid. And it is. I know it is, because I have been stupid. But he persists. He brings me tea and chocolates.

I am waiting to break his heart. But that is the only way forward. Doesn't mean I didn't care for him. I want him to fly higher.

You are dead. Every day, life teaches me how/why to forgive you. I forgive you. One carelessness a day. You were also petty. Just like me. None of us can rise higher than our fears. At least, not all at once.

I forgave you this today - your suspicion of me. 

- bhushita

[astrobei]

dearest suni i have a question for you. well two and they are both based in curiosity. a) what is ur level of confidence in byler endgame realistically (im like 50/50 on a good day tbh) and b) how do u phonetically pronounce ur name bc i realized it could go a couple ways and i want to make sure im mentally pronouncing it right!

ok thats all have a good day/night/year <3

hi ella !! both excellent questions !!

a) as for byler endgame i am. hm. i have been severely let down in the past so i am by nature a little cynical but. more than them not getting together my worst fear is that it’ll be some weird open ended left unsaid thing/they confess in the last couple scenes of s5 with no kiss no established byler moments ☹️ not too get too Analytical or anything but i think that having mike reject will would be such a disservice to his character and his growth throughout the series because it would end with will heartbroken and in pain AGAIN. this entire show has just been about will being put through the fucking wringer and i truly do think the only way to satisfyingly sum up his arc would be to let him have the boy !! let him have his happy ending !! they 100% didn’t have to make it mike that he was in love with bc having him struggle with his sexuality alone would have been very fitting in the story and they could’ve written a second love interest in like vickie, but they made it mike for a reason !! especially w no new characters being introduced in s5!! idk i am, like most people, a little apprehensive at times but i genuinely can’t think of a halfway decent ending where they don’t end up together especially with so many parallels to other couples in the show 🥳🥳🥳 (🤞)

b) suni is just the first half of my Real Name which is pronounced soo-knee ! but i also go by sunny when i give my name at like. starbucks and stuff so if that’s how u were pronouncing it u would technically Not Be Incorrect :^)

have a good day/night/year to u too ella thank u for the wonderful conversation 😙

[90363462]

Dave Chappelle’s Most Controversial Quotes and Why They Angered His Fans

Jeff LiddellSeptember 18, 2022

The comedy game has changed over the past two decades, particularly in regards to the treatment of touchy topics. Comedians still seldom escape controversy, but nowadays, the criticisms of a provocative joke come from multiple directions. Negative responses to the controversial content of a comedian’s work are just as likely to come from concerned members of groups that have historically gotten the short of the stick as they are to come from the powerful moral guardians that comedy, especially satire, has historically targeted. 

The 2000s were especially a decade dominated by edgy, satirical humor that attempted to push the envelope using politically incorrect terminology, imagery, and contexts. One of the most prominent proponents of this approach to comedy to this day is Dave Chappelle.

RELATED: Motivational Quotes to Help You Rise Above

Unsurprisingly for a comic, especially one that uses satire to discuss some of the most sensitive social issues in the United States, especially race relations, Dave Chappelle has faced a lot of scrutiny. At one point, the American stand-up comedian’s program, Chappelle’s Show, was so popular that one of its sketches was blamed on the theft of a city council candidate’s campaign signs. 

Despite having united audiences in poking fun at deserving targets like any other successful satirist, Chappelle has bit more than he could chew on several occasions. His trademark seemingly insensitive way of tackling issues has backfired before, and in recent years, appears to have attracted more vitriol.  

The Most Famous Dave Chappelle Quotes

Copied

“You know, a lot of different feelings come up when they hear that word. But I’m thinking, is it because black people actually identify themselves as the “N” words? No. I don’t know. Maybe. But what if we just used the word for other people, would it be so bad? I don’t know? So, I made a sketch. It’s about a white family, whose last name happens to be [the word], that’s all. Let’s see how offensive the word sounds now.”

One of Dave Chappelle’s long-lasting schticks is using racist stereotypes to mock them, with the intent of subverting audience expectations. As a Black man, he especially attempts to represent a caricature of what it is like to be a Black American through classic switcheroos. This first quote comes from an introduction to one of the most infamous sketches of Chappelle’s Show, which involves a white family whose surname is the n-word but with an “A” instead of an “E.” 

RELATED: 25 Chris Rock Quotes That Are Hilarious But Also Surprisingly Deep

The skit was notable for depicting the white family as other completely stereotypical, complete with a comfy suburban home and a black and white filter reminiscent of old sitcoms. The outlier is their casual comfort with their collective moniker, not even questioning the awkward implications of the way it is spelled and pronounced. The segment itself was considerably more provocative than the introductory quote that preceded it, but Chappelle’s inversion of the n-word had other effects in real life. 

Mainly, Chappelle noticed that some white fans were getting too comfortable laughing at the race-heavy humor, making Chappelle ponder on whether some of his white fans are laughing with him or at him. The quote on its own is rather inoffensive, but it mirrors the baggage that came with Chappelle’s style, the same baggage that made him prematurely end his own show despite its astounding success.

“I look at like that word, used to be a word of oppression. But that when I say it, it feels more like an act of freedom, for me to be able to say that unapologetically on television.”

Discriminatory terms have a complicated standing in our world. While it is popular for marginalized groups to reclaim slurs and other derogatory terms, other people, including members of said groups, would rather discard them entirely, believing that they are incapable of being separated from the brutality of their history. Out of these two approaches to oppressive language, Chappelle clearly agrees with the former, and has been consistent about it in his career. 

From an interview with CBS’ Bob Simon, this particular quote, once again about the n-word, felt liberating in an era of television that heavily focused on challenging the standards imposed by censors on all networks. To Chappelle as an individual, the appropriation of the n-word was intended as a middle finger to the racism it represents, not an endorsement. However, this quote, and Chappelle’s worldview in general, has been criticized as not having aged too well due to potentially leading to a slippery slope that could depict racism, especially anti-Black racism, with no intentions of challenging it. 

There were concerns that due to Chappelle’s success, clueless imitators would parrot his jokes and take them at face value rather than have some introspection. In the end, this quote, similar to the one above, is a precursor to what Chappelle would end up feeling of the work that put him on the radar. Michael Richards’ own racist, n-word-filled tirade would prove the critics’ point, much to Chappelle’s discomfort.

Politically Incorrect and Polarizing Dave Chappelle Quotes

“Hollywood is no place for moral absolutism. You know what I mean? We must never forget that R. Kelly peed on a 15-year-old girl. And he also wrote “I Believe I Can Fly. Same guy, same lifetime. If I showed you that video of him peeing on that girl, and scored it to “I Believe I Can Fly,” you’d be torn. ‘♪ I used to think that I could not go on, ♪ You wouldn’t know how to feel, ♪ If I can see it ♪.’ It’s okay, my career ended many years ago.”

#MeToo is arguably the biggest scandal in contemporary Hollywood history, with the legacy of dozens of actors, musicians, and producers, as well as their works in some cases, forever being tainted after their dark sides were exposed. The Bird Revelation, Chappelle’s special from 2017, discussed the overwhelming cycle of powerful people being revealed as sexually predatory. However, while the special bothered some infamous figures such as Harvey Weinstein, this particular quote is about R. Kelly, whose own issues have been common knowledge for over a decade. 

Chappelle’s mockery of R. Kelly was well-received, but polarized some fans due to who it focused on. Aside from R. Kelly himself disapproving of Chappelle’s jokes about him, this quote has been characterized as cheapening what R. Kelly did and shifting focus on the wrong target in a special specifically about recent scandals. According to Neal Brennan, even the R. Kelly sketch from Chappelle’s Show has polarized modern audiences for its irreverent treatment of the singer’s actions.

RELATED: Why Dave Chappelle Walked Away From $50 Million Dollars

“Punched the LBGTQ community, right in the AIDS. Can’t do that. Can’t do that. But I do believe and I’ll make this point later that the kid made a very egregious mistake. I will acknowledge that. But you know a lot of the LBGTQ community doesn’t know DaBaby’s history, he’s a wild guy. He once shot a [guy]… and killed him, in Walmart. Oh, this is true, Google it. DaBaby shot and killed a [guy] in Walmart in North Carolina. Nothing bad happened to his career.”

Closer is Dave Chappelle’s most recent special, and arguably his most controversial work, although in a rare case for Chappelle, the emotional reactions to it were not strictly related to the usual racial themes of his work. In an attempt to criticize the double standards of politeness and what is considered acceptable to condemn by society, Chappelle compares how people individualize and defend racial minorities compared to sexual minorities using DaBaby. Just like Chappelle, DaBaby is a famous Black man that has been the subject of controversy. In DaBaby’s case, he came under fire for homophobic comments. 

However, as the quote points out, he also got away with shooting and killing other people in public. Chappelle highlights the contradiction by characterizing it as people being too sensitive about words and too desensitized to violence, but several fans did not take them lightly. Among other things, Chappelle’s comments were seen as hypocritical due to their inability to see the parallels between homophobia and transphobia affecting LGBT people and how racism affected Chappelle’s own life as a Black man, a central theme of his comedy. 

The quote also faced backlash because of how dismissive Chappelle appears to be about LGBT struggles and how unwilling he was to condemn DaBaby’s reactionary comments beyond calling it a “mistake.” Additionally, while many agree that gay, bisexual, and transgender people are not exempt from partaking in bigotry even with all the discrimination they themselves face, detractors of the joke thought of it as sloppy in execution. To them, the joke is a more bloated version of the self-admitted risks that come with Chappelle’s work, only much easier to misinterpret.

“I’m team TERF. I agree. I agree, man. Gender is a fact. You have to look at it from a woman’s perspective. Look at it like this, Caitlyn Jenner whom I have met, wonderful person. Caitlyn Jenner… was voted, woman of the year. Her first year as a woman. Ain’t that something? Beat every bitch in Detroit. She’s better than all of you. Never even had a period, ain’t that something? [laughter] I’d be mad as shit if I was a woman. I’d be mad if I was me. If I was in the BET awards, sitting there and they’re like “And the winner for [black man] of the year… Eminem.”

This quote is an embodiment of Chappelle’s current position in the entertainment landscape. In the current culture way, Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling has become one of the most polarizing celebrities for her own comments about gender, womanhood, and trans people, particularly trans women. This led to numerous people, especially Harry Potter fans, feeling betrayed and disappointed. 

As her pseudonymously published new novel shows, Rowling stubbornly puts this issue at the center of her public persona. Having always appreciated the idea of free speech and never a stranger to inflammatory content, Chappelle felt compelled to defend Rowling on Closer, attracting both Rowling’s current supports and her critics. Similar to the controversy with Rowling, the above quote left many fans disappointed with Chappelle. 

RELATED: 5 Interesting Facts About Dave Chappelle’s Wife, Elaine

The open affiliation with the term “TERF” (trans-exclusionary radical feminist) despite knowing what the term means and the comparison of trans people to blackface through the Eminem reference were people’s main problem with this particular Dave Chappelle quote. People that disapproved of the jokes lambasted the comments as socially irresponsible and claimed that they fueled even more negative sentiments toward a group that already faces heavy prejudice. This quote is the infamous part of Closer, and will likely define Chappelle’s contemporary career in the next years.

Inspirational Quotes From the Comedy Legend

Chappelle isn’t known only for his incendiary remarks, the comic also aims at improving one’s self, watching for Hollywood pitfalls, and overcoming failures. Perhaps his biggest, most inspirational quotes come from his ability to see ‘magic’ in what he does and how it can bring people together.

“You know, be able to do something great in your life, you’re gonna have to realize your failures. You’re gonna have to embrace them and figure out how to overcome it.”

“The hardest thing to do is to be true to yourself, especially when everybody is watching.”

“I just always loved stand-up. It’s like magic. You say something, and a whole room full of people laughs together. Say something else, they laugh again. The fact that people come to see that and participate in that… I don’t know, it’s just like magic.”

As these quotes suggest, Chappelle went from being worried about how his edgy comedy would attract the wrong people to intentionally stirring the pot for the sake of it. A quote on success that he once preached indicated that not having “the right people around you” while moving “at a million miles an hour” can make you lose “yourself.” 

These modern quotes show an insistence at rushing into an issue without knowing the full context. Chappelle is clearly still able to provoke, but as the responses to his latest special show, some fans believe that he is regressing into a state of being edgy just to be edgy. Chappelle will remain successful, but his audience may likely change.

KEEP READING:

25 Conan O’Brien Quotes and Jokes That Will Brighten Up Your Day

[rainglade]

so... a post for those curious about my names, why i have more than one I use both professionally and socially, etc (if this is new to you, surprise! i've actually been going by different names since around 2013 lol) but anyways...

So, mostly everyone I've ever known pre-2020 has always known me as 'Pranav,' which is a very nice name, and it still is my name in every way that it matters. It is the slightly incorrect romanization of the Sanskrit name प्रणव, which is romanized as 'praṇava,' and it is another version of the universe's sacred vibration, ॐ (ōṃ). It shares roots with the dharmic and yogic concept of "pr��ṇa," the life force or "flame within." It also can be split into its oldest parts, "प्र" meaning "before," and "णव" which is the oldest word for "atom." It is the culmination of the three aspects of existence and the three states of consciousness. I love this name; I love my name.

The only time I've ever not liked the name is when dealing with people who don't put the effort into understanding cultures different from what they are used to. Names are the closest thing we can get to summarizing our entire sense of being into a word, hence why they hold such high meaning and significance in Deśi cultures. In Sanskrit, pronunciation, diction, and enunciation are very important to the meanings of words. Because of this, I can understand why Western monolinguals have so much trouble understanding and pronouncing things; they speak a language where their words can be pronounced 20 different ways and still hold the same meaning.

When I left everyone I knew and started fresh in university, a university where I knew pretty much nobody, I realized that it was a chance to make people pronounce my name correctly. However, when I started doing this, not only was it tiring to constantly correct people (they either spent 10 minutes trying, which is very kind but gets tiring after a while, or they just kept mispronouncing it and didn't care to try to correct themselves), but when people started to actually pronounce my name correctly, it felt... too intimate. A friend of mine mentioned feeling this as well recently. Her name is pronounced similarly to the Hebrew/English name "Hannah," and she prefers that non-family call her Hannah rather than her name, 花, romanized as hānā. When I started hearing non-family pronounce my name correctly, it somehow felt wrong; I felt uncomfortable with it even though I thought it was what I wanted all along.

I also realized that it wasn't exactly the most unique name. In just my first month in university, I had met or heard of at least 15 other "Pranavs" out there, and knew that there were plenty more. One of them I met had the same hair type as me and a similar facial structure. Since he went to a lot of parties and was more well-known, I was mistaken for him on a few occasions, which initially was okay but soon became a bad thing once he did some not-so-good things while drunk at a party.

It was then that I started using the name Daya (properly romanized as dayā), which is a Sanskrit name meaning "mercy." It was a nice name, but it felt inauthentic since I was mainly using it to have a name that was easy to pronounce while being connected to my roots. I also realized that while the Sanskrit name is pronounced like "duh-yah," there are similar names in Hebrew and Arabic that are spelled similarly in English but pronounced differently (like "day-yah" and "day-yuh"). Since the Hebrew version is much more common, I was faced with mispronunciation once again.

It wasn't the first time I had socially gone by a different name, though. In early middle school, I sometimes used the name "Mikaal," an Abrahamic name I co-opted, or "Day," a nickname taken from a book character. In late high school, I occasionally used the name "Amani," a Kiswahili name meaning "peace."

It was after the "Daya" mispronunciation that I started to think more about what a name means to me and being more open-minded. I figured that if people were going to mispronounce my name regardless, it might as well be a name that is salient to me. Those who know me know that I absolutely love linguistics, so I put that knowledge to use to put together a name for myself. The name started out as Katres (properly romanized as qātreis or "ḳātreis"). It includes elements from the Suvarnadvipa word for love and the Bantu word for "to be healed." For a while, I used this name, as healing and love are things that are salient to who I am, and who I always will be. I knew that it was important for my name to represent aspects of my identity that were core to who I am, rather than things that would change over time. Although change is the nature of reality, there are some parts of who that are so fundamental to yourself that even if they shift, they still will be with you.

It was half a year after using this name regularly that I felt that there was something missing. I knew that I didn't want to change my name yet again (for personal and practical reasons, as I had already started using the name socially) so I decided to revise it. I noticed that "saī" partially aligned with an old Sanskrit word that didn't have any direct English translation but loosely meant "divine balance" or "mediation." I then blended it with Katres to create "Katresai," properly romanized as qātreisaii or क़ात्रॆसाई in Devanagari and ક઼ાત્રૅસાઈ in Gujarati script. (I also loved my name as it was easy to create nicknames like Katres, Sai, and Trés from it.)

Sure, it comes with uncertainty. Sure, it comes with challenges. I've been using the name for around 3 years, so I've had a fair amount of unpredictable experiences, and I know there's more to come. Still, though, I don't really think I would want to go back and change it.

As I mentioned before, I approach my names in a more open-minded sense. I sometimes use the word "nickname" to describe Katresai since people are understanding and comfortable with the concept of a nickname. However, it's not a nickname. It's just my name. Pranav is also my name, and both names represent who I am in different ways. One is not more important to me than the other, and the idea of "names" rather than a "name" is comforting to me, even though it might not be for everyone. It gives room for change, for possibility, and for the evolution of self.

-----------

also lol, thought this post was relatable and funny:

[inktheblot]

owo trans optimus?

Trans Optimus!!! 🙌

Like I said in that other post, as a trans person it's nice to just point at characters you like and say "poof you're trans now". It doesn't always go any deeper than that, nor does it have to. But I do have a few more specific trans thoughts about OP, depending on continuity and whether we're looking through a lens of human concepts of gender vs. potential Cybertronian concepts of gender or similar societal constructs, or an in- or out-of-universe perspective.

There's a potential queer/trans metaphor practically any time a character has some kind of name change, alternate or secret identity, or anything like that -- not least when there's a lot of emphasis on the theme of change, of transformation, on every level from the societal to the individual to simply being able to alter one's body shape. So for one thing, you could look at Orion Pax vs. Optimus Prime as some kind of gender transition, with "pre-robot-T" vs. "post-robot-T" being the most simple, more-or-less-equivalent-to-a-human-transition standpoint. In G1 especially, the physical differences between the two are more pronounced, in overall shape, facial structure, voice, etc., changing from features that read to us as humans as comparatively more "feminine" (smaller, curvier, more pronounced lips, higher voice) to more "masculine" (larger, more blocky/square, more "muscle mass", deeper voice).

There's also the possibility of reformatting into Optimus being dysphoric rather than euphoric. In some stories there seems to be more of an emphasis on being Prime as being a burden, and OP becoming more closed off, more depressed, resigned to the expectations that this new position and presence carry. Of course, there's a number of factors that feed into this, not least being a chosen leader in the middle of a war and all the trauma that comes with that, but that doesn't mean one can't also draw comparisons to a trans experience. Inhabiting a body that feels incorrect, being called by a different name/title, this body and name and title all carrying connotations of a certain role, a role you don't necessarily feel comfortable or fully yourself in but you keep up for others' sake.

There's also the interpretation that I really like that both frame type and function are facets of Cybertronian gender identity or similar, and that they don't always align, but they're expected to, and one is also expected to conform to both of which they're assigned at birth/forging/construction/etc. If you pull little details here and there from various continuities, you could have, for example, an Orion Pax who is both greatly skilled in and greatly enjoys his station as an archivist, but it wasn't one he was forged into or cold constructed for but one that he was brought into by Alpha Trion (whether to his knowledge or not), and he's noticeably larger or of a different shape than a typical coworker or member of a similar caste. How does all of this inform his identity and sense of self? What parts feel Right and Good, what parts make him feel out of place, what parts might he want to change? How is he read by others and how does he want to be read? And how might these things shift if and when he becomes Optimus Prime, with a new frame, a new alt mode, and a new function? Much to think about. If he's comfortable in his function, purely by happenstance, but not so much in his body, and then he loses the security of that function being the primary purpose in his life plus has the things that made his body stand out exaggerated even further, that's a major oof. Or if the frame upgrades feel Gender, but the shifts in status and language that are coupled with them don't. Lots of possibilities, lots of ways to explore the idea that gender identity, gender roles, gender expression/presentation, body parts, pronouns, interests, aesthetics, etc., are all things that can influence each other, but aren't inherently, rigidly linked or defined by one another. Through an alien lens, sure, but still a theme that's relevant and important to human trans lives.

One more idea that's been presented is that Cybertronians are by nature genderless, that gender is not a construct that they culturally have, but one that individuals may adopt for themselves after having contact with other worlds/species and thinking "yeah I like that, that feels right for me". Optimus Prime on Earth has several traits that might lead the average human to read him as a "man", or something similar: his voice, his pronouns (whether automatically translated or picked intentionally), even his position as a military leader. Is this something he's comfortable with? Is it insignificant, something of no meaning or consequence to him? Is it something he'd be curious about, something he'd look more into as a part of better understanding and respecting the planet he and his people are taking refuge on, and if so, would come to any new conclusions about how he sees or wants to present his own gender(s), if any gender at all? Would he adopt any human gender descriptor(s) for himself, whether temporarily in an attempt to compare his identity as he knows it to terms his human colleagues would better understand, or permanently as a sign of a complete shift of that understanding into concepts he'd never had the means to consider before?

There's a lot of directions you can take this concept (even multiple at once!), and I think they're all really neat. One thing's for sure, this truck is not cis. 😉

[dearevanhansenofficial]

4TH ANNUAL DEAR EVAN HANSEN COLLEGE ESSAY WRITING CHALLENGE 2022

In partnership with Gotham Writers and the Broadway Education Alliance, Dear Evan Hansen invited students across North America to write a college-application style essay that describes an experience with or ideas about reinvention at any stage of their life.

READ FINALIST MAIRÉAD’S FULL ESSAY:

“Last name... O’Neill?”

“It’s Mairéad - it rhymes with parade.”

If I had a nickel for every time this conversation happened… Well, I wouldn’t be applying for scholarships right now. It’s a cycle I’ve dreaded every September since Kindergarten. The conversation usually proceeds with a follow-up question like “Is that French?” or “Could you repeat that?” or even the occasional “Oh! Do you have a nickname I could use?”

Sometimes, I’ll get something like “Wow, that’s pretty.” Perhaps my favorite response. It’s validating -- unlike the responses I get from computers that read “INVALID CHARACTERS” the second I insert the accent over the ‘e’.

I used to feel it was a nuisance to explain it all; to explain myself. I’ve spent so much time writing letters to officials begging them to pronounce my name right at ceremonies, too many awkward conversations at Starbucks spelling it out then getting my drink labeled “Merd”, long explanations of my name’s heritage (“No, it’s not French). For a while, it felt more of a burden than a point of pride; less a reminder of my heritage and more a reminder that my full name has 28 characters and people usually stop caring/listening after the fifteenth.

When I started at a new school, my little brain thought “This is it! The chance to reinvent myself, the chance to leave these conversations in the past, and start fresh!” My insecurities had outweighed the pros of having people know my name. Why would anyone care about knowing the real me? It was too much to ask for. Thus, with fierce vehemence, I declared these three nicknames would be used for me, each assigned to a different teacher:

1. “Em”, for English. Simple. Two characters, one syllable. Time saving. The sound the first letter of my name makes. No one could mess this up.

2. “Ray”, for Math. A riskier move - the sound in the middle of my name, three characters instead of two, but it had a spunk that I liked.

3. “Maggie”, for Science. The riskiest. The question-provoker. Where did it come from? It wasn’t derived from any sounds or letters in my name. The shortened version of it’s creation was that Maggie was the nickname for my grandma Margaret, who I was named after - but in the Irish-Gaelic way. Simple to spell, simple to say.

I strutted into school, ready to conduct my experiment - which nickname would be the one to stick? How would I feel without follow ups? Would my shoulders feel lighter sans the weight of defense I had to carry all day?

For a while, sure. There were significantly less moments cringing upon hearing a garbled pronunciation. No biting my lip at a corrected paper with the incorrect spelling of my name written on it. I was free from the burden of my 28 character name!

Nonetheless, guilt crept in. So much of my identity was tied into my name; I started feeling I’d erased a big part of myself. Not just myself, but my heritage. How would my Irish grandmother feel? Oh god, I had provoked the rage of my ancestors! Slowly, a sense of longing for the cringe-worthy mispronunciations appeared. With every incorrect spelling, every botched syllable, came a chance to stand up & take pride - in not just my name, but my identity. Learning a name is a sign of respect. I wanted to be respected - by others, but mostly by myself.

I rolled the experiment back. It’s scientific method was flawed -- the outcome had turned from me discovering which nickname I liked, to discovering that really, they all felt wrong. I took the time to meet with each of my teachers, re-introducing myself:

“It’s Mairéad. It rhymes with parade. Muh-rayd. It’s the gaelic version of my grandma’s name, meaning ‘pearl’ in Irish. I no longer want to go by the nickname I gave you in September.”

Mairéad O’Neill Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School New York, NY

[etymology-of-the-emblem]

Fiana / フィアナ and the Freeblades

Fiana (JP: フィアナ; rōmaji: fiana) is a Thracian village where Leif found refuge sometime after the fall of Leonster in Fire Emblem: Thracia 776. The village is named after the fianna, Irish and Scottish bands of warrior-hunter-mercenaries. This is clearly reflected in-game by the Fiana Freeblades (JP: フィアナ義勇軍; rōmaji: fiana giyūgun, lit. Fianna Militia, rather than the Japanese フィアナ騎士団; rōmaji: fiana kishidan, lit. Fianna Order). Some believe that serving in a fian was a rite of passage for young men.

Of course, we can't talk about fianna and not mention THE Fianna, namesake of the Fenian Cycle, one of the four main sections of Irish mythology. The Fianna was an order meant to serve the High King led by Cumhall mac Trénmhoir, but he was killed after his elopement with Muirne and the conception of their son Deimne. Cumhall's killer, Goll mac Morna, would then be chief of the Fianna until Cumhall's son returned and proved capable to lead as his father once did.

Some major characters of the Fenian Cycle serve as namesakes of some of the residents of Fiana and other members of Leif's army. The most obvious connection is that of Leif's loyal vassal and father figure Finn (JP: フィン; rōmaji: fin). Cumhall's son Deimne studied under the poet Finnegas, who searched for the Salmon of Knowledge. Upon the fish's capture, Deimne was to cook it. In the process, however, the boy burnt his thumb and instinctually put it to his mouth, granting him the salmon's wisdom. His Thumb of Knowledge would reveal anything when put in his mouth. Deimne also received a change of name at that time, becoming the iconic Fionn mac Cumhaill (or Finn MacCool).

As for why Fire Emblem's Finn is a knight of Leonster, there are two reasons for this. On his father's side, Fionn was descended from the tribe of Uí Thairsig from Leinster (which is the name of Leonster in Japanese). Additionally, Finn's name could tie to Fin MacKinealy, an alternative name of Cian, the namesake of Quan.

And since it's relevant, yes: the substitute character Deimne is named after Finn's birthname. In Japanese, his name is written ディムナ (rōmaji: dimuna), while the more standard form for Deimne is デムナ (rōmaji: demuna). Either way, the pronunciation is incorrect; the m seems to be silent in most English pronunciations, while in Irish it's pronounced like the letter v [dʲɪvʲ(ə)nʲə], similar to Macha.

Moving on to a native of Fiana, Osian is the Welsh name for Oisín, the son of Fionn and Sadhbh. Fionn found his lover in the form of a deer while hunting, and she returned to human form when she was spared. The two settled, but the druid Fer Doirich that cursed her into a deer returned to shift her form again soon after getting pregnant. Seven years later, Finn would find a young Oisín on Benbulbin, a common hunting ground for the Fianna. Oisín would grow to be the greatest poet in Ireland, with most of the Fenian Cycle's tales being written by him. The most famous tale starring him is Oisín in Tir na nÓg, in which he took Niamh, daughter of Manannán, as a wife in the land of Tir na nÓg. After three years as king, he returned to Ireland to reunite with the Fianna, only to find that three hundred years had passed outside of Tir na nÓg. As soon as he dismounted the horse Enbarr, the hundreds of years caught up to him. Post-Christianized stories say that both he and Caílte mac Rónáin were the only survivors of the Fianna after the Battle of Gabhra, and would live long enough to meet St. Patrick and relay the legends of the Fianna to him.

In Japanese, Osian's name is オーシン (rōmaji: о̄shin), officially romanized as Othin. While Othin is another name for the Norse god Odin, the katakana resembles the common form of rendering Oisín in Japanese, アシーン (rōmaji: ashīn).

The other axebro of Fiana, Halvan (JP: ハルヴァン; rōmaji: haruvan) is a bit less clear-cut. The name seems to be a corruption of バルベン (rōmaji: baruben), from the aforementioned Benbulbin where Oisín was found. Notably, the name Benbulbin is an anglicization of Binn Ghulbain, which is believed to be named after king Conall Gulban of Tyrconnell. He was a companion of Caílte mac Rónáin much like Oisín, telling St. Patrick of the Fianna and the etymology of various toponyms of Ireland. Gulban was also supposedly the first noble to be baptized in Ireland.

You've likely deduced this already, but Ronan (JP: ロナン; rōmaji: ronan) is named after Caílte mac Rónáin (JP: キールタ・マック・ロナン; (rōmaji: kīruta makku ronan). Another member of the Fianna and nephew of Fionn, Caílte was known for being a brilliant storyteller, being attributed for some of the tellings in the Fenian Cycle. He also was known to speak with animals and for running incredibly swiftly. That's right - Ronan's high speed and movement are rooted in the mythological figure he's named after! No real basis for his magic growth, however.

Lastly, Nanna's brother Diarmuid gets his name from the second most famous member of the Fianna, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, a demigod raised by the god of love Aengus. He eloped with Fionn's fiancee Gráinne, creating great tension among the Fianna until Diarmuid's death. In his youth, Diarmuid received a "love spot" beneath his eye that made women who looked at it head over heels for him. This aspect was likely the basis of his personal Charm skill.

Diarmuid's Japanese name, デルムッド (rōmaji: derumuddo) comes from the standard rendering of Diarmuid, ディルムッド (rōmaji: dirumuddo).

Interestingly, the leader of the Fiana Freeblades, Eyvel (JP: エーヴェル; rōmaji: ēveru), seemingly does not relate to the Fenian Cycle at all. The closest I could find was the possibility of an intended reference to Ailbe, the wife Fionn took after he found Gráinne to love another man. However, there is a multitude of other possibilities to consider, which can be found in a future post!

Is there a character with a Fenian namesake that I missed? Or a connection between character and inspiration I glossed over? Please, let me know in whatever means you prefer!

[tounacasserole]

random & kind of stupid half asleep, half assed appreciation post cause i wanna spread the love and for some reason sad thoughts in my head but let's ignore that (ft. my sleep deprivation sap, mutuals, ppl iloook up to, shitty puns and wordplay)

<3

@moonxma ur the moon :o you give me like calm and peaceful moon vibes like a blue moon!! ty for being one of the first who kind of kickstarted my whole commitment to being here and writing content :D

@raysano ray? more like ray of sunshine shdhefj bad pun but i love indirectly interacting with you through games and hope we get to know each other and interact more mwah /p

@appreciatingtokrev appreciatingtokrev? appreciating YOU you beautiful human being :)) i like seeing your little thoughts and whatnot around your blog bc i find them interesting to me in a good way

@mochi-coffee absolute sweetheart ∑(ﾟДﾟ) sweeter than ice cream mochi need i say more? no but seeing you wherever makes my day better for some reason because you give that positive n uplifting vibe. me 🤝 you waka skmps

@kallikrein me 🤝 you 🤝 mochi waka simps jdkfjskf ty for being one of the first to interact and leave messages in the tags of my silly little waka headcanons :]] and ty for being my majn source of waka brainrot too (￣∀￣) we krei-n (pronounced crying) over wakasa. i think that was fhe shittiest pun ive ever made in my entire life i apologize dearly

@simpywhore seeing your incorrect quotes make me snort in laughter a lot whenever i see them >:D we haven't interacted but i'm sure you're simp(l)y sweet ksjjfkfkskf

@offtaskotaku go follow them rn this is a threat /hj seriously so so underrated pls check out their work and send them requests i'm sure they work hard and they're bery nice :) great sense of humour 2 i like seeing u on my dash. makes me go off task for a bit to scroll through your blog and reread your hcs!!

@kakuchew also a contributor to my waka brainrot jshffkf your headcanons about the black dragons boys are so awesome and i love their shenanigans which makes it easier to envision them in my head!! less chewing on my thoughts and more space to appreciate them and you too :3

@sukunasbabymama your blog title is kk's safeplace and it sure as hell lives up to the name!! i get a homely vibe from you n i like seeing you pop up on my dash :D like my mama's homemade food! you've made me appreciate kakucho and mucho with your contrnt :))

@wwintersun holy crap i look up to you a whole ton!! your works are simply put masterpieces. when i read them it makes me feel fuzzy and warm it's like when the sun melts the winter away ;D i have a lot of your stuff saved in my drafts to reread on a bad day

@bajipaws your tokrev x male reader stuff has at least pawmped 5 more years into my lifespan (i'll take my leVe now). ur doing king shit and i can't wait to see more stuff from you!!!

@kageyahoe your latest work with baji made me Feel all the emotions /pos :] in fact all of your works do and made me love baji even more than i did before >:O i don't have a bad pun for you but honestly considering my punmanship you're lucky jdkfjskf

@shinscig i've interacted with you a grand total of one (1) time but you're so sweet :( i think your chifuyu drabble of painting flowers was one of the first fics i read here which: OOMPF /pos. that's it i can't describe it anymore better than that cause it's almost 3am. your braid train fic with mizo mid is also a big favourite :)! underrated they are

@softbajis You Have Made Me Feel Things but i swear most of it's good and soft besides the angst because it hurts so good hakfjwjfj i like seeing your little blurbs pop up from time to time!!

@tokyo-daaaamn-ji-gang I LOVE SEEING YOUR POSTS ABOUT THE MANGA THAT ARE ESPECIALLY SO FUNNY??? they're always a riot and the absolute best. i snorted so hard reading your recent one of the wake me up scene SHEIWKJFWKFJDJ

@koffeekoko your angst. hurts so good. mr sunshine, flowers, and you hurts the best. i am writhing on the floor as i type this (/notsrs) idk if this is weird but seeing your tag "jel loves you!" makes me smile internally :)) your works about insecurities they love also make me really really happy :']

@n0vad your headcanons are so comforting to read,,, they also inspired me to post some of my own too in a similar format (hope you don't mind sjfhe)! i also love that you post for more characters that don't have a ton of content!!

@sunhee-sun your writing is like warm sun after cold rain (i'm a great poet) it's inviting and a guilty pleasure to reread all of your tokrev stuff. bows down to you.

@kakubun my main source of love for bonten. helping hands is one of my favourites and inspired me to make a character based off of that :D your headcanons are also so funny to read and have become a great source of inspo!!

@xuxitheii another whose tokrev x male reader has fed more life into me (°▽°)b i've probably went through your blog at least thrice now reading your works especially since you're one of the first i followed! good shjt right there... your confessing to mitsuya one is my fabourite

thats all i can roll out i think because i dint want to flood everyone's inboxes since your mutuals are doing this too skfjekfjjs ʅ（◞‿◟）ʃ happy new year from this touma fish! 🐟 passes out

[radioactivesweet]

Hello! I have a couple of requests for vnc, Roland teaching his (s/o) how to use a sword and Jean Jacques stargazing with his (s/o)

Alright, Jean-Jacques’ one ended up being way longer than what I had expected, so I’ll make another part for your Roland request!

Btw hope you like! I had so much fun writing this, I just really really love night sceneries and all plus Jean-Jacques his one of my favorites characters so

I forgot to add it, but I’ve used female pronouns, since it was specified in another message

𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐆𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐚𝐧'𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐒𝐤𝐲

Gévaudan was not a welcoming place for normal people, yet it was all Jean-Jacques could ask for. He got used to that freezing land, where his only company was that of the friend hw was so loyal to. He did not know much about the outside world, or maybe he did know enough. Maybe he was just too scared to find out. His only certainty had always been Chloé's costant presence, his only friend and confidant. This was enough, nothing he could have wished would have satisfied him to a greater extent. Or, at least, this was what he had always believed since his first meeting with Chloé.

One night was enough to prove how his beliefs were incorrect, beneath Gévaudan's starry sky. The landscape which surrounded the d'Apchier palace assumed an even darker charm at nightfall, when the nocturne creatures begun lurking among the depth of the forest and the sky shared the same shade of ink – or of the dark and stormy ocean. The only source of light – a dim glow which testified the existance of something else other than that pitch black night – were the pale stars, that painted that interminable field that dominated over them.

Jean-Jacques did not head immediately towards his bedroom, after wishing Chloé good night, he instead inadvertently reached the first window which appeared before him, as he was inexplicabily drawn to the cold nocturne breeze and the likewise icy moonlight that leaked through the light curtains. His dark eyes were filled with stars, while he was staring at that sky he would have never grown tired of. Another glimpse of light caught his attention. A weak, hesitant, sporadic fire appeared and disappeared among the less dense woods that surrounded the castle. Jean-Jacques pitched forward, alarmed, hoping to catch again that glow. It was not an illusion proked by tiredness and, unless it was a will-o'-the-wisp, someone must have been dangerously close. He could not afford Chloé to get hurt because of his distraction. He would have reacted istantly, enveloped in that darkness which he considered his friend.

It was a young woman the one who wandered, roaming through the woods of Gévaudan, lost beneath that starry sky, accompanied by the only warmth of a lantern. Jean-Jacques, whose eyes kept reflecting those same stars, observed her, wary, not knowing what to do. He should have verified that the girl was not a danger, before he could operate. He would have disappointed Chloé if he attacked an innocent person. Still, his judgement seemed to be blurred, pushing him towards that unknown woman. Jean-Jacques felt as he fell victim of a curse, incapable to take back control, hazy, under that silvery moon.

Once he reached her, she seemed to be caught off guard. She had not noticed that someone had been spying on her, despite the favour of the night and the fronds of the trees; the vampire's gaze could not be avoided, him being used to that darkness the wanderers feared. The light of the lantern lit up his confused face.

“This places are dangerous during nighttime, you should look for a shelter.” Jean-Jacques disappeared after pronouncing that warning.

The vagabond reappared the following night. And night after. And again and again. Jean-Jacques tried to kept his distances, but this did not prevent him from hiding the shivers that crossed his body whenever he recalled that enchanted meeting. Even Chloé noted the sudden change in his friend's behaviour, yet she decided to not interfere. There were no secrets between them, she would have waited until the moment he would have told her the reason behind that restlessness.

“Jean-Jacques, if you want to do something, do it before it will be to late. Or you will end up regretting it.” Chloè elegantly left the dining room, while the ravenette was busy tidying up. He almost let the crystal glass he was holding fall, after what she said. As always, Chloé could comprehend him better than anyone else.

That night he waited again under Gévaudan's starry sky. This time he would have got closer, instead of staring at gentle light from afar. When the lantern appeared, he reached her, with discretion like the previous time. Without a destination, the young lady kept wandering.

“It's dangerous here, Mademoiselle, why do you keep walking throught these harsh woods?”

“Do you live in that castle?” ask the young woman, whose (e/c) eyes shared the same brightness of the lantern. Jean-Jacques nodded.

“So you can always observe this splendid starry sky? You must have a nice view. The only way I can watch the moon is by walking through this road.”

“I am sure that the view must be nice from the village too, without the need to-” before he could finish the sentence, the girl spoke again.

“You are wrong, Monsieur.” she seemed lost, deep in thought. “What's your name?”

“Jean-Jacques, and you are Mademoiselle...?”

“(Y/n).”

That morning, Chloé noticed a change in Jean-Jacques' behavior. He had abandoned the tension that had accompanied him in the past days. She did not ask him what had happened that night, although she had heard him sneaking away from the castle. She did not feel the need to ascertain what the ravenette had been during after the sunset, while Chloé locked herself in her room to do her researchs. She trusted her friend. As long as she kept noticing improvements, she wouldn't interfere. Every night she continued to hear windows and doors closing carefully, announcing the vampire's departure. And every morning, the smiles that Jean Jacques gave her seemed more and more lively. She was jealous of whoever was the source of that sudden happiness, but still, that made her happy too. Jean-Jacques needed someone besides her who could cheer him up in such a way.

They didn't meet every day, it would have been impossible for (Y / n) to reach the place which had become their meeting point. But even when they didn't see each other, Jean Jacques would have waited patiently. He would have waited and thought. He should have told Chloè what had been happening in the past few weeks, he could not hide from his confidant the reason of that apparently unjutisfied happiness, that seemed to have distracted him from his friend's company.

Chloé listened with trepidation. At first her eyes, the color of the sky wrapped in a light veil of fog, seemed to darken, but then retrieving that clearer light that Jean Jacques loved. The approval of that one person with whom he shared his only ties was worth a great deal to him - he would not be able to quantify it - and he would have been terribly afflicted  if Chloé denied him her consent. Fortunately, the albino would have never deprived him of that new source of joy.

That night Chloé noticed for the first time the glow that had attracted Jean-Jacques. She could also hear the sound of their voices echoing through the forest, reaching the window she was standing by. Laughters and words were being carried by the wind to the Apchier Castle.

The dew-moistened grass brushed against his ankles, the cold winter breeze hit his face as you run like children under the starry sky of Gevaudan. You fall to the ground, exhausted, lying next to each other. He felt the beating of your heart, so human, compared to his. The air that leaves your lips, condensing because of the frost. Those eyes in which the starts above reflect themselves.

Jean-Jacques had always loved the starry sky of Gevaudan. And with you by his side, he loved it even more.