#and thus. abbreviating.

[piplupod]

hoodie painting progress under the cut!

ignore how weird i am holding it fhdksl i have a hard time holding things sometimes bc my hand joints are fucked up or smth but !!!! the painting is coming along well!!!

the only issue is that i am struggling with like... the whole colour theory thing of what the paint will actually look like next to the black bc rn its surrounded by tape, so I can't actually tell if it'll look stark enough against the black or if i need to do a third coat of paint fhdjksl

[flowerflamestars]

Effloresce Snippet

He kissed both her cheeks, bending even lower to raise Nesta’s right hand, pressing her cold knuckles to his brow in solemn salute. “Nesta Archeron,” Jurian said, like her name was twice its length, a foreign weighted history, “You ready to know whose blood runs in your veins?” Nesta, who had lived this particular conversation thrice over now, only shook her head. Touched between his brows in curious, only half-understood benediction, allowing him to step away. “Jurian. You survived the fires.” His smile was only in his eyes, rainwater grey searingly bright. “You wouldn’t waste time sending messages to corpses.” Nadia, from where she’d stopped three swaggering paces into the room, shedding her coat and swords with utterly false carelessness, huffed out a rough laugh. It was a bizarre comfort to see her, unchanged- strong brown hands dense with tattoos that bloomed into looser patterns up her arms, those knives and that hideous leather vest, remnants of a life that seemed nearly simple, now. So very far away. She cast a scathing look at Nesta’s guard, the Illyrian busy visibly wishing murder upon Jurian, his entire focus held on the distance between their bodies. “Protection has gotten more interesting,” she said, tone blithe, “Where’s your Vanserra?” “Honeymoon.” Nesta let herself lean back onto the desk, hand behind her body biting into its ash lip. Dawn, Winter, reconnaissance. Elain walking underhill in mortal wedding pearls, Lucien at her back. A heaved sigh, Jurian’s head oh so briefly dipped. “Wars and weddings, my lady. Blessings.” “When you were our age, humans couldn’t marry.” “Nor does he believe in any damned gods,” Nadia crossed the room fae quick, expression wicked as the guard flinched, stopping right alongside Nesta. A test, twofold- Nesta didn’t pull a knife as Nadia had once taught her, the legionnaire didn’t start in on violence without orders. “Don’t believe the prayers, unless they’re bloody.”

[heimeldat]

I've spent an inordinate amount of time parsing the few examples we have of Old High Gallifreyan text, and here at last is the result of my labors!

The Old Gallifreyan alphabet:

The alternate forms of letters may be used interchangeably with their main forms; the differences are purely cosmetic, much like the difference between cursive and print-style writing.

Now for my analysis of the existing texts. It's rather long, so I've put it below the break!

EXAMPLES OF OLD HIGH GALLIFREYAN TEXT

ITEM ONE

Supposedly from “The Five Doctors,” though I can’t spot this writing anywhere. Translation given in episode.

ORA PSYERPA

O – honorific indicating uniqueness, may be rendered with the definite article “the”

R – combined with the definite honorific, a common abbreviation of Rassilon’s name

A – an alternate version of the possessive “ya,” used only when the possessive noun is already abbreviated

Psyerpa – a general term for harps and other large stringed instruments

Thus, the full text reads:

O-Rassilon-ya psyerpa

The Rassilon’s harp

ITEM TWO

From “The Colony in Space,” across the bottom of the Doctor’s mugshot. No translation given.

QU  ETHOA TRIOUAX BRIA

Qu – This is not a complete word, merely a letter used in this case for alphanumerical file designation: note that it stands alone, separate from the main text.

Ethoa – exile

Triouax – an infinitive verb, “to persist” or “to remain in effect”

Bria – a conditional modifier used exclusively in bureaucratic contexts, implying the need for occasional update of information or policy.

This text is a record of the Doctor’s sentence, and may be rendered something like this: Exile: to remain in effect barring further review.

ITEM THREE

From “The Time of Angels.” Translation given.

JUSYMOU CAIDEU OXA OOYY MAISOM

Jusymou – An archaic greeting, roughly equivalent to “well met” or “hail.”

Caideu – self, soul, or “hearts” in a poetic sense

Oxa – prepositional suffix, “part of”

OOYY – a conceptual abbreviation that combines the two meanings of the solitary letter O (definite article + symbol of individuality) and the mathematical use of the letter Y (usually indicating a dimensional shift). Literally, this means something like the individual, shifted two dimensions. In practice, it refers to a Time Lord’s fifth dimensional aspect.

Maisom – name, designation, identification

Thus, a literal translation would read something like this: Greetings, soul-linked fifth-dimensional name!

Or as the Doctor paraphrases it: Hello, Sweetie.

ITEM FOUR

From “The Five Doctors.” Translation is given, though it’s not specified which face of the obelisk corresponds to which section of the text.

First Face:

RA NASA TO TANA EURIFSTAN OBLR ORE NATA

Ra – where

Nasa – sleep

To – in

Tana – lies, reclines, rests

Eurifstan – eternal, endless, timeless. Here it modifies the verb, so it should be rendered as an adverb.

Oblr – abbreviated form of obelar, tomb or grave

OR – the same abbreviation seen previously, “The One And Only Rassilon.”

E – an alternate version of the possessive “ya,” used only when the possessive noun is already abbreviated

Nata – a basic verb of being, is

This yields the following literal translation: Where sleep-in lies eternally, tomb Rassilon’s is.

Or as the Doctor translates it: This is the Tomb of Rassilon, where Rassilon lies in eternal sleep.

Second Face:

The text on the second face is never seen. The Doctor translates it as: Anyone who's got this far has passed many dangers and shown great courage and determination.

Third Face:

ULIREIF RAENATA TOAAN LAKI FSTA TORARO

Ulireif – to lose everything, to be utterly defeated

Raenata – an emphatic form of the being-verb nata, indicating that something really, truly, permanently is

Toa’an – to win everything, to be crowned victor

Laki – a compound conjunction combining la (so) with ki (and): “and so”

Fsta – an abbreviated form of festoa, a winner or leader

Toraro – future tense of torar, to fail or collapse

Thus: To lose all is truly to win all, and so the winner will fail.

Or as the Doctor puts it: To lose is to win, and he who wins shall lose.

Fourth Face:

KIRA ATOUNA OR TA LIRI EUKI RAATO SUTE ANAAN FEIRLIO REUNT

Kira – takes

Atouna – ring

OR – the same abbreviation seen previously, “The One And Only Rassilon.”

Ta – from

Liri – hand

Euki – a compound conjunction combining eu (then, next, afterward) with ki (and): “and then”

Ra’ato – future tense of ra’at, to wear

Sute – reward, prize, payment

Ana’an – desired, sought-after

Feirlio – future tense of feiril, to get or acquire. Note that this is an irregular verb: the last two letters switch places when adding any tense ending.

Reunt – immortality, eternity

Literally: Takes ring Rassilon-from-hand and then will wear, reward-sought will have: immortality.

Or as the Doctor translates it: Whoever takes the ring from Rassilon's hand and puts it on shall get the reward he seeks: immortality.

[mcytblrconfessions]

I dunno if thus is just a dsmp thing, I don't read fanfic often, but I fucking hated it when they tried to include smp and wrote it our as its own word. essempeii or something liked that. it sucks. just say smp and make it an abbreviations for something. south of maple ponds. idk. it's 3 am and I just got reminded of how much I hate essempeii

[g-xix]

OKAY, GUYS - I HAVE ANOTHER SDMN-CENTRED FEMINIST RANT.

Okay, so, hopefully you all know TheBurntChip (Josh Larkin), and his lovely jovely gf Sabina:

Beautiful couple, seem happy together, no problems there.

One thing i think im seeing with the YouTubers' Girlfriends (let's call them YTer gf's, abbreviated) is that there's a certain trend in assets for which fans pick and choose to determine whether or not a YT gf is "per standard" and collectively liked.

For example, Faith and Talia have gone through shitloads of hate from fans because they actually speak their mind and are consistent with their own personal ethos within whatever content they produce and share online.

Like the whole Mia-sat-on-Ethan's-lap incident which resulted in Faith making a TikTok and speaking out on social media multiple times to call out the fact that yes - she's unhappy about it - and also the fact that it's a very valid thing to be unhappy over

Aaand this created a lot of backlash and hatred from Sidemen fans, because they don't like hearing anything that's inconsistent with what is a stereotypically immature male opinion, generally consistent with patriarchal societal roles... And this is shown through a lot of Talia and Faith's comment sections by the adolescent male SDMN fans

Hence the assumption can be made that Sidemen fans dislike YTer gf's that are too vocal about problems they've faced which aren't relevant to male audiences.

Thing is, there's obviously some YTer gf's that these fans really like, but...

Why do they like them so much???

Well, I think that both Sabina and Tennessee are two YTer gf's that can be used as examples of wamen that are completely adored by these adolescent male SDMN fans.

But their reasons for being so liked to much are so very contrasting.

Tennesse is loved because she's beautiful. We've been through this quite a bit when i went through the whole "I can't believe Danny would put his ex through that" pipeline following Locked In... But it's worth pointing out that (as far as I know), the toxic Fifa fanboys seem to love her because she's a clearly good looking woman who's undeniably got personality too (watched the saving grade pod w her on it last night) and i don't think she's said anything too inconsistent with male opinions yet, sooo... Makes sense why she's liked; imo she plays into the ideal woman from a man's perspective very well

Alternately, Sabina seems pretty reserved on social medias - not really speaking that much as a social media personality, rather just sharing her life on insta n tiktok, whatever - nothing wrong with that.

I think that the fanboys like Sabina quite a bit though, as she posts cooking content on TikTok, and idk why but there's an agenda on social medias atm, that a woman who can cook is wifey material... This woman-must-be-good-at-cooking culture ofc stems from historical patriarchal roles for women to fulfil the duty of housewives, thus being able to cook n clean - but i really have no idea why this still exists in a modern day society considering there's been so many changes within the world which now enables women to work equal jobs as men

I don't know whether this belief of cooking-women being a blessing is a toxic sorta concept though, because there's a certain tenderness and nicety to having someone cook you a meal - regardless of whether it is a male or female tbh

Either ways, Sabina does make meals and does her cooking thing on TikTok really well - like - honestly? Some days I'm jealous that I'm not the one able to eat some of the stuff she can bake n make... Back on track - yes - Sabina bakes/cooks her things n films Chippo's reaction to trying them out

Male audience love this ofc, bc it fulfils the whole woman-cooking-for-partner thing which is favoured amongst males

What's this big whole rant about though?

Well, the male fans hate Faith. Love Sabina.

Okay, cool.

These two facts weren't directly correlated until Sabina's recent post though...

Sabina chefs up some tacos for Chip, and whilst some of the comments are normal cooking TikTok comments, a lot are a bit more... targetted towards Faith:

First time Faith's ever been slewed in Sabina's comment section n the point that i made this whole rant for is that:

BIG UP FUCKING SABINA FOR ACTUALLY REPLYING STRAIGHT WITH THEM

Perfect response imo, not just disagreeing and leaving it open ended, but also pulling Faith up when Faith's been demeaned by these weirdos online

I'm a big supporter of the "you can big someone up without pulling someone else down" notion, and big up Sabina for pulling Faith the fuck up when someone's tried to reduce Faith to praise Sabina

So much respect for Sabina for this one negl - didn't really have any idea about what she was like as a girlie - but this reply's firmly sold me into believing that Sabina is one for the girlies 🙏

(post-writing, blooody hell i realise there's a lot of unecessary waffle here... apologies everyone)

[callm3-q]

Favorite qsmp ship? Romantic or platonic and why

Ok, as a multi shipper I am incapable of picking one so I'll give you a list and leave it up to interpritation!

Most of them involve Bad btw, mostly because he's always on, so always happy (take my shit excuse pls)

Also not listing all the ships I have that involve Bad... To many...

Foolhalo/Landduo I love this one I most any way (Platonic or romantic, etc) Because of how goofy they can be. I always find myself kicking my feet in joy whenever I see a post abt them, Physicly and metaphorically. I just love the relationship they have with my whole body and mind, thus said I could go on for hours and hours on end, so I'm gonna move on :'D

FitPac/Hideduo It's the slow burn that does it for me weirdly, I just love how akward they can get. Also the nicknames, "My Brazilian boyfriend" Is top tier. Also the exchange of gifts make me happy, the roses and everything else. Their dynamic is also just one of my faves, they also like to flirt... yes...

Pissa/Deathduo Also ship this one either way (Platonic or Romantic, etc) They are literally them. The protector and fighter and his wet cat, ahhh love them. They also just have a relationship that gives 'It's ok to kiss the homies' to me, in a 'It's ok to kiss your platonic egg co-parent' kinda way. I love the respect also, and the nicknames, and the parenting style, and basicly everything abt them.

Cucuhalo/Surveyduo This one is more due to recent events, and has not been up in the ranks for very long for me. They give red flags, they are red flags. The deffinition of 'walking red flags' and I love that. Bad is so oblivious to any form of fliratious activity, and just lables it as normal friend talk. And Cucurucho is just Cucurucho, he's always watching, always there, and get's mad when Bad doesn't give him flowers on date night.

I'll prob continue this after school tmmr, if you guys couldn't tell... I'm very eepy :'D, you can tell when I use a lot of abbreviations [more than normal]

[lickthecowhappy]

Good Omens season 3 and Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra

S3 speculation

This is my called shot. I see a lot of assumptions for a Persuasion plot but I don’t think we’ll get Austen again.

“Age does not wither nor custom stale his infinite variety.” - Crowley (debatable to whom he is referring) “Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety.” - Enobarbus (referring to Cleopatra)

For the purpose of this, I will abbreviate Antony and Cleopatra to A and C, and Egypt to E for psychological priming purposes.

A and C are living in E. They’re happy to stay there together with one another. Unfortunately, the leadership in A’s homeland recall him to sit on the ruling council. A regretfully leaves C alone on E. 

Back in his homeland, A is forced into a partnership with someone to assure his loyalty since the others in charge are concerned about his loyalty to C. C finds out and is jealous.

A and the others in charge broker an agreement with their main threat but as soon as A’s attention is elsewhere, the others in charge betray the agreement.

A is furious and leaves his homeland to go back to E and his love C. They fight for E together. 

Let Rome in Tiber Heaven above melt and the wide arch Of the ranged empire fall. Here is my space. Kingdoms are clay. Our dungy earth alike Feeds beast as man. The nobleness of life Is to do thus; when such a mutual pair And such a twain can do ‘t, in which I bind, On pain of punishment, the world to weet We stand up peerless.

The plot continues, but Antony and Cleopatra is a tragedy, and Good Omens is a comedy. There are other plot points I think could be incorporated (A believing C has died, C being captured, themes of self-sacrifice and no longer fitting the mold you were made from) but for the basic, general plot, this is where my bet is placed.

[nishloves]

plethora; choi seungcheol

(n.) a large or excessive amount of something; abundance.

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 (coming soon)

pairing : choi seungcheol (svt) x f!reader

words : 8.5k approx.

theme : fluff / com / angst / action / royal au / fantasy au

part 1 of "seventeen dating simulator" series

warning(s) : curse words, implied sex (not descriptive and not highly suggestive so 16+), action — injuries, blood and mentions of death.

synopsis : renowned as the richest man in meraki, seungcheol rules over aurum, one of the elvian kingdoms. he is termed to be ferocious and enjoys revels as much as he adores to host them; quiet yet intimidating in front of strangers, he's known to have a red eye when angered. rumoured to have a soft spot for his family and friends, but they too might not escape his wrath. would love you for ages, would love you in different lives, but are you capable of owning his heart?

cameo of other seventeen members will be present.

[ not required but it will be preferred if you read the prologue and introduction before you read this to grasp the story better! (if you want to follow the series you can send an ask or comment and I will add you <3) this story can be read as a singular and without any prior knowledge of the series, thankyou. ]

[ Kindly refer to the prologue for accurate sequences of all the stories in the series <3]

thankyou for giving my work a chance, hope you enjoy it <3

All Rights Reserved © nishloves 2023

Your bottom dug into the fancy marbled chair as you held the gold-plated ceramic cup by it's handle, taking in the sweet scent of your freshly prepared tea. Nothing could bug you in the situation— well except the chair, it was a rather beautiful evening, so you enjoyed your little space in the castle grounds yet when you were met by visits of numerous households— because they had nothing to do, your evening was then ruined.

"Rumour has it that King Seungcheol will host the first ball of the season!" The ladies squealed as their mamas fanned themselves, coming up with strategies to win the King's heart, and you, the miser treasurer of the kingdom buried yourself in more of the workload as Seungcheol was holding a ball, thus increasing your work, one thing you knew, the ball was going to be ridiculously extravagant.

"y/n, will you join the ball or are you thinking of honing your banking skills more?" A lady asked you, her hat tipped on the other side and was very dangerously near to fall off.

"Seungch— The King did ask me to have fun once a while— though he is the one increasing my workload," you murmured, opening the book which rested near you, which consisted of undoubtedly the accounts of where Seungcheol had spent his money, you felt like his personal accountant sometimes or more, his personal assistant.

You and the many ladies and mamas were seated in the royal garden, you wanted to take random strolls between work but your cousins called you over and you hated yourself for starting to adore them this soon into your life.

You had been in Aurum for around three months now, and there wasn't any way you were cut out for the job, you hissed as you pushed the thoughts at the back of your mind, they would do nothing but make you feel worthless.

"So you're saying it's the king's fault!" The lady gasped, attracting by-standers by her scandalous words.

"What— do you mean to say our King is faulty?"

"I surely meant nothing like that— you are misunderstanding my words," you tried to reason but no one would hear you.

Gold, gold was a currency, with the formula of Au— short abbreviation of Aurum, a latin word, which literally meant gold. Gold, a cheeky little thing with too much market value. Gold, a round currency which could help you be the most fulfilled person in Meraki, Gold which Seungcheol abundantly had and Gold which you wanted to shove into their mouths screaming, EAT THIS. (in lower case because you weren't confrontational)

"So what if she curses me for making her work, it wasn't as if she chose this job for herself, I chose her."

A very familiar voice resounded against you, helping you to get out of this mess, you couldn't help but look up at him, his curls decorated his face, his eyes were tender and his lips were soft. He didn't change in any way was the only thing you thought.

"Your majesty," the majority of your accusers bowed deeply as some took their time to get out of shock, why was a King in the publicly accessible garden and not in his residential and private ones?

"Don't pressurize her, she works harder than most of you and she's the reason Aurum thrives," Seungcheol argued on your behalf as almost instantly everyone apologised to you, almost everyone started to sing you praises and almost everyone realized that you didn't greet the king, yet he wasn't angry.

"Your majesty, it's great to see you here, we are blessed by your presence— but what you must be doing here?"

It is literally his castle? You're the ones trespassing?

"I had to talk about something to our dear treasurer here," Seungcheol pointed at you. "Come."

You silently stood up from your seat, collecting all the records in your hands, Seungcheol didn't let you though, he could have asked his guard to pick up your books, he should have asked his guard to pick up your books, but he found solace in pissing others off and helping you at the same time.

He was like a child at times, an obscenely cute man-child, you couldn't help but admire him then too, when must you find a man like him behaving so sweetly?

"You should have been rude to them too," Seungcheol whined while handing you his expenses of Lux.

"Thanks for helping me back there," you simply said, opening up the small page he gave to you where he had recorded everything in his sloppy and messy handwriting, which was weird because his handwriting was strangely good, and then you saw, "You drink a lot."

"I don't! I bought most of the drinks for Chan! And I'm your friend, I will most surely step in to help you, plus I'm your king, I can't stand unjust people."

"You spent seven million on drinks alone?"

"Hey! They were like imported from a different planet and Chan drinks a lot," He reasoned as you sighed, opening the single book you held in your hand and pushing his expenses into it.

"Thanks for the detailed expenditure."

"I didn't want you to go mad tallying the sheets, so I made the mental note to write everything down, I remember your mental breakdown from two weeks ago," he grinned like a child, you couldn't help but see the newfound twinkle in his eyes, does he want a praise?

You scoffed, "Any responsible person will do that."

"Hey! Since when are you this rude to me?"

"Since when you barged into my room when I was still changing," you reminded him as your frown deepened and he flushed more.

"That was an honest mistake!"

You were a scholar on your first day of Aurum and you were graduating at the top of your class the next day, and that's when Seungcheol hired you, because the past treasurer was now retired and Seungcheol wanted someone with young blood.

"So is expecting that your workers will be ready for you anytime for the day, they might be sleeping, they might be eating, and they might be showering," you reasoned walking further from Seungcheol.

"Are you still upset? It was a month ago! I gave you the rights to treat me as a friend!"

You sighed, was that any kind of compensation? You didn't want to be his friend, at this point you were just as annoyed with your life here as your life on Earth. There were some moments which you enjoyed, there were some moments when your heart fluttered for the man, but it was hard for you to fall in love and you couldn't make anyone fall for you.

"Your Majesty, Choi Seungcheol, I am fine."

"You know I don't like it when people call me by my full name," he whined, passing your books to one of his guards as he walked faster to catch up with you.

"I am your friend, aren't I?" You grinned as you looked back at him, he seemed annoyed but you didn't care, he dropped an axe on his own foot when he asked to be your friend.

"Oh and the princess of Phosphenes is here—"

"Fuck, I said I would meet her today," Seungcheol groaned.

"She's your guest, you should have met her two days ago?"

"I was in Lux!"

"Fair enough." You hummed as you walked forward.

"Where is she now?" He asked, still walking with you.

"I am not hers and nor your secretary, how must I know?" You said, adjusting the spectacles on your nose. "Oh, but now that I think, she went sight-seeing." You and Seungcheol then heard the royal trumpets, "And she's back."

"Fuck, should I escort her?" He asked, his brows crossed as his lips formed a full pout, you immediately looked away from him.

"That— ahem, that would be better for political situation," you merely replied, diverting your attention from him to anything you saw, the tree looked quite fine.

"Right, so get me a gift," Seungcheol asked, your eyes widened as you looked up at him to complain but then you remembered... as nice as he is to you, he is similarly prone to temper outbursts and you had annoyed him throughout the day.

"What gift do you deam appropriate?" You asked, caressing your gown to be clear of unwanted folds.

"A jewelry perhaps, ask the accountant to pass you a set of diamond earrings and necklace, make sure it's bulky," Seungcheol replied, twirling one of the braids in his hands.

He dressed better than any nobility you had seen may it be on Earth or in Meraki itself, all his robes were sewn with gold and his hairs were braided with silver threads, you remembered that he was going to ask the royal barber to cut his hair off— tomorrow, you remembered how badly you wanted to step in and ask him not to make that horrendous decision, pitying his beautiful locks. But, you were no one and he was the king. His ears were hidden behind his locks most of the time and the rare times you would see them, they would be red but you couldn't help but wonder, his ears weren't as pointed as it was made out to be.

"I will try to be as fast as possible, please excuse me," you said as you turned around.

"And listen!" He called out.

"Get some flowers."

Your eyes twitched, flowers? You had pollen allergy.

"Ask the Gardner to make you two bouquets, one a magnificent and large one, which will reside straight in her room and one which I can present to her."

You wanted to scream "Seriously?" to his face but you held your tongue.

"You yourself said it's a better political decision," he smiled.

"I did," you groaned internally as you merely nodded running off to find a gift and fucking flowers.

You ran as fast as you could in a dress to the greenhouse, you prioritised getting flowers first because gifts can be sent by servants, flowers given in person are more meaningful.

And there they were! Both the accountant and gardener tangled up as they ate each other's faces

THEY WERE DOING WHAT?

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry, shit, fuck, no, no cursing here! Oh god, I will leave!" You panicked and even though you should have been quieter you were not once quiet and surely, both of them noticed you.

"Lady y/n!? Oh god, it's not what it looks like—"

"There was a bee on his face!"

"WERE YOU EATING THE BEE?"

"NO! Why would I do that—"

"Rethink your excuse then!" You screamed and you could see that they were this near to remove each other's clothes off.

"Sir Eiz— Mr. Accountant, Seungch— th-the King wants some bulky diamond sets please arrange some for him."

"I am his account not his fucking secretary, there is not a single moment of peace— oh fuck, i shouldn't have said that, shit, I shouldn't have cursed."

"I heard nothing!" You wailed, covering your eyes you said.

"Just please do his work and then do whatever you want, my lips are sealed."

"Really?"

"Yes! I don't have any business with whatever you two were doing just please help me out," you pleaded as you sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose.

"Please make me a bouquet while you're at it, it should be a good one and make a five feet tall assortment to be transported to the room of our guest, in under three hours."

"With your time frame we can't go back to whatever we were doing any soon—"

"I am not hearing any complaints," you said rather harshly, but it had to be done. First, they were doing personal endeavours while stationed on their jobs, second, they bad mouthed Seungcheol and third, they were too complaining about the work they chose to do.

You weren't going to interfere or anything but if you saw anything faulty on their work frontier you would definitely ask Seungcheol to replace them.

Your eyes widened, it wasn't like you to be so cruel.

Did staying with that man child made me like this?

Somehow you compiled everything, you sent a servant to drop of the huge bouquet and the gifts to the princess' room but you yourself ran to Seungcheol to give the bouquet, you really wanted him to make a good impression on the phosphene's envoy— which oddly was their princess but you didn't care.

Phosphenes was a land of illusions and had numerous technologies advances, you hoped Aurum and its scientists could join forces with Phosphene's ones and create teleport points, why were you immersing yourself in your role as treasurer? Because you felt happy to be wanted at once, you felt happy to feel non-replaceable and you knew you couldn't stay here if you didn't take your work seriously, because then you would have a breakdown and princesses don't cry.

But ironically, the pollen was making you cry.

Your eyes and nose were red and because you were running towards Seungcheol the pollen was directly getting in your eyes.

I hate my job.

Just as your vision was getting clouded you saw Seungcheol, helping the princess out of her carriage on the front gates of the castle. You applauded yourself for reaching this soon.

You walked forward, without caring about your apparel, your hair was sticking to your forehead because of your sweat and you knew, you knew Seungcheol had noticed your presence like he always did.

You pushed the bouquet forward, relieved after completing your short term duties, but all Seungcheol saw was your quivering face and red eyes as you looked away from him.

"Believe me, she had a tear-stricken face with red eyes and cheeks, as if she had lost something so dear to her heart, that she couldn't bear it," Seungcheol argued, clutching his champagne glass harder as he sunk himself more into his comfortable velvet chair, looking at Jeonghan who was shamelessly occupying his bed.

"y/n? Crying?" Jeonghan chuckled as he sipped his drink, keeping it on Seungcheol's nightstand he said, "Believe me Seungcheol, she seems like a girl who will suck up every emotion of hers just so that people can't see she's hurting inside."

"No! You don't understand, she definitely was upset at me for giving flowers to you know— the princess," he argued.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I think she—" Seungcheol trailed off remembering all the flushed expressions you bestowed upon him whenever he flirted with you, or joked with you; how happy (and shocked) you were when he had announced that you were his friend.

"I think she likes me! And on top of that she had to see me give flowers to another lady, oh my! And the flowers she brought herself!" Seungcheol's eyes widened as he groaned, slapping his forehead. "How was I so blind? How could I hurt her so much in a single day? She's a special friend to me."

Jeonghan chuckled, "Just because there were tears in her eyes doesn't mean that she was crying— you said she was human, right? Aren't humans weak? She might have hurt herself somewhere, it doesn't mean she was crying because of you." He reasoned.

Your resume had stated that you were an orphan and found yourself stuck in Meraki at a tender age— your adoptive parents took you in happily and as everyone in Meraki was super sweet to you, you didn't really have any problem. Your resume was a surprise to you too, more so because your resume was produced by Seungcheol— just because he wanted you to get to work faster he compiled every information about you in mere two hours.

Seungcheol remembered your resume and his heart sank, how could he make you go through so much emotional pain? You were only human, you were more sensitive and empathic than anyone in Meraki, surely you must have felt terrible.

"I feel so bad for causing her such pain," Seungcheol murmured as Jeonghan sighed.

"What was she wearing today, cheol?" He asked, taking in all of his champagne at once, Jeonghan wanted to confirm something.

"Why?" Seungcheol asked.

"Just so I could picture the situation better— it would be easier to help."

"Oh? Alright," Seungcheol closed his eyes as he wandered off in his vivid memories, he remembered all the butterflies circling around the roses, and how the starlings and nightingales sang joyously in his gardens, how the sun shone all too pleasantly accessorizing your glistening skin.

"She wore a pale blue gown with medium frills, decorated by small pearls and lace. Her hairs were done and she applied very little to no makeup today— I guess her makeup depends on her mood and how late she is, she wore a small diamond pendant and pearl earrings, circlet silver rings too."

Jeonghan confirmed— Seungcheol liked you. He was almost a simp at this point. Hell, you didn't know you wore all that.

"I see," Jeonghan whispered, not understanding how to present his conclusion to his friend.

"I...uhm... currently have no advice," Jeonghan opted to smile sheepishly.

"Well...you have rejected many proposals— I didn't expect you to have an advice."

"Well, I will advise you to consider your feelings also, rather than hers alone," Jeonghan spoke, having no idea about how to break the news to him.

But he shut his mouth, maybe it would be better if Seungcheol came on terms with his own feelings at his own pace, he might freak out if he tells him.

"I will take a note on that," Seungcheol said smiling at his friend and then he remembered something.

"Jeonghan?"

"Yes?"

"You weren't at my castle this morning and there was no news of your arrival."

Jeonghan laughed, "I snuck in."

"The guards let you in?"

"I come in too often," Jeonghan waved him off, "You on the other hand are coming over too less."

Seungcheol smiled sheepishly, "It's hard being a king— can't really snuck out now."

"Well, I wanted to scare my family."

"Don't tell me you're worrying uncle again, he's too old for your pranks," Seungcheol laughed, still allowing his best friend to stay.

"Well, he's the king of ailes, he's got better jobs to do than worrying about where his son is," Jeonghan smiled getting up from Seungcheol's bed.

"How long will you stay here?" Seungcheol asked.

"Two days more."

"You won't even stay for a week this time?"

Jeonghan smiled slightly, nostalgia visible on his face, "Sooner or later I have to take on the job too you know, I can't act immature at all times."

"Come on, everyone knows you're like super smart and luck always favours you."

"That's true," Jeonghan smiled. "Come on now, you should sleep, you have a date tomorrow."

"A date?" Seungcheol's face scrunched up, he never agreed for a date?

"Phosphenes sent its princess as an envoy, you really think that's the only reason why she's here? You're gonna have lunch and evening tea with her discussing political matters, your wedding would be finalized in a month," Jeonghan chuckled, but there was no humour behind his laugh.

"I'm not marrying her," Seungcheol asserted, looking away from Jeonghan.

"Whatever you say, no one really wants to cross you, you know. Maybe, your thoughts would be taken into consideration," Jeonghan smiled sadly, and Seungcheol couldn't help but wonder if there was something else behind his reasonings.

"Which room did you take?" Seungcheol asked.

"Oh? The room adjacent to yours, the connected one."

"The queen's chambers?" Seungcheol's mouth hung open, "You're gonna need to stop using Queen's chambers on your every visit, my servants will literally make a rumour spread like wildfire."

"Do you care?" Jeonghan laughed as he knew the answer, Seungcheol didn't care, he didn't care at all.

"Well then, Good night, hanie, if I get a nightmare I will enter your room."

"Oh god I'm gonna lock it."

It would be a lie to say that Seungcheol was particularly enamoured by the lady in front of him, she was trying too hard to deviate the conversation from work.

"You see, the Lethe is prone to floods, it would be most probable if dams are built on it to obstruct the waters, as Lethe lies on the periphery of both Phosphenes and Aurum, we will fund half of the operation."

"What problem might you have with a bridge on Lethe?"

Seungcheol sighed, during these times he wondered if he should choose his queen on the basis of sole looks, Jeonghan was right afterall, he had to marry but all the royal prospects seemed far too dim to him to agree too and she was sailing in the same boat.

"The trade is handled by Elixir's air-ships in most of the kingdoms—"

"They benefit too much from the airships and what if Elixir wages war on any kingdom?"

"That... That prospect is highly unlikely, you can't just wage war on anyone, the peace treaty among the kingdoms of Meraki was signed fifty years ago by our grandparents under the seal of Angelos and Daimon faction— Lux of Meraki, there is no reason to break that vow anytime in upcoming seventy-five years atleast," Seungcheol tried to reason.

"I see," the princess fidgeted, "Aurum most definitely is the richest kingdom in all of Meraki but Phosphenes and Lux both are undeniably advanced although, I admit that Lux is probably too endeared by human culture and Ailes and Sonora are ridiculously good at arts and commerce and Elixir does have the most fearsome army."

"What's your point?"

"I don't see why you would want a deal with Phosphenes when you already have a deal with all the other kingdoms."

Seungcheol sighed, so that's what it was about, she was wary and scared that Seungcheol would stop the trade if he faced continuous losses due to heavy usage of Elixir's airships and Ailes's pixie dust.

"It's to expand our horizons, my lady. Aurum isn't the richest kingdom for no reason, we do the deals, we live up to them and we earn, it's simple really," Seungcheol replied. Most of the money they earned went into keeping up the domestic value of the country— education, healthcare, minimum wages, food and everything. Aurum was the biggest kingdom in all of Meraki.

"I see," the princess had a faraway look in her eyes.

And that left Seungcheol to his own thoughts, he thought about all his prospects, about his incomplete life as a king, he had to be wedded soon, his mother would force him to it and then he remembered you.

He remembered how you graciously understood every work, he remembered how you had such grandeur of plans for Aurum, he thought how appropriate you would be as a queen.

"Seungcheol..." The princess called to him as Seungcheol flinched, they were never on first name basis.

"Princess?"

"You know that my father sent me here for more reasons than just being an envoy right? I like Aurum and—"

"I would prefer it if we use titles to address ourselves, princess," Seungcheol smiled a warm smile, which still sent shivers up the princess' spine. She hastily agreed to everything he said, too embarrassed to push him.

The day went by blur and the tea time had now approached, after denying the lady of a lunch with him, he couldn't disagree for a tea time and so he sat, he sat in his favorite garden, replying to the princess about all the things he liked, but he hadn't had any slightest bit of interest in anything she spoke about. It was getting too awkward for both of them and then he saw her, approaching them and then his face lightened up and his heart quickened. He was slowly able to understand what all it meant but it was too soon, he had to apologise to her for breaking her heart.

He prayed for y/n to come and whisk him away, he prayed for attention and she came.

"I'm sorry for interrupting your grace, princess. I must talk to Seu— His Majesty about a special matter," you said, bowing slightly.

"Oh yes of course," Seungcheol was just trying to stand up and you said, "I must ask you, where is the fifteen million gold capital from our inventory, your majesty?" You asked with a tight-lipped smile. In all times Seungcheol knew you, he knew you were pissed right now.

"Oh, remember Hansol's café which he's setting up at Elixir? There, I sent gold there, free."

You merely nodded and just as you were excusing yourself Seungcheol got up.

"You have something more to ask of me, don't you?"

"Oh? I don—"

Seungcheol motioned you with his eyes, no. His brown beautiful eyes were glinting red and you panicked, "Yes surely! Uhm please i must require his help to sort the matter out, princess I'm very sorry for the intrusion."

The princess grimly stared at you both as she silently smiled, saying it was alright. Strangely, you felt bad for her but you didn't know why.

As you walked rapidly with Seungcheol you looked at him questioningly,

"What was that? Are you alright?"

"The deals were a trap, that old runt was setting me up with his daughter."

Your heart sank but you didn't let it show, muttering a small "oh" in response.

"y/n, i apologise to you," Seungcheol said, looking away from you and you stared at him more questionably if that was possible.

"Why so?"

"I broke your heart."

"What—"

"I know you liked me yet I made you bring flowers for another woman and made you prepare a present for her too, which I'm sure you would have loved more if it was presented to you by me, I'm sorry for my—"

"What the hell do you mean?" You looked up at him like he was crazy, sure you had to eventually make him fall in love with you, but you weren't planning on it? And certainly you never liked him currently, what was he on about?

"I'm sorry for—"

"I don't like you?"

"But you do," Seungcheol said with certainty.

"Oh? Stop being a pretentious brat and considering that everyone likes you," for some reason you were furious, furious that he had caught up to you so soon, furious that now you didn't see your plan taking any action.

"Oh? So now you're jealous of my instincts? It's alright, y/n, it's hard to be perfect like me, you don't have to pretend to not like me."

"But I really don't like you!"

"Oh really?" He asked as you nodded fervently, rapidly, howeverly, Seungcheol just hummed as he looked back and smiled at you, "Sorry for misunderstanding then."

You sighed in relief as you cleared whatever was stirring up in that man-child's head but little did you know, he whispered under his breath, "I will surely make you like me."

congratulations! you finished the 1st part of the "plethora" series of choi seungcheol, your game is saved! part 2 starts now <3

tags : @icyminghao @feat-sun @dearharshii

[general-sleepy]

Just plain babbling about shorthand

Since reading Dracula might be the first time or one of the first times that people have heard about shorthand, I thought I'd take this thin excuse to infodump. Because I find it fascinating and want to share. (Warning ahead of time, watch out for how many darn times I say "for example" in this post).

For some background, shorthand systems of writing have existed for millennia, but in the English-speaking world, the two most common and well-established systems of shorthand are Pitman and Gregg. Odds are that the Harkers are writing in Pitman. It's the older system (created in 1837) and is to this day more common in England and the Commonwealth. Gregg is more common in America and was introduced in 1888, either only a few years after or a few years before Dracula takes place. There were also numerous other less popular systems floating around at the time.

Pitman and Gregg and most other shorthand systems are phonetic. (Teeline is a more modern shorthand system based on a simplified alphabet, which is also quite popular). Simply put, each sound is reduced to one stroke of the pen. In Gregg, for example, the sound "k" (which includes the letter "c) is a medium-sized forward arch, "a" is a large circle, and "ch" is a short, downward diagonal line. So, instead of writing "catch" you just combine the symbols for "k-a-ch." Instead of "become" you just write "b-k-m." (These "words" are known as outlines).

Some shapes represent multiple sounds. For example, a small circle stands for the vowels in "bit," "bet," and "beet." A large circle stands for the vowels in "cap" and "cape." This might sound like it would be confusing rather than simplifying, but it's generally clear from the context.

There are a bunch of other means which allow you to write more quickly. Common words are further shorted into "brief forms." For example, "the" is represented by "th," "after" by "a-f," and "were" by "e-r." Some common endings or beginnings are also abbreviated, so that "sh" at the end of a word can stand in for "-tion" and "f" can mean "for-" or "fore-" at the beginning of a word. Thus, "Permission" is "p-r-m-sh" and "forgive" is "f-g-v." Common phrases can be combined into a single outlines. For example, for "to be" you can write "t-b" instead of "t-u[space]b." "I have not been able" can be "a-v-n-b-a." (The large circle "a" is the brief form for the word "I" in one of the rare quirks of Gregg that isn't basically intuitive).

Pitman Shorthand is very similar to Gregg (or, more accurately, Gregg is similar to Pitman). Other than using different symbols (for example, in Pitman "k" is a short forward line) Pitman differs from Gregg mostly by its use of the thickness of strokes to differentiate sounds. For example, "g" is also a short forward line, with the only difference being that the line for "g" is drawn thicker than "k."

I learned shorthand absolutely because of Dracula, though for convenience I learned Gregg. As of right now, I'm pretty out-of-practice, and honestly I was never particularly fast. (At my best, I probably was on average as fast writing shorthand as cursive longhand; I think faster than printing, though).

If you're at all interested, I really recommend learning some form of shorthand. It's useful in note-taking or when you don't want people to be able to read your writing (if, you know, you're kidnapped by a vampire or trying to write fanfic at work). It's also just a fun hobby and a nifty skill to be able to say you have.

In my opinion, if you want to learn shorthand, Gregg Simplified is a solid option, because the materials are accessible and the system is a good middle-ground between easiness to learn and quickness to write. I taught myself just following along with the Gregg Shorthand Manual Simplified. The book is broken up into 67 short "lessons." I did one or two lessons a week, maybe a few hours of work, and I was "fluent" in less than a year. I also bought a Gregg Simplified Dictionary, but all you need is the Manual.

(Note that the manual is written both assuming you're probably some kind a secretary and in the fifties. So, you'll learn brief forms for super-useful phrases like "dear sir" or "remit." For practice, they have you read and copy these sample letters in shorthand, and it's almost hilarious how almost all the letters to men are about business matters and the letters to women are advertising sales. There is one spectacular letter that's a man writing to a newspaper to cancel his subscription, because he's moved into a house in the suburbs with another man who gets the same paper. I'm legit tempted to go through the manual again just to find that letter.)

Fun fact! The fastest shorthand stenographer ever recorded wrote faster than the fastest typist.

Also fun fact! It's not uncommon for individual people to invent their own brief forms based on words that they use commonly. So, Jonathan might have been writing "c-a-r-p" (or the Pitman equivalent) for "Carpathian" or Mina writing "t-b" for "Whitby" or both of them writing "v-a-m" for vampire. And I'll bet credits to navy beans they had specific brief forms for their favorite trains.

[graendoll]

So I just read this post and have some additional thoughts. I'm making a new post so as to avoid any potential shipping nonsense on OP because no one wants that.

Basically OP is talking about how Buck's storyline is about learning how to love and be loved and Eddie's is about self-discovery (very abbreviated overview...please read the original).

Anyway, Buck's storyline being around learning how to love and be loved made me start thinking about Tommy and how he fits into this.

(Full disclosure I ship Buddie. I am not a multishipper, but generally don't have a problem with other ships. I just avoid their content because it hurts my feelings 😅.)

The way that Tommy has been presented thus far is, imo, another stepping stone on the path of Buck realizing what he really wants so he can find a fulfilling endgame love/partner. The post I linked goes through the lessons Buck learned from his other romantic partners, and so far Tommy has been framed as "the LI that makes Buck realize he's queer".

The few scenes they've had together up to now really don't feel like the way an endgame LI gets presented. I know folks are rooting for him and Buck to be it, but the writers would have to pivot a lot to do that. (Not that they can't, just...it WOULD be a pivot).

First, Tommy did not pursue Buck. Buck is pretty consistently chasing after his failed romances and Tommy is no different.

Second, the narrative choices have inserted Tommy in specific scenarios between Buck and Eddie. Tommy and Buck have really only been Eddie-less two times. First, when they had coffee and Buck asked him out and second, when they kissed in the hospital. Both of these were ways to move Buck's story forward and had little to do with the development of Buck/Tommy because narratively they're entirely one sided. Tommy comes to coffee so Buck can admit he wants to try something and they kiss in the hospital so Buck can come out to the firefam without making a lengthy, time sucking speech.

Tommy is there in both cases to move Buck's story along. Every other interaction between the two has either had Eddie in the scene or mentioned him a strange amount. I don't remember any of the other people Buck dated being framed so closely to Eddie or having Eddie haunt their relationship the way he has with Tommy.

This doesn't mean Eddie and Buck are endgame, but what it does mean is that Tommy is LIKELY a plot device to propel Buck's narrative along. (A narrative which includes a pre-packaged family, btw, who love him exactly as he is. Which maybe he'll decide he DOESN'T want, we don't know.) As OP of the linked post said, Buck is learning how to love and be loved and Tommy, while significant what with the bisexuality of it all, really just feels like another step in this process to me.

Obviously this is just one woman's opinion and like OP I'm old and have been disappointed too many times to put my whole chest into believing Buddie is endgame, but right now the narrative isn't really implying Buck/Tommy is either so whatever happens I think Buck is still a work in progress regarding his HEA.

(Also it shouldn't need to be said but please don't get spicy about ship wars kthxbye)

Edited because tumblr is being weird about embedded links on my phone....

[finishwhatyoustarted-event]

Finish What You Started 2023 Event Rules

[image ID, copied from ALT: Event Rules on a blue background. - No new projects. - Any medium and any fandom welcome. - NSFW inclusive, warnings must be tagged. - Tag #FinishWhatYouStarted2023; boosting/retweeting starts September 15th. - Event ends October 31, 2023. End ID.]

The goal of this event is to get things done that you’ve already started. We all have unfinished projects whose incomplete status haunts us. Those are what we want to tackle!

The structure is loose, as this is a multimedia event. While primarily aimed at writers, this event is open to any kind of creative fanwork. Fics, translations, podfics, fanart, animations, cosplay - if you started it and never got it done, it qualifies.

There is no sign-up required. I will not assign beta readers for writers, but I can boost requests for those who want them! And I can boost messages of those who would like to beta read.

The mod is a danmei fan mainly, but your work can be any fandom. Maybe something you started before your current fandom excitement took over, or one you keep putting off in favor of compelling new ideas.

Feel free to pass this event info along! The more the merrier!

If your work is NSFW, I will only boost it if it has appropriate content warnings. Do not letter-swap or abbreviate content warnings. These are so people can mute them as needed.

Example: "gore" not "g0re"

Remember Tumblr can mute phrases, but each warning should be its own tag as well as in the body.

Please use genderbend or genderswap for characters depicted not as canon genders.

Example: #NSFW #genderbend #gore

Important note: please use Omegaverse or A/O/B for that content. The original letter order abbreviation is a slur against Aboriginal peoples and will not be tolerated here, even with the slashes. It, like other racial or identity-based slurs, fall under hate speech and are thus not permitted.

This account will post weekly morale-boosting messages and helpful resources. Every Friday, starting September 15th, will be Finished It Friday! All the completed works posted that week will be boosted together in a big thread, so we can celebrate your accomplishment!

This is a positive, shared space. Do not belittle other creators' medium of choice. Please no fandom/character/ship/creator bashing, and don't berate artists or authors for not being done with something, even if they don't finish by the end of the event. Also, please don't passive-aggressively send this event to the author of an unfinished fic you want to see done faster. 😥 Be cool, respect each other, and keep any interpersonal disagreements to your own tumblrspace.

Halfway-point check-in is October 1st. Final event deadline is October 31st. The last Finished It Friday is November 3rd.

Work-in-progress posts should be tagged #FinishWhatYouStarted2023If you complete a wip within the event, tag it #IFinishedWhatIStarted2023 for boosting so we can all celebrate!

Fics can be posted to the collection on AO3 here: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/FinishWhatYouStarted2023

Find more information and community on the Discord, if you want! Joining the Discord is not required for the event.

[boxturret]

The Consequences of Bibs

Bohrok are cool. Their combiners are not. They don't even have names, look it up.

I was messing around with the Bohrok Kaita builds a bit and noticed something funny with the instructions.

The combination of Lehvak, Gahlok, and Kohrak, the Ice Bohrok, which will be referred to as Kaita A, clearly just uses most of a Lehvak for its head. Its such a reuse that they literally just tell you to go back to earlier in the book and reread those instruction pages, rather than reprint them, as this part of the instructions was in Lehvak's book.

This has the result of the Kaita A instructions being 80% of a bohrok shorter than the other one, so they have more pages left than the other combiner!

They make use of this with 4 pages with lots of nice story renders, 4 per page.

Now the second combiner, composed of Pahrak, Tahnok, and Nuhvok, referred to here as Kaita 1, has a bit of a difference. Much of the build of Kaitas A and 1 is identical, the main differences being in the arms and the upper torso. Kaita 1 also embeds Tahnok's face shield inside of Nuhvok's body.

This means that they can't just reuse parts of the main Bohrok instructions like Kaita A, which leads to the instructions overall being longer. To keep things simple they most likely wanted the instructions for all 6 sets to be the same length, so this led to a reduction in the number of pages devoted to the story renders, having only two.

They're much smaller also, they manage to squeeze 9 per page compared to Kaita A's 4.

But you may notice something odd there. 4x4 is 16, but 9x2 is 18!

That's right, despite having smaller images overall, and less pages, the Kaita 1 instructions actually contain MORE images. The hive cell about to burst and Onua and Whenua meeting at the Amaja Nui are exclusive to these two books.

Yes I said two. For poor Nuhvok, after the first two books cover the legs and head, has to show everything else, and thus only gets a single page of renders.

It shares the same format as the others of Kaita 1, but is super abbreviated.

So on this day let us all take a moment to appreciate little Nuhvok, the Bohrok that had to shoulder the bulk of its Kaita instructions due to the addition of a silly little bib, and as a consequence contained the least story renders of any of them.

[leahsfiction]

i find word-by-word glosses of classical chinese poetry to be incredibly useful sometimes as a learning aid:[1] to indicate a proper noun,[2] an archaic meaning, a literary device, or linguistic feature not immediately obvious in a poetic translation. also in the case of regulated verse, it's a great visual way to appreciate the technical beauties of parallelism.

however i don't usually write & post them, for a few reasons:

it's extremely easy for them to look like "broken" english -- something i'm sensitive to as a second-gen [diaspora/person of hyphenated experience/etc.]. like i grew up in an area that was like 40% asian and still managed to hear "me love you long time", random gibberish syllables, etc.

that aside. there's a tradition of western readers of classical chinese poetry coming away with all sorts of overgeneralizations about how each character is a world unto itself, etc., etc., how the poet is not present in the poem because they never use the word "I",[3] etc.

also, they look like a "bridge" or intermediate step in the translation process when that is not the case for me.[4] creating a word-by-word gloss is kinda an entire translation process of its own, with different objectives & priorities!

so yeah! my (extremely amateur) translations are trying to be poetic more than scholarly translations, but at the same time i yearn for people to engage with them as translations and talk to me about the process (which i am terminally lazy about writing up). word-level glosses would probably help, but those are my reasons for not writing them.

my fav resources for learning classical chinese poetry as a beginner both make extensive use of individual word glosses: the East Asia Student blog and How to Read Chinese Poetry: A Guided Anthology, ed. Zong-qi Cai 

a lot of times, with brevity being prized in classical chinese, names (and thus entire careers, moral lessons, eidolons) get abbreviated to a single character 

obviously there are lots of instances of ancient poets using the word "I" or referring to themselves in general, but also. just in my limited experience. SO many poems are autobiographical or have a specific voice??? 

i do rely heavily on dictionaries and annotations, but also on my accumulated experience with reading and discussing poetry, my knowledge of the language, my personal tastes/interpretations/goals/mood when it comes to composing a specific translation... you know, things that are less tangible & easy to point to. most of the time i don't know exactly why i've made a specific choice until @/garden-ghoul asks me about it. 

[sad-outsider]

The mystery of names (and their correct spelling). Part 2. Aleksander Morozova

I'm back with a new analysis. In the last analysis, I promised to analyze the Morozovs. Let's start with Aleksander. And the correct spelling of his name in Russian is Aleksandr Morozov. Everything is simple with the surname: Morozova is the feminine form of the surname. The name is more complicated, as far as I understand, the correct spelling of the name in English is Alexander with an “x” and not “ks”, while in Russian it is written “ks”, but without the second letter “e”. Why Leigh Bardugo wrote this name the way she did is personally unclear to me🤨. Okay, we’ve sorted out the correct spelling, let’s move on to the meaning of the name.

Aleksandr (abbreviated as Sasha, Sashka, Sashen'ka, Sashechka, Sanya, Sashok, Sanyok, San'ka and these are the first that came to my mind, there are a lot of options😁)

I think I won’t surprise anyone by saying that the name comes from the Greek words “alekso” - “to protect” and “andros” - “man” in the sense of “human”, and means protector of people. Therefore, without further ado, let's move on to the surname.

Morozov

Morozov is one of the most common Russian surnames; moreover, it ranks 9th in the list of all-Russian surnames. Like the Starkov surname, there are several versions of the origin of the surname: 1) Origin from the name According to one version, the surname Morozov came from the name Moroz. "Moroz" is a weather phenomenon meaning extreme cold. In ancient times, names that denoted certain natural phenomena could become the basis for the formation of surnames. Thus, a person nicknamed “Moroz” could give rise to the Morozov surname. P.S. The most famous person named Moroz is the Russian equivalent of Santa Claus - Ded Moroz or Moroz Ivanovich, so perhaps Sashka is a descendant of the Russian Santa😂 2) Origin from occupation There is also a version that the surname Morozov came from the ancestors’ occupation of this type of activity associated with the frosty season. For example, they might have been involved in the production and sale of ice cream, ice products, or working in ice caves. 3) Symbolic meaning The surname Morozov can carry a symbolic meaning, indicating strength and perseverance. Moroz is a natural phenomenon that can overcome obstacles and remain unshakable. Therefore, the Morozov surname can be associated with a family possessing such qualities. 4) Relief features of the area It can also be assumed that the surname Morozov is associated with the relief features of the area where the ancestors of this family lived. It may have been a place with a cold climate or glaciers, which ultimately influenced the choice of surname. Regardless of origin, the surname Morozov attracts attention with its mystical and mysterious connotations.

The names of Ilya and Baghra deserve a separate analysis, so the next post will be about them. See you later😘

[caffeinelemur]

Stolitz Communication Styles

I feel like I need to talk about this.

Stolas’ high education and verbal gymnastics, versus Blitzø’s lack of equivalent education, dyslexia, and difficulty expressing emotions, especially through words. Because it plays a huge part in why they haven’t been, and still aren’t, communicating effectively. Also both of them are neurodivergent as fuck and communication is a bitch for us anyway.

Specifically, this is a dive into that different classes/mindsets dynamic, leading up to a look at that text conversation at the end of Western Energy, and how it leads into their possible growth.

From the very start of the series, Blitzø shows that he has difficulty with writing/spelling and prefers verbal communication. (Even if we look outside the instagrams, which are not technically canon.) The first episode has the billboard that was entirely speech-to-text and not proofread, (he’s too uncomfortable writing that big of a message out, and he thought it was easier to just say it, and was thus not equipped to proofread or edit it, as that would mean he was capable of knowing how to write it out correctly in the first place), his text messages and notes are generally short and often full of typos and phonetic spelling, and his whiteboard is usually covered in doodles and small attempts at writing that varies in levels of spelling prowess. He uses pictographs to help in proving his point or explaining his thought process. He has trouble expressing himself verbally, as his true feelings are expressed through actions, but his direct, vulgar, and often angry or insensitive wording and tone make it difficult for most people to see past this to his actual true feelings, (not to mention he often lies to others and to himself about those anyway). Issues with tone and blunt speech are a big thing with neurodivergent people, autistic and ADHD people especially, of which I think Blitzø is both. Stan an AuDHD king.

Stolas is rich, highly educated, and spent much of his life, especially early on, reading books instead of socializing. His house basically doubles as a library. He said himself that he “loves words”, and got excited about reading legal documents. He uses flowery, posh language and carefully talks around other people using this skill. His emotionally abusive past, both with his father and with Stella, make him a careful people-pleaser, and so he’s constantly giving others the upper hand in a conversation, more give than take, in attempts to not anger or have his intentions misunderstood and then incite said anger. A common thing in both abuse victims and neurodivergent people, especially autistic people, which Stolas clearly is. He does also have issues with tone and knowing when he should and shouldn’t say certain things, and he can often misunderstand others’ points and questions, and then answers or responds too bluntly or literally. Hashtag Just Autism Things.

Blitzø is an imp, the lowest class alongside hellhounds, and was raised in a circus. He clearly did not grow up wealthy in any respect (as his father resorted to selling his son and stealing from the fucking Ars Goetia so quickly, though that could also be attributed to just being living trash), nor is he particularly affluent now, as his small apartment has literally one bedroom, for Loona, and he sleeps on the couch. He outright says he can’t afford art classes. He hasn’t had the same level of educational opportunities as Stolas. On top of that, he’s also dyslexic, based on how, when he does write, it’s either written phonetically, as he would say the word, or he gets letters flipped around. He can write coherently, he’s not illiterate, but usually only when he tries really hard. He mixes capitals and lowercase in the same word sometimes. He’s even worse at texting than he is at writing by hand, with many typos, and resorting to text-speak abbreviations and emojis to lessen the amount of time he has to take trying to type shit out, and, again, doesn’t proofread.

Taking all of this into account, Blitzø is not going to understand a lot of what Stolas says when he uses larger words and talks around a point, especially since, unlike Stolas most of the time, Blitzø is very direct and uncensored when he talks (as in, no brain-to-mouth filter, but also he uses vulgarity in place of more eloquent speech), and when he is trying to say things with actual forethought, he ends up stuttering and has trouble finding the right words (ADHD brain fail ftw), and then gets angry at himself, and occasionally takes it out on others too (poor Moxxie). Stolas tries to talk around the point and backtracks his own words even more in stressful or emotional situations, giving more ground to the other, and this difference in stress response plays a part in their misunderstanding and inability to see from the other’s perspective.

In the first episode, during Stolas’ inopportune phone call, Blitzø thinks he’s being insulted when Stolas uses the word “grimoire,” because he doesn’t know it and always jumps to this conclusion, then has to get Stolas to stop using flowery language to talk around the point by telling him to “stop using your fancy ass rich people talk,” and Stolas has to change the way he’s been speaking to be more direct and clear. (He doesn’t retain this information for later, sadly).

All of this, to talk about the post-Ozzie’s text conversations. We know several things now:

1) Blitzø is not good with spelling and is more comfortable using pictographs to make his point, which you can’t do in a text. He’s also uncomfortable with honest emotional expression and has problems with tone.

2) Stolas uses overly flowery and complicated language to express himself, leading to paragraphs of talking around the main point in an attempt to explain his meaning, often to the extent that it’s extremely unclear what the point is that he’s actually trying to get to. This gets worse when he’s trying too hard to express himself or is thinking too much about the other person’s response.

3) They both have little experience with conversation of an emotional nature that’s not coming with some sort of protective front (Stolas’ open-ended people-pleasing statements, Blitzø’s use of false anger and vulgarity to push people away), so when they do try to say something without the mask, the other is unequipped for the change and misunderstands the intentions, especially when it’s through text.

Blitzø is uncomfortable with writing and especially with texting, and so says very little, using short abbreviated text-speak and emojis to express himself, like he would with his drawings. Stolas overexplains and writes paragraphs of vague statements and loquaciousness in an attempt to get a point across. These are very different approaches to the situation, and from the other’s perspective they come across differently than they intend, due to the conflicting communication styles.

So.

In the text conversations we see in Western Energy, Blitzø says very little, and doesn’t initiates the conversation. Stolas sends walls of text, overexplaining and going back and forth on his intent and the purpose of the text.

Now, we know that Stolas is trying to give Blitzø space and options, and clearly cares a lot about his feelings, and is going out of his way to make sure he’s comfortable with the situation. In doing so, he gives him several outs, minimizes the entire experience at Ozzie’s at his own expense (and therefore Blitzø’s, but he doesn’t understand that yet), and pokes at the idea of talking emotionally far too soon for Blitzø, who is freshly re-traumatizing himself from said experience at Ozzie’s.

Stolas, from his own perspective, is giving so much and getting very little in return (a common theme in his life). He would see this lack of reciprocity in communication as lack of interest or being upset. A common thing irl, it’s easy to read a “K” after a long emotional message as a negative or indifferent response, regardless of the other party’s true feelings. (Which is possibly why a lot of people get upset on Stolas’ behalf in this moment, thinking Blitzø doesn’t care as much about Stolas as Stolas does him. It’s a common thing to experience. It’s not true, though.)

Meanwhile, Blitzø already hates writing, is bad at expressing himself in general, and reads into everything as negative. He thinks that when someone says something he doesn’t fully understand that they’re insulting him or making fun of him, or he misunderstands the intention and wording to be an insult (tonal and indirect or vague speech issues), like with that first phone call with Stolas, the “that’s what she said” joke Loona made, and Crimson’s mention of hearing things about him. He has a lifetime of evidence to back up this thought process. He is constantly demeaned and insulted by larger Hell society, and was treated as unworthy and lesser since childhood. He also just fucking hates himself and blames himself for everything. He’s not gonna suddenly gush his feelings, especially over text. He’s also gonna read into others’ words extremely negatively, until the true meaning is explicitly explained to him. Which isn’t very likely in a text conversation, when he’s not going to ask for proper clarification and the other party can’t tell that he’s misconstruing the intention and so doesn’t know they need to explain more anyway.

So, he isn’t going to initiate a text conversation unless it’s for a serious reason. He clearly doesn’t use it as a method of conversation as much as a quick way to get in touch with other people and exchange information (ex- his seemingly “impossible to misunderstand” text to Loopty in C.H.E.R.U.B. & his conversation about the portal with Millie in Seeing Stars). In Blitzø’s eyes, Stolas says "hey this is/isn’t happening", and he says "ok got the info" and he moves on from there. Information exchange. Then Stolas starts trying too hard, after Ozzie’s, to take his feelings into account without fully understanding Blitzø’s feelings to begin with, and starts backtracking and talking around the point again. He already got Blitzø’s reply, but then backtracks, which doesn’t give Blitzø the direct information he needs, leading to him misunderstand the proffered options as a dismissal instead of a clear confirmation with the option for him to refuse. Blitzø already is going to have issues reading/fully understanding the long wordy messages Stolas sends, he isn’t going to understand the nuance that Stolas’ specific phrasing is trying to say, and is going to see a “but you don’t have to/only if you want” attempt at giving him autonomy and boundaries, as a “don’t/I don’t want you to” full negation.

Stolas is also downplaying their experience at Ozzie’s, which is not only negating his own traumatic experiences with being shamed and insulted (not the healthiest mindset), but also minimizes Blitzø’s feelings and experience then as a result. Blitzø is going to see this as confirmation that it wasn’t as important/emotionally painful to Stolas as it was to Blitzø. Stolas making light of a situation that started a breakdown for Blitzø just proves to Blitzø that he’s the one overreacting, and that Stolas does find him less important, as the entire situation was already about Stolas valuing him less, in his eyes.

Stolas trying to overexplain and backtrack in the lack of access to Blitzø’s own thoughts is hurting them both in this situation. None of his pushing and flip-flopping is going to make Blitzø more eager to initiate a conversation or respond more, especially through a form he’s uncomfortable with using. And this makes Stolas feel unheard and undervalued, which leads to him try even harder, which leads to Blitzø shutting himself off even more, and so on. A lovely miscommunication feedback loop.

And knowing all of this is what makes that last text so important.

Blitzø initates the conversation for the first time. He writes what is, for him, a full sentence, with an emoji. He’s expressing himself as best he can, and is showing his actual feelings in the message. He’s going out of his way to say something to Stolas.

Which then… Stolas overwhelms him with more emotions and words. He’s not comfortable with emotional conversation and too much at once would freak him out, and the immediate upfront honest thoughts Stolas sends in the wake of Blitzø’s own emotional expression aren’t what he necessarily needs or wants to deal with, especially so soon after that worldview-shattering realization, the following guilt spiral, and the subsequent opening up that the first text is.

Yet he then, in spite of these hurdles, starts to reply.

But he gives up.

We don’t know for sure what he was going to say, but an easy read of his thoughts would be: he tried to express his feelings again in some way, was failing to do it right, was overwhelmed with feelings he didn’t know how to handle, and angrily gave up. Probably cursing himself out for even trying.

It’s not callous or uncaring or lacking reciprocity. It’s the full opposite. He’s trying so hard, but failing again. He cares so much and is incapable of expressing it verbally and unable to receive similar care in return.

Look back to the other time he tried this hard to write something emotional. The letter for Fizz. The love letter. And see how that situation went? He got overwhelmed, angry at everything and at himself for thinking he could try at all, and it all ended in fucking disaster. That he blames himself for. That he hates himself for. But here he tried to do it again anyway, while thinking, again, what happened to Stolas was his fault. That one message means so fucking much.

To Blitzø, the idea of visiting Stolas in the hospital was out of the question entirely, and him being asked to so immediately and candidly would make his guilty brain fall over itself even more. He’s never been allowed to visit his loved ones in the hospital, and the entire reason they were hospitalized to begin with was because of Blitzø, so how could this situation be any different? He wasn’t allowed to visit Fizz or Barbie, people who at least at one point he believed cared about him, so he’s definitely not going to be allowed to visit Stolas, who he already thinks doesn’t really give a shit.

That text was the best he could do at that time.

To really communicate effectively, these two need to sit down in front of each other and actually explain where they’re coming from. The lack of knowledge of the other’s position and situation, both in their past and currently in this relationship, is hurting them, and making understanding each other more difficult. The class difference and the differences in upbringing, despite both having garbage fathers and fucking meeting each other as children, are impeding their understanding and view of the other. Both Stolas’ obliviousness toward the actual differences in station and opportunity between him and imps as a whole, and inability to realize Blitzø’s personal difficulties with communication (based in the same place he’s blind to), and Blitzø’s (valid) disdain for the upper class and his view of the stronger, and especially of Stolas, as too good and important to bother with him and too powerful to feel actual pain, are the things they need to fucking address.

Blitzø already got this worldview fucked with, between seeing Stolas worry so much over his daughter, and then actually getting badly hurt. He now knows Stolas can care, and that he can feel pain, and that makes him at least peripherally aware that he’s able to be emotionally hurt.

By Blitzø.

Stolas, meanwhile, is vaguely at the point of comprehending he holds more power in their dynamic because of their differences in status, and him holding the key to Blitzø’s entire business and livelihood. He now knows Blitzø didn’t think he wanted anything other than sex, because of his hasty and overly selfish attempt at keeping him around. And it was a sex deal! He realizes he was wrong for holding that over Blitzø and that his actions and words in the past helped cause the misunderstanding that he didn’t care for Blitzø past getting sexual favors.

Stolas is gonna try to fix this power imbalance by giving up the entire premise of their current relationship, in the vain hope Blitzø will understand and then reciprocate his actual feelings, while Blitzø is now vaguely trying to actively prove he gives a shit about people, even while unsure of Stolas’ feelings toward him, and the result of these intentions clashing is gonna be a goddamn mess, unless miraculously they can communicate around the inevitable misunderstanding.

Please somebody let them explain themselves and have the other fucking listen.

They both love each other, but are fucked up from trauma and are neurodivergent, so they express themselves differently and can barely figure out their own shit, let alone explain it to the other. Get therapy and try new communication styles.

But they are slowly learning. They have the tools and ability to figure this out if they both try. It’s not futile. It just might take some fuck ups and more time to fully get there.

Sincerely, an AuDHD emotional abuse victim that sees themself in both of these idiots and wants to scream.

[arthur-lesters-scarred-torso]

The similarity between the abbreviations BBG and BBEG is far too great to be mere coincidence. Thus, there must be a connection between the two. In this essay I will