#pronunciation is one thing and it's super important to get it right but

[holmesandwhatson]

when will people realize that it’s perfectly normal and natural to speak a foreign language with a foreign accent as long as you are understood

[leclerced]

Lando having girlfriend that’s super smart? It would be hilarious. At first when he talks about it everyone is like 👍 amazing but we know that almost anyone can be genius compared to you. But then they’re doing some sort of challenge (can be with Quadrant or with drivers or whatever) and there’s some algebra thrown in there and Lando’s girl just does it in like a minute. That’s something. Then they meet at Lando’s or he’s streaming and she’s studying in the background and everyone is so confused because what the hell does she do there??? Is it chemistry or maths or physics or what. She tells them about it and they are lost after “oh I can explain it to you guys” the rest is gibberish in their ears. Then she’s citing Shakespeare or Bulgakov and everyone believes Lando. But there’s more important question to ask that bothers them “how did he pull her and did she fall on her head really hard when she agreed on dating?”

this is so cute i love them being like “lando thinks she’s smart so she’s probably just better at making choices than he is” and instead it’s “she’s getting two degrees at once and still coming to visit lando at races when she has time.”

a challenge would be so funny like imagine just a trivia game and she answers every single question. they have to ring a bell to answer and she’d be ringing before they’re done asking the question. everyone is confused why she knows so much about everything and she’s just like “wdym? you don’t know the exact date this obscure historical thing happened?”

imagine max and oscar coming over to hang and she’s studying so they’re trying to help her by reading flashcards but they can’t pronounce the big technical words. she’d be answering the questions while they’re still trying to pronounce the name of some chemical. or she like finishes the question with perfect pronunciation and gives the right answer, another word they can’t pronounce, and they’re so amazed.

she turns into the grids personal google when they realize she knows a little bit about everything, like someone offhand asks something stupid and everyone is making fun of him and she’s like “no actually thats a great question! i think about it all the time and the answer is-” and everyone shuts up and listens bc she articulates everything so well and can take a complex topic and simplify it for them. she’ll bring race logic in sometimes when explaining stuff. anytime someone has a question they’re finding her to ask bc google will give a complex answer and she’ll dumb it down. she’s the settler of many debates and arguments bc they think she’s the smartest.

she’s sitting at the pit walls during races and is practically an engineer just from absorbing all the info while she watches them work. maybe shes in school to be an engineer or mechanic but when lando told them she’s still in school he didn’t say what for and they think like lando would be dating a nurse or something like that bc it seems his type. then they meet her at a race, they see her in the mclaren garage and she’s in mclaren gear talking ab the car with them so they think she’s a mclaren employee and some of the guys would probably be texting each other like “hey there’s a new cute mclaren engineer have you seen her??” until lando introduces her as his girlfriend and ppl are like wait she doesn’t work for mclaren? how does she know so much ab the car? and lando’s just annoyed bc no one believed him that his girlfriend was a genius.

she’d be besties w the mechanics and engineers and they help her study bc they understand her coursework. sometimes she’ll know what’s wrong with lando’s car but not say anything bc she’s not qualified for it and doesn’t work for them so they wouldn’t listen to her if she did so she sits quietly while they try and figure it out. eventually they get it and lando would have noticed the way she went quiet and just watched and know she’s thinking about how to fix his car and he’s just like “wow my girlfriend is so smart i love her so much.” her getting hired after graduating and working on lando’s team. iconic.

no one gets how they started dating or even met until they all go to a club after a race and after a single shot she loses any and all brain cells she ever had. everyone realizes they must have met at a club bc there’s no other way the super genius and lando could have ever met that would make sense.

[neechees]

you don’t have to answer this if you don’t want to but do you have any tips for learning Cree? also, have you ever run into the problem of learning Cree but your community speaking a different dialect of Cree then what you learned?

Just to get this out of the way so I dont have annoying moniyaws in my notes, Linguists go away & DNI.

You probably know that there's sub dialects even within sub dialects, & might change depending on location or community. My dad's Métis/Cree side of the family speaks Northern Cree (a subdialect of Plains Cree y dialect), vs. My mom's Cree side uses one that's more Southern, so conversations on either side of my family could be different, but I grew up more with my mom's Cree. One of the things I ran into a bit is that the previous dictionary I had used was a more Saskatchewan based dialect of plains Cree, but I'm from Alberta. So sometimes when I would try to use a Cree word, people at home wouldn't always understand me. But since starting school for it we've been using a dictionary that fits our local area. However, we have a saying about Cree, & that's "for every word in Cree, there are 4 different ways to say it". It shouldn't be TOO big of a problem, so don't beat yourself over it, dialectic differences happen even between fluent speakers. Just know that it's something you might run into. Try find dictionaries that use the same dialect as you & are close to your area.

I think this is one of the most important things, but focus on learning the Cree letters & their proper pronunciations first, this'll help you for getting words right. If you know the proper sound each individual letter makes, you'll know how to sound out things a little better in Cree, even if you don't know right off the bat. Also know that the macrons (the little "hats" or symbols you see over the vowels) changes the sound, & can change the entire meaning of the word, so pronounciation is important. For example, Sakahikan means "nail" or "spike". Sâkahikan means "lake". That "â" made all the difference, & they are pronounced a little differently, even if they are spelled virtually the same except for that a with the little hat. Remember the little hats.

Somewhat connected to the above, but if you want to learn syllabics thats cool too, but I don't think it's super necessary. But if you do choose to, learn them while you're studying the sounds.

If you look in the dictionary, you might see words labeled by letters like "VAI" or "VTA-2" or "VTI". Those are verb types, & the label is telling you what kind of verb it is. This is important for when you're going to conjugate that verb into a sentence, and tells you the context of that verb. There are a few verb types in Cree: the V stands for "Verb", a T means "transitive", I means "intransitive" and/or "inanimate", & the A stands for "animate". Usually the sequence goes (Verb)(whether it is transitive or not)(whether it's animate or inanimate). Don't fret over this too much & don't be daunted, you're just a beginner, but if you see those abbreviations, that's what they are. For now if you're just working on expanding your vocabulary a little more and not so much on the grammar, spelling rules, or conjugation, you can focus on that a little later. But I'll put a further explanation under the cut if you wanna know more on how it works & what it means.

Listen to Cree. Find Cree songs, shows, movies, books, anything you can get your hands on. Get Cree dictionaries & grammar books. Also try to find other people who speak Cree, fluent and not fluent, to practice with. You need to hear other people speak in order to get better. I'm gunna make a Cree spotify Playlist for this, so stay tuned.

And keep trying! You got this. More info under the readmore for the verb types. Everything I've given as advice is what I would've told my younger self or that I wish I knew before, so I hope this helps.

So to go back to the verb types, for example Vii means "inanimate intransitive" , and an example would be general observations about the weather, like yôtin ("it is windy"). There is nothing animate involved, and there is no second actor to the verb, it's just a fact. A VTI (transitive inanimate) example would be nipēhtēn, "I hear it": it's transitive because of the "it" (a second actor", there is something else involved), and it's also inanimate because the "it" would indicate it is something inanimate or not alive/living (as far as the hearer knows). If instead it was "I hear you" (aka, something living, thus making it animate & a VTA, a transitive animate verb), it would then become kipêhtâtin. A last example is VAI, animate intransitive, would be something like nimīcison ("I eat"). It's animate because the "I", the speaker, is a person who is alive saying it, but it's intransitive because there is nothing else involved, it's just the speaker generally declaring "I eat" (but not specifying anything that they are eating). Here is a really helpful, simple video about what transitive and intransitive verbs are, it helped me understand more about how they work. A lot of Cree dictionaries might also have an index at the beginning describing these verbs as well that you can look through, and Cree grammar books will go more in depth with them & how to use them when you're ready.

[gale-gentlepenguin]

Gale Reviews: ML Season 5: Action

-As expected its gonna be a bit preachy.

(Spoilers below)

-Okay adrien riding the scooter with Marinette is cute... but good gravy my boy doing everything to avoid allegations.

-Adrien teaching Marinette mandarin is cute... until you remember his pronunciation is s***

-Nino is very serious with this

-(So glad this is in english on youtube and I can playback at a faster speed.)

-I knew this going in but good gravy it is soooooooo preachy. It reminds me of Captain planet

-Ah yes, Adrien and Kagami as NFTs selling products... I really hate Gabriel

-So the ship sunk? I guess plastic > Liberty

-Mylene fainting at all the mention of plastic is funny (and currently the only thing I find amusing about this episode)

-Of course he is in the ominous black building. Also all of this could have been solved with a google search

-Nino, I love your goofy plans but your disguises are as trash as the plastic you are trying to fight for some reason

-This episode feels like it was written by Mylene

-So at least the show is consistent on how dumb adults are written in this

-You know what, I know the plastic guy is gonna be the bad guy, but he actually took a meeting to hear out a bunch of kids. He even acknowledges their points but explains why he aint changing his business model. Say what you will but I gotta respect the straightforwardness.

-I cant really hate the guy right now, like he reminds me of the KFC guy if he had a fetish for plastic.

-No surprise that the mayor was of no help, surprised that Chloé didnt need to tell him with how they tried to make him seem good.

-Gabriel is dismissive, why was he redeemed again?

-So Nadia giving the first legit explanation on why she cant help. Glad they actually show one true to life response

-Oh look cameos

-Oh they hacked the broadcast, at least Nadia wont get in trouble... but I am pretty sure thats SUPER ILLEGAL

-Yep more preaching... plastic bad. at least it had some adrinette flirting in there

-Yea if this actually worked IRL, the environmentalist protestors wouldnt be a thing. But it is accurate in one way, Politicians and CEO's hate Bad publicity

-Gabriel and Andre lying through their teeth.

-Gabriel just wanted to akumatize him

-HE LOOKS LIKE A CHARACTER FROM CANDYLAND

-The bee is the power of action... i preferred subjugation

-He just stunned him THEN turned him into plastic. That just seems excessive

-I think that was the first time outside of Qilin that the cops actually TRIED to stop the akuma.

-But just like in real life the cops will never arrest a rich ceo.

-Gabriel really said "Sorry bitch, cant play today"

-Adrien your pronounciation is bad, but its still cute

-It sounds like they are saying 'No shit'. I am counting it. FINALLY LETTING ADRIEN CURSE

-Adrien you simp i love it

-Just leave Gorilla be, he is just cleaning the car. He is happy

-King of Plastic makes me laugh

-That was the lamest dance party to interrupt

-Yea this is pretty standard

-Oh he made the engine overload, smart

-Burying him in plastic because irony, classic

-And he learned that Plastic isnt always so fantastic

-If I had a nickle for every rich guy that was corrupt that this show redeemed...

___________________________________________________________

I watched this episode at 1.5x speed because if I didnt, this would have been a SLOG to get through

3/10

Its not the worst ML episode but I just HATE preachy episodes. If I wanted this kind of content, Id watch captain planet. Like yes it is important to recycle and reduce use of plastics... but this episode made me want to actually go downstairs and get a plastic water bottle for a drink just because of how annoyed I was.

The action in this wasnt bad and I actually found the King of Plastic funny until they redeemed him.

I think I rate it lower than it actually is because of personal preferences but it is just annoying

[demonfox38]

Completed: Super Lesbian Animal RPG

Yep!

Did you want to see my Twitch recap for last year?

I know, right? Total loser, being in the top 10% for two categories. (To be fair, it's usually that I'm cooking while I have a speed runner on in the background.) Relevant to this image and review is streamer Punchy, pictured above in my top 5 streamers for the year. While primarily known as a speed runner for survival horror games, dude's got a myriad of games that he routinely runs. Like, over 100.

One of those games being "Super Lesbian Animal RPG."

I know. That's a fucking title right there. Instantly curious, I put Punchy on, watching him go through about fifteen minutes of the run. I probably needed less than five to be sold on the game. I've got a certain weakness for RPG Maker games, to begin with. The colorful visuals, mixed sprite/smooth artwork, and catchy music were also sellers. Probably the thing that made me snort-laugh my way into getting this game is one of the main characters sharing a name with me.

Look, man. I only see Allison come up in video games under two categories: localizers needing to fill out names for random Pokémon foes, and localizers just being weird in general (see: "Totally Rad.") Knowing what I know about Japanese, Allison is a pain in the ass in terms of spelling and pronunciation, especially if you throw honorifics into the mix. Given most of my game choices are either Japanese or built in admiration of Japanese games, I just don't see the name come up a lot. So, I was amused it came up here, of all places.

I suppose it could be a reference to Alison Bechdel, now that I think about it…

If the title "Super Lesbian Animal RPG" isn't self-explanatory as to what the game is about, I don't know what is. In slightly expanded terms, it's a game about a fox name Melody who becomes a paladin in order to aid and protect her girlfriend (Allison) while adventuring around the Sapphire Islands. Things go awry after fellow magician and literal cowgirl Claire attempts to power them up and train them, accidentally gaining the attention of both a misanthropic, anthropomorphized VHS cassette tape and the deity long since vanished from their world. What follows is an adventure in sapphic love, undead cowboy aesthetics, winter wonderlands, and some of the greatest collections of color palettes seen since the 1980s.

"Super Lesbian Animal RPG" is also the professional, copyright un-infringing descendant of a title called "Super Lesbian Horse RPG," a "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" fangame. I only bring it up to give some kind of epiphany/explanation for the aesthetics going on here. The main tower, hometown protector Faith, and the main female villain Verena may also remind you of a few characters from that show. So, if you were like, "Hey, these vibes are—" then YES! Yes, the vibes are.

Being an RPG Maker fangame (specifically, RPG Maker VX Ace), the gameplay is pretty intuitive to anyone familiar with this engine or genre. Battles are telegraphed with moving dark, glitchy blotches on screen (although, dens with random encounters are also made available for grinding.) Combat is taken in turns, allowing the player to input commands before the enemy and your party take swings. There are some considerations here that I find both unique and extremely helpful! For example, the game rewards you with using the party members as their role dictates, granting Star Power for actions like Melody healing, Allison and Claire attacking, and fourth party member Jodie defending others and tanking damage. This Star Power allows access to more powerful combat maneuvers, so it's important to get as much as possible to maximize both damage output, defense, and recovery. Additionally, acting as the game wants you to will also adjust the combatants' actions to be most beneficial to you. Like, Melody will always move first when healing, but last when attacking. Similarly, Jodie will also break through enemy defenses before Allison and Claire can attack, allowing them to maximize their damage. It's a super rewarding system, and I appreciate its consistency!

Outside of combat, standard RPG obstacles await the player. This can include challenges like locked doors, ice skating puzzles, bridge manipulation, finding passcodes for safes, and generally what you'd expect for traversal threats. It's not the roughest challenge in the world, but should you need help, the game's creators have your back. (Additionally, lead creative Bobby Schroeder is also on Tumblr, if you want to learn more about her!)

This game really does go out of its way to try and help the player. It offers two difficulty settings (normal and easy), as well as a quest log to help keep track of any pending jobs or story beats. Frankly, I'm tempted to say the game is almost too easy. Like, it was a rare instance to have a character get knocked out. About the biggest threat I faced was a set of side bosses (the VHS tape's sons), and even with them, I was able to squeak by on a first attempt. I also maxed out levels super early, so the final dungeon was more about getting enemies cleared out of the way than actually grinding for strength.

Not that I don't think things aren't trying to kill me! I just think adhering to each character's strengths goes a long, long way. Also, putting the Powerhouse Pin on Melody and having the Amorous Paladin track makes recovering MP a breeze. I've heard rumors of a hard mode being developed, so perhaps this criticism has already been noticed or taken to heart. But, if any tips for hardening the product are needed, nixing the Powerhouse Pin and the Amorous Paladin route as an option would definitely be an easy way to make things harder.

I probably should explain the whole "paladin route" thing, shouldn't I?

The major gameplay style adjustment you make early on is by selecting Melody's paladin specialization of choice. This includes Woodland (granting regen abilities to characters), Amorous (sacrificing Star Power to restore MP or Star Power for your other characters), and Resolute (inflicting damaging seals on enemies.) I haven't experimented with the Woodland or Resolute paths, but considering the amount of money I saved on not having to purchase gobs of healing items, I found what I picked to be pretty darn helpful! I would suspect that Resolute would be the next best option, but maybe I'm just not seeing much value in the Woodland's Nature Nurture ability (healing everybody the amount of health that Melody has.) Or, maybe I see that as a risk, if she gets hurt.

Despite being a stickler for character classes and the roles they play, this game is anything but orthodox. I mean, if the "Lesbian Animal" part of "Super Lesbian Animal RPG" was any indication. It's been a while since I've been as consistently amused with a game's sense of humor as I was with this one! Its characters aren't above calling bullshit on the game's circumstances, and enemies are just as quick at handing sass back. If you have an inborn sense for riffing bad movies and don't mind taking a few potshots, this game will be right up your alley.

Additionally, this is one of very few games that I felt motivated to talk to all NPCs as much as possible. Like, "Tales of Symphonia" got me to pop up to a 50% ratio, and that was only by bribing me with money and goods! Everybody's some degree of weirdo, whether it comes down to capitalist machinations, a family's fascination with world domination (and everyone treating that as cute/sweet), hidden aspirations for competition, or just generally people with urges to do weird things. The NPCs feel very unique, feeding into the motivation to talk with them as much as possible. It's rewarding even before going on missions for them.

Also gotta love an RPG that gives you a quest to get a knife for an 8-year-old, then contemplates on whether or not that's good to do (and even gives the player an exit strategy, if they're narcs.)

Honestly, if I got tired of anybody, it was Melody. But, it's in that way where my own mental defects have made me into a calloused, hardened bitch, so I lack patience with people who succumb to the mind's tyrannical nature. I'm not saying she's not right to have a breakdown or two! It's just one of those things where I go, "Okay, fine. I'll ride out your anxiety attacks/relationship squabbles until you're ready to go again." And then, "Wait, are you seriously being pissy enough to drop some of your most useful skills? GIRL, GET IT TOGETHER."

I want to highlight that the emotions I had were a minor irritant and resolved relatively quickly. Like, I go through this with most RPG leads, if they aren't mute protagonists. It's a part of the cycle. Find a problem -> whine about it -> go solve the problem when no one else will. About the only lead RPG character that didn't trigger that cycle and response for me was "Tales of Vesperia"'s Yuri Lowell, and that's mostly because he reacted to injustice and being pissed off with murder. (It's not the healthiest coping mechanism, I admit! Satisfying, though.)

From a graphical and musical perspective, this game is fantastic. It's a mix of synth instruments and Lisa Frank-esque color schemes alongside smooth illustrations and modern audio samples. Like, if you like "My Little Pony" adjacent palettes, you're gonna like this game. Pretty obvious, considering its development heritage. Approaching this as someone whose favorite furry media includes "Star Fox" games and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle" properties, I thought the visual and audio design here was pretty solid! A little unusually colored? Sure. Not quite full sparkledog. At least, nothing that made me cringe like "Dust: An Elysian Tale"'s Fidget. (Though, I may hate that character more for her accidentally getting the player killed in a subquest more than anything else…)

Having zombie cowboy elves is sure unique! Gotta give it up for that call. Can't say I see that every day.

If you'd like some musical sampling, give the following tracks a shot:

Ancient Machine

Scrap Metal

Labyrinth Rave (Original 998 Mix)

Fighting in the 990s

B.A.D.

t r a n s c e n d

Given the game's subject matter, aesthetics, and ease of gameplay, I'm surprised that "Super Lesbian Animal RPG" isn't a Tumblr darling akin to titles like "Dream Daddy" or "Undertale." (Not to call "Undertale" easy, mind you. It could be called "Super Lesbian Animal RPG" for one subplot, though…) I mean, some of the playable characters are even bi and trans! Isn't that worth something? That's at least 3 letters out of LGBT getting represented! Maybe the ratio is lower in other acronyms, but I still think that's gotta count for something!

I never had to think about what it means to be a trans-passing cow prior to this game, but hell. A good game will help you generate those kinds of thoughts. Feel new things.

If you are equally entranced by the bluntness and audaciousness of this title, you can pick it up online for the current price of $14.99. It's often on sale as well, if you're feeling the need to pinch some pennies. But, honestly, for a 16-20 hour game with multiple route replayability? That's a good deal right there.

And if you need a twisted recommendation—this game pairs quite well with "Space Funeral" and "Hylics." Maybe not in the funky appearances or message. Definitely in the RPG Maker games doing cool shit way.

[kahvijahuumoritaallaonmustaa]

It's ok to have demons - it's ok to have mental problems - it's ok to be fucking wreck - it's ok to believe in yourself - it's ok to be a bit weird - it's ok to be indulging sex life - it's ok to have an opinion.

Now that all Umk 2024 entries are out, this is my take/opinion on our finalists. Overall this year was strong and surprisingly even in my opinion. And even the songs that were my least favorites were still better than my last years bottom two. There was no "Käärijä" among the contestants but I didn't expect one either.

As I'll review all entries in one post, this will be looooong.. "keep reading" (if you want)

1. Jesse Markin - Glow (my number one)

I'm bit surprised that I like this so much. I really like Jesses cadence while he raps and though I have no hope of singing along the rap parts there's still plenty to sing along. This is also very much dancable song and I've been dancing since Tuesday. 

This song sounds best when listening it with (really good) headphones. I have no fear of his live singing skills or stage charisma either. I hope they'll leave some room for freeform movement in the liveshow and bring those hard hitting dancers onstage too.

Jesse also sparks my interest as an artist and I want to hear/read more interviews of him (I love love love his finnish dialect!!!). He is also the only one who made me want to hear much much more and buy concert tickets to his own concerts. 

This is perfect song for sunset beachparties with great friends or summer forest raves. (Basically perfect for summer/autumn nights) I think this would qualify and I kind of hope it could do well also but I'm not sure if esc I ready...yet or ever. (I love esc so no hate there).

2.-5. As I said at the beginning, this year is really even in my opinion and I had to share these places. Reviews will be in the order of release.

Cyan Kicks: Dancing with demons

I'm mostly a metalhead/rock chick so on the paper this should be _the one_ for me. On the other hand I'm maybe more critical with rock and I have more advance expectations towards a rock entry. 

Then umk made a "mistake" and promised me "a thunderous rock anthem"...and I'm sorry but this is not it!! Thunderous maybe when you have the visuals, but an anthem...no. It's not all bad and I'm sure they'll do well live and I will enjoy it more as a live version, but for me this sounds like song that has a good base but then it went through some swedish popifier and the end result is more prock than rock. 

Sara Siipola - Paskana

Ah...I'm terrible person but I don't like ballads in general and female vocalists that are supposed to be all about the voice need to be really really good that they make me feel anything. (I know...I'm rotten inside). 

That beeing said, surprise of the year for me has been how amazingly good the reception for this song has been. I mean I'm super happy for Sara, don't get me wrong. And for this song not beeing my bottom one is kind of surprise for me also.

This is not a "basic ballad" and I do like the lyrics. For me that word paskana is important because Finnish is the language I use to express my feelings and if I'm really broken/wreck I'd definately use the word paskana and words like hajalla/romuna just don't convey the deepness of that feeling for me. I also like the idea of a power song that in Saras words gives a permission to be paskana/broken. My favorite part is the part where she sings how it feels safer to be broken than the idea of things getting better. BUT...if I would be paskana/fucking wreck right now would this be my power song? Would I be listening to this song non-stop. No and no. And that's because the way Sara sings. I like her voice in some parts but I can't stand her pronunciation in some other parts. I also don't like the effect used in her voice. This is the only song I can't listen with headphones and have skipped few times. I think I'll like her sound more live.

I would love to like this more, i really would. And if this wins umk I'm ok with this, it's just not my choice.

Windows95man - No rules

If you make a silly song, own it. And w95m does own this. I disagree so hard when I hear that this is below the level/standard where umk is at the moment or that "joke entries" shouldn't be sent to esc anymore. This is fun, this is gringe, this is silly, this is joking...but just because something is all that doesn't mean that artist who made it doesn't take his art/music/participation "seriously". I smiled so much when I heard/saw the video. For me this is visual music, meaning that I wouldn't listen this on Spotify but I would absolutely enjoy seeing windows95man liveshow. 

Henri Piispanen vocals in this are great. I knew that "Vainu hoitaa homman!"...yeah I have a toddler who is over consumer of Paw Patrol and I've heard Henri as Vainu (Chase) so often that for me he is forever Vainu.

I also like Teemu Keisteri as an artist (not only as w95m). And I'm so interested hearing his interviews and to follow his path. I know he has a new name and look ready if he wins umk and I'm curious what that could be. Small part of me hopes he doesn't win umk because I love the windows joke.

Mikael Gabriel x nublu - Vox Populi

Any song I want to add to my running playlist is a good song. Pace of the song is great! 

I can see myself shouting "Vox Pop(p)uli"  in the Nokia arena on February. I like that this is in Finnish/Estonian and I really like nublus parts. I didn't know nublu before. Maybe a bit cliche but I do like the line "Jos ootte leijonii, niin miks teidän lauma määkii". But as much as I like the line, it also reminds me of some of MGs past (?) opinions that I disagree with. 

Only song besides Glow I've added to my own playlists and this passes my "headphones test" with flying colors. I will be checking out some of nublus solo music, MG solo music is still not my thing.

6. Sini Sabotage - Kuori mua

Sini Sabotage is not my piece of cake and I'm not going to be indulging her music after umk. I like that Kuori mua is not flat and I can hear her voice and words well. Piano parts were nice surprise. But it is a bit same as with Sara, if this wins umk I'm ok with it but this is not my first or second choice.

6. Sexmane - Mania

Max Sene <-> Sexmane -> Sextape, Sex show...I like his playing with words. I know he is super popular in Finland and I get why but I don't listen to his music and I think he is a bit too subdued in interviews to fully spark my interest. My favorite parts are the Mania screams. Not fan of the ending of this song, and with the amount of auto tune in this I'm bit worried how this'll sound live...hopefully better? Sexmanes sex-suit is the best look so far this year (w95m not included as his look has been part of his brand way before umk)

[vanessaroades-author]

From one fellow fantasy writer to another, do you have any advice on coming up with fantasy names?

Oh, this is so good. I have guidelines (that I sometimes don’t keep to) but I think are helpful for writers with more self-control than me!

Disclaimer—you know how some people say that characters just decide their own fate for the writer? How plots/arcs/personalities just come to them? That’s me and names. I can usually make them up midsentence, like they’re just waiting in my head to be assigned to someone that feels right.

Otherwise…

They meant it about Googling every name you make up.

…to ensure that it isn’t a questionable word in another language or has connections you don’t want.

For example, one of my MCs is named Sigyn—the name of a female goddess—but the themes of the goddess and the “gender flip” of the name suit him.

Keep to spelling/phonetic rules within the fictional language

Even if no one actually speaks that language on-page! This helps so much with things feeling coherent and, if your story spans many locations/cultures, helps readers sort them in their mind (if we have a John, Jacques, Alice, and Amelie, you subconsciously sort them into their respective cultures).

At a point in Deep Roots, I had three names from people in the same city that ended with the “all” sound—spelled “al,” “alle,” and “all.” Like a dummy. Don’t do that.

Also, deciding to make the names in each culture very different in sound, preferred letters, length, etc, instantly makes your fantasy cultures more distinct (a Geralt vs a Filavandrel, for instance). Super easy and super effective.

Be wary of the shape the names make on the page

I’m all for complexity and for names with flexible pronunciations (because even if the reader pronounces the name ‘wrong,’ they’re still remembering it).

However when you’re working with unfamiliar names, names with similar shapes or sounds (John/Jack) tend to be very easy to melt together in a reader’s mind when they’re first getting their bearings in the story.

In Queensmen, I had an Amaryllis and an Armillaria—about the same length, start with A, have two R’s and double L’s. They blend way too easily, so one needs to be changed up. (I also always mix up Nineira and Nusamry in my brain but that may be a me thing)

The FEEL of a name is so important and can inform the character

(like you get a particular image in your head of a man named Valentine, right? And I bet it’s not a hulking, unwashed troll). If you’re caught between names, ask for a second opinion. I find whenever my writing buddies come to me with a list of names they can’t decide from, the names are all great, but each give off a slightly different image of the character and an outsider is can be better at picking that out.

When I started Queensmen, I had three names that were bouncing in my head for Elias—Eli, Elias, and Elliot. He was giving me a distinct vibe that apparently only an “Ell” name could satisfy, but Elias felt the most like his trope.

This fits for both “real” names and made up names, because we automatically associate sounds with different kinds of characters—like Geralt is all hard sounds, abrupt syllables, perfect for a tough, reticent monster hunter. Filavandrel is elaborate, ostentatious, hard to not say with a little bit of music in your tone—just right for an elf.

honestly I want more people to use unfamiliar sounds and letters with their names!

that’s it i just want more weird sounds

[andwegogreen]

top five crj songs but u have to give a super detailed reason for each (not just 'wow there's instruments in here!!!!')

okay i am putting in the WORK FOR THIS ONE!!!!!! aka pulling up all her songs i've got saved and attempting to rank them <3

cut to the feeling, the emotions that run through my entire body when that xylophone type sound starts.... it's just. it's a perfect pop song imo, it's got the catchy riff, perfect danceability, so good to sing along to. when the chorus hits... it makes me want to run up a building. it fills me with so much energy so much emotion that i just want to be screaming it at the top of my lungs no matter what time of day... like the vocals are so perfect bc she's truly singing with such power?? if that's the right word lmao but like. you can tell she's going for it, which makes ME wanna go for it... also just. the lyrics in the chorus make me CRAZY!!!!!!! I WANNA PLAY! WHERE YOU PLAY! WITH! THE! ANGELS! I WANNA WAKE UP WITH YOU! ALL! IN! TANGLES! OH! like. i can't even words... it's just sooooooo perfect and it's 3 minutes and 27 seconds of like. pure happiness and love and emotion!!!!!!!!!!!!

too much, ft. the oddest pronunciation of drama ever <333 the emotions invoked in me from this chorus is similar to the emotions that i get when i listen to the chorus of delicate, that feeling of like. being too much lmao!!!!!!!! here it is packaged in a nice lil groove, airy vocals that make me feel like i'm a way better singer than i am, and they let me throw my ass when i'm in my feelings!!! not quite the crying in the club vibes that robyn has perfected but the vibes are there!!! the bridge also makes me LEVITATE, the floatyness of the vocals and the music!!!!!!!!!

run away with me, when that sax hits you already know what time it is!!!!!!!!!! time to lose our fucking minds!!!! i feel like the build in the verse is so good and it makes me so excited for what's to come... which is one of the best choruses ever... MADE to be SCREAMED ALONG to, which is honestly the best type of chorus... and that fucking sax bestie!!!!!!!!!!!!! the sax!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! RUN AWAY WITH ME! RUN AWAY WITH ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it's just. i really like how they do her vocals, where you can tell she's putting the power in there which makes it easier for me to just scream along, as god intended. the lyrics too are just.... very romantic LOL which you know i am a lil softie... over the weekend!!!!!!! we could turn the world to gold!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the lil break before the last chorus, when all the instruments cut out and it's just her vocal... and you KNOW WHAT'S COMING!!!!!!!! fr one of my favourite musical things ever, scaling down the instruments and then bringing them back even bigger!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! RUN AWAY WITH MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!

the sound, the chorus gets stuck in my head SO OFTEN!!!!!! the slight breathiness in her "god, you make me so tired" in the pre-chorus is soooo perfect, and the entire pre-chorus tbf is sooo perfect. i think it's my favourite part of the song... again it's that build up to a sort of release, and even though the chorus is pretty mellow it still feels so satisfying? again her vocals are what i'd call soaring, esp in the second chorus into the bridge (the bridge!!!!!!!!!!) which makes it soooo perfect for singing along to, which in my ranking of carly songs is ESPECIALLY important!!!!!!!!

want you in my room, again the sax!!!!!!!!!!!! girlie knows how to use it!!!!!! but also just the percussion!!! such a fun vibe to start with. the call and response energy of the verse!!!! the layered vocals!!!!!! all the back-up ones!!!!!!! also it's just a HORNY SONG!!!!!!!!! I WANT YOU IN MY ROOM! ON THE BED! ON THE FLOOR! I WANNA DO BAD THINGS TO YOU! SLIDE ON THROUGH MY WINDOW! it's absolute perfection. so groovy!!!!!! so fun!!!!! perfect for like. the type of dancing i like to do whilst doing chores like cooking or doing the dishes, aka just body rolls <333 perfect for some like vibey swaying!!! the sax bro. i gotta mention the sax again!!!! comes in at the end properly for a lil solo and is just !!!!!!!!!!! slaying ABSOLUTE peeniss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and a JACK ANTONOFF FADE!!!!! I LITERALLY WAS JUST LISTENING TO IT AND WAS LIKE WOW THAT SOUNDS LIKE A JACK FADE. THAT'S BC IT IS A JACK FADE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! EVEN BETTER DKLFGJHLGF I LOVE IT EVEN MORE NOW!!!!!!! wow this makes so much more sense now. the layered vocals are so him... wow i can't believe i didn't look this up before now lskdfjghdgf this is truly iconic actually <3333

honourable mentions!!!!! favourite colour, the chorus is absolute perfection... I'M BRIGHT BABY BLUE FALLING INTO YOU/FALLING FOR EACH OTHER!!!!!!, happy not knowing, i love the premise of this song, and the line in the chorus "i'm sure it's nothing but some heartburn, baby" is just so perfect!!!

ask me top 5 anythings!!

[odessasilver]

When dealing with mythology, religion, and beliefs in fiction

Whenever I write a story which involves mythology, there is something I always make sure to do. Be respectful and do my research. Even more so when I’m not writing about my own beliefs or culture. I want a reader to see my writing and think “oh wow, this author has done their homework” rather than “this is nothing like them”. And one of the key things to respect them is by learning what you can about the subject, and applying it. Even in fantasy.

For fantasy to be truly believable, it needs good immersion, and to get that you need all the small details you don’t think about, little hints here and there at something bigger. And I think the same when applying things that don’t belong to me.

Another thing to remember is that some things we may write about, people still believe. We might not believe it, but it’s important to them, and I don’t think it should be taken lightly. I strive to get things as correct as I can in my stories, only taking liberties when I can’t find something, or to bend the rules slightly to add things such as magic.

Of course genre can change how the information we have found is applied. A parody piece might have gods acting nothing like their real-life counterparts and that can work. However, in more serious pieces, if you have a god in your story and they are nothing like their counterpart except in name, readers can take it badly. I certainly do, and it can put me off so badly I’ll tell people to avoid it. I don’t want this to happen to me, and so I work hard to stay true to the research.

Sometimes liberties have to be taken, there are gaps in knowledge, or even things not being translated so you can learn it. Sometimes you need to make things easier for your readers too, especially if they are quite different from the original culture. I find this a lot with my stories in Japan, and have to pick and choose a happy medium. One such thing is name order. In Japan it goes [Surname, First name] and people often call people by their surnames. In the west it’s [First name, Surname], and we often call people by their first names. So then I have to make a decision. When people introduce themselves do they do it the Japanese way, which would be true to culture, or the western way, which would be localised. In this case, I have opted for the western way, however I do have character refer to eachother with surnames when appropriate. I try to make it super clear to my readers which name is first and surname too, though it can be tricky. I feel like this is a happy medium that keeps things true, but means my readers can follow along if they aren’t sure on Japanese customs.

Another thing I have done is about spelling and pronunciation of words, the best example being the word yokai. In Japanese it’s actually transliterated as yōkai with the ō being an ou. So if I was going to do a direction translation, I’d use youkai. However, the -ou sound is different in English than Japanese and we would easily pronounce it as you-kai, whereas in Japanese the pronunciation is closer to yokai. So I decided to drop the u, and it’s still mostly correct, and it keeps the pronunciation closer than being exactly correct.

There are things, however, that I know I’ll do and write which won’t be right simply because I haven’t grown up in that culture, nor have I had the chance to visit Japan yet. All I can do it make it as authentic as possible, as anybody who is Japanese can probably pick out that I’m certainly not Japanese, nor grew up in that culture.

I’ve seen it from the other side, reading a story written by an American about England. It was the tiny things which gave it away, descriptions which made sense in an American setting, but certainly not here. It really broke my immersion, something you really don’t want to have happen to your readers.

On the other hand, I have seen it from an author who went above and beyond for her stories. Michelle Paver wrote one of my favourite series The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness. They’re technically children’s books, and it’s a historical fantasy series, but the worldbuilding in them is breathtaking. I noticed it when reading the first book Wolf Brother even as a child, and it still sticks with me now, nearly twenty years later. And what did she do? She went out to get as much first hand knowledge about what she was writing—or as close too as she has fantasy aspects too—and built her world on that.

Through all that research and being able to add it into her stories, she also imparted knowledge onto her readers. Before those books, I didn’t know about aurochs, juniper berries, how hunter gatherers did sea fishing or how tools were created. And while enjoying reading the storyline of the whole series, I learnt so much. That’s exactly what I want to do with my stories too.

And from that I can then build on the more fantastical aspects and incorporate it to what I have learnt. Especially when dealing with the supernatural yokai, as for some little is known. But knowing the cultural rules and how other yokai act, it’s easier to make the lesser known ones fit right in place.

I also give a little leeway with timelines too. For example in my story One, Two, Three I have an indigo farmer, and a dye maker. Indigo dyeing certainly happened in Japan… however not til a little later than my intended year span. If I were writing historical fiction then I wouldn’t stray too far, but because I’ve got the fantasy element, I’m blurring the edges a little. And the benefit is I get to share really interesting things too. I’ve looked into the indigo dyeing and it’s really cool!

When it comes to writing about yokai themselves, I always treat them with care. They’re so much more than supernatural beings of the west and even now some still permeate into every day life for Japanese people. One of which is the zashiki warashi—and there is a great documentary video if you want to learn more about it here. We don’t really have an equivalent, but I can tell from my research they’re special. So I’ve taken what I have learnt from such research, and I apply it into the past for my stories, as there is a lot of culture around the world which has stayed the same for many years.

Lastly, and the most fun part about researching, you find out so many cool things. It can be frustrating having to research for information every few paragraphs, but the upside is that I can stumble on things which spark new ideas or give me something to filter into my stories as background information.

Sometimes I feel like I go too far trying to make things correct, but then I remember Wolf Brother and the appreciation I have for it, and hope one day someone can appreciate my stories like that too.

[truthem]

Korean Learning Resources

These are my personal favorite resources that I use in order to self-study Korean!

(if a link doesn’t work pls lmk)

YouTube Channels

빅키샘Miss Vicky

Miss Vicky has helped me tremendously with learning Korean. I use her videos mainly as a review but if I don’t understand something that I get from my main learning source (I’ll get to that in a bit!), I run over to her channel, find a video regarding that topic, and she clears everything right up. Her content is so thorough and I love the way she explains things (especially grammar). She’s also a native Korean speaker, so it’s comforting to know that she’s a reliable source. (maybe Im just a bit too suspicious…)

Hailey _Your Korean Friend

Hailey is the #1 YouTuber I recommend to beginners who are struggling with 한글 (Korean writing system/“alphabet”). Her explanations are amazing and I never got bored watching her videos. I don’t use her videos as often anymore unless I want to find some quick vocab words that I want to study because her content seems to be more geared towards beginner beginners. Her 한글 lessons are fast and easy and she makes it so you’re not getting overwhelmed with information at the start. She helped me a lot with pronunciation and with 받침! (last consonant in the Korean syllable… 받침 is still lowkey my greatest enemy)

Minji Teaches Korean 민지 티치 코리안

I’ve only personally used one of her videos but she gives a lot of examples and she explains very well. Minji seems to reach out to different levels of Korean, but I mainly see beginner lessons. She also hasn’t posted in 5 months… but she’s still a great creator that I recommend checking out!

Websites

TTMIK

TTMIK is my main learning source. I feel like everyone knows about this website, but it’s genuinely such a good resource for Korean. The only downside is that it focuses on grammar and rarely gives new vocabulary so, you kind of have to go out of your way to find vocab to study, but I don’t quite mind because it means I can decide what topics I want to learn. (they do have a YouTube channel in which they post like “500 must know Korean vocab” videos) TTMIK also has pretty affordable textbooks and workbooks. I personally don’t use them because I feel like I can learn Korean fine without spending money on a textbook but if you’re one of those people who like having a physical workbook/textbook, I’ve heard excellent things about their books!

HowtostudyKorean

This website is another well known one. I don’t usually use this website because I don’t like how disorganized it is, and I don’t personally understand the explanations. They also don’t teach 존댓말 (formal language) right off the bat and I personally believe that it’s beneficial to learn 존댓말 as a beginner due to how important it is in Korean culture. However, that’s just personal beliefs and preferences. They supply a really good amount of vocab to learn in each lesson and I really appreciate that.

I think that both TTMIK and HTSK are excellent websites and it’s truly up to personal preference as to which one you use!

Apps

Quizlet

Quizlet is one of the best vocab studying apps that I’ve tried. A while ago they added a subscription which is really annoying so the only thing you can really do it’s like flash card things and matching games?? It definitely downgraded the app but I can understand 😅

Drops

Drops is a very fun app for me. It helps with vocab studying so much. You can only use it for like 5 minutes a day unless you pay for a subscription, but even those 5 minutes a day are super useful. They have different topics such as Food, Numbers, Colors, K-pop, Daily routine, etc… It has other languages, too, so if you aren’t learning Korean or are learning other languages, you can choose to use Drops in your other target language! (They currently have over 40 languages if I remember correctly)

Naver Papago - AI Translator

I know there’s a lot of stigma around translators, but Papago is a dictionary based translator. I don’t know if that’s that correct term or what not, but basically, if you type in a sentence and translate it into Korean, it not only gives you the translation but also breaks down the words used in the sentence and gives further sample sentences with those words. I find this very fun and useful, and so far, Papago has been very accurate. (Just please don’t rely on Papago or any other translator if you’re genuinely learning a language, trust me 🙏)

DeepL Translate

Unlike Papago, DeepL translates sentences like how you would say them in an actual conversation. Additionally, it adds different ways to say everything you translate. The only downside is that the app doesn’t really explain anything you see in the sentence. As I said, Papago breaks down the sentences and gives you different examples as to how to use the words, and you can see different conjugations… etc. It really depends on personal preference as to which one you wanna use, they’re both great apps.

Langblr Blogs

a pop of korean

I personally love this blog especially to review after I’ve gone over things in TTMIK and even after I watch Miss Vicky. The explanations are incredibly easy for me to understand and the examples given are really clear for me.

dreamer hangugeo

I actually just recently found this blog but I really enjoy the explanations they give, too. I’m literally always scrolling through A Pop of Korean and Dreamer Hangugeo when I need a quick refresher or if I need clearance on something. It’s definitely worth checking these blogs out if you haven’t already.

[some-teeth-in-a-trench-coat]

Hey question, how long have you been learning hebrew / what method, I've been wanting to pick it back up for a while now, but I've been having a hard time, any recomendations?

I started sometime like a year or two ago I think, but I have been very distracted and most days not really learning.

I started with Duolingo, which has since gotten worse and worse in terms of functionality tbh, but the writing system lessons are actually really useful for learning to read unfamiliar characters (in general, not just for Hebrew). If you try the regular lessons, I highly recommend checking the discussion page for nearly every sentence you come across. There will be a lot of idiots saying idiotic things as with any public, largely unmoderated forum, but there are also a lot of helpful people there, native speakers and advanced learners answering questions, providing trasliterations, and correcting the course itself when it's wrong. A few of those are mine, but unfortunately last year Duo froze the forums permanently with no forewarning, so it's no longer possible to comment or vote, but the archive is still valuable. Not all sentences have sound but this is because no good text to speech services exist for Hebrew and therefore they hired real voice actors, which means they couldn't do all the words and sentences in the entire course.

(If you're having trouble finding the "tips & notes" section, you can find its contents at https://duome.eu/tips/en/he)

As Duolingo's quality fell and I grew frustrated with the Hebrew course's idiotic priorities (e.g. learning "import" long before "bathroom" and being forced to memorize literally a hundred verbs in a row before moving on), I looked for other solutions, but it seems like most cost money.

One decent alternative I found is Clozemaster, which isn't perfect, the free version only lets you practice 30 sentences a day and the audio is pretty bad and sometimes incorrect, but the real selling point is it lets you practice words in order of how common they are which means no more waiting years to learn past tense and other things that are immensely useful but arbitrarily labeled "advanced" a lot of the time. Additionally, it lets you say "no need to practice this again, I know it already" so you can minimize the time (and your limited sentences) you waste on repeating things that don't need repeating, as well as "I don't think I'm gonna remember this just yet, please repeat it again soon" in case you're struggling with something!

Other resources I use:

Pealim.com - a Hebrew dictionary, you can search English words, Hebrew words (in any inflected form), and roots! It doesn't give you a lot of detail on the meaning, but it does explain a lot about the inflection patterns which is super useful for understanding how roots and inflections behave. Also has some articles on grammar and such, but I haven't actually read any of them...

Wiktionary.org - Wikipedia except a dictionary, search words in any language, get definitions, etymology, pronunciation, examples, usage notes, and/or translations depending on the word and the language (just like some Wikipedia articles are more informative than others). I used it a lot today to check if I was using a word correctly after looking it up on Pealim. If there isn't a lot of information in English, chances are there's more if you change the language to Hebrew, but you'll probably need help understanding it.

Friends who are fluent. A bit harder to share this one, but I want to acknowledge that this is something I have access to. My boyfriend has lived most his life in Israel so that helps.

Avatar: The Last Airbender Hebrew Dub - Yes that's right you can literally just watch ATLA in Hebrew for free without a VPN right on Nickelodeon's own site! Iirc, there are no subtitles until season 2, and only in Hebrew, but it's great practice listening and trying to understand and if you're cool and have binged the show multiple times already, that'll help provide context and make it easier to understand what they're saying. Whenever you notice a word being said a lot, try to look it up with one of the above resources! And when you're done with that, there's a lot more shows available there! Do note that some episodes are missing, the episodes aren't perfectly in order, and there is one mislabeled episode that's actually Spongebob near the end, but the real episode is also there.

Israeli/Jewish music - I've been listening to a lot of music in Hebrew and enjoying seeing how I slowly understand more and more, also has helped me understand thick Yiddish accents instead of just Academy approved Israeli Hebrew (Hebrew voice acting is incredibly restricted and idk it's weird).

I hope some of this was helpful!

בהצלחה!‏

[systematicallycapricious]

Just musing about a couple small oddities I noticed while going through the Japanese version of Ultimax. Disclaimer: I still don’t know a super-ton about the Japanese language, so these observations might not actually mean anything of importance. >_>

(And if anyone with better Japanese knowledge than I comes across this post and wants to help elucidate things, I’m always down to learn more.)

                                                            [1]

In Labrys’s arcade mode, Minazuki introduces himself as purely “ミナヅキ”, while in every other instance I can find in both story mode and arcade mode, he always introduces himself fully as “ミナヅキショウ” (like shown below with Chie).

The closest thing I can find to the contrary of his usual pattern is how he introduces himself to Adachi in “Episode Adachi” (pictured below), but even then he still gives his full name after a moment.

Meanwhile, in the English translation of Labrys’ arcade mode story, this discrepancy is entirely glossed over as Minazuki just introduces himself in his English-typical “Minazuki. Sho Minazuki”.

I haven’t checked through the manga to see if this pattern holds there too, ‘cause I’m not as familiar with its sequence of events as I am with the game and so would have to comb through it more meticulously. So there might be something there that affirms or breaks this pattern?

So yeah. I don’t really have enough sociocultural knowledge to know if him doing that is indicative of a closer relational position, of him being more disrespectful, or of it being some purely grammatical variation with little characterization meaning, though I do find it interesting from a “well, it’s an oddity of behavioral pattern if nothing else” perspective.

(Oh- and for additional context, in that scene in Labrys’ arcade story, Minazuki makes mention of how he and Labrys are the same, something that’s reiterated in one of his “spectating Labrys’ dance” voice lines in P3:DiM. Thus why it seems plausible to me that he might consider himself relationally closer to her. Though on the other hand, he might still see her as an inanimate tool as well, so not treating her with the same formality as he would a person could give credence to it being a more disrespectful form of regard instead? There’s not really enough context to tell, as even his Labrys-specific battle lines and DiM lines could be read either or both ways. :P)

                                                            [2]

In EpP4, when Minazuki stabs General Kagutsuchi and demands to know what he’s planning to do with Sho, he seemingly goes to refer to Sho as “this child(この子を)”, then pauses for a moment before changing his address to “Minazuki(皆月を)”, with “を” being a grammatical marker for the “direct object” of a conversation or sentence I think..? If there are more nuances to it than that, I haven’t learned them yet, haha. Anyways, after changing the direct object that he’s referring to, he then goes on to say the rest of the sentence.

Meanwhile, in the English translation, this is just simplified into “this boy” with no further distinction between the two apparent forms of address that the Japanese version has.

As for the manga, he just outright uses “皆月を” from the start, though, aside from dropping Kagutsuchi’s name from the dialogue boundaries, says the line exactly the same (どうするつもりだ). The English fan-scanlation on Mangadex follows in the footsteps of the English game translation in writing the line as “Just what do you intend to do with this boy?”.

Also, just for context, I think usually any other time that any character uses “皆月”, it’s translated as “Sho” rather than “that boy”? (With the exception of the manga ‘pronunciation subtitles inform you that the spoken word is entirely different than the written word’ thing where sometimes “皆月” is written but “この子” is spoken, I think.)

So yeah. I’m not sure if this is supposed to be an important characterization detail on Minazuki’s part, since this happens right after Yu gets him to realize that he's a person supporting Sho rather than Sho being totally alone, or if it’s just a negligible grammatical thing. Though, since I don’t think Minazuki ever calls Sho “皆月” outright outside of explaining Sho’s past to other characters, in which even then I think he uses “皆月翔” specifically, it kind of makes me think that him using a more direct form of address for Sho rather than an indirect one might hold some significance?

Although, as a counterpoint to that, we also don’t ever really see him directly conversing or interacting with Sho outside of a couple scenes in the manga and a couple lines in P3:DiM, so maybe he does call Sho by name more regularly and we just don’t get to see it. For example, in the P4U2 DNA Comics anthology, there’s quite a few times where Minazuki directly addresses Sho by his family name, but the anthology is non-canon as far as I know, so I can’t really count it. :T

Also, I haven’t extensively combed through every last instance for this point, so you may want to take it with a grain of salt, as some things may have fallen through the cracks. ^^;

                                Addendum: P4U2 Stageplay

I’m putting the stageplay in a separate section here mostly because 1) I don’t know how “canon” it’s considered and 2) my phonetic Japanese comprehension still needs a lot of work and I don’t have subtitles like I do with the game. Also I kind of wrote-up everything above before remembering that it existed. <_<;

Anyways, going through it with my limited comprehension, I can say that Minazuki sticks with his “ミナヅキショウ” full introduction and sticks to referring to Sho as “彼(him)” and “この子(this child)” throughout his appearances... with a single exception. In a flashback to when Minazuki confronts Ikutsuki with Tsukiyomi, Minazuki at one point says “翔(Shou)” specifically. However, as I don’t know the rest of the words preceding it, I don’t really know if he’s referring to Sho, of whom he kind of yeeted out of the body a bit beforehand, or if he’s referring to himself since he shares a name with Sho.

And as for what he says to Kagutsuchi just before he gets possessed, he actually seems to say just “どうするつもりだ、カグツチ？”, bringing the three variations full-circle by keeping Kagu’s name but nixing any direct reference to Sho.

[zenaidamacrouras1]

A new graphic for a new chapter of Backhoe - this chapter is very long and discusses funerals, just FYI if that's a thing you're trying to avoid. I wrote much of it while sitting at the zoo crying, because I don't know, it seemed like a normal thing to do at the time.

Quick geography note to explain the graphic: Not all of Appalachia is this densely textured, but above is a mocked up example of more or less how I picture the land where this action is taking place. Its just a random google maps screenshot, no where in particular. The hills aren't super high, but they are steep. People typically live along the creeks that run between the hills, in long narrow communities. In the area pictured, you would have houses on one side of the creek without enough space for a house on the other side of the creek.

The long narrow valleys between mountains are called "hollers" which is a regional pronunciation of "hollow." Because the roads typically follow the creeks at the bottom of the holler, unless there is tunnel through the mountain, you can live fairly close to something as the crow flies, but have to drive ten minutes up one holler and down the other to get there by car. Sam and Bucky would have run back and forth over the mountain to play as kids, probably on an old logging road, and they would have hiked up to the pipeline site from their house to pick peaches, even though there are no paved roads that lead to that site. Because of the steepness of the terrain, it's not uncommon for a fairly low income family to own a lot of acres of forest, because the land has very little real estate value. (Lots of families will sell off land or lease land to timber, coal and natural gas companies for extra income).

A last thing worth noting is that it's fairly typical for people to bury their relatives at the family homeplace, so the family cemetery where Bucky's parents, grandparents, etc are buried is probably near the house, though I don't know if it will come up in the story, it's just one of those ways that Appalachian culture is rooted in the land to this day.

Oh, I thought I was out of things to say, but to add that there are rural Black Appalachians, sometimes called Affrilachian in recent history, and they are often invisibilized from our history. Black folks are a very important part of Appalachian history, notable Black Appalachians include scholar bell hooks, scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr., Katherine Johnson who was featured in the movie Hidden Figures, all grew up in narrow hollers like these. Let's not forget John Henry, of the very well know folk song about the epic battle of man vs. machine and the grief of laborers who lose their job to technology, was a Black man. The labor movement in WV coal mines was a foundation for the labor movement across the US and many Black Appalachian labor leaders fought and died for the labor rights we enjoy today. Lastly, the Highlander Center where Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks trained was founded by Black (and white) Appalachians in east Tennessee.

LOL remember when I said that was a quick geography note?!?

[kirby-the-gorb]

reply roundup! + announcement

things will be restructuring soon:

I may do one more normal reply roundup after this, but then they will become shorter, more sporadic, and less thorough - just whatever catches my eye that I have something to say about, rather than systemically trawling the notes of every post since the last one

the reblob queue is still full up until mid-november, but when that runs out I will also be changing how that gets filled - organizational tags will stay but commentary will be less frequent, and I’ll just refill as I go instead of big days of concentrated effort which means you may get the same artist multiple days and it may just run out sometimes if no one’s posted in a while

I will be stopping the patreon requests and wallpapers after fulfillment for november signups - that means there will be patreon requests and a wallpaper that go up in december, but none after that. I may or may not sub in a $5 postcard tier at that time, for a little print in the mail of whichever drawing was my favorite that month, but that’s still a maybe. other than that the patreon will become more of a tip jar, if you just like tucking a little extra spending money in my pocket so I can order better food sometimes :v I’m pretty sure the favorites posts every couple months should continue though.

daily drawings will definitely continue.

this is unfortunately necessary due to my health.

highlights:

the [preview] for next month’s wallpaper is up

patreon requests for this month are up for [my wife], [fleurdelis], and [matt]

my friend darian and I did a livestream and the vod is up on [youtube] with proper captions (I will not be able to do captions like this again anytime soon even if I stream again, soz)

my wife had an important interview and she said it went well, we should know how well by like the 4th (if it went well enough we get to move back home next summer)

on [story]:

@hobgirl​ said: go girl give me nothing!! actually this is exclusively how i talk to my friend, describing the book im reading like: SO her husband who died of cancer was actually a clone and her actual husband is only sort of dead because hes an owl now, but maybe not. either way the owl died and that made her lonely so she gave in to the supernatural force of whatever, that turned her into a big beast with thousands of eyes and gills and actual mountains maybe??? and she met HER clone who DIDNT have cancer!!!!! thats what i picture kirby saying as well

this is absolutely how I tell stories to my wife too lol (sounds like a wild book)

@ceylonsilvergirl​ said: talking to an excited 3-year-old. all you can do it nod and occasionally say “wow!’’ “for reals!?’’ “no way!’’ “what happened next!?’’

bless their hearts they are so excited but they’re not super good at pronunciation or sentence structure yet so you just gotta roll with it

on [zap]:

@hobgirl​ said: somehow i did not expect his skeleton to look like that. like.... it feels like he should have tiny lil ribs cause he can deform so much, but either way his skeleton was gonna be cursed!

I did intentionally not give him a sternum, not having the ribs fused to anything in front does give them a lot more mobility! but honestly he probably does not have an endoskeleton at all I just think it’s funny lol

on [teeth]:

@rajayohn​ said: oh my god you actually did it you made kirby look adorable with teeth

ehehehehehe >:)

regarding [stream]:

@ceylonsilvergirl​ said: The stream was fun! Thanks!

@slimey-2​ said: was bummed out to be busy during this stream, I'll catch the next one if you do it again!

totally! it was a good time and if I don’t corner myself into writing the captions I should be able to manage another one sometime :>

on [bears]:

@brainfullofhotsauce​ said: Omg Neapolitan

omg you’re right that was completely by accident :0

on [basket]:

@ceylonsilvergirl​ said: Kirby moses. koses

@jupiterlandings​ said: *deliver us from Prince of Egypt plays faintly in the distance*

yes. exactly. you get me.

on [clue]:

@chaosinanutshell​ said: A CLUE A CLUE!! movie??? heck yes plz. bring back my boys Joe and Steve, the OGs. me when I was taking my bio test

honestly the trailer is really cute, my childhood friends and I are old enough that we kinda aged out right as joe started but I sent the trailer to the group chat and they were like “ohhhhh we should watch it!!!!” (and those answers are in there somewhere! maybe!)

on [balloon]:

@angst-and-fajitas​ said: 'are they helium balloons? I told ya the kirb aint made for helium balloons! oh great now he's floatin away'

@ghostieblotts said: prev tags how does it feel to be a genius you're brilliant. i love this style!!

I’ve watched that vine so many times, I can hear it so clearly in my head lol. great joke. (and thank you!)

@ceylonsilvergirl​ said: when my son was very young, probably about 2 or 3, he had received a balloon from a kind employee when we were grocery shopping. I tied it to his wrist but he insisted he hold it instead, and when we went to the park afterwards... yes the inevitable occurred. it was one of those moments where he just plain had to learn. it wasn’t a tragic thing, more of a disappointment, but an important lesson nonetheless

aww, never a fun lesson to learn. (also she feels really good about how the interview went, I hope your meeting went okay too!)

on [baseball]:

@imkirb​ said: me when the padres, but at least they're SEXY B)

yeah looks like the padres really got the tar beat out of em this series. matt and I are mariners fans so... :’)

@ceylonsilvergirl​ said: Kirby darling, I’m afraid someone lied to you about how baseball is played

maybe he’s practicing! (it’s probably not very good practice.)

on [postcard idea]:

@imkirb said: shiii I wouldn't complain bout a postcard deal, that sounds fresh asf

@ceylonsilvergirl said: Don’t push yourself or your health on our account. Take care of yourself first

I’m doing my best to balance the two! we’ll see what happens.

from the askbox:

@chaosinanutshell said: Hallo :3 I was wondering, have u watched terminalmontage's kirbo videos? like the latest one for dream buffet which was basically a fever dream lmao

hope u have a good day (●'◡'●)

I’ve seen a couple of them, the humor is a little bit too fart- and scream-based for me sometimes but they have some jokes that really hit for me in there too. I love how absolutely brainless their kirby looks though lol (and thank you!)

[norwegianoslo]

Discovering the Mysterious Norwegian Language: 10 Fascinating Facts

Hei igjen! Today, we'll explore some fun facts that make Norwegian truly special. From its Viking origins to its diverse dialects, we'll uncover why learning Norwegian is an adventure worth taking. So, get ready to unravel the secrets of the Norwegian language with us!

Fact 1: Viking Roots and Influence

Did you know that Norwegian comes from the language spoken by the Vikings? Modern Norwegians have kept many Viking words and expressions alive, like “fjord”, “berserk”, and “skål!”) This gives the language a rich historical connection. Learning Norwegian means diving into not just a language but also a fascinating piece of history.

Fact 2: Two Official Written Forms

Norwegian is one of the few languages with two official written forms: Bokmål and Nynorsk. Bokmål is more common and similar to Danish, while Nynorsk is based on Norwegian dialects. This duality shows Norway's dedication to preserving its culture and language.

Fact 3: Tricky Letters

In Norwegian, you'll encounter unique letters that will challenge your mouth. Keep an eye out for our extra vowels: "Æ," "Ø," and "Å." They add a distinct flavor to the language and mastering them will make you sound like a native!

Fact 4: Dialect Diversity

Norway's varied regions have different dialects, making the language colorful and diverse. From the melodic Western dialects to the rhythmic patterns of the Eastern ones, each area has its own linguistic charm. Embracing these dialects helps you connect with locals, wherever you are in Norway.

Fact 5: Scandinavian Mutual Intelligibility

The Norwegian language is very similar to Swedish and Danish! Even though there are slight differences in vocabulary and pronunciation, there are enough similarities to understand, communicate, and connect with our Scandinavian neighbors in our own native tongues. By learning Norwegian, you’ll easily be able to chat with the Swedes and the Danes, too!

Fact 6: Keeping It Short and Sweet

Norwegians love keeping things simple, and direct, using short words and phrases to express themselves. This linguistic style is known as "kort og godt" ("short and good" in Norwegian). This approach makes the language super approachable for language learners.

Fact 7: Norway: An Early Influencer

Norwegian has influenced English vocabulary. Because Norwegian and English share common roots, several words have made their way from Norwegian into everyday English. These words usually relate to sailing, exploring, and the outdoors. So, when you hear words like "ski," "slalom," or "fjell," you're using Norwegian words in English!

Fact 8: Words for the Great Outdoors

Norwegian is deeply connected to nature and has many untranslatable words related to the outdoors. From "friluftsliv" (outdoor life) to " allemannsretten" (man’s right to roam the countryside) and "utepils" (a cold beer you drink outside), the language captures Norway's stunning natural wonders.

Fact 9: Coffee Breaks and "Kaffepause"

Norwegians take their coffee breaks seriously, and they have a word for it: "kaffepause." This typical Norwegian tradition emphasizes the importance of taking a breather and enjoying the little things in life, like a delicious cup of coffee, a bite or two of a “kanelsnurr” (cinnamon roll), and a good chat with a dear friend. Learning Norwegian allows you to fully embrace this delightful tradition and experience the social aspect of "kaffepause" firsthand.

Fact 10: Norwegian Literary Treasures

Norwegian literature boasts renowned writers like Henrik Ibsen, Henrik Wergeland, and Knut Hamsun. Exploring Norwegian literature in its original language unveils untranslatable nuances, captivating stories, and poetry. Learning Norwegian opens the door to these literary treasures and lets you experience them firsthand.

Conclusion:

From its Viking origins and diverse dialects to its cozy culture and rich literary heritage, Norwegian offers a captivating experience for language learners. As you dive deeper, you'll uncover connections to history, nature, and the vibrant Norwegian way of life. By learning Norwegian, you’ll gain insight into its people and culture. So, come learn Norwegian with us and embrace the adventure! Immerse yourself in the language, and discover the endless possibilities that await in the fascinating realm of Norwegian. Good luck - Lykke til!

That's it! You've reached the end of our blog. We hope you enjoyed our content. If you did, feel free to like it and share it with a friend. We'd appreciate it! ❤️

[ice-ice-babyyy]

Thailand Tips and Tricks

Are you or a friend visiting Thailand soon? Want to know what to know some of the do's and don'ts? We'll look no further, for I am going to bless you with these tips and tricks of how to survive Thailand!

Do's

First one is pretty obvious but learn some Thai phrases and most importantly PRONOUNCE THEM CORRECTLY! Some words in Thai sound very similar if you don't know the right tone or pronunciation and the person you're trying to speak to might not understand. Don't think you need master the language because most of the locals speak conversational English.

Next you have to learn about the culture, some things that are normal in your country could be disrespectful in others. For example, in Thailand before entering a house you take your shoes off, you shouldn't touch people's heads ect. Familiarise yourself with as many of these as you can so you don't come across as rude.

The heat of Thailand is unbearable especially if you bring long and thick clothes so pack lightly. For example tank tops, t-shirts, shorts, ect.

There are SO MANY mosquitos so you should buy some mosquito repellent the MOMENT you land, unless you want irritateing itchy dots all over you body and potentially dengay fever. I recommend this brand ⬇️, it's cheap and you can find it everywhere.

Sunscreen is super important, even when it's not that hot the UV rays will get you. Remember to reapply and always have extra!

Don'ts

I'm assuming you've heard about the notorious market's and how people always end up with food poisoning. The food there is so good so don't not go just be careful. Dont eat anything that looks raw or off and you should be fine, cause you don't wanna spend half you trip in the hospital or bed do you?

Be VERY cautious of the scams here, if people see a tourist they will attempt to scam you mostly with overcharging. Another scam is the jet ski scam, where you rent a jet ski by the beach when you bring it in they will say u damaged it and will demand money and if you say no they won't give you back your passport. So just be extra careful.

If you know of any tips and tricks for Thailand comment them. Hope you enjoyed!