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[ashstfu]

current october line-up

[bunniiboooo]

[mollywog]

Ficback Friday

📚 First Bookmark 🔖

Thank you all who replied to my Ao3 bookmark question! Many of you indicated that you use bookmarks for beloved stories to revisit or for fic recs, so I thought it would be fun to start a tag game:

Rules: Share (one of) your first Ao3 bookmark(s) then tag others to join!

I picked my first non-hunger Games bookmark (since I’ve talked about my first THG bookmark many times).

I love Jane Austen’s Emma and discovered cwmilton while looking for book/2009 miniseries Emma fanfiction. ‘A Very Good List’ was the first of theirs I discovered and it’s a delight! Recommend!

Tagging all who replied to my earlier post (thank you!!): @dead-dolphins @firawren @caesarflickermans @kingedmundsroyalmurder @maidstew @dorcaloveskotlc @teafiend @those-things-we-said @margarita-secreta @youreyesholdgalaxies @mtk4fun @giedd @no-where-new-hero

Plus anyone else who would like to join!

[strayklds]

oh my god.

[valeffelees]

alternate universe wherein after his childhood sweetheart unexpectedly calls off their engagement simon manages to summon the literal god of time and they romcom it up together. like, i'm picturing something to the tune of: the only thing simon has left of his mother is an old salisbury family heirloom. this really old pocket watch that's been passed down from oldest child to oldest child for generations. but what nobody knew was that the watch was a gift from the god of time himself, along with the promise that so long as they are a salisbury by blood, he will come to the keeper whenever he is called. and simon is holding the watch in his hands when he says something like, "i wish you were here", speaking of course to his mother but, y'kno, magical promises don't really care about semantics, so suddenly the god of time is just in his bedroom looking all cool and steampunk and shit. and baz time-god pitch could not be more inconvenienced by this turn of events if he tried. being summoned to some tiny ass flat in the middle of east london was not on his tuesday night to-do list. but after bickering for a while he eventually agrees to help simon fix things with agatha by taking him back in time to see where things went wrong, and it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that simon is the spitting image of the man baz first gifted the pocket watch to all those years ago, who he happened to be sickeningly in love with. n e way, cue a series of shenanigans and hijinks and general trope-y tomfoolery as they spend the next few weeks jumping through time together to various pivitol moments in simon and agatha's relationship, during which simon realises he and agatha weren't actually that happy together and he's been having more fun mucking about with baz lately than he's had with agatha in years. and then they prolly kiss or something

[wolf-saint]

Criston Cole // House of the Dragon "The White Cloak is a symbol of our purity, our fidelity,"

[call-me-copycat]

Im learning japanese rn and one thing I've noticed is that my voice when I speak japanese is A LOT quieter than when Im speaking English because if i speak loud I notice the words dont sound as clear- This language is forcing me to be quitter- which is honestly a good thing I talk way to loud😭

Ah, I hope I can help! ٩(,,•ω•,,)و⚑⁎∗ﾌﾚﾌﾚ

For me, learning how to pronounce certain words was pretty big, and the best way I did that was plenty of research combined with just casually listening. Whispering is a start, but you might develop habits that aren't so correct (just noting down what I saw in myself - particularly in pronouncing my "r/l's").

For starters, I used Buusu to begin learning pronunciation (before it was put behind a paywall :⁠-⁠\), but there are plenty other things available!

One of the biggest ones is japanesepod101, as they have many YouTube videos going over basically everything you need to know:

This channel's also really good as well ୧꒰*´꒳`*꒱૭✧

Alongside videos like these, you can also develop good pronunciation habits just by listening to anime (although not always the best example sometimes) and music! That's how babies learn to speak anyway, just by listening and piecing things together (๑>ᴗ<๑)

Other examples include podcasts, radio, Japanese YouTube channels (many have subtitles!), advertisements with VPN, and more (๑ˊ͈ ꇴ ˋ͈)

I think it's very important to note that pronunciation is very important in Japanese. Depending on the word, you can change the whole meaning of something just by giving it the wrong pitch.

Example: In English, you can change the message of a sentence by stressing a word like so,

This isn't my cat.

Turns into:

This isn't my cat.

Insinuating that the cat isn't yours, but is someone else's.

Japanese is sort of like that. Words can change meaning based on where you put your high and low pitches, so that's why speaking clearly when practicing is best to start off with.

Here's what I'm trying to explain since you can't hear through text:

But before you worry about all that, just having the basics down is best (๑´ㅂ`๑)

I'm sure you might know most of this already, and if you did then I'm sorry for wasting your time! I do hope some of this might've been useful though(;´∀`)

I tend to get my practice through talking to myself throughout the day ("yabbai!" if I mess something up, "mendokusai.." if I'm upset, etcetera etcetera). I also talk to my pets as well in Japanese to practice, seeing as they don't mind (៸៸᳐⦁⩊⦁៸៸᳐ )੭ﾞ

Wishing you all the best with your learning! I'm happy you came to me, and if you ever have any other questions I promise to answer them the best I can! (*´∀｀)ノ

I hope you have a lovely day!

[amoebasapph]

strongest trans wlw couple energy

(from fluids by may leitz)

[idontmindifuforgetme]

some of my fav quotes i highlighted on my first reading of on earth we’re briefly gorgeous by ocean vuong 🤍

[brokentoothmarch]

Okay im 22 Now

[beaniebaby-cat]

[ashstfu]

fave reads of 2024 so far

[neembu]

As the image of myself becomes sharper in my brain and more precious, I feel less afraid that someone else will erase me by denying me love

-Jenny Slate

[s-une]

In this world full of horrors, you are brave for choosing to love today.

[strayklds]

omg. 🙇‍♀️

[aeroblossom]

inverse operation

[◇ arlecchino/furina. written before 4.0 archon quest. enemies to lovers.]

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that any mortal in possession of a good deal of enmity against the divine, must be in want of a victory.

The Knave's hands, dark as cinders, clawed and fearsome, are known for being neither gentle nor loving. The rose stalk fitted within the space between her index and thumb would have been glad to meet its end through a simple wilt, but that is not enough to put on a show.

There is currently a soldier grovelling at her feet, head on the ground and trembling in submission to her. None of the quivering words that exit his mouth satisfy her.

Some excuse about too many casualties, something about retaliation from locals, some nonsense about the Traveler, her ears had tired of them.

One turn, one toss of her long hair off her shoulder alerted the youth of just what kind of mood she was in. He opens his mouth to speak, but nothing leaves except a high pitched yelp when clawed black fingers curl around his throat. Despite being equal in height, the walking, breathing threat of a woman already has him lifted into the air as he attempts to untangle her fingers from his neck, gasping and thrashing in the process, crying his pleas. With each sound he makes the fingers only tighten.

"Remind me, your name?" she says (demands, forces, orders).

"V-Viktor, Lady Harb–ing…"

"A nice name," came her reply which didn't seem to be addressed to him at all. "Tell me, Viktor, what is our mission here?"

"To… t-to…" he chokes out.

"To kill that lowly criminal of a god," she completes his attempt. Her other hand moves to her back, the rose clutched by her fingers still. It gave the whole scene a touch that would be a pleasure in a romantic context.

He wondered, for just a millisecond, if this was a future tactic she was testing for later use.

"You tried. What else, Viktor?"

"T-the–"

"The what?"

"The–" the grip tightens, "Gno–"

A snap and a crack.

"...–sis ."

A body falls to the ground with a thud. A sigh leaves her lips, her heel coming to rest on his back, crushing into the still warm body.

Empty eyes narrow, wander across the scenery of the back of the base. She raises her other arm into her line of sight. A small crackle sounds, smoke rises. Flames begin to consume the innocent flower.

She drops it by the stem, and it lands onto the recently deceased thing on the floor. The Pyro vision reacts, flames feeding each other till a larger one replaces both.

Embers and flames will consume one another to form a bigger fire, a kind of unifying embrace. That was precisely the ideal she set forth for the House of the Hearth.

However, when flames come into contact with water, one triumphs over the other. Whether that be the flame vaporising the water, or the water dowsing the flame. Usually, it was the latter.

Recently, Arlecchino has found a special sort of interest in the former — in triumphing over, consuming, annihilating that which would normally do the same to you.

Platinum blonde hair sways in the gentle breeze coming in through the window, the young feline woman bent over her desk picks a stray hair out of her mouth as she pens the letter in front of her. Ghost writing for the Knave.

To kill the god Focalors, wasn't it?

A death threat could never have sounded so pretty, so alluring. Seductive enough for one to almost give into it. And it was said, anyone could tell, both meaning and not meaning the words involved.

Anyone else, anyone with a sane bone in their body would be careful in their approach to the God of Justice.

Arlecchino very famously does not have a sane bone in her body. That's why Lynette knows only she could make a calling card sound this capricious.

When she's done, she hands it to Freminet for delivery – to Lyney, who would then personally place it in Arlecchino's hands. This routine of doing things was almost symbolic in a way, and she thinks for a spare moment about how Lady Furina would have enjoyed watching this kind of thing in an opera.

The symbol of the thorny black rose crosses her mind for the last time as she gives Freminet the letter.

Besides, wasn't it rather strange to send the one that's supposedly your enemy, the thorn in your side, a calling card disguised as what is essentially a love letter?

Or at least, that's what Lynette thinks the purpose is, staring at her writing utensils on the desk.

Hm, maybe she's not sure a tactic is all it really is.