#and from what ive heard the french do NOT like if you dont speak in french to them

[mla0]

YOU'RE MOVING TO EUROPE?? Congratulations and good luck!!

I AM!!! i'm excited but unfortunately i'm also francophobic. how will i reconcile with this /j

[hella1975]

accent enthusiast and yorkshire citizen here: tho posh pricks and classists attack regional accents (even though by nature these accents are arguably MORE english and retain more germanic features because of less education and/or more rurality, while they sound french) because they hate poor people, i am going to hypothesise that they are also racist

so. i assume youre northern by the sound of your h dropping. h dropping is a very white northern accent trait, people who grew up in places with a significant white majority. however, t dropping is very recent addition to working class northern english which originated with estuary english and spread across the country by ethnic minorities - mostly by second/third gen a. carribbean, south asian and polish people. this creates a new type of working class english which is unique to every city, every ethnicity and every household across britain. its called MBE (multicultural british english). it is usually spoken in places with diverse population. and although not much research has been done on these accents (apart from the one in london bc of fucking course), they are spoken by many many people.

mbe is usually a mix of a. carribbean, south asian, polish and regional slang amd accent features. but one defining characteristic is the t dropping. which again is a pretty new accent feature outside of london. so my hypothesis: they focus on the t dropping specifically because it's unique to ethnically diverse english.

i will talk accents with anyone for hours upon hours upon hours anon i am shaking u by the head for all ur thoughts rn. im not from up north! im a midlands girlie through and through, rural england right by the welsh border. mine is technically a rhotic accent with hints of welsh?? but my town in particular has much more welsh elements than midlands elements just bc of how close we are to the border?? idk my accent has been known to confuse people far and wide lol. the perks of being from the midlands truly.

everything you've said here is new to me, are there any sources/articles you could send me so i can read more? this seems super interesting!

i do however know a bit about midlands' accents/rural english accents, and from what i know of them, the 'dropping Ts' part of certain dialects has been present for centuries. it's called the glottal T (which is v funny to me bc saying that out loud on its own will reveal to people if you t-glottal or not). it's really hard to find out where this originated from and i cant speak for up north but ik in my area the general consensus is that it's just. always been around (which i know can't be true so again! if anyone has any sources or knows anything im such a nerd about these things so pls dont be shy!). still, i always thought it came from old english and a lot of influence from scots? and from my knowledge from its origins in england i always thought it did START with the rural areas like mine? alas for my own sanity i try not to research t-glottalling too much bc even the 5 mins i did for this to double check my facts had me seeing words like 'insidious' and 'lazy' and 'ugly' being thrown about literally bc of a single letter. like insidious are we being serious rn. someone tell barnaby from kent to take deep breaths.

the polish thing really interested me here though bc ive heard once or twice people say about my dialect/region that there are polish elements, and as someone who knows nothing about polish i couldn't really pinpoint to you what it was or anything but seeing it in your ask i was like !!!!! fr !!!!! it's interesting that this could be why people say that.

going back to h-dropping and t-glottalling, my region is actually RENOWNED for 'dropping letters and syllablles left right and centre' <- direct quote from someone trying to explain it lmao. like we've got very farmer accents to the point my flatmate once - very rudely - went on and ON about me having a west country accent and even when i explained it to her over and over that no just bc i have a RURAL accent doesnt mean it has to be west country, she still wouldn't let it go and tried to make a joke that my accent was 'inbred' bc of it. this is the flatmate i made cry and is now too scared to stay at our flat though so all is well <3 so yeah it's not just the northerners! even if we all have to suffer at the hands of the RP folk

the mbe thing is super interesting though bc while i dont know enough about it to speak on the letter dropping, i do know that my own accent has picked up a couple mbe features since coming to uni (mainly just new slang than actual accent but ive had to catch myself a couple times icl). not only is my uni city one of the most multicultural cities in england, but a lot of the student population are from london, which IS the most multicultural city in england. i know there's the stereotypical roadman accent that a lot of people tease about, but that is of course hugely inspired by the ethnicities you listed, particularly caribbean, and a lot of that comes right out of london. there's definitely something to be said about the fact that the people who most often get called chavs/get slated for being rough are also the ones who speak with that multicultural accent. like i WONDER what that's about

[kxmikomrade]

oh ho ho

why hello there

I just read through a bunch of the stuff you have about yourself, and now you have to deal with me <3

so first of all: i saw that you really liked blue period, and I was wondering how you'd recommend it? I keep on wanting to watch it but my mind goes "but you have this thing" and "what about the other three animes you're watching" but who cares! It looks really pretty tho. Also me and my partner are going to watch Bungo Stray Dogs together (eventually-) bc it's his favorite anime lol.

ok next point: WATERMELON IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE FOODS I LOVE WATERMELON. MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP ICE CREAM IS THE BEST. and i agree, winter and autumn are the best seasons. rain. rain is nice :).

third and i think final thing: you're learning japanese, you say? ok, i have a few questions for you. what are you learning it on? (i'm learning it on the demon bird app, aka duolingo). what words have you learned? what do you know about the grammar/word structure? and the scary one: have you started learning the terror that is katakana? (if no, it's just another alphabet with the same order and sounds, except different characters. i hate katakana :,>) because i can't type in japanese on my chromebook, i'll just use the romanji. But expect me to send you random hiragana and have you say what it is!

Kimu-san, yahho! Anata ga kakkoii to karai desu yo! (i promise you it's a compliment <3)

try to tell me what that means, and expect more random japanese in your future :)

anyways have a lovely day byeee <3

when i saw the 'oh ho ho' i heard french venti LMAOOO 💀💀

omg new moot guys NEW MOOT !! u match my vibe so <3

BLUE PERIOD IS SO SHHEHEHEHHE esp if ur an artist like myself, it gives u a different and probably more professional view of art ^^ For wat i like abt it, i'd say da characters and how theyre written. The main character is pretty relatable. Theres another character who has family issues and may be trans (or genderfluid? it isnt confirmed but she was born male, currently dresses feminine and hates it when people uses her dead name). Another one who was born a 'Genius' but doesnt really understand art, hes only doing it bcs its basically wat he can only do. Another character who'm gets compared to her older sister and so on. Even minor characters have well written stories I suggest u watch da anime THEN read da manga from da beginning :>> Sanaol may partner- jkjk ur prob fil but imagien having a partner 😭 my lonely ass could never U SHOULDD WATCH BSD!! I LOVEEE DA ENDINGS ITS SUCH A VIBE AND DA OPS R BANGERS UGH THE CHARACTER DESIGNS AND PLOT I WANNA 👊 ITS INTERESTING BUT I SUGGEST ALSO READING THE MANGA FROM THE BEGINNING SINCE THE ANIME SKIPS ALOT OF THINGS AND IT MIGHT GET U CONFUSED 😭😭 Also, hes so true for that, hes DEF a keeper 💪 unless hes a mori/fukuchi stan then ew no

YESSS WATERMELON AND MINT CHOCO CHIP ICECREAM LOVERSS <333 Honestly, cold weathers >>>>>>

Im currently just memorizing da basics; hiragana and katakana before i continue off where i left off in grammar and vocab (i'll most likely start over since its been arounf half a year and i have goldfish memory 🥲) Ive already memorized hiragana, now im going with katakana but im focusing on art lately since i just got my stylus back so im prob not gonna do it for awhile but i'll try to before may >:DD I currently only use 'Write it Japanese!' app on mobile, its REALLY useful, idk anything to help with grammar but my jp speaking friend recommends da book 'Minna no nihongo'. She used to be my jp study buddy but shes been VERY busy with uni lately so :'''D AND YES BBG (can i call u dat??) LETS PRACTICE TOGETHER <33 tbh it would be better if we use hiragana/katakana/kanji (i literally dont know kanji SOBS) since it helps us learn!! AND DAT WOULD BE FUNN

From just my understanding: 'Kim-san, Yahoo/hello! Youre a cool person [smth smth]'

from google: 'Kimu, Yahoo! It hurts to think you're cool' (pls get ur shit together google 😭😭i couldnt call my friends bitches lovingly bcs of u)

YES I'LL BE EXPECTING THEM <33 I HOPE U HAVE A LOVELY DAY TOO HON

LMAO WAT DO I CALL U?? I WANNA ADD UR MOOT TAG

[surveysonfleek]

1664.

When was the last time you did clay work/pottery? literally 2020, i ordered a clay kit during lockdown and made this weird pen holder lol

Do you like art, hate it or just not mind it? i thoroughly enjoy it. im a sucker for an art gallery. i dont understand ‘all’ art but its still fun to check out

If you had to choose would you prefer dull pain for 12hours or sharp for 2? dull pain

Koala or Kangaroo? koalas are way cuter

Do you know the words to the national anthem of your country? yes

Is your country ruled by a president, prime minister, queen or other? pm

Does blue occur in your national flag? yes

Talking of flags. Do you like football/soccer? If yes, do you play and what position? no... hot take but i think soccer is so boring to watch

Would you rather be a Model, Famous Scientist, Singer or Chef? singer

Would you rather be a pilot, crime scene investigator or estate agent? pilot i think!

Does making others happy really make you feel happy? yes! it certainly makes me feel good, thats for sure

What colour literally doesn’t appear in your wardrobe at all? i think i should at least own one of each colour in my closet bit i guess i rarely wear yellow

Do you actually read the answers others give to your surveys? i dont make surveys

Did you ever swear at a teacher in school? Why? nah

Have you ever pricked your finger on Holly or another ‘sharp’ plant? yea, probably 

Speaking of Holly, do you adore Christmas or does it bug you? i enjoy xmas but i really hate consumerism and the tradition my family and my partner’s family has with giving semi expensive gifts. i feel pressure to have to give them something back just as expensive ugh

Have you ever wrote your own short story? What about a novel? Or perhaps you started and couldn’t finish? only for school

Do you prefer SciFi/Fantasy/Action/Horror or Rom/Com/RealLife? i have a really short attention span so its been awhile since ive sat down and watched a ‘serious’ movie. the most recent movie i watched was a romcom

What do you have a lot of faith in [note: can be anything]? idk sadly

Think of a material thing you want. Name it here (material, made or bought). Would $100/60 be enough for this item? How about $1000/600? i want a new iphone. i think they go for like $1500ish

Would you rather have a big house, a lot of kids or a high flying job? high flying job as long as im happy with it

Have you ever been to a creepy/haunted/abandoned place? What did it look like and what were the circumstances? no, im too much for a scaredy cat to do that What’s your favourite dip? french onion

Chocolate Cookies or Fudge Brownies? brownies

I give you a little baby puppy. What do you name him? oh man, idk. id be spending a lot of time thinking of a name

Is crime a big problem in your area? not really tbh

What’s your town/city most well known for? white people lmao Do you know a Jack? What’s he like? How about a Lisa? What’s she like? i dont know any jacks personally. or lisas haha.

Are most your friends older, younger or the same age as you? theyre all around the same age

Do you subconsciously hang out with those with the same star sign as you or as each other, perhaps due to certain personality traits? haha no

Name 5 objects that you don’t have but would like right now? a new phone, new clothes, a handbag, a new car and more candles. i basically just need an upgrade of everything i currently have

When you have children, would you like twins? my partner wants twins sooooo badly. id be happy to have them but defs fine with one baby too hah Do you know any twins? If so, what are they called? i work with a twin, idk her brother’s name

If you were given the choice to choose your child’s gender, would you? id choose a girl first

What instrument would you love to learn how to play? piano properly

Does the sound of knocking/tapping startle you? yes

What’s the scariest story/urban legend/creepypasta etc you heard? haha i really cant think of any from the top of my head

Do you miss someone currently? yasss

When was the last time you were in hospital? What for? i forgot! which is a good thing

When was the last time you went to the dentist? last year

Do you get along well with your family doctor/your doctor? pretty well. which reminds me, i need to grab a script soon

What personality trait does nearly everyone in your family seem to have? i think were all pretty good listeners

[marijkeoo]

my friend tried to kill herself and we crack jokes in the hospital room about the causes and effects and i love her but goddamn was it hard to stay awake i thought i was going to throw up after that spicy marg but i didnt and she kept drinking and now its all gone ive fallen off the horse but im still running beside it and i hope that i can get a second to breathe soon i couldnt recognize myself in the mirror on monday and i got up anyways and went to class i think i might have some kind of weird relationship with food but ive been eating scones with soft butter even though its so expensive and ive been healing i think my sister is still so incredibly stupid but at least i dont have to hear about it all the time and get unreasonably upset about the fact that we dont talk anymore and nothing ever changes but nothing stays the same my friend from back home is ghosting me even though we live a mere 10 minute bus ride away and it hurts i think even though i dont really think about her much my roommate is going back to toronto and might drop out but ive done it too and i think that everything will all work out itll all work out itll all work out itll all work out my parents are coming in two days and i wont tell them i want to sleep and im so aimless but i will say that i love the city and i love living here and im grateful every day for my life even if i wake up at 1pm after getting home at 6 and i miss my classes and its not even that i learn anything i just love a ritual and i was going to go get a job today but i think it has to wait another little bit and i have work to do but i think maybe its ok to eat some tinned fish and let my hair dry i never used to shower in the morning but now i dont always shower at night i want to be like the elif batuman character and go for runs and pretend everything is fine and study linguistics but then discover nothing can explain our little chatty quirks and give it up and study something so much better i.e. philosophy but i skipped the linguistics part and went straightt into this degree that i think i love but also i didnt really have a choice i need to pay for school next semester but i cant figure out how to believe that i can get money somehow i dont think ill ever be famous but maybe people can know me a little bit i have to be on the radio hosting a show soon but i cant force myself to want to actually forcing myself to do anything nowadays is so fucking hard but ive never had a mental illness and i think im too dutch to linger on myself too much i have this thing that i say all the time to my friends and i repeat it to myself it the mirror "you think too much about yourself" and i havent cried in six to eight months properly but i think i might pick it up as a hobby maybe i just need a hobby ive been reading a french translation of a milan kundaris book (rip king) and the woman roughly says "why do men never give what i give in return" and she says this to her partner and he wonders why she thinks this because its really fuckin stupid to him and he says "you know what i think about? war." and i thought that was really funny and i laughed out loud on the metro and the days are getting colder and the burning of limbs doesnt happen quite as bad and the burn is just skin or whatever and i type with these long red nails i stole from the drug store and im relearning how to speak and talk and interact with people even though i think im a linguistic terestrial bipedal animal and i saw a cool show on monday and only got five hours of sleep and i play euchre and sometimes i win and i just cant believe that she tried to kill herself but at least she came and woke me up if she died without letting me know i wouldve been really upset and i really dont tend towards emotion if you couldve heard the 911 call i made you would think that im a robot and my friend said i sounded like one in the hospital room last night i think that i need a little handycam and to get better and out of this rut im always in a rut it seems

also i just remebered that wherever you go you bring yourself with you and this is significant because i never feel at home anywhere i am i always feel alien im always an alien i need to become a professor at small liberal arts universities in rural canada and move every two years because i dont know how someone could stay where they are for longer than that i love this life that i have but i need to restart pretty regularly but im stuck here for at least two years then i move and go to winnipeg or saskatoon or calgary or up north maybe i go to yukon or iqualuit and i do a masters then i go to europe for a doctorate and come back parading around because i finally made my grandma happy and i send postcards and i tell my friends ill see them later because later is indefinite and saying see you in five years sounds gross and sad but later is always sometime sooner it feels and i want to be a ghost i need to be a ghost i want to wander into peoples lives and leave them but sometimes drop back in just to say hello over coffee and hour before i need to be at the airport my isolation feels key to my mission on earth and although i dont talk to God all the time i think i feel him residing in my soul and i know that my soul infuses everything i touch and if i ever get married it needs to be a tall protestant dutch man whos nice to me and likes to be around me and i dont know if ill ever find a man like that but desires not a crime my life is spinning out i need to smoke a dart but i dont want to spend money on cigs i have a matchbook i stole from a bar and i think we should bring back lighting belmonts with matches its so rare we get to hold fire in our hands the smoke pit is a gift if your a bullshitter like me i heard that run clubs are the new dating apps but i think that running with people usually sucks and having anyone i could potentially be interested in see me like that would give them the ick and i think its good to be alone, at least until summer when i can go sit on a patio and drink a light beer my friend showed me coffee tonics and i think i could die happy if i had one in my hand all the time and i have a pink moka pot and life always works out for me because every day on this earth is another day that i get to drink my coffee and eat tuna and see little dogs and sit in the library and sunbathe in the park and listen to amy winehouse and exist in a moment

[nahalism]

I appreciate the people who ask you questions here because I get to imagine you saying those words to me. Thank you for your long responses. Your video about being responsible and accountable for our own actions edified me. I’m more conscious about my own actions, so I won’t be a bad influence on those who might be watching. I like your voice. Sometimes, I imagine myself talking and falling asleep on the phone with you while listening to your YouTube videos at night. I like the way the sun hits your skin. I like your natural hair. Your last video had me scheduling my life, and looking for a plant to start a garden lol. Let’s start a garden together. Let’s get married in Paris, it seems like you speak French already. Je t'aime. Yeah, it’s your devout Nahalism follower, I had to think of another way to say “I love you” this time. Have you ever heard the saying “Do not fall in love with a writer”? Those same words that have me wrapped around your finger are the same words that can end up piercing your heart in the end. I will love you no matter what though. Those last selfies you posted were very leng.

why dont you just speak to me as yourself? — im going to be very direct because if not i risk being either too kind and misleading, or too harsh and crushing. i feel like either could do more harm than good. — as it stands, the facts are that i like directness. by saying this anonymously you are being as indirect as possible & shooting yourself in the foot. whilst your words are flattering, they are overshadowed by the fact that i dont know who you are. if your a friend, acquaintance, someone i know irl, a stranger... that, coupled with the fact you seem to be watching me closely, makes this all somewhat uneasy. — i read once that you should give as much mind to the praise you receive as you do the criticism you receive. so, whilst the things you have to say about me are sweet, they are not the way to my heart that you believe they might be.

for some reason, i have a feeling ive spoken to you before, which is why im taking the time to explain all this. there is no shortcut or substitute for actually getting to know me, and there is no way to win my affections without me actually getting to know you. i dont dwell in ideas, im here in real life. so if u want anything back from me you will have to meet me here & out of my inbox — i think you may be worried about how ill respond to you. you should know im a generally decent person. since ive been on the internet ive had an open message policy. i talk to any and everyone, and more often than not make friend, or at least friendly, with all who come as they are. i cant promise i will be romantically interested, but i will meet you with genuine kindness. — so pls, id rather you be brave and talk to me than send these messages.

[carelessflower]

"Youve never been to Paris?" Magnus questioned, they were both sitting on Magnus's bed, playing Snap.

"Ive never been anywhere, I want to travel, but probably when im older."

"You are staying for four nights right? SNAP" Magnus hand slammed the matching pair of cards.

"That is what I told my mother." Alec picked up the reminder cards, he wanted to win.

They heard footsteps running up the stairs, and a knock on Magnus's bedroom door. They both looked at each other, wondering who it was?

"Come in." Magnus said opening the doot, a blonde male, smiled as he hugged Magnus.

" its been a while." Magnus ruffled his cousin's hair.

"Stanley this is Alec, Alec this is my cousin Stanley."

"Hello." Alec gave Stanley a small smile.

"Ive been looking everywhere in Oxford for this food, and couldnt find it, and I need to go visit someone in the Bronx, and I know it will be nice for them to have it."

Stanley got out his phone and was showing Magnus something, Alec sat there awkwardly.

"They do it in Paris, and was wondering do you want to go? Your dad says its fine."

Magnus looked between his cousin and friend.

"Like right now?" Stanley nodded.

"Alec do you want to come? Just tell your mom?"

"She is going to say no."

"Just tell her your going out of the state with me, to see something."

"I can book your ticket, its up to you?" Stanley said, looking up from his phone and eyeing Alec, who nodded.

"I'll go home and grab some things and my passport." Alec repsonded, Stanley nodded, and booked the flight tickes.

"Meet here in hour." Magnus said, as he walked Alec to the gate outside of the house. Alec smiled, as he walked away.

"So you will be gone for two days?" His father said.

"Yeah, dont worry ill look after them?" Stanley wrapped his arm around Magnus's shoulder, and huggrd him.

"Two days, and Magnus, text me when you land and are coming back." Asmodeus said, going to thr kitchen.

"Cant believe we are doing this?"

8 hours later

In Paris

Paris was bustling with people, as the sun was already setting, Alec looked in awe his eyes going everywhere, he stood closley to Magnus.

"Ive got us a hotel, the shop is going to open early in the morning." Stanley responded, as they grabbed a taxi.

"Where are we staying?" Alec asked.

"You'll see." The taxi drove pass the trees, until Alec could see the eiffel tower.

"Its beautiful." Magnus whispered, as they drove past the tower, and parked near it.

"We are here." They got out, and enteted the hotel, Stanley was speaking to the recpetionist in French.

"He is going to the cafe in the morning, so you and I can go to a cafe and eat at le marais. What do you think?" Magnus said, his fingers brushing against Alec's hand.

"That would be nice."

i love this

[grimsneverendingfuneral]

Speaking of headcanons, pretty please drop your like… language-speaking headcanons… 🎤

ok im crowning you mic anon get on your knees so i can knight you you're getting your own tag

imma just put the languages for the marauders ive written so far so like wolfsftar and rosekiller (idk if i'll ever write jegulus but i do wanna incorporate lily somewhere somehow because she's sooo hgngngnggggnnnn hot and cool)

ok so Sirius speaks french (you know what. i changed my mind Sirius is not from la Corse he's from Quebec. He's Quebecois like me fuck all that colonial french shit. plus a Welsh man and a Quebecois together?????????? they both want their nation's independence. thats so hot.) and english. posh english if he's in britain and standard english if he's in an AU

Remus speaks english and Welsh fluently but just a liiiiittle bit of Polish cause he's Polish on his dad's side and his dad wasn't too close with his own parents so he didn't speak to Remus fully in Polish growing up. but Remus can get around having a casual convo in Polish he'll just mess up pronunciations sometimes and forget words but he manages and the ladies at the polski shop just love him they give him free marzipan

Barty fully speaks Serbian (to me he's Serbian cause he reminds me of this guy i was friends with in highschool named Marko.) and english. He talks really fuckin loudly too

Evan speaks english honestly i dont see him speaking other languages though he does pronounce certain words with a slight caribbean lilt when he feels like it but just cause that's how he's heard his grandma pronounce them. it's barely noticeable though like if you know you know

[samedragontime]

hi 👋 cajun here. the rougarou is a real acadian cryptid, but this story isn't genuine.

"guinefort" is completely unrelated to the rougarou. its not even a cajun thing. guinefort is a saint from a 13th century story about a dog in france. yes cajuns are french, but there is a large separation between cajun and french. cajuns are louisianians whose ancestors are from Nova Scotia, and looking at a map we see there's a whole ocean between france and Nova Scotia. and also theres a whole country between Nova Scotia and Louisiana. cajuns don't speak traditional french, we call it "cajun french" (very creative), which is just english with a lot of french particles and different spellings. so while yes, cajun = french, french does not = cajun.

the rougarou doesnt have a specific name because anyone could be one. a rougarou just... is a werewolf, not a specific figure. i dont think ive personally ever heard any kind of narrative folklore about the rougarou, but they do like to scare the shit out of people durring mardi-gras so thats fun.

rougarou comes from the french "loup-garou" which means werewolf. some people just also say loup-garou, but that's more traditional werewolf and not half-werewolf which is more what rougarou emplies.

the rougarou doesn't have any direct ties to christmas, other than the general additude of a rougarou being described as similar to something like krampus. you know, mischievous and hates kids. if there is a christmas story out there with a rougarou in it, i wouldn't doubt it, but the rougarou is not based in christmas.

also i want to add the idea of using gators to pull a pirogue instead of slapping a cheap motor on that thing is hilarious to me. using a crappy motor would be leagues more authentically cajun than a gator pirogue-sleigh but i love that mental image so much

Companions of Christmas day 7: Guinefort, the Cajun Rougarou When Santa Claus visits the bayous of Louisiana, the dense canopy of trees that blanket the rivers along which its people live preclude him from employing his reindeer-pulled sleigh. He has instead taken to using a pirogue, a type of flat-bottomed boat, and in lieu of reindeer employs the services of eight charitable alligators.

The people along the bayou’s rivers light bonfires on the bank each Christmas Eve to help Santa find his way.

But those settlements, and the cabins and houses between them, are spread out enough that the oppressive darkness of the waterland often persists for long obstacled stretches.

Luckily for Santa and the children of Louisiana, he is assisted along these stretches by a Rougarou, a type of werewolf, whose real name is not known, but whom the Acadian locals calls “Guinefort” after St. Guinefort, a popular saint in France who happens to be a dog.

The Cajuns were always wary of Guinefort because it is, after all, prudent to be wary of wolves, but knowing that his birthday was Christmas (because, as many know, only those born on Christmas can be cursed to become werewolves), people would leave him treats and presents on that day, so Guinefort came to love Christmas, because it was the day that he felt loved himself.

Now, the furry Cajun makes the most of his agile nature and keen night vision to help Santa navigate the sometimes treacherous waterways, standing on the backs of Santa’s alligators and serving as a pilot, avoiding submerged logs and Cypress roots while sipping hot chicory and casting a warm glow with his red lantern.

••••••••••••••••••••••

Happy December, friends! Each year around this time I post up drawings of Christmas and other winter holiday figures, along with narratives to explain the practices with which folklorists and holiday buffs might be familiar. When stories exist, I use them; when they don't, I do what I can to piece together what folklore surrounds them to fill in the gaps (or, in some instances, defer to the theories of my friend and fellow narrative reconcilianist Benito Cereno). I hope you enjoy them!

[wherestarsarestillasleep]

Started persona 3 portable recently and i am either 15 or 9 hours in depending on which hour count you believe here are some of my thoughts if anyone wants to talk abt persona

• I don't mind the point and click ui at all but the lack of animated cutscenes is both unfortunate like i bet it hurts some plot moments a lot, and really funny like there is some points like. Hm. I dont think this is what i am meant to be seeing

• You can really see how they improved on these concepts in 4 and 5 but the core gameplay is still soo fun

• fuck the golden shadows though

• it's insane male protag couldn't talk to half the party members. That must feel so bizarre that theyre meant to be your friends and your bonds are your power but you just cant hang out. He's like one of those animals that only bite men. The Pink UI For Girl is like a pretty shade but persona games are soooo strongly color coded it annoys me that the blue persona game isnt blue w her

• junpeis my BOY we are FRIENDS he is a funny guy with a hat and it's nice how he checks on you out of similar circumstances near the start. Yukari also does this but ive only done one of her social links because A. I couldn't find her as much B. I was hanging out with junpei. Also i forgot your dialog options actually matter in this game and deeply offended him and i thought i missed a whole scene so i rewound time and found nah its two sentences even if he's happy. Also i do keep calling him Jumpy

• introduced to akihiko w him wanting to just beat the shit out of shadows recreationally and heard his voice and was like hm this guys hot and was then painted as a normie when all the dialog about him was yeah everyone thinks this guys soo hot 😔

• why does the french transfer student insert japanese into his sentences?? If he spoke french before localisation he could still speak french???

• the student counsel guy is really funny because minako has barely said a word to him (which yeah is true for persona protags w everyone but feels Actually true with this dynamic yknow) and he's like ah yes minako kun my trusted second in command the only sensible person in this place. But I had forgot i was on the student council. He reminds me of berdly

• dont like the vibes on the leader guy. I thought the mysterious hospital visitor was shinji from persona 3 but that man is also shinji from persona 3 are they both shinji from persona 3. I have no opinions on mitsuru currently but she does remind me of makoto who i do not like but her hair is very pretty

[alex-fa-main]

Ooh no I don't think I knew! That's cool! Donc si je parle français tu comprends ou pas? I mean I wouldn't use it anyway but hey, just in case I reblog something in french thinking I'm so subtle when I'm not :') (it would feel so weird speaking french on tumblr honestly, it's just an english thing. Also not being able to use neutral language really is annoying) Though I have to say, the type of french they have in Quebec is pretty different from France-french, when it's just written it's fine but orally? Once I watched a webseries and they put subtitles, at which I scoffed at first because come on it's the same language, but after a few minutes where I wouldn't have understood anything without them, I changed my mind lol. The accent is something, but the vocab difference is the really insidious thing, cause you don't expect it. Anyway, languages, I'll stop rambling. But I do want to express my admiration that you learnt latin because I had three years of it + ancient greek in 7-9th grades and I couldn't keep up with the grammar haha

To some extent! It's better if I have context clues, like I do here Lgjsjsk a lot of French does have Latin roots so that helps too :D

Yeah Ive heard that! When my sister went to Quebec she said the native speakers there still sounded different to her bc she also took the initiative to learn standardized french! Though from what I understand most could tell it was more of a second language

DONT STOP RAMBLING I LOVE LANGUAGES

i actually find latin grammar to be p simple esp compared to english, bc latin has VERY few irregular verbs and only a handful of verb tenses, so it's pretty mild to me. at the time I learned it though I was still pretty good at Spanish so that helped :D

[karamazovdmitri]

Heyy! I hope you’re having a good day, I’ve been following u for a while and your passion for Dostoevsky is really contagious! I’ve wondered if you have a favourite translator for his novels that you would recommend to someone whose trying to read him? Or even ones to stay away from? Thanks for reading this 💞💞

omg first of all thank you so much for your kind words !!! this makes me so happy omg ;___; as for the translation, i will say, to me pevear & volokhonsky is always a safe bet, their translation is really nice to read and from the experience i have reading dosto in another language (french) they also seem to be the ones the closest to keeping the flow of the original, which some people will criticize for sounding “vague” or not as smooth/clunky, or being “too literal”, but personally comparing it with my favorite french translations, it seems pretty in line with the direction its going for, and i absolutely love the P&V translation of TBK and i think they do manage to capture the russian vibe really well, which of course is quite different in syntax, and dostoevsky's style especially is probably quite hard to replicate in english but i do really love their take on it, it's always my go-to suggestion of translation, especially for TBK.

vs for example, C. Garnett, probs the other big name dostoevsky translator,  who while its perfectly fine if its your thing, imo sometimes sounds like she tries to make it more palatable to english speaking audiences by playing more into the codes of english language literature, if that makes sense... basically she sounds “archaic”/”victorian”, etc... like you really feel like you’re reading an older piece of work, some enjoy it, personally... im not really looking for that vibe specifically lol. garnett also has the problem where sometimes she will downright just. not bother translating some more tricky parts LMAO but still, in my opinion a fine translation to read, especially since her stuff is public domain so easier to find. 

i dont think ive read other translations in english, so if you’ve heard of ignat avsey, which i know is often highly praised, i havent read his take on dostoevsky yet, but i do plan on doing so one day, so far what i know is he’s presented as being a good middle ground between garnett and P&V, and apparently does dialogues well? we’ll see... and i guess to complete the whole thing, i havent read mcduff either but i have to say im not like especially planning on doing so for now lol... so hopefully this answers your question, pls know im no master in translation, this is based mostly on my own experience and the general consensus but tbh you always find people absolutely loving dostoevsky no matter what translation they pick up so !!

[nebylitsa]

7, 10 and 11 for the historical figure asks? :)

im going to write about paul i of russia for the first two questions because ive already answered them about carlos ii!

7. Let us know three random facts about them! - paul might have had adhd! his childhood tutor poroshin noted that he was "‘always in a hurry,’ acting & speaking without reflection” (wiki). he had these traits throughout his adult life, too. he was also notorious for getting easily upset or angry, but could go back to being in a good mood just as quickly. theres a book called tsar paul & the question of madness by hugh ragsdale which explores paul’s personality & mental health in detail; the author suggests paul may have had ocd as well. neurodivergent icon tbh

- while staying in belgium during his & maria feodorovna’s grand tour of europe in the early 1780s, paul famously told a story about how he encountered the ghost of peter the great one night in st petersburg. apparently he was out walking with his friend prince alexander kurakin when he felt a chill & saw the ghost, who “addressed him as ‘poor paul’ … & declared … that paul [should] not become ‘too attached to this world, for you will not remain here long.’ the apparition advised paul ‘to live justly if you wish to die in peace’ and to remember that remorse was ‘the sharpest torment of great souls.’” (quoting from roderick mcgrew’s biography bc i dont feel like translating the entire passage from russian. although i think this story originally appeared in the memoirs of madame oberkirch, a friend of maria’s who was with them on the grand tour, so i suppose it wouldve been first published in french anyway.) kurakin himself claimed not to have seen or heard anything, but paul insisted that it really did happen.

- he was about 5′4″ or 166 cm tall so basically he was this reductress headline

10. What is your favourite quote by / about them? my favorite paul quote ever is, "i prefer to be hated for doing good than loved for doing evil." i think its from his correspondence but i cant find the exact source; slightly different versions of it are often quoted in reference to him, & honestly it is such a paul thing to say... i agree with the sentiment, but it also reflects his characteristic self-righteousness, i think.

11. What is your favourite portrayal of them in fiction (e.g. movies, novels etc.)? i dont know if this really counts as fiction, but i love the portrayal of carlos in the docu-drama series memoria de españa ;w;

look at this cute adorable uwu man

i also quite like how he’s depicted in the novel el hechizo del rey by josé calvo poyato. theres a really good scene in chapter 11 where a doctor named paravicino is tending to carlos’s self-flagellation wounds (😢😭), & says that carlos’s health seems to be improving. carlos replies that the whole court is just waiting for his death anyway; paravicino tries to make him feel better, saying that it isnt true, but carlos tells him not to be so naive. then he gives paravicino a gold chain as a gift in honor of their friendship, & says he likes talking to paravicino when the doctor comes to tend to him every day because paravicino the only one who doesnt talk down to him.

I JUST... AUGH!!! ;___; </3 i havent finished reading this book yet, but so far its doing a good job of portraying carlos in a nuanced way - hes superstitious, scared, & ill, but hes a man of his time & he isnt an idiot. “im aware of my limitations, but im neither a fool nor a child,” carlos says to paravicino in that scene. for the love of god someone hug him.

thanks! :3

[flintsilvers]

what are some of the similarities between sicily and campania/sicilian and neapolitan? You talk about them a lot, and I was curious to know more about how they're similar!

hi! this ask makes me genuinely so happy!! where do i even begin!

first off, i just want to specify that im from naples and even tho i know campania pretty well, i know the coast way better than the mountains and the countryside plus the only places in sicily ive been to are palermo/mondello and cefalù.

also, a lot of what im about to say probably relates to the rest of southern italy as well but im only gonna mention sicily and campania specifically.

that being said, campania and sicily have a lot in common, culturally, linguistically and ~ethnically~.

GREEKS: both regions were colonized by the greeks so we both have greek roots and even share some myths. the myth of icarus is probably the most famous one: icarus fell in the sea off the coasts of sicily and daedalus (his father) landed there to build a temple to apollo, then he took off again and landed in cuma (campania) and built another temple to apollo.

ARABS: while sicily is the only region in italy to have actually been ruled by the arabs, there are quite a few cities in campania that were founded or occupied by the arabs (mostly islands, like ischia, or cities on the coast, like salerno). this means that both campania and sicily (especially sicily) were heavily influenced by the arab and, by extension, muslim world, which is quite evident even today as you may be able to tell from the amounts of STAIRS THEY PUT EVERY- FUCKING-WHERE  for example, there are some words in the neapolitan language that were borrowed from arabic.

speaking of,

LANGUAGES: neapolitan and sicilian were the most spoken languages in southern italy before (and even some time after) 1861. “neapolitan” as we mean it today simply refers to the language spoken in naples, but that is in fact just a dialect of neapolitan. actual neapolitan was the language spoken in most of southern italy. sicilian was the language spoken in the rest of southern italy (except for like salento that had its own language). both languages have several dialects and they both share the same roots and influences: ancient greek, latin, arabic, french and spanish.

during the reign of federico ii, the use of neapolitan and sicilian in literature was heavily encouraged, though unfortunately most of old neapolitan and sicilian poetry was destroyed or just lost in time. literature in neapolitan and sicilian has never ceased to be produced, tho (Lo Cunto De Li Cunti was published in 1634 and they made a movie out of it in 2015, “Tale of Tales”)

VOLCANOES: literally all of italy’s volcanoes (except for the one in rome) are located in campania and sicily. the ones in campania are all in the neapolitan area (the Vesuvius, Ischia and the Phlegrean Fields -a supervolcano of over 40 craters), whereas the ones in sicily are mostly islands, except for the Etna which is in Catania. All the underwater volcanoes are also located between sicily and campania. very sexy, i know

BYZANTINES: i know the byzantine empire technically ruled over all of italy, but for a relatively short time, because the langobards conquered most of italy and the only byzantines left in italy were in naples and in sicily. even the rest of campania was conquered by the langobards. both naples and sicily were heavily influenced by the byzantine culture. on that note, one of my fave neapolitan churches is a byzantine one: the basilica of san giovanni maggiore (where there’s also a plaque with an inscription that refers to naples as parthenope <3)

i could go oooon and oooon and oon and i wouldnt get tired of talking about campania and sicily but this is getting too long lmao so, onto my personal feelings:

as a napolitan, ive never felt at home anywhere else other than naples and palermo. ive travelled all throughout southern italy (except for calabria which is criminal, i know, but i will redeem myself one day) and ive been to some places in center italy (the north is too expensive lmao); my mom is from a small town in puglia so i go visit often cause her side of the family is there, but ive never at home in any of those places. 

walking through the streets of palermo truly felt like walking through the streets of naples. idk why but it felt amazing

AND!! everyone loved neapolitans!! so i guess it was mutual!! literally everywhere me and my friends went people recognized us from our accent and cheered us! once one guy in a grocery shop heard us talking and yelled FORZA NAPOLI! it was so pure. 

to be honest even though im well aware of the similarities (and differences) between sicily and campania, i dont really know how to explain the genuine love and admiration sicilians and neapolitans have for each other. maybe its byzantine solidarity, idk but i love sicily and sicilians with all of my heart and if i dont get to move to sicily one day im gonna fight god

[randomoranges]

welcome to the past. the year is 2007-2008. i was in high school. i loved to write, but i only ever wrote fanfiction [which is cool]. but one day i decided to write my own - story of sorts. own characters and such. it was for the school paper - the french teacher had asked me if i wanted to have an ongoing thing of mine, since she knew i wrote and then my friend made 1-2 illustrations to go with the first 2 parts. the school paper never really picked up and so i never got to share the full story with an “audience” ever, except for my friend. 

 i was 16 at the time and the writing is very reflective of a 16 yr old girl. i’ve decided to post this, because there was never really a platform at the time that i knew of where i could post non fanfiction writing. 

ive reread this part and i intent to post all the parts to this absurd little story of mine. ive kept it as it was, safe for a few corrected typos so obviously there are ways of thinking and terms that might sound - dated or more “perspective of a young girl who didnt really understand the world” and also, being 18 going 19 was totally rad and Old and Mature at the time ;)

if you’ve read this far and if you were into anime and manga at the time of the mid 2000s, im sure you can pick up on the influences i had with the main character. his whole personality is heavily based on 2 characters i loooooved from 2 different things i watched/read at the time.

i’m still weird dumbly fond of this fic, even if i wrote it nearly 15 yrs ago. 

i dont expect anyone to read this. this is very splurgy and self-indulgent, but if you do give it a spin, i hope you find it ridiculous and absurd and that you don’t totally hate it :)  

and now, may i give you, So Totally OP!

So Totally OP! part 1

 No way! There was simply no way that I would do something as stupid as what I was about to do. No one would force me into the ridiculous costume no matter what they told me. I refused to do it. They could try whatever they wanted but it was out of the question. Many would wonder, why don’t you do it? It’s only for a day. Sure, first it would be for one day, but then they would want me back and I would have to be an entire different person for them. After all, who couldn’t resist my talent?

 The deal I had made with my twin sister wasn’t a very pleasant one. We are both aspiring actors and to top it off we are identical twins. For this audition, they needed a girl and a man who dressed up like a girl. Naturally, I had to be the cross- dresser. It’s not that I minded putting on the ridiculous female clothes and playing the part, I just knew that after the audition, I would be accepted and I would need to wear this ridiculous costume for the better part of the year.

 Some might wonder, what’s so bad about that? The only answer I could give them was that of a “desperate guy looking for cute girl.” I care for my sister deeply and I know that the company can’t go on without my brilliant acting, but there are some things that the male pride and ego would never allow. Especially someone with my status and my talent.

 Just as I was about to get ready to call my manager and give him a piece of my mind about the ridiculous affair, the telephone started ringing loudly, too loudly. Mumbling curses to myself, I got out of my armchair and made my way graciously towards the phone. There wasn’t anything about me that wasn’t beautiful, breathtaking, and magnificent or as many would tell me, perfect.

 “Yes?” I said as I put the receiver to my pierced ear.

 “Taro, get your perfectly fine piece of @$$ over here in a skirt before the director cooks my head for dinner!” My manager yelled to me. I could just imagine his enraged face with his black beady eyes looking frantically at my clear cerulean ones. His face would redden as he spoke and sweat would drizzle from his scalp, to his forehead, to his cheek and finally end its voyage on his neck. Not a very pretty picture, but not everyone could be born the way I was. We can’t all be perfectly beautiful.

 “I told you Ben, I am not doing this. I refuse to dress up as a woman!” I replied in my perfect deep voice; a sound that would make any girl faint right there and then. How did he even want me to speak in those high notes that girls of eighteen spoke in?

 “Taro, you’re eighteen going on nineteen. This is the type of role that could land you right there with the big shots! You could get an Academy Award for this and be one of the youngest male actors to get one. Think about the future of your career!” I knew Ben meant well and he was a nice guy once you got to know him. Finally, after a little pleading I accepted and went to put on my costume. Knowing my sister, she was probably already there.

 I slipped on a bra that was stuffed with things that I never heard of and looked at my reflection in the mirror. I looked ridiculous! The tank top came next and already I could see the transformation. I was lucky to have a little hair on my slender legs so I didn’t need to wax. That I had really refused to do! I put on the mini skirt and the stiletto heels and walked a bit in my flat. Thank you modeling school! Beauty really paid off after all. I combed my medium long jet-black hair and applied very little make up. Finally I took one of my sister’s purses to make it all look credible. I took one glance in the mirror and I had to admit that despite the fact that I was a handsome man, I made a gorgeous woman.

 I left the flat and walked through the busy streets of town to get to the director’s office. As I was walking, I noticed men staring at me with hungry eyes. If they even dared put one of their un-manicured fingers on my clean clothes, they wouldn’t be able to see properly for the rest of their days.

 As I turned a corner, a person walked into me and stumbled a little. I helped the person up and noticed it was a man. His eyes widened with shock and he embraced me in his arms.

 “Darling, there you are! I’ve been looking for you everywhere!” He held on to me longer and took my hand in his. I was too shocked to say anything and I simply followed him…

CURRENT: I NEXT: II

[tillman]

im sorry if you already answered this before but im interested in reading the arthurian legends. what books do i start off with?? google isnt being too helpful ;;

i love answeing this like once a week its so funny to me . let me find my most comprehensive answer ive done so far i have to write an essay or id go crazy again. heres a direct quote from one like 2 months ago sorry its long i have a problem and its called special interest disease. (rewrote the section on individual knights so they have actual tales to google) :

u can always start with something like le mort d’arthur! theres modern retellings of it that are WAYYY easier to read than the actual 14th century text LMAO. it has a lot of info about most of the major players youll see in any arthurian legend like arthurs rise to fame, kay being shoved in the court, a bit of lancelots tale (at least the copy i have cut like . most of it ??? *SHAKES* YOU CANT REFERENCE THE JOYOUS GARD WITHOUT EXPLAINIGN HOW LANCELOT FREED IT FROM THE EVIL WIZARD, MALORY!!!!!!), like all you would ever need to know about tristan, gawain and his 4 weirdo brothers, mordred, guenevere, ect. its really interesting from just a fun chivalrous romp to also see like.. the culture of the time.

from there i would just see what you like. i can recommend a lot of the romances (tristan and isuelt by gottfried, while not finished, is a BLAST i really love it - lancelot and the lord of the distant isles is amazing and i think my favorite modern rendition of a legend ive read so far cus i cant . find any copies of the vulgate cycle atm…. sad, the book of gareth is a part of le mort d’arthur but i think my favorite bit ? its very fun i really love gareth hes cute) and im still working through the more combat whatever tales rn (gawain and the green knight is kinda slapping? oh gawain sir i adore you but please stop beheading random women and knights you have young impressionable brothers and gaheris is already a freak)

uhmmmmmmm yeah . in short i think the best way to get through All Of This lore is to pick a knight of the round table and branch out from there. starting with something like malory’s le mort d’arthur or even something like pyles more modern king arthur and his knights is pretty good for getting an introduction of some of the main characters/stories. if u ever wanna know more about a knight i . know too much .

i think if ur going the one knight and branching route u wanna go with a Major knight, no palomides or torres even if theyre funny as fuck. Tristan has any version of tristan and isolde. i recommend gottfried’s version cus hes a wonderful author with interesting opinions on loveLancelot has an entire cycle for him but its hard to find full texts of unless your library is good. the vulgate cycle/lancelot-graal cycle is really good from the bits ive read, and if u want a more modern way to ease urself into it theres an adaptation of the book of galehaut which is killer (lancelot and the lord of the distant isles) and theres also the knight of the cart from Troyes (*SHAKES MY FIST AT THE SKY* FUCK YOU TROYES)Gawain has a few. u could look to the welsh sources (which ive been meaning to.. srry i dont have much info on them :-() or something like gawain and the green knight.Mordreds pretty prominent in a lot of different sources which is fun . u can find him everywhereOH TROYES PERCEVAL. ive heard that ones good. gotta get an english translation i only jave the 12th century french version so i cant really speak for the tale itself. troyes . oh troyes. i certainly wnat to beat his head in with a large mallet . 

ok i hope any of this made sense sorry i just started infodumping and didnt stop but lemme know if u need help finding a pdf or wanna know more about a certain knight/tale whatever i am always willing to talk about arthurian legends :-)