#Language barrier
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eldritchpotato ยท 14 hours ago
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Language barriers with monsters will never not be fascinating.
How does one communicate with something that doesnโ€™t share human language of some kind?
Art is a good place to start, pictures and doodles could get the basics across. But what about abstract stuff?
Something with hands could learn sign language or perhaps human sounds could be mimicked to some degree. Mermaids or anything partially human would have a far easier time doing this though.
Any social creature can communicate somehow. Werewolves might understand simple body language, growing in anger or rolling on oneโ€™s back in submission.
The less human and thus mammalian and a social animal you get the harder it would be. Communicating with a tentacle monster would definitely be more challenging. But Iโ€™m sure anyone passionate enough could work it out.
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aventurineswife ยท 2 months ago
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Reader speaks sometimes in their native language when they are frustrated/excited/in the middle of a rant switch languages. And it intrigues Aventurine, who secretly starts to learn the language too, just to listen in secret.
One day, maybe during a light argument between them, reader drops a cuss word that does translate to "f*** you" and aventurine takes this moment to reply, while grinning from ear to ear "oh? Youre offering for once?"
Stunned silence.
Reader starts freaking out in their native language while aven just stands there with that shit eating grin.
Established relationship. No, they never done the deed, but he wanted to catch reader by surprise, and he did. He so proud of himself.
โ€œYou think youโ€™re clever, but just remember: Iโ€™m one step aheadโ€
Summary: You and Aventurine are sharing a relaxed afternoon, and a playful argument about his so-called "inspirational mess" turns into teasing banter. When your frustration leads you to mutter in your native language, Aventurineโ€”whoโ€™s secretly been learning itโ€”seizes the chance to tease you in return. Caught between embarrassment and laughter, you realize heโ€™s been one step ahead, and Aventurine is all too proud of himself for the surprise.
Tags: Aventurine x Reader, Established Relationship, Fluff, Playful Banter, Lighthearted Argument, Language Barrier, Teasing, Humor.
Waring: Slight Swearing.
A/N: THIS IS SUCH A FUNNY REQ!! I LOVE IT HONESTLY!! ๐Ÿคญ (As someone's who's native language is not English, this is very funny and cute at the same time๐Ÿฅน๐Ÿคงlike imagine your s/o learning your language just so you can communicate freely or learn what you have been saying ๐Ÿคญ๐Ÿซถ๐Ÿ’–๐Ÿฅน)
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Youโ€™re both lounging around his suite on a lazy afternoon, a stack of paperwork untouched as the conversation somehow spirals into an easy back-and-forth about each otherโ€™s quirks. Itโ€™s all lighthearted and playful, but it doesnโ€™t take long before youโ€™re teasing him for his incredibly deliberate way of never quite cleaning up his cards and dice, always keeping them just a bit scattered, โ€œfor inspiration,โ€ he claims.
โ€œInspiration, huh?โ€ you say, raising an eyebrow. โ€œWell, maybe my inspiration would be higher if I didnโ€™t trip over your cards every time Iโ€™m here.โ€
Aventurine raises his hands in mock surrender. โ€œIโ€™m telling you, darling, you canโ€™t rush art! Itโ€™s all about atmosphere.โ€
โ€œAtmosphere?โ€ you scoff, switching to your native tongue as you get more animated. โ€œMore like a mess that you just want me to overlook!โ€
He smirks, feigning offense. โ€œMy โ€˜messโ€™ is a masterpieceโ€”unlike someoneโ€™s habit of muttering incomprehensibly every time they donโ€™t get their way.โ€ he teases, with that knowing look in his eyes. Heโ€™s clearly waiting for you to switch languages again.
You roll your eyes, slipping into your native tongue almost instinctively. โ€œMaybe if you werenโ€™t so infuriatingly full of yourself, I wouldnโ€™t have to mutter at all.โ€
Aventurine chuckles, his grin only widening. โ€œFull of myself?โ€ he repeats, pushing back just enough to keep the mood light. โ€œLook whoโ€™s talkingโ€”every time you walk into this room, you practically take over.โ€
โ€œTake over? Oh, please,โ€ you huff, slipping deeper into your language as you mutter, โ€œif anything, Iโ€™m saving this place from turning into a pigsty.โ€
He raises an eyebrow, clearly waiting for the right moment, and finally, you let slip a particularly choice phraseโ€”a cuss word that, in your language, translates a little too directly to โ€œfuck you.โ€
He seizes the opportunity, his face lighting up with a triumphant grin. โ€œOh? Youโ€™re offering for once?โ€
The world goes still. You blink at him in shock, the realization dawning as your mind scrambles. He understood youโ€”completely. Your cheeks flush, and before you can help it, youโ€™re sputtering in your native language, tripping over words and trying to make sense of how he even learned it.
Aventurine just stands there, that infuriatingly smug grin plastered across his face, arms crossed in satisfaction. โ€œSurprised?โ€ he drawls, clearly reveling in your stunned reaction. โ€œTurns out youโ€™re not the only one with hidden talents.โ€
You start freaking out, half-laughing, half-ranting in your language, swearing at him all over again. He just chuckles, standing back and drinking it all in, proud as ever for catching you off guard.
โ€œOh, please,โ€ he says with a chuckle, โ€œkeep goingโ€”Iโ€™m starting to enjoy these rants.โ€
You cover your face, torn between embarrassment and laughter, and finally shake your head. โ€œOne day, Iโ€™m going to get you back for this.โ€
He leans closer, his voice low and challenging. โ€œIโ€™ll be waiting, darling.โ€
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lizardboiii ยท 1 month ago
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Tongue Tiedโ”ƒOne Piece - Pt. 2
[Protective!Dracule Mihawk x Poneglyph Speaking!Reader]
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โ”‚Summary: Washed up on a gloomy shore, your only solace is a dark an empty castle. Yet, when the castle's only resident finally returns, you are met with an undeniable problem. The language you speak is completely dead to his world.
"Flailing your hands around isn't going to make me understand you any more."
"๐™ต๐š˜๐š› ๐š๐š‘๐šŽ ๐š•๐šŠ๐šœ๐š ๐š๐š’๐š–๐šŽ, ๐™ธ ๐š‘๐šŠ๐šŸ๐šŽ ๐š—๐š˜ ๐šŒ๐š•๐šž๐šŽ ๐š ๐š‘๐šŠ๐š ๐šข๐š˜๐šž ๐šŠ๐š›๐šŽ ๐šœ๐šŠ๐šข๐š’๐š—๐š!"
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ใƒปโฅใƒป
โ”‚cw: SFW, 18+, unfortunate slow start
โ”‚wc: 1.4k
โ”‚chapters: I II III
โ”‚notes: accidentally wrote the reader as such a golden retriever lmao. also, please let me know if the switch between languages is getting hard to understand! shorter chapter cause i'm overworked ;(
ใƒปโฅใƒป
โ”‚Chapter II: Golden Hour
Ever-eerie. Ever-present. Ever-gold.ย 
The undeniable sensation of watchful eyes consumed you as you haunted the castleโ€™s halls. They followed from vestibule to vestibule. The source of them hiding somewhere in the darkest of corners. Sometimesโ€ฆGoldy seemed more phantom than man.
It was foreign at first, the omnipresent feeling of sharp eyes piercing through you. They reigned supreme. Placing every action you made on trial, Goldy played the judge, jury, and executioner.
Eventually, you learned to pay his stare no mind, preferring to slowly attempt communication with the ravenette in your native tongue.ย 
The aforementioned man merely allowed you to rattle on. He treated your voice as if it was simply background noise, disregarding your presence like a lesser being.ย 
Goldyโ€™s pride scarcely made a dent in your determination. In fact, after a few days had passed, you no longer clung close to the walls, favoring to follow the massive man around like a lost duckling.ย 
Your previous isolation had made you needy.
Before you knew it, you and Goldy had developed a routine - whether he liked it or not. Your day started earlier than most. The sun just barely rising before you stirred awake from a restless sleep. You found Goldy preferred to slumber longer. His form not stalking the halls till an hour later, possibly more.
Until then, youโ€™d pad around the empty halls. You walked with no destination in mind, noting any foyers you preferred over another. And when you scoured the entire castle - youโ€™d start again. The soles of your feet wore into the stone. You were sure if you looked hard enough, you could see the beginnings of a path in the shape of your feet.
At last, Goldy would awaken. He moved with little disturbance, often evading your notice. However, whether he was outside refining his skill in the art of sword or simply relaxing in the parlor, you always managed to find him.
Today was no different.ย 
You had been meandering throughout western wing, absentmindedly tracing the serpentine engravings of the coffered ceilings with your eyes. Then, a wedge of light caught your attention.ย 
You dropped your gaze, glancing out of one of the many floor length windows. Its cracked windowsill framed a direct view of the northwestern courtyard.ย 
Through the quickly fading golden hour, you could just make out the form of Goldy. He sat passively in a cushioned chair facing the sea.ย 
A fresh newspaper was clutched in his hand while the other held an opaque chalice. Across from him was a chess table. However, no second chair existed for another player to claim.
You smiled at your discovery, you had found him faster than usual. It didn't take long for your form to gently glide towards the window. Curiosity consumed you. Standing before the window enthralled, you watch every movement Goldy made intently.ย 
When he yawned - so did you.ย 
When he rubbed his chin - you followed in suit.ย 
When he re-crossed his legs - you shifted your feet.
Your mimicry didn't last long. As quickly as you noticed him, he noticed you. Without warning, Goldyโ€™s eyes flung to your own, drilling into them. You jumped in surprise. Even after a week of dancing around each other, you still couldn't get used to their divine aureolin.ย 
Regaining composure, you grinned at him with a wave. Goldy ignored your hospitality. He was quick to return to his newspaper, feigning ignorance. However, you were sure he understood what would come next.
You barreled towards the courtyard. Skipping steps and slamming doors, you easily found your way to the grumpy man. Goldy remained unfazed at your sudden appearance.ย 
You walked beside his chair with a large smile, excited to talk to someone other than yourself.ย 
โ€œ๐™ถ๐š˜๐š˜๐š ๐š–๐š˜๐š›๐š—๐š’๐š—๐š!โ€
Your voice drew a puff of air from the man, his eyes shifting to you for only a moment. You hummed at the attention. Plopping down on the ground, you rested your head against the arm of his chair.
โ€œ๐™ท๐š˜๐š  ๐š ๐šŠ๐šœ ๐šข๐š˜๐šž๐š› ๐š—๐š’๐š๐š‘๐š?โ€ You beamed at the man above you.
Flip.
You turned your gaze to the sea, โ€œ๐™ณ๐š’๐š ๐šข๐š˜๐šž ๐šœ๐š•๐šŽ๐šŽ๐š™ ๐š ๐šŽ๐š•๐š•?โ€
Flip.
Your composure began to waiver, โ€œ๐š๐šŽ๐šŠ๐š•๐š•๐šข? ๐™ธ ๐šœ๐š•๐šŽ๐š™๐š ๐š๐š›๐šŽ๐šŠ๐š!โ€
Flip.
Finally, the smile you forced dropped, โ€œ๐š‚๐š˜๐š–๐šŽ๐š๐š’๐š–๐šŽ๐šœ ๐™ธ ๐š ๐š’๐šœ๐š‘ ๐š ๐šŽ ๐šœ๐š™๐š˜๐š”๐šŽ ๐š๐š‘๐šŽ ๐šœ๐šŠ๐š–๐šŽ ๐š•๐šŠ๐š—๐š๐šž๐šŠ๐š๐šŽ.โ€ You picked at the grass beneath you, โ€œ๐šƒ๐š‘๐š˜๐šž๐š๐š‘ ๐š–๐šŠ๐šข๐š‹๐šŽ ๐šข๐š˜๐šžโ€™๐š ๐šœ๐š๐š’๐š•๐š• ๐š’๐š๐š—๐š˜๐š›๐šŽ ๐š–๐šŽ ๐šŽ๐šŸ๐šŽ๐š— ๐š’๐š ๐šข๐š˜๐šž ๐šŒ๐š˜๐šž๐š•๐š ๐šž๐š—๐š๐šŽ๐š›๐šœ๐š๐šŠ๐š—๐š ๐š–๐šŽ.โ€
A long sigh made you jolt in surprise. Goldy tossed his newspaper on the side table next to him in annoyance. Two firm fingers squeezing the bridge of his nose.
โ€œJust what are you chattering about?โ€ย 
You perked up at the response, returning your gaze to the ravenette, โ€œ๐™ฐ๐š›๐šŽ ๐šข๐š˜๐šž ๐š๐š’๐š—๐š’๐šœ๐š‘๐šŽ๐š ๐š ๐š’๐š๐š‘ ๐šข๐š˜๐šž๐š› ๐š—๐šŽ๐š ๐šœ๐š™๐šŠ๐š™๐šŽ๐š› ๐šŠ๐š•๐š›๐šŽ๐šŠ๐š๐šข, ๐™ถ๐š˜๐š•๐š๐šข?โ€
He met your excited gaze coolly. You could practically see the gears in his head turning, frustrated with the fact he wouldn't be able to pull answers from you.
Goldy leaned his head on his hand, refusing to move his eyes off of you, โ€œWhat am I going to do with you?โ€
Your mouth curved into a small smile. Although you couldn't understand him, you've determined your second favorite thing about Goldy was his voice.
You turned back to the sea solemnly. Even though you could see his imposing figure, hear his rich cadence - it was as if nothing had changed. You still felt so utterly alone.ย 
The crashing waves called you home, beckoning your aching heart. Beyond them, bobbing up and down, Goldyโ€™s ship offered itself. A way back home.ย 
A way back to sanity.
Pointing your finger at the ship, you snapped your head over to the older man, โ€œ๐™ถ๐š˜๐š•๐š๐šข, ๐š•๐š˜๐š˜๐š” ๐š’๐šโ€™๐šœ ๐šข๐š˜๐šž๐š› ๐š‹๐š˜๐šŠ๐š!โ€
Goldy raised a sharp brow at your sudden outburst.ย 
You chewed your bottom lip, trying to figure out a way to articulate your thoughts. Determined, you pointed at him, โ€œ๐™ถ๐š˜๐š•๐š๐šข.โ€
Then, you pointed to the ship, "๐™ฑ๐š˜๐šŠ๐š.โ€
A low rumble escaped his chest before he gestured to himself, โ€œGoldy?โ€
You shook your head enthusiastically, โ€œ๐™ถ๐š˜๐š•๐š๐šข!โ€
โ€œYou named me?โ€ He spoke more to himself than you, rubbing the pointed edges of his beard. Displeased, Goldy quickly shook his head, โ€œNo.โ€
You tilted your head in confusion. Had he rejected the name?ย 
Goldy swished the glass in his hand, โ€œMihawk.โ€ย 
You tasted the name on your tongue, carefully mouthing every syllable, โ€œMi-hawk?โ€
A faint smile grew on his face, โ€œMihawk.โ€
Grinning, you signaled to yourself, โ€œ(๐šข/๐š—)!โ€
โ€œ(๐šข/๐š—)?โ€ He placed the chalice to his lips, โ€œYouโ€™re quite a troublesome brat, โ€œ(๐šข/๐š—).โ€
Your stomach flipped at the sound of your name. You hoped he'd say it more.
Pointing at the ship once more, you called out to him, "Mihawk. ๐™ฑ๐š˜๐šŠ๐š.โ€
Mihawk followed your finger, โ€œ๐™ฑ๐š˜๐šŠ๐š?โ€ His brows furrowed slightly before relaxing, โ€œDo you want my boat?โ€
He stood suddenly, as if he connected the dots he had been chasing. Ignoring your confused form, Mihawlk allowed his long legs to lead him to the path back to the castle. He looked back only for a moment. His large hand beckoning you to follow in suit.ย 
You stood quickly, fumbling over your own feet. You couldn't lose this chance.ย 
Mihawk walked briskly, winding through the castle halls before he led you to large french doors. You had seen them before during your morning strolls. However, you were never able to investigate what was hidden behind them. Mihawk kept them under lock and key.ย 
Reaching inside his pocket, the aforementioned man pulled out a small silver key. It glimmered under the sunlight enhancing the skull design on its embossed head. As quick as he revealed it, he unlocked the room.
The door swung open ominously. The darkness of the room seemed to creep out into the hallway, dying the floor black. Even so, Mihawk entered the room without hesitation. You wasted no time following close behind.
Eventually, Mihawk allowed himself to relax in an armed car across from the roomโ€™s fireplace. Taking out a pen and paper, he offered the utensils to you. You gladly accepted them.ย 
Twirling the pen in your hand, you tried to ignore Mihawkโ€™s piercing stare.ย 
First, you began to draw a boat. Beneath it you labeled:
โ€œ๐™ฑ๐š˜๐šŠ๐š.โ€
Next, you drew an arrow leading to a small island with a house on it. Beneath which you wrote:
โ€œ๐™ท๐š˜๐š–๐šŽ.โ€
Looking up from your drawings, you smiled at Mihawk eagerly. However, your grin quickly dropped at Mihawkโ€™s expression.
You had never seen Mihawkโ€™s face get so pale.
โ€œThis is impossible.โ€
Mihawk snatched the paper from your grip.ย 
โ€œHow could you possibly knowโ€ฆโ€
His eyes searched your writing frantically.
โ€œPoneglyph.โ€
ใƒปโฅใƒป
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dontforgetukraine ยท 3 months ago
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Kharkiv's Faktor-Druk printing house has resumed operation after being severely damaged by a Russian missile strike on May 23. The facility is only partially restored, and they have shifted focus to printing essential educational materials such as textbooks for the new school year.
According to Tatiana Hryniuk, the general director, damages from the Russian missile strike exceed โ‚ฌ10 million, with losses still being calculated. The attack claimed seven lives and destroyed almost 100,000 books.
Source: Kharkivโ€™s Faktor-Druk printing house resumes operations after Russian missile strike
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lumpsbumpsandwhumps ยท 1 year ago
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we need more language barriers in whump because it's so fucking good no matter if you use it for whumper and whumpee or whumpee and caretaker or especially carewhumper and whumpee or any combination!!!!
Whumpee not being able to know what the fuck is going on no matter how many times they ask, only being manhandled into various situations because they don't understand how to comply with whatever is being told to them (gently or not is up to you >:3c)
Having to rely on tones and facial expressions to get a vague sense of what the other person is trying to get across, despite all the repetition of sounds and slow pronunciations and childish gesturing
Those little moments where a word just finally clicks for someone, the one piece of common ground, even if they can't fully repeat it back due to an accent that maybe earns them an amused chuckle or a scowl
Endless frustration and exploding so many pent up feelings for a rant that falls on deaf ears, because why is this so hard to comprehend, why can't you just understand my words, why do I feel like such a fucking idiot??? And what do they get in return? Silence...or more foreign gibberish.
Not bothering to keep quiet about their thoughts, agreeable or otherwise, vulgar or polite -- what does it matter? No one is going to understand a lick of it, they can say whatever the hell they want (unless maybe someone does catch a couple words or phrases hmmm)
Whumpers using sweet coos and nice smiles while saying the most awful shit. Caretakers being endlessly patient in trying to foster some kind of trust and feasible communication. Carewhumpers being stern and hands on because there's no time to waste in getting Whumpee to grasp what they need from them.
The longer they're in each others company, the more quirks and micro expressions they start to pick up, long before they ever fully understand a word of what's being said, including when someone is lying or when a nerve has been struck
Realizing which words mean "bad thing" and which words mean "good thing"
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literaryvein-reblogs ยท 4 days ago
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i was wondering if you had any tips for writing a story that involved a language barrier. would i write mostly action? would it be less interesting without dialogue? thank you!!
Writing Notes: Language Barrier
Language Barriers. If you work in an industry that is heavy in jargon or technical language, care should be taken to avoid these words when speaking with someone from outside the industry. Without being patronizing, imagine explaining a situation in your industry to a child. How would you convey these concepts without relying on jargon? A clear, direct narrative is preferable to an incomprehensible slew of specialty terms.
EXAMPLES of language barriers that prevent individuals from effective communication include:
Dialects - While two people may technically speak the same language, dialectal differences can make communication between them difficult. Examples of dialectical language barriers exist worldwide. Chinese, for example, has a variety of dialects that are commonly spoken, including Cantonese and Mandarin.
Language Disabilities - Language disabilities are physical impediments to language. Physical language disabilities that cause language barriers include stuttering, dysphonia or an articulation disorder and hearing loss.
To overcome language barriers, here are a few things you can do:
Translate all relevant documentsย into the person's primary language.
Use an interpreterย whenever you give instructions or provide feedback.
Provide language classes.
Use both telling and showing methods.
Useย visualย methods of communicationย more than audio. Show more than tell. Explain with pictures as much as possible.
Use repetition. As with any new concept, most people don't learn something the first time they hear it.
Never raise your voice or over-enunciate your words. Talk slower, not louder. Speak clearly, not forcefully. People of a different language and culture can hear fine.
Use simpler words with fewer syllables. Be aware of the complexities of your words. Use more common words that convey your message in simpler terms. Don't talk down; just use a less complex vocabulary.
Learn the basics of their language. If you want to communicate effectively and build rapport, consider learning a few words and phrases in their language.
Have them demonstrate their understanding. Don't assume they immediately understand; check for understanding.
You can also read anecdotes of people's experience with language barriers to help guide your writing. Here's an example.
Sources: 1 2 โšœ More: Notes & References โšœ Writing Resources PDFs
Choose which of these notes apply to the specific scene you are writing. Are the characters actually trying to communicate despite the barrier? Consider the purpose of your scene. They could use nonverbal cues instead of speaking. When we see people who don't speak the same language interact, sometimes they still continue to speak their own language whilst miming or gesturing to try to communicate what they mean even though they know the other person can't understand what they're saying. You can definitely still make it interesting. Will you make the scene more humorous? Will the scene end in a misunderstanding, an argument, or will they eventually communicate successfully? Perhaps something in their culture overlaps that helps them understand each other. Or will there be another character (or characters) who will step in and help them? Hope this helps with your writing!
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poltergirlst ยท 2 months ago
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ah, i wish my english vocabulary were vast so that the horny thoughts that lives on my brazilian portuguese mind would be better articulated ๐Ÿ˜”
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bloggingboutburgers ยท 1 year ago
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Conversation with a coworker from a bit ago that won't leave my head
โ€ฆAnd yeah I do get the irony of translating this conversation into English so y'all will understand, it's part of the joke I guess
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whumpcreations ยท 5 months ago
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Just thinking about a mute Caretaker trying to communicate through sign language.
And a Whumpee who's so much more scared because they have no way of understanding what Caretaker wants to tell them. How can they be good, when they just don't understand?
Plus they can't suppress their flinch every time Caretaker raises their hands.
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yours-trudy ยท 4 months ago
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sure... anime...
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all-eyes-no-dragon ยท 6 months ago
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I wanted to rec this for a while. This is the most amazing humans are space orcs story I've ever read. It's called, "In Search of Home".
It's an original work so there's no fandom you need to know to read it, it's over 362,000 words, which is more than decently long, and has an ongoing sequel that's surpassed the word count of the first story (we love getting closure ๐Ÿ’ž). It has a happy ending (not a spoiler, it says in the tags) so don't worry about your heart breaking too much.
I'm rereading the first story and I feel kind of cool knowing the alien words.
I cried reading it, I laughed, I felt victorious. I love it so much and want more people to know it exists because original works aren't as popular on ao3.
Mind the tags!
Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43547319
Summary:
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artxssa ยท 8 months ago
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SING IT KINGโœจโœจโœจ
Soap will never recover from this
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lizardboiii ยท 7 months ago
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Tongue Tiedโ”ƒOne Piece
[Protective!Dracule Mihawk x Poneglyph Speaking!Reader]
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โ”‚Summary: Washed up on a gloomy shore, your only solace is a dark an empty castle. Yet, when the castle's only resident finally returns, you are met with an undeniable problem. The language you speak is completely dead to his world.
"Flailing your hands around isn't going to make me understand you any more."
"๐™ต๐š˜๐š› ๐š๐š‘๐šŽ ๐š•๐šŠ๐šœ๐š ๐š๐š’๐š–๐šŽ, ๐™ธ ๐š‘๐šŠ๐šŸ๐šŽ ๐š—๐š˜ ๐šŒ๐š•๐šž๐šŽ ๐š ๐š‘๐šŠ๐š ๐šข๐š˜๐šž ๐šŠ๐š›๐šŽ ๐šœ๐šŠ๐šข๐š’๐š—๐š!"
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โ”‚cw: 18+, SFW, violent undertones, f!reader, mihawk's eyes, terrible nicknames
โ”‚wc: 1.8k
โ”‚chapters: I II III
โ”‚notes: poneglyph writing/speaking in different font. normal font is any other language as written. enjoy <3
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โ”‚Chapter I: Bird of Prey
Squawking.
Soft and high pitch, the incessant cries of seagulls flooded your ears like a symphony. You groaned audibly at the noise. An action you almost instantly regretted as a sudden rush of frigid sea water seeped into your cracked mouth.ย 
Hacking up a storm, you were quick to come to your, mostly delirious, senses. You laid sprawled out on a strange gloomy shore. The water, almost too calm for your liking, combined with an eerie fog rolling in from the seemingly endless coastline, felt as if you entered purgatory.ย 
Stumbling to your soaked feet, you tested your balance. Though your legs wavered slightly, you managed to pull yourself from the waterโ€™s surprisingly strong tide. You felt like you might be sucked back out to sea.ย 
Swallowing nervously, you grimaced at the bitter taste of salt still lathered on your tongue. It was a sickly reminder of your current predicament. You were completely stranded, alone. Clenching your eyes shut, you replayed the moments before the disaster.ย 
Your rickety fishing boat swayed innocently on the open water, unaware of the massive storm brewing overhead. You had no time to prepare, no time to act, no time to ensure any self-preservation. In the blink of an eye, the sky blackened.
The small white capping waves surrounding you abruptly grew in size and violence. Your small boat stood no chance. The futile struggle to stay right side up only lasted moments. With one final wave, your boat capsized from the continuous abuse.ย ย 
Shrieking, your body was thrown into the raging sea like a rag doll. You struggled hard against the current, only managing to break the waterโ€™s surface every couple of seconds.ย 
Eventually, your arms grew too tired, too weak, too heavy. It became more of a struggle to convince yourself to stay afloat than to fight the waves dragging you beneath their depths. Then, the world went dark.
Taking a deep breath, you willed away any more dreadful thoughts. The sooner you could find another spare ship the quicker you could go back home.
Scanning your surroundings, you searched for any ships, abandoned or not. Immediately your eyes caught a shocking scene. Nestled far beyond the shore, a massive crumbling castle towered over the island. You couldn't help but remark how fitting it was.
The discovery did little to encourage you. An abandoned castle meant no life, and no life meant no ships. You threaded your fingers through your hair. How could this get any worse?
The sound of thunder mocked your internal monologue. Groaning loudly, you began your venture towards the lonesome castle in an attempt to escape the rapidly forming storm.ย 
You managed to reach the half point mark before your skin began to crawl. You couldn't help but feel like something, or someone, was watching you through the underbrush. Though you tried to chalk it up to paranoia, you swore you saw something red glowing within the trees. It was just your luck to be marooned on a haunted island.
Whether it was divine intervention or simply uninterest, you managed to reach the chipped steps of the castle unscathed. Although that didn't stop you from hightailing it inside.ย 
A closer look inside the fortress told you just how regal it once appeared to be: large stained glass windows, tall decorative pillars, and corridors that seemed to stretch for miles. You were in awe from the moment you entered.
In due time, you found your way to an equally extravagant dining room. The wood of the table was scratched and weathered, but ultimately well taken care of. However, the real centerpiece of the room was a massive chair befitting the end.
The plush seat was adorned with gold trim and a deep red leather. You wondered if someone had lugged it in there from the throne room. Swiping a finger across the armrest, you rubbed your fingers together. A thick layer of dust slowly floated to the ground.
You hummed more so to yourself, โ€œ๐™ผ๐šŠ๐šข๐š‹๐šŽ ๐š๐š‘๐š’๐šœ ๐š™๐š•๐šŠ๐šŒ๐šŽ ๐š›๐šŽ๐šŠ๐š•๐š•๐šข ๐š’๐šœ ๐š๐šŽ๐šœ๐šŽ๐š›๐š๐šŽ๐š.โ€
Spinning on your heel, you shamelessly plopped yourself down on the gaudy throne. It wouldn't hurt to live in a palace. For a short while at least. You could stay there until you were able to either build another boat or be lucky enough to be rescued.
You smiled, โ€œ๐™ธ๐š ๐š ๐š˜๐šž๐š•๐š๐š—'๐š ๐š‘๐šž๐š›๐š ๐š๐š˜ ๐š‹๐šŽ ๐šŠ ๐šš๐šž๐šŽ๐šŽ๐š—.โ€
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After a month of trial and error, it seemed like you greatly overestimated your raft crafting capabilities. The trees on the island were far too thick for you to cut down with no ax, and any driftwood washed up on the beach seemed to crumble from even the gentlest touch.
You were starting to wonder if youโ€™d be trapped there forever.ย 
That was until you ventured out on your daily search for partly salvageable driftwood. Aloft the gentle waves was an all too strangeโ€ฆ ship? Raft? Casket? To be honest, you werenโ€™t exactly sure what it was.
There was only thing you knew for sure, the small vessel was currently barreling towards your remote island. You could barely contain your excitement.ย 
You were going home.
Dropping the withered planks in your hands, you allowed them to shatter against the plush sand before bolting to get closer with the ship. Your eyes remained locked in on the crossed shaped mast that grew ever closer. Its black sails signaling โ€œFreedomโ€.
Your tunnel vision made you stumble and trip over your own feet as you ran. And when you weren't running - you were crawling. Your hands desperately clawed at the damp sand in order to lift yourself back to your feet. You could not bear to lose your fleeting chance of leaving your island prison.
Eventually, the gothic ship docked. Its black sails were slowly being pulled into bundles when you finally managed to reach it. And reach it you did.ย 
You met the ship with little discretion. Squabbling and frantic, you made no effort to contain your emotions in front of the shipโ€™s presumed Captain. Manners could wait until your safety was secured.
Thrusting your hands in the air, you made your presence widely known, โ€œ๐™ด๐šก๐šŒ๐šž๐šœ๐šŽ ๐š–๐šŽ!โ€
The man before you hesitated slightly before releasing his hold on the black stained linen. Turning his obscured face, you noted the lackluster expression he wore. He seemed neither surprised nor unsurprised, merelyโ€ฆinconvenienced.ย ย 
โ€œ๐šˆ๐š˜๐šž ๐š‘๐šŠ๐šŸ๐šŽ ๐š—๐š˜ ๐š’๐š๐šŽ๐šŠ ๐š‘๐š˜๐š  ๐š‘๐šŠ๐š™๐š™๐šข ๐™ธ ๐šŠ๐š– ๐š๐š˜ ๐šœ๐šŽ๐šŽ ๐šข๐š˜๐šž,โ€ you laughed awkwardly, โ€œ๐™ธ ๐š–๐šŽ๐šŠ๐š—, ๐™ผ๐šข ๐™ถ๐š˜๐š, ๐š‘๐š˜๐š  ๐š•๐š˜๐š—๐š ๐š‘๐šŠ๐šŸ๐šŽ ๐™ธ ๐š‹๐šŽ๐šŽ๐š— ๐š๐š›๐šŠ๐š™๐š™๐šŽ๐š ๐š‘๐šŽ๐š›๐šŽ? ๐™ฐ ๐š–๐š˜๐š—๐š๐š‘ ๐š‹๐šข ๐š—๐š˜๐š !โ€
The man greeted your pitiful tangent with a stagnant silence. If you hadn't noticed his previous disinterest, you definitely noticed it now. Taking a deep breath, you internally assessed your newly appointed โ€œsaviorโ€.
He stood tall, extremely so. He was taller than any man you knew on your home island. You assumed you'd only reach his chest if you stood side by side. However, he certainly did not lack in the muscle department either. He was broad, thick even. You wondered if his shoulders were as firm as they looked.
Gradually, your eyes wandered to an elegantly crafted coat. The dark red of his sleeves were a stark contrast against his unnaturally pale skin which, unsurprisingly, he left on full display. Not that you minded of course.
However, the most striking attribute he bore was his eyes. They shone brighter than any golden jewel found on the Grand Line, rivaling the sun itself. You certain even Helios swooned over his canary colored irises.
Entranced, you allowed yourself to be captivated. The thick black rims surrounding his pupils produced an almost stained glass appearance. All you wanted to do was consume more, read into them like a devout worshiper. It was as if they bore scripture.
You unconsciously shifted forward, trying to get a closer look. That was your first mistake. Abruptly, those very eyes sharpened with hostility, sizing you up like a hawk. It seemed your sudden movement labeled you a threat.
โ€œWho areโ€ฆโ€
The temperature felt as if it plummeted. Icy and thick, you didn't need hands around your neck to feel like you were being strangled. You couldn't understand why this was happening, mainly becauseโ€ฆ
โ€œYou?โ€
You had no idea what he was saying.ย 
Hands trembling, you stared at the man above you in confusion. You were sure if you did not respond he could, and would, take action. Maybe if you weren't quick enough in answering heโ€™d kidnap you and sell you off for some pocket change. Or worse, he would kill you for just causing him trouble.
You racked your brain for any semblance of a response. What could you have even done to warrant such an intense reaction?
โ€œโ€ฆ๐™ธ ๐š๐š˜๐š—โ€™๐š,โ€ You swallowed hard, โ€œ๐š„๐š—๐š๐šŽ๐š›๐šœ๐š๐šŠ๐š—๐š?โ€
The tense atmosphere gave way slightly, releasing its invisible hold on your throat.ย 
Sighing quietly, the ravenette grumbled to himself, โ€œIt seems we donโ€™t speak the same language. How inconvenient.โ€
Annoyed, the taller man searched your person with his honey laced eyes. Satisfied with his findings, he returned his attention back to his vessel. You pondered if your lack of weapons made you into a problem that could be โ€œdealt with laterโ€.
However, you didn't want to be tossed aside until later. You wanted to return home. And if that meant attempting communication with a hostile vampiric asshole, you'd have to try!
โ€œ๐š„๐š–,โ€ You scrambled to the other side of the man's ship in an attempt to regain his attention.
โ€œ๐š‚๐š’๐š›, ๐š ๐šŠ๐š’๐š!โ€
Goldy, newly nicknamed, paid you no mind, favoring to strap down his ship without haste. You chewed on the inside of your cheek in frustration.
Shuffling beside him, you implemented drastic measures. However, your hand only managed to move a centimeter towards Goldyโ€™s arm before your wrist was swiftly snatched in a painful grip.
Not wasting a moment of Goldyโ€™s notice, you began frantically pointing at yourself with your free hand, โ€œ๐™ธ!โ€
You motioned at the ship, โ€œ๐™ฝ๐šŽ๐šŽ๐š ๐šข๐š˜๐šž๐š› ๐š‹๐š˜๐šŠ๐š!โ€
Goldy released his iron grip and stood to his full height, โ€œStop being troublesome.โ€
โ€œ๐™ป๐š’๐šœ๐š๐šŽ๐š— ๐™ธ ๐š‘๐šŠ๐šŸ๐šŽ ๐š—๐š˜ ๐š’๐š๐šŽ๐šŠ ๐š ๐š‘๐šŠ๐š ๐šข๐š˜๐šž ๐šŠ๐š›๐šŽ ๐šœ๐šŠ๐šข๐š’๐š—๐š ๐š‹๐šž๐š ๐™ธ ๐š—๐šŽ๐šŽ๐š ๐šข๐š˜๐šž๐š› ๐š‹๐š˜๐šŠ๐š. ๐™ธ ๐šŒ๐šŠ๐š—โ€™๐š ๐šœ๐š™๐šŽ๐š—๐š ๐šŠ๐š—๐š˜๐š๐š‘๐šŽ๐š› ๐š–๐š˜๐š–๐šŽ๐š—๐š ๐šŠ๐š•๐š˜๐š—๐šŽ ๐š‘๐šŽ๐š›๐šŽ!โ€
The ravenette merely continued to stare at you disinterested. Perhaps he was debating if cutting you down now would be easier than listening to nonsensical ramblings.
Nevertheless, you waved your hands down your body, โ€œ๐™ผ๐šŽ!โ€ย 
You gestured at his ship, โ€œ๐™ฑ๐š˜๐šŠ๐š!โ€
You clasped your hands together, โ€œ๐™ฟ๐š•๐šŽ๐šŠ๐šœ๐šŽ!โ€
"Flailing your hands around isn't going to make me understand you any more."
"๐™ต๐š˜๐š› ๐š๐š‘๐šŽ ๐š•๐šŠ๐šœ๐š ๐š๐š’๐š–๐šŽ, ๐™ธ ๐š‘๐šŠ๐šŸ๐šŽ ๐š—๐š˜ ๐šŒ๐š•๐šž๐šŽ ๐š ๐š‘๐šŠ๐š ๐šข๐š˜๐šž ๐šŠ๐š›๐šŽ ๐šœ๐šŠ๐šข๐š’๐š—๐š!"
Goldy easily ignored your pestering and walked around you, โ€œI donโ€™t have time for this.โ€
โ€œ๐š†๐šŠ๐š’๐š!โ€ You ran after his form, โ€œ๐™ฑ๐š˜๐šŠ๐š! ๐™ฑ๐š˜๐šŠ๐š! ๐™ฑ๐š˜๐šŠ๐š!โ€
You followed Goldy with continued pleas. Yet, his long legs persisted across the desolate beach to the hidden pathway located in the tree line.
Your brows furrowed at the observation. It took you a week to find the secret trail that led from the beach straight to the castle. How could he have found it so easily?
You finally fell silent as Goldy traversed the path like the back of his hand. He walked confidently. It was as if he had been on the island before.
A sudden thought crossed your mind.ย 
Goldy lived here.
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dontforgetukraine ยท 3 months ago
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TIFF: And so it continues...5 to ZFF
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Aaand "Russians at War" is going to be at the Zurich Flim Festival. Because of course.
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The Russian Canadian director Anastasia Trofimova met a soldier on home leave in Moscow's subway, accompanying him to the front lines, where she spent over a year filming unauthorized footage in a battalion near the Ukrainian border. In her film, she gives voice to soldiers who have no understanding of the war's causes and soon find themselves mourning comrades who have become Putin's cannon fodder. This harrowing and unique war documentary captures images you would never see in the news media. 'Who are the Russian soldiers who are fighting against Ukraine? What do they think of Putin? The documentary has them speak their minds. A film that revealed more to me about this conflict than 100 newspaper articles.' โ€“ Christian Jungen Anastasia Trofimova Anastasia Trofimova was born in Moscow and is a Russian-Canadian filmmaker. She first studied communications and political science and then international relations. Trofimova is a renowned filmmaker who has made a name for herself through her work in conflict zones such as Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Russia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In her films, she addresses social inequality and injustice. She has been honoured with the Canada Screen Award and has participated as a jury member at the News and Documentary Emmy Awards five times. RUSSIANS AT WAR (2024) / CONGO, MY PRECIOUS (2017) / VICTIMS OF ISIS (2015) / HER WAR: WOMEN VS. ISIS (2015)
No mention of RT in the director's bio of course. Same shit, different film festival.
Also, if this propaganda film reveals more to you about the war than 100 news articles, that's not shining praise for the film, but rather an indictment of the sorry state of our collective media landscape in Ukraine and the West.
The West obviously has a problem of not reporting on Ukraine as often anymore. It's not "fashionable". A lot of the reporting I've come across is superficial and there is rarely a deep dive into the Ukrainian civilian aspect of the war. It seems there always has to be either a grotesque catastrophic event due to Russian aggression (like the Okhmatdyt children's cancer hospital), or an interesting enough topic in order for something to be considered (like the Mykola Hryshko national botanical garden being in danger of losing its tropical plants due to the war causing electricity cuts.) There is a dearth of human interest stories, which is the core of understanding this war and the effects it has on Ukrainians.
When there is such a story, it falls into the situation of the "box-ticking approach", as described by Dr. Olesya Khromeychuk:
It is not enough to simply โ€˜do Ukraineโ€™ by reviewing one book on the war, especially if itโ€™s by a Western journalist rather than a Ukraine-based author. Itโ€™s not enough to host one exhibition, particularly if it is by an artist or photographer who only spent a few weeks in the country. Quickly putting together a panel on Russiaโ€™s war in response to a major development at the front and adding a sole Ukrainian voice at the last minute doesnโ€™t cut it either. This box-ticking approach is unhelpful and insulting.
Most if not all of the quotes I pull from human-interest stories are from Ukrainian journalism. If you've been following me for the short time I've had this blog up, you'll notice I read a lot. At this point I've given up on looking up Western based English media, because the core stories that define the war are just not there. If there is an interesting article from the West, I'll usually see it pop up on my Twitter feed (like the botanical garden story) and I'll take a look then because its been recommended and has what I'm looking for.
And finally, Western media can't let go of having some Russian expert talk about Ukraine, instead of actually talking to Ukrainians.
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Kate from Kharkiv: Ukrainian media, both in Ukrainian and English, must improve their regional reporting. They are increasingly resembling local Kyiv media, which limits global awareness of events across Ukraine. Consequently, international media rarely cover these regions unless we die en mass. But not too often, because if often it is not news anymore.
Like Kate from Kharkiv points out, mass-casualty events are no longer "fashionable". She further indicates the lack of essential reporting in specific regions where conditions are different from Kyiv. One such example is the Russians turning Kherson into a "human safari". Initially, only Zarina Zabrisky was reporting on how Russian drones pilots were deliberately targeting civilians, and she shouldn't have to be the only one reporting on this. While there are some Western news outlets that have reported on this situation now, it's still not enough. Zarina Zabrisky is still diligently doing the bulk of the work in reporting on this. I can only imagine what other stories in other regions are going untold because there is little to no coverage.
The other obstacle I've noticed is accessibility to news in Ukraine from a language perspective. There isn't enough English language coverage from Ukrainian media outlets. While I would love to be able to read Ukrainian confidently, I'm nowhere near there yet, and the West is collectively even further away. Google translate isn't a great substitute either for obvious reasons. The number of times I wanted to read/watch a news report, and there was no English supplement is a lot. It happens frequently with the English language Ukrainian news accounts I follow. They'll post a clip from a news report with no translated subtitles and say, "look at this!", but I can't extract the information they want to show because of this problem.
This is why I hold volunteer translators as some of the most valuable contributors in the information space, and I will always credit them.
It's a vicious cycle. If a large proportion of Ukrainian news media is inaccessible to Western media due to the language barrier, information has even less of a chance of being noticed and spreading. This is, in my opinion, the other side of the coin on issues in the information war.
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iamsoconfusedallofthetime ยท 1 month ago
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Modern WWX and WN find a weirdly familiar feeling talisman (that their supplier swore up and down didn't actually do anything and was just yet another relic from the distant past!) while working at a local museum and does something to it and find themselves all the way back in the tang dynasty.
Cool cool cool. Whatever. Wen Qing is gonna flip her shit at both of them when they get back- cause they're getting back! They will get back Wen Ning! Don't worry man we'll figure something out-
holy shit why are they in yunmeng jiang? Why are they in a boat in Yunmeng Jiang? Why does Wei Ying know this is Yunmeng Jiang it looks so different than the modern buildings he's used to- Don't look at me Like That Wen Ning I know what I'm talking about! Yes I'm sure this is where we are!
Oh that guy is looking at us? Where? What guy- oh that one. Uhhhh yep! He's staring directly at us isn't he, lovely.
And OH! What a sharp shiny sword he's got! Pointing directly at us and our little boat! I'm sure this will go fine! Aren't you Wen Ning? ๐Ÿ˜Š๐Ÿ˜ฎโ€๐Ÿ’จ
Oh look at that now he's shouting at us! Very peaceful things like-....
What the hell is this guy saying?
Wen Ying turns around for what seems like the millionth time to his friend to stare at him; (and actually making eye contact with him this time due to his head not being in his hands in his current despair) Wen Ning just looked back at him in disbelieving confusion. They could still hear the sword man yelling at them and gradually increasing in volume.
Yep! Can't understand shit this guy's saying! It's all gibberish over here my man! Nothing to see nothing to hear!
Ok. They were in a boat. They were in a boat in Yunmeng fucking Jiang- an ancient version of Yunmeng fucking Jiang! And there was some historical looking guy with a sword dressed in an achingly familiar shade of purple shouting at them in what Wei Ying was pretty sure was a super old version of the Yunmeng dialect that had long since evolved out from and was no longer being spoken or used outside of linguists trying to translate old documents that had somehow survived to the twenty-first century.
So. They were stuck in a boat in ancient China. Ok. Cool. Whatever. No big deal this is no big deal- this is TOTALLY! NO BIG-
Wei Ying put in his best "we're kind of fucked actually" smile. Wen Ning gifted a perfect thousand yard stare right back to him, seemingly coming to at least a similar conclusion of his own.
Yeah, Wei Ying let out a long sigh through his nose, he was gonna rip that supplier a new asshole or two when they got back.
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ultra-phthalo ยท 8 months ago
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Enclosure Encounter
[Transformers Reversed First Contact AU. Your encounter with an unspecified bot held in an enclosure] Word count: 725 ------------------------------------------------------------- To not be heard. Imagine talking to someone and they donโ€™t know that you were talking to them. Do you ever remember being distressed? Something had happened, your stress evident in the most readable wide eyes you have ever seen. Your movement hasty and you raise your voice to beg the person in front of you to do something. But the release of acknowledgement never came. Devoid of any reaction to your voice. Your distress was invisible to the person next to you. You were the unreadable oneโ€ฆ
Looking at the light of the enclosure reflecting off the red railing in front of you. You watch your fistโ€™s grip tighten around the railing from the memory. The metal to skin contact made an odd creaking noise that peaked above the catting crowd. The hums of accidental bumps and kids impatiently slapping the railing buzzing through your hands. The sight of the botโ€™s far off gaze and spent form returned that unpleasant memory. Clearly your mind is still hung up on something.
The early morning visit to this natural history museum exhibit was meant to be a last minute decision. But you had no clue that you'd got the luck of turning up here during feeding time.
A grinding noise was heard as the bot finally noticed its tray of mini pink energon cubes. It sat beside the tray. The whole set up having the energy of a regular person sitting at a cafe. Eating from a raised blocky table and sat on a cube for chair. The bot avoiding eye contact from all angles.
The bot began to slow its chewing. And looked in your general direction. โ€œItโ€™s going to freak out.โ€ Murmured one voice. โ€œDo you think itโ€™s going to snap at us?โ€ Another. There was excitement when the chewing stopped entirely. Energon crumbs on its face. The sight causing you to reach for your phone. *Click*
You glance at your phone screen before returning it to your bag. The botโ€™s optics dead centre with the lens of your camera. You felt the buzz of the crowd skip.
The lone bot that had its back against the corner of the enclosure got up and was walking towards your direction. โ€œIs the glass capable to hold a bot like that back?โ€ The thought whipped by. โ€œThere must be something more interesting to it behind me. It couldnโ€™t have been because of me-.โ€
The bot sat down beside the glass. Closer than ever before. You stuck to your spot. As others stepped back. The bot had its tray of energon with it. And proceeded to break a pink chunk off and leave the share in front of you. โ€œHeโ€™s sharing his food with me?โ€
Looking over the pink shimmer of the crumb of energon through the glass. And looking back up to the face of a bot taking their time calmly snacking next to you. You canโ€™t help but let a smile slip. Before impulsively putting a hand over your mouth from the shock. Optics โ€” giving you a wide eyed response. Puffing a sharp exhale. You grab something from your bag. Pulling out a chocolate bar, you break a row and place it on the small ledge outside of the enclosure glass. Then breaking a second row for yourself. The botโ€™s language as it leaned closer telling you it was intensely interested in what you were doing. With it flashing a smile back as it saw your acceptance of the gift and the gesture of giving something back in your own strange way.
They managed to find a way to socialise with one another. But with both sides finishing their last portions. You felt another tug as the bot relaxed leaning to the side you stood. With its regular glancing making sure you were still there next to him. You had to go now. Turning your back to the bot. The light of your familiarity guided his eyes through the crowd. And you left.
The two gifts, unable to be taken by either side of todayโ€™s wonderful exchange. Stayed together long after you and the bot lost sight of one another. As you gave that last, shy and real goodbye wave to the bot. Your hand seen above all else. Followed by a foolish sensation, causing you to dive into the hallway of the next room.
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