#foreign languages make saying simple words fun to say

[opens-up-4-nobody]

...

[cheezeybread]

Could I request headcanons for Scarabia + Pomefiore where they overhear their lover speaking in their native language with is neither japanese or english? Maybe they're cussing, maybe just talking to themselves, maybe singing, whatever. Here are the characters + some language samples:

Jamil - bangla: https://youtube.com/shorts/WF2LbzJDzD4?si=11V-UicSCLv8vySx

Kalim - mandarin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iUCZgObUDg&t=106s

Rook - egyptian arabic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zsz0ou4VX2g

Vil - swahili: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tpol4TKeJ14

Epel - welsh: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufKf4eORcKA

So sorry it took me a while to get around to this request, I've had it gathering dust in my drafts as I brainstormed ideas for it, hehe!

︶︶︶︶༉‧₊˚

Jamil Viper

Jamil's first introduction to your language was when you burned yourself in the Scarabia kitchen. Touching a hot pot before he could warn you that it contained boiling soup, you cried out a foreign phrase to him

"Hauar pola!" You screamed, one hand clamping over your injured palm, applying pressure as you glared at the pot "Magir Puth!"

Despite his fretting noises as he grabbed the nearest first aid kit (of course with Kalim, Jamil had made sure there was a pack in every room) and fixed your hand, Jamil had to hide his laughter. He had just assumed that you were making up gibberish like Kalim used to do as a kid- gibberish to take place of curse words.

Once you explained to him that it was indeed an actual curse, in your mother tongue, he was a bit shocked. You mean you didn't originally speak what you were speaking now??

He'll definitely ask you to teach him some words in Bangla- mainly curse words, but if he can get his hands on a book for the language, he'll attempt to learn some "sweeter" words to use with you, if only to get a little bit closer to you...or make you feel closer to home.

Kalim Al-Asim

He's no stranger to different languages! Being in a merchant family, knowing many different languages was essential to business, and Kalim has had so many tutors teaching him so many languages- he's not entirely fluent in all of them since he never gets a chance to speak them, but he knows all the basics to have a simple conversation

He probably knew that you didn't originally speak the current language that you did in Twisted Wonderland, but hadn't really heard you speak in this "Mandarin" before.

But one day, while prepping for a party, he took a small break to ask you to show him a new dance- he wasn't particularly set on what sort of dance you showed him, he just wanted some new moves to use while dancing at the party.

To his utter delight, you grabbed his hands and tried to teach him a little dance that went to an old song you heard in your childhood- of course, since your song didn't really exist in this world, you had to hum and sing it out loud.

He's definitely going to insist that you not only teach him the song, but that you start giving him lessons on your language! He figures it'll be fun to converse to you in Mandarin, allowing the two of you to have conversations in secret, where no one else knows what you guys are talking about!

Rook Hunt

Ooh, la la!

He's going to run into you whilst you're in the library after class! You were sitting at one of the tables, half-closed eyes scanning over a textbook. Of course, you hadn't been getting too much sleep recently, so it was hard for you to actually read and digest the information you were supposed to. Which led to you mumbling to yourself instead in Egyptian Araibic under your breath.

Of course, Rook doesn't greet you at first, preferring to stay back and listen to your voice for a little while longer. He enjoys the cadence of it, the highs and lows of every word...it is truly beautiful for a language, is it not?

Once he helps you get to bed and can speak to you after a good night's rest, Rook inquires as to what you were saying earlier.

To hearing you say that you spoke a different language than this one, he was flabbergasted, but intrigued.

"Read me a poem in your own words, dear, in your mother tongue! Speak your mind, call me curses, list out your errand runs, just allow me to hear you speak once more!"

He's...strange. But he enjoys the foreign language very much

Vil Shoenheit

Hearing you sing to yourself while having a spa day with Vil left him speechless, for once in his life.

He had left you alone in the bathroom to soak in the warm, bubbling water, assuring you that he would be right back once he found a certain brand of oil that he suspected Rook had mistook as his.

Once he came back to the bathroom, your words sounded so...alluring. It made his hips sway with the beat you put out with a fist slapping the side of the porcelain tub. It was rather catchy, and he couldn't help but smile as he nodded his head to your tune.

"Oh, such a wonderful language, what is it?"

He's so genuinely curious about it all, and enjoys listening to you speak about it all- how you grew up, how you felt about your culture and language itself.

And don't worry, he'll be asking you to sing to him a lot more heheh

Epel Felmier

Another curser! Aah!

Epel absolutely loves the sounds coming out of your mouth as you lose your temper and let loose at another student bothering you in the courtyard, but curbs his excitement until he properly threatens the student with a good lickin' if he doesn't scoot out!

I'm not gonna lie, Epel seems like he'd speak Welsh if he weren't in Twisted Wonderland- it just seems to fit his character so well.

And, of course, he's going to ask you to teach him all of the swear you know, so that Epel can voice his grievances against Vil and some teachers without them being able to get mad at him (because, of course, Welsh isn't technically an existant language in Twisted Wonderland, soooooo the teachers/Vil can't prove it even exists unless you become a tattle-tail, hehe!)

Once he has his fun with cursing, Epel will try his best to learn some simple words/phrases from you so he can pass you secret notes in class and talk to you in private. He's...not the best at learning a new language, so be patient with him, but he's trying his hardest!

︶︶︶︶༉‧₊˚

[ryo-kaikura]

Yan! Male Teachers + Male Yandere x male reader

*this is based on a dream I had this morning*

(Reader is on his last year so he's 18 (he's not held back I just try to make it okay with an adult partner) (my dream is PG-13(the yandere is made up), I just like spice)

My life is normal I guess, the difference with normal people at my age is my current school. This is takes "school feels like a prison" seriously with how we sleep at school eat at school and etc.

For our class, it's literally right next to the teacher's room. And each grade has a different section. Because it's a prestigious school the student is a lot more than the teacher by 50% of the teachers population.

Anyway, you might be asking, do you always have class? The answer is no, cause our right door is a building for gym and gymnasium. The door in front of us is where usually all the supplies comes in.

Today there is a monthly test. it's usually for additional points and support for our future. Example: last year it was making a sentence that's in correlation with a word and we can't use that word. There lots more but every time we were paired.

Look at that I'm also paired up again weirdly enough it's the "prince of the school" the one that's said to be the best for our grade, though his grade is in the top two, guess who's grade is higher? That right me. Since we're better than everyone, we get hallway to ourselves

It's so fun being better at him, when he gets a 100% me too, when he gets a 99% Boohoo I got a 100%. His body is also quite fit, but it's obvious with my height and body that I'm still better than him, with his being shorter than me. It's quite fun toying with him, his expression of flustered and anger add a smidge of pink on his face, neck and tip of his ears.

We're getting carried away. This year's test is a box of puzzles? With a textured flooring? Whatever. We saw the first test, summarizing a foreign language book, and there's our names on it. It seems like something from our teacher Mr. David. Then he shows up, "hello Mr. David" "Hello, (m/n)~" He was always flirty with me "hi Mr. David" "Hello to you too, mark".then he told us about it in detail "As you can see it's summarizing a book and because I prefer (m/n) than you, mark, (m/n) gets a 50 page and you get a 250 page it's sounds quite fair don't you think (m/n)" "Sure 😀"

Anyway, we're done with that, the next are some simple mathematics and that's from our other teachers. Wow it looks like we have to build a Miniature real life-like humanoid chess pieces. Now it seems like we're done but there's no announcement, then I realized the flooring is a bit whacky so I try to pick one up. It works. I open one and inside it is extra pieces for the sculpture and that's from Mr. Sears, the science teacher that likes to use science to hide a lot of things

It's similar with how some sounds lie it has a lot but there is none and then one of then sounds like it doesn't have any but when we opened it there was a lot of extra sculpture pieces. Then I saw one of the boxes has a piece of paper. I was about to read it out loud then I feel a finger right next to my stomach, and I couldn't help but feel ticklish and jerk away from the finger. Turns out it the said teacher, Mr. Sears, and he kept tickling me every time I try to say it out loud. In the end he made me stand up and go to a corner and read it in my head. Most of it was clues until the last number on the price of paper that said 'I will be going to *city name* in a few days' "I don't care" "What!" " We're not that close teach~, Well not as close as me and Mr. David~."

Then he stormes off, don't know what happened but in the end me and Mark Finished first.

*A few days later*

It seems like Mr. Sears didn't go and one of our teacher was suddenly sent to the hospital

*A few month later*

I finally graduated, best of the year as well because of that I get a lot of money lie a billion I think. But right when I was going head home, I felt someone covering my head, then two people try to grab me and they're quite strong, but not strong enough. Suddenly I feel something injected to my neck. And I grew weak and dizzy not long after I passed out. While why kidnappers was smiling over me.

It's been a while since I woke up but I still don't know where I am. There a window that just over my head so I'm able to get hold of it and pulled my self up and saw... A beach?

Then after looking around and the sun almost overhead meaning it's currently 11.30 ish o'clock. Three people come in and guess who? It the weirdos. Mr. David feels shy, Mr. Sears a bit nervous and Mark quite happy.

And the brought their own dish a I must say the best is Mr. David, with the other two being barely palatable. In the end we slept right next to each other.

*A year later* (I'm lazy)

My self-made company worked well, but my "wives" seems quite jealous of everything I do even though we haven't gotten married yet and Mark and Sears are working as my two secretary and David being at home. I must say David's body got more chubby and soft, I like it. Mark kept trying to be better at me at everything and kept losing, example: who can cum the last, I won, who's stronger, I won, and much more. And Sears gotten smarter at where he's hiding my stuff, like my underwear, sweaty gym clothes, a pen I chewed.

I'm happy there entertaining because I just remembered I'm a side character in a book and they're male leads, all three of them, and who's the female lead you ask? The new rising employee in my own company, Janice.

[ofallthingsnasty]

Darling who doesn’t speak their yandere’s language…oh the possibilities

Yandere can say anything and their darling wouldn’t understand. They’d probably tell darling the most depraved and lewd things and darling would be like “Hm? What does that mean?” and yandere would tell them “It means ‘Have a good day’!” ☺️

Or if a darling escapes and tries to go to the authorities for help. They won’t understand what darling is saying and yandere will swoop in and tell them “oh this is my friend visiting from another country. They must have gotten lost, poor thing, thank you for keeping them safe for me!”

The possibilities, indeed…

tags: yandere, minors dni, starts out with general yandere tropes, then shifts to One Piece and then to one of my OCs (Evan), just silly ramblings, really wc: 0.8k

From the malicious ones who pick a foreign darling on purpose - one, because it makes it harder for you to leave and two, because you’ll be more difficult to find by your own country’s police force, just because of the sheer amount of bureaucracy. You’re just so dependent on them. If they drag you out into the country (and out of the city, where you will find way more speakers of your language), change up your appearance and introduce you as their spouse - they could keep you for years, probably. Even have you around in the public, if they’re cocky. And if they just stuff you in the basement… No one will ever find you. So, even if you aren’t their little secret - you still need them for everything. From doctor’s appointments to simple shopping trips, to conversations with the neighbors… They’ll keep you dumb and complacent, translate what others say to you and you to them however it fits their own interests. And if you are just the little basement spouse, well… Have fun trying to break out of your confines and then running to the next house where you’ll be regarded as nothing but some crazy person hurriedly gesturing and trying to scream at anyone you can lay an eye on. They can’t understand you - and there are all sorts of scams out there today, who knows what your real motive is? No, no, that door is closing even before you can finish your first sentence. What a bleak fate. Then there are the egoistic ones - the ones who can communicate with you, but you can’t do the same with your environment. They want to be the center of your universe, their everything, the only way you experience life - not out of malice, but out of sheer obsession. I don’t think such a type would pick a foreign darling on purpose, but it’s a massive plus for them. It’s going to be just you and them, in your own little world, where they might as well be your god with how much power they hold over you. I could also see a spouse-turned-captor type go this route - just in reverse. They’d probably get you to move somewhere you’re a fish out of water and they very much aren’t - just to make it almost impossible for you to leave them. Because not only do they manage everything for you now, no, there is a financial aspect to this… Do you even have the money to move back? Or are you stuck in a foreign place, strapped for cash and without any helping hands? Goodness, you better think twice about breaking up with them, hm?

Also, I have to bring my fandom du jour into this - but this makes me think of Sanji, at least in a roundabout way. If we’re talking about a modern AU, I think he would immensely enjoy a foreign darling. In general, I see him not as a classic yandere, but more as someone who slowly morphs into one because he loves you so deeply, is so dependent on you. And you know what he’d adore? If you had to communicate with the rest of the world through him. He’d do anything for you - and I really mean anything. That man hangs on every word that falls from your lips, knows how to interpret every little twitch of your eyebrow, would crawl into your skin if he could - the thought of you having to lean on him in such a way, to give back even a fraction of that love and need he has for you… He’s obsessed with it. Not only can he truly and fully keep you to himself if you two were to move out of the country, you’d need him for everything. On the surface, he’s such a sweet, adoring husband but deep, deep down he’s a total creep. You’ll probably never see it coming, just take that little idea of his to move as something that would benefit you, first and foremost - because to you, Sanji never thinks about his own well-being, only yours. Aren’t you so lucky? And you know who would love a foreigner darling as well? One of my werewolf boys, Evan. Not necessarily because it makes things easier (it’s certainly a plus, just not intentional), but because he gets incredibly sentimental over the fact that he can teach you English. He views himself as your knight in shining armor, your husband, the love of your life - and god, wouldn’t it be so cute, such an amazing bonding experience to teach you his language? Once he sees you, he’s already dreaming of long nights spent pouring over books, of you clumsily parroting whatever he tells you to say. You’re going to be so grateful for all his work, too, he just knows it! Honestly, the moment the idea pops into his head, he’s immediately making a wishlist for all sorts of books and learning material one could feed an English second language learner.

[cerosin-bis]

If you could add new voice lines for Nikto and Kreuger, what would you have them say? -🦊

They already have a few lines with swear words and such, but I would hear Krueger with a line where he says "bitch", like a very simple "hurts like a bitch" for one of his low-health triggered lines, or calling the enemy a bitch lol. For some reason I can imagine it to be his English insult of choice.

Nikto's MW19 lines are my favourites bc to me they encompass his character better. But I like the fun twists he has in some of his MWII lines, so I'd like some snarky lines but with his calmer/colder MW19 energy. Imo he's a guy who can taunt when he feels confident enough. His already existing "trying to kill me?!" line, but followed with a "piss poor job!..." or something of the likes.

Also, for both I'd have liked more lines in their native languages. as someone who's not a native english speaker it always makes me cringe to hear a foreign character use one (1) word from their native tongue in an english sentence like it's quirky or natural (it's not). like. we don't do that. however a full expression/expletive/sentence mumbled under the breath or yelled in surprise/anger? all the time brother

[kerubimcrepin]

A random analysis of the Japanese subs.

This post is so, so self-indulgent, but I hope it'll be fun.

The reason I am making this is simple: I am a linguistics major, I like Dofus and Wakfu, and I really like the way the Japanese language allows one to express themselves by using pronouns and honorifics, both for oneself and others.

It's always fascinating to see what can be said about characters through their usage of Japanese language: both in translations, and in original texts. I'm sure you've heard about the Japanese translation of Undertale, and for a good reason.

...Just like every other post on my blog, this will only be about Kerubim, Atcham, and Joris. But this time, not just because I am so hyperfocused:

Our main sources for Japanese translations of Wakfu are fan subs (hard to find), the lost media dub that has been wiped from the internet (impossible to find), and the official Netflix subs. I do not have Netflix, so I had to employ @dullard's help in this endeavour... except Dullard doesn't know any Japanese, and since Netflix is very anti-piracy, we couldn't screenshare it, which means he had no help from me. It made finding interesting dialogues hard, and the thought of covering more characters is actually scary.

I hope you will enjoy this regardless, and mind the fact that I am not a Japanese speaker — just an enthusiast. (I do study foreign languages for my future profession, but they are English and Chinese, not Japanese...)

A cursory Japanese lesson.

In Japanese, there are many pronouns that mean "I" and "you", instead of just a singular word for each, like in English. It is a little bit similar to the tu/vous system many languages have.

In Japanese, it's quite rude to say "you", and usually, people just use each other's names: "[asking someone named Alice] Does Alice want tea?" is the polite, proper, normal way to ask people things. Saying "you" is usually either something done between people who are close, or people who are way above you on the social ladder.

(For example: "anata" is used/was used by wives towards their husbands, is a generic word when you don't yet know someone's name. It can sound arrogant. "kimi" is used by older male superiors towards employees, older friends towards younger friends, and boyfriends towards girlfriends. It can convey the feeling of closeness with one person taking care of another, or, it can show that someone doesn't respect the other person. "omae" is used to express anger and hate, or to playfully show affection between close friends and family. As you can see, all these words imply a degree of intimacy, when used positively.)

The most common personal pronouns are "watashi" (neutral in polite settings, feminine outside of them), "boku" (soft masculine, light polite), and "ore" (harsh masculine, not polite)

It is normal for pronouns to change with age. All young boys start out using "boku", and usually begin using "ore" or other pronouns later in life. Besides that, many people use different pronouns in different situations: a man might use "ore" with male friends, "boku" with family and women, and "watashi" at work.

However, in a lot of fiction, a character's most used pronoun (and sometimes, the ways they deviate from those pronouns — with whom, and why?) is a part of their character design. Besides pronoun usage, there are also sentence ending particles that exist to show emotion, or speaker's attitude, and their personality. Really, the possibilities are endless. This usage of Japanese is rarely realistic, and is instead something unique to anime, and it's called "yakuwarigo", or "role language".

So, today we will be having a look at the ways the three guys this blog is about were translated in Japanese.

NOTE: Due to anti-piracy functions of Netflix, the screenshots came out completely blank, save for the subs. For this reason, I just added the official Japanese subs to screenshots of the English fan sub + added some colours to a couple of them, in longer sentences, so you can see the boundary of different words.

Atcham

"Ninmu kanryōshita zo" [Mission accomplished]

"ぞ" [zo] is a rough masculine sentence ending particle Strongly asserts one's will, opinion or decision. Very masculine, and at least in media, almost always seen paired together with the usage of "ore" personal pronoun.

Speaking of which...

"Asshu ni fukushū suru chansuda. Ore mo iku!" [It's a chance to get revenge against Ush. I'm going too!]

"俺" [ore] - I, me. Masculine personal pronoun, and like everything masculine, in japanese it's associated with a certain degree of arrogance, antagonization, and rudeness.

PERSONAL NOTE: This pronoun is not something one can use in polite speech, but imagining Atcham resorting to using "boku" or "watashi" gives me psychic damage. If Wakfu was a Japanese series, I assume he'd be a character who is always a bit rude.

We can also observe the usage of the informal "だ" particle, and "行く" [iku], which is a verb that means "to go" in an informal conjugation.

Kerubim

"Washi-ra o hīrō hyouzou no korekushon ni kuwaeyou to" [He wanted to add us to his hero ice sculpture collection, pretty much.]

"わし" [washi] I, me "わしら" [washi-ra] - we, us Here we can see the personal pronoun "washi" with the pluralizing suffix "ら" [ra]. In media, "washi" is used by well-learned, elderly men. If there's a white-bearded centuries-old wizard-king who gives out quests, he probably uses "washi". Gandalf from Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit uses "washi" in the Japanese translation.

PERSONAL NOTE: I think Kerubim, as someone who perpetually dies and is reborn and has to re-age, would probably spend most of his life switching between "ore" as a "young" man, and "washi" as an "old" man. He cares a lot about appearing a certain way, and "a strong man" as well as "a nurturing mentor" are his two favorite images of himself.

"と" [to] is a quote and opinion marker. Japanese language favours vague statements, instead of saying that you're sure of something. There will be a more interesting usage of it later, but here it simply shows that this is being observed. It softens the statement, in a way.

"Washi mo iku, hisabisa no Ekafurippu da. Kono neko ni makase toke!" [I'll go too, it's been a long time since I've been to Ecaflip. Leave it to this kitty!]

There isn't much to say here, besides noting another usage of "washi". The only interesting thing is that Kerubim isn't using official speech, — especially with the informal だ [da] ending particle, which fits him, and the situation itself, well, — as well as the fact that he explicitly calls himself a kitty. (cute)

Joris

"Arumando Ōji, dengon-o otsutae-shitaku, ekken-o oyurushi itadakemasu ka?" [Prince Armand, I would like to deliver a message. Won't you please grant me an audience?]

Three words of this sentence use polite conjugations usually reserved for royalty (shocking, I know...), or someone else much higher than oneself on the social ladder.

"伝える" [tsutaeru] — to report, to convey. This word has had the honorific prefix "お" added to it

"許し" [yurushi] — pardon, forgiveness, permission. This word has had the honorific prefix "お" added to it.

"いただけます" [itadakemasu] — to be able to receive. This is the polite (kenjougo, humble form showing being lower than the person being spoken to) version of multiple other verbs. (don't confuse this with "いただきます" [itadakimasu], which is said before eating food.)

"Desuga! Bonta no masutā kara tsuyoku iwaremashita. Sheran Sharumu-ō e chokusetsu todoke nebanaranai to." [Nevertheless! The Master of Bonta had strongly insisted. It was said to me that the message must be delivered directly to King Sheran-Sharm.]

"ですが" [desuga] - nevertheless, however, alas. It is a polite word, mostly used in official written texts and not in casual conversations, which is befitting this conversation.

"言う" [iu] - to say, to speak, to tell This word is heavily conjugated into the next forms: "言われる" [iwareru] - to be told (impolite) -> "言われました" [iwaremashita] to have been told (polite)

ねばならない [nebanaranai] - must, should, have to This word is mainly used in literature, and is not the typical way to say "must/should/have to" in day-to-day life. It is not just polite, but downright literary/stiff language.

"と" [to] - grammatical quote marker, "it was said..." particle marking a quote that the speaker heard.

"Sagare. Watashi ga aite suru." [Get out of my way. I'll handle him.]

"下がる" [sagaru] - to move away. The word is conjugated with a "-re" ending, which gives it an extremely strong and authoritative tint, as if used by someone in a position of power towards someone below them.

"する" [suru] - to do, to take on, to perform Has no polite ending here. and is very casual/impolite.

In this "heat of the moment" situation, he drops all politeness out the window, and commands Armand to get out for his own safety's sake.

Here we also get Joris's personal pronoun:

"私" [watashi] - I, me (polite, feminine) Because it is used here with someone Joris has used polite language with, like Armand, it doesn't mean much. But when used with people he otherwise drops his politeness with, — or is supposed to drop it, —  this pronoun takes on a different tint. It sounds cold, distant, and aloof, — like he is treating even casual conversations like a buisiness exchange. And if it's not aloof, then it might sound a bit feminine.

"Maa, ochitsuke" [Heey, calm down]

"まあ" [maa] - well, I guess, just, now, This is an adverb used in casual speech, used to express things like a mild level of hesitation or uncertainty, or to soften a sentence or a request into a more gentle, relaxed one.

"落ち着く" [ochitsuku] - to calm down The conjugation here is, once again, the commanding imperative. However, it's less of a big deal in this situation, considering:

rough language is good and normal, in casual, friendly speech between men.

it's not him using it with a prince that he was previously showering in highly polite speech, but instead a man he's been living with for 600 years (even if said man is his father).

"Watashi no nou wa mada koutteru rashi" [My brain is still frozen it seems]

This sentence is neither polite nor rude. Mostly notable as a yet another usage of "watashi" in the translation.

"kimi-tachi mo issho ni tsurete ikitaiga, mada keiken ga tarinai" [I'd really like to take you two (affectionate, derigatory, arrogant) with me, but you're lacking in experience]

Here we can see the first translation error: plus tous jeunes being translated as "too young", instead of "not young anymore". But we'll disregard this, and instead focus on something that deranges me:

"君" [kimi] "君たち" [kimi-tachi] - you (plural) "たち" [tachi] is simply a pluralizing suffix, identical to "ら" [ra] in usage.

Yeah Joris "君" [kimi]'d them. He kimi'd them to death. He looked at his dad and called him kimi. He looked at his uncle and called him kimi too.

I know it's likely that the translator just doesn't know better about their relationship, but Joris WOULD do that. he DOES do this by calling them "kids" in french here, so it fits! (I have a huge analysis of this entire scene in my drafts...)

...What is even wrong with him. I love him.

[neuroprincess]

Abbott Elementary - Melissa dating a foreigner (Headcanon)

Melissa Schemmenti/Reader

Classification: Fluff

Warnings: Alcohol consumption

Word count: +1000

- When she hears your accent for the first time, Melissa is delighted and immediately starts trying to guess where it's from, if she can't figure out the origin on her own she'll ask you personally. You are the new temporary teacher and are at the table talking with Janine when the woman, whom you have never talked to before, sits down next to you, scrapes her throat and with a hoarse voice asks "What's up? What part of the world did this angel fly from?"

- Curious, she will ask everything about your country, from history and culture to your favorite things, this is how you slowly get closer, learning about each other during lunch breaks while enjoying company and food. She is extremely excited to try the cuisine, even more so when you describe it;

- And the food is what brings you even closer together, she rarely invites people from work over to her home, but she has simply become obsessed with a couple of typical dishes you have brought, practically begging you to come over and teach her some. It's a nice evening, drinking wine and sharing recipes;

- It becomes routine to have these evenings, on Fridays you meet in her kitchen, alternating between Schemmenti family recipes, Italian ones and your own. After enjoying the meal you have cooked together there is nothing better than watching romantic comedy movies, playing board games, doing jigsaw puzzles, or simply having a good conversation while finishing a bottle of wine;

- On one of these evenings, while you are showing pictures of your respective families and having a good time telling stories, she leans over to pour you a third wine glass, laughing at a joke with funny words in your language, and loses balance falling on top of you, eye to eye, breathing unevenly, body and breath hot. In a millisecond Melissa's soft lips are on yours, in a gentle and tender kiss that soon becomes passionate, lustful;

- After that, you can be sure, she will officially ask you to date her. Two weeks after the first kiss/night, you are at another Friday dinner, this time is different, there are candles on the table, a rose in the center, Melissa has prepared your favorite dish and is wearing a red dress that highlights each curve of her. With a cheat sheet under the table, she is asking you to date her in your first language, some of the words come out funny but it's very cute and makes your heart melt watching her roll the tongue in pronunciation. Very nervous;

- If you have trouble with english she will make sure to help whatever you need, so dedicated that she spends hours redoing exercises and reading books together, teaching you tips and tricks. She also creates ludic games for practice, personalized cards with words that you have difficulty with or want to learn;

- And she will want to learn your language, it's cute when you find her using an app, repeating the pronunciation and writing down each new thing she learns, the redhead secretly uses a children's activity book to learn the basics, it's simple, didactic and with fun illustrations;

- You will have to learn Italian anyway, at least the basics to be able to communicate with her family. She is going to teach you the essentials, like good morning, greetings, basic questions, and, especially, swearing. All Schemmenti are dirty-mouthed and also like to swear in Italian, knowing how to swear defines survival within the family;

- She loves to find out little things about you and always wonders if some habits are cultural or just something unique to Y/N, curious about every aspect of you. When you speak expressions, in less than a week she starts using them, along with usual phrases and sayings. Melissa loves to learn about your culture's typical dishes, favorite songs, hobbies and dressing customs, and may or may not acquire some of your personality by osmosis without noticing;

- If you travel to your home country she will love to know everything, taking with her travel guides and an, by the way, inseparable dictionary, the teacher refuses to ask for help with the language because she wants to show you how dedicated and good she can be speaking the idiom... but at some point Mel will, after you let her screw around while locals talk fast or expressions she doesn't recognize. It's fun and cute;

- It's a culture shock if there doesn't have a local Football team , she will question ten times if you are sure until she finally accepts. But will support whatever other sports your country has, that's what she does as a big supporter of sports in general;

- She will try everything from tourist attractions to cuisine, you might imagine that restaurants would be her weakness, but no, she will be completely obsessed with little shops and fill a bag with souvenirs for herself, family and friends. Key chains, small decorations, T-shirts, in short, everything that can remind her of your trip will be bought;

- If you bring her to a farm or something similar, well, your girlfriend becomes a total cowgirl, she likes the idea of country life, taking care of animals, enjoying the view, the nature, and, if there are crops, feeling the freshness and the taste of natural food while cooking. Maybe in the future, at some point and with someone who wants the same thing as her, Melissa will consider living somewhere like this or at least having a country house to get a taste of this tranquility;

- Pictures, lots of pictures! She will register every moment and will for sure make a special album when returning to the US, frame some of them to put on the walls, maybe even put one in her wallet along with a copy of the first picture you took together;

- And on this return trip Mel plans to ask her to move in with her, there is a special copy of the key with a keychain placed in a velvet box and when you see it your heart skips a beat imagining being asked to marry her, but you both laugh at the misunderstanding. To be clear, she is probably using a dictionary for this too... and a lot of courage.

[operafantomet]

Hi Anea! Out of curiosity, how many languages you know? Are most Scandinavians multilingual?

"Know" is a bit... fluent. I tend to separate between how many languages I could read a book in VS how many languages I could order food in... Hah.

I think most Scandinavians learn the neighbor languages during their childhood or teenage years. I learned Danish as a very young child. My dialect is close to Danish and we frequently visited Denmark - it was a three-hour ferry trip away. And Swedish because of all the Swedish children's programs, Emil, Pippi, whatnot.

The three languages Danish, Swedish and Norwegian are quite similar, with some differences in words and pronunciation but not so much you would not get understood when talking your own language. I master all three as such, but prefer to speak my own language when talking to adults. For children I might change completely, depending on their level. But when I have visited Denmark with Swedish friend Josefine, we have all spoken our respective languages without much issues.

There's also hybrids for easing the communication - the most made-fun-of version is "svorsk" (svensk/norsk, AKA Swedish/Norwegian). It's sometimes done on TV and it's rather amusing. I think the best illustration is this candy, as that middle letter is a hybrid between Norwegian/Danish Ø and Swedish Ö. It doesn't make sense in any language, yet A+ for trying.

So yeah, I speak and read Norwegian, Danish and Swedish, albeit I only actually speak the two latter when forced as I feel I'm a character in a TV series when speaking it. I guess the best comparison in English would be to fake a Scottish accent. It's do-able, but doesn't feel natural.

Then there is of course English. Most Scandinavian kids learn it both in school and from the internet. Most are also encouraged to do a second foreign language later on. For me it was French, but I'm somewhere between "can ask simple questions and hope for a simple answer" and ordering food. This is also my approach to German. There is so much similarities to Norwegian I understand a lot of what I read and hear, but I can't form my own sentences.

With a base in English, Germannic languages and a Latin language I can fake my way through many European countries and at least order food, understand basic newspaper headlines and manage my way through non-English websites (for example looking for tickets or info).

As an adult I also tried to learn Greek. The grammar absolutely killed me, but I can read it fine enough (in the pace of a child). I just don't understand a lot of what I read. Hah! I can also - again - order food, say my name, ask how people are doing, understand ticket systems etc.

So yeah... I would say I master four languages - Norwegian, Danish, Swedish and English. I can fake my way through French, German and Greek to some extent, and that also translate into related languages (for example Italian, Dutch). But I could never read a book in those languages, or hold a meaningfull conversation past "Hello, my name is (...), how are you doing?".

[writingquestionsanswered]

I'm having a difficult time with trying to format dialogue with a foreign language spoken. I've talked to a friend who worked in a publishing company and told me to do something like this:

"Lumière du matin. (Morning light)" A said as they woke up. "So beautiful to see first thing."

This is an example of what I was thinking of doing. Would this be correct? My friend says yes, but not 100% sure.

Note: this will only be when the character is alone and will be simple words or phrases.

Translating Another Language in Your Story

I've never ever seen parentheses used to translate another language in fiction. You see them sometimes in non-fiction and memoirs, but parentheses are generally to be avoided in fiction with the exception of experimental use. Parentheses have the effect of "breaking the fourth wall," meaning that they break the barrier between the reader and the author, pulling the reader out of the story.

Luckily, there are other ways you can do it.

First, remember you don't have to translate things word for word in order for the reader to understand what they mean. All you have to do is give them enough context to figure it out. Second, remember you can use exposition to translate or to fill in context. Here are some suggestions based on your example, where the character speaks another language but are alone at the time:

-- "Lumière du matin," Character A said as they woke up. "The morning light is beautiful to see first thing."

-- -- "Lumière du matin," Character A said, noting the morning light as they awoke. "So beautiful to see first thing."

Now, I know the above is just an example, but the critical reader in me wants to pop in and explain why that example doesn't work well...

How often do you wake up and comment to yourself on the quality of the morning light? Probably never. This just isn't something people typically do, so as a reader, I would find it to be jarring. And unless I know the character is trying to practice a new language they're learning, I would find it odd that they make a mundane observation to themselves out loud in a language other than their own. So, some things to keep in mind when finding ways to incorporate another language into your story for atmosphere or other effect. It needs to feel like a natural occurrence to the reader.

For more help, here are my posts on using another language in your story:

Character Speaking Another Language (Without Actually Writing It…) Using a Foreign Language in Your Story Dialogue Scenes with Language Barriers 

Have fun with your story!

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[widowspeakconnoisseur]

Assigning the Yotsuba Group D&D Races

Did anyone ask for this? No. Do I care? No. I'm a massive nerd and will post what I want when I want.

DISCLAIMER:

This is based on the vibes with a slight tinge of sensible claims. Some of these may seem weird and OOC and that's because they probably are. I'm no scientist, guys.

Kyosuke Higuchi

Starting off strong with my favourite idiot, it was ultimately extremely tempting to say "dwarf" and call it a day (since he isn't known for being particularly unchallenged vertically speaking). I figured, realistically, Higuchi would probably fall into orc territory. Eventually though, I landed on half-orc for a multitude of reasons:

Higuchi is incredibly impatient and hot-headed but I don't feel he has the directly violent edge that your run of the mill orc would have on top of these traits. (Of course, he is still a murderer),

Higuchi isn't well-liked by his coworkers much like a half-orc is considered an outsider in the Forgotten Realms, however he does not give off the impression that he's very high up the Yotsuba corporate ladder in comparison to his coworkers and therefore does not have the power to properly intimidate anyone the way a regular orc would (this lack of power obviously changes after the Death Note gets involved),

Higuchi isn't very sure of himself and is prone to feelings of sadness and insecurity, much like a half-orc,

Male half-orcs can be anything from 5'0-7'0 depending on player preference, so Higuchi can still be fun-sized in a fantastical setting!

No offence to him but he REALLY has the face for it.

I mean, just look at that smile. Isn't it a million bucks?

Reiji Namikawa

I fear I'm going to have to go with the obvious choice for this one. Namikawa's an elf. More specifically, a grey elf from the Greyhawk D&D setting. Why, you ask?

Grey elves are known for being isolationist, which is very fitting for someone like Namikawa who is frequently isolationist on a personal level,

Grey elves believe themselves to be superior to other D&D races, even other elves, mimicking Namikawa's borderline pretentious and "better than you" attitude,

Grey elves' superiority complexes are implicit - someone like Namikawa would never make it known that he feels he is better than everyone else (although you can smell it off him),

Grey elves can be incredibly morally grey (badum-tss) at times and aren't above using questionable means to keep their location hidden, similar to how Namikawa is not above getting involved in the Kira meetings to advance the Yotsuba group,

Much like other elves, grey elves are known for their fair and ethereal appearance. (They also have the signature long hair so bonus points for that),

As a sub-race of the high elves, grey elves are incredibly intelligent and yearn for knowledge, often owning extensive libraries that they share with other elves,

This isn't specific to grey elves and is a bonus for choosing to play as an elf generally, but elves are proficient in one extra language of the player's choice (other than Elvish). As Namikawa lived in the USA for 6 years, it's unlikely that he doesn't know how to speak English.

Shingo Mido

Another isolationist type. Let's be real though, elf doesn't really cut it for Mido, which is exactly why I settled on lizardfolk from the Forgotten Realms setting. This seems like quite a left-field choice but the reasoning behind it is pretty simple.

Lizardfolk could not be less interested in material gain. Mido gives the impression that he's fairly disillusioned to such things, especially since he disdainfully remarked that Higuchi was most obsessed with wealth and status. In other words, he clearly sees it as a foreign concept,

Lizardfolk do not tend to invest themselves in anything unless it serves a practical use for them (or, in the case of the meetings, there is no choice element involved). Mido seems like the type of person who wouldn't want to waste their time on something if there was no benefit to doing it,

Lizardfolk tend to be neutrally aligned. This I think is particularly fitting as while Mido secretly disliked the Yotsuba Kira's actions, he did not go against them and remained passive to the whole ordeal until Shimura privately voiced his concerns,

Assimilation into any society that isn't the lizardfolk's own is a big no, point blank. Mido probably checks out of interacting with other people on the daily and would rather shoot himself in the foot than actually be perceived, so this is another fitting trait they both share.

This one's slightly in jest but lizardfolk have tails that greatly assist them in balance - and if you're unbalanced while fencing then you might find yourself in a bit of a predicament.

Takeshi Ooi

I think this one is mostly fuelled by the fact that he's bald and built like a brick wall but if I were to assign Ooi any D&D race, he would have to be a goliath. There isn't actually much reasoning behind this one, to be honest.

Again, six foot something bald man with a huge amount of physical strength. Not much needs to be said here,

Goliaths can sometimes offend people not familiar with their behaviour, which definitely reminds me of Ooi's blunt/direct nature,

Goliaths are determined creatures who really care about accomplishing lots in so little time. Ooi also gives me this impression, especially since he was so aware that those who partook in the meetings were potentially in line for the position of CEO at Yotsuba.

Arayoshi Hatori

This one is also pretty literal and instead mostly to do with his hobbies than his overall appearance, but I would assign Hatori Wechselkind from the Grim Hollow setting for a D&D race. There are reasons beyond this though.

Wechselkinds are made of wood, clay and ceramics (and Hatori makes ceramics),

A wechselkind is a humanoid construct intended to resemble that of a small child, and is animated by faerie magic. They are used to replace human children that have been kidnapped by faeries and as a result, they are concealed using magic and made to seem identical to the child. This concealment eventually wears off and when it does, the wechselkind is usually ostracised and seen as an illegitimate member of the family. This, in my view, closely resembles Hatori's presumably rocky relationship with his father (Yotsuba's president) and how he is known to be his illegitimate son,

Wechselkinds can sometimes be more closely aligned with evil but tend to stray towards being good. I think we can all agree that Hatori is one of the better members of the Yotsuba group, since he vocally expressed his contempt for the meetings,

Wechselkinds tend to search for acceptance where there isn't any and I think that's pretty similar to Hatori's behaviour, as he seems to want nothing more than to blend in with the rest of his coworkers.

Eiichi Takahashi

Takahashi, like Hatori, is another one of the less morally bankrupt members of the Yotsuba group in my eyes, as is Shimura. I figured I'd assign him a race that's more aligned with good because of this and so decided on the Firbolg from Forgotten Realms.

Firbolgs on the Faerûn continent are, again, usually aligned with good,

Firbolgs are known to be extremely family-orientated, and I imagine that Takahashi is also a family man (especially towards his kids) since he's married and has children,

Firbolgs care deeply about the natural world and my personal head-canon is that since Takahashi surfs in his spare time, he works closely with ocean conservation organisations in Tokyo,

Firbolgs are looked down on among their giant kin, similar to the way Takahashi's coworkers do to him. (I'm looking at you, Higuchi).

Masahiko Kida

Okay, admittedly I found Kida hard to type at first. There's barely anything to go off of in canon and a lot of my thoughts on Kida literally stem from head-canons. However. Scrolling through a list of D&D races, I then landed on Shadar-kai. Shadar-kai as in the elven kind that worship the Raven Queen, not the fey kind. (Yes, you probably hear about elves and fey sharing ancestry but I'm specifically talking about Forgotten Realms lore here). Regardless of this less than slight tangent, my reasons for choosing this race aren't that serious honestly.

The elven Shadar-kai are completely neutral. Like, no "I'll just do this good/bad thing". They are 100% checked out of any morality debate. I got this impression from the little we see of Kida in canon because honestly, he just looks like he wants to go home. Fair enough, Kida,

These specific Shadar-kai are completely joyless. Since Kida is an uptight bastard through and through, naturally I got this vibe from him. (I mean seriously, does he look like the kind of guy actually having fun? No he does not),

Shadar-kai will still often follow rules and comply with some pretty nasty missions as a result. This is obviously similar to Kida's compliance with the meetings.

Suguru Shimura

It probably seems weird seeing Shimura last on this list since he's a semi-relevant character in the Yotsuba sphere, but this is honestly because he was the hardest for me to assign a race to. No D&D race seems to capture the essence of what makes Shimura enough. I decided eventually, though, why not make Shimura a Tortle? Yeah, you heard that right. Yes, there are turtle people in Dungeons and Dragons and hell yes Shimura is one of them. Why?

Because Tortles, like other races outlined in this completely useless post, are actually pretty reclusive. I'd be lying if I said that Shimura was a beacon of extroversion,

Tortles tend to be peaceful and get on well with other races, but are particularly friendly towards peaceful Lizardfolk. (Ding ding! This is where the closeness with Mido comes in),

Tortles like to form strong friendships despite their reserved nature. I always got this impression from Shimura but, in all honesty, I couldn't point to anything in canon that shows this without having to milk very specific details dry.

That about wraps up probably the least requested post in Yotsuba history. Least requested because, y'know, nobody fucking asked for this. If you got to the end by actually reading the whole thing instead of scrolling downwards, I applaud you. 👏 (See?)

Anyway, goodbye now. I'm going to go cook up another abhorrent post that nobody asked for.

[skydigiblogs]

back on my bullshit (thinking about translation theory in the context of my silly little monster cartoons <3)

(this ended up so so fucking long so i put it under a read more lmao)

specifically thinking about it in the context of like a handful of world/postcolonial lit courses we took and some anth courses

what i mean by that is like

when it comes to just literature there are already so many things that have to be taken into account for translation! let's say you're taking a poem. in its native language, that poem has a sound, a rhythm, a way of communicating that a lot of poetry in a lot of languages do. when you translate it to another language, like english, are you going to translate in a way that preserves the meaning most, or a way that attempts to approximate the meaning while preserving the synesthetic qualities of its sounds?

the homeric epics are a really fun example for comparative translation analysis imo. and i mean fun because there are so many translations of them into english, and at least one madlad decided to make a prose translation of an epic poem. only recently did the first translation of the poem by a woman get published, and that revealed that a lot of biases in the linguistic nuance were kind of getting smoothed over like a crease in clay.

(i have a copy of emily wilson's translation but am not the guy who reads classics in our system, i just write the essays lmao. but she wrote multiple times about the theory of translation she was working with and if you're at all interested in this topic, look her up.)

but even if you aren't translating a text from antiquity and are, say, working with a more contemporary example of literary translation, you still have to bridge the gap between two cultures that may be very different. just a word for word translation may not work too, because figurative language like idioms might not be understood by the language you're translating to.

the amount of cultural knowledge required to sculpt a truly effective translation that preserves the image of the original while making it comprehensible to an otherwise ignorant audience is just. so cool to me. i say this as someone who could never really do translation work myself, on account of not having that kind of complex grasp on another language than my native one, of course, but you don't have to be fluently billingual to understand what i'm talking about here, imo.

another example, and one that i actually wrote comparative analysis on, is work from charles baudelaire's les fleurs du mal ("the flowers of evil"). works of short poetry are effective case studies in what different translations can look like, because translations of baudelaire's poetry still portray the subject matter in a way that is presumably true to the original french. while something may always be lost in translation (there's a saying for a reason there), the philosophy behind one's translation can also highlight one's own reading of a text, and offer a closer insight into said text for foreign audiences (me, it's me, i'm the foreign audience reading charles baudelaire in world lit and going absolutely insane about translation theory).

for my mileage, you end up seeing a paradigm between translations that span between "strict" and "loose," if that makes any sense. a strict translation makes no changes in its translation, preserving the literature in its entirety as it is translated, to the best approximation possible where a direct translation is impossible. a loose translation meanwhile may make more artistic choices in its translation, foregoing certain details in order to better articulate the artistry in the original work.

okay, now, the reason i'm thinking about this today, right now.

in literature this is already a complex subject, but when you get into other forms of art, like animation in the case of this blogs primary topic, there become a lot more moving parts. like with literature, there's going to be the simple fact of looking into a cultural window and trying to communicate that snapshot to foreigners.

with subtitling, you can add things like translator's notes. this is a non-diegetic method of communicating information to your audience, and you can see it present in literature as well (footnotes or endnotes are a frequent addition to many translated works; hell, they're common even in non-translated works). in animated works where there are vocal tracks (like anime openings or insert songs), you can also have subtitles for those, no problem!

however, when it comes to dubbing, you automatically include more elements to juggle in your translation work. you have to take into account individual voice, background tracks, visuals, etc. etc.. the method most dubs handle translating the work often discourages non-diegetic methods of communicating information, so you're less likely to see translator's notes in dub work. sometimes this even includes changing on-screen text so that a foreign audience can read it.

the lengths to which a dubbing company is willing to censor in translation is also, obviously, a conversation worth noting (see again my losing my shit at pinnochimon packing heat). a phenomenon i'm sure we've all noticed when it comes to dubbing (as opposed to most translations of literature i've seen) is that dubs may market to a specific age range in translation. sometimes that may end up defanging a work's themes, or changing them entirely. the censorship of a dub may come out of a cultural difference or hesitance to show certain subjects to a younger audience, but regardless it is part of the theory behind some dub work.

i don't really have a conclusion to this, but it's just in my mind a lot while i'm watching some of these series for the first time subbed. by all means, i don't think dubbing is a bad thing (if anything it's complex), but having the experience of watching the sub is allowing me to do a type of comparative analysis i don't think i've ever had the chance to actively do.

i know that there are folks who have done more thorough comparative analysis work than i'll probably end up doing, of course (there are so many wonderful blogs here on tumblr alone about that meta-analysis). it's just that i'm enjoying engaging with a childhood interest in a way that i suppose i didn't know i wanted to do so badly.

[merge-conflict]

Find the Word/Manuscript Search Tag

Been tagged twice and alright, if you have to twist my arm and ask me to post more words... :3 <3 <3 <3

Tagged by @fly-amanitaa for night, breeze, jealous, & collide

Tagged by @setaflow for retort, sun, length, & knuckle

Tagging @corpocyborg, @gamerkitten, @luvwitch, @genocidalfetus, @another-corpo-rat (as usual, no pressure) with chrome, whisper, burn, sky

Mild nsfw on "breeze" but it's not terribly explicit.

night

“All you ever want to do is go out drinking and have me be your wingman,” she continued, rummaging through the wrappers in the cup holders. If she was looking for his amphetamines she was going to be disappointed. “Then what– I talk you up to some nice girl and she has a mediocre night. That your idea of a fun surprise?”

“Never had any complaints. But if you wanted you could see for yourself.”

-> when her edges soften, ch. 1

breeze

V pushed her right hand up the inside of his shirt, pulling it up over her elbow while the breeze cooled his sweat. Her voice was half a growl. “Please tell me one of those advantages–“ She kissed his neck sweetly, against the stinging pain. “–is you’re not a one-hit KO.”

“Jesus Christ, V, at least give me a minute.” He said, voice a little hoarse. “First round just ended.” He turned his head before she could put her wet fingers in his mouth. She wiped them off on his throat, instead, and then stepped back, leaving him panting and exposed, leaning his face against the cool brick.

-> when her edges soften, ch. 1

jealous

Panam shifted in her chair, body twisted into an improbable curve that looked extremely uncomfortable. She was focused on V now, the churn of her thoughts visible in her expression. V wondered if she was even going to be hungover in the morning, and was preemptively jealous.

“You never mentioned you were corpo,” she said finally, but without any rancor.

“Would you have worked with me if I had?”

Panam considered this for a moment. “Probably not.”

-> the damn things overlap, ch. 7

collide (colliding)

Saul, who knew Goro spoke English and thus had a pretty good idea of what he might feel compelled to say in another language, frowned deeply. But Terry struggled with the simple shock of someone finding a stranger was foreign twice over, and was trying to understand what that meant.

The alarming crunch of two large objects colliding and the subsequent shriek of metal sliding past metal interrupted this calculation. She swore a blue streak and exploded into motion, moving quickly despite her pronounced limp. Her absence seemed to take all the air with her, and V had it in her to hope distantly no one had hit her car.

-> the damn things overlap, ch. 7

retort

(miss) :)

sun

Goro woke V while the sun was still down, unconscious grip on her tightening as he battled some dream. She didn’t know whether trying to wake him would help or only make it worse, so she waited until a jerk of his arm woke him. He let out one long, slow breath, and she pretended to be asleep as he gently pulled her in closer. Eventually she felt his limbs go slack again, and he fell asleep while her mind composed a little tune that swam in and around to the rhythm of his heartbeat.

<Johnny.> The thought took more effort than it should have. He didn’t answer, but the song stuttered, just a bit. <Johnny?>

-> the damn things overlap, ch. 12 (wip)

length

Still, no matter how early she managed to arrive, Goro was nearly always there before her, looking well rested and without a hair out of place.

This morning was much the same, and V slid into her chair, trying not to stare at his back as he busied himself making his usual cup. Once, he had talked at great length about the virtues of tea, from the plant to the processing to the ritual of consuming it, and so it was only with great difficulty that she endured the sight of him configuring the machine to brew the ugliest, thickest, oiliest brew of coffee it could create only to cut it with an obscene amount of milk and sugar. That he viewed even the finest coffee only as a convenient source of caffeine was endurable, but to watch him produce such a monstrosity in front of her was too much to bear.

-> catch for us the foxes

knuckle (knuckles)

When he was gone, she returned to the mirror, shivering in some strange combination of grief and fury. Her body felt raw, disjointed, unclean. She wanted to break the mirror, but just at the thought of it she could smell the mildew from the motel bathroom, feel the blood on her healed knuckles, trapped in an endless self-cannibalizing loop of bad and worse.

“Too bad you missed that, huh?” She bared her teeth at her own reflection, humiliated at the realization she actually wanted Johnny to answer.

She did not punch the mirror. She did not, but she wanted to. She wanted–

-> the damn things overlap, ch. 4

[marypsue]

daddygrandpaandthebeaver said: 

"#if there are no such questions and I continue to have no thoughts you might all get subjected to some fic samples just for the hell of it" -- well it *is* Sneak Peak Sunday, is it not? :D

Bestie, your mind. 

Anon also asked for Jonathan and Robin interactions, and I’ve got one scene from the upcoming former heroes who quit too late (part three of the (almost)-everybody-has-powers AU!): 

...

Jonathan’s house is closer to the lab than Robin’s is, so she bikes down to meet him there. She’s been here before, of course, but usually with Barb and the rest of the group. She hasn’t spent a lot of time with Jonathan one-on-one, and if she’s being honest, the prospect is making Robin almost as nervous as the whole infiltrating-the-Hawkins-lab thing is.

Which, of course, is probably why the first thing Jonathan says when he swings the door open, with a wry smile, is, “I’m not going to bite.”

Robin arranges her own face into a smile, though she’s aware it’s awkward. She’s not sure what to say to that.

But even if she could settle on a witty one-line zinger to come back with, Jonathan’s already heard all the fumbling and false starts she went through to get there, anyway, right? She will never in a million years deceive him into thinking she’s cool.

Jonathan’s smile gets wider, and a little less wry. But all he says is a sarcastic, “You’re very cool. My car’s just over here.”

Jonathan’s car looks – and sounds – like it’s ready to fall apart at any minute. But it pulls out of the Byers’ drive and onto the main road without incident. It looks like Jonathan’s house might be the last one on this road, as they drive past nothing but trees and more trees. Every so often, when the curve of the road lines up just right, Robin can catch a glimpse of the building that houses the lab, huge and looming in the distance.

“It’s okay if you’re scared,” Jonathan says, with a glance in Robin’s direction. “Honestly, I’m a little freaked out by Barb’s warnings, too. If you really don’t want to do this -”

Robin’s already shaking her head. “It’s not that. Just -” She tries, with some difficulty, to translate the whirling torrent of her feelings into words. It is nowhere near as easy as translating one language into another. “What if…what if, Steve, and Dustin, and me, what if we all got it wrong?”

Jonathan’s giving her a look. Robin sighs. “I mean…what if those two are so used to looking for zebras that they can’t recognise a horse when they see one? I’ve been in band since I hit a school with a band to be in. I study foreign languages for fun. It is not that weird to think I could figure out how to parse a couple simple phrases in Russian after hearing them in the background like eighty million times, is it? Like, what if we get there, and they take one look at me, and they go, ‘This one’s completely ordinary, why’d you even bring her’?”

“Robin,” Jonathan says, reassuring, but still a little exasperated.

“No, Byers, I’m serious. You can’t tell if what somebody’s thinking is true or not, so long as they believe it is. Right?”

“Well, you’re not going to convince me the sky is green,” Jonathan starts, but Robin cuts him off.

“No, I know, but – if I think I’ve got a rock in my shoe. And it’s really, I don’t know, a thumbtack. You can’t tell that it’s not a rock without looking in my shoe. Right?”

Jonathan lets out a long breath that Robin thinks is trying hard not to become a sigh.

“I can’t tell you whether you actually like Vickie like that or if you just want to because you think she might be able to reciprocate,” he says, like he’s not just casually skewering Robin like a bug against a corkboard. This. This is why she does not hang out with Jonathan Byers. “And I can’t tell you whether you actually have psychic powers. But around here, and based on what you remember…the balance of probability’s saying you do.” He pauses, for a second, lifting his fingers off the steering wheel but leaving the heel of his hand pressed against it. “About the psychic thing, anyway. You’re on your own for the rest of it.”

“I hate that you can do that,” Robin grumbles to the glove compartment, crossing her arms over her chest and slouching down in her seat. There’s no point trying to be polite about it. Jonathan already knows. Jonathan already knows everything.

Jonathan is smiling a little, to himself. Again.

“You know I don’t share other people’s secrets,” he says, after a moment’s silence. “Not unless it’s dangerous. Vickie’s not going to hear about this from me.”

“She better not, shitlord. Because Barbie’s got a car with a trunk, and she’d help me hide a body, no questions asked.”

“But I think,” Jonathan continues like Robin hasn’t said anything, though he’s smiling wider, “maybe part of why you’re scared of telling Vickie about your feelings isn’t just that you’re worried that you’re wrong about her and she’ll be horrified and disgusted and never talk to you again and your life will be ruined.”

“I don’t know, I think that’s a pretty big part of -”

“She’s not Carol Perkins, she’s not going to tell everybody at Girl Scout camp about you trying to hold her hand out on the dock,” Jonathan says, reading Robin’s mind yet again, like the jerk that he is. “But – fine. I’m just saying. Do you think, maybe, part of what’s scaring you could also be that you might be right? That Vickie might actually like you back?”

Robin doesn’t know what to say to that, either.

“I don’t know about you,” Jonathan says. Still watching the road out the windshield, not looking at Robin. “But there was…something I didn’t try for, for a long time, because I didn’t think they’d go for it. But also, because I didn’t know what I’d do if they did.” His voice drops, goes soft. Robin thinks this is the most vulnerable she’s seen him since he admitted to her that they share a secret. Well. A secret that’s not psychic powers. “Didn’t know if I’d turn out to be a disappointment.”

This time, it’s less that Robin doesn’t know what to say and more that she doesn’t want to say anything. She can’t, after all, honestly say she doesn’t know what Jonathan means.

She wonders if it’s Nancy he’s thinking of.

Jonathan must know what’s going through Robin’s head. But he doesn’t clarify. “You know I wasn’t going to share with the others about your powers, not without your permission.”

“No, you just cornered me into doing that for you.”

Jonathan seems entirely unrepentant when he says, “Sorry. But I knew they weren’t going to react badly. And we need you.” Robin wishes that didn’t actually make her feel a little better. “That’s not the point, though. The point is. It’s up to you. But I don’t think you need to be scared of sharing your…other secret with them, either.”

“Barbie knows already,” Robin reminds him, realising a second later that the reminder was probably unnecessary.

Jonathan just grins at her and drums his fingers against the steering wheel. “I found out from Barb, remember?”

It’s a bit of a sidetrack, but Robin has to ask. “You really didn’t know before I told her? But we had that chemistry class together -”

“It was class,” Jonathan says, like that should be obvious, which, okay, maybe it should. “There were twenty other people in there, and I was busy trying to learn chemistry. All I knew was that you really didn’t get stoichiometry, and you daydreamed a lot about Jo from The Facts of Life.” He glances over at Robin. “In retrospect, maybe that should’ve been a clue.”

Robin snorts out a laugh, uncrossing her arms to rest her elbow against the window and her head in her hand.

“So they all know?” she asks, after a moment’s consideration. “That you like boys?”

“And Nancy,” Jonathan corrects her.

“Okay, that you like boys and Nancy.”

Jonathan doesn’t object to Robin’s bluntness the way she’d thought he might. “Yeah, they know.”

“And…none of them were weird about that.”

Jonathan smiles a little in Robin’s direction, like he’s sharing a secret, when he says, “Weird about many things. But not that.”

Robin has to suck her lower lip between her teeth to keep from bursting out laughing.

“Even Nancy?” she asks, still having trouble believing it. Barbie and Jonathan, yes, but Nancy’s so – so proper and preppy and prim all the time, and – “Even Steve?”

This time, Jonathan’s grin shows a flash of teeth and seems to be entirely for himself. “Especially Steve.”

It’s a good thing the next turn takes them up to the lab’s gates, because Robin has no idea what to do with that.

[kitty-in-a-jar]

“The guy in headphones... Kit Rivers?”

“What about him?”

Kit Rivers. Kit. He... might seem like a loner at first, sometimes can be found sitting on a bench somewhere at the quadrungle—a sketch on his lap and headphones over his head, minding his own business. But hey, Kit is nowhere near a loner when he's actually a talker and has made lots of friends with his yapping skills.

“Oh, that guy?”

Kit has been spending his time alone most of his life, due to he can't even count how much they've moved out of a country because of his parents' business. As a kid, he never experienced what other kid would experience, like going to school and out to play with their friends; he homeschooled for at least a good 9 years until he's old enough to tell his parents that he wanted to go to a ‘real’ school. Along the time he homeschooled, he probably moved out for more than 5 times he can't even remember. He spent the longest time being in Osaka and Seattle, which he thought were the most memorable homes for him. So many good memories bloomed and so many things learned, he became a different person ever since.

“Think I've seen him around the Art building!”

Why Fine Arts? Art has fascinated Kit so many times, ever since he's a little. Yes, he's just like any other boys! He's curious, he tried everything that sparks up his curiosities. The day where his parents took him to an art museum, he never knew that it would be so much fun learning about art. Moreover, he thought that arts are just paintings, drawings, when in reality it's so much more. Sculptures, moving pictures, music, every kind of dances, the puddle a kid stepped on after rain, even the museum building itself is art! He would stop and stare at a single art, wondering how can people made such beauty from a scratch—it kind of sparked his interest in art. At first, he would try and draw some abstract doodles which turned out so pretty from his pair of eyes. More and more practice that he started to draw sceneries or human faces. From sketches to paintings, and many other things. Boy even tried potteries at home!

Well, ever since then, art never stopped making the boy curious. Kit wants to explore various of arts he believes there are a lot than more.

“Heard that he's a foreigner...”

Osaka is where Kit's childhood took a turn, he managed to make a few friends somehow by going to play in their residence's playground every afternoon. He would play soccer with other kids, despite the limitations in speaking their language, he found so much fun in it! After times, he started to make a little conversation with them by saying some simple words like “遊ぶ!” or “こんにちは!”, gradually adding more and more words to be a sentence, of course with the help of his parents and the internet. He spent his life long enough in Osaka to be pretty fluent in Japanese, before finally moving somewhere else. It was weird for him... a bit... sad? Since he's used to moving out peacefully—well, he had no friends back then, but he made so many friends in Japan he probably won't get to see again.

He moved away to Korea only for a year to finish out junior high in an actual school and then spent the rest of his high school periods in Seattle, his hometown, a city where he was born. In Seattle, he learned how to properly be friends with people and it has gotten easy over time. He has met a bunch of different people that he never knew existed when he was still a kid with no friends, little Kit must've been very proud.

Finishing high school, he decided to continue his study and living a slow life back in Korea, at Walker International Institute.

[clairelin-nccu]

5th Blog: Big Teaching Day

    During the previous preparation and two weeks of presentation the big teaching day, I enjoyed the process of designing the course, teaching Cantonese and participating in the Japanese lessons presented by Group 8. It was an impressing experience of transferring between a language learner and teacher which I never had before. I found out that there was so much difference when it came to planning language learning plan in different roles.

    In the first place, my group members and I managed to design the class in an interesting and efficient way when facing the challenge of learning and teaching an unfamiliar language, Cantonese. Being recognized as a dialect, Cantonese lacked of pronunciation symbols, so native speakers learned Cantonese by listening to people’s conversations instead of text books in language class. For foreigners, learning Cantonese was not an easy task at all. Therefore, our teacher, Emon from Hong Kong, taught us Cantonese by recording her pronunciations in our group internal language session. Considering that Cantonese was a difficult language to learn and speak in such a short period of time, we decided to teach some of the greetings and idioms used in casual talks in our lesson. For instance, we taught “Have you eaten?” and “Would you like to have dinner with me?” and some terms of jokes to say to friends. In addition to the content, we added some online resources to enrich our lesson. Since Cantonese consisted of nine tones, it was hard to pronounce the words and sentences correctly. We played a video of a professional teacher clearly introduced the nine tones, hoping this would help the students in understanding and refining the pronunciations. Last but not least, we utilized two Cantonese songs in our review lesson. In the beginning of the class, we played the song Learn Cantonese by Namewee to enhance the students’ concentration. Then in the final part of the class, with a view of ending up the class in an interesting activity, we taught the students to sing the classic song, As boundless as the sea and sky by Beyond. Although I would not say that we planned a perfect Cantonese lesson, the students from Group 8 showed engaging participation and memorized how to introduce themselves in Cantonese, making us feel so glad. Finally, I felt that I was lucky to meet my team mates in Group I and worked out the teaching project with them. Not only did the process of learning Cantonese intrigued me a lot, the result of the presentation also made me feel that our effort did pay off.

    With regard to the teaching of Group 8, despite the fact that I was already a Japanese learner, I enjoyed their lesson. The content of self-introduction they taught in class was simple to learn and useful at the same time. As an intermediate Japanese speaker, I considered their choice of the sentences and words to be appropriate and effective. The whole teaching process went smoothly and fluently, which manifested their sufficient preparations. Moreover, they designed a series of charming activities that combined with the teaching content, including guessing whose introduction by listening and memory card game. I had a lot of fun in their lessons, and appreciated their arrangement of the content and activities.  

    All in all, I was fond of the scoring regulation of presenting big teaching day instead of taking final exam in this course. Thanks to professor CC for giving us the opportunity to design the language lessons for the first time.  

[longmagazines]

Utalk or mondly

UTALK OR MONDLY HOW TO

UTALK OR MONDLY ANDROID

UTALK OR MONDLY SOFTWARE

These tools will give you a hard time thinking which one to choose? With too many language technologies on the market as well. For learners of all ages, apps for children provide a cute and simple choice. Apps for language learning games deliver a fun, immersive way of enhancing your fluency. To help you develop your language ability, creative language applications use clever new tactics.

UTALK OR MONDLY ANDROID

There are plenty of choices out there, whether you use iPhone software, Android apps or use a different platform. Famous language learner apps offer a wide variety of learning opportunities that cover nearly every language that you can imagine. We’re talking about applications for languages. Here we discussed about best language learning apps. If you fail to find time to learn languages in your day, check out my three-step process of learning languages like mad, even if you have a crazy life. When I decided to learn Afrikaans, French, Arabic, and Norwegian, I then resorted to these trusted methods. I tried various language materials, books, and programmes until I mastered Italian, which was my first foreign language, to see what worked best for me.

UTALK OR MONDLY SOFTWARE

When you know what kind of language learning you are, it becomes even clearer to select the right materials, software and methods and your success can skyrocket. I doubt that anyone would be willing to invest that much money on the remote chance that someone would pay to use it.How good you are in learning to speak a language depends not just on your methodology, but also on the level of satisfaction and interaction with your language tools. To take your example, you want the student to say “can I please have a glass of water,” but what do you want the program to do if he doesn’t say it correctly, such as uses the wrong pronoun instead of “I”, or doesn’t say “please”, or uses the wrong gender for “glass?” Should it just say “You gave the wrong answer, please try again,” or should it analyze his error syndrome and provide specific feedback? If you want a simple system that does the former, then you are looking at ten million dollars, but if you want the latter, you are looking at maybe ten times that budget. In the end, I doubt that it would be much more effective than just studying with textbooks/workbooks and flashcards. Doing what you suggest well would cost tens of millions of dollars and require a large team of expensive experts. I know such an idea would require a lot of effort PS: Not sure where to post this but if someone from memrise find this cool please let me know I know such an idea would require a lot of effort, but maybe it could be like a premium feature or just be launched as a game. Often when learning a language it might go well on memrise, but if things become nonlinear as they always do in life, you end up unable to formulate an answer.

UTALK OR MONDLY HOW TO

This would make learning more immersive and teach you how to use your skills in a real world case. Then of course the scenario will continue with ordering food etc. “would you like something to drink?” if you are advanced you might say “can i please have a glass of water” or for beginners “no” may be sufficient such that user can try to just pass through the scenario and then may redo it later in a more fancy way. Then you maybe sit down and the waiter will ask question e.g. When you succeed to do this in the given language you may proceed. First you meet your friend, you have to greet him and ask “how are you”. It would work well using the resources such as memrise already posses and could easily be made to work for multiple languages. The idea is in short to make a nonlinear “game” where you are learning words to do everyday tasks. So I’ve used online resources for many years and so far I didn’t find anyone doing this, but I believe it would take online learning to a new level.