#//italics are portuguese

[writermuses]

closed starter for @marimelwrites

Quintrell stepped out of the Huntsman with two new bespoke suits over his shoulder. He looked completely different from the man that he would be in just a few hours. Quin's day-to-day attire was casual, a henley and fitted jeans at best but typically athleisure attire was the uniform of the day. Taking out his phone, he started looking for a barber when he walked right into someone. "Shit. Sorry." Shaking his head, he used his free hand to steady them. "I mean, I'm sorry. I should have been looking where I was going, but I'm a little lost. Are you all right." His blue-grey eyes scanned their face, that little curve of to his lips ticking into a charming smile.

[yvanspijk]

Wool & lana

The word lana (wool) in languages such as Spanish is etymologically related to English wool. For words to be related, they don't have to look like each other. Instead, you have to be able to trace them back to the same ancestor through regular sound changes - and that's what linguists managed to do with wool and lana. The infographic shows the Germanic and Romance family trees of these words.

[writermuses]

Quin had moved to the States for school and fallen into sex work to pay for it. He'd enjoyed it so much that he'd become an extremely successful escort through a renowned company. Consequently, his friendship with Rhys had definitely become one akin to an odd couple. Laughing off the joke he shook his head, "I doubt you could put up with me and all of my antics for anything longer than anyone put up with Kim Kardashian." Quintrell gave a casual shrug, taking another slow swig of his drink. "You're not going to fuck this up, Rhys. The right person will have the patience to listen to you and respect and love for you to let you learn from the mistakes you both will make. It's all about grace, okay cara?" With a gentle squeeze to his best friends shoulder he laughed. "You don't want to hear about what I've been doing. You'll choke on that drink. I mean, if you really want to go ahead and ask again."

This was why he liked Quinn and befriended him in the first place, they could tease each other alright but the other didn't give him shit for disclosing the corny stuff Rhys had just said, which was a big deal he said them in the first place because he didn't share about his feelings with anyone else; having grown up in a clinical and cold family, Rhys knew very little about showing love and speaking from his heart. Quinn called things as he saw them and that was what he needed. "Shit, why don't I marry you instead?" Rhys asked teasingly, his way of dismissing all the good things his friends had said about him. "I mean, you have a point, sure, but you'll meet her and you know why I'm scared to fuck things up." He said thoughtfully as he drank from his beer. "Anyway, I don't wanna be the dumbass talking about me all night. Your turn to update me on your life, man." || @writermuses

[julianalvarez9]

i think he knows / ruben dias

summary: ruben knows exactly what you're thinking -because he's thinking about it too, has been thinking about it for so long. but he wants you to do something about it. until you do.

warnings: bold and italic text = song lyrics (i think he knows, by taylor swift). again, badly traslated portuguese (sorry, ruben anon, didn't want to bother you 😭). mentions of alcohol and the consumption of. use of john and jack as plot devices bc they do almost nothing jajajaj. like, one mention of "inappropriate" dancing??? don't know if i've forgotten anything else.

wc: 1.3k words.

i think he knows his footprints on the sidewalk lead to where i can't stop, go there every night.

"ruben, you need to stop bringing me to these places", you huff, annoyed, while holding the jacket he draped over your shoulders to try and keep you warm in the cold, manchester night. the walk from his car to the club's entrance wasn't that long, but you didn't want to go out in the first place: only accompanying your best friend because he asked you to.

once he closes the passenger side door behind you, he places his warm hand against your small back, and you start walking by his side, hoping the cold hair hitting your face helps to freeze the heat inundating your cheeks. "who would i bring if not you, meu anjo?" (my angel), he asks, tilting his head like a confused dog. ruben had the widest smile on his face, and it's the same grin that had you agreeing with him to come in the first place. you curse under your breath for having a best friend so charming. after announcing your names to the employee at the door, they let you two inside the club, his hand finding yours instantly when the sea of people gets too hard to navigate.

his height proves to be of great advantage when he needs to find his teammates in the multitude. it's easier for him, just looking ahead and seeing john's fluffy hair sticking out like a sore thumb in the bar, his laugh too almost being heard through the loud music when you eventually get to them.

"ah, there they are!" city's number five starts clapping when he sees you two, approaching to greet you two: ruben, with a side hug and a pat on the back, you, with a barely-there kiss on the cheek. "i thought you two weren't coming", jack laughs from behind him, and you greet him with a confused look. "why? i thought ruben had confirmed with you".

"well, you look very pretty tonight, maybe ruben had finally-".

the winger learns to keep his mouth shut when ruben glares at him, already knowing what his mate would have said if he hadn't intercepted the sentence: "maybe ruben had finally grown a pair". it wasn't a secret to anyone, much less his teammates that heard him talking about you everyday, that he was whipped. and ruben was quite certain that you wanted him too, at least in some way, but for whatever reason, he couldn't do anything about it.

being scared wasn't an excuse. he prided himself on it, on being fearless: it's what being a defender requires, he always says. but maybe he feared more being rejected by you, and thus, losing your friendship, than getting a ball aimed directly at his face. he was sure that missing you would definitely hurt more than a black eye or a broken nose.

"a pint, yeah?" he asks, directly in your ear, once he has come back to his senses. you nod approvingly, but before he drops your hand to go find your drink, he feels your slightly smaller hand tightening over his: your silent way of asking him if he was okay. ruben only hums in affirmation, only to realize you can’t actually hear him, so he just smiles before planting a kiss on your temple, and running away.

i think he knows his hands around a cold glass make me wanna know that body like it's mine.

the drinks keep flowing for everyone, except ruben. he’s known for not drinking alcohol, and keeping his uptight appearance at all times: that’s where his teammates balance the matter out.

“i think you should go check over your friend there,” said jack in an overly animated tone when the music subsided a little, and you turned to set your eyes on the table where ruben was seated. he had his elbows resting over the table, forearms on show due to him rolling his long sleeved white shirt up. the top buttons were messily undone, but he still looked like he was sculpted by angels. his hands were occupied by a cold glass containing some form of non-alcoholic beverage, for sure, and although it wasn’t a sight that you hadn’t seen before, it made you feel warm inside.

he divided his attention from john, who was the one keeping him company, before searching for someone in the sea of people. he stopped when he found you, but his demeanor changed when he saw jack holding tightly to your waist. the glass suddenly looked like it could burst at any minute by the amount of force he was gripping it with, and his eyebrows frowned in confusion at the thought of jack being the one holding you like that, and not him.

ruben didn’t have to think twice before downing his drink in one go, like it could provide him some kind of liquid confidence -the one that only alcohol could give you-, before standing up and making a beeline towards his teammate and you.

poor man, if he only knew that little grealish wasn’t trying to make a move on you, but rather, trying to keep his balance after having, certainly, too much to drink, his feet wouldn't have carried him to you so quickly, almost like a bull seeing red.

“john needs you over there, mate”.

wanna see what's under that attitude. like, i want you, bless my soul.

if you didn’t know your best friend so well, you might have missed the cues. but even now, while having certainly too many pints, you can recognise he’s mad.

“why are you angry?”.

he’s perplexed, like he isn’t expecting you to see right through him. in a second, his jaw unclenches, and he’s back to his usual persona: the ruben you know, the one you love. “wasn’t angry, anjo (angel), just missed you,” he says. and even if it’s not the whole truth, it’s half of it, and you try to hide the heat flowing to your cheeks by turning, his chest now flushed against you back. “dance with me, then,” you jokingly said, taking his hands into yours to settle them in your waist.

at first, he’s unsure. his hands only rest at your side, and he’s barely moving, though you keep on trying to press your body against his, even if he’s intended to keep his distance. normally, you loved this part about him, how he’s always so respectful, so caring, just so unically him. but not tonight. whether it is because of the alcohol you consumed, the place being so hot or the indecent thoughts you had about him all night -that appeared to come out of nowhere-, tonight you want to rile him up.

“god, you’re no fun. jack’s a better dancer than you”.

it seems to light something in him, because his grip tightens, and suddenly he doesn’t care about you moving your ass directly onto his crotch. instead, his body's impossibly closer to yours, at the point where you can feel his breath on your neck, fuelling the goosebumps that erupt on your skin. ruben seems to know what you're doing, or what you're trying to do, because he whispers it in your ear. "meu anjo se transformou em um demônio esta noite, não é certo?". (my angel turned into a devil tonight, isn't that right?).

when you turn to look at ruben, his eyes are the darkest you've ever seen them. even with the low and coloured lights at the club, which difficult your vision, you can feel his piercing stare. your arms go in the air, before wrapping them around his neck like it was second nature, and his hands find their home in your waist, holding you flush against him. you hope your doe eyes made him understand, without you having to verbally tell him, that you want him to take you home. and magically, it seems like the case, when he grins, his million dollar smile before taking your hand in his and dragging you towards the exit, without turning around to tell your friends -his teammates, about your sudden departure.

i ain't gotta tell him, i think he knows.

[moodymisty]

Surprise

Author's Note: Loosely based off my personal experience struggles learning Spanish and Portuguese. I wanted to do something sfw to work on König's character and get a feel for things with CoD. I'll make some filth soon lol

Any German used is one or two very easily understandable words, and anything more in-depth is just implied via italics. Far easier than making an arse out of myself with Google translate because we all know how that works.

Summary: You've been studying German in secret from König for weeks now, hopefully it pays off.

Relationships: König/Fem!Reader

Warnings: I do not know German so I apologize, Fluff, Reader is implied foreigner but from where is not specified, Fluff without plot

Word Count: 2016

Closing the book in your lap you take your hands away from the pages and rub them over your face, feeling the way your eyes almost burn from overuse. Squeezing them shut helps, but it almost seems like the letters are burned into the back of your eyelids.

No more information can be shoved into my brain; Not tonight.

It's late- the sun has long since set and if you start another section, you might end up hearing the birds outside start chirping by the time you finish and go to bed. With König gone and it being the weekend you can at least sleep in, to cover up your late night of studying.

Getting up off the couch and taking your notes and textbook, they both come with you to the bedroom; Where you hide them underneath the cushion of the window seat. It was a place that he would never look, at least not without good reason.

That was part of the plan after all, for him to be surprised by all this.

As for all the time you've known König his mother tongue has remained a mystery to you, unable to understand whenever he mumbles it under his breath while fixing himself something to eat, or yelling at a door frame he hit with his shoulder or head by accident. Which happens frequently, as unfortunately the apartment isn't exactly built for a man of his size.

You’ve picked up words and small sentences over time; Maus, danke, bitte, ich liebe dich; Scheisse as well, much to König's playfully faked distress. He's always tried to refuse teaching your swears, but you've picked up on them anyways. He thinks they sound too cute to take seriously when you say them. They just make him laugh.

But none of it is enough to hold any length of conversation. König is sweet and always helps whenever you need something translated, but you know sometimes words just don't cross over one to one. Not to mention you don't want to always rely on him. So you decided to learn as much as you could, but keep it a surprise. At least for a bit. There was only so far you could get without speaking it, using it- but for now you could at least try and listen.

''Can you help me?' You stumble out in practice before sighing, slipping into your nightclothes as your bed remains unmade and calling out to you.

Could really use some of that right now.

You keep mumbling to yourself, the words floating through your head, hoping they'll stick to the image of an object or scene that follows in tandem. It's such a silly, impossible goal, but you want to impress him. You slip into bed and begin relaxing, hoping you'll be able to sleep before light starts bleeding through the curtains.

The ring of your phone however distracts you from any further thoughts, grabbing it off the bedside table where it had been charging. Only one person will call this late, and since you’re already in your nightclothes, you answer without even checking the caller id. It would just say 'Unknown' anyways, if it was him. You answer and speak up.

"Good evening. Or morning? Afternoon?"

König chuckles and even if it's hundreds or even thousands of miles away, it still makes you smile. When he's gone you usually don't hear much from him at all, so it's always a wonderful treat when he does manage to find a moment.

"Evening. The sun is just about to set." You're sure he can hear you rustling of the blankets as you pull them over your body, laying down with your phone on speaker right in front of the pillow.

"Keeping busy, Liebe?"

"As busy as I can, it's really late. Was just about to sleep." König hums, and you can hear the scratch of him rubbing his head.

"Ahh, am I keeping you up? I don't want you tired because of me." Just as you go to answer him back someone must enter the room, asking him something. You can hear the question and König's extremely curt and irritated response to it, and it's a struggle to not laugh when you realize you understood enough of it to put the pieces together.

So all this studying wasn't for nothing!

It's nice to finally see that you've been making at least some sort of stride. Once he finishes grumbling a reply at whoever had interrupted him- ignoring how cute you find it that he's so feverishly defending what tiny bit of time he has to talk to you- You answer back.

"Don't worry, I want to stay up; I miss you. I miss hearing your voice before I go to bed." You hear König let out a shy cough, rustling around. Sometimes he still gets a little bashful when you're particularly overt with how you feel about him.

"Then I will stay with you as long as I can." You know that's asking a lot of him; To even get a few moments time while he's deployed in the middle of god knows where is asking for a miracle. A damn good miracle at that.

"I miss you too, liebling."

His voice sounds so quiet when he speaks; You don't know if it's because of there being someone else in the room with him, or that he's just still not used to saying things like that.

The bed is warm and the blankets are soft, but it's still nowhere near as pleasant when König is here beside you. Neither of you have any idea how long he's going to be gone this time, but you always prepare as if it's going to be a long while. Hopefully however, it wont. You're not going to last very long without having him here with you. Just the feeling of being stuck in his arms because he's dead asleep and his grip is so strong- you miss it. You miss him kissing you on the cheek to wake you up in the mornings, and the feeling of his hand on the dip of your waist. His voice always sounds so gruff and sore in the mornings, whispering in English or German or a mix of both as he hides his face in your neck.

The sudden increase in background noise from the other side of the call jolts you out of any sort of fantasizing you were in, thankfully before it went down a path perhaps a bit more appropriate for such a late hour. König speaks up before you have a chance to ask if he needs to leave.

"I have to go; I promise I will try and find another moment to talk to again, ok?" You can hear the sudden rustling around in the background; Some of it from him, some clearly from elsewhere in the room.

He whispers again; Unsure under his breath 'I love you', the words still a bit shy and experimental on his lips. You return it quickly before the line goes dead. You have to reach a hand from under the blanket to lock your phone, staring at the lock screen for a moment.

Now the room feels almost, eerily quiet.

You turn over to set your phone down on the nightstand and turn off the last of the lights, heading to closing your eyes and trying to get some sleep.

When König returns, it's usually not without a fair share of eventfulness.

Normally he spends a day or two somewhere else first before coming back to you, which you understand; He doesn't want to bring 'that side of him' back home. Doing what he does isn’t a 9-5, and it’s not something that’s easy to leave at the front step.

After having a bit to decompress he's finally returned, having just closed the front door. He finished unlacing his combat boots and putting them beside your own shoes, as you shuffled off to get him something to drink after already tackling him. You had nearly jumped on him the moment you hear his key hit the lock, feeling him mumble a surprised but happy greeting against your lips.

Leaning over he goes to pick his pack back up off the ground to move it, but it either gets hooked on something, or the fabric finally gives. Either way the contents then spill out all over the floor, from clothing to whatever else he has stuffed inside.

"Damn it! You fucking piece of-"

The stream of swears he lets out makes you nearly winge, between about how he's going to damn the thing to Hell or set it ablaze. Either or. You try not to smile and quickly go to help him clean up the mess of his belongings that's now scattered all over the floor. You shoo his hands back a bit.

"Here, let me help, instead of you yelling about trying to set it all on fire."

König quickly stops what he was doing, and watches as you come closer. He looks confused for a moment, brow furrowed as if trying to see if you’re just being silly, or got lucky guessing what he was saying.

“...Did you understand me?” He experimentally says; As If in disbelief. You can’t help but smile and respond back.

“Are you surprised?” You cover your mouth and laugh, while cringing.

"Oh god my accent must be terrible, I haven't spoken it to anything other than the-" König bursts up from his awkward squat on the ground and wraps his arms under the crease of your bottom, lifting you off the ground. "-Wall!" Your arms wrap around his neck trying to keep yourself upright while he eagerly kisses your cheek. Over and over again, until it’s nearly red.

"Meine Liebe you sound perfect, how long have you been keeping this from me?" In any other context he probably would've been upset you were keeping secrets from him, especially big ones, but he seems too happy with the outcome to even care.

"A couple months. Long enough that I was scared you might catch me." The idea of him 'catching' you seems to make him laugh, but he still refuses to put you down.

"You made my terrible day so much better, I hope you know." He gives you another kiss this time on the lips, made easier from you being lifted to his height. Your arms snake loosely around shoulders as you giggle against his mouth, fingers tangling in his messy, soft hair. He's long since abandoned his mess on the ground at his feet, finally putting you down only to awkwardly bend over with you and kiss you again. His lips feel soft against yours and his hands cup your jaw so gently, before his lips leave yours with a soft pop.

"I hope you know you don't have to do this for me, liebling."

His eyes are tired from spending so long awake, hair messy and unkempt. You know the moment the excitement is all over he's just going to want to take a nap.

"I know, but I wanted to." You awkwardly try to hug him around the shoulders. "You're dedicated to helping me now, though." König lets out a quiet laugh.

"Of course, but can we take a nap first?" He always says we, as even though you're probably not tired in the slightest, he quietly hopes you'll join him for his own piece of mind. You help him sleep better, he confessed one night.

"Go lay down; I'll pick this all up." Listening to you he leans up to his full height and sluggishly walks off, retreating to your bedroom as you pick up his belongings. You stuff them all in the bag for him to go through himself later, before you follow and find him already face down on the mattress. He barely even bothered to change; Only his trousers are swapped to something more comfortable.

The moment you climb onto the bed with him he's trying to drag you into his arms, wrapping them tight around you and tugging you close to his body like some sort of stuffed animal. He feels so warm, your hands softly laying against his back.

You hear him mumble sleepily; Something about you being his little 'stuffed bear', before he's out like a light.

[hoshifighting]

Understanding My Writing: A Guide to My Creative Process

Hii!! I wanted to take a moment to share with you some insights into my writing process. Whether you've been following my blog for some time or are just discovering it now, I believe it's important to shed light on the methods behind the imagines, reactions, and one-shots that I craft.

Influences

My writing is heavily influenced by Brazilian literature, which I had the privilege to study and graduate in. You may notice a pattern of paragraphs structured into introduction, development, and conclusion, mirroring the traditional narrative structure often found in Brazilian books. And normally, you will see texts in italics to highlight a feeling, line of thought, or an important point in the text.

And sure you might find some grammatical errors, but please don't hate me! 🥺

Interpretations

One of the most fascinating aspects of storytelling, imo, is its subjectivity. Each reader brings their own experiences, emotions, and perspectives to the table, inviting you, to engage with the text on a personal way, to find meaning and resonance in your own way.

The Creative Journey

Every piece of writing, whether it's a brief imagine, a sprawling fanfic, or a one-shot, It begins with a spark of inspiration—a fleeting thought, a powerful emotion, an idea from my inbox, a request, a "what if?"

Ah, but Lyla, why are you trained in Brazilian literature, and write in English?

You see, I initially started writing in Portuguese, my native language, on platforms like Wattpad. However, some years ago, I started to study English more deeply. Writing in English became a natural progression for me as I sought to interact with the language more frequently.

While my roots are deeply embedded in Brazilian literature, writing in English has opened doors to a world of possibilities, enabling me to share my stories with you, guys! 🥺

And what do you read to keep you trained?

I've got a MIX of old-school classics that I keep coming back to. Like Don Quixote (Omg, Seventeen reference? 😳)

And then there's Dom Casmurro and Memórias Póstumas de Brás Cubas by Machado de Assis—classics from my school days that I've probably read a GAZILLION times, but they never get old.

I'm also a big fan of Clarice Lispector's books!

How to make a request?

Well, it's pretty simple. I check my inbox almost every day, even when it's bursting at the seams. My goal is to tackle those messages at least once a week, and I do my best to reply to as many as I can.

But, I have those days when I'm just not feeling it... 🤧 (prob when I'm too tired from work) So if you don't hear back from me right away, don't worry, I'm probably just waiting for that burst of inspiration to hit me.

So go ahead, send me your thoughts, questions, or just say hi! I love hearing from you all, and when the vibes are right, you can bet I'll be posting and sharing with you.

[cepetriwrites]

Behind the Chapter (Into the Eye Ch 32)

This chapter was a doozy and involved a lot of research wormholes. Let's get cracking.

Language

Trying to depict a different language using italics or valyrian for every foreign language Helaena might encounter was driving me crazy. Also Helaena may or may not be going to other places in Essos and I was having a difficult time conceptualizing how easy it would be for Helaena to understand the languages so I got my anthropologist sister to assign languages to the different places of Essos, on the basis High Valyrian would be latin. Behold her wonderful language map:

(in case you can't read it:

Braavos – Quebecois

Lorath – Dutch

Norvos – German

Pentos – swiss german  

Myr – Italian

Tyrosh – Spanish

Lys – Portugeuse  

Volantis – French

Qohor – Polish

Sarnor – Czech

Mantarys – Hungarian

Dothraki – Russian

Lhazar – Monogolian

Meereen – Slovaki

Yunkai – Yemeni

Omber – Ukrainian

Rhoynish - Gaul

Common/Westeros - English

First Men Language - Welsh

So the Lyseni will be written in Portuguese, if you see Latin that's high Valyrian. I plan to still use High Valyrian words, but this method was helpful with writing. Plus I get to use different languages :)

Mendigo Inspiration

One of Mendigo's inspiration (can't reveal the other due to potential spoilers ;) ) was the character Mary Faber from the Bloody Jack series by L.A. Meyer. Another is the Artful Dodger from Oliver Twist.

Her name was originally going to be Urchin but after Portuguese became the language of Lys I changed it to the translation "mendigo"

Helaena’s Hair

Reference for Helaena's new hair cut

Pearl Diving

I cannot begin to describe the amount of time I spent researching pearl diving and free diving. Details like the fact that only certain families were allowed to pearl dive where inspired from this article. Along with the tools pearl divers would use.

I also learned about a terrifying thing called "surface blackout" where your blood becomes too hypoxic and you can pass out at the surface and potentially die. I used this article to write about the proper recovery breath holds that help prevent surface blackout.

Also I learned there are different types of pearls based on the location you harvest them from.

Festival of Love

This is a piece of world building I made up. The Festival of Love is a seven day festival that is dedicated to the different types of love based off of the Greek forms of loves. These are the seven different types celebrated in Lys:

Eros (sexy time)

Philia (friendship)

Agape (god worship and charity)

Storage (family)

Philautia (self love)

Ludus (playful love)

Sacrificing goats, making a goat-date marinade dish, and the practice of men running around naked and whipping women with goat hides is all inspired off of the real life Ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia. This video provided the recipe and interesting facts about the ancient festival.

Pillowhouse Wine

"It was a tart, almost bitter flavor, it lacked sweetness like other wines Mendigo had stolen before. Mendigo tried another swig, it did not improve, only making her face feel warm."

This sentence is a little personal easter egg inspired from a different fanfic. Alicent Reverses the Hourglass by Reddish on AO3. If you my blog you probably know I'm obsessed with it as I've made a ton of memes about it. Non spoiler. One chapter mentions a wine called Lover's Lips.

“This wine was known for one thing. Men in Lys would drink a copious amount of it the night before they were to spend with their paramour as it would keep a man ‘at his peak’ for longer during the act.

One would only need about half a cup before being able to sustain himself for at least a few hours. Any more than that and the man would experience a fever-pitch of ravenous desire that would confound the senses completely. Too much of Lover’s Lips could make a man impossible to satiate for sometimes an entire day long.” - Alicent Reverses the Hourglass

It's basically Viagra wine, which is basically vasodilator (opens up your blood vessels) which is why it makes Mendigo's face feel warm, because her blood vessels are dilating.

Oyster Bake

This was the recipe that inspired Mendigo and Helaena's oyster bake:

Ironically I spent a lot of time researching seafood recipes despite not being the biggest fan of seafood.

Mendigo's Fracture

The "crushing syndrome" complication Mendigo experienced is called Acute Compartment Syndrome in the medical field. It is when there is increased pressure within a muscle compartment and is a medical emergency. The pressure will deprive muscles and nerves of blood flow and will cause permanent muscle damage, paralysis or death if not treated.

Symptoms include:

Pain - unrelieved by pain medicine (which is why Mendigo complains the milk of poppy does nothing)

Pallor

Paralysis - early sign that starts with numbness and tingling

Pulseness (late sign)

Poikilothermia

Edema

Treatment is a fasciotomy, where they cut through strong connective tissue to relieve pressure.

I had to study fractures and their complications for one of my nursing finals and it's 100% the reason why it was included in the chapter.

This was the video of a fasciotomy I watched to write the scene (don’t watch if you’re squeamish)

Mendigo's Illness

Mendigo contracted mono. Her description of her condition is based off of my mom's quote when she caught mono: "it feels like you got hit by a mac truck, it backed up, hit you again, and then the driver got out and beat you up."

I wanted a disease that would make you feel awful but not kill you because antibiotics don't exist.

Menina uses Kudzu root - a plant from Asia - to treat her fever and mallow root for sore throat.

Philia Bond

I already knew I would have the philia bond, but there is some similarities between it and matelotage. A type of civil union used between European sailors, particularly pirates. There is debate about whether it was platonic or romantic. In Mendigo and Helaena's case it is platonic.

Painting Inspo of Mendigo & Helaena

John William Waterhouse - The Rescue (1890)

[emryses]

20 questions for fic writers

tagged by @mustlovesteve tysm!! i checked, and turns out i did this last november, too, so this will be a fun little comparison!

1. How many works do you have an AO3? 46!

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 512,645!!!!!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

main ones are dead boy detectives & stranger things (specifically steddie lbr) rn!

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

you looking at me, looking at you

run your fingers through my hair

you will never be unloved by me (you are too well tangled in my soul) -- i know this one is new!! dead boys ily.

eat me alive

when the party's over

5. Do you respond to comments?

yes! i try my very very best to respond to all of them, especially on newer fics. i usually fall behind on older fics/don't prioritize responding as much, but if there's one that is really kind/really touches me i always make a note to respond.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

i've written a lot of depressing shit for the merlin fandom. i think winter always turns to spring might be one of the saddest all around, though.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

my hairdresser!steve fics are the happiest/fluffiest things i've ever written. but most of my fics have a happy ending! i think maybe memoria has one of the happiest tho?

8. Do you get hate on fics?

not really. i got One troll comment on a fic a few months ago that i just deleted and blocked lol.

9. Do you write smut?

every once in a while! i don't feel i'm very good at it, so it takes me a loooong time to write it when i do.

10. Do you write crossovers?

not in the traditional sense of combining fandoms, but if my btvs au counts as a crossover then yes?

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not to my knowledge!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

yes! winter always turns to spring was translated into portuguese!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

no but i've thrown around the idea with friends before (pax....mona....if u see this....hiiiiiii)

14. What's your all time favorite ship?

this is such a rude question tbqh !!!!!!!!!!!!!! i'm going to default back and say merthur, because they were the one and only and a constant in my life for so long. (steddie and payneland make me so fucking crazy tho)

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

there is a steddie wip called "tightly hidden fists" i started in LITERALLY july 2022. it's still sitting in my google docs at 20k+ and i'm starting to doubt if i'll ever finish it. i keep considering signing up for a round of a steddie bang or something but i'm scared to do that to myself again lmfao.

16. What are your writing strengths?

i think i'm very good at dialogue, and getting The Voice of the character down. those things are usually what come to me first when i'm writing.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

for lack of a better word...filler? transitionary bits of fic. i overuse phrases/words like a madman, i also think i am a victim of trying to be too flowery when i can just, like, tone it the fuck down. are those weaknesses????

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

if it's easily translatable sentences (short and sweet, nothing too complicated) i put in the language in italics. (like, bonjour.) but frankly, i tend to avoid putting other languages in my fics. i don't often need to, and since i don't speak any language other than english i don't want to butcher anything if i can help it.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

probably the peter pan self insert i wrote many times between the ages of like 8-12.

20. Favorite fics you've written?

fields of gold mention. my love letter to bbcm. i'm also very proud of memoria, my 2023 steddie bang.

low pressure tags for @queerofthedagger @insane-ohwhyfandoms @wolfiery @babyseraphim

[o-craven-canto]

Words borrowed from other languages in English

Very incomplete list, based mostly on The Languages of the World (3rd ed.), Kenneth Katzner, 2002 + a heavy use of Wiktionary. some notes:

Many of these words have passed through multiple languages on their way to English (e.g. Persian -> Arabic -> Spanish -> French -> English); in that case I usually list them under the first language that used them with the same meaning as English.

I generally don't include words whose ancestors already existed in Middle English, unless their origin was exotic enough to be interesting.

The vast majority of borrowings are terms very specific to their culture of origin; I generally only include those that are either well known among English-speakers, or of general use outside that culture. As always, this is largely subjective.

INDO-EUROPEAN FAMILY (West and South Eurasia)

Hellenic

Greek: angel, chronometer, democracy, encyclopedia, geography, graphic, hieroglyphic, homogeneous, hydraulic, kudos, meter, microphone, microscope, monarchy, philosophy, phobia, photography, telephone, telescope, thermometer, and way too many other scientific or technical terms to count

Germanic

Afrikaans: aardvark, apartheid, fynbos, rooibos, springbok, trek, veld, wildebeest

Danish: Lego, simper

Dutch: brandy, bumpkin, coleslaw, cookie, deck, dock, dollar, freight, furlough, hodgepodge, landscape, maelstrom, noodle, Santa Claus, waffle, walrus, yacht

German: aurochs, bildungsroman, blitzkrieg, cobalt, dachsund, eigenvector, ersatz, gestalt, glockenspiel, hamburger, hinterland, kindergarten, kohlrabi, lager, poodle, quark, sauerkraut, wanderlust, yodel, zeitgeist

Icelandic: eider, geyser

Norwegian: auk, fjord, krill, lemming, narwhal, slalom, troll

Swedish: lek, mink, ombudsman, rutabaga, smorgasbord, tungsten

Yiddish: bupkis, chutzpah, kvetch, putz, schlemiel, schmaltz, schmooze, schtick, spiel, tchotchke

Slavic

Czech: robot

Russian: fedora, glasnost, intelligentsia, kefir, mammoth, pogrom, samizdat, steppe, sputnik, troika, tsar, vodka

Serbo-Croat: cravat, paprika

Celtic [many of these words are shared between the two languages]

Irish: bog, galore, gaol, geas, glen, orrery, shamrock, slob, whiskey

Scottish Gaelic: bard, bunny, cairn, clan, loch, ptarmigan, ?scone, slogan

Italic-Romance

†Latin: way too many, but ignoring the ones that were already naturalized in Middle English: a priori, arcane, algae, alumni, artificial, calculus, cancer, carnivore, cavity, circa, confide, dire, federal, flammable, homicide, interregnum, larva, lemur, magnanimity, manuscript, millipede, nebula, nimbus, nocturnal, octave, optimal, postmortem, senile, supernova, urban, verbatim, and countless medical or legal terms

French: the bulk of French (or rather Norman) borrowings occurred before Middle English, but to stick to my rules: aubergine, bourgeois, buttress, camouflage, capitalism, caramel, chassis, chauvinism, cheque, collage, elite, embassy, ennui, espionage, etiquette, facade, fondue, gouache, guillotine, infantry, lingerie, mauve, mayonnaise, mollusk, Renaissance, reservoir, sabotage, souvenir, turquoise...

Italian: allegro, aria, balcony, bandit, bravo, calamari, casino, cello, chiaroscuro, crescendo, contraband, contrapposto, fresco, gazette, ghetto, gusto, inferno, lagoon, lava, mafia, malaria, pants, quarantine, tempo, umbrella, vendetta, volcano

Portuguese: baroque, brocade, cachalot, cobra, creole, flamingo, petunia, pimento, zebra

Spanish: abalone, armadillo, bolas, bonanza, canyon, cargo, chupacabra, cigar, cilantro, embargo, gaucho, guerrilla, junta, manta, mesa, mosquito, mustang, patio, pueblo, rodeo, siesta, tornado, vanilla

Iranian

Persian: bazaar, caravan, checkmate, chess, crimson, dervish, divan, jackal, jasmine, khaki, kiosk, lemon, lilac, musk, orange, pajama, paradise, satrap, shawl, taffeta

Indo-Aryan

†Sanskrit: brahmin, Buddha, chakra, guru, karma, mantra, opal, swastika, yoga

Bengali: dinghy, jute, nabob

Hindi: bandana, bungalow, cheetah, chintz, chutney, coolie, cot, dungaree, juggernaut, lacquer, loot, rajah, pundit, shampoo, tom-tom, thug, veranda

Marathi: mongoose

Romani: hanky-panky, pal, shiv

Sinhalese: anaconda, beriberi, serendipity, tourmaline

DRAVIDIAN FAMILY (Southern India)

Kannada: bamboo

Malayalam: atoll, calico, copra, jackfruit, mahogany, mango, pagoda, teak

Tamil: curry, mulligatawny, pariah

Telugu: bandicoot

URALIC FAMILY (Northern Eurasia)

Finnic

Finnish: sauna

Saami: tundra

Samoyedic

Nenets: parka

Ugric

Hungarian: biro, coach, goulash, hussar, puszta, tokay

VASCONIC FAMILY (Northern Pirenees)

Basque: chaparral, chimichurri, silhouette

TURKIC FAMILY (Central and Northern Eurasia)

†Old Turkic: cossack, yurt

Tatar: ?stramonium

Turkish: baklava, balaclava, bergamot, caftan, caviar, harem, janissary, kebab, kismet, minaret, pastrami, sherbet, tulip, yoghurt

Yakut: taiga

MONGOLIC FAMILY (Mongolia and surrounding areas)

Mongol: horde, khan, ?valerian

SINO-TIBETAN FAMILY (China and Southeast Asia)

Tibeto-Burman

Burmese: ?marzipan

Tibetan: lama, panda, tulpa, yak, yeti

Sinitic [Chinese languages closely related, not always clear from which a borrowing comes]

Hokkien: ?ketchup, sampan, tea

Mandarin: chi, dazibao, gung-ho, kaolin, oolong, shaolin, shanghai, tao, yin-yang

Min Nan: nunchaku

Yue (Cantonese): chop suey, dim sum, kowtow, kumquat, lychee, shar-pei, ?typhoon, wok

TUNGUSIC FAMILY (Eastern Siberia)

Evenki: pika, shaman

KOREANIC FAMILY (Koreas)

Korean: bulgogi, chaebol, hantavirus, kimchi, mukbang, taekwondo

JAPONIC FAMILY (Japan)

Japanese: banzai, bonsai, dojo, emoji, geisha, ginkgo, hikikomori, honcho, ikebana, kamikaze, karaoke, koi, kudzu, manga, origami, pachinko, rickshaw, sake, samurai, sensei, soy, sushi, tofu, tsunami, tycoon, zen

KRA-DAI FAMILY (mainland Southeast Asia)

Thai: bong, pad thai

AUSTROASIATIC FAMILY (mainland Southeast Asia)

Vietnamese: pho, saola, Vietcong

AUSTRONESIAN FAMILY (maritime Southeast Asia and Oceania)

Western Malayan

Javanese: ?junk [ship]

Malay: amok, camphor, cockatoo, compound [building], cootie, durian, kapok, orangutan, paddy, pangolin, rattan, sarong

Barito

Malagasy: raffia

Phlippinic

Cebuano: dugong

Ilocano: yo-yo

Tagalog: boondocks

Oceanic

Hawai'ian: aloha, hula, luau, poi, wiki

Maori: kauri, kiwi, mana, weta

Marshallese: bikini

Tahitian: pareo, tattoo

Tongan: taboo

TRANS-NEW GUINEAN FAMILY (New Guinea)

Fore: kuru

PAMA-NYUNGAN FAMILY (Australia)

Dharug: boomerang, corroboree, dingo, koala, wallaby, wobbegong, wombat, woomera

Guugu Yimithirr: kangaroo, quoll

Nyungar: dunnart, gidgee, quokka

Pitjantjatjara: Uluru

Wathaurong: bunyip

Wiradjuri: kookaburra

Yagara: dilly bag

AFRO-ASIATIC FAMILY (North Africa and Near East)

Coptic: adobe

Berber

Tachelhit: argan

Semitic

†Punic: Africa

Arabic: albatross, alchemy, alcohol, alcove, alfalfa, algebra, alkali, amber, arsenal, artichoke, assassin, candy, coffee, cotton, elixir, gazebo, gazelle, ghoul, giraffe, hashish, harem, magazine, mattress, monsoon, sofa, sugar, sultan, syrup, tabby, tariff, zenith, zero

Hebrew: amen, behemoth, cabal, cherub, hallelujah, kibbutz, kosher, manna, myrrh, rabbi, sabbath, Satan, seraph, shibboleth

NIGER-CONGO FAMILY (Subsaharan Africa)

unknown: cola, gorilla, tango

Senegambian

Wolof: banana, fonio, ?hip, ?jigger [parasite], karite, ?jive, yam

Gur-Adamawa

Ngbandi: Ebola

Kwa

Ewe: voodoo

Volta-Niger

Igbo: okra

Yoruba: gelee [headgear], mambo, oba, orisha

Cross River

Ibibio: calypso

Bantu

Lingala: basenji

Kikongo: ?chimpanzee, ?macaque, ?zombie

Kimbundu: ?banjo, Candomblé, gumbo, macumba, tanga

Swahili: askari, Jenga, kwanzaa, safari

Xhosa: Ubuntu

Zulu: impala, mamba, vuvuzela

KHOE-KWADI FAMILY (Southwest Africa)

Khoekhoe (Hottentot): gnu, kudu, quagga

ESKIMO-ALEUT FAMILY (Arctic America)

Greenlandic Inuit: igloo, kayak

Inuktikut: nunatak

ALGIC FAMILY (Eastern Canada and northeast USA)

†Proto-Algonquin: moccasin, opossum, skunk

Cree: muskeg, pemmican

Mikmaq: caribou, toboggan

Montagnais: husky

Narragansett: ?moose, ?powwow, sachem

Ojibwe: chipmunk, totem, wendigo, woodchuck

Powhatan: persimmon, raccoon

SALISHAN FAMILY (Pacific coast at the USA-Canada border)

Chehalis: chinook

Halkomelem: sasquatch

Lushootseed: geoduck

IROQUOIAN FAMILY (Eastern North America)

Cherokee: sequoia

SIOUAN FAMILY (Central USA)

Lakota: teepee

MUSKOGEAN FAMILY (Southeast USA)

Choctaw: bayou

UTO-AZTECAN FAMILY (Southwest USA and north Mexico)

Nahuatl: atlatl, avocado, chili, cocoa, coyote, chocolate, guacamole, hoazin, mesquite, ocelot, quetzal, tamale, tegu, tomato

O'odham (Pima): jojoba

Shoshone: chuckwalla

Yaqui: ?saguaro

MAYAN FAMILY (Southern Mexico and Guatemala)

Yucatec Maya: cenote, Chicxulub

ARAWAKAN FAMILY (Caribbeans and South America)

†Taino: barbecue, cannibal, canoe, cassava, cay, guava, hammock, hurricane, iguana, maize, manatee, mangrove, maroon, potato, savanna, tobacco

Arawak: papaya

CARIBAN FAMILY (Caribbean coast of South America)

unknown: curare

Galibi Carib: caiman, chigger, pawpaw, peccary, yucca

QUECHUAN FAMILY (Andes)

Quechua: ?Andes, caoutchouc, coca, condor, guano, jerky, llama, mate, poncho, puma, quinine, vicuna

AYMARAN FAMILY (Andes)

Aymara: alpaca, chinchilla

TUPIAN FAMILY (Brazil)

[borrowings are often shared between these two languages]

†Old Tupi: ananas, arowana, Cayenne [pepper], jaguar, manioc, piranha, tapioca

Guarani: cougar, maracuja, Paraguay, petunia, toucan

CREOLE LANGUAGES (worldwide, mixed origin)

English-derived

Chinese Pidgin English: chopstick, long time no see, pidgin, taipan

Jamaican Creole: dreadlocks, reggae

Chinook-derived

Chinook Jargon: potlatch

EDIT 08-01-24: added lots more examples, especially African, Asian, and North American languages. Still not done. EDIT 17-01-24: finished adding examples, more or less. EDIT: 18-02-24: apparently not (cheetah). EDIT: 20-05-24: nope (mosquito); 30-06-24: jerky, mukbang, cello, glockenspiel, hodgepodge; 06-06-25: marzipan, lagoon, contraband, artichoke EDIT 02-11-24: finally expanded the French and Latin points. Also, added kudos, camphor, moose, and the Thai and Vietnamese sections.

[yvanspijk]

Sí, oui, òc!

Italian sì, Spanish sí, Portuguese sim and many more Romance words for 'yes' come from Latin sīc, which meant 'so; thus; like that'. In Popular Latin it got an extra meaning: 'yes', born out of the sense 'like that', i.e. 'like you said'.

French oui has a completely different origin. It comes from Old French oïl, a univerbation of o il, literally 'yes, it (is/does/has etc.)'.

O stemmed from Latin hoc (this), which became òc (yes) in Occitan, a group of languages whose name was derived from this very word.

[ultimate-word-tournament]

Round 2 is over! The results are in! Round 3's pie chart is up above. Numbers below:

Bold - No losses this round! Italics - Stagnated, exactly half won and half lost.

English fell from 64.6% to 60.9% German rose from 7.1% to 7.8% Mandarin rose from 2.4% to 4.7% Yiddish rose from 2.4% to 4.7% Spanish stagnated at 3.1% Toki Pona stagnated at 3.1% Belarusian rose from 0.8% to 1.6% Finnish rose from 0.8% to 1.6% Greek stagnated at 1.6% Hebrew rose from 0.8% to 1.6% Irish rose from 0.8% to 1.6% Latin stagnated at 1.6% Old English rose from 0.8% to 1.6% Portuguese fell from 3.1% to 1.6% Scottish stagnated at 1.6% Vietnamese stagnated at 1.6%

Bosnian/Croatian, Dutch, French, Italian, Japanese, and Zulu all fell from 0.8% to 0% knocking them out of the tournament.

English continues its very slow decline, but still makes up over half the tournament, German, Yiddish, and Mandarin continue to do well, and the biggest loser of this round seems to be Portuguese, with only estrelar making it into round 3. A lot of languages are left with exactly one word, meaning they will either double in percentage or get knocked out. Also a lot of stagnation this time weirdly?

[sherisens]

( #sherisens ) is an independent, highly selective blog for NEERA, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐦, an original high fantasy character with original lore , inspired by many medias from the same genre especially chronicles of narnia, arthurian legends, &. lord of the rings. multiverses available. written and adored by CLARISSA (she/her, 25yr, brazilian, neurodivergent). please consider that neera is deaf, thus she communicates through sign language and lip reading, which most times she mistakes. read rules &. about to know more about it. plotting required for interaction. follow only if above eighteen, for this blog might contain adult themes. possible triggers will be tagged.

A STUDY OF: the solitude, the bastard child, the force of nature, the shamann, the protector, the guardian, the child of the forest, the fox, the clever girl, the maiden. AFFILIATES:

ABOUT : WORLD DEVELOPMENT : PROMPTS (ALWAYS OPEN) : PLAYLIST : PINTEREST.

this   blog   is   private   and   selective   which   means   i'll   only   reply   and   answer   mutuals.

NEERA IS DEAF. and uses sign language to communicate. she doesn't listen to anything, she can't hear sounds or the voice of your muse (she's 95% deaf, only barely hearing echoes and muffed ringing noises). her other senses are very good though, especially the touch. to make her communicate i will not use "", but instead write her sign language through one quote only (') plus ITALICS, in CAPSLETTER, like: 'WHO ARE YOU?'. it's ok if your character doesn't understand sign language, she can write on paper and teaching them is actually a good plotpoint. she can lipread but that's only 50% accurate at most, if she does that she will ask your muse to speak slowly and shorter sentences.

i   welcome   affiliates   !   but   not   exclusives.

i   speak   portuguese,   spanish   and   english,   but   only      portuguese   if   my   native   tongue.   mistakes   might   happen.

my main face claim is marina ruy barbosa.

discord   is   available   for   mutuals,   just   ask   if   you   wish   for   it   !

i’m   neurodivergent,   so   i   get   overwhelmed   and   tired   quite   a   bit.      due   to   this,   this   blog   is   slow   to   medium   activity.

reblog   memes   from   the   source,   please.

don't   be   a   bad   person.   no   hate   speech.   i   won't   interact   if   you   use   youtubers,   shady   celebrities,   and   the   like.   i   do   not   engage   in   callouts.   this   is   a   safe   space   for   everyone   no   matter   what.   free   palestine.

i   love   plotting,   so   let's   have   fun   !

[go-learn-esperanto]

I just saw a English fic author casually drop the word saudade as a description without the slightest italics or explanation of its meaning and hope for the best and honestly it almost gave me an heart attack.

It was also used perfectly so I declare the author sus (suspected of being a Portuguese speaker)

[virromanus]

The History of Latin: From Ancient Rome to Modern Times

Latin, the language of the Romans, has traversed a fascinating journey through time, evolving from its humble beginnings in a small Italian peninsula to becoming the foundation of the Romance languages and a significant element in various academic and legal contexts today. This blog post will explore Latin's incredible evolution from Ancient Rome to modern times, showcasing its enduring legacy.

Ancient Beginnings

Latin originated around the 8th century BC in the region of Latium, near present-day Rome. It was just one of many Italic languages spoken in the Italian Peninsula. However, as Rome expanded its territory, Latin became the dominant language, used for communication, trade, and administration. The language of the Roman Empire was not static; it evolved over time, with Classical Latin, the language of literature, history, and oratory, flourishing during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire.

Medieval Latin

After the fall of the Roman Empire, Latin didn't fade into obscurity but transitioned into Medieval Latin during the Middle Ages. Despite the collapse, Latin remained the lingua franca of educated individuals, particularly within the Church, governments, and universities across Europe. Medieval Latin was more flexible compared to its classical ancestor, incorporating elements from local languages, which led to the development of the various Romance languages, such as Italian, French, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Renaissance Revival

The Renaissance marked a resurgence of interest in the classical heritage, including Latin. Humanists sought to revive the purity of Classical Latin, distancing themselves from the Medieval Latin they considered corrupt. Latin during the Renaissance was a vehicle for new ideas in science, philosophy, and the arts, serving as a bridge between scholars across different regions.

Latin in Modern Times

Today, Latin is no longer spoken as a native language, but its influence is ubiquitous. It's the official language of the Vatican City and remains a critical tool in academia, particularly in fields like law, medicine, theology, and scientific classification. Legal terms like "habeas corpus" and scientific terminology such as "Homo sapiens" are Latin. Learning Latin can also offer a deeper understanding of the Romance languages, given their Latin roots.

Moreover, Latin phrases and mottos continue to resonate in modern culture, capturing universal truths and human experiences. Phrases like "Carpe diem" (Seize the day) and "Veni, vidi, vici" (I came, I saw, I conquered) are widely recognized and used to inspire and communicate across languages and cultures.

The history of Latin is a testament to the language's resilience and adaptability. From its origin as a local dialect to its status as the language of the Roman Empire, and its enduring presence in modern academic and legal contexts, Latin has proven to be an enduring vessel of human knowledge and culture. Its legacy is a bridge that connects us to our past, enriches our present, and continues to influence our future. So, the next time you come across a Latin phrase or delve into a Romance language, remember the rich history and the journey of this ancient language through the corridors of time.

[theorytodayworkinggroup]

Anjali Arondekar, Abundance (9/12/2024)

Anjali Arondekar, Peggy and Jack Baskin Foundation Presidential Chair in Feminist Studies at UCSC, joined us to discuss her new book Abundance: Sexuality's History!

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Responses from Working Group members:

Respondent 1:

       From the very opening of the text, we see Arondekar undertaking two simultaneous theoretical moves. The first of these moves are made through the “concept-metaphor” of “abundance,” which, Arondekar argues, “moves us away from the incessant shuttling [a term, I should note is also used by Spivak] between the sated fulfillment and avid impoverishment of historiographical ambitions” (3). The ‘shuttling’ here is precisely the constant movement between “paucity and plenitude” (1) of sexuality’s archives, in which, on the one hand, “there is inescapable surfeit of evidence” when it comes to the present, and, on the other a haunting “unremitting loss of materials” when it comes to the past (1).  For Arondekar, this shuttling between the poles of paucity and plenitude en-genders a hermeneutic that ends up treating “sexuality… as an object of historical recovery” and the archives of sexuality as “reparative sources of sanctuary/jouissance rather than despair” (1-2). Related to this move against any easy ‘positive’ recuperation of sexuality from its archives, the second move that Arondekar makes is to argue for “nonrepresentability” when it comes to sexuality’s history,  a move which is made on the basis of Spivak’s assertion that the “forms of learning form below…must flourish because of…incommensurability” with the hegemonic forms of recuperative knowledge (5).

         Both of these theoretical moves qua intervention will subtly work and animate all of the subsequent readings and interpretations that Arondekar will present. It will appear in her reading of the “history” of Gomantak Maratha Samaj, which, she will argue, “offers no telos of loss and recovery” and has “maintained a continuous, copious, and accessible archive of its own emergence, embracing rather than disavowing its past and present attachments to sexuality” (14)― “Presence without preservation, production without reproduction” (8). It will also appear in her comparative reading of “Devdasi diaspora” which will itself shuttle between the British and the Portuguese. And, finally, it will also appear in intervention to the historiography which “read[s] the archival exemplar [with exemplarity being one of the three central concepts of her text] precisely for what it cannot hold,” and, in doing so, produces “no stabilizing recuperation of historical detail but more an exhortation to think the archival exemplar as an absorbing and abundant discursive presence, reassembled through every reading” (23-24).

         I want to pause here to pose three simple questions apropos the theoretical moves which Arondekar undertakes.

1.      My first question is apropos Arondekar’s approach towards archives, and through archives, with history itself. The move away from archives as a site of recuperation of (lost-)past, or, as Arondekar frames, “a movement away from the recursive archival dialectic of fulfillment and impoverishment as the pathway of historical futurity” (34), is made in order to replace the ‘traditional’ engagement with archive with “an abundant ecosystem, [which is] at once imaginative and real, less a recordkeeper of lost loves, more a potential epistemology for how we know, translate, and amplify our relationship to the past” (36 italics added). To start with, how are we to situate this move? Does this move happen at the level of ‘reading’ qua interpretation of the archives, and thus, is situated on the side of the researcher/historian who is accessing the archives [like contrapuntal reading à la Said]? Or does this move happen at the level of the materiality qua form of the archive itself, based on the manner in which the researcher/historian initially encounters and later structures the archives upon which they decide to build their (hi)story? [I am reminded here of the scene where Arondekar’s effort “to organize, or more precisely, to discipline the materials” was taken to be “amusing” by the Samaj members (46)]

2.   Related to the above question, does the move/shift in our engagement with the archive change the manner in which we do ‘history’? After all, the problem with the salvific and recuperative reading is less concerned with ‘how’ the archives are read and more with the manner in which the archives get absorbed into the telos of history writing [“from savage to salvage” (2)], especially with marginalized and minority history. If we are to respond to this question with an affirmation, we would also need to ask about the nature of the Other imagination of ‘history’ this shift makes possible.     

3.  Finally, to end with Jacques Derrida: Archives, Derrida notes at the beginning of his Archive Fever, are the place of both ‘commencement’ and ‘commandment.’ Does Arondekar’s abundance disrupt this uninterrupted shuttling between the two poles, or the double bind, within which, Derrida argues, all of the archives are caught? 

…

Respondent 2:

Abundance: Sexuality’s History is a book written in an affirmative key. Seeking to move us away from an orientation towards loss, failure, or negativity, the book takes on the mantle of shifting the emphasis “from what is missing toward a recognition of what is,” reading the unruly archives of the Gomantak Maratha Samaj as a kind of experiment not just in record-keeping but in vitality. It is this image of vitality that I want to track more closely, as it emerges from within a constellation of terms in this text: abundance, efflorescence, presence, and return.

Abundance, the book’s titular concept, carries valences both organic and economic. It is a word with a specific ecological use, where it can serve as a rough index of the health of a species. In a less organic and more material register, it can also connote “prosperity, affluence, wealth,” even surfeit, surplus, or overflow. In Arondekar’s text, it is this latter valence that the word most firmly sheds, with its attention to the ways in which a “melancholic historicism” traffics in loss as value. Abundance moves outside this circuit of value, instantiating a new accounting whereby overflow, surfeit, and surplus operate without their attendant economic registers—it is in the register of life, more than anything else, that Arondekar’s “concept-metaphor” of abundance makes most sense.

In making sense of this image of life, one finds oneself engaging the loose concatenation of efflorescence, presence, and return which this text marshals as further coordinates of its key concept (abundance.) One of the most striking aspects of this work is its insistent claim that we can, indeed must, approach the Gomantak Maratha Samaj through “a different order of presence,” a “presence without preservation, production without reproduction.” These are shockingly powerful demands; taken seriously, they ask of us nothing less than a fresh imagination of the metaphysical and the energetic. A metaphysics of presence in its Euro-American descent was first of all an image of life without mediation. Vitality shorn of supports. This set up an endless series of oppositions between life in its material and auto-affective registers. Arondekar sunders that opposition. We’re asked to think presence without its classical opposition. The cyclicality of the presence/inscription dyad is broken; we’re asked to think presence in a way that starts anew each time, without the comfort of a familiar return. And return, likewise, is no unmarked term in this text. Cycling through the book in a few different forms, the figure of return variously indexes melancholic stuckness in the guise of “a recursive and iterative poetics of melancholia,” historiography’s aporetic relation to its material (“the alluring double bind, that ethical habit we refuse to release, is also the ultimate place where recursivity resides”), the simple marker of a site of presumed origin to which one (as historian and subject alike) returns, and also in the affirmative sense of a figure for the book’s own project as a “reeling spiral of flight and return,” among other valences. What accumulates with each of these shifting figures of return is an outline of the economy of presence that marks the book’s ultimate horizon. Can we imagine a form of vitality turned towards a present without the opposing pull of a past? What would that look like? Would it, perhaps, recall the bursting into flower of plant life, botanical efflorescence, another of this book’s keywords? The past, Arondekar reminds us, effloresces—to think this alongside the book’s other theses is to try to picture a world where vitality is thinkable outside a reproductive economy, where presence can be thought outside of an opposition with mediation.

In closing this brief, and necessarily partial, itinerary through this abundant text, then, a few linked questions: How does one read for vitality? What does efflorescence do to our image of the past and of cyclicality? And finally, what is presence in this text; how does it operate, especially with regards to ideas of record and mediation?

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Respondent 3:

Upon reading the introduction, I have to admit that I did not fully grasp what Arondeker was trying to achieve. I understood that she wanted to substitute the dominant language of  loss and displacement with a language of abundance in sexuality’s history. But what is abundance? Is it an abundance of feelings? An abundance of details? An abundance of people? An abundance of power? It seems to be all of these things. Ardondeker describes radical abundance as a “non melancholic historiography of sexuality.” (p44) This makes sense. A  bottom-up story told by the people, enjoyed by the people, does not have to be melancholic because they are trying to persuade anyone about anything. This distinct way of telling, through extensive use of humor and honesty, seems to liberate the speakers tremendously from imposed narratives. I’m wondering about the possible political / ideological dimension of this liberation: Should we regard it that way? Or would it be unwise to expressly attribute politics to the language of abundance because it would become another language of loss and identitarian politics?

In particular I want to talk about the narrative about Vithal N. Paigankar’s staged attack on his own house and the documents that revealed this secret. Through ground-breaking honesty, Paigankar was able to shatter the grand narratives that surround him and his community, be it a language of colonialism or a language of loss. Even in their defiance, they did not want to be depicted as representations of a traumatic past. Rather, they chose to appear as a constant force of life, a sort of unmediated, unedited raw photography. Is this what it means to be “imaginary and ordinary” (p45) at the same time? A linguistic strategy employed in this regard is the use of indigenous vocabulary (such as Gomantak Kalavant Samaj). How does this facilitate the strategy of abundance? I like how the story is told. It presupposes the absence of the white gaze, that to the contrary of “trying to understand it”, you should already  have some intrinsic connection to the rebellious act, an implicit sympathy and camaraderie. How does this strategy reveal more about the strategy of abundance as a whole in practice (for instance, decentralized “compositional responsibility”)?

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Poll 10 (Question 10 {Technically 9})