#note: translation without revision

[totally-italy]

Wherefore dost motivation hold deep hatred for me?

As the heading probably implies, I am currently lacking a lot of motivation, which is truly sub-optimal because I literally have my Italian GCSEs this week and I literally have not revised. Moreover, my End of Years are fast approaching and I have my French GCSEs in three week's time. Help.

Consequentially, even though my history teacher still refuses to believe that it is a word, I have decided to turn this into one of those posts where my dopamine literally just relies on the number of notes that I recieve. As promised, @the-red-planet-mars, the floor is yours you have been tagged.

Rules:

Please don't spam the comment section.

You can tag a maximum of 5 people.

Please don't spam reblog.

10 notes: I will actually plan my English homework so that I can then do it without having to ask for an extension. It is due on the day on which I have two of my Italian papers.

15 notes: I will update my 'Aeneid' notes so that my virtual document is up to date with the translations that we have done in class. I should technically also revise the themes and how Juno is portrayed, but we don't talk about that right now.

20 notes: If I haven't done this yet, I will create both a Spanish Quizlet with all the vocabulary I need to learn and I will create a Latin one for all the vocabulary from 'The Aeneid' that I need to know.

25 notes: I will plan, in English, different things that I could say for the picture for my French IGCSE oral. Also, this is a picture I will be using for my Spanish End of Years, so that is doubly helpful.

30 notes: I will do an Italian listening paper though I will listen to it at a faster speed than what is asked because otherwise I will literally get so bored and lose all will to live.

45 notes: I will finish researching Virgil and the historical context.

60 notes: I will practice Latin and Greek vocabulary on Quizlet every day after this week, for at least 10 minutes each day for each language.

75 notes: I really need to do this. I will make a poster with how to form different tenses in Italian.

100 notes: I will do an Italian Writing practice paper. This is going to cause me so much suffering. Help me.

120 notes: I will actually write down different expressions, including idomatic phrases, that I could use to describe the picture for my French IGCSE oral.

130 notes: I will make physics notes on energy.

140 notes: I will make notes on quantitative chemistry.

150 notes: I will make a poster with how to form different tenses in French.

155 notes: I will watch the AQA videos on the Cold War and make notes on them.

170 notes: I will do a practice Spanish listening paper.

200 notes: I will practice Latin and Greek vocabulary on Quizlet every day after this week, for at least 30 minutes each day for each language, including a written vocabulary test.

230 notes: I will do a practice Spanish reading and writing paper.

250 notes: I will do a practice Latin translation and ask my teacher if she happens to have a mark scheme.

270 notes: I will do a practice Greek translation and ask my teacher if she happens to have a mark scheme.

300 notes: I will finish my RSP notes on Crime and Punishment.

350 notes: I finish my Biology notes on reproduction.

380 notes: I will finish my RSP notes on Religion and Life.

430 notes: I will look through my history notes on Germany and finish them in accordance to the AQA book.

520 notes: I will do a practice Greek language paper.

530 notes: I will do a practice Latin language paper.

605 notes: I will actually write down different expressions, including idomatic phrases, that I could use to describe the picture for my Spanish End of Year oral.

720 notes: I will finish my RSP notes on Buddhism.

850 notes: I will make full notes on the Cold War.

Honestly, if you have even bothered to read through all of these, you have absolutely earned more respect that I thought I was capable of giving to a single human being. I technically have a lot more things I should do, including re-reading Things Fall Apart and actually making complete maths notes, as well as notes for the sciences, but I doubt I will never get this many tags anyway.

Edit: It has been five minutes and I already got 14 notes. I am actually terrified of this site. What in Tartarus? Y'all are crazy and I love you so much.

[aronarchy]

A copy of the first reading list, if you dislike clicking on Google docs links:

The liberal news media is working overtime to silence Palestinian voices. As we sit thousands of miles away, witnessing the massacre through social media, the least we can do is educate ourselves and work to educate others. Apartheid threatens all of us, and just to reiterate, anti-Zionism ≠ antisemitism.

Academic Works, Poetry and Memoirs

The Revolution of 1936-1939 in Palestine: Background, Details, and Analysis, Ghassan Kanafani (1972)

Palestinians: From Peasants to Revolutionaries, Rosemary Sayegh (1979)

Popular Resistance in Palestine: A History of Hope and Empowerment, Mazin Qumsiyeh (2011)

My Life in the PLO: The Inside Story of the Palestinian Struggle, Shafiq al-Hout and Jean Said Makdisi (2019)

My People Shall Live, Leila Khaled (1971)

Poetry of Resistance in Occupied Palestine, translated by Sulafa Hijjawi (Baghdad, Ministry of Culture and Guidance, 1968)

On Palestine by Ilan Pappé and Noam Chomsky (2015)

Gaza in Crisis: Reflections on the US-Israeli War Against the Palestinians, Noam Chomsky and Ilan Pappé (2013)

The Politics of Dispossession: The Struggle for Palestinian Self-Determination, 1969-1994, Edward W. Said (2012)

Queer Palestine and the Empire of Critique, Sa’ed Atshan (2020)

Stone Men: The Palestinians Who Built Israel, Andrew Ross (2019)

Ten Myths About Israel, Ilan Pappé (2017)

Blaming the Victims: Spurious Scholarship and the Palestinian Question, Christopher Eric Hitchens and Edward W. Said (2001)

Palestinian Walks: Notes on a Vanishing Landscape, Raja Shehadeh (2010)

The Gun and the Olive Branch: The Roots of Violence in the Middle East, David Hirst (1977)

Gaza: An Inquest into Its Martyrdom, Norman Finkelstein (2018)

Fateful Triangle: The United States, Israel and the Palestinians, Noam Chomsky (1983)

Israel and Palestine: Reappraisals, Revisions, Refutations, Avi Shlaim (2010)

Politicide: Ariel Sharon’s War Against the Palestinians, Baruch Kimmerling (2006)

The Holocaust Industry: Reflections on the Exploitation of Jewish Suffering, Norman G. Finkelstein (2015)

Light in Gaza: Writings Born of Fire, Jehad Abusalim (2022)

Nakba: Palestine, 1948, and the Claims of Memory, Ahmad H. Sa’di and Lila Abu-Lughod (2007)

Peace and its discontents: Essays on Palestine in the Middle East peace process, Edward W. Said (2012)

Three Poems by Yahya Hassan

Articles, Papers & Essays

“Palestinian history doesn’t start with the Nakba” by PYM (May, 2023) 

“What the Uprising Means,” Salim Tamari (1988)

“The Palestinians’ inalienable right to resist,” Louis Allday (2021)

“Liberating a Palestinian Novel from Israeli Prison,” Danya Al-Saleh and Samar Al-Saleh (2023) 

Women, War, and Peace: Reflections from the Intifada, Nahla Abdo (2002)

“A Place Without a Door” and “Uncle Give me a Cigarette”—Two Essays by Palestinian Political Prisoner, Walid Daqqah (2023)

“Live Like a Porcupine, Fight Like a Flea,” A Translation of an Article by Basel Al-Araj

Films & Video Essays

Fedayin: Georges Abdallah’s Fight (2021)

Naila and the Uprising (2017)

Off Frame AKA Revolution Until Victory (2015)

Tell Your Tale Little Bird (1993)

The Time That Remains (2009)

“The Present” (short film) (2020)

“How Palestinians were expelled from their homes”

Louis Theroux: The Ultra Zionists (2011)

Born in Gaza (2014)

5 Broken Cameras (2011)

Little Palestine: Diary of a Siege (2021)

Al-Nakba: The Palestinian catastrophe - Episode 1 | Featured Documentary

Organisations to donate to

Palestine Red Crescent Society - https://www.palestinercs.org/en

Anera - https://support.anera.org/a/palestine-emergency

Palestinian American Medical Association - https://palestinian-ama.networkforgood.com/projects/206145-gaza-medical-supplies-oct-2023

You First Gaza - https://donate.gazayoufirst.org/

MAP - Medical Aid for Palestinians - https://www.map.org.uk/donate/donate

United Nations Relief and Works Agency - https://donate.unrwa.org/-landing-page/en_EN

Palestine Children’s Relief Fund - https://www.pcrf.net/   

Doctors Without Borders - https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/what-we-do/where-we-work/palestine

AP Fact Check

https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-gaza-misinformation-fact-check-e58f9ab8696309305c3ea2bfb269258e

This list is not exhaustive in any way, and is a summary of various sources on the Internet. Please engage with more ethical, unbiased sources, including Decolonize Palestine and this list compiled by the Palestinian Youth Movement.

[ghostlythunderbird]

The Pack ~ First Impressions

Pairings: Alpha!Konig, Alpha!Simon “Ghost” Riley, Alpha!Keegan P. Russ X Omega!Fem!Reader

Warnings: 18+ Minors/Ageless Blogs DNI, Omegaverse, Mentions of Human Trafficking and Domestic Violence, Extremist views, The UN exists here

Words: 2,784 (wow I wrote all that?!?!)

Author’s Notes: Please do not repost, edit, or translate my work. This blog and all content will be marked 18+ even if there is no NSFW content, if you are underage or have no age I don't want to deal with you. This is my first ever series so it will be updated whenever I can, due to my difficult work schedule. But please sit back and enjoy this series! Special thanks to @l-lend, @kelpiesummer, and @photogirl894 for all the help!

“Breaking News: Omega populations continue to fall.”

With recent all-time highs of Omega trafficking and high numbers of Domestic Abuse against Omegas worldwide, Omega birth rates are dwindling by the thousands in the last few years. While Omega numbers fall, other secondary gender numbers have begun to rise, with Beta birthrates rising to a staggering 84% over the last 5 years. Are omegas in danger of dying out?~

“The fall of the Omega second gender; A modern extinction?”

Over the last decade, the number of omegas of age has drastically fallen. Omegas were once considered roughly 20% of the world population and contributed to approximately 70% of birthrates worldwide; their current population barely comes to 7% across the globe, and their birthrates are almost non-existent. Could this result from unregulated access to this world bearing second gender? Will the UN seek to restabilize their population, or will omegas be at the mercy of those around them?

What had become of the world before you were born? It was a nearly lawless land, people turning on one another. The fight for breeding rights or access to an omega led Alphas into utter madness, their biology overriding common sense. Your Dam had told you stories of her childhood, how she saw the fall of an entire second gender. How awful the world indeed became, and how it rose from those ashes carrying new hope and protection to those who seek it. She remembered how fearful her Sire and Dam were during those years, but that was before new laws were established. New laws ensured the ability to return Omegas to their higher numbers to provide their protection.

During the years of the Modern Extinction, the UN scrambled to place laws worldwide to protect and nurture omega numbers. However, many early regulations did nothing to buffer the steady decline. It wasn't until an organization was formed: The Global Omega Protection and Population Program (GOPPP) was introduced. The Program had only a few essential purposes, to Pair off omegas to ensure total protection; to free and rehabilitate omegas who were victims of Trafficking and Domestic Violence. And finally, it is a form of Breeding operation to help nurture omega populations to where they were years before. Omegas who had become legal adults would be admitted to the Program to soon be matched with compatible Alphas.

The only downside to this Program was many omegas were often treated as broodmares and were often left emotionally neglected. Reduced to their primary duties of bearing Alpha and Omega children with occasional betas to be their legacy. Omegas were unable to work, much less be able to leave their dens without an Alpha to accompany them. While many Alphas believe it would be better for their mates to be allowed to do certain things without them around, the Program often overlooked their words. Over time, however, newer generations believed these precautions were beyond necessary and soon revised or added new laws to accompany them. Their latest law is; Omegas who are in public must wear protective full-length collars even with their Alphas present.

Those laws were added when you were just a pup and still living simply, unknowing of the world around you. Soon you were forced to acknowledge the dark reality you were born into when you presented; An Omega. Your parents, who were born Betas, cried when your first heat started. They had prayed you would be a Beta or even an Alpha, but it seemed their prayers fell upon deaf ears from the higher power.

Unfortunately, the Program soon discovered your presentation at 16 years old. While you were still too young to be entered into the Program, It didn't stop them from preparing for that day. You remembered those late nights hearing your parents downstairs talking about you, about your soon-to-be future. Your Dam was terrified, talking to your Sire about the stories from other omega parents. For some, they ranged from fairytale endings, but a vast majority were nothing short of horror-made flesh. Omegas were emotionally manipulated and abused by the very alphas they were entrusted to.

As you grew older, your parents decided to wait a few more years for you to enjoy life before you became tied to your future mates. You were incredibly thankful they pushed back against the Program to allow you to enjoy your young adult years. But as your Sire would say, "Whether good or bad, everything must come to an end."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The room was bare as you and your parents waited for the Omega Protection program representative to enter. You wished you were never born as an Omega; you wouldn't have to go through this Program if you weren't. Facing the fact that you would be removed from your parent's home only to be moved in with alphas you've never met before, and said Alphas were already selected for you. These alphas were being forced on you without knowing how they acted towards you or the other alphas; their past, what they looked like, and their personalities were beyond wrong to you. You were slowly being drowned in uncertainty; so many things could go wrong, hell you didn't even know if your alphas were good.

Your Dam grabbed your hand, sensing the rising anxiety in your scent. "It will be ok dear; these alphas will protect you. There is nothing to fear from this." You knew her words were supposed to feel comforting, but you couldn't help but think bitterly, 'well, it isn't you being fed to the wolves.' Before you could say anything, the door began to creak open, causing your Sire and Dam to straighten to greet the person walking in. You, however, just sunk into the couch, begging for it to open and swallow you whole.

As the door opened fully, it revealed two Betas entering, one male and one female. Their scents were almost non-existent as they stepped further into the room before sitting on the couch across from your family. "Good Morning, Mr. and Ms. (L/N); we're delighted you're here. My name is Matthew, and my partner is Hannah." The male beta spoke as he gestured to the woman beside him. "We will handle your daughter's case and pack introduction today." At the brief mention of you, the Betas locked onto your form. Noticing your rising anxiety, the female beta spoke up to clear the air.

"And you must be (y/n); I'm sure this is very overwhelming for you, but rest assured we have made plenty of healthy matches over the years," Her voice was quiet yet soft as the words fluttered from her lips. You could only briefly smile; she wanted you to trust her and her judgment. But even with that, you couldn't help but dread your matches. The fact you had to blindly trust two strangers who picked your lifelong mates was beyond unnerving.

Hannah leaned back into the couch, making herself comfortable. "now, before we introduce you and your parents to your new pack, we have a few things to discuss before we bring them in, ok?" The tension in the air was heavy as Matthew and Hannah shared a look before continuing. "Well, you know our priority is to pair all omegas with a pack of alphas to ensure their safety and increase omega birthrates. That being said, the pack selected for you is not exactly regular by our standards." That wasn't what you expected; you couldn't decide if you were more worried or curious about this confession.

This pack may be more interesting than you had initially thought. The dark-headed male cleared his throat, continuing, "This pack was already together before their application to our Program; these alphas are also active military with clean records. Two originate from Europe while the other is from the US; along with that, one of these alphas just so happens to be an uh...Apex alpha." Upon hearing this, the air in your lungs evaporated in mere seconds as a chill ran down your spine. This pack had seemed almost too good to be true, but with information, it only made you dread your initial meeting. Apexes were often found to be extremely dangerous, unable to control themselves in high emotional and hormonal situations.

Your Sire drew in a breath. "So what does that mean for our daughter? Why in the hell was she assigned to an Apex?" His growl filled the air. Also, being a beta, your father was not at threatening as an alpha could be, but with a protective Sire, anyone would be cautious with their following decisions. Matthew grew stiff. "With all due respect, sir, we've gone through an extensive background check with this apex. The alphas packed with him are his fellow service members who can fully vouch for him." Your eyes widened, a packed apex with people who know how he works; this pack was unusual and rare. 'Well, from what it sounds like so far, they don't seem like bad people. Maybe this is one of those lucky matches.'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He couldn't stand; still, the chairs were far too small for him, and standing in the quiet room only made his nerves light up more than they already were. König paused to look at the door; it was closing to an hour since the three alphas were left in the room. The beta Hannah had told them to wait a few minutes, and they'd bring in their omega and her family. His body responded to the thought; after so many years of rejection letter after another, this felt like some sick prank to the Austrian apex. He was so nervous that he couldn't stay still, pacing back and forth and wiping his palms along his jeans.

His companions couldn't help but tease the anxiety-ridden giant. "König, relax, man. If you keep pacing, you might carve out a path in the floor." The dark-headed alpha joked as he shifted in his chair. While König was the most visibly anxious of the trio, Keegan attempted to keep himself calm, even with the bubbling excitement growing in his gut. Keegan's eyes traveled across the room, glancing between furniture and the small window. 'Not much cover, but at least it would be difficult for a potential sniper.'

"At least he's standin' up, be less of a shock to 'er." Ghost's voice echoed through the small room, breaking his zoned-out stare for a split second. The alpha had taken the only viable spot and backed into the furthest corner facing the doorway. Keegan snorted at the other alpha's remark; he knew it was true. König was massive on a human scale, but more so because he was an apex alpha. Before he could respond to the blonde-haired alpha, he heard two pairs of footsteps coming down the hall. Leaning up in his chair, Keegan sounded a low chuff to gain the other's attention before nodding towards the door.

Ghost made no move to his form; König, however, rushed to fix his messy hair to appear somewhat presentable. Keegan gave König a reassuring nod right before the door opened, and the heavenly scent of an omega swept through the small space. First, the Program's beta entered but then appeared their soon-to-be omega mate. 'Jesus, she's so.....small compared to us.' You ducked your head as the alphas zeroed in on you once you passed the threshold. Looking towards the blonde and black-haired alphas, you couldn't help but think that this wasn't as bad until you turned to look at, by far, the largest alpha you'd ever seen. His size had taken you aback, and the previous thought of being able to handle this pack was thrown entirely out the window.

Hannah gently rested her hand on your shoulder to regain your attention "(Y/N) meet your pack; first, we have Keegan Russ." Pointing to the smallest alpha, his eyes caught your attention first. They were a beautiful grey-blue that seemed to freeze you in place but also held a hidden sadness underneath them. Even with him being the smallest of the three, he knew he had a certain charm. His stature, eyes, and confident yet arrogant attitude had people flocking to him no matter their presentation. "Next, we have Ghost; that is his preferred name for now." The alpha in the corner made no attempt to move as his eyes raked over you before giving a slight nod. While his face was covered by a black medical mask, it didn't take away from his rugged beauty much; a mop of blonde hair with hooded brown eyes that slightly shined. Turning toward the last alpha, you could feel the tension between the betas and him. "Finally, we have the apex, König." She didn't seem too keen about him being here. A wave of well-maintained anger for what he was seemed to drive her not to acknowledge him; you couldn't help but feel a twinge of hurt toward him.

Although he had a large size, he seemed to fold in on himself, attempting to appear smaller to not scare you away. Unfortunately, you couldn't see much of him other than his eyes, a blue that reminded you of the ocean. "well, we will leave you all to get acquainted while we finish the paperwork and have her parents gather her things." With a final look over her shoulder, Hannah closed the door behind her leaving you with your new pack. Looking towards the alphas whose gaze tore into you, you could only give a slight grin "u-uh, hi there!"

Before you knew it, they all moved at once; while it wasn't swift, it still caused you to reel back slightly. You knew you couldn't just leave, so you forced yourself to stay still as Ghost reached towards you to grab your wrist in a firm hold. He brought your wrist close to his nose so he could capture your scent adequately, only releasing a deep chuff before slowly letting your wrist fall back to your side. The large apex released his own chuff before drawing in a breath. "H-Hallo omega, or (Y/N) w-which ever you want us to call you. If you even want us to use your name." His stuttering surprised you; how could this large apex even stutter? There was no reason for his nervousness, or so you thought.

Keegan stepped forward, touching the larger alpha's enormous bicep. "Take it easy, König; I doubt she's gonna bite you, right, Doll?" His joking tone helped ease the remaining tension in the room. 'At least these guys could take and make jokes,' You thought as you gave Keegan a toothy smile. "Only if you want me to, big guy." Giving the apex a wink, sending his gaze to the floor in embarrassment, and driving a laugh out of Ghost and Keegan.

The new-found atmosphere dissipated once a knock sounded on the other side of the door. Matthew and Hannah were soon looking in to check in on the four of you. "Well, everything is in order; I'm sure you are ready to head home. So we will allow Ms.(Y/N) to say her goodbyes to her parents before you all leave." Oh, that's right; you had forgotten you were being moved out of your parent's home and into your shared home with these alphas. Looking back at your parents, you caught sight of your Dam trying to clean up her remaining tears. While your Sire attempted to keep a stone face for you. Lunging towards them, your Dam and Sire tangled you up in their arms, whispering, "It will be ok little love; you'll see us again." "Please text us at least so we know your adjusting, ok?"

It broke your heart to leave them, but you all knew this was in your best interest. Drawing back from them, you reached to wipe away a few stray tears on your cheeks. "I love you guys. I'll try and stay in touch, I promise." Your words catch slightly in your throat. Stepping away from your parents, you looked towards the three alphas who stood off to the side, not wanting to rush your goodbye.

Stepping towards them, you stopped when Keegan and König took their places on either side of you. Ghost had left to pull their vehicle around, and as you started walking towards the main entrance, König offered his hand to you. "Don't worry Schatz, we will all die for you as long as it means you are safe." His words send a wave of heat through your body by his bold declaration. With a final look back toward your parents, you offered them a bright grin as you were guided away.

'Everything will be ok."

Tag list: @l-lend, @kelpiesummer, @wintersnnowie, @operatorinvestigatesco, @marytvirgin

Once again this is my first ever series so I apologize if somethings need work, am still a wee babe in the writing world XD

Translations: Schatz (German) - Treasure

[gemsofgreece]

Hi! What could be a good english version of The Iliad, like the most faithful translation of it? xx

Hello! I have read the Iliad only in the prototype and modern Greek renditions. So in order to answer this I started with a plain search on the web for the most famous English translations. I see Lattimore (1951) and Fagles (1990) being frequently recommended. I ended up finding however a fantastic post on Reddit by some good soul who decided to analyze in depth all the modern English translations. OP provides the first paragraph of most of these translations in order to back their commentary. As a result I was able to read them as well. So I will add the link to their post in the end of my answer but in the meantime I decided to also provide my own opinion alongside theirs. Granted, my evaluation is based only on the first paragraph but we know writers and translators strive for the best in the opening paragraph so hopefully my conclusions will be more or less safe. Let alone that the opening paragraph of the Iliad is famous, it’s the invocation of the Muse, so certainly the translators were trying their best. Please note I am only judging the translations for which OP provides the first paragraph.

Lattimore (1951)

Deviations counted: 3

Style: poetry

Other notes: A little difficult to read but there is something old-school about it I like. Despite its deviations, it tried to keep other elements most other translators failed to.

Reddit OP opinion: They did not like Lattimore, they think he’s overrated.

Fitzgerald (1974)

Deviations counted: 8

Style: poetry

Other notes: God forbid.

Reddit OP opinion: They like it but admit it’s not very faithful to Homer.

Hammond (1987)

Deviations counted: 3

Style: prose

Other notes: It sounds more humble than Lattimore’s pompous translation, however it is easy and readable without deviating much from the original.

Reddit OP opinion: We agree.

Fagles (1990)

Deviations counted: 7

Style: poetry

Other notes: Why is this one of the two most popular translations? If you have to pick one of the two all time classics, I definitely recommend Lattimore between the two. But my favourite so far remains Hammond.

Reddit OP opinion: They reject this for the same reasons as they did with Fitzgerald.

Murray & Wyatt (1999, latest revision, 1924, original)

Deviations counted: 7 (fewer in the original)

Style: prose

Other notes: OP provides the original version and some older revisions and they are significantly better than what you will likely find in stores now. The original is in an older style of English.

Reddit OP opinion: That was the point they were making: unnecessary revisions for the worse. They say the old version is out of copyright so maybe you can find that one.

Merrill (2007)

Deviations: 8

Style: poetry

Other notes: It’s poetic but not beautiful enough and certainly not very faithful to the original.

Reddit OP opinion: Somehow they seem to like the opening paragraph but then makes notes similar to mine regarding the rest of the poem - I’d argue it’s evident from the very beginning.

Kline (2009)

Deviations: 6 (7-1)

Style: prose

Other notes: I removed one penalty as a bonus for being the only one so far to translate the “for thus was the will of Zeus brought to fulfilment” line decently. Overall decent, the deviations aren’t too annoying.

Reddit OP opinion: They consider it average - not too good or too bad - and they say it is free to read online. Both they and I prefer Hammond still.

Verity (2010)

Deviations: 6

Style: prose pretending to be verse

Other notes: Interestingly, Verity deviates in easier lines and nails the ones nobody did.

Reddit OP opinion: They love this one.

McCrorie (2012)

Deviations: 5

Style: poetry

Other notes: He goes for an epic style and I do not dislike it. He uses unusual English versions of the characters names though (ie Akhilleus, Aides). I don’t mind but it could confuse you.

Reddit OP opinion: They say their rendition overall is inconsistent and claim some of their choices sound bad in English. I did not really find the examples they gave problematic or bad, but maybe it is because in Greek those sentences sound better and McCrorie was going for a Greek voice, which is why it did not feel jarring to me like to the OP. We disagree in this one. I still prefer Hammond though.

Green (2015)

Deviations: 4

Style: poetry

Other notes: It is pretty faithful but I can’t say I find anything impressive about it.

Reddit OP opinion: They love it.

Alexander (2015)

Deviations: 3

Style: poetry

Other notes: She gives a very loyal translation, however lacks a bit in style, it is a little plain for poetry.

Reddit OP opinion: They like it a lot.

Nurcombe (2020)

Deviations: 6

Style: poetry

Other notes: Nothing particular to remark.

Reddit OP opinion: They find it a loyal translation (which maybe it is, because the deviations are six yet not very significant) but think it’s lacking in its poetry. Maybe this is why I found it unremarkable.

Wilson (2023)

Deviations: 9

Style: poetry

Other notes: We Greeks have talked before about Wilson taking too many liberties and her translation of the first paragraph proves it once more. She adds stuff of her own in there.

Reddit OP opinion: They comment on the loose translation but overall like her style of poetry.

In conclusion, my opinion is:

If you want easy, very readable and accurate prose, pick Hammond.

If you want accuracy and one of the all time classics and don’t mind the occasionally challenging poetic read, pick Lattimore.

If your main concern is accuracy and can go for older, harder, more epic sounding prose, try to find the original Murray or at least one of the old revisions but skip the most recent ones.

If you don’t mind a hard poetic read, maybe even odd in English (as stated by the English reader) because it attempts to get close to the Greek poetic voice, even at a paradoxical occasional expense of word for word accuracy, give McCrorie a shot. I don’t know if this made any sense lol I mean that even when he is not extremely loyal word after word, there is a feel of attempted Greek voice throughout his text. In other words, if you want a wildcard, give it a shot. But it could be alienating to an English reader, I don’t know.

Having said all that, again, I could only judge from the first paragraph and some notes by the Reddit OP. I am adding now their in-depth analysis. OP’s favourite for fidelity and style was Green.

Of course, if someone here is fluent in Greek and well acquainted with the English translations, please help us out.

[notyixiangs]

tgcf revised—mu qing leaving, chapter 152, translated by me

note: i'm not a translation professional, i did this for fun, not claiming it to be 100% accurate. it's also inevitable for subtleties to get lost in translation so do be aware. i know the english prose sounds a little awkward because chinese prose works differently but i wanted to translate it as directly as possible & any attempts at making it sound "smoother" or nicer would demand biased input from me which i wanted to minimize

note: where i wrote that xie lian says "you should leave" the original text is 你走吧, i think if i were to translate it directly without caring for grammar it'd be "you go"—to me the sentiment seems to be halfway between "you can leave" and "you should leave" if that makes sense? it doesn't feel as harsh as "you should leave" but its still an imperative.

[nanowrimo]

12 Tips for Drafting Forward During NaNoWriMo (And Beyond!)

To accomplish your big writing goals, you have to focus on drafting forward. The team over at Freewrite knows how to do that better than most! Freewrite, a 2023 NaNoWriMo sponsor, is a dedicated distraction-free drafting device designed just for writers to separate the drafting from the editing process and get words on the page. Today, the Freewrite team is here to share their top 12 tips for doing just that:

Here at Freewrite, we love when NaNoWriMo comes around, because we’re all about helping writers set their stories free. We’re big proponents of the “write now, edit later” method of writing to help writers reach writing flow and increase productivity. The goal of drafting forward (and NaNoWriMo!) is to get a first draft recorded and translate your thoughts into writing on the page.

We’re going to share the top tips we recommend to writers who want to try this method but don’t know where to start. Try these out during your next writing session to see how they help you ditch the distractions and make serious progress!

1. Save research for later. (Or start with it!)

Yes, research is important. But it can also quickly turn into a form of procrastination. Complete the bulk of your research before you start writing, or, if it’s a topic you know well, commit to doing any research after. When you’re drafting and come to a place where you need to fact-check or gather information, simply leave a note to yourself right there in the text and continue drafting. 

2. Plan well.

With a timed challenge like NaNoWriMo, it helps to plan out your daily benchmarks in order to finish on time. Consider setting a daily word count goal or making a schedule for the month so you know exactly where you stand each day. Make an outline if you’re a plotter, or if you’re a pantser, spend some time getting into the world of your story.

3. Decide you’re going to write a messy first draft.

We recommend stating it outright to yourself, or maybe writing it down on a Post-It where you can see it each day: My goal is to write a messy first draft. Embrace that imperfection so that you can write more freely!

4. Silence your inner critic.

As you write, revisit your messy first draft goal and resist the urge to critique or edit your work as you go along. Instead, concentrate on getting your thoughts down without judgment. This means not overanalyzing each sentence. Did that last sentence sound ridiculous? Who cares?! Anything goes in a messy first draft. You’ll refine and revise later!

5. Turn off your inner spell-check.

Freewrite devices have no spell-check or grammar checker for a reason. Every squiggly line is a distraction, a moment that your writing flow is broken and you have to resist going back to fix typos. Even if your eyes recognize a typo, train your brain to fix it later! Remember: we’re focusing on getting out thoughts and ideas in the first draft, not grammar.

6. Eliminate external distractions.

We’ve done the hard work for you by creating Freewrite. 😉 Now, put your phone in the other room, turn off the TV, and start writing.

7. Write quickly.

This is just another way to trick your brain into writing from that deep, creative place that can’t be reached when you’re overthinking. Strive for a flow state where you’re typing at the speed that your thoughts come to you.

8. Use placeholders.

If you can’t think of the right word or need to look up a source, just insert a placeholder and keep writing. Our favorite placeholder is “xx” because that can easily be searched in editing software later. Other people like the more straightforward “[INSERT SOMETHING FUNNY]” or “[CHECK SOURCE]”. You can fill in those gaps during the editing phase.

9. Keep moving forward.

If you encounter writer’s block or a difficult section, resist the temptation to stop and dwell on it. Skip to another part in your story and return to the challenging section later. We like to add a note to ourselves right there in the draft to remind us to come back to that spot when editing.

10. No back-tracking.

Often while drafting, a brilliant sentence will come to us. But it’s describing something we just described. What to do? Do not go back, delete the first sentence, and replace it. Simply keep writing the new sentence! These redundancies are easy to correct later.

11. Experiment.

Try different styles and approaches without judgement. You can compare and contrast and pick the best one later, during the editing stage.

12. Write!

Relish in the creative flow and the freedom of having one job to do: writing. Don’t worry about grammar or story structure. Focus on the joy of creating.

With a few tweaks in how you draft, we hope you’ll be surprised by how much you write, the creative ideas your imagination comes up with, and how much fun you have while writing.

And if you try the above rules of forward drafting, we’d love to hear your experience!

Reminder: NaNoWriMo 2023 participants are eligible for a special Freewrite offer. Find all the details here. 

[boyfhee]

hello (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.) i just read your carrd you speak korean? if yes is it okay for me to send asks in korean? i'm self-studying it and am looking for someone to talk to😖 also can you tell me where i can learn it from? there are not a lot of free resources (；′⌒`)

yes i do ! i can speak basic to intermediate korean but i'm not super good with slangs TT you can definitely send asks in korean if you wish to, i'll use it as an excuse to revise my notes and practice it as well since i have no one to talk to in korean either. as for resources :

how to study korean offers a lot of free pdfs and practice sheets. their content is easy to understand, it's good if you're a beginner

talk to me in korean is also a good alternative and honestly better than htsk but it charges the learner so if you're down to spend some money, better spend it on ttmik than htsk. or you can watch their yt videos to help yourself with pronunciation as well ^_^

a friend of mine referred to learn korean 24 before joining paid courses offline and online, their content is also free. although, i never really used that site, she said it's helps but again, idk how credible that is so take it with a grain of salt

i rarely recommend apps but drops / duolingo helps with vocabulary and grammar, especially drops ( the free version can be dissatisfying but it's not completely worthless )

pinterest is a good alternative if you want to expand your vocabulary. i won't recommend it for grammer and all because you might want to study that from more credible sources

a pop of korean, honeyhangukeo, learninghangukeo are some blogs that might help too

alternatively, you can try joining a language community on discord. the servers offer free resources most of the time and you can find people to talk to as well. it sort of creates a learning environment since there are a lot of other people learning the language as well

lastly, watch content without subtitles at times. i used to, and still do, pause mvs, dramas, shows, etc. to learn certain phrases or words, or even just the pronunciation. it's a slow process, but it works.

tip : talk to yourself in korean. as crazy as this sounds, i used to do this a LOT when i took classes in hs. i have a habit of studying things while explaining them to myself, so i just tried to explain myself to me in korean. it's hard if you're a beginner but will get better later on. you can start by translating simple sentences from your daily life to korean

good luck w studying !!

[cocoatonedcurls]

become an academic weapon 📚🔫✨

hi all !!

with my GCSEs this year, and only a few weeks before back to school, I decided to really lock in yesterday 🫣

so I thought I'd take all the info I've come across while scrolling through studytok and put it into a little post for everyone looking to improve in their studies (& for my benefit as well 🙈)

motivation

this is probably the biggest factor when it comes to locking into your studies, motivation can quite literally make or break your academic achievements (😦)

so, its very important you motivate yourself, and moreover, stay motivated 😭

i've made it sound daunting but motivating yourself is lowkey easier than you think, here's a few ways to do it:

picturing yourself in 10 years, where all your studying and hard work has paid off - you can't be that person without doing the work that they did 😬

you can also do the opposite of the above - imagine how disappointed you'll be if you didn't work as hard as you could have and failed

"revenge studying" - the most toxic yet probably the most widely effective technique - working hard so you can beat than the people who are better than you

make studying aesthetic - create pinterest boards, look at quotes and tiktoks, make success your greatest desire

make it an addiction - if you're bored? study. had a bad day? nothing like setting yourself up for the best future. having a great day? go make it better by making yourself smarter.

get a motivational study app - i LOVE 'Study Bunny' I've been using it for two days now and it genuinely motivates me to be more productive to keep my bunny happy 🙃

resources

obviously, you need some help where you can get it despite all the controversies surrounding studying and the use of the internet, there are some amazing online resources you can use that will actively help you 📚

Quizlet/Anki - both of these flashcard platforms are incredibly useful - Quizlet is a fun platform and you can search for flashcards made by other people - Anki, in my opinion, is better than Quizlet for memorising, and you can import flashcards from Quizlet.

Mindnote - A mindmap making software online, a user-friendly interface + is quick and easy to make them - Great for visual learners

YouTube - the teachers on YouTube are incredibly helpful and can explain any topics you're confused about very quickly and very thoroughly

Spark Notes - great for English literature, with in-depth analysis of your texts and modern translations

Physics & Maths Tutor - free past papers and topic questions for core subjects and a few others, great for active recall

Study Bunny/Flora - helps keep track of your progress and keeps you motivated, I recommend Study Bunny because I can see how much work I've done of each subject and tick off things on my checklist

these are just a few out of many other resources so go do some of your own research, especially if there are websites that help with a specific subject

techniques

different study techniques work best for different people, no technique is a one-size-fits-all, some people are visual learners, others perform best by memorising & etc.

active recall - the only one-size-fits-all method - is a cognitive function that you carry out to remember things in tests, so practising this is a must -> the best way to do this is by completing topic questions and past papers using minimal amounts of notes. basically just testing yourself before the actual test

Spaced-out revision - one of the best ways to make sure things stick in your mind, revise a topic/subject and revisit it every few days, eg. 1, 3, 5, 9, 15, 30; and by the 30-day mark it should be stuck in your mind because your brain believes its something that you need to know in the long run and stores it in your long term memory

Flashcards - great to memorise content for the test, especially subjects that are tested with orals

Scribble method - scribbling on a piece of paper while revising the content in any form, reading, listening, etc. helps your brain store the information you're consuming more effectively

Feynman method - basically just explaining the topic you're revising to someone, this helps you develop your understanding and catches out any areas you're unsure about to revise later

making mindmaps - this is great for visual learners, especially if you use different colours for each section of the map so that you can associate each concept with each colour and recall them easily

again, those are just a few that come to mind. do your own research and find out what works best for you 😇

while studying

knowing how to study effectively is also a crucial aspect of success (obviously) 🤭

here are a few tips:

don't listen to music with lyrics, instead you can listen to lofi tracks, cafe/library asmr, brown noise, jazz music (my favourite)

set yourself a study slot, like 2 hours every day at a specific time & set a focus filter on your phone for the duration of your study time

make an aesthetic/cute study space so you can enjoy your time in that space and it doesn't feel like a chore

get a whiteboard to make learning more interactive & fun

light a specific candle whenever you're studying so your brain knows to associate the scent with working

have regular breaks eg. every half hour for 5-10 mins

reward yourself afterwards, so you associate studying with a good experience

consistency is key, the more you study the easier & more fun it becomes 🙃 the more you study the more you are likely to succeed and fulfil your dreams ✨

remember though, academics is not everyone's thing:

"you cannot judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree"

everyone is good at something, and it doesn't make anyone lesser or greater 🫶

if you try your best, that is all that matters 🫠

- li 🌘

[christinaur]

So this is a German history book that I own, down below I’ll leave a translation, and it talks about the Gaza strip but mostly about Israel. It kinda touches some topics that makes it seem like there’s an understanding for the Palestinians but all in all it’s just really biased. I wanted to publish this here so other people could form an opinion as well and I wanted to see if it feels wrong to other people as well.

Side note: This book was published in 2016, I think some of it was revised in 2019 and is being used in schools. (Geschichte und Geschehen 9 (Baden-Württemberg für Gymnasien)). I also didn’t translate the side things written on the side since they’re definitions.

English translation:

Divided World and the Cold War (1945-1991)

An unbearable conflict?

Seeking Peace in the Middle East The Middle East has been a hotspot for decades. Pictures of bloody attacks by Palestinians on Israelis, retaliatory strikes by the Israeli army and reports of disputed Israeli settlements on Palestinian territory dominate the news. How did this happen and what are the possible solutions?

A State for the Jews Since antiquity, Jews have lived in the Diaspora. They formed a minority in many countries in Europe and North Africa. They were often persecuted for religious, political or social reasons. Growing anti-Semitism, riots against Jews in Eastern Europe and the search for their own identity at the end of the 19th century reinforced the desire to return to the "land of the fathers", Zion. Under the leadership of the Austrian journalist Theodor Herzl, the Zionists united in 1897 the establishment of a Jewish state. By 1914, 85,000 Jews had emigrated to Palestine to establish settlements, with more to follow soon. In 1917, the English Foreign Secretary promised Lord Balfour to give a new home to the Jews of Palestine, which was then part of the Ottoman Empire, which was at war with Britain.

Immigration and Conflict

Palestine, however, was not an unpopulated country. The immigrants encountered an Arab population that had lived there for centuries. Major Palestinian landowners sold a significant portion of the new settlement areas to Jewish immigrants, which contributed to unrest among the Arab population. Their national sentiment had awakened in the fight against the Osmen. But the desire for an Arab empire was not fulfilled after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in 1918. Palestine remained under British administration. Mandate power soon faced fierce clashes between the Arab population and the growing number of Jewish immigrants. Between 1931 and 1939 alone, 265,000 Jews immigrated. Thousands who had escaped the Nazi regime’s Shoah in Germany hoped to find a new home in Palestine. Attempts by the British Mandate in Palastina to limit immigration in order to defuse rising tensions have failed.

Israel - a State for the Jews

In the UN partition plan of 29 November 1947, the first step in the process of decolonization was to divide Palestine into a loose economic union and a neutral zone of Jerusalem under UN control. Only the Jewish side accepted this decision. On 14 May 1948, the State of Israel was founded. The next day, five neighbouring Arab states attacked Israel with their armies. Israel won the so-called War of Independence, thereby expanding its territory. Jerusalem, with the most important religious sites for Jews and Muslims, was divided. Between 600 000 and 750 000 Palestinians have fled the conflict or been driven from their homes. To this day Israel refuses to withdraw from the occupied territories or to grant the Palestinian refugees the right to return. To date there are around 3.5 to 4 million refugees in camps in neighbouring countries, mostly in poor conditions. They were not sent to the camps in the respective countries societies are integrated and, as tolerated refugees, are still mostly without citizenship rights.

New Wars

The new state developed along Western lines. To this day, Israel remains the only democratic country in the Middle East. Economically, too, Israel soon ranked among the most modern and efficient countries in the region. In three other wars, Israel had to defend its existence against attacks or threats in 1956, 1967 and 1973. For military reasons, it occupied Palestinian territories in the region Jordan Valley and the Gaza Strip. With the agreement of the government, Israeli settlers followed and wanted to take over more parts of the country. Their refusal to re-establish what they saw as the "holy land" to this day makes any peace solution more difficult.

Victories, but no peace

But victories and land occupations did not mean peace. Only Egypt and Israel made peace in 1979 under American mediation. It was the first Arab country to recognise Israel. Palestinian fighters from neighbouring countries continued to attack Israeli settlements. In 1987, civil disobedience such as refusal to pay taxes and demonstrations occurred in the occupied territories, but also violent resistance to the occupying power - the Intifada. The Palestine Liberation Front (PLO) wanted to destroy Israel. Conversely, the Israelis were unwilling to recognise the right of the Palestinians to self-determination.

The end of the Cold War

The end of the Cold War in 1991 seemed to herald a new era of peace for the Middle East as well. Israel and the PLO recognized each other in 1993 and agreed on a gradual autonomy of the occupied territories (Oslo I). However, many questions remained unanswered. These include, above all, the future of Jewish settlements, the fate of millions of Palestinian refugees, and the development of a functioning society and economy in the Palestinian territories. Particularly controversial is the status of Jerusalem, which Israelis and Arabs consider one of their holiest sites.

Peace in sight?

Despite all the problems, the 1993 agreement represented significant progress: Israeli troops withdrew, a Palestinian parliament and its own president - the leader of the PLO, Yasser Arafat - were elected. Jordan also made peace with Israel in 1994. Other Arab states remain hostile to Israel. The murder of the Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995 by a radical Jewish settler showed how much extremists were trying to derail the peace process. These include members of the Islamic resistance movement Hamas, which sees itself as the true representative of the Palestinian people and rejects any agreement with Israel. In the summer of 2000, negotiations on an independent Palestinian state failed. In September 2000, a second intifada began. Since then, Palestinians have been trying to fight Israeli rule through assassinations, attacks on Israeli settlements and violent demonstrations. The Israeli government responded by occupying parts of the autonomous territories and massive military action, as well as building an eight-meter-high concrete wall to prevent attackers from entering Israel. Hundreds of people have lost their lives on both sides.

Why is there no peace?

One of the answers to this question lies in the changed framework conditions since the peace of 1993. Instead of peace, there have been wars and civil wars in the region for many years. States such as Syria and Iraq are on the verge of disintegration, while others such as Iran openly threaten Israel. This is accompanied by a strengthening of radical Islamist forces in Israel's neighboring states. They support those groups among the Palestinians who continue to refuse to recognize Israel's right to exist and attack Israelis with rockets from the Gaza Strip. This results in the fear of many Israelis of compromises that could endanger their own existence, even if many do not approve of the behavior of the settlers in the occupied territories. The most important prerequisites for resolving the conflict are the creation of mutual trust and the stabilisation of the entire region.

[naranjapetrificada]

Waking up with plans to write but instead Having A Think about translating Izzy's concretes to an AU setting, as well as the particular challenges of writing him in the style I have.

Namely: when you're used to writing deep inside a character's head and finding inspiration in imagery, how the fuck are you supposed to handle this guy? How the fuck is a writer like me supposed to be anything but completely laid flat by him between paragraphs?

Most characters in most stories, even and sometimes especially antagonists and villains, are capable of taking joy in something at some point, even if it's something an audience finds morally or aesthetically or socially repugnant. The simple capacity to enjoy things and imagine past and future times when things have been enjoyed/could later be enjoyed is such a human thing that it's relatable or at least compelling when we see even a loathed villain laugh maniacally or revel in the chance to lay out their plan or swell with "righteous" indignation as they talk or think about the ways the world has wronged them. But how much "joy" (or anything even close to it) do we see Izzy experience or express?

We see him smile a few times (or at least seem amused) I'll grant you, but let's think about those times and what's missing from them. I'm going to focus on season 1 because I don't find his rehabilitation in season 2 to be interesting or compelling enough to translate to this AU.

He seems amused when he's trying to put Lucius "in his place" in s1e5. He smiles creepily during both the "there he is" and "Blackbeard is himself again" moments in s1e10. You can argue that maybe he seems...content during multiple moments where he gets to bark orders and bully people, especially in s2e9 when he gets to briefly play at being a captain. The rare enough moments when we see him doing anything that seems like it's even in the same neighborhood are built around what he does to other people, and about feeling like he has power. But where's the engagement with that?

Is he experiencing enjoyment? Does he bother staying to watch his barked orders carried out? Does he savor his steak more after Fang salts it or does he just keep chewing? Does he relish touching Ed's face or even the way his words make Ed shrink back into himself? What on earth does he feel about seeing his own cause and effect in action? The only thing season 1 Izzy seems to actually like is misery, while also being incapable of truly relishing it. It's a believable phenomenon, but fuck is it miserable for me to write.

And I don't mean like "oh god that character has been through so much and spending time in their head has given me an empathy hangover," because it feels like there's an emptiness to Izzy's season 1 misery. It's a tar pit. It's a black hole that pulls in everything around it, but does so without taking note of its awesome power to do so. It's a character who (at least before season 2) drinks because that's what you do, but not because it tastes good or bad or like anything in particular at all.

In the bit of POV he has in my draft, there's still so, so much sensory detail because I can't write without it. In revision I've tried blunting or inverting those details into things Izzy notices but maybe doesn't extemporize on the way other characters would, or if he does it's to complain. But I'm still not comfortable with doing it or pleased with the results coming from it and I don't know how to get past that right now. It's truly exhausting to be mean and joyless and express zero wonder in the world around you, and while that feels appropriate for the Izzy concretes I'm carrying over to my AU, it's not something I have any idea how to write without drowning in misery myself.

[tumblingxelian]

a Question about you 12 kwamis au

If the others kwamis existed how would you write it?

That's rather tricky to answer cos for several of them I actually took their powers and fused them with another Kwami.

Tiger has her own powers & those of the monkey, Turtle got Bulls, the pigs got translated to Fox, even the rabbits could be said to have blended with Sass given I usually give them a subtle prophetic ability.

If we just go with the one's left over...

Rooster - Sublimation & Phasing, is the easiest to work with as it is the transition of a substance directly from the solid to the gas state. In this regard, its basically a form of transforming Miraculous, letting one become immaterial, an elemental or chemical gas, that kind of thing. It also still works with the red bird associations ala phoenixes without much work.

Canid - Hunt & Harvest, I think would need a revamp into something more akin to Hunt. IE, its the embodiment of tracking, hunting, capturing, the act of pursuit and retrieval alive or dead. Fetch is a way it can manifest, ensuring their prey is never out of reach, but it can also be used to locate and track down things without having touched them first, & so on. Tis goes beyond mere hunting dogs and into how ants have cultivated livestock and even slave ants.

Lamb - Genesis & Preservation is the power of giving and extending life, it is of the (Caveasphaera), IE, Animal era and holds the power to breath life into something or to heal. In essence, it is the "Breath of life" and healing hands, it cannot whisk life up out of nowhere, but more can create the perfect conditions for new life, imbue something with life, or heal something. The specifics are a little ill defined right now but I think this works.

Amusingly this means Lamb could be the second Miraculous Gabriel has, the one that they used to conceive Adrien but due to being broken that didn't pan out. (Makes notes) Damn, I may actually keep this revised list, Roosters now the weakest one but still has room to work even with my revized Renlings...

Here it is regardless:

Creation (Planck) Ladybug - Creation & Purification Cat - Destruction & Mutation Snake - Ouroboros & Time

Elemental (Matter) Rooster - Sublimation & Phasing Tiger - Combustion & Chaos Dragon - Storm & Power

Life (Abiogenesis) Peacock - Evocation & Transmutation Mouse - Multiplication & Duplication Turtle - Protection & Resilience

Animal (Caveasphaera) Lamb - Genesis & Preservation Horse - Action & Migration Canid - Hunt & Harvest

People (Conceptual) Bee - Order & Subjugation Fox - Mirage & Materialization Butterfly - Emotion & Transmission

Revised Bee, this is mostly just leaning on the concept of subjugation more. IE, Pollen represents people and thinking creatures idea of order more than she does elemental the stabilizing of neurons and atoms. Venom is simply the most straightforward example, utterly stilling a persons body. But at more advanced levels, the user can infuse their power into objects and guide them or compel people, so long as they use subjugation.

Notes:

Genesis was a problem because its basically just Lucky Charm with more control but less magic. Genesis means the origin point of a something, the beginning or creation, which doesn't leave a lot of wiggle room for reinterpretation or expansion. In some ways it'd fit with the theme I gave to mouse. Still, I like these other two so lets play.

I had the idea briefly to make Genesis a sort of scrying mechanic, seeing into the past and future (Vaguely), or to get meta with it and have it be among the fox and butterfly as to do with stories, giving one's words power. However, elements I have toyed with for the Bee can already fit into some of that so I was... Iffy.

Then I looked into lamb associations and themes and found out the Egyptian Deity known for incepting life was a lamb headed deity, and the creator of 'essence'. I leaned on that when reaching for preservation.

[odetodilfs]

Caught you

Request:

hihihiiii!!!I would like to request a sub!javier x dom!reader where the reader catches javier edging himself and moaning their name and the reader helps him come. If u want to I would like degrading, overstimulation, and a lil bit of a breeding kink thrown in there(if you don’t want to do that it’s fine!!).

I love your fics and can’t wait to read more from you ☺️💞💞

Pairing: sub!Javier Peña x dom!male!reader

Warnings: Overstimulation and a bit of degrading (couldn't find a way to add the breeding part, sorry)

Spanish spoken, translations at the bottom.

You had come back from grocery shopping, you turned the key as quietly as you could, just in case Javier was sleeping, he often slept naps after heavy days at work and he woke up at the faintest sound, so when you placed the bags on the floor, you made a mental note to yourself for putting them where they should later. You walked to your room, as you got closer to the door, you heard Javier speaking… or moaning, “Ah- mmm- '' he moaned, your first thought was that he was cheating on you but upon revising the sounds… it sounded like he was alone, he started moaning your name and then stopped. You decided to walk into the room, his eyes were closed, there was a sheet of sweat covering his body, it looked like he’d been edging himself for quite some time, “Oh fuck-” he moaned “Being naughty, Javier, I see” you scared him, his eyes shot open, he wasn’t covering himself up, you were his boyfriend after all, but he was taken aback, “Mi amor- ¿cuándo llegaste?” he asked “Not long ago” you said, getting between his legs and facing his hard, throbbing dick, “Let’s see what I can do to help this” you said, teasingly, “Si- porfa-” he moaned as you stroked his dick softly.

“Let’s see” you started licking his dick, savoring his precum as you heard his pretty moans and whimpers, “F-fuck- please-” he begged so sweetly and submissively, “You’re such a little whore” you said, “jerking yourself off while moaning my name, you couldn’t even hold it till I got home, you’re such a slut” you whispered in his ear, he just moaned loudly at your words, “D-don’t stop!!” he begged as you once again went back to licking his tip. When you finally sucked his whole head he almost screamed in pleasure, “Santo dios-”  he moaned, barely able to stand the pleasure coursing through him.

“Good little whore, cum for me” you started asking, “F-fuck- I’m gonna-” he couldn’t  string words without stuttering, he started whimpering and writing, “¿Qué pasa mi Javi? ¿Te vas a venir?” you said while jerking his dick then circling the tip with your tongue, “AH!!” he screamed as he came and unloaded in your mouth, his dick pulsing and his cum going into your mouth as he plopped down, “We aren’t done just yet, you were a naughty boy, and naughty boys, well, they need punishment to be kept in line” you said as you started jerking his dick off again, Javi’s eyes shot open and he immediately started writhing as the pain from the overstimulation kicked in.

“Amor- para-” he moaned and kept writhing, you took his cock in your mouth now while also jerking him off furiously, Javier stopped fighting and was now giving grunts and moans of both pleasure and pain, “Fuck- stop-” was all he could say, he was really feeling the pain, “What is it, Javi? Too much for you?” you teased, “Y-yes- it is” he said, there were tears running down his face from the overstimulation and suddenly he threw his head back and came all over you real hard, “Oh fuck-” he said, almost sobbing.

“You alright Javi?” you asked as you kissed him sweetly, taking care of him

“Mmmm-” he said as he grabbed your hard dick and started stroking it, “Fuck- Javi- good boy-” you praised him, he kept going faster and faster, he was submitted to you and he decided to give you pleasure, despite being so tired, he kept jerking you off even if that wasn’t your main focus- your main focus had already been done; pleasing your man. You grunted as you came between your bodies and scooped up Javier, holding him as you pressed your foreheads against each other. “My beautiful man” you said as you kissed him on the lips, he had a tired, satisfied smile on his face “thanks for helping me” he said dreamily, “can we sleep for a bit?” he asked, cuddling your chest, “We can” you replied as you kissed his hair. Javier allowed you to spoon him and you fell asleep holding each other.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Translations: "¿Mi amor- cuando llegaste?" - "My love- when did you get here?"

"Si- porfa-" - "Yes- please" "Santo dios-" - "Dear god-" "¿Que pasa mi Javi? ¿Te vas a venir?" - "What's wrong my Javi? You gonna cum?" "Amor- para-" - "Love- stop-"

[kaurwreck]

karl the raccoon is not a reference to karl marx in either the raven (2012) or bungou stray dogs. he's likely named after carl linnaeus (1707–1778), the father of modern biological taxonomy.

linnaeus had a beloved raccoon named sjupp, a gift from the crown prince of sweden. sjupp loved eggs, almonds, raisins, sugared cakes, sugar, and fruit of every kind. sjupp could not bear anything with vinegar on it, or sauerkraut, or raw or boiled fish. he was friendly and playful, especially to those who ingratiated themselves by means of a few raisins; but, when scorned, prone to irreconcilable hatred.

we know these things about sjupp because upon sjupp's untimely mauling by a dog, linnaeus, man of science that he was, dissected the little rascal, and wrote an immensely fond anatomical study.

linnaeus's watercolor of sjupp, btw. if you even care.

[all of the above comes from here, and The Compleat Naturalist: A Life of Linnaeus by Wilfrid Jasper Walter]

linnaeus's connection to america's own beloved raccoon—the architect of detective fiction and gothic luminary edgar allan poe (1809-1849)—relates to poe's only bestseller as a living author: The Conchologist’s First Book: A System of Testaceous Malacology.

the first edition was already written by the schoolteacher thomas wyatt. wyatt had built upon the work of other naturalists (including linnaeus) to create a comprehensive overview of known shell classifications so that he could fall into the trap of academic publishing. his tomb on mollusks was too expensive and too large for his audience, but he couldn't adapt it into a more practical volume without incurring his publisher's ire.

meanwhile, poe; his teenage cousin wife, virginia; virginia's pet fawn; and his aunt mother-in-law, maria, were suffering for want of food. so, when the two men were introduced, poe was eager to freelance for wyatt by revising the shell book and republishing its abridged version under his own name. unlike most of poe's works, this one was a great success: it sold out in two months and was reprinted twice in six years.

(Color plate from the second edition of Edgar Allan Poe, The Conchologist’s First Book: A System of Testaceous Malacology)

his contributions, as it turned out, weren't shallow: poe's revisions to the text were breakthrough in their era. at the time, shelled creatures were organized typically by only their shells; the little beasties within the shells were largely ignored, including by wyatt. but poe didn't only slim down the text he was given; he reorganized its shell-centered pages to focus instead on the internal anatomy of the animals inside the shell. poe, who was fluent in french, also translated descriptions of the animals provided by preeminent naturalist georges cuvier to include alongside the descriptions of their shells. in other words, he helped to develop the field of mollusk studies.

to quote malacologist matthias glaubrecht notes, poe “was among the first to recognize and comment that a reliable classification of mollusks requires a combined analysis, which meant in his times reconciling a system based on hard shells . . . with evidence from soft body anatomy."

of course, because poe couldn't catch a break, it later became evident that wyatt plagiarized much of the text, the sin of which fell onto poe publicly. nevertheless, poe's sincere fascination with natural science and his inability to escape ridiculous situations left a legacy of camp gothic horror, science fiction, and, somewhat absurdly, taxonomy.

[a much better recounting of and retrospective on poe, mollusk scientist, can be found here.]

so, yeah, that's why edgar allen poe is paired with raccoon carl linnaeus in bsd (and likely the raven (2012)). though they might be an odd couple, they do share a common classification.

[my-mt-heart]

Thoughts on the 206 Spoilers

I probably don't need to mention again that what's written on the page can translate differently on screen for a number of reasons — acting choices, editing choices, reshoots we aren't aware of. We know that. Some of us felt that with the opening minutes (if you want to read my page-to-screen analysis on that, you can do so here). But I also know changes don't always happen unless I'm willing to tell the people in charge why I want them in the first place. I believe the 201 revisions happened because we talked about it. I'll admit I don't know how fixable the 206 scenes are, and frankly the underlying issue aside from the writing is the writer, but I still want to talk about it because if Caryl's story is going to continue for however many more years, their fanbase has to feel like the storytelling is worth both the emotional and the financial investment. These sides don't help with that. Spoilers under the cut...

I want to start by clearing up some confusion I saw in the original post about Carol's scenes being crossed out. It doesn't mean her scenes were deleted; it just means they weren't shot on the same day as the other scenes on the pages. We don't have all the tunnel beats, but what we do have appears to be in chronological order for the most part, so that gives us a close enough look at how the tunnel scenes are being framed. The framing is what's troubling because Daryl and Carol are in their own separate corners, breathing in poison gas, losing their will to live, but never turn to each other (or thoughts of each other) to keep fighting for each other like their entire story since the start of the flagship show, the tagline "to find home is to find each other," and the SDCC synopsis would have us believe.

Carol is looking for closure with Sophia which I understand, although it's extremely underwhelming and it still doesn't explain what's tethering her to this world. For Daryl, it's the figment of Isabelle that represents his hope. Their bond, not Daryl's and Carol's, gets to carry the emotional weight of those scenes. I can't even begin to make sense of Isabelle being Daryl's savior and motivation to keep going while his brief interaction with Carol at the end may as well be between him and his mailman. Side note: I guess the poison gas isn't so poisonous anymore? Why are they having a conversation without masks lol

Okay, they leave together, but as what? Strangers? Is this where I'm supposed to get hyped for S3? Because Caryl will be in the same proximity while Zabel keeps them emotionally detached from one another? That's not the Caryl show I want to tune in for. I want their show to make their relationship the emotional core and I want to see their romantic feelings for each other become explicitly canon. They have so much shared trauma and so much shared history that hasn't been thoroughly explored. When do we get to see that?

I understand how ridiculous all of these concerns sound when we factor in Melissa's input and the excitement she showed at SDCC. I'm not discounting that at all (@9lives2mics posted a really great overview of the PR strategy for SDCC, which I highly recommend listening to btw). What I'm trying to get at is, as far as the material goes, Zabel's vision for his original characters and his original premise seem to be dragging down the story that Melissa and even Norman are trying to tell for their characters. There were even several instances in their interviews where McReedus didn't seem to be on the same page as Zabel and Greg Nicotero. It's disheartening because if the latter two can get away with shooting what we see in these sides and making a trailer centered on Daryl's French family, what's going to make the final cuts? Do I want to find out?

Final thought: If you're going to make allusions to gas chambers, then the scenes need to amount to a hell of a lot more than shipbaiting and being artsy. Otherwise, it's just tone deaf.

[sketching-shark]

I dont remember if i ever asked this but what translation of JTTW have you mainly read? or usually use as a source to go towards

I use the Anthony C. Yu translation! It's still widely considered the most complete translation of JTTW out there, and it's chock-full of notes about everything from political backgrounds to Buddhist ceremonies to explaining jokes in the text that don't particularly work without the cultural and linguistic context in the original lol.

@journeytothewestresearch has kindly compiled an ever-growing collection of pdfs of Xiyouji in a multitude of different languages, including the full 4 volumes of the Yu translation. Definitely give it a look here!:

I should also note that Yu published the first version of his translation in the 1950s and then came out with a revised edition in the early 21st century, so if you're looking to buy a physical copy you might want to keep that in mind. My own physical copies of the 4 volumes that make up his translation are a mix and match between the two editions based on what I could find at local used bookstores, but the breakdown of the journey didn't change between editions so they still flow together well. From what I saw you can get a volume of the Yu translation for as little as $11 to as much as $45 depending on various factors. Yu also published an abbreviated version of his translation in "The Monkey and the Monk," which you might find useful to save some cash and still get the gist of how he presents JTTW.

One final note is that I have seen a number of people say that they found other translations more interesting and even more fitting with the spirit of the story than the Yu. And yeah, it should be kept in mind that especially as this is a translation from an academic press that Yu's intention seems to have been more about completion and explaining the various nuances of details that would be lost on a lay audience then on entertainment value. That said, JTTW does seem to be one of those stories that leaves a lot of people hungry to get all the details, so I'd say it's definitely understandable if you want to get your hands on the Yu pdfs to get said details while just skimming through the chapters because you don't have the time or energy to read through 4 volumes of monkey shenanigans but still want to know what's going on haha.

Hope you find this helpful @seasonalsummers! I'd also say that if you want more information about the other English translations in existence you might want to chat with @journeytothewestresearch, as he's proven himself time and time again to be very knowledgeable about them.

[maboroshi-no]

Hello! I hope this message finds you well. I am a lover of the Persona series and sincerely appreciate your translations of these manga. I wonder if it would be convenient to ask your permission to translate your English translations into Chinese. I would keep all your original watermarks and note your name, blog website address, etc. when I upload to Chinese online platform (if you agree to my second translation). Thank you for considering my request. And thank you again for your excellent translations!! Best regards. :)

Hello!

Thank you for your message and for asking for permission, I really appreciate it! ☺️

I don't mind you using my translations for your Chinese translation as long as

you properly credit my blog for the English translation and the scans

you don't translate my early translations (posted before 2017 without any revised translation). There are probably a lot of mistakes in these translations, so I would rather not spread them in another language 😅. But if there is one among those that you would like to translate, just tell me. Then I will work on a revised translation.

Please refer to the main character of the games as "main character". In my early translations, I used "Minako", "Minato" and "Yuu" as names for the protagonists of Persona 3 Portable, Persona 3, and Persona 4, but it was wrong.