#Lizzie speaks

[lizzie-tempest]

is anyone else having ao3 log them out constantly?

[spread-positivity-everywhere]

Hey there

I just want you to know,

you’re fabulous

and

I love you

💕

Okay baiii

[yourdeepestfathoms]

if Yaelokre says yes to fanfiction, might do Whumptober with Perrine 👀

[pkmnprideflags]

Pokémon Character Etymology Comparison

Most of the time, the translators of the Pokémon games will a choose a name with a similar meaning to the Japanese one; for example, Takeshi comes from ishi, "stone," so he got the English name Brock. But sometimes they give characters random names that have nothing to do with their originals.

Because I'm a nerd, I compiled a collection of examples of this across the main series games, with the meanings for both the Japanese and English names listed. This is gonna be a long post; buckle up, folks.

Kanto

Guriin / Blue

Japanese Meaning: green

English meaning: blue. We’ve all heard of this one, but I couldn’t not include it.

Ayumi / Elaine

Japanese meaning: step or progress

English meaning: a lane. Possibly also chosen because it starts with E, as in Eevee? Sigh.

Shin / Trace

Japanese meaning: advance. Fits with the protags, Ayumi and Kakeru (to dash).

English meaning: uh…the protagonist is tracing his movements? He’s just a trace of what Blue was in the original games? It rhymes with Chase??? Who knows.

Dr. Yukinari Ohkido / Professor Samuel Oak

Japanese meaning: “ohkido” is a transliteration of orchid. Yukinari is similar to the given name of Unshou Ishizuka, the voice actor for Prof. Oak in the Japanese version of the anime; it’s unknown if that is related.

English meaning: So many questions. Why was he downgraded to a professor instead of a doctor? Why Oak instead of orchid, just ‘cause Oak sounds like more of an old man name? Samuel is similar to Salem Oak, a historic tree in New Jersey. Which is still a super random connection.

Nanami / Daisy

Japanese meaning: reference to a type of holly tree. Ironically is part of the Ilex genus, even though that forest is in a different region.

English meaning: the flower, duh. In Western cultures usually represents friendship and innocence. 

Masaki Sonezaki / Bill

Japanese meaning: First of all, yes, Bill kind of has a last name in Japanese. It has never appeared in the games, but was included in the Pocket Monsters Zukan, a supplementary material to Red & Green that is considered somewhat canon. Masaki comes from a type of shrub native to Asian countries, and Sonezaki is named after a region in Osaka, the city that that Bill’s hometown Goldenrod is based on.

English meaning: believed to be a reference to Bill Gates. Because computer man

Matisu / Lt. Surge

Japanese meaning: Seemingly a reference to Clematis, a genus of flower. I can’t find anything symbolically important about this flower that would apply to him.

English meaning: y’know, an electric surge. Could also come from “Sarge.” And they may have given him the specific rank of lieutenant because when abbreviated it kinda looks like lightning?

Kyou & Anzu / Koga & Janine

Japanese meaning: Doing these two together because their names correlate in Japanese. Both words are different ways of saying apricot.

English meaning: Koga-ryuu is a school of ninjutsu, and Janine is ninja with the syllables reversed.

Natsume / Sabrina

Japanese meaning: named after the Chinese jujube tree; big religious symbol in Islam, where it is rumored to be the Tree of Knowledge, and Buddhism through association with Vishnu.

English meaning: Psychic, brain, and possibly a reference to Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

Kanna / Lorelei

Japanese meaning: contains the word for “cold”; full name comes from the Canna lily, which ironically must be moved to a warm location during winter.

English meaning: supposedly after a famous maritime disaster site in Germany, which means “murmuring rock.” We went from flowers to death and destruction so fast

Wataru / Lance

Japanese meaning: cotton; and also a reference to a Japanese dragon-water-god.

English meaning: ok bulbapedia’s stretch here is that lances were used in medieval legends to fight dragons. But that’s stupid. They just chose a cool name

Johto

Dr. Utsugi / Professor Elm

Japanese meaning: from a Japanese shrub in the hydrangea family.

English meaning: the elm tree, continuing the trend of the Japanese doctors being named after shrubs & getting localized into tree professors.

Akane / Whitney

Japanese meaning: the madder plants, which are associated with the color red because of the dye they produce.

English meaning: white (or possibly whiny). Dunno how she became associated with an entirely different color.

Shijima / Chuck

Japanese meaning: several options here. There’s a cultivar of the haworthia genus, the word silence, or a term meaning four islands. 

English meaning: to throw. Possibly a Chuck Norris reference as well.

Mikan / Jasmine

Japanese meaning: citrus fruit, specifically oranges.

English meaning: name of a plant; likely chosen as a pun on “mine” or “mineral.”

Yanagi / Pryce

Japanese meaning: willow. Often seem as a solemn tree; notably only grows in colder or temperate locations.

English meaning: it’s an ice pun haha

Ibuki / Clair

Japanese meaning: Chinese juniper plant, popular in Japan for its use in bonsai art. Also “breath,” a pun on Dragon Breath.

English meaning: Lair. As in a place that dragons live. Wooooo

Itsuki / Will

Japanese meaning: Zelkova tree, popular once again in bonsai and also for furniture and drum making.

English meaning: willpower.

Hoenn

Mitsuru / Wally

Japanese meaning: to be frail; also influence from “vine” and “crane,” possibly referencing the practice of giving origami cranes to those who are ill.

English meaning: supposedly from “wallflower.” I think it’s weird to focus on the social effects of his condition when the Japanese name is so focused on the physical aspects of it but whatevs.

Old Man Hagi / Mr. Briney

Japanese meaning: the Japanese clover plant.

English meaning: brine, salt water.

Mari & Dai / Gabby & Ty

Japanese meaning: mari is “ball;” Bulbapedia posits this might refer to the end of a microphone, but I’m not convinced. And dai is a topic of an interview.

English meaning: from the verb “to gab,” and…possibly a reference to TV?

Mayumi / Lanette

Japanese meaning: from a type of spindle plant. It’s in the same genus as the plants Bill and Celio are named after.

English meaning: from LAN (local area network) and net, as in internet.

Azusa / Brigette

Japanese meaning: another spindle plant.

English meaning: bridge, a device to connect several networks, like how Pokémon Box connects to RSE. And then the same suffix as Lanette.

Director Kusunoki / Captain Stern

Japanese meaning: camphor tree

English meaning: the stern of a boat. No idea why his title was changed.

Higana & Shigana / Zinnia & Aster

Japanese meaning: Higana refers to the red spider lily, a plant commonly associated with death and the afterlife. Shigana, literally translated as “this shore,” refers to the mortal world, with higana (“other shore”) referring to the afterlife.

English meaning: Both flowers. Zinnia is usually associated with remembering an absent or distant, but not necessarily dead, friend. Kind of a watered-down version of the Japanese name. Aster is named after a Latin word for star, and is usually associated with faith and wisdom.

Tsutsuji / Roxanne

Japanese meaning: the rhododendron species of flowers.

English meaning: you guessed it, rocks.

Tessen / Wattson

Japanese meaning: passion flower clematis, the same genus referenced in Lt. Surge’s name.

English meaning: you guessed it, watts

Asuna / Flannery

Japanese meaning: from asunaro, a type of cypress tree. Ironically would not be a good tree for Lavaridge Town, as it is not drought-resistant.

English meaning: flames or something? I’m not convinced this is a real name

Senri / Norman

Japanese meaning: senryou, an herb often used for Japanese New Year decorations; also 1000 li (Chinese unit of measurement), a distance equivalent to over 300 miles. Yeesh

English meaning: you guessed it, normal

Nagi / Winona

Japanese meaning: the Asian bayberry plant; also a word for calm/lull.

English meaning: wind, wing, or winnow, a verb that means to remove chaff from grain via a strong gust of wind. Her Japanese name is calm, her English name is a forceful gale.

Kagari / Courtney

Japanese meaning: from kagaribi, bonfire.

English meaning: from “country,” likely to go along with Team Magma’s land theme.

Ushio / Matt

Japanese meaning: tide

English meaning: likely from the “mast” of a ship.

Izumi / Shelly

Japanese meaning: spring, as in a water location

English meaning: you guessed it, shell

Purimu / Glacia

Japanese meaning: primrose, a flower with some species that have adapted to cold climates; or possibly the adjective prim, meaning formal to a standoffish - or cold - extent.

English meaning: omg glaciers

Daigo Tsuwabuki / Steven Stone

Japanese meaning: last name comes from a plant that contains a kanji meaning “stone.” Daigo comes from the Indian coral tree, the blooming of which is associated with impending typhoons and drought. Makes me think of how Steven starts investigating Groudon & Kyogre way before anyone else, as if he can sense what’s coming.

English meaning: steel and stone. Why are the english names so not complex in gen 3

Datsura / Noland

Japanese meaning: from datura, a group of poisonous flowering plants.

English meaning: presumably from the word “knowledge” cuz he’s a buff nerd

Rira / Anabel

Japanese meaning: from lilac, which might just be the color of her hair.

English meaning: bulbapedia claims it comes from “ability” but I don’t buy it

Ukon / Spenser

Japanese meaning: from turmeric, the spice and plant.

English meaning: supposedly from “spirit”

Jindai / Brandon

Japanese meaning: both a reference to a plant and to ancient times (lit. “age of the gods”)

English meaning: supposedly from “brave”

Hiisu / Tucker

Japanese meaning: from heath, the plant type. Unrelated to Hisui.

English meaning: supposedly from “tactics”

Kogomi / Greta

Japanese meaning: ostrich fern

English meaning: “guts” or “great”

Sinnoh

Jun / Barry

Japanese meaning: probably from Junichi Masuda, longtime composer and contributor to the Pokémon games.

English meaning: No one really knows! It was his first default name in Diamond and Platinum. It’s what the anime dubbers chose for him when he first appeared, and it’s been his name ever since.

Ayako / Johanna

Japanese meaning: no one knows for either of these names! Ayako has a lot of meanings, many of which have to do with kimono designs for whatever reason.

English meaning: ultimately comes from Hebrew, meaning “God is gracious.”

Mizuki / Bebe

Japanese meaning: from the dogwood genus of trees & shrubs. Notably not related to the group of plants the previous storage developers were named after. Fun fact, Selene also has this name in Japanese.

English meaning: BBCode, a programming language used to format forum messages.

Hyouta & Tougan / Roark & Byron

Japanese meaning: doing these two together since their Japanese names correspond. They’re both named after different types of gourds.

English meaning: Roark is rock & ore; Byron is iron.

Makishimamu Kamen / Crasher Wake

Japanese meaning: literally, “Maximum Mask.” Thought to come from the orchid genus Maxillaria.

English meaning: Crashing waves & wake.

Merissa / Fantina

Japanese meaning: an herb genus; also a Western name, indicating that she’s a foreigner.

English meaning: phantom, and also fantasia, a type of tango.

Akagi / Cyrus

Japanese meaning: bishop wood tree, known for its red bark.

English meaning: a Persian name associated with the sun. Likely chosen to fit with the Commanders’ planet names.

Puruuto / Charon

Japanese meaning: Pluto, fitting with the other Commanders’ planet names.

English meaning: Jupiter’s biggest moon. Not a planet. Good job, guys

Ryou / Aaron

Japanese meaning: Japanese clethra tree

English meaning: likely from arachnid and arthropod

Kikuno / Bertha

Japanese meaning: both the English & Japanese names share the theme of being similar to Kikuko/Agatha. Like Kikuko, this name references chrysanthemum.

English meaning: has the same sound as “Earth.”

Goyou / Lucian

Japanese meaning: five-needle pine; also enlightenment.

English meaning: light, possibly also illusion or hallucination

Shirona / Cynthia

Japanese meaning: white-fruited nandina, a flower associated with growing love and good homes.

English meaning: epithet for Artemis, the Greek goddess of the moon; possibly chosen to contrast with Cyrus.

Kokuran / Darach

Japanese meaning: the pantropic widelip orchid.

English meaning: Gaelic word for oak. Probably a reference to Prof Oak tbh

Neziki / Thorton

Japanese meaning: staggerbush, a kind of plant.

English meaning: from “thorn.” Staggerbushes do not have thorns.

Unova

Banjirou / Benga

Japanese meaning: the guava fruit.

English meaning: the Malabar kino tree.

Tetsu / Curtis

Japanese meaning: iron

English meaning: comes from a French word that means polite or courteous

Ruri / Yancy

Japanese meaning: from lapis lazuli

English meaning: similar to “fancy” I guess.

Nobori & Kudari / Ingo & Emmet

Japanese meaning: up-train & down-train, respectively. Refers to global train track directions.

English meaning: Ingo is believed to be a pun on “ingoing” train, so you’d think Emmet would be some pun on outgoing, right? Nope. He’s a variation on “emit.” Why? Who knows

Dento, Poddo, & Kohn / Cilan, Chili, & Cress

Japanese meaning: the brothers are all named after corn: dent corn, pod corn, and…just corn.

English meaning: in English the brothers are named after herbs and plants: cilantro, chili peppers, and watercress.

Hachiku / Brycen

Japanese meaning: black bamboo.

English meaning: it’s an ice pun

Shaga / Drayden

Japanese meaning: from the fringed iris, therefore tying him further to Iris. 

English meaning: shortening of “dragon’s den.”

Vaabena / Anthea

Japanese meaning: from a flower genus that symbolizes “tender love.”

English meaning: epithet of Hera, the goddess of women and family. Also has some added musical symbolism - her name is similar to anthem, and Concordia is similar to concord, another word for harmony.

Giima / Grimsley

Japanese meaning: comes from a shrub; but also may reference words for the devil, deception, and the transliteration of “boogeyman.”

English meaning: grim or grimace + sly

Katorea / Caitlin

Japanese meaning: from Cattleya, a genus of orchids.

English meaning: roughly similar to Japanese name, with possible influence from “castle.”

Kakitsubata / Drayton

Japanese meaning: the Japanese iris, connecting to Drayden & Iris’s Japanese names. Also contains an anagram of tatsu, a word for dragon.

English meaning: similar to Drayden. And kind of similar to dragon if you squint

Kalos

Karumu / Calem

Japanese meaning: from calme, calm in French.

English meaning: looks similar enough to the word calm, but it technically comes from a Scottish name meaning “dove.”

Sana / Shauna

Japanese meaning: either Latin for “healthy” or Arabic for “brilliance.”

English meaning: probably just chosen because it’s similar; technically comes from the name John, meaning “God is gracious.”

Dr. Platane / Professor Augustine Sycamore

Japanese meaning: French for plane tree.

English meaning: sycamores are not plane trees; however, to be fair, Augustine Henry is a cultivar of plane trees. Officially headcanoning Henry as his middle name now

Koruni / Korrina

Japanese meaning: from cornichon, french for gherkin. 

English meaning: vaguely similar to Japanese; also, the words KO and arena.

Gojika / Olympia

Japanese meaning: the midday flower; also time.

English meaning: an unrelated genus of flower; also Olympian (godlike, superior).

Akebi / Aliana

Japanese meaning: from the chocolate vine.

English meaning: from the genus Aliana, and possibly a liana, a type of woody branch that grows from the ground.

Bara / Bryony

Japanese meaning: their word for rose.

English meaning: the bryony plant.

Korea / Celosia

Japanese meaning: Correa genus.

English meaning: Celosia, a genus in the amaranth family.

Alola

Nariya Ohkido / Samson Oak

Japanese meaning: nariya-ran is a name for the bamboo orchid, making his full name an orchid genus. Nariya is also similar to Yukinari.

English meaning: keeps the similarity to Samuel, but otherwise has no special meaning.

Kaki / Kiawe

Japanese meaning: kaki means fire; also, the Asian persimmon,

English meaning: kiawe, a species of tree often used for charcoal and long-lasting firewood.

Raichi / Olivia

Japanese meaning: transliteration of lychee, a tropical tree.

English meaning: from a flowering plant called maile, and possibly also the rock olivine.

Galar

Rurina / Nessa

Japanese meaning: from the Cupid’s Dart flower.

English meaning: lots of options here. There’s nesses, a type of shoreline; the infamous Loch Ness; the Greek name Nerissa, meaning “from the sea;” or a Cornish word meaning second.

Hisui

Omatsu, Otake, & Oume / Charm, Clover, & Coin

Japanese meaning: respectively, pine, bamboo, and plum; these three combine to form the symbols called the Friends of Winter in Chinese art, which symbolize perseverance and resilience.

English meaning: all three are named after objects that are believed to be lucky.

Tsuiri / Tuli

Japanese meaning: the beginning of the rainy season.

English meaning: supposedly from “Tulip.”

Sharon / Anthe

Japanese meaning: possibly from Rose of Sharon, a Biblical term referring to an unknown flower; likely also from the word for “gauze.”

English: the Greek word for flower; possibly also chrysanthemum.

Yura / Vessa

Japanese meaning: from “Yuraa!!”, Spiritomb’s cry before it battles the player.

English meaning: from vessel.

Paldea & Kitakami

Kaede / Katy

Japanese meaning: from the word for maple.

English meaning: possibly referencing katydid (bush crickets).

[kawaiilizzie]

My friends 🇵🇸🚨

I came to you asking for help after a year of devastating war 💔

I came to you with all my hope in you ❤️🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸

My family's situation is difficult and ten days ago I only received 73CAD😭💔🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸

This is not enough to buy more than a few basic daily needs due to the high prices 💔💔🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸

All my hope is that you stand by me, whether by donating or participating 🙏🙏🙏🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸

Don't worry, I got you!

[unseemingowl]

When it comes to being single in your 30’s I sometimes wish that there was a little less emphasis on the superficial day to day minutiae.

I know it’s different for everyone, but I like spending time by myself. I don’t feel awkward going to the theatre or out to dinner alone, and I enjoy travelling solo too.

What IS difficult to deal with, like on an... existential level, I suppose, is knowing that the number of people for whom you’re a first priority is dwindling.

Siblings and more and more of your friends get hitched and have children and new families, and you move down a few rungs on the ladder. 

I am of course not saying it’s unreasonable that people have their children or their partner as a first priority. That is perfectly natural. And it’s not like that it means that the people in my life love me any less. I know all that. 

But when I do get to thinking about it, it is a lonely feeling. That’s the kind of stuff that weighs on me. Not whether it’s sad to sit at home alone on a friday night. 

[lizzie-tempest]

Le gasp!

Can it be? Is he finally here?

[spread-positivity-everywhere]

How can i be more assertive? It is making my friendships difficult if I can't say "no"

Well, I guess that depends on the WHY you want to be more assertive and what your “friends” are trying to get you to do. If it’s something you’re uncomfortable with, you have to realize that putting yourself first and saying no is what’s best for YOU. I guess what I like to think about when it comes to putting myself is: At the end of the day, who has to live with choices made? Certainly not the other people around.

You are in charge of your own life and your own choices and putting yourself first isn’t selfish. Having needs isn’t selfish.

[lizzie-tempest]

Fellow autistic person here and believe me, this kind of thing does work. For me, I need to see the word count because it helps me realize that I'm getting closer to the end goal.

I don't aim for 1000 words a day or even a week, that would be too much pressure for me even without real life butting in. So I just say:

"Okay. My daily goal is 200 words. If I can make that, then maybe I can push myself to 300. Oh! I did 300? Maybe let's get to 400."

If I carry on like that and I'm especially motivated, I can actually end up writing 1000 words. But on the other hand, there will be days when I can't make the goal. Maybe I only manage 10 words. But I tell myself that it's okay because it's still progress!

And on the days when I can't write anything, well that becomes a day of rest. And if that stretches on to a week or a month, I tell myself it's fine. Because it's not really fun writing when completely burnt out, so I'm just recuperating and sometimes that can take a while. I'm just recharging my batteries.

How To (Realistically) Make A Habit Of Writing

To clarify: Works with my autism. WORKS WITH MY AUTISM!!! I’ve been meeting my goals since I made them my New Year’s resolution! Anyway I’m so sick of all those ‘how to’ guides that don’t actually tell you what the process is they’re just like ‘just do it, but don’t burn yourself out, do what’s best for you!’ because you’re not telling me what I’m not supposed to be burning myself out over but okay, so I made my own. Hope this helps

1. Choose your fighter metric. What works better for you as a measurement of your progress; time spent writing or your word count? Personally I get very motivated and encouraged by seeing my word count go up and making a note of where it should be when I’m done, so I measure by that. At the same time, a lot of people are also very discouraged by their word count and it can negatively impact their motivation to write, and in that case you may be better off working from how much time you spend writing rather than where the word count is

2. Choose your starter Pokémon time frame. How often can you write before it starts to feel like a chore or a burden rather than something fun you look forward to? Many people believe that they have to write daily, but for some people this can do more harm than good. Maybe every two or three days? Weekly? Figure out what fits your schedule and go with it

3. Choose your funny third joke goal. Now that you’ve got your chosen time frame to complete your goal in, what’s a reasonable goal to aim to complete within that time frame based on the metric you chose? If your metric is your word count, how much can you reasonably and consistently write within your chosen time frame? If your metric is time spent writing, how much time can you reasonably and consistently spend writing within that time? Maybe 1000 words per week works, or maybe 10 minutes per day? The goal here is to find something that works for you and your own schedule without burning you out

4. Trial and error. Experiment with your new target and adapt it accordingly. Most people can’t consistently write 1667 words per day like you do in NaNoWriMo, so we want to avoid that and aim somewhere more reasonable. If you feel like it’s too much to do in such a short time frame, either give yourself less to do or more time to do it in. If you find yourself begrudgingly writing so often that it constantly feels more like a chore than something fun, maybe consider adapting things. And if you think that you gave yourself too much wiggle room and you could do more than this consistently, give yourself more of a challenge. Everything needs to suit you and your pace and needs

5. Run your own race. Don’t feel like you’re not accomplishing enough in comparison to others or not working fast enough to satisfy some arbitrary feeling of doubt. Everybody works at their own pace and slower work doesn’t mean worse work. You could be on one word per day and you’ll still see consistent results, which is still one word per day more than you could originally count on. All progress is progress, regardless of its speed

[yourdeepestfathoms]

soon

[pkmnprideflags]

Kukui & Burnet's pet names in Spanish are giving me life

Fun fact: I am learning to speak Spanish! And an unironic method I have of practicing my Spanish comprehension is reading random articles on WikiDex, the largest Spanish Pokémon fan wiki. I was looking at their page for Professor Burnet [named Profesora Pimpinela in the Spanish localization], and I noticed that Kukui and Burnet are a touch more affectionate with each other in the Spanish script than they are in English. So today on Lizzie's Weird Obsessions, let's compare the scripts of the English and Spanish versions of Pokémon Sun and Moon.

The only major differences in their dialogue occur in Burnet´s first scene, when Kukui introduces her to the player at the Dimensional Research Lab. Both versions of the scene open with Kukui calling her a term of endearment - "honey" in English, and "cariño" in Spanish. Her response is where the two scripts differ, though.

In the English version, Burnet simply says, "Oh, hi!" But in the Spanish script she says, "¡Hola, pechoncito! ¡Digo, pichoncito!"

"Pechoncito" is not a real word, which resulted in me being very confused. I ended up making a post on a Spanish learning subreddit asking if anyone had ideas for what this meant. The internet came to the conclusion that Burnet is making a pun on "pecho," meaning chest, possibly as a dig at Kukui for being allergic to shirts. It's difficult to translate into English, but essentially she says "pechoncito," then 'corrects' herself to "pichoncito," a term of endearment that literally means "little pigeon." So she's simultaneously making fun of her husband and calling him a sweet term. "you're a weirdo but you're my weirdo." awwww~

Not only does the Spanish script throw in that random endearing pun, but Kukui's following line is also made more affectionate in the Spanish script. Here's the line in the English versions:

"This here's Professor Burnet. She runs the Dimensional Research Lab, yeah… And she's also my wife!"

The Spanish script adds an extra term of endearment to Kukui's line:

Spanish script: "Mira, esta es la Profesora Pimpinela. Ella dirige el Centro de Investigaciones Dimensionales. No solo eso, además es mi palomita. O sea, mi esposa." Translation: "Look, this is Professor Pimpinela. She runs the Dimensional Investigation Center. Not just that, she's also my darling. In other words, my wife."

The phrasing almost makes it seem like he gets so caught up in how much he loves her that he just says the term of endearment, then realizes that doesn't clarify their relationship to the player and has to go back and say "she's my wife"... my heart...

Also, the specific term of endearment he uses, "palomita," literally means "little dove." Yeah, apparently in the Spanish localization Kukui & Burnet call each other pigeons a lot. I don't know if that's like a Spanish/Hispanic cultural thing or just a them thing. Regardless, still adorable. I demand fanart of them with Pidgey and Pidove immediately

If anyone else knows about them having similar terms of endearment in other languages, please share! These two are adorable and any information about them will make my soul happy!!

[kawaiilizzie]

If any of you noticed a sudden change in my profile, I'm now labeled as bi-curious until further notice. I've said I was bisexual in the past and even then, I don't know for sure if I actually am. So yeah, it's a little complicated.

[pkmnprideflags]

I'm in college studying theatre performance, and in one of my classes they gave us a giant Google Doc full of character analysis questions to help you fully embrace a character. Here are some of my favorites:

When they see themself in a mirror, how do they respond? Do they smile, primp, look away?

How do they react to compliments on their looks?

How would they like to be physically? How does this differ from how they are? How do these differences make you feel about themself? Do these feelings affect their reactions toward others? How do other people react to their physical appearance?

Do they have a regular grooming routine? How much time does it take them? Do they enjoy it?

What are their favorite outfits? What do these outfits convey about their feelings about their appearance?

Is their mood affected by the color/vibes of their surroundings? What places do they find cheerful, somber, comforting, etc.

How do they respond to impeccable neatness? Or to clutter?

Do they like the way their voice sounds?

Are they comfortable with silence? When?

What people do they know that they think are smart? What do they think makes them smart? (You could replace intelligence with any trait or value that's important to them)

How do they feel when someone yells at them? How do they react?

Are there any emotions that they do not express? Why?

What do they care enough about to argue with someone over?

What is their financial situation, and how does it affect their lifestyle? (Kind of the same as some of OP's questions; I add a second question: has their financial situation changed over time? And if so, does their upbringing still affect them despite the altered situation?)

What kind of education have they had? Do they value education?

What prejudices do they have?

What special experiences have shaped their life?

What do they want from their relationships (both platonic and romantic)? What is the basic conflict between the two characters? What is the basic agreement? Has the relationship changed over time?

Do they feel loved? Do they feel like they are fulfilling their goal/purpose in life? Why?

Sorry for the long, not Pokémon-related post, but I hope this helps people :)

So my problem with most ‘get to know your character’ questioneers is that they’re full of questions that just aren’t that important (what color eyes do they have) too hard to answer right away (what is their greatest fear) or are just impossible to answer (what is their favorite movie.)  Like no one has one single favorite movie. And even if they do the answer changes.

If I’m doing this exercise, I want 7-10 questions to get the character feeling real in my head. So I thought I’d share the ones that get me (and my students) good results: 

What is the character’s go-to drink order? (this one gets into how do they like to be publicly perceived, because there is always some level of theatricality to ordering drinks at a bar/resturant)

What is their grooming routine? (how do they treat themselves in private)

What was their most expensive purchase/where does their disposable income go? (Gets you thinking about socio-economic class, values, and how they spend their leisure time)

Do they have any scars or tattoos? (good way to get into literal backstory) 

What was the last time they cried, and under what circumstances? (Good way to get some *emotional* backstory in.) 

Are they an oldest, middle, youngest or only child? (This one might be a me thing, because I LOVE writing/reading about family dynamics, but knowing what kinds of things were ‘normal’ for them growing up is important.)

Describe the shoes they’re wearing. (This is a big catch all, gets into money, taste, practicality, level of wear, level of repair, literally what kind of shoes they require to live their life.)

Describe the place where they sleep. (ie what does their safe space look like. How much (or how little) care / decoration / personal touch goes into it.)

What is their favorite holiday? (How do they relate to their culture/outside world. Also fun is least favorite holiday.) 

What objects do they always carry around with them? (What do they need for their normal, day-to-day routine? What does ‘normal’ even look like for them.) 

[lizzie-tempest]

MY BOYS ARE HERE! :D

MY DREAM AND NIGHTMARE KITTY ARE FINALLY HERE AND THEY ARE SOOOOOO CUTE!

I WILL TAKE A PICTURE LATER

@wolfbeestudio THANK YOU SO MUCH! <3

[spread-positivity-everywhere]

Umm okay so recently I had a breakup......there was this one person that I have been dating for past one and a half year.....and it was good and all......he was going through a bad phase in his life and we were maintaining a long distance.....I went to the college and he was still in our home-town preparing for the entrance.......during that one year of his prep, I have seen him having multiple breakdowns and moments of low self-esteem and it honestly used to break my heart to see someone I love going through all that stuff.....I really wanted to be with him, near him to give him a hug whenever he wants, to soothe him.....I tried my best to keep him company (since he cutoff from everyone but me, I was his only friend)....he used to tell me about everything, his dreams, ambitions,traumas and everything and we had a great chemistry.......his result got fucked up again the next year due to some scams in the country and he was very depressed that time, I was in the town during that time and tried to hangout with him as much I could and then I had to go back to college.....he was still there and there were a lot of questions about what college he might get(he was strongest at that point, he could've given in but he didn't and i am sooo proud of him for that)......later he got a college somewhere nearer to my college...not as near but atleast we weren't 2739km away and I was soo happy and we all were......he is a medicine student while I am an engineering major...... suddenly after getting into college he kinda started neglecting me, and when I confronted him, it turned out that it was not "manageable" for him, this relationship and all and that he wants a partner who can be physically present and he wants me but in a different way as in he wants to go on walks with me, go to gym with me, share lunch with me and he doesn't think that it will be practical enough to continue this relationship further......I was so heartbroken because how could he? But he promised me that he will try and after 2-3 days he broke up with saying he can't manage( not to mention it was just 4 days into college and he hadn't figured out anything but he instantly decided to give up on us) also he used to tell me about how his new college friends go on dates and all.......the first week was very hard on me, but it seemed like nothing really affected him and he still wanted to be friends.....I couldn't be friends because I wanted to move on and it physically pained me to see him change soo much....he was ruder/colder....but still wanted me to be friends with him and kept texting me or sending me reels on Instagram ........ weird thing was that he said he can't manage but then after the breakup he was still texting me quite frequently and quite quickly when he didn't do that during those first few days of college..... implying that "managing the relationship" was never an issue..........I don't know exactly what he wants but I am pretty sure I am never going back..........

Break ups aren’t easy but they almost always happen for a reason and honestly, if he was neglecting you and pretty much everything else in his life (from the sound of it), maybe this is what’s best for him right now. It doesn’t mean it’s forever, but also, you shouldn’t wait around and try to see what happens. It won’t be easy, but it’ll get better in time.

[lizzie-tempest]

wish i could tell those doctors that i wasn't having seizures because i was "playing too many video games", but because i am actually epileptic -_-

This maybe sounds mean, but I think we should be able to send doctors “hey, you were wrong” letters.

I was misdiagnosed with asthma when I was 12 and took asthma meds daily for seven years, and then it turned out I hadn’t had asthma in the first place; I actually have a different breathing problem. I don’t think the doctor who told me I had asthma (my pediatrician, who I was no longer seeing by that point) ever found out she’d been wrong. (This is one of at least four misdiagnoses in my life, from a variety of doctors, that I can think of off the top of my head.) Similarly, my first therapist told me she didn’t think I was autistic because I wasn’t obsessed with trains. I don’t think she ever found out that I am, in fact, autistic, because I wasn’t seeing her by the time I was diagnosed.

I get that it might be demoralizing to have someone contact you specifically to tell you that you messed up, but I think it would be useful for doctors to have data on how often they misdiagnose patients, especially since some doctors tend to think the patient is generally wrong when attempting self-diagnosis. It would be useful for my former therapist to move me from the mental column of “people who erroneously think they’re autistic” to “people whose autism I did not notice when they were right in front of me.” It would be useful for my pediatrician to realize she needed to look more closely and listen to kids when their breathing symptoms weren’t the classic asthma ones.

Doctors can get on their high horse and refuse to believe patients a lot of the time, and the power dynamic makes that dangerous in plenty of situations. I think it would be helpful to have a way to at least alert doctors when we have proof they messed up.