#Foreign language use

[leaderoffestivals]

Mikejima Madara FS2 4*: On a Wintery Street Corner in Paris

Madara: PLEASE PARDON THE INTRUSIOOON ☆ Shu: GEH—? Mi—Mikejima… …!? What in the world are you doing here!?

Season: Winter Author: Yuumasu Characters: Mikejima Madara, Itsuki Shu

Shu: Nnngh… … Yawn~...

(Because of the consecutive all-nighters I’ve pulled—or perhaps due to the immense relief I felt at having delivered the final products—I ended up sleeping soundly until well past noon.

Umu. Fortunately, there’s plenty of lead time before the next job is due. I will need to prioritise a proper rest in order to achieve the perfect results. 

Perhaps, I could take a stroll and clear my head—)

Madara: PLEASE PARDON THE INTRUSIOOON ☆

Shu: GEH—? Mi—Mikejima… …!? What in the world are you doing here!?

Hmph! Cease this tomfoolery of yours, and get yourself gone this instant! The last thing I’d want is for a barbarian like you to be rampaging around my atelier!

Madara: Hahaha! What a nostalgic exchange of words!

I recall having a similar conversation with you back in the day when we were both in Yumenosaki Academy! It was about the Museum (1), if I remember correctly—

Shu: NON! I have no intention of reminiscing about Yumenosaki with you!

You came here for a reason, did you not? State your business quickly, and in as few words as possible. 

Madara: My business, huh~? What if I told you it's “Nothing at all”?

Shu: (glares) … … … …

Madara: Sorry, sorry! I was just kidding, alright? Please stop with the death glare already!

Actually, I’m here because Leo-san asked me for a favour. 

Shu: Hmm? Because of Tsukinaga… …?

Madara: Yes. Apparently, he’s been treating the pen case that Shu-san gave him like a precious treasure, however—

He was so focused on caring for the case, that he left all his writing stuff behind in this atelier. 

Shu: So that’s the reason he ended up taking just the pen case home with him? He’s quite the amazing fellow for doing that, honestly. 

And what about you? Did you really come all this way to Paris just for Tsukinaga’s forgotten items?

Madara: Nope. It just so happened I had some business in Europe, so I just dropped by. 

Shu: “Just dropped by”—you say? Even though “Europe” can be expressed as a single word, it’s still not a place you can travel about hither and yon on a whim and fancy. 

Anyway, Tsukinaga’s belongings aren’t here anymore. The other day, I happened to send some parcels to Seisoukan, so I slipped his forgotten items in as well. That’s where they are now. 

For heaven’s sake. Anyone and everyone seems to be carelessly leaving their things behind lately. They’re travelling abroad after all; I’d really wish they’d be more careful!

Madara: I agree. The language and culture are different here, so one shouldn’t assume that things will be the same as back home in Japan. It’s better to be more careful in the end.

However, I believe the reason people always leave their stuff behind in Shu’s atelier is because they feel so much at home here, you knowww ♪

Shu: Hmph. I’m not happy to hear that at all. This place isn’t a playground, you know. 

It looks like you've made a wasted trip. Will you be leaving Paris right away?

Madara: Nope. I’ve got some time before my flight, so I’ll relax and enjoy myself till then. 

… … Hmmm? Why are you all dressed up for?

Are you heading out? If so, I’d absolutely love to tag along ☆

Shu: Hmph. Forget it. Being with you, Mikejima, doesn’t exactly spell rest and relaxation for me. 

Madara: Haha! Oh, come on, don’t say that! As the saying goes, “No road is long in good company”, and two people will have more fun together than when they’re on their own, you knowww ♪

<An hour later.>

Shu: Umu. It seems there’s a flea market held here during the weekends. 

Madara: Oooh. What a classic Parisian scene~

You may already know this, but the origins of the flea market started right here in Paris. 

It is said that the name came from the fact that ‘antiques could be found in such sheer numbers, it was likened to a gathering of fleas’.

Shu: Urk. Please spare me your detailed description. I already knew about the name’s origins from long ago, and simply imagining it as you have described it makes my back itch. 

Besides, there are other theories about the origin of the name. 

Personally, I much prefer the idea that the name came about because of "the thrill which comes from the time and effort spent hunting for hidden treasures here, which are as elusive as fleas.”

Madara: The thrill of a long hunt, huh? Indeed, the accomplishment you feel when you locate a hidden treasure is reeeally something special!

Madara: … … Oh, what's this? It seems I have found something good right away!

Yes, yes! This piece of pottery will be perfect to display some plants ☆

Shu: Humu. Is gardening a hobby of yours? 

Madara: No, I wouldn’t exactlyyy call it a hobby, but—

I’m not sure who started it, but my dorm room is full~ of plants. I myself add in new ones occasionally too.  

Madara: [Excuse me, Shopkeeper! I’m interested in this piece of pottery here—]

Shu: (... … Hoho. His French seems pretty good, from all that time spent abroad. The best part of the flea market is the haggling over the price. It’s a battle of wits on how skilfully one can negotiate… …) <Ten minutes later.>

Madara: HEYYYY! I’m baaack, Shu-san!

I’m sooo sorry to have kept you waiting. Things got reeeally lively with the shopkeeper, and our conversation got carried away!

Shu: It’s alright, I don’t mind. I’m glad you got what seems to be a good deal. 

It’s really none of my business what happens to you, but witnessing someone I know get ripped off doesn’t sit right with me.

Madara: Ufufu. Have you been worried about me, Shu-san? You’re sooo kind… … ♪

Shu: Oh, for heaven’s sake. Stop jumping to weird conclusions. I simply did not wish to have an unpleasant experience. 

Madara: Hahaha! Even so, it made me reeeally happy ♪

And since I managed to score a good deal just now, I’ll give you a treat as a thank you for waiting!

Please recommend a local specialty, Shu-san!

Shu: Hmmm… … In that case, how about “Marron Chaud”—or roasted chestnuts?

It’s a winter specialty that’s sold all over town at this time of the year.

Madara: Hoho! That sounds great. It seems like it’ll warm the body up too!

There’s the scent of something reeeally fragrant coming from over there. Let’s go grab some right now… … ☆

Translator’s Notes: 1) (!) era story, Steampunk Museum.

[learnelle]

I posted a chatty video on my YouTube channel all about how I started reading in French, with some francophone book recommendations too! You can find it here 🇫🇷📚✨

[tashdemetriou]

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS | 6x10

[maulfucker]

racism in star wars will have wikis saying shit like "this species that is inspired on a real life non-white people is just too stupid to use the Force"

[dykedvonte]

Hancock: Mama Murphy this jet be straight bussin' fr fr no cap

Mama Murphy, not understanding a damn thing he said: Thank you sir, I love when you visit Mayor Hancock

[witchofthesouls]

I think too much about the crossover between worker!sparkling!au and the Donor Clause Au.

Two particular scenes:

One, Tarn wants to have a hand in his newly acquired sparkling's education, so he decided to cover literature, music, and etiquette as he wanted to create the relationship he had when he went to Senator Shockwave's school.

He failed to account for several things: your stubbornness and his blindness to your... unique circumstances. Tarn had to watch you struggle to get into a chair meant for someone significantly taller than your sparkling height as he forgot to get a chair for minis and cassettes. He's kicking himself for his lack of consideration as he watches you claw your way up the table for better leverage to shimmy into the empty seat.

Then he had to add Neocybex classes as he didn't realize that you couldn't read his prepared materials. Apparently, you've picked up Vos' Primal Vernacular and Camien standard rather than the basic glyphs system used on Cybertron.

Two, remember that post about culture clash between what's considered filthy, explicit music between humans and Cybertronians? Well, you have films burned on an old cellphone that Tesarus was able to port it all into a datapad for your own usage. Since you're surrounded by kids that are the equivalent of toddlers and under, you decided to put on a Disney marathon because surely Tarn could appreciate the bops?

It's the opposite. You thought the guy was appalled by the expressions on anthromorphic cars, but it's really the music that is considered raw horny by Cybertronian standards.

Tarn is scandalized. He's going through the stages of grief over terrible explicitness of "Real Gone" and "Life is a Highway," and how the sparklings were exposed to it. Nurse is laughing so hard that she's on the floor with tears streaming out of her optics, especially since Vos unironically picked up Lighting McQueen's 'Ka-chow!' catchphrase.

[canisalbus]

at least as far as french goes, learning the genders of things is entirely memorization. and yes, learners of the language struggle with it.

in fact, if you're writing and want to convey that the person doesn't speak french too well, you have them misgender inanimate objects.

there's no rules to determine a thing's gender, not even vibes; in fact, the opposite is true: for native speakers, which gender a thing is will then color the vibes that they associate with that thing. this is why i will forever associate spiders with cunning and motherood.

and finally, i've saved the dumbest for last: in 2020, there was debate if COVID is male or female.

.

[unionizedwizard]

this has been said numerous times, better, and by more qualified people than me before, but it truly is wonderful that spending enough time with trans people in any capacity ends up completely rerouting your inner gender recognition patterns. like, right wingers are obsessed with saying that we're trying to destroy gender, and it is true in a way, because i really can't see, say, a closeted/pretransition trans woman as anything else than a woman. like it just doesnt compute. it's not like, an effort i have to actively make, it's just as easy as with a cis woman. nowadays <- important addition because it does come from experience, but then once the new pattern starts to set, you can't go back, it's sort of like learning to read

like, brain plasticity is real (hurray for brain plasticity!) and there's no evidence more supportive of the fact that gender is a social game that is deciphered through a complex set of rules and symbols and patterns, regardless of the kind of physical attributes exhibited by individuals, than being genuinely unable to read a trans person as anything else than their actual gender no matter what their cispassing actually is like

[rapidhighway]

i need a pen grip that works similar to this is this possible to achieve does anyone use something like that

[rabbits-of-negative-euphoria]

hot take I think the sexes would be much happier if we just accepted each other as mysteries instead of constantly shaming one for not being more like the other.

like, personally, in my own life, the whole idea of romance & marriage became way more exciting and attractive when I ditched the notion that men are just bigger stronger women, or women are just smaller prettier men.

like. not only is it okay that men are from mars and women are from venus, it's good.

do I know what's going on in my guy friend's head? I used to think I did, but it turns out I don't. Turns out I've never known what was going through the heads of any of the men in my life. And you know what? what a relief. he can do or say things that don't make sense to me, and they don't have to make sense to me. I know he's a smart, good-hearted guy; I can safely assume he had a reason for saying or doing that thing. And if I listen to him over time, I may even start to understand what that reason was. But I don't have to. What I can recognize instead is that each sex has a wisdom in their way of thinking and doing which befits given situations. More often than not, a situation requires both.

But you simply can't get both from one person, and you shouldn't demand it. And what a relief knowing my guy friend doesn't expect guy thoughts and behavior from me.

[itstimeforstarwars]

[ID: ao3 tag that says "huge tw for French" in all caps]

Not only is this the funniest tag I have ever seen in my life, but the author is a native French speaker.

[diamond-rings-and-gutter-bones]

americans will be like well i dont like this Foreign Language but at least its not as stupid/funny/weird as this other Foreign Language. and its like. youre speaking english ...

[riddle-me-fear]

Soooo Riddler, you speak multiple languages?

Also solltes du das ja verstehen. Falls ja dann sag mir doch auf Deutsch was du an Jonathan so schön und toll findest.

[translation at bottom]

Edward Nygma | The Riddler

Ahaha-hmm, natürlich verstehe ich dich. Glücklicherweise kann mein lieber Jonathan uns nicht verstehen, also kann ich deine Frage beantworten. Was ich an ihm so schön und toll finde, hmm...

Er kann wunderbar kochen; ich finde seine Speisen stets höchst deliziös, auch wenn es mir ein Rätsel ist, wie er richtig würzen kann ohne zu kosten, da ihm der Nikotin ja regelrecht den Geschmackssinn ruiniert hat. Auch wenn er manchmal richtig dumm sein kann, ist er doch sehr intelligent, und ich genieße unsere Diskussionen sehr. Ich finde es unglaublich herzig, wenn er sich aufregt, ahahaha!

Körperlich, ich meine, was gibt es nicht zu mögen? Ich fühle mich, wenn es um Männer geht, eher der älteren, erfahrenen Generation hingezogen. Und ja, trotz dass ich ihn oft unsanft ermahne, dass er mehr essen soll, finde ich seinen Körperbau doch sehr attraktiv.

Was er selbst nicht vor anderen zugeben möchte, ist dass er doch sehr sanft sein kann, wenn er will. Er wird zwar nicht zu einer komplett anderen Person wenn wir alleine sind, aber ist mir gegenüber, mittlerweile, um einiges authentischer geworden, und umgekehrt genauso.

Ach ja, ich denke unsere Aktivitäten im Schlafzimmer muss ich wohl kaum ansprechen. Ich möchte nur dazu sagen, dass er der Beste ist, den ich jemals hatte.

Ich denke aber das, was ich am meisten an ihm schätze, ist sein Verständnis. Er toleriert und akzeptiert... nun ja, alles an mir, auch wenn es nicht den Anschein hat. Er hilft mir meine Ängste zu bezwingen, was - ahahah! - doch regelrecht peinlich wäre, wenn jemand der sich so intensiv mit Angst beschäftigt, das nicht hinbekommen würde. Er würde es sich nie anmerken lassen, doch er ist ein sehr einfühlsamer Mensch... Er... Ich weiß nicht... Er macht mich einfach... glücklich.

Ed gazes lovingly at his partner next to him, getting lost in his eyes for a moment. Jon, on the other hand gives him a mildly annoyed look, as usual.

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow

Lemme guess. Ye'r naht gonna translate tha question, or ANYTHIN' ya just said.

Ed returns to his sassy attitude with a grin.

Edward Nygma | The Riddler

Nnnope!

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow

I fuckin' hate'chu so much.

Edward Nygma | The Riddler

Love you too, pumpkin. 💚

----

Translation:

Question: So Riddler, you speak multiple languages? Then you should be able to understand this. If yes, tell me in German what you think is so nice and great about Jonathan.

Edward's answer:

[I took the liberty to change the wording of a couple things to basically mean the same thing even if it's not the exact translation. As with most languages, how you say things in German isn't how you'd say it in English. Especially not how Edward would word things, anyway.]

Ahaha-hmm, of course I understand you. Fortunately, my dear Jonathan can't understand us, thus, I can answer your question. What I think is so nice and great about him, hmm...

He's a wonderful cook; I find that his meals are always highly delicious, even if it leaves me puzzled, how he's able to apply correct seasoning without tasting for himself, since the nicotine downright ruined his sense of taste. Even if he can sometimes be quite dumb, he is still very intelligent, and I very much enjoy our discussions. I find that it's incredibly adorable when he gets upset, ahahaha!

Physically, I mean, what's not to like? When it comes to men, I feel rather attracted to the older, more experienced generation. And yes, despite me often harshly admonishing him that he should eat more, I still find his body build quite attractive.

What he'd never admit himself in front of others, is that he certainly can be quite gentle, when he wants to. Now, he doesn't turn into a completely different person when we are alone, but he's since become much more authentic towards me, and vice versa.

Oh, and I think I'll hardly have to mention our activities in the bedroom. To that, I'd just like to add that he's the best I've ever had.

But I think that which I appreciate most about him is his understanding. He tolerates and accepts... well, everything about me, even if it doesn't seem apparent. He helps me with conquering my fears, which - ahahaha! - would be downright embarrassing if someone, who studies fear so intensively, wouldn't be able to manage that. He'd never let it show, but he's a very empathetic person. He... I don't know... He simply makes me... happy.

[bigcats-birds-and-books]

Books of 2025: ADRIFT IN CURRENTS CLEAN AND CLEAR by Seanan McGuire.

Ah, yes, my favorite January tradition: heartbreak in tiny series installment form :)

This one is about a turtle-obsessed disabled Russian girl who gets adopted by an American family and fitted for a prosthetic she doesn't ask for, want, or need, and then she splashes through her Door.

I love Russian language and culture things (shout out to accidentally double minoring in college), so I was excited for a Russian protag and a Russian-coded Door world! Excellent enrichment in my enclosure. Neat cultural expansion on the Wayward Children universe (multiverse? cosmos?? insert appropriately scaled setting word here).

I also liked the aquatic nature of Belyyreka--terrifying giant frogs and delightful giant turtles and delightful talking foxes on the riverbanks were all lovely, and the worldbuilding about different weights of water was neat! Very mind-bendy kind of setting, I dig it.

This installment felt very slim (146 pages in my copy), and Our World Heavy--the first 46 pages were in Colorado, and the last 100 were in Belyyreka, but it felt like we did More Frequent and Larger Time Skips in Belyyreka compared to Earth? Kind of speedrun mode, sans Quests, really (this one was a lot more oriented toward Finding/Building Your Family, which was signposted pretty clearly upon our arrival in Belyyreka). Mostly a quieter installment up until the, y'know, Typical Impending Tragedy of Return at the end. (Did I almost put it down at 1AM last night with 30 pages left so everyone could Be Happy? perHAPS,)

Overall: I had a good time! But, ow, my heart (once again and forever).

[mattsmemes]

[nadiajustbe]

I know people in HMC books speak English so there's not gonna be any kind of miscommunication between the characters, but sometimes I think about how it would be way more funny If there was some language diversity.

Howell Jenkins falls into the portal to an absolutely unknown, magical realm and... everyone speaks English. He was rather happy about it, finding it funny: it's a new, fantasy, fairy-tale based world with dragons and spells and seven-league boots and magic, and yet its habitants English. What are the odds?

However, it does not takes him long to realise (much to his own frustration) that, even though all of the locals native language is, in fact, English, it is pretty different from the English Howell himself is familiar with. He cant understand it quite well at fist, but it sounded like an odd mix of a modern language, specific dialects and an old tongue people was using around Victorian England/Middle Ages. It has so many words and unusual forms (Howell even called them "slang" once in a while), that it takes him a while to fully get every term and subtexts ms. Pentstemmon was referring to.

Their languages were similar just enough to catch the full sense of the sentence, but not enough to undertand all the little details, not cultural nor linguistic. It would even worst If he wasn't a big fun of Shakespeare and old Arthurian Legends growing up, letting alone studying old English (and old Welsh) at the university.

The language also differs from the area. Michael, for example, uses so many words you can hear in Porthaven only, regarding it's unique aspects. Sophie uses a lot of Market Chipping proverbs, and even more old terms connected with hats. The language he heard the King using wheh he got his first chance to met him at the time of his apprenticeship was so long, confusing and vivid, as If it was taken straight out of old English Literature books. And yet, English.

To this day Howell — at this point long-knowing as Howl Pendragon — finds himself confusing new terms, forms of words, proverbs and sayings. Maybe, he thinks, you have to be truly born there to understand all of - although he did better than anyone else would. Sophie seems to catching up just well.

—

Abdullah ends up with a flying carpet and the magical genie, exited to give away his fist wish to find the love of his love... only to not understand a word of what the genie is saying. This is how, instead of searching for Flower-In-The-Night, he now searching through a whole Zanzib for a proper translator from English because, here's the problem, If he can't understand the genie, then genie can't understand him, and If genie can't understand him, it's pointless to even try making a wish. He knows it's English: there's plenty people all around the world visiting the market, and he had even learnt certain words, important for making a trade, but that's not nearly close to a full sentence on unrelated topic.

With a great effort and after hours of searching for a really proffecional master of languages (who charges Abdullah nearly all of his money for one single session), he finally gets to the point. Except, here's another moment. That's where Abdullah finds out the wish has to be spoken from his heart and not through the other person. Here comes another catch — Ingarian English, no matter how simple or structured is, to put is simply, badly different from Rapshutian Arabic. It's not even the same language group!

So, he sits in the small, hot room near the glamorous bottle and tries to pronounce a bunch of difficult, complex words written on a paper, the kind that translator couldn't cut or simplify to ones he's familiar with, for a whole ten (to fifteen) minutes. And, as If trying to make his task as difficult as possible, genie, when he shows up, starts randomly breaking into the language translator can't even recognise, with no talk about understanding. Abdullah assumes it may be a secret genie language only this creatures know and, annoyingly, gets along with it.

After successfully wishing to understand (and use) English, he also finds out he can't wish for anything more language-related, and he shouldn't even bother himself trying to ask for a foolish things like an ability to speak every language in the world. Language is a big part of human's essence and otherwise shouldn't be messing with, just as magic focusing on it is strictly limited.

Using this fact, the genie also finds a loophole - from now on he speaks his secret genie language half of the time, stopping only when it comes to important tasks, because Abdullah "wished to know only one of his languages" and he, apparently, knows more.

This whole puzzle takes new turns, when, while traveling with the carpet, Abdullah meets the solider. Despite claiming being from Strangia, this strange man from the forest starts speaking with them in English in first and then, noticing they're from different country, easily switches to Arabic.

As they wander together, the soliders explains that he is non less confused than they are: he didn't even noticed he could speak English before the passer-byes from Ingary noticed him, and now, being with genie and Abdullah, he also remembered he knows Arabic. He adds that he can't recall anything before his duty in the army, where he definitely used Stangian and nothing else, but it feels like an strong knowledge he has, even If he doesn't remember learning any of this. He decides to wave it off, focusing on the cats and schemes.

The solider becomes a great translator for them along the journey, up to the day the got the inn. He does not understand the secret genie language, though. Especially when from the jinnies and angels they found out there's, in fact, no such a thing as a "genie language"

The story finally clears itself when Midnight and Whippersnapper turn into humans, the Solider turns into a bewitched Prince and the Royal Wizard surprisingly seems to recognize all of the words the genie was — and still is — using.

—

Charmain runs after Sophie with a long, old dictionary she has found in the Great Uncle Norland's Library. The Royals, of course, gave their honored guest the translator, but the things quickly becomes pretty private, with the search for the gold and all this story with lubboks, so Sophie tells them she's gonna manage it by herself.

To say the Dictionary is heavy is to say nothing: it's huge and thick, containing thousands of words from Ingarian English alone, split by topics, marked with tons of colors an additional moments. Even carrying it around is a whole different type of task.

Half of the time Charmain and Sophie communicate with gestures, context clues and even sounds. When they need to say something really long and complex, they write, leaning on the Dictionary, as it's a bit faster than talking. Still, at some moments Charmain has to flip through the massive pages, searching for the right word with her finger, while Sophie has to do the same. Till the end of the day the both learn some basic words from each other's language, which makes it easier.

The poor nanny has even harder times with Twinkle and Morgan, because she has no idea about what they actually want, except they both whining and crying, one louder than another.

Translator does not come in handy that much, as it looks like these children mix languages everytime when speaking to each other. She has to guess things all over the room to finally get what they need, and usually it's the most useless things ever, like striped pants and a bunch of toy horses falling from the sky.

They see Sophie and Twinkle arguing about something, but no one gets the topic of their screaming, let alone the reason why Sophie is so mad at this angelic child. Charmain asks Sophie about it, because she heard an unusual name along the lines of their quarrels, but Sophie looks too annoyed to explain, mumbling something in her native language with some sort of anger.

The only positive side of it all is that, If Chairman can't understand English, then the lubbocks can't either. Wich means that they didn't have to be as cautious when using Dictionary as they would have to If they understood each other perfectly.

Then she has to climb on the roof, where Twinkle is sitting. Charmain tries to dismiss all his attempts to start a dialogue till she's there, huffing and suffocating as she tries to get the Dictionary with her, trying not to fall.

Twinkle seems to be really proud of himself, saying he knows twice more languages that anyone else in this magical House. Charmain flips through the pages, asking either one of is the one she knows (Norlandian, I assume).

Twinkle says no. For a second Charmaine starts to really understand Sophie's feeling, fighting the urge to hit him on the head with this massive book.

Peter does not communicate with this new guest as much and, luckily, he knows the language Charmain speaks, so they don't have to struggle with a language barrier. The way speaks might be a bit different because of the area he grew up and the amount of hiding and spells he encountered, but there's nothing they can't handle. Luckily.

Calcifer knows the Saucepan song, but other than that his linguistic knowledge is far from perfect, certainly not as good as you'd expect from a fire demon. He also cannot use a Dictionary, because it will burn the second he'll come to close to it, and If this happens their main way of communication is basically gone. He makes up for it, talking with Twinkle, Morgan and Sophie, as well as being expressive enough to understand the basics or what he feels and plans. Sometimes someone (aka Sophie) has to translate what he is saying when she's near, wich is a bit longer than Charmain would wish, but still pretty plausible. She got that he desperately needs his logs, after all.

Twinkle could have used some kind of magical bubble to get them finally understand each other fully, but, again, magic connected with languages is pretty difficult and has its important limits, so it wouldn't last long. Little 30 years old boy is enjoying his childhood, running up the stairs and beating these huge bugs, not as much caring about Charmain all this huge book in her hands.

In the end, (as he turnds out to be) the Royal Wizard Howl is right - the only languages lubbocks can understand is punching.

(Many thanks to my rly good friend @your-queen-shuri for being co-author of this concept. A bunch of ideas here are from her!)