#SS index

[falseandrealultravival]

The convenience of each language (single stroke index: SS index)

When it comes to conveying information quickly, the convenience of the language speaks for itself. It's not a case of being glamorous, it's about speed rather than perfection. Even if it's just a slightly strange expression, it's fine. English seems to be quite fast, but I made the following considerations. It analyzes whether or not each character can be written in one stroke for languages that use phonograms.

1-(P/L)::*

, and * is called the unicursal exponent. In English, a single stroke is called a single stroke, so it is also called the SS index. Below, for each language

1) English: The only letters that cannot be written in one stroke are i, j, t, and x, which is 26 letters.

1 - (4/26) = 0.84

2) Russian: It seems difficult, but the cursive handwriting is surprisingly simple, and there are 6 letters that cannot be written in a single stroke, so there are 32 letters in total.

1 - (6/32) = 0.81

3) Japanese (Hiragana)

　　There are 32 characters that cannot be written with a single stroke, and a total of 47 characters, so

1 - (32/47) = 0.32

Japanese (katakana) can only be written with 7 characters

1 - (40/47) = 0.15

　　　The katakana seems to be very inefficient.

4) Arabic: There are 17 characters that cannot be written in a single stroke, so a total of 30 characters

1 - (17/30) = 0.43

5) German has three symbols called Umlaut.

1 - (7/30) = 0.77

6) French There are many additional symbols such as　Axantegu. (By the way, there is also a bonus that the unread character string continues at the end of the word)

1 - (18/40) = 0.55

7) Consider Greek lowercase letters only

1 - (8/24) = 0.67

　

Regardless of today's situation, in the old days on the battlefield, transmitting information as simply as possible was a major factor in determining the outcome of a war. In that sense, English was the closest thing to a "world language," and in fact, it has become a "world language."

**Please note that this SS Index consideration is based on the assumption that all phonetic characters have equal frequency of use. **

[tvckerwash]

reddit is overcompensating. simple as. not saying they secretly hate it.

yeah that's true, I feel like in the last year or so people have gotten a lot more overly optimistic about the series and sometimes I feel like they're super hyper vigilant of any sort of criticism—which I understand where said hyper vigilance comes from, but there is point where it's just too much lol.

[atzaurora]

╰┈➤ ᴅᴏʟʟ

[˗ˏˋ ´ˎ˗] ძᥱssᥱr𝗍

❥ 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓: Seonghwa

➤ 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈: fem!reader x seonghwa

➤ 𝒕𝒚𝒑𝒆: imagine (smut)

➤ 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑: dating

.ᐟ.ᐟ𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔.ᐟ.ᐟ: 18+/smut/suggestive content, MDNI!!!, oral & manual sex

➤ 𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚: inspiration || Just Seonghwa eating Y/N out...

➤ 𝒘/𝒄:

➤ 𝒂/𝒏: I need to get eaten out by Seonghwa so badly. I said what I said. Anyways it's a little short :'( originally I wanted to include some face riding too but didn't do it in the end...let me know if you want a fic with that tho! please leave a request if you want to, idk what to write next yet >.<

if you have any ideas or wishes let me know, requests are open

here's my [𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕]!

[𝒓𝒆𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕] here!

about me, my writings, request rules [𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆]!

"Ah~," you stifled a moan, feeling Seonghwa's fingers grazing your thigh, dangerously close to your heat. "Mhm, my precious baby. You look so gorgeous." His voice was raspy and low and you could feel yourself leaking, only at the sound of it.

Your body was flat against the couch, half of your clothes discarded and tossed somewhere on the floor, while Seonghwa laid on top of you. His hands roamed your body and his lips left marks on your neck.

"Ugh~ I need to taste you," he groaned, running his tongue up your neck. You hummed in agreement, the amount of arousal that was already dripping out of your hole was a big amount, considering Seonghwa hadn't even touched you yet.

"Please— mhm~ I'm so wet already, baby." The words came out more desperate than intended, but seeing Seonghwa's eyes darken, signaled you that he was only getting more turned on.

He lowered himself so his face was hovering above your pussy, his breath hot against your skin. He ran his fingers down your stomach and along your thigh. Seonghwa tugged on the fabric of your lace panties, pulling them aside so your glistening folds were visible.

He let out a low huff, satisfaction written across his face once he saw your pussy. "God, all of this is for me, huh?" He looked up at you, waiting for a reaction. You nodded your head, biting down on your lower lip. "Say it, love. Come on, speak," he demanded, clearly not happy with getting just a nod from you.

"Yes, Seonghwa, all— fuck— all for you. I'm all yours." Your eyes rolled back as you felt his index finger part your lips and trace the fingertip in between them.

He hummed satisfied at your reply, kissing your lower belly and trailing his mouth further down. "Your mine. Only mine." He mumbled, his lips now reaching your cunt. He continued to kiss your abdomen more before sticking out his tongue and running it across your entrance.

You threw your head back, getting lost in his touch and the building pleasure. You grabbed a fistful of his hair, pulling on it a little. "That's it, baby. Gonna let your boyfriend eat you out nicely, mhm?," he whispered, loud enough for you to hear though.

"Yes, fuck— please, Hwa, d-don't stop. I— ah~" You failed to finish your sentence, the sensation of Seonghwa's tongue now inside you was overwhelming. He pushed it in all the way, his saliva drooling onto your skin. You felt his tongue swirling around, making your legs clench around him.

"Keep these open for me, doll." He pulled away for a second to speak and part your thighs again. You nod, watching desperately as he moved his head back between your legs, getting back to his dessert.

You gasped once he didn't only push his tongue inside you, but also two of his slim fingers, adding more to the pleasure. Seonghwa pumped his fingers in and out of you as he sucked on your cunt hungrily.

"Mhm~ r-right there, yes— AH~" your moans grew louder and you couldn't help but let out a scream once he started hitting your good spot. His fingers were knuckles deep inside your hole, making you see stars already.

He chuckled against your skin, sending vibrations through your whole body. Your fingernails were digging into his shoulders and scratching along his back, making sure to leave a trail. You felt a familiar knot building up in your stomach, your walls clenching around Seonghwa's fingers.

"Is my good little slut close?," Seonghwa asked, though he already knew the answer. "Yes, I-I'm so c-close." You managed to get the words out through the haze of the pleasure his tongue and hands were giving to you.

You could feel him getting rougher, occasionally biting down on your flesh. His free hand caressed your core, rubbing circles on it, making you whimper. You felt his fingers deeper inside of you, curling up before pumping out and inside again.

Your breath became heavier with each passing second and your hands gripped the sheets next to you. After Seonghwa's tongue went inside you once again, you couldn't hold it anymore.

Together with a groan, you came onto his tongue and fingers, your cum dripping onto his chin as well. Seonghwa pulled his face away and his fingers out of your fucked out cunt. He smirked up at you, liking his fingers clean and climbing up to your face. "You did so good, babe," he praised you, kissing you passionately.

Getting lost in the kiss, you closed your eyes, your hands sneaking up behind his neck to pull him closer. You could taste yourself on his tongue still, making you chuckle into the kiss, reminding what just happened in the past 30 minutes.

And you knew, with Seonghwa, you weren't even halfway done yet.

[alis0vvs]

I'm literally flying away from this shot, bye everyone

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Common Knowledge 1

Warnings: non/dubcon, power imbalance, bullying, and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

Characters: Geralt of Rivia, Harald Halfdansson, tall & plus-size reader

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging.

You unfurl the strip of legal pad, marked with Professor Halfdansson's messy and pointed writing. The usual scribble that has you squinting at your returned papers. He must be the only instructor in the college that still handmarks his assignment.

Like much of his style, his slanted cursive is chaotic. Often, his lectures or spiraling tangents about his trips to Norway or some mythos unrelated to the topic at hand. He is a well of knowledge, but one which is often overflowing and bottomless.

The subject is far from your first choice. You prefer history with a human subject. Your intrigue is those events which truly occurred, people who once walked the same earth as yourself. Mythos and belief is a human creation but it hardly captures your imagination.

Along your search for title jotted onto the scrap, you find several other books to sate your personal preferences. A book on the Beothuk and their demise and another illustrated index of Renaissance art. Finally, you find the rear corner of the store, the mythology shelves nestled behind Spirituality and New Age.

You hover your finger before the rows and lean in, squinting through your lenses as you search out the rather Nordic-sounding name. You sense a shadow at the end of the aisle but do not look over. You'll just be on your way once you-- there it is.

You pinch the spine of the deep blue tome and slide it out. The cover is stamped with gold runes and lettering, a viking helm the central image. You double-check that it matches the professor's scrawl, however you can never be sure as his Fs look like Ss.

You set it flat on your armful of book, balancing the weight with the rest as you crumple the scrap and tuck it into your pocket. It's a bit more than you want to spend but it will be useful in maintaining your average through Halfdansson's course.

The shadow comes closer and you shift out of the way for the approaching customer. You sidle away as they huff, a breath that fans around them. He leans into the shelf and you sense his head shift and his gaze follow your slow retreat.

"Ah, you are a fan of vikings?" He asks, stopping you in your tracks. "You must've watched the show, hm? Cute series but not very accurate, you know?"

You blink, taken aback but his tone and his assumption. It isn't the first time you've met the attitude in your chosen discipline. When it comes to military history or the lives of vaunted men, there is often an intonation towards female scholars. You have been dismissed more than once.

"Never seen it," you lie, "you seem the type though."

You note his snow white hair, a peculiar shade, drawn back into a half pony, and his blindingly pale eyes. He wears a tunic better housed in the closet of a LARPing club and looms with an air of indignation. He puts a thick hand on the shelf and leans, no doubt used to towering over others.

"Funny, that is the very book I came for," he intones.

"Oh, what a coincidence."

HIs jaw ticks and he snorts, "seems you've found quite the lot--"

"I have. A whole trove."

You go to turn away and hear his sole clomp down behind you, "surely you can grab another encyclopedia. I really need that one."

"Uh, no, this is what I need."

He follows you down the aisle as you keep a quick step, uneasy at how he trails you so fervently.

"Maybe you should grab another one."

"I have all the others. I've been waiting months for that to come into stock," he insists.

"Well, you can find a kiosk and order one in--"

"On a three month backorder," he interjects and grabs your arm. "I'll pay you--"

You spin back to face him and hit his chest with your books, "don't touch me."

"Well, just..." he retracts his hand, "hold up. I'm trying to talk to you. To barter--"

"I'm sorry, but I need this book for class," you hug the books and back up, overly aware of the tingliness from where he grabbed you. You don't like being touched. At all. You can feel your heart pumping.

"Does the school not have a library, little girl?"

Your mouth falls open. Little girl? This guy just can't help himself. You haven't been rude, maybe matter-of-fact, but he's been downright mean.

"Not for sale," you push your shoulders up and back away.

You twist on your heel and speed away. You weave between the shelves and discount tables and join the winding queue at the counter. You don't look back and sway in your boots, waiting your turn.

"I could give you several recommendations for an alternate text," the man appears at your side, crowding you inside the black cords that rein in the queuing customers.

You ignore him and turn your head away. You wish he'd just take a hint. If you heard a single please or any sort of respect, you might consider it. He's only been a jackass and judging at first glance, he's too old for that.

"You don't need it–"

You move with the line and he growls, shifting with you.

"Look, girl–"

You snap your head back and give him a glare. He sucks in one cheek and exhales heavily, "miss, I am asking you nicely–"

The associate at the counter calls for next and you take your cue. You quickly cross the space and put your haul onto the wooden ledge. You hear the pushy stranger snarl something under his breath. You refuse to look back as you hand over your membership card.

Men like that are the very reason you despise the general public. Hard to fathom how you can be so intrigued by the human condition when you can hardly bear to be around other people.

[britts-galaxy-brain]

TW - Ablest, Infantilism, Co-Dependency, Cussing

Lily created new ocs and already I don't like it. It focuses on the dynamic between Iris Morgan, a 16-year-old girl who is selectively mute, and her sister Kiera Morgan, a 15-year-old girl who is the only one that can understand Iris. When I said Kiera understands her, I am literally the only one that understands her also like she can read her mind. And Iris, despite being a year older than Kiera, is kind of written to be childlike and heavily depends on Iris.

In Iris and Keira - Sandcastle, Iris and Keira are at the beach making a perfect sandcastle. Iris simply looks at Keira and immediately, Keira knew she is asking for a camera. Like, there weren't any hints or indication that Iris wanted a camera and somehow Keira manages to read her mind. (Iris could have taken a stick and written CAMERA on the sand, signed the word camera, mouth the word camera, or even point at the camera). Then, their father Nathan Morgan stopped Keira from getting the camera. Keira told her father that Iris wanted to camera, but Nathan said, "She can't talk, and you just put words in her mouth to get what you want." (WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE CAN'T TALK, MOUTHING/SIGNING/WRITING WORDS COUNTS AS TALKING?!!). So, Nathan went up to Iris and asked to her if she wanted to camera. Iris nodded in respond. Nathan then asked her, "what's the magic word?", expecting a verbal respond. (The first introduction to a male character and he's already ablest from the get-go) Iris just tilts her head and Keira goes, "See, she said it". And somehow, it worked. Thanks to Keira's mind reading powers and her +7 persuasion.

In Iris and Keira - Stare, Iris is described to be "unresponsive, uncommunicative, you could have been forgiven for thinking she was dead most of the time." And how Iris, "...Barely responded or reacted to anyone and stonewalled anyone who tried to talk to her". (Is this Lily's attempt at coding Iris as an autistic individual? Like, she could have written Iris as being distant, uninterested in any topic brought about by any other people, or a quiet person who keep to themselves. Instead, Lily writes Iris like she is disturbed teen.) Iris is only like this towards anybody, except with Kiera who truly understands her. So much so, that "whenever Kiera sat down with them, it was like someone had flipped a switch and Iris and expressive and gestured emphatically".

Alicia Bailey, sister of Larisa Bailey, enters the scene and proceeds to call Iris a creep while Keira defends her. (Larisa Bailey is Kiera Morgan's girlfriend). Alicia told Keira, "Have you ever considered that maybe your sister is a little-", then proceeds to mine "a guitar motion with her hands" while saying "Ring-a-ning-ning-ning-ning-ning-ning-ning". (WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?! WHAT. DOES. THIS. MEAN?! IS LILY MAKING UP NEW SLURS). So, like the bad*ss Keira is, she proceeds to crack a glass soda bottle over the side of Alicia's head, then called her a bitch. (Remember, she physically assaulted her girlfriend's sister in public. There's no detail where this takes place, but I'm going to assume it's a school setting. Also, why is no one reacting to a teen girl physically assaulting another teen girl. Where is the school's security in all of this?)

Keira casually walked towards Iris's table and asked if Alicia was giving her trouble. Iris responded by shrugging, then "wiggled her hand". (WIGGLED HER HAND. Lily, the ASL sign language for NO is opening index finger, middle finger, and thumb and tap them together with your thumb. YOU CAN LITERALLY GOOGLE IT). Kiera then explained to Iris that Alicia had said some terrible things about her. Iris tilts her head in response, and like the mind reader Kiera replied back to her, "Not sure, it could have gone either way". (COULD HAVE GONE EITHER WAY - WHAT SPECIFIC QUESTION DID IRIS ASKED TO GAIN THAT REPONSE?! AND ALL FROM IRIS SIMPLING TILTED HER HEAD?!). As they continued their "conversation", Iris furrowed her brows. This caused "Kiera's eyes to widened at that and she placed a finger against Iris' lips." "Hey! None of that talk! It's not our fault Alicia's being weird," kiera said. (Jesus, Kiera. That's very ablest of you to tell a selective mute not to verbally speak in a very supportive sister way. Also, it's weird how Iris's younger sister just protects her, is the only one who understands her, literally speaks for her, and is willing to kill for her. Truly, a normal healthy sister relationship. Definitely not an unhealthy co-dependent relationship, where a disabled person is being infantized by her younger sister.)

No commentary, the direct quote speaks volumes.

"Iris smiled. Through her entire life, she'd been haul in and out of doctors and counsellors by her fathers, trying to find the root cause of her lack of speech. Everyone from her parents, to her teachers to her peers tried to get her to talk, or sign, or write on a board. Anything other than simply be quiet and be by herself. She didn't understand it. It's not like she was bothering anyone. It had only made her less willing to interact with others".

"Kiera was the lone exception. Kiera could always infer what Iris was thinking, never asked her to do anything she wasn't comfortable with, and actively intruded on people trying to force words out of Iris' mouth. Everyone else wanted Iris to make herself easier to understand. Kiera was the only one who tried to understand her as she was. "

The fanfic ends with Iris reaching towards her sister and placing a hand on her shoulder. As she smiles at her, Kiera smiles back and said, "Love you too".

Overall score 2/10.

One point for creating a disabled character. One point in having a "supportive" sister.

Minus eight points for: infantizing disable character, poorly researched selectively mute characters, created a co-dependency between sisters, having a character handling the situation with unnecessary violence, not giving indication that the sisters are bi-racial despite outside source say they are bi-racial, having a bi-racial character physically assaulting the only black character introduced in the fanfic, failing to indicate that Alicia is black despite outside source say she is black, and failing to make the communication between the sisters clear enough for readers to understand.

There is...so much to unpack here...and I do not have the mental energy to do it..

[cellarspider]

Qunlat 12/12: Summary

⭅ Previous =⦾ Index ⦾=

This is a reference post that provides links and information previously detailed in my breakdown of canon Qunlat. In the name of brevity, there will be some technical jargon in here, which all gets explained in the linked posts.

Phonaesthetics, Phonotactics, and Phonology

Qunlat’s phonological inventory and orthography are variable from source to source and actor to actor. Please consult the dictionary, orthographic/phonotactic inventory, and IPA charts I’ve put together to catalog these.

Qunlat syllables are (CC)V(CC), with a limited number of consonant clusters permitted.

“ST” can act as a word onset or coda cluster, while “BR” can only act as an onset, and “SS” can appear as a coda. All of these plus “DD” can appear in intervocalic contexts and form clusters with other consonants.

Consonantal and vowel digraphs exist, including SH, TH, AA, EE, AY, AH, EH, and OH.

A canon pronunciation respelling guide exists, but it is not fully consistent with the observed realization of the actual language.

Hyphens can be used in compound words, situations where syllable boundaries might be ambiguous, and for aesthetic considerations.

Nouns and Pronouns

Nouns have no plural forms in Qunlat.

There are no definite or indefinite articles in Qunlat.

“Maraas” can act as a negative article.

Personal pronouns distinguish between number and person, but do not have a gender distinction.

Ala - I, me Ara - you Asit - she, he, him, it, they (singular) Assam - we, us Ost - you (plural), y’all  Adim - they, them (plural)

Subject pronouns can be suffixed to verbs. -ara and -asaam maybe realized as -ra and -saam.

-Asit may have been originally intended to be analyzed as -it, or -it acts as a foreshortened version of -asit.

Verbs

The suffix -toh marks future tense on verbs.

There is no distinct form for present or past.

There is no distinct form for imperatives, beyond English phrasal order.

A possible optative or obligative mood is demonstrated in meravas, but there is not enough information to analyze whether this is the result of verb affixation or the verb itself is a marker of the mood.

Serial verb construction may be possible, but has not been authoritatively documented.

Questions

Questions feature English-like subject-object inversion.

The subject of a question is suffixed with its matching personal pronoun.

The question word “where?” is ben-dar, possibly implying that ben- can serve an added function in these contexts. 

Possession, Benefactives, Instrumental-Comitatives

Possessed nouns come before their possessor. They can be prefixed with ben-, may potentially take a suffix -e, or be unmarked.

Recipients of a benefactive action are preceded by nehraa. Inversion of this word order has been noted at least once, and may alter sentence focus.

An instrumental or comitative is preceded by say. 

Compound Words

Compounding is usually noun-noun, and is head final, unless the compound is an unmarked possessed-possessor relationship. Dvandvas may also be possible.

Verb-noun compounds are documented, as are (tentatively) adjective-nouns.

Profession Names and Nicknames

Common derivational suffixes for professions are -ari and -(a)ad. The former means “person/people (of)”, while the other is presently untranslated, possibly an agentive.

Noun-noun, adjective-noun, and verb-noun compounds may all act as profession names without derivational suffixes. Verb-noun compounds are analyzed as “[Verb]s Object”, not “[Subject] does [Verb]”.

Nicknames function similar to courtesy names. They are descriptive of the individual, and may be another profession name, even if they do not actually do that profession.

Vashoth and Tal-Vashoth names

Tal-Vashoth names have been noted to contain elements of protest or self-description. Some do not change their names at all.

Vashoth names are a mix of potential protest names, profession, descriptive, or reflect optative qualities.

⭅ Previous =⦾ Index ⦾=

[allgirlsareprincesses]

Do you think that Rey's story (excluding episode 9 'cause that was a shitshow) could be interpreted as a Cinderella/Ash girl story?

I hope you realize asking me this is like throwing chum to a shark 😈. But the short answer is yes, to a point.

The long answer is more complicated, so to begin with, let's consult the Cinderella bible:

According to the Aarne Thompson Uther Index, there are five primary motifs to a Cinderella tale:

Persecuted heroine, usually by family

Help or helper, usually magic

Meeting the prince, usually with true identity disguised

Identification or penetration of disguise, usually by means of an object

Marriage to the prince

Rey is abandoned by her family, which is a form of persecution, and harassed by the inhabitants of Jakku like Unkar Plutt. Thus she clearly fulfills the first item.

As for meeting a helper, there are several for her, including Han Solo, Maz, Luke, and Leia. Any or all of these may be considered fairy godparents in the way that they offer her wisdom and material help. Further, except for Maz, they all die in the course of the story, which is consistent with many Cinderella tales in which the helper dies and their bones continue to offer wisdom and comfort to the heroine.

Next, meeting the prince. I mean

To the extent that Rey is "in disguise' here, it would be the extent of her force powers, her destiny as Ben Solo's dyad mate, and her role as the heir apparent to the Jedi (chosen by the Force to wield the legacy saber), all of which are obscured from Kylo Ren when he discovers her in the forest. Further, she is grimy and covered in desert sand, similar to how Cinderella is smeared with ashes that hide her true beauty.

So now an object penetrates the disguise. This is obviously the Skywalker lightsaber, which reveals Rey to be everything listed above, especially when she calls it to her on Starkiller Base, and again when she wields it on Ahch-to.

And lastly, marriage to the prince. As many others have pointed out over the years, Rey and Ben have almost too many symbolic marriages to count in the course of the sequel trilogy. They're extremely married, the Force said so.

BUT WAIT! Go back and look at that list again. Who ELSE fits all those criteria?

It's our boy! Consider:

He is indeed persecuted by family, most notably when Luke momentarily considers killing him.

Ben's helpers are both dark and light, as Snoke/Palpatine guide him in the dark while Luke guides him in the light (poorly). But note again what I said above about the bones of the mentor continuing to offer guidance and comfort after their death. Who should appear at Ben's lowest hour but his departed father, Han Solo? With a message of love, acceptance, and encouragement, Han's memory (because in fairy tales, bones contain memory) encourages Ben to at last cast off his beastly skin and become who he always was.

Next, meeting the prince/ss in disguise. He's wearing a literal mask when he meets Rey, so yeah.

An object penetrates the disguise? Rey slashed his face with the legacy saber, thus symbolically peeling away his mask. And I've argued before that the stabbing in TROS (which I still HATE, btw) is another cutting or burning away of the beastly skin.

And lastly, marriage to the prince/ss. As previously stated, that happened. Many times.

So yes, the Sequel Trilogy can definitely be considered a Cinderella story, with but one glaring issue: Cinderella's husband usually doesn't die at the end. But that's another topic that's been done to death, so let's all just read some more fanfic and forget about it. 👑 Thank you for the ask, this was fun!

[earhartsease]

hindsight is a bitch - we had this friend that we finally had to jettison in the mid 2010s when he suddenly got well creepy about our upcycled genitalia - but back in the 80s we should have seen the massive red flag, consider:

be us, age 22 got a summer job cataloguing the huge book collection (over 4,000 books) of an octogenarian history of fashion expert who got knocked over by a cyclist during one of his daily 10 mile walks (he died halfway through our job and we never got to meet him, but we felt we knew him quite well after wading through his book collection and reading his often acerbic little notes on the flyleaves)

anyway at the end of the job, at the suggestion of his nephew, the lawyers said we could choose one book to keep - so we chose Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories illustrated by Arthur Rackham (because really beautiful)

now here comes the massive red flag - our friend (whose mother got us the gig after we'd done some proofreading and book indexing for her) decided it would be edgy and cool to instead get them to give us a copy of Mein Kampf, knowing we grew up jewish

we had an awful lot going on already (so did he, his younger sister died horribly a few months before, and both of us loved her) so we were way too scrambled to think of saying "fuck no, give us the Kipling you arsehole" so we took the awful book to a bookseller and gave the resulting money to charity

oh, bizarre addendum to this is that we had to type up over 4,000 index cards for the books (this took over two months) and the typewriter we were lent was a german wartime one and we kid you not, it had a key that did the ss logo *huge shudder*

anyway we stuck it out with him as a friend because we felt sorry for his loss of his sister but he was a shitbag and we're sad but glad to have let him go and we advise you not to hold on to harmful people out of sentimentality

[argyrocratie]

"100 years of Interpol: Why there’s no reason to celebrate"

(...)

"Following several inconclusive conferences like the “International Conference of Rome for the Social Defense Against Anarchists” in 1898, the follow-up in 1904 in St. Petersburg, as well as the “First International Criminal Police Congress” in Monaco 1914, another conference took place in September 1923 following the initiative of Viennese chief of police Johann Schober. The conference was concluded with the founding of the International Criminal Police Commission (ICPC), direct predecessor of today’s Interpol, with Johann Schober as its president. As Viennese police president he forced reforms towards a “modernization” of investigation methods and information exchange systems, making the Austrian police internationally renowned. He established an intelligence service that compiled a register of persons as well as indexes through surveillance and informants. The focus was not only set on general criminality but with regards to the politicaly active, like anarchists, communists and social revolutionaries. Regarding the personnel, he worked towards removing social democrats from the agency and employed antimarxists and later nazis.

In 1938 the ICPCs leadership was taken over by the National Socialists and its headquarter was moved to Berlin-Wannsee, where it shared its rooms and lead with the Gestapo. The ICPCs records, that were transferred to Berlin, like the so called “Internationales Zigeunerregistratur (international gypsy registry)”, as well as the records concerning counterfeiting of money and passports, helped the National Socialists prosecuting certain groups and in their mass production of counterfeit money and fake passports in the KZ Sachsenhausen.

The ICPC was dissolved in 1945 but newly formed as the International Criminal Police Organization, Interpol – probably also to distance itself from the ICPC of the inter- and poastwar period. However, certain continuities are observable in its 100 year history, even though it was probably only a coincidence that in 1968 Paul Dickopf, a sworn SS-policeman, was elected president and the prosecution of nazi criminals did not start before the 1980s…

_

Interpol, as it exists today, is, contrary to the popular medial representations, not a supra-national police agency with the authority to arrest, but more an association that functions as network of law enforcement agencies of its member states. As an organization, it offers administrative support in the fields of communication and data banks/information exchange, as well as support in investigations, expertise, and trainings for the various law enforcement agencies.

(...)

Besides its headquarters in Lyon, France, and seven regional bureaus, the organization has bureaus in each of the 195 member states with more than 1000 employees, making her the largest police organization. The budget of 140 million euros is comprised of the member states’ contributions and, additionally, separate contributions from EU, several repression agencies of the member states (FBI) and the Interpol Foundation. But Interpol also receives donations from NGOs, the private sector (Philipp Morris, FIFA, IOC, Quatar 2022, etc.) and other international organizations (UNICEF, FRONTEX, etc.). One of the organizations central tasks is the maintenance of 19 data banks, that contain entries on missing and wanted persons, fingerprints, DNA samples, and stolen (travel) documents. According to its own accounts, the data banks contain 125 million police files that are queried 187 times per second. In 2022 alone this results in 5.9 billion queries with 1.4 million hits. In Austria 32 million wanted person searches were queried through, or for, Interpol in 2020, additionally there were 900.000 car inquiries, as well as 7.4 million inquiries on stolen documents.

(...)

Transnational repression

Arguably the most important instrument for repression by Interpol is the sending out of so-called “Notices”. These are calls for support requested for by Interpol member states and subsequently being sent out to law enforcement agencies globally. These Notices are divided into colours depending on their respective purpose. A Black Notice is a call for support in finding or identifying a body, while a Blue Notice is a request for information regarding the whereabouts of an individual. The by far most frequent Notices are Red Notices, i.e. the request for information of whereabout and the arrest with subsequent extradition of a person.

These Red Notices are very popular in autocracies like Turkey, China, Russia and some of the Arab states as tool for the international persecution and repression of dissidents or other politically persecuted individuals. The perfidious thing here is that affected are not informed about their international labeling, or can only lose them after long-lasting and expensive juridical processes. The president of the Uighur World Congress, now living in Germany, was searched for, by these means, for 21 years after China issued such a warrant.

When labeled with a Red Notice, people do not only have to live in fear of repression by the original persecuting state but also in fear of the cops of the other 194 member states. Apart from the ever present danger of being arbitrarily arrested and extradited, it can impossible for affected individuals to open bank accounts, move across borders or find a job. Red Notices are thus not only issued as means of political persecution and extradition, for some states it is enough to simply make the life of dissidents abroad as hard as possible.

According to the Interpol statutes, Red Notices cannot be issued out of political or religious reasons but it is only since very recently that requests – though, of course, by Interpol itself and only lapidary – are being controlled; though, rather, such a control can be easily circumvented by issuing the Notice on a wrong warrant. This happened to the nephew of the former opposition leader Fethullah Gülen. He was arrested and extradited from Kenya to Turkey on basis of a fake warrant for child abuse, in Turkey, however, he was wrongly convicted for being part of a terrorist organization for which he is still serving time in Turkish prison.

The Bahraini dissident and human rights activist Ahmed Jafaar Muhammad Ali was, on his flight from Bahraini authorities, extradited from his Serbian exile on base of a Red Notice from Interpol, deported to Bahrains capital Manama where he was directly turned over to the local repression agencies. This happened despite intervention by the European Court of Justice and its demand towards the Serbian state to annul the undertaking, since Muhammad was facing possible torture and execution in Bahrain for his political work. He actually was even held captive and tortured prior to his flight for taking part in anti-government protests. In his absence he was sentenced for life. In 2017 two of his co-convicts were, after two years of inhumane captivity, executed by the Bahraini state. All this was known to Interpol and the Serbian authorities, yet neither were the extradition cancelled nor the Red Notice at Interpol annulled.

Interpol thus becomes a tool of repression by autocracies and dictatorships, and the supposedly “democratic” states their henchmen. This transnational contempt for mankind puts a spotlight on the fact that no single state, may it be ever so “democratically legitimized” or appeal ever so much to respecting human rights, can be trusted. As long as this world is trashed with an internationally connected body of pigs, the politically or religiously persecuted or individuals persecuted for their race, have nowhere to be safe."

...

[sgiandubh]

Jottings: Season 7, Episode 4. Well then, best not die

As Tom Christie would say, "the Lord does answer prayer, you know": this week has been indeed bigger, better, brighter and more. Tissues might or might not be needed - it's up to you to decide (fun fact, I almost did), but ice cream is a must (steamy moments ahead, ahem).

Back at Lallybroch the pixies broke the alarm clock-cum-radio, while someone is wiping his nauseous mouth with the Declaration of Independence in Wilmington. And there can be no greater contrast when it comes to casting, than the one between SS and Vandervaart. She is trying, bless her heart she does, and it shows a lot. Yet no matter how hard she does it, she will never overcome, I am afraid, that stilted delivery and that genuine uneasiness that make you feel alternatively dismissive and sorry for her. In the economy of Outlander, SS is more than a waste: she is a casualty, because she managed to unwillingly kill Bree, a character with a difficult, often unsympathetic design to start with.

For his first substantial on-screen appearance, Vandervaart passed my scrutiny with flying colors. Now I might be biased, because I am a documented victim of this particular Boston Brahmin charm, that screams old money and boat shoes and Ivy League and effortless sophistication. But it's more than this, of course, and I suspect solid brains and a great deal of preparatory work. This kid has managed to impress me, with his subtle nods to the mannerisms of JAMMF and LJG. The scene with Young Ian and Rollo is flawless. The diction is perfect. He cares for William enough to become William and this is something to behold and applaud.

Both Hunters are quintessential. There is a sort of steel butterfly quality to Rachel and Denzell Hunter's kindness could melt my B&J's Chocolatey Love A-Fair bucket on the spot. Their likeability index will probably increase with time, and not only in this fandom, but also in the silent majority of casuals.

Which brings me to Tom Christie brilliantly showing us that, as my beloved Wilde once said with perfect clarity, "every saint has a past and every sinner has a future". This is the moment when I almost reached for the tissues, because I once was Tom Christie, and I know how damn hard is to keep your dignity in a hope against hope situation. And I could have done without that burlesque kiss altogether: but that is just me.

We've been waiting for this one since the trailer was released or even since I Am Not Alone. At last some bedroom maneuvers that are not: a) scampered; b) implied; c) muted and faded to cheesiness. I didn't even ask for much, did I?

Spoiler: "The thing about Tom is he wants you. Badly." That golden light. That serene grace. That perfect dialogue of bodies and souls. That cheeky raspiness. Not about Tom and not exactly JAMMF. I almost shivered, it was just like the good old times. And then, BAM!

A PLAGUE ON YOUR HOUSE, INTIMACY COORDINATOR VANESSA WOMAN, WHOSE NAME I DO NOT EVEN BOTHER TO GOOGLE AT 03:55 AM LOCAL TIME.

YOU SET OUR HOPES HIGH, PUSHED US TO THE EDGE AND THEN HAD THEM FADE TO THAT TOTALLY CLICHE MIRROR TRANSITION. HELLO? YOU FEEL OK WHEN YOU LOOK AT YOURSELF IN THE MIRROR, WHILE YOU BRUSH YOUR TEETH?

Enough said. And the next lost soul who darts out of Mordor with rumors of body doubles can go directly to jail, not pass GO (heh), not collect $200.

Is next week the Singapore (Sling) one? Lucky I am still in town, then. That is a mystery in the waiting. Onwards.

(Gif taken from @divineandmajesticinone, credits given accordingly - great work!)

[arale2126]

Cherik fics - That ONE line - 101

「I feel like I should keep an index of the one line in each Cherik fics that impresses me to no end, making want to bookmark it immediately.」

Hier steh ich an den Marken meiner Tage by MonstrousRegiment

Summary: Erik Lehnsherr is a spy in the SS, and his British liaison is strategist Charles Xavier. Their relationship from the moment they meet to a year after the end of the war.

“You’re the only person in the world who knows what I am.”

The quote:

James Howlett was, to put it kindly, an animal.

[iniziare]

"hmm," she'd draw out a longer sigh, single finger stretching across the smaller gap between them on the table, gloveless and bare, with nail polish done to match the gold found on her company for the evening. a subtle touch would soon enough follow, but not the hand that seemed to await her company, no, the golden watch and the edge where metal and skin met; "... do you always dress this elegant?"

Loud, perhaps would've been a better word, index slowly following the round shape of the watch there Robin remained seated, other hand propped up under her chin. "Gold, teal, black ; there seems to not be a single color that you can't wear, I'm almost a little envious. During my personal dark and gloomy era, everyone said I came of a little too pale." Then, a lower of her voice, the charmony dove's chin parting with her hand so she could lean across the table a little better, emerald fluttering between his watch and gaze.

"Imagine me with a spray tan," she'd laugh quietly, warmly as hand would soon enough settle onto his, the one that had been waiting beneath the watch. "I think the tan lines would drive me mad, and so, my question still stands ; does the infamous Aventurine always dress this elegantly, or does he have other charming outfits in his wardrobe? Is your night wear also in gold?"

Were enchantment to ever be a person, none other than this little songbird opposite him (much to his chagrin, for not a muscle in him didn't crave for her to be at his side instead, but perhaps that future lay only barely out of his grasp) could claim its existence. So easily would she find herself triumphant, like none other could ever hope to rival, at least not to him. And so he sat, enraptured— oh, he knew that he was little less than that, and she would see proof of such a reality in the way the creases of his eyes deepened at her fiddling by his watch. Will you always be so agonizing with me, little bird?

His black tie hung loose, its knot forgotten and trailing low on his chest, as if evidencing the reality that there was no pretense here. No, it had been foregone some time ago. The collar of his shirt lay undone, its edges parted enough to frame the pale line of his throat as it lay exposed, and unguarded. The sight oh him was a canvas that framed a man who was found perfectly at ease: caught in something akin to disheveled elegance. And so, in that, came a response that abandoned him in a confidence much the same: "What if I dressed just to impress you tonight, Miss Robin?" Last time, this time, and every time? Ss he leaned forward to meet her somewhat in stride, a necklace — a thin, golden chain — gleamed faintly against his skin, catching the dim light around them like a whisper of defiance, before its pendant dipped back in the shadows beneath the undone fabric. Perhaps it was a tease, one unintended, but one nonetheless to rival her own that seemed all but incredibly intended. She always stayed just out of reach of him, even though he ached to grasp at those sly fingers of hers, for it should be his that commit such deeds, such gestures that would allow him to steal a strayed brush of that bare hand, and its softest palm. But he was patient, he was always patient with her, even though the anticipation proved to be a cruel mistress time, and time again. "I'm humbled that you think I would look good in a lavender and orange suit." It came spoken in certain amusement, with every syllable laced, and dripping with a teased gaiety. "Maybe I'll try that for our next date. If you, everyone's favorite dove, promise that you will wear black the next time we meet. I think I'd like to judge for myself, I've never been much for the opinion of the masses." Could she blame him for the shameless confidence? Perhaps he would blame her if she tried to— and then the punishment for such a mortal sin? Mm, he'd see about that one.

And just when he thought that she couldn't possibly be much more agonizing for his eyes, or mind: Imagine me with a spray tan. I think the tan lines would drive me mad. As if he needed any more distraction than the tantalizing close to bare shoulders that had taunted him for an evening in its entirety right before him. Truly, his only restraint, and redemption, could be found in the touch of a hand to his own, one that was promptly rewarded with the briefest caress to her palm with one singular finger. "Maybe, and maybe it isn't." His turn to tease her: "I'll show you mine, if you show me yours, little bird."

Prompt: Unprompted, how dare you kill us like this. // @avaere

[shit-solkat]

COMPLETE HOMESTUCK SHIP LIST

Yup, complete. There are some characters missing, but there are:

Beta kids + Guardians

Alpha kids + Guardians

Beta trolls

Dancestors

Ancestors

Sprites (not all-all of them)

Cherubins

Some extra character as well! (DD and SS, Doc Scratch, Bec Noir)

Some poly ships :3

Some meme ships too (spoiler: Dirk x Rainbowdash), but not many

I will turn this into a tier list when I can, but for now you can copy-paste this google document and make your own version! :D

EVERY POSSIBLE SHIP IN HOMESTUCK (link)

MY PERSONAL OPINIONS (link)

Please read the notes that are after the index :) Outside of that: have fun!

Oh, and obviously:

Da/ve/k/at shippers do not interact pls

[wevelocityteampresents-blog]

Pokémon Pocket Monsters HG SS Volume 1 - DP Special

Seeing how frustrated Pikachu is, Professor Oak gives him a special gadget that allows people to understand him.

The ordering of this chapter is odd. It's the 12th chapter of the HG SS series. But here, it's called a Diamond and Pearl Special. The DP special title does make sense, considering the Heart Gold and Soul Silver versions are a part of the DP series. So it's not all that confusing.

When I first started reading this chapter, I actually related to Pikachu because I have trouble being understood by people, too. Although I speak the same language as others, they can never comprehend what I try to tell them. Not because they don't want to hear what I say, but because the issues I face are hard to explain and might even be invisible to them. I'm always the one who could never receive help...

Back to the story, Professor Oak shows up again and actually manages to be helpful. He gives Pikachu a speech device that tricks people into thinking that Pikachu is talking. When, in reality, it's actually Oak who's handling all the conversations. I've never seen him act this useful before. (Outside of the GS saga.) So seeing Professor Oak help out the protagonists for once is kind of a breath of fresh air.

It's funny to see how Pikachu's new ability to talk grants him superstardom when it's Professor Oak who does all the talking. This is why it's so cathartic to see Clefairy get punished for stealing the bowtie after all the harm he does later in the story. This is one of the times when Clefairy's karma is executed incredibly well!

While we're still talking about this chapter, why is it that Pikachu is the only Pokémon that can't be understood by humans? There are tons of other Pokémon who can't speak in this world. What allows them to get a pass while Pikachu ends up with the cold shoulder?

And what was this woman thinking when she asked Pikachu for directions to the train station? She was talking to a Pokémon. Of course, he wouldn't be able to give her directions. Aren't there any officers in the area she could have asked instead?

And with that ends Pokémon Pocket Monsters HG SS. It took way longer to translate than I thought it would. But health issues tend to be the cause for everything getting delayed these days. I wish it weren't like that...

Next time, I'm going to work on Pokémon Pocket Monsters BW. From what I've read of it last year, it seems to be a step in the right direction for the manga. After the scenarios I've seen in this saga, I'm really excited to see just what Anakubo brought to the table for the big reboot!

TRANSLATOR'S NOTES

That briefs joke on page 3 was already in the original text.

You might find this a bit odd. But this was referenced in Professor Oak's character bio in the character index section at the beginning of the volume. All this scene really does is hammer in that part of his character.

There's also this cart Pikachu rides in on page 9 that has the words "Nep League" written on it.

Nep League is a variety show that began airing in Japan in 2009. A year before this volume came out. This probably makes it one of the more recent references in Pokémon Pocket Monsters.

The conversation Pikachu has with a tourist is a bit different from the original text.

The tourist is of American origin and has a rudimentary grasp of the Japanese language. I thought the language mix-up would have been a bit confusing in English. So I switched things around and made him speak in Japanese.

I'm a little confused by the mention of a Pokémon Center as a tourist spot. The tourist doesn't look like he has any Pokémon on him and Pokémon Centers are in every town across the country. (Not that much of a tourist destination...) Unless of course, Pikachu is talking about the Pokémon Center stores. In this case, this is probably the first time they've been mentioned in a piece of Pokémon media.

[rainmustfallts4]

The Everhart Dynasty 👑 #2

⊶⊰Information⊱⊷ ⊶⊰From the Beginning⊱⊷ ⊶⊰Latest⊱⊷ ⊶⊰Gen 1 (Beginning | Latest)⊱⊷ ⊶⊰Index⊱⊷

‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊ ‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊ 👑 °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ ·͙̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥̩̩̥͙·̩̩̥͙̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥̩̩͙‧͙ °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ 👑 ‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊

When Snow finally returned home, he was suddenly struck with a deep feeling of sadness and dread. He had no idea what was causing it, but he knew something was wrong. As soon as he entered the house, his eyes fell to the urn.

His brain tried to process what was happening.

“Elvira?” He called softly, moving to sit beside his step-mother. “What’s going on?”

“I knew you were dumb, but I didn’t know you were this dumb! Is it not clear? Your father is DEAD.”

“W-What? How? When?”

“Grim, you truly are as dumb as your mother was. I killed him, dumbass.”

“No -! This is… just a sick joke…”

“The only joke is how trusting that idiot father of yours was! He never once suspected me and, even when the food made him sick, he still kept eating it!” She threw her head back in laughter.

Snow was overcome with emotion.

“I can’t believe you did this… he loved you!”

“Please, love does not exist. That old man was a fool.”

“I’m getting the police.” Snow shook his head as he jumped off the couch, heading outside.

Elvira scowled, following after him. “You will do no such thing!”

“You broke the law, Elvira. You killed someone!”

“In that case, you should be arrested, too!”

“What?”

“Have you forgotten? You killed your mother. Murderer!”

“N-No, I -“

“Honestly, we both did the world a favor. Your father was an old fool wasting space. He refused to use his money despite having plenty of it. How hard is it to buy a damn purse? But he claimed to love me so much. Pathetic.”

“Love is not measured by -“

“And don’t even get me started on your llama of a mother! That prissy little bitch thought she was the fairest woman in town. All the guys threw themselves at her feet! She had life easy but she dared to try and give ME advice! My boyfriend left me because of her and she had the gall to try and comfort me!”

“She was your friend!” cried Snow, fighting back tears. “She trusted and loved you. She talked so highly of you!”

“Please! She wanted people to think she was a saint, but she was just a backstabbing bitch. That’s why I killed her.”

Snow gasped in shock, his eyes widening. “W-What did you say?”

Elvira realized what she had just admitted and it pissed her off. She grabbed a drink and threw it into his face before he could react.

“Guess who’s next~? First your mother, then your father. I’ve taken everything from you, Snow Everhart. Your bloodline dies with you!”

Snow dodged when she tried to grab him and he didn’t hesitate to run off into the woods, his heart racing within his chest. He glanced over his shoulder to find that Elvira was not following. Still, he continued to run, desperate to get as far away from her as possible.

Elvira giggled. “You can run all you like, Snow, but I will find you. Your life is mine.”

Snow ran for hours to get away from her, not stopping until the sun had set and he was out of breath. He was no longer in Windenburg, he knew that much, but he had no idea where he was. Not only that, he had no money and no way to survive. What was he to do?

All of those negative emotions bubbled up inside of him until he could handle it no more. He broke down crying, mourning the loss of his father for the first time, and mourning the loss of his mother all over again.

He lost his father on his 18th birthday, only adding insult to injury. Snow was now an adult, lost and alone in the world. And more than anything, he feared for his life.

Hello hello and welcome to my playthrough of the Disney Prince(ss) challenge! c: The introduction is now complete, so we’ll be going back to my dumb commentary haha hope you don’t mind~

We managed to get a few simoleons by selling the suitcase so he had enough to get some hot dogs.

Then it was time to go collectible hunting! Henford on Bagley doesn’t seem to have a wide variety of collectibles, at least not in the area he’s currently living.

At least there’s a pretty fishing spot nearby!

He decided he would do some fishing. Not only was it a calming past time, it was one he had enjoyed with his father over the years. In a way, he felt as if his father was still there with him ❤

A fox came up and watched him for a while. I wonder if he can sense that Snow is an animal enthusiast haha