#does anybody have examples from other languages

[tigirl-and-co]

Just thought about how neat language is. 'thing' as a descriptor means 'object which relates to x in a non-specific way'

My mom asked my brother for 'the butter thing' and he thought she wanted a spreader but she was asking for the container.

[jellyarchived]

Question! Do you do Miss Thavel and Miss Bloomie? If so, I would like to request Miss Thavel and Miss Bloomie [separated] x Wife!Reader. Please :3

Ignore if you don't! It's Fine. :D

Ofc ofc!! If the characters are possibly ooc, do forgive me since there isn't much information about them yet.

Miss Thavel + Miss Bloomie with a Wife! S/O

Warnings: // (just them being ooc really)

MISS THAVEL

— ʚ Dating, or even being married to Miss Thavel is one hell of a ride! She can actually be nice (at least to you), so there isn't anything you should be concerned about.

— ʚ She isn't near being shy or hesitant to say about being married to you, saying it loud and proud while even showing it off.

— ʚ I don't really see Miss Thavel as an affectionate type, nor is she repulsed by showing it in public. As said previously, she has no reason to hide the fact that both of you are married to each other and will openly shove it into anybody's face.

— ʚ She can be possessive, growing jealous sometimes too quickly and way too easily. Miss Thavel can get a bit violent, using more force on somebody if saying both of you are married won't work.

— ʚ If you were also a teacher that was going to the same school, she definitely would be near you at all times. Inviting you to the teachers lounge, randomly popping up in your classroom (which might even cause your students to have a sudden feeling of fear), and the list goes on!

— ʚ I'd have a feeling she would tell you "I love you" or call you nicknames in a different language since she is a language teacher, which she has done in every language available!

EXAMPLES BEING "Ich liebe dich" "meine schönste" "je t'aime" "ma chérie" "mi corazón" "te amo" etc..

— ʚ She would, and probably will, get rid of anything that might be bothering you, may it be a random person (even though that would end badly) to an object nobody would really care about, it's gone before you could even reconsider!

MISS BLOOMIE

— ʚ Miss Bloomie, who is more introverted, wouldn't really be as open about being married to you unless someone asks about it, which she will answer proudly.

— ʚ Since she is married to you, she will act more open with you (chaotic even), feeling more comfortable around you will let her go loose! Which has it's own perks of being married to her.

— ʚ She doesn't get jealous as often, seeing that you won't be leaving her anytime soon (nor plan to), makes her not have a reason to be. Even when she does get jealous, it ends up more violent rather than peaceful at the end.

— ʚ She would probably be near you at all times, which would be even worse if you were a teacher at the same school. Being at least a few steps away, often times sitting right next to you at the teachers lounge and being the one to appear more often in your classroom.

— ʚ Miss Bloomie would be more clingy, while being more restricted on showing affection in public, she wouldn't care at all the moment both of you are alone and would show her affection without a care in the world.

— ʚ she would be more attached to your hip, making sure you're doing fine or bothering you (and even if, she'd also be one to get rid of whatever is bothering you). I see her form of affection being mostly words of affirmation than anything else, so be prepared to hear a lot from here when she does show her affection!

[specialagentartemis]

Getting Involved In Your Community: A Guide For If You Don't Know Where To Start

I've seen several back-and-forths on tumblr that boil down to "media consumption is not activism; if you want to do activism, go volunteer or get involved in local politics." I agree, but also understand that it can feel daunting to try. Especially when you don't have a lot of money to donate places or know anybody who's organizing things! I definitely get it. But I also agree that volunteering is valuable - not only does it make you feel good, like you've accomplished something meaningful, it gets you out of the house and meeting new people in a structured environment. It helps you get to know the people in your community, and what's going on in your town or city.

There are LOTS of ways to do this! You don't need to already know people, or have organizing skills of your own. Finding something that works for you can be really rewarding, and it doesn't have to be difficult.

Food Pantries, Food Banks, and Soup Kitchens

The obvious one, but it's obvious for a reason: people always need food, food pantries always need volunteers, and nearly every town or city has one nearby. They're frequently easy to find by googling. It's immediately rewarding knowing you materially helped someone and if it's something you do (or have in the past or may in the future) need too, it's good to get to know the people. There are volunteer needs available all throughout the week, and rarely require knowing any particular skills in advance. During much of COVID lockdown I helped unload food deliveries every Tuesday and put them on the food pantry shelves, for example.

If nonprofits make you leery or there are only aggressively Christian ones nearby, see if there's a local chapter of Food Not Bombs, a more anarchist-leaning network that provides vegetarian foods to people. They frequently need volunteers for things like cooking, setup, dishwashing, food pickup, or cleaning out a free community refrigerator.

Everyone needs food and these are the most immediate and most common type of volunteer opportunities around.

Environmental and Conservation Groups

You probably have a park, pond, creek, wetland, or some other natural space near you, and that space almost certainly has some environmental group that maintains it. Start by searching "Friends of [park name]" or "citizen science [town]". Look for invasive plant removal, trash pickup, or native plant planting events - these are pretty common and open to new volunteers without specialized knowledge.

There may also be related community gardens! Search for "[Town] community garden" to see what's available. Some places also have nonprofit groups dedicated to saving, preserving, maintaining, and planting native crop/wildflower seeds.

Refugee Support

Many cities have refugee support organizations. A lot of the services they offer require specialized skills (like language or legal knowledge) or long-term commitments, but they can also involve things like picking people up from the airport or driving them to important appointments. If this is something important to you, search up "[city] refugee support" and email them to ask what they need!

Local Library

If you want something more book-related, see if your local library wants volunteers, or if it has a "Friends of the Library" group. Library volunteers help keep a lot of tasks running that the often underfunded staff might otherwise not get a chance to do, like reshelving books or adding self-checkout RFID tags to the whole book collection (this is what I did in high school), and the Friends of the Library does things like sort through book donations, and help fundraise for the library.

Local Cable Access TV Station

Does your town/city have a local cable access tv station - that is, they film and broadcast local events to local cable channels? This is an amazing way to learn, and use, A/V skills for the benefit of your town! For years throughout high school and college, I helped to film town council meetings, committee meetings, town election debates, various other town events, and high school football games, in addition to other shows - in high school some friends and I made a kid-friendly after-school science education show. Stations like these are almost always on the lookout for new things to broadcast, too, so if you want to do a monthly broadcast of local art exhibits or queer events or community garden updates or a vegetarian/vegan/low-budget/low-spoons cooking show, or a socialist talk show (who knows!), see if that's something that's available to you! Or you can volunteer to transcribe their shows for closed-captions.

Local Historical Society

Does your town have a historical society? Odds are they have lots of things they'd love to do and very little money. If you're interested in local history, get in touch with them and see if there's something they want volunteers to help with. In college I transcribed a lot of Revolutionary War-era letters. (I also made a documentary about my town's history that aired on the local cable access TV station and I had to fight with the town historical society over being able to use their photos, so. You know.)

Politics and Activism

Find out when your town council meets, or any particular committees that discuss topics important to you (sustainability, education, transit, police, affordable housing, etc). Your town/city will likely have a dedicated town government website with this information. Show up and ask questions.

Calling your elected representatives is also always valuable, and the trick is, the more local they are, the more likely they are to listen to you.

Google "[topic] advocacy group [town]" - LGBTQ, police abolition, climate justice, education, etc. See if there are already groups doing the things you care about. They will likely love new people showing interest.

"Town Day," Farmer's Markets, Town Festivals, or Other Events

Every fall, my town has a "town day" where different local businesses, artists, schools, and groups have booths and events all throughout downtown. This is a great place to learn about different nonprofits and advocacy groups who are looking for volunteers. This is true for a lot of these types of events. Browse the booths and see if there's any group you didn't know about before whose mission speaks to you, and ask if they're looking for volunteers. This is how I discovered a local group that harvests and then donates fruit, herbs, and nuts from plants in people's yards and municipal plots that would otherwise get ignored and go uneaten. They're small, they're great, and the work is outdoors, active but not strenuous, and fulfilling, and I get to take home some fruit afterwards.

Generally, volunteering means you can either donate your money, skills, or time, and it's up to you to decide what you have available to donate. But actually getting out there and meeting people helps give you reasons to get out of the house, a few hours off the internet, a sense of fulfillment, and greater connection to other people who are doing things you care about or who know who is. Don't try to do everything - just pick something that speaks to you and fits into your schedule, and go from there.

[ryuichirou]

What do you think about Lilia and Idia's chats? I know you ship them but did they affect you in any way?

Sorry for the late reply, Anon!

This is one of those asks that I really went “oh no I have to think about this one properly, this is a very important topic” lol But it’s probably for the best because today is kind of a perfect day for me to write about this particular topic.

As always, I ended up talking a whole lot, so I hope you enjoy reading it. I’ll try not to digress too much!

Short answer would be yes of course it affected me: I’m pretty sure it was one of the main reasons why I started shipping them in the first place.

As someone who crawled out of Homestuck’s cradle (and will stay there forever at least in some capacity), I really love it when characters chat. I think all of us act a bit differently when we’re on the internet, even if we’re trying to be 100% honest, or at least we are perceived a bit differently. And when you have two characters who know each other irl, but also know each other online as different people, and one of them is crushing hard, it creates such an interesting dynamic… so beautiful.

It’s very interesting to see Idia swooning so hard. He doesn’t act that way around anybody else, even people he is kind of close with (Azul is the only example but), which contrasts nicely to his usual snarky antisocial self. I love it a lot when this type of character gets very into someone and ends up being a bit tormented by his own inner demons: he craves to be closer to that person, he wants to spend more time together, but he is scared that the moment he accepts his feeling he’s going to get hurt. He is terrified of being vulnerable, but Muscle Crimson makes him so happy that he just can’t help himself. Idia is so cynical and pessimistic, he already accepted the fact that he’ll stay lonely forever, and yet whenever Lilia appears, he gets hopeful, romantic and longing. Very Megara of you, Idia lol

What doesn’t help is that no matter what Muscle Crimson does, somehow it only makes him more perfect in Idia’s eyes…

For starters, in ch6 Idia said that one of the things he loves most about Muscle Crimson is that he never oversteps and is very understanding of him, and how he is very natural in a way he expresses things. What I’m trying to say is that Idia never feels like he has to explain himself or push himself, like MC always gets it and never pries into his affairs. This is the thing that Idia usually struggles with the most: social expectations, the pacing of a conversation, the arbitrary rules of how two people should communicate; and he doesn’t have those issues with MC whatsoever. It’s very easy for him to talk with MC because the moment this usual obstacle isn’t present, Idia is suddenly very eager to connect with another person. MC is chill, MC is nice, MC is mature and MC isn’t needy. We see it so much with their online conversations, it’s incredible.

I also really love their chats because they very nicely show what exactly Idia wants from a relationship. Whenever I talk about Idia’s ideal type, Idia’s love language, Idia’s anything, I always end up talking about it: Idia loves quality time and sharing things that he loves with others, so the fact that he can play videogames with Lilia is massively important for him, but this isn’t the only thing. In Idia’s dorm uniform vignette (god that vignette is such a feast for a multishipper), Idia gets so excited because MC not only agreed to listen to his favourite band, but also was engaged enough to express that he wants to listen to them! On his own volition! Azul-shi who didn’t even bother to listen to their music that Idia kindly brought to him should take notes!

I’m sorry but let’s take a look at this dialogue (official translation from wiki but I just want to make a point okay):

<Muscle Red>  

Ah, I see. My apologies for not being well-informed on the topic.

<Gloomurai>   

NP! sorry for rambling about something you don't care about lol

Imagine ranting to someone about your oshiis, and instead of being annoyed or politely agreeing with you, the person goes “oh I’m sorry that I haven’t heard about them”. Of course, Idia’s instinct is to pull back a little and to apologise for his rambling and to joke about MC not being interested – not as a jab at Lilia, but as a jab at himself instead for bothering him with unnecessary information.

And instead of just letting the conversation go to some other lane (which would’ve been a bit sad, but ultimately not that bad because Lilia’s initial response wasn’t an annoyed one), for some reason, MC does this of all things:

<Muscle Red>  

Actually, after seeing how passionate you are about them...

<Muscle Red>  

My interest in this Premo group has been thoroughly piqued.

<Gloomurai>   

you're already interested just from hearing me drone on and on?

<Gloomurai>   

you're like the nicest guy. i'd give you 100 rare drops if i could

<Muscle Red>  

Would you recommend a particular song for a first-time listener?

Not only he didn’t get a “ehhh yeah cool”, but he also got a “send me their songs” instead. It’s like Lilia is actively trying to lure this poor otaku boy into his embrace lol But the best thing is that it is so casual and genuine, even Idia-the-biggest-cynic doesn’t feel like he is just trying to be nice about it. And as I always say, despite being a hikikomori, Idia is good at reading people, and someone as insecure as he is would’ve definitely thought that MC was just being nice. But he didn’t, instead he got super excited about it.  The boy is so smitten he’s melting as we speak...

And not only that! When in that exact vignette some shenanigans happen with the website of the band, and Idia gets upset about it, MC is so quick to cheer him up and comfort him. It’s interesting with Lilia because he really is wise and mature, but sometimes he doesn’t quite know what to say to comfort someone?? There are some areas in which he is a bit clumsy, I guess, but it seems like when it comes to Gloomy Samurai, it feels like he knows him super well. How his mind and emotion operates, what makes him upset. It’s sweet that he is very eager to support him and feels genuinely bad for him; we’re even shown Lilia himself in his own room being troubled that his online buddy might get depressed over what happened. It’s just so… sweet?? I don’t think Idia had anyone other than Ortho support him like that before. I’ll talk about Lilia in general in a moment though.

One last thing about this vignette is that I wanted to talk about is this little exchange:

<Gloomurai>   

it'd be so cool if we could meet up IRL...

<Muscle Red>  

Oh? Well, if you wish to meet offline, I'd gladly visit whenever you like.

<Gloomurai>   

oh nonononono, i live in a super remote place rn!

<Gloomurai>   

i'd have to take planes, trains, buses, and boats to go p. much anywhere

<Gloomurai>   

meeting up would be a whole THING...

Imagine Idia fucking Shroud not only having a gaming buddy he is excited to talk to, and not only entertaining the idea of meeting said buddy irl, but also EXPRESSING THIS IDEA OUTLOUD? And once again, he is met with enthusiasm, because OF COURSE MC wouldn’t mind hanging out irl! And the moment he gets that response, he pulls back once again, keeping his distance, being anxious and overwhelmed by the possibility of meeting up with MC. It’s incredibly interesting to see Idia acting this way, and once again it shows just how much he doesn’t want to ruin what they have right now. Let’s be honest, it’s not just the fact that he is in NRC; he would’ve easily traveled somewhere if he needed to, they have portals, for fuck’s sake, although not for personal usage. In this convo Idia does what Idia does all the time in their chats: he dares to express interest in MC’s irl affairs, and then gets terrified that MC won’t like it, or MC will answer and somehow this newfound knowledge will ruin something, or that things will get weird: Idia just doesn’t want to risk breaking this balance between them that is super fragile in his eyes.

I love him being so unsure and anxious. I love him being invested and infatuated, but also being so afraid to get hurt. It’s like Lilia is taming him little by little… which isn’t intentional on Lilia’s part lol He’s just hanging out with the guy he likes to hang out with! And the guy is out there falling in love deeper and deeper with every single one of their chat.

But the thing is, this is still not completely one-sided. It’s just that we tend to focus on Idia during these chats, and Idia is really crushing hard on Lilia, but when we’re shown Lilia’s side in his Suitor Suit vignette, we have a little more info on how he feels.

I find it interesting that after Idia’s little rant about how marriage in-game is a stupid mechanic and that it’s such a pain, Lilia changes his mind about asking Idia if he wanted to get married in-game… for unlocking an achievement of course. Which is SUCH A SHAME because Idia would’ve gone full 180 on this topic and would’ve accepted his proposal so fucking hard lol After learning just how much Idia pulls back and rambles, the whole thing really feels like Idia thinking that someone like MC would never ask him for something like this, and how suggesting it himself would’ve been stupid: what if MC thinks that he’s weird or clingy or cringe? So he threw the ball to Lilia’s side of the court so aggressively, that Lilia just figured that Idia hated the idea in general and didn’t want to play with him at all… SUCH A SHAAAME.

But still, it shows that Lilia also doesn’t want to make Gloomy Samurai uncomfortable. Not from the place of extreme shyness, but from the place of loving hanging out with him and not wanting things to become too complicated.

But also!! It’s so interesting to compare the way they act and type. Lilia is so proper with his lack of emoticons, but he is still playful with his comments from time to time. So reliable, so mature, of course Idia’s mental portrait of Muscle Crimson is “older man who may or may not have a family and may or may not be a proper businessmen” lol The boy is talking to someone else’s husband and dad in his head… I also love moments during which Lilia just goes “oh yeah I used to wear armour for work” and Idia just assumes that he’s joking around. I want to see more of their chats ahhh! And I want the big reveal!!

On a personal note (you don’t have to read that part lol), I have my own sentimental reasons to be so into this whole thing. It feels very nostalgic because the whole dynamic, the situations, even the typing style to some degree, it all feels very similar to what we went through ages ago. I won’t point at Lilia and say “he’s just like me for real” because I definitely wasn’t as slick as him at the stupid age of 16, but I did try to have this mature image back then lol But also, just like Lilia, seriously underestimated just how much that antisocial sweetheart I enjoy talking to a lot is into me.

Those early stages of the growing and blossoming relationship, moments of pulling back, showing initiative, trying and being insecure about all those things: I can see it in them, especially in Idia. Since I was technically the Lilia of the situation, I feel such warmth witnessing those early steps in Idia, his crush and his doubts about the whole thing. It’s like… flirting, but not quite? Some other style of flirting that isn’t really noticeable until you really look at it. Since I myself was quite dense back then and, once again, didn’t notice a crush (that I was told about btw) for quite some time, I feel especially sorry for Idia and his pains LOL But also, especially hopeful~

It’s precious. I could’ve written something edgier or sexier but ultimately I feel like it’s very precious, at least to me lol I really love these two. And this is why I’m writing this post today of all days. Very sneaky of me.

Anyways, thank you so much for your question, Anon <3 I love these two a lot.

[beautifulpersonpeach]

Hi BPP hope you are doing great. I’m a jikooker but there’s something that’s been bothering me a little bit and i would like to get ur opinion on it. So after Jimin posted that photo of himself and Jk, i saw some people making comments about Jk’s body language and how he kept his elbow out to keep a distance between him and Jimin. I’ve also seen other instances on original content when Jk’s body language with Jimin was kinda off or negative and the barely looked relaxed around him. When u see him with literally anyone else, he looks really relaxed and does not mind sitting really close to them but with Jimin it looks like sometimes Jk wants to intentionally keep a distance. Now I don’t even for one second believe the nonsense tkkrs and antis spew about Jk hating Jimin. Anybody with eyes can see how much Jk cares for and loves Jimin. So why do you think his body language is like that? And is this something you’ve noticed too? I would really like to hear what you think.

***

Rant incoming.

Hi Anon,

I'm going to make an example of your ask to show something I keep repeating from time to time, which is that the majority of the problems, 'discourse', and source of angst in k-pop spaces, is manufactured by k-pop stans themselves and has almost nothing to do with reality or the members.

One of the biggest tells that something is fan-manufactured BS, is if the narrative is riddled with contradictions, because cognitive dissonance can only take one so far.

For reference, to be sure the whole class is all on the same page, here's the picture Anon is referring to:

*

Anon, let's pick apart your ask a little bit.

"So after Jimin posted that photo of himself and Jk, i saw some people making comments about Jk’s body language and how he kept his elbow out to keep a distance between him and Jimin."

Let's first talk about why you're listening to anybody trying to read body language from one still picture showing two Busan Bros and their backs.

The person most able and likely to fully read Jungkook's body language in this scenario, is Jimin. You know, the person who was beside Jungkook, actually with him in person, when the picture was taken. Not some random internet stranger sitting on their sofa looking at a still, pixelated image of jikook's backs.

Following that logic, if Jungkook was in any way uncomfortable with Jimin or wanted to get away from him in this instance, you'd have to first assume Jimin is inconsiderate, oblivious of Jungkook's feelings, or being something of a troll to JK, to then assume he'd go ahead and force JK to take this picture and then post it (assumed by some people to show JK was uncomfortable with Jimin in this case) on Jungkook's birthday.

Which is the end goal of that narrative. It takes an innocuous picture, and forces an end conclusion by first introducing a harmful assumption but one necessary to reach the end conclusion, in this case that assumption is of Jimin's character. So that's how a picture of Jungkook having his hands clasped in front him and likely holding something, which is obvious from the picture and which easily explains his posture, and shows JK actually leaning into Jimin - an obvious contradiction to the end-claim, then becomes fodder for the narrative of 'JK's body language around Jimin is "kinda off or negative and the barely looked relaxed around him."'

Like, that's a whole bunch of words pulled from the ether that have no bearing or relationship to the actual picture we're all looking at. All of those words came from the imagination of someone else who has nothing to do with jikook, and now I'm sitting here in my hotel room having to explain why it's bullshit.

Actually I didn't have to answer this, normally I'd delete it, but you started off your ask nicely and it's a good one to pick apart.

Because it shows the thing that really gets me about the kind of theories that drive discourse in BTS fan spaces. It's that every time, there's far more accessible and simpler explanations to explain what you're seeing, than anything you get from antis, shippers, rival shippers, akgaes, mantis - the usual suspects for this disease of a hyper-active imagination that for some reason always follows the plotline of a Fernando Gaitán telenovela. It's almost like the members are not treated as real people, but as fodder for drama and sensationalist conspiracy theories for that fan's entertainment, self-fulfillment and actualization.

It's what makes fandom such a self-sustaining system. It's that even when there are no problems or drama, you can count on some fan somewhere who will eagerly create them out of thin air, just to get a reaction from other fans who perhaps subconsciously have the primary motivations of the initial fan: treating the members first and foremost as a means to explore unresolved anxieties, insecurities, and boredom.

Now, this doesn't mean that Jungkook can never be uncomfortable around Jimin or want to keep his distance. We know it's possible because Jungkook is a person, and it's human to sometimes want your own space or to want to not always be in physical proximity with people around you, and that this can happen for a whole bunch of reasons. But what you sent me Anon, is an ask that's about a theory where the source of the theory itself (the picture), contradicts the end-claim of the theory, just to feed an underlying fan narrative that's often found in spaces that don't treat either Jimin or Jungkook as real people. The picture doesn't actually show Jungkook pulling away from Jimin. It shows Jungkook with his hands clasped in front of him, leaning into Jimin so Jimin's arm can get around his shoulder, Jimin standing with an upright posture, and both Jimin and Jungkook looking in the same direction.

The only thing possible to infer from this picture, is that jikook are jikooking.

It's possible this is a reality that makes some people so uncomfortable they'd look for any explanation to take away from that fact, including believing theories that are inherently self-contradictory, but there's no reason you need to play along with that BS. It wastes everybody's time and does nothing but dumb down the conversation in fan spaces.

[running-with-the-feels]

Alright, y'all, I need some help

I'm doing research for the Ainu Hanzo headcanon, specifically regarding the naming customs, and I remembered hearing about a custom to call babies by an impermanent nickname that usually meant something like "little excrement" but I couldn't find a source anywhere to confirm that it was a real custom other than fucking fandom wiki (which is not a reputable source)

I have found a source that confirms this custom exists (Ainu: Spirit of a Northern People, chapter 38) but it does not offer any examples of what those nicknames were.

Every example I have found comes from a source I can't trust bc it's either fandom wiki, has no bibliography, wasn't written by or with an Ainu person, or all three. Of those examples, Shipo, Poyshi, Shion, Ayay, Shontaku and Setashi, I have only seen the first four recur across multiple sites, and Ayay and Shion are the only ones I can confirm are actually words through the book An Ainu-English-Japanese dictionary (including a grammar of the Ainu language) by John Batchelor who is ASTONISHINGLY biased as an author (he has another book that goes into Ainu culture and ways of life, The Ainu and Their Folk-Lore which just reeks of Missionary Colonialism) and he just translates both as Baby

Does anybody know of any sources that discuss Ainu naming customs, specifically baby names, in detail?

Or any dictionaries that translate the word Excrement bc the dictionary I have doesn't translate it or any of it's synonyms (I have Checked) other than Dung which it translates as Osoma, which isn't any of the options I've seen before so I have no idea if it can be used in this context or not?

[frameacloud]

A Simple Introduction to Otherkin and Therianthropes

“A Simple Introduction to Otherkin and Therianthropes,” by Orion Scribner.  Version 2.4.6, updated February 11, 2023.  (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

    This short piece of writing is for anyone to start learning about us therianthropes and otherkin.  The piece uses only common words and simple sentences.  Readers can put it into other languages more easily.^1  The statistics come from surveys that had a sample size greater than one hundred people.  The endnotes and references give the origins of all the information.

     Some real people are therianthropes and otherkin.  We say that we are something other than human.  For example, one of us who says, “I am a wolf.”  The most common sorts of creatures for us to be are wolves, elves, and dragons.  This is always an important part of who we are.^2  These are not characters we invented for play in a game.^3  It is not something we do simply for amusement.^4  It is a real part of us.  It is an experience that we have without trying.^5  It is also an identity, because it is what we are.^6

     Most of us sometimes have thoughts and feelings that are more similar to our animal side.^7  Some of us have thoughts and feelings that we are part animal all the time.^8  78% of us have instincts that most people do not have.^9  For example, the desire to use body language similar to what our sort of creature uses.  We choose what we do with our instincts.  We are responsible for what we do, the same as anyone else.  Instincts are not an excuse for doing bad things.^10  We know that our bodies never change form.  No one can change their body into an animal form.  No one has magic powers that go against the laws of physics.^11

     We each make our own discovery of how and why we are therianthropes or otherkin.  Nobody is able to do that for someone else.  Only you can know who you are.^12  Many of us knew that we were other than human before we had heard of anybody else who did.^13

     Here is how our communities started.  In 1990, a group made the word “otherkin” for themselves.  It comes from the words “other kinds.”^14  In 1994, another community took up the word “therianthrope” for themselves.  It means “animal person.”^15  The two communities came to have knowledge of each other later, in about 1996.^16  The oldest similar groups have put out writings since 1973.^17

     Usually, therianthropes are animals, whereas otherkin are creatures from mythology.  This is not a rule.  Many therianthropes are creatures from mythology.^18  33.4% of otherkin say they are beings from fiction.^19

     What do we look like?  Other people only know that we are otherkin or therianthropes if we say that we are.  We are women, men, and others.^20  We are young and old.^21  We come from many nations and ethnic groups.^22  We know that we look human.  All living people in the world who look human are members of the only living species of human.^23  We have complicated opinions about using the words “human” or “not human” for ourselves.^24  Fewer than 4% of us have unusual sorts of body modifications.^25  What we own or wear does not make us therianthropes and otherkin.  We enjoy getting things that look like our sort of creature, though.^26

     Many of us see our experiences as therianthropes and otherkin as spiritual.  Many of us say our spirits are of a different sort of creature.^27  However, some of us believe that our spirits are the same as anyone’s.^28  Some of us do not believe in spirits.^29  44% of us say we were a different sort of creature in a past life.^30  However, some of us have no memories of past lives, or do not believe in past lives.^31  Some of us prefer explanations that come from psychology instead of spirituality.^32

     Therianthropes and otherkin are not a religion.^33  We have whichever religion we each desire. Many of us are members of Christianity, Judaism, Paganism, Buddhism, or other religions.^34  Some of us have no religion.^35  There are no leaders of the therianthrope or otherkin communities.^36

     We go about our lives in the same ways as other people do.^37  Our experiences as otherkin and therianthropes give us ideas for important choices we make in our lives.  For example, in our education and the work we do for a living.^38  We find people who love us for who we are.^39  Therianthropes and otherkin are neither better nor worse than other people.^40

     Mental health professionals say that being a therianthrope or otherkin is not a mental illness.^41  Many of us have normal mental health.^42  The same as in any group of people, some of us have mental illnesses or disabilities.^43  Neither good nor bad health is necessary for us to be otherkin or therianthropes.

     In short, otherkin and therianthropes are real people for whom being other than human is always a part of who they are.  Our communities have been in existence for tens of years.  Many sorts of people are therianthropes and otherkin.  Each of us has our own ideas of how and why we are this way.  Some of our explanations for this come from spirituality or psychology.  We are not a religion, an illness, a look, or a game.

     About the writer: Orion Scribner is a dragon otherkin.  More than ten years ago, they wrote a history book about the otherkin and therianthrope communities, the Otherkin Timeline.

     (The main version of the “Simple Introduction” is seven pages long.  I created this shorter version of that post so that it is easier to reblog.  In this version, please click “keep reading.” Then you will see the next four pages of endnotes and references.  I cited many sources.)

Endnotes

1.  This piece of writing is in Simple English.  It is not obedient to all the rules of Basic English.  All the words in here are common enough to be in a small dictionary.  Other than the words “therianthropes” and “otherkin,” anyway.

2.  These are simpler words for part of the best definition of “therianthropes.”  Sonne wrote it in “Terms and definitions.”  It is also true about otherkin.

3.  These say it is not an invented character: Baker-Whitelaw, Golden Spirit, Jakkal (“Therianthropy…”), Lupa (pp. 27, 108-109).

4.  See Katmandu and Tiernan.

5.  Mokele first gave a definition of “therianthropes” saying it is an experience.  This is also true of otherkin.

6.  See Citrakayah and Baxil.

7.  See Baker-Whitelaw and Jakkal (“Therianthropy…”).

8.  See Sonne.

9.  These statistics come from a survey by Shepard (“Abnormal instincts”).  Therianthropes, otherkin, and similar sorts of people took the survey.

10.  See Jakkal (“Introduction…”), Katmandu, and Lupa (p. 234, 249-250).  A survey by Shepard has proof (“Abnormal instincts,” pp. 24-25).

11.  See Clegg (p. 404) and Golden Spirit.

12.  Most introductions to otherkin and therianthropes say this.  About otherkin, see the Crisses, Golden Spirit, and Tiernan.  About therianthropes, see Jakkal (“Introduction…​​”) and Katmandu.  See also Lupa (pp. 243-245).

13.  For more information about this part of self discovery, see Baker-Whitelaw, Katmandu, Kusani, and Tiernan.

14.  For more, read my history book, the Otherkin Timeline.  For information about the origin of this word, see Arethinn.

15.  See the book by House of Chimeras.

16.  From House of Chimeras (pp. 14, 27).

17.  For more information about earlier groups, see my Otherkin Timeline.

18.  For proof from community history that therianthropes are not only animals, see Daski.

19.  The statistic comes from a survey by Shepard (“2021 Nonhumanity…”, raw data).

20.  Some surveys find that more of us are women than men.  All surveys find some others who are not simply men or women.

21.  Usually, surveys find most of us in our teens and twenties.  For one example, we see this in survey results by Clegg (p. 407-408).  Year after year, this happens in our surveys.  Older people have been in our communities for many years.  Younger people have a greater tendency to take the surveys.

22.  As Proctor says, surveys find that we live “on all continents … except Antarctica'' (pp. 72-73).  For statistics on which ethnic groups are common among us, see Dinocanid.

23.  For an explanation of how scientists know this, see Gould (pp. 322-322).  Understanding this fact is important for stopping racism and false science.  See Gould (pp. 24-25, 113-145).

24.  About those complicated feelings, see the writings by Ilrak, Kin Speak, and Proctor (pp. 8, 108, 361).

25.  The statistic come from a survey by Shepard (“2021 Nonhumanity…,” p. 12).

26.  See Baker-Whitelaw.

27.  Nearly all introductions to therianthropes and otherkin talk about how we have the belief that our spirits are not human.  For example, see the Crisses, Jakkal (“Therianthropy…”), and Lupa (p. 27).

28.  See the writings about this by a therianthrope named Kusani, and an otherkin named Tiernan.

29.  See Citrakayah.

30.  The statistic comes from Lupa’s survey of otherkin, therianthropes, and similar people (p. 287).  Nearly all introductions to therianthropes or otherkin say that many have the belief that they were other than human in a past life.  See Akhila, Baxil, the Crisses, Golden Spirit, and Lupa (pp. 57-66).

31.  See the Crisses and Kefira.

32.  See Akhila and Lupa (pp. 80-86).

33.  One of the few things that our communities are in agreement about is that we are not a religion.  See Golden Spirit, Lupa (p. 30), and Proctor (pp. 94-95).

34.  About how we each have religions as we desire, see Lupa (pp. 30-31, 211-214).  About otherkin who say this, see Baxil and Golden Spirit.  About therianthropes who say this, see Citrakayah.

35.  See Kefira.

36. See Baxil and Proctor (p. 94).

37.  See Akhila, Baker-Whitelaw, Golden Spirit, Ilrak, and Lupa (p. 37).

38.  See Lupa (p. 240).

39.  See the Polyrhythms.

40.  Therianthropes say this.  For example, see the writings by Akhila and Katmandu. Otherkin say this, too.  See Baker-Whitelaw, Baxil, and Golden Spirit.

41.  For examples of mental health professionals giving us this advice, see Baker-Whitelaw and Lupa (pp. 86, 261-262).

42.  See Akhila, Baxil, and Lupa (pp. 85-86).

43.  See Akhila and Lupa (p. 259).

References

Akhila. “‘Different’ isn’t ‘insane.’” Thébaïde. September 2005. Accessed September 9, 2022. https://akhila.feralscribes.org/2005/different-isnt-insane/ Archived October 16, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211016202558/https://akhila.feralscribes.org/2005/different-isnt-insane/

Baker-Whitelaw, Gavia. “Understanding the otherkin.” The Kernel. February 22, 2015. Archived March 18, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150318110839/http://kernelmag.dailydot.com/issue-sections/features-issue-sections/11866/otherkin-tumblr-definition-pronouns/

Baxil. “The Draconity FAQ.” Tomorrowlands. 1998. Accessed November 14, 2022. http://www.tomorrowlands.org/draconity/faq/index.html

Citrakāyaḥ. “A skeptic’s guide to therianthropy.” Spirit of the Wind. No date, before February 20, 2015. Accessed December 4, 2022. https://citrakayah.ucoz.org/index/a_skeptic_39_s_guide_to_therianthropy/0-40 Archived February 20, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150220005108/https://citrakayah.ucoz.org/index/a_skeptic_39_s_guide_to_therianthropy/0-40

Clegg, H., Collings, R., and Roxburgh, E. C.. “Therianthropy: Wellbeing, Schizotypy, and Autism in Individuals Who Self-Identify as Non-Human.” Society and Animals, 27(4), 2019, pp. 403-426. doi: https://doi.org/10.1163/15685306-12341540

Crisses, the, ed., “Otherkin FAQ v 4.0.1.” February 8, 2001. Accessed September 5, 2022. http://kinhost.org/res/Otherfaq.php Archived September 27, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210927165832/https://kinhost.org/res/Otherfaq.php

Daski. “Therian: Dispelling the Earthen Animal Myth.” The River System. August 17, 2022. Accessed September 5, 2022. https://theriversystem.neocities.org/essays/EarthenMyth.html Archived August 17, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220817021646/https://theriversystem.neocities.org/essays/EarthenMyth.html

Dinocanid. “POC survey results!” Dino’s Corner. August 24, 2021. Accessed December 4, 2022. https://dinocanid.tumblr.com/post/660444385413087232/

Golden Spirit and MistWolf. “FAQ Otherkin Hispano & Noctalium.” Otherkin Hispano. No date. Accessed September 5, 2022. https://otherkin-hispano.foroactivo.com/t108-faq-otherkin-hispano-noctalium Archived September 5, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220905022917/https://otherkin-hispano.foroactivo.com/t108-faq-otherkin-hispano-noctalium

Gould, Stephen Jay. The Mismeasure of Man. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1981. https://www.worldcat.org/title/964237978

House of Chimeras. A Timeline of the Therianthrope Community. November 19, 2021. Accessed February 2, 2023. https://houseofchimeras.neocities.org/Nonfiction-Articles 

Ilrak. “Triple consciousness.” Radiant Obscurities. April 2021. Accessed November 13, 2022. https://obscurities.sonverrid.org/2021/05/06/triple-consciousness/

Jakkal. “Introduction to the Newbie’s Guide.” Shifters.org. October 6, 2001. Archived October 28, 2002. https://web.archive.org/web/20021028114201/http://www.shifters.org/newbies/introduction.asp

Jakkal. “Therianthropy- an overview." Shifters.org. October 6, 2001. Archived November 10, 2002. https://web.archive.org/web/20021101165313/http://www.shifters.org/overview/therianthropy.asp

Katmandu. “Insta-weres, Part I & II.” Shifters. No date, about 1999. Archived March 5, 2001. https://web.archive.org/web/20010305233827/http://www.shifters.org:80/newbies/katmandu1.shtml

Kefira. “Life and religion.” Thébaïde. December 2004. Accessed September 7, 2022. https://akhila.feralscribes.org/2004/life-and-religion/ Archived September 18, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210918064554/https://akhila.feralscribes.org/2004/life-and-religion/

Kin Speak. “Non-human.” Kin Speak. October 30, 2011. Accessed November 14, 2022. https://kinspeak.tumblr.com/post/12122639053/non-human Archived December 14, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181214163147/https://kinspeak.tumblr.com/post/12122639053/non-human

Kusani. “Soulskins.” Thébaïde. January 2007. https://akhila.feralscribes.org/2007/soulskins/ Archived February 20, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150220035229/https://akhila.feralscribes.org/2007/soulskins/

Lupa. A Field Guide to Otherkin. Stafford, England: Immanion Press, 2007. https://www.worldcat.org/title/137242792

Mokele. “The Experiential Nature of Therianthropy.” The Jungle. No date, about 2004. Archived February 19, 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20050219234157/http://www.therianthropy.org/mokele/essays/exp.htm

Polyrhythms, the. “Loving someone with all your soul: Having an otherkin significant other.” Otherkin Alliance. No date, about 2012. Archived November 29, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121129104209/http://main.otherkinalliance.org/articles/general-otherkin/loving-someone-with-all-your-soul-having-an-otherkin-significant-other/

Proctor, Devin. On Being Non-Human: Otherkin Identification and Virtual Space. The George Washington University. May 2019. https://search.proquest.com/openview/e156c24bf65c4efb0918a8db37433cce/

Scribner, Orion. Otherkin Timeline. Updated September 8, 2012. https://frameacloud.com/nonfiction/

Shepard, Page. “The 2021 Nonhumanity and Body Modification/Decoration Survey Results Breakdown.” Three Dragons and a Dog. August 28, 2021. Accessed December 4, 2022. https://invisibleotherkin.neocities.org/files/BodyModification-DecorationSurveyResults.pdf

Shepard, Page. “Abnormal Instincts: Statistics and Solutions (18+ Panel).” Three Dragons and a Dog. August 9, 2022. Accessed December 4, 2022. https://invisibleotherkin.neocities.org/Lectures.html

Sonne. “Terms and definitions.” Project Shift. Written 2008. Updated 2021. Accessed September 15, 2022. https://projectshift.therianthropy.info/terms-definitions-by-sonne/

Tiernan. “From the heart out.” Otherkin.net: Harmony and Discord. October 8, 2002. Archived November 2, 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20041102205227/http://www.otherkin.net/articles/heartOut.html

[goaliegossip]

tl;dr of the petey/miller “situation” is that historically they haven’t exactly gotten along (they’ve both publicly spoken about how they are very different in terms of personality and interests, and that they’ve had to work on their relationship over the years) and this season there have been these consistent droplets in the media of info/rumours suggesting things might have taken a downward turn for them after being chill last year 😭 off the top of my head:

- they had a scuffle/fight at a practice and reporters heard miller allegedly calling petey a “baby”

- biz on spittinchiclets was contemplating a miller trade awhile ago, citing that he and pettersson didn’t get along (he’s not an insider insider so i wouldn’t put too much into the trade talk from him, but he does tend to have his pulse on stuff like player dynamics)

- when miller went on his leave of absence patik allvin had a quote (in an unplanned “interview” w a travelling reporter, for the context — it wasn’t a press conference where he was prepared with comments) basically saying he thought miller would come back a better player/teammate. imo i don’t think it’s fair to look too deeply into a one-off quote from a guy speaking in his second language but hockey fans will do what hockey fans do (read into things).

- when miller was coming back, elliotte friedman said that when he returned to the locker room he was going to have to “bend,” but the other players would also have to bend, in order for everybody’s strengths to be able to coexist.

- petey has had 0 points in the 5 game since miller has come back (after having 15 pts in the 10 games he was absent) and miller hasn’t been that much better, which has fueled speculation/conversation further.

- for the last 3 games, they’ve been on separate power play units, and while sometimes teams divide up their normal first unit to try to create 2 completely balanced power plays, it’s solely petey/miller who have been swapping between pp1 and pp2. (although in 2 of those 3 games, the lotto line — miller, pettersson, and boeser — was put out for a shift, so it’s not like they’ve been completely incapable of playing together lol)

- there have been other various media personalities (reporters, bruce boudreau, etc.) who have essentially repeated “yeah they don’t get along great” in the last week or so, which has added nothing of note to the conversation but has kept the stream of discussion going.

ultimately there are a lot of reasons to explain why a lot these things are probably happening (petey played a lot more with quinn when miller was gone, for example, which is likely the real reason his production was so much better). the reason it’s such a big “story” is because there is admittedly a less than stellar history between them and both of them are currently underperforming offensively, so the chronically online canucks twitter users have run away with that and decided it’s all connected (and our media doesn’t exactly help). imo their relationship probably lies somewhere between what they’ve said publicly (where it doesn’t sound like a huge deal) and what twitter/the media are trying to make it out to be (where you’d think they’re one bad game away from fighting at centre ice), and if the team was playing better than they are then barely anybody would be talking about it lol. where there’s smoke there’s usually fire, so who knows how this ends, but while their dynamic has been less than ideal for years i’d still be surprised if the solution was a trade instead of “you’re both adults please just figure out how to coexist” 😭

anyway that was long i’m sorry

^^ thank you!

[uraandri]

you may have seen me clowning on some ''new'' serbian words that were ''invented'' several days ago and i've been doing it in serbian so i thought i might explain all of this in english. i just need to say that this isn't the serbian goverment or any other governing body over serbian language inventing new words, this was a competition lead by the serbian diaspora that anybody who speaks the language could participate in. more under the cut cause this is gonna be long

ok so the whole situation started when mala biblioteka, a serbian library from london, decided to hold a competition for the most beautiful new serbian word; the idea was to invent new words which would replace loan words, primarily from the english language as a way to preserve the serbian language, and also to rejuvenate it by just inventing completely new words. the rules set for this competition were: 1. the word must not be recorded in any serbian dictionary; 2. it can bear resemblance to words in other slavic languages; 3. it cannot be used to replace an already existing serbian word or any other loan word that is already widely accepted. i need you to understand, as i will show you, that most of these words, in some way, break the last criteria. i also need you to understand that they wrote ''widely accepted (adjusted)'' loan words. now, idk about other languages, but the serbian grammar clearly states that the words put in brackets can replace the words that come before the brackets in an equal manner. however, no matter what language, we can all agree that accepted and adjusted do not mean the same thing. it's also a stupid thing to write given that the word šrafciger (screw driver) is a widely accepted german loan word that wasn't adjusted to fit the serbian language like, at all. if you were to pronounce it with a german accent, it would sound very similar to the german word for screw driver. because we pretty much only changed the spelling. and that's just one example of idk, several hundread other words that do the same thing? we have loan words from like 15 other languages at least but people usually only have a problem with the english loan words that entered the lexicon in the last 70 or so years. sometimes it's for a good reason and i won't get into that here but i can assure you that most of the words in this competition were not a part of that problem. i'm gonna focus only on the third rule cause checking to see if any of these really weren't recorded in some serbian dictionary is impossible, at least for me, but we'll assume that all of these are, in fact, completely new words.

also these people got money for clowning this hard. first prize was 600 euros, second 400, and third 200 euros.

let's start with the first prize: duhoklonuće as a replacement for the word depresija (depression). now. this words breaks the third rule pretty clearly as depression is: 1. a medical term denoting an illness and 2. pretty fucking widely used and accepted. not only that but the word duhoklonuće combines the words duh (spirit) and klonuće (languishing, lack of vitality). the person who submitted it (thus the person who won 600 fucking euros) explained that this word better explaines the core of the illness itself - depression, as for them it's just a lack of vitality of the spirit. if that doesn't tell you what the state of mental health is in serbia, idk what does. it's pretty fucking bleak.

prize number 2: prohujak, form the verb prohujati (to pass or blow by), to replace the word flešbek (flash back). the logic was that flash back means a moment that has already passed but has a sudden reemergance in a person's consciousness so prohujak would be an adequate replacement. it's not because the word only denotes the passing by part of the definition, and not the reemerging part but i don't think these clowns care all that much. it doesn't brake the third requirement but like. is it worth it? no.

prize number 3: prikačica. this one pisses me off to no end because the already existing serbian word it replaces is so wide spread that you kinda have to be brain dead not to know about it. it's supposed to replace the word atačment (attachment), which is often used to denote the, well, attachment you send in an email. except, there already is an exsisting serbian word, widely used not only in the email context, and that word is prilog. when you use google translate to translate the word prilog from serbian to english, do you know which word you get? that's right, attachment. fuck's sake people. prilog means something that goes with something else. it can mean an adverb, a side dish, a contribution, whatever the fuck you want, including the attacment you attach when sending an email. dumb cunts

okay, for all other words, all equaly idiotic with some exceptions, i'll put what words they were deduced from in the brackets in english directly, otherwise we will be here all day, then what they are supposed to replace and then how they fail at that task. not all of these break the third rule but that's just because we use a fraze and not a single word to express what the new word is trying to express. sounds complicated but here:

zascenak (compound; behind the scenes) - instead of bekstejdž (back stage); you could just use the fraze iza kulisa (behind the curtains/stage); also scena (scene) is another loan word from english. great job guys

beznemož (compound; without can't) - instead of mast hev (must have); you could just say nužnost or neophodnost (necessity) or idk any other way the serbian language expresses necessity, which all depend on the context

zasutravanje (compound; for tomorrow) - instead of prokrastinacija (procrastination); again, odugovlačenje exists and is translated as procrastination, stalling, protraction

opazica (from to notice) - instead of komentar (comment); idk when opaska (remark, comment, thought) stopped existing but apparently it did. notice how simmilar they look? yeah, that's because they come from the same fucking verb

uzrenje (???? no clue) - instead of introspekcija (introspection); some people would say samoposmatranje (self observation) but introspection is different from self observation, but then you could just say unutrašnje posmatranje (internal observation). which is what we already do. these are all well established terms in serbian language, especially in serbian scientific literature

saplačnik (compund; with one who cries) - this one gets 10 points for not replacing a loan word and for trying to denote something which i don't think has it's own word or fraze; it means one who cries with you but it loses 100 points because part of the explanation is "someone willing to shoulder a portion of your sorrow". so rame za plakanje (shoulder to cry on). the whole fraze could be a loan from english but even if it was. why are you complicating it? it's already widely accepted. try calling somebody your saplačnik. just try it.

hladovinarenje (to bask in shade) - not replacing anything foreign but it does replace the already serbian word hladovati which also means to bask in the shade. most people use it to mean being lazy. why do you think it has the second meaning. could it be from the first? you tell me

samosnaći se (self manage (to get to a solution)) - instead of improvizovati (to improvize); what happened to snaći se (to manage/find a solution)? it means the same fucking thing.

umosklop (compound; mind composition) - instead of majndset (mind set); you could use stav (attitude) or even način razmišljanja (way of thinking)

neželjak (from unwanted) - instead of spam (spam); when you open your email, depending on which one you use, the spam folder could be labeled neželjena pošta (unwanted mail)

beztebnost (compound; without you) - it's supposed to mean "a state without that one person"; the author of the words is assuring us it isn't the same as missing someone (nedostajanje) as that reffers to a feeling and this word reffers to a state. i cannot think of any contexts this word would be usefull in unless you wanna start using it as you would nejebica (state of not having enough sex or not having sex at all). either way it's stupid but as far as i know it does not break any of the rules of the competition

letež (from flying) - instead of džet leg (jet lag); eh, fair enough. doesn't really convey the feeling imo but it could catch on

obesuštiniti (compound; without a purpose/point/raison d'etre) - живот и прикљученија ass word. sounds like it came from before vuk stefanović karadžić overhauled the serbian language. what it says on the tin. it works i guess? it just sounds very archaic

prikuma (compound; next to godfather) - to denote a godfather's girlfriend. she's not a kuma because they are not married so she's just kum(godfather)'s girlfriend. follows the rules but you could just say kumova devojka (godfather's girlfriend)

sebić (from self) - instead of selfi (selfie). sounds similar to jebić (little fuck). no.

zrčak - (from zrcalo? mirror?) - instead of miror selfi (mirror selfie); umm. if you were to say it outloud i would assume you were trying to say cvrčak (cricket). makes no sense. good for a tounge twister. try saying that three times fast

uticajac/uticajka (from influence) - instead of influenser (influenser). sounds way to crindge, but it follows the rules.

podatika/podatičar (from data) - instead of data science/scientist? nauka o podacima (data science) and programer podataka (data scientist) exist and are used

smućak (from to mix something together) - this is an already existing word. why is it here. you wanna replace mikšejk (milk shake), i get it. but that's not by the rules babe, you're just extending the usage of an already existing word

susramlje (compound; self shame) - instead of krindž (cringe); gnar (cringe) exists, vukajlija even recorded a definition for it 12 years ago

otkazniti (compound; out punishment) - to end a punisment. do we need a word for this? if you say it out loud i am branding you as illiterate.

sviđ/nesviđ (from like/ not like) - instead of lajk/dislajk (like/dislike); i use instagram and it's set to serbian cyrilic. do you know what it says instead of like and dislike? sviđanje (like) and nesviđanje (dislike)

večnutak (from eternity) - a moment or a person you will always remember. again, same as otkazniti, you are illiterate in my eyes

premisliti (compound; over thinking) - instead of overtinkovati (to overthink); way too similar to premišljati se (to rethink, change your mind, be unsure), phoneticaly at least. it could work. maybe

rakotvoran (compound; make cancer) - instead of kancerogen (carcinogenic); kancerogen is a scientific term and it's widely accepted. why are so many people pressed about scientific terms?

raskovničar (compound; brake something? not sure what it's supposed to be really) - to use as a name for a password breaker; dešifrant (decipherer/decoder) exists and it's widely accepted.

those are all the words. i think. i don't know how to end this rant. if you have any questions or remarks (or opazice as these idiots would put it) let me know and i will answer to the best of my abilities.

[bharv]

how do you power through (or otherwise navigate) periods of self consciousness specifically about certain aspects of your writing? example: i get hung up on my "voice" quite a lot -- the feedback i've always received on it has been positive; that it is very distinct and engaging/entertaining/enjoyable to read, and i do pride myself on that, but i also worry that it has the potential to come off as particularly glib or flippant. i have confidence in my content; my characters, my ideas and themes, but i fear the tone that i present them in can be at odds with the more serious stories i want to tell, to the point where it really stymies my writing. i have detailed outlines and rough drafts aplenty, but i'm struggling with stitching everything together and pressing my seams flat so i can hem and add all the other finishing touches. i know i should just bang it all out and then worry about it (and potentially fix it if need be) later, but it's doing my head in to be firing on all other cylinders bar this one.

(and TIA, i appreciate you taking the time to share your knowledge!)

Hello anon! Thank YOU for this brilliant question!

It's really interesting, I think, to have this sort of perceived contrast. I used to direct comedy and it was not an insubstantial part of my income, but if you'd ever asked me to write comedy, I would not even know where to start. I knew the rhythms of a good joke, I knew the technicality of set up and release, and I could take a position that was a step away from the comic and their need to get the laugh at any cost, and I could get an hour of comedy to have an additional seam of travel that could, in theory, elevate it.

But then on the other hand, sometimes you just want to hear a really fucking good joke.

You say the feedback you've had is good. That your voice is distinct and keeps people engaged. Has anybody told you that it's glib? Is this an internal criticism rather than an external one? If it's something you want to challenge, have you tried mixing up your process a little? Perhaps starting without the outline, but starting with an exploration in the language? What does your writing look like if you start with a concept and concentrate of the words first? Does it bring out a difference to you?

On the other hand, especially if this is hobby writing... does it matter if your readers don't dislike it? Perhaps there's something quite fun and enjoyable about a serious subject through a comedic lens - the Locked Tomb books as a very popular example certainly doesn't flinch from being very clever about it!

I realise I'm giving a lot of... hands, here... but at the heart of the question is something you've asked about self-consciousness. There's two ways to deal with that. One is through exploration and challenge, and the other is. The opposite. You started this ask with how do I power through periods of self consciousness and the honest answer is that, these days, I really do just say "NOPE" and keep writing. Especially for fan works. There are things I am not so good at (I am woefully earnest, I think, and struggle as I said with humour and fluff and lightness) and there are things I am better at, and I am here primarily to have fun, so I will do the things I like and occasionally use fic to try out a new technique, and I will let it fail if I need to. If I'm feeling bad at something, I'll spend a little time doing something I'm better at. If I'm feeling bad at everything, I will go back to old comments or old fic that people loved - quite often it's not as "good" as I remember it, and people still loved it, so why don't I give myself a break?

It sounds to me like you're doing a great job, actually, and are beating yourself up over something that might well be a feature, not a bug. And if you do want to try and expand, perhaps look at some writing exercises that put language first and see if they influence how you look at the scene setting of your work. Perhaps you might even discover how much you don't like working that way, and find a new appreciation for what sounds like a very rounded and developed technique to me.

Thanks again for the ask, and I hope some of that ramble was useful :)

[jbk405]

Despite losing my weekend and everything else, I was able to read The Reckoning of Roku over the past few days. I was a little hesitant getting into this one, because it has a different author than the previous “Chronicles of the Avatar” book and I have trouble imagining anybody living up to F.C. Yee.

It’s not bad and much better than I feared it would it be, but unfortunately its concept is better than its execution.

Two glaring problems struck me throughout its run and really “pulled me out”. The first was the political and economic terminology used throughout the book, which doesn’t fit the Avatar world and their normal manner of speaking. It’s all CORRECT, but not how they would say it. For example, Gyatso describes hired soldiers working for an evil company as “cogs in the machine” — i.e. not the people who bear ultimate responsibility — but that saying is so out of place in a world without either an industrial revolution or an economic revolution that shifted the power away from the landed nobility to corporations. In a different conversation he calls Roku’s family and the rest of the nobility “the oppressors”, and again he’s not wrong, but it’s not a criticism that makes sense in a world where feudalism is omnipresent in all nations.

I saw a great post here on tumblr a few weeks ago that I apparently didn’t reblog (At least I couldn’t find it when scrolling back through my blog) about how historical figures may have believed and argued and fought for the same things we do, but their entire language for how they ARTICULATED those thoughts was forged by the society and time and language they lived in. Kyoshi and Yangchen dealt with corruption and poverty and exploitive business practices as well, but it was presented through the lens of this world. Gyatso could have made all the same points, but in a way that made sense for his character.

The second problem for me was the idea that Sozin has always been Evil. That completely removes the tragedy of him being corrupted by power and turning on his oldest friend. The book does make it clear that Sozin views Roku as a “real” friend, so it’s not like he’s been planning to manipulate Roku since childhood. But at 16 he’s already comfortable staging a fake attack to maneuver Roku into his desired plan of action, and at the end he literally KILLS someone out of a prediction that this person may someday turn against him (He's correct in that prediction, but that's not the point).

With a controlling, domineering father on one hand, and a genuine friendship with the Avatar on the other, Sozin's character should have been "This person had the potential to be Zuko, and isn't it tragic that without an Uncle Iroh to save him he fell down the path of darkness". Instead he's already committed to self-aggrandizement, and in turn this makes Roku look like a fool for never catching on. I don't blame him for not understanding right now, he's still young and trusting, but even adult Roku never caught on to what kind of person Sozin was until he literally had already launched an invasion of the Earth Kingdom. He didn't even understand beforehand when Sozin flat-out told him what his plans were. And it's understandable if this happened gradually over the decades they spent apart, but this guy's Full Sith starting before he's 20.

It's still an overall enjoyable read, and I'll buy The Awakening of Roku when it's available, but unless this gets better on re-read it's on a lower level than the preceding books.

[importantdestinydefendor]

Some interesting differences I found

While writing Firelight AU I always have the manga open in a seperate tap since there are some canon scenes I have to describe. I do own the manga myself - but in German. So it is always interesting to see the translation choises in the different languages that have been made.

For example:

In chapter 29, Narsus says "I find that whenever our paths cross, I wind up staying far from human decency. It's rather troubling to me." to Hilmes. In german he says: "Finding you in such a remote area that is what worries me!" (original: "Dich in so einer abgelegenen Gegend anzutreffen, das ist es, was mich bekümmert!")

Like - these two translation of the same scene/dialouge in different languages conveys two complitely different feeling and messages! In English, he is more talking about himself and the unpleasantness he feels while in Hilmes presence. As in German, he talks about Hilmes - very disrespectfuly even - and sarcastically being worried about him (as in response to the same sarcastic tone Hilmes talks to him (Narsus actually starts first with the mocking in german as he says "Honored" Lord Silver Mask ("Verehrter" Lord Silbermaske). Narsus is such a little shit, I can't-)).

Does anybody know what he says in japanese originally? I want to see the original context and what Hilmes actually says to him.

Feel free to add more if you read in any other language other than English.

[dirtyoldmanhole]

YRMR cover progress for the curious!

before drawing, there were a few things i knew that the cover had to have/show:

critically, had to have vibes of an enemies-to-lovers dynamic in the sense of ... the power tilt? even though that's not "technically" the true nature of their dynamic. gunter's not a nice guy in this fic, even aside from the possession, and i also didn't want anybody to run into this unsuspecting the darker parts to the fic. him more looming/threatening than you'd expect in base game, etc.

wanted to emulate kozaki's style through the whole cover in line qualitty, coloring, and composition. thankfully he gives a few tips over on his twitter. it's both a neat little nod at the source material, and also as a style experiment.

a big theme in this fic is gunter being made of so many masks/shells (there's a perfect blue cover, see below, that specifically made me think this composition could work.)

learning that kozaki hews pretty close to grids + the golden ratio was another big lightbulb moment, here's a drawing yoinked from his twitter where he shows it himself.

after scraping/studying from kozaki's twitter, i made one or two thumbnail doodles below. you can see the solid one had a golden ratio + general line dynamic check squiggled to the side. there's room for the title, the focus is on corrin, it'll work both in a horizontal and vertical crop, looking good so far.

you can see how pretty tightly to the thumbnail i kept, other than moving the vertical text to the top since i didn't have as much room there. i'm a little worried about the different line quality between how big the face is vs corrin but we'll see.

something i also realized i like about the composition is corrin "could" look like she's attacking the viewer, but she also looks like she could be guarding him with her back to him, which.... heh. comes up in some interesting ways in the last third of the fic (possession wise).

bunch of cleaning up.

as I suspected since this is 11x17in (much bigger than what i normally draw) i had to grab a different brush for gunter since thin lines were not going to work as they did for corrin. i think kozaki's real genius is how he treats texture with his linework; where he does thin lines, where he puts the thick ones, etc.

corrin's coming along great but there's a spirit to the first face on the left i think i'm missing now, so i'll probably re-insert that. (also decided to at least draw in his face there even though the masks/slices will distort that). i think what also helps is gunter's face is very low contrast and needs to remain low contrast, to help corrin pop out in front.

then i started thinking about typography. a lot of the fonts i had were either way too masculine/bland/modern, or way too feminine/curvy. this title needs a hint of masculinity to nod at FE's general action-adventure RPG roots, but it's also very distinctly the kind of erotica that doesn't easily lend itself to a genre. it's tender horror, it's daddy kink, it's vicious romance, it's ... a lot of things.

here's another thing: when thinking about title typography, another consideration is genre. briefly i considered something like lovecraftian covers; my doujin circle and i had been sharing pictures of old pulp covers. i also noticed a lot of my favorite JP erotic horror doujin have very spiky titles. this title also needs to be scrunched up in a tight space so it's not like we got a sprawl of acreage here either.

what doesn't help is enemies to lovers doesn't really have a visual language in mainstream media.

it's a staple of Ao3 (written) genres, but the closest you'd get otherwise would be romantic horror (kind of says a lot about who makes what huh?). for example, the shape of water (movie) isn't a 1:1, but it's pretty damn close -- unfortunately that poster dodged the question by using an art deco-inspired font typeface that was more about the setting than the genre.

and then i had an epiphany. maybe i was approaching this from the wrong direction: it's the knight/liege romance that's the heartbeat to YRMR.

think more old dragonlance novels. old medieval/fantasy pulp novels; plenty of kinky sex and ass in there, and still close enough to FE. remember everyone and their mamma having a bi ass crush for bad boy raistlin? that's the vibe i want.

this kind of glorious deranged shit. you're not gonna be surprised at possessed grandpa whip kink if you read these on the regular.

after ~*arcane designer magic*~ (I do this for a living) bolton and magiona display were the two fonts that were gonna work just fine together.

god that looks so much better. this looks believable now.

the thin/thick line weight contrast in magiona display is going to accentuate the lineart in a way that might be tricky with other fonts that work better on painted covers. bolton's "squished" vertically enough it doesn't compete with the other one, and makes for a good secondary/tertiary font.

few other things happened.

i shrunk gunter's face because not being able to see his jawline (sex appeal u see) was bothering me from a composition standpoint. it's the same reason frank frazetta didn't censor his glorious asses.

(said seriously, by the way. so many people don't give their lust in art enough credit.)

i also needed more room for the title to show, and the line quality/scale difference between his face was also bugging me. does this mess up the golden ratio composition? sure, temporarily, but his armor's weirdly flexible that we can adapt it pretty easily.

it's about this time i'm also looking through my hydrus network stash of favorite covers for what color palette and contrast to use. kozaki tends to skew purple/cooler hues for nohr characters, and that'd go well with these two.

purple/green hues that play well with light purple and the yellow from those old covers i love so much, low contrast midground, and something that'd contrast well with text above. dark/black background for the gothic vibes, and the text will probably need to be white or some sort of light-warm hue for that "pop".

doing color tests is more of a leap of faith and intuition than an exact science, but damn it is it satisfying when you nail it in one go and go 'holy shit i want to read this. :D

(green/gold for the hint of anankos' mask, also matching the yato and her warmer skin tone. purple flames for him, but the high contrast armor to separate her from his larger shapes. we've got the dragonstone and the yato as flexibility for lighting and emphasizing contrast with her. )

i kind of like how i accidentally made the mask shards reflect(?) a bit of his own face. hell yeah throw it in. this is something that's more likely to work than not. this is something that has that mix of id and horror i've been going after.

here's another version with references to the side and the golden ratio laid on again.

honestly a lot of it at this step is going 'dude you know what would be SO DOPE.... PURPLE FIRE...' 'dude..... fuck yes....' 'what about some sick ass sword effects?' 'YEAH....' and saving a bunch of backups in case of the idea didn't work out.

(am i going so much harder on a literal gilf porn fanfic cover than i need to? hell yeah. gunterfuckers deserve better. :D )

anyway here is when i start questioning everything, so i'll take a break from the colors to tighten up the lineart. now that the composition's settling in much tighter, i'm also thinking about how the two shapes interact with each other and if there's any potential issues with tangent points (where two lines intersect each other in a way that makes an optical illusion.)

that said i love how his jawline "points" at her face, that kind of line you want.

grinding away on corrin's lineart. also double checking that the shapes/colors/forms for her "make sense" both standalone and with the composition too. what's nice is she's at the point where i can just turn off my brain and polish up.

naturally couldn't resist poking at it more and this is when the rest of it clicked after figuring out which bit was anankos' mask, which bit was possessed!gunter vs himself (polished up the armor a bit too. at this point i'm pretty confident that it'll stay "set"; the biggest thing i'm likely to change is the blue silohuette to the dragonstone side for corrin.

here's the last true screenshot before cleaning up the last 2% of the lines. added the pulp cover texture around the border, switched the colors of the text so the cream would stand out more, cleaned up gunter's face and also increased the darkness of corrin's body so it'd contrast more with him behind.

thanks for reading. :D

[pianocat939]

Yandere request for our lovable mad dogs ! HCs being rejected or worse friendzone by the reader , how do you think their would react ? 😈

This is like 50% of my effort help.

Tw: Murder (a shit ton), brief moment of manipulation, kidnapping

Yandere Turtles being Friendzoned by MC

✦Rotting Apple Hanging on the Eiffel Tower ✦

Takes it pretty well.

Sure he's hurt but it's not like you hate him! You just would rather be friends.

He doesn't pry and just accepts it as how it is; however, he will continue his dependent behaviors in a platonic fashion.

He'll still cling to you and get anxious if you're gone. If you ever stay the night at the lair (literally any day you don't have school or work) he's all cuddly.

He'll kill potential suitors though.

Sure, you may not see him in a romantic sense, but he won't let anyone else be seen in such a way either.

“Oh I’m sorry, I can’t believe your crush got smashed to death!”

✦Laugh Life Liver✦

Does not take it well at all.

He convinces himself that you're just confused about your feelings and need some extra affection and psychological misleading to unlock the romantic attraction you truly feel.

This means he'll find out exactly what your love language is, (if hasn't already figured it out) and figures out ways he could glorify himself.

For example, let's say it's quality time: he'll take you to Hidden City and go to fun places or in general, activities you enjoy that he can join in with.

If that doesn't work, he'll go for heavy manipulation. Additionally, he kills off anybody he suspects harbours or is receiving romantic attraction.

"So...What do you think of the new DLC? Fun, right? Like me?"

✦Danny DeVito✦

Doesn't accept it.

He exposed his entirety for you, and you now say you wish to not accept his love for you? He already struggles to express it enough, but being rejected? Ha, you really want to break his demeanour completely, don't you?

He'll first block everyone on your phone just so it makes things easier for him. Additionally, he'll kill many of your friends/people you're close with. He's not going to let you run with his heart in your clutches.

He'll kidnap you, holding a gift in his hands when you awaken. The room is completely decorated by trinkets and decorations of your favorite things like it was made for you. Which, it was.

"Dearest, don't you understand? If you had accepted my love, you never would have to go through this."

✦Madagascar Went Waka Waka Away From Africa✦

Accepts it.

If you do not see him in such ways then so be it. He's fine with being only friends because he still gets to be around you.

He'll be normal, nothing particularly odd other than the shrine he has of you. He might get jealous at times, but that's because he wants some affection.

But if someone else comes around (romantically), he'll be sure to whip out his nunchucks.

He doesn't believe anyone deserves you, and if this person trying to stain your righteousness, then he's going to eradicate them from this earth.

"You were never on the same level as them!"

——————————————————

It's been a while since I posted a request. Hopefully, I'll get back on track soon.

- Celina

[huellitaa]

𖹭𓂃 ࣪˖ saying no

something ive struggled with for pretty much my entire life 😭

𐙚๋࣭ people pleasing:

a person who consistently strives to please others, often sacrificing their own wants or needs in the process.

trouble with saying no to people often comes from insecurity. when you feel bullied into things or backed into a corner too often it can lead to agreeing with everything and anything just so people will like you.

1. take small steps

getting out of habits like this are not easy whatsoever and take lots of time. taking small steps to implement getting rid of people pleasing tendencies is the best way to go about this; for example, just blocking someone who bothers you and starting from there.

2. fake it till you make it !

confidence is something absolutely essential but not easy to attain; thats where this skill comes in handy. ive been doing this since i was little and i wont lie and say it melts into real confidence because it doesnt, its just a shield to hide behind until your are genuinely confident and id definitely recommend this 100% to anybody starting or struggling to try and break this habit. act like youre fine & unaffected in front of the people who put you in this position even if you arent. dont show your weaknesses when you know they can be used against you.

3. valuing yourself

value yourself over all else. you are the most important person in your life. validate, support, and value yourself. trust your judgement is right and prioritise the protection of your peace above all else because that is the most important thing.

4. body language

ok as a girl with an incredibly infuriating tendency to turn red over the tiniest thing i feel a little bit of a hypocrite writing this but this is very very very important. if you find yourself in a position where you feel unable to refuse something or anything of the sort you do not show that.

🩰 ─ even if your cheeks turn red act like they arent. ik its sosoosos embarrassing n ur screaming inside but act like its nothing. bcs it is nothing. ok so theres a tiny bit of colour in your cheeks. and? stand your ground.

🧸── back straight, shoulders high, face blank. you dont show anything on your face. show you are completely stubborn and set on your choice/opinion.

🎀 ── if they try to embarrass you or say smth what i do is i literally just blink at them like okay. i dont care. do whatever bro idgaf

5. no hesitation

for the love of god do not second guess yourself. if something makes you upset or uncomfy or anxious or anything like that you leave them you walk away from them you block them you do not second guess yourself and think "but what if" no idc. if it costs you your peace its too expensive.

6. does this help me?

ok obviously when i say to say no i dont mean to like everything. only to the things you do anyway even if you dont want to. if youre not sure what to do when faced with the option to do something you ideally wouldnt really want to the first question you should be asking yourself is "does this help me?" think of it only from your perspective and how it would help you. ask yourself if its really necessary and if its serving you in any way to do this. if its just to fit in with someone else even if you dont really want to then do it then dont do it. why isnt your own presence enough? your peace is the only priority you should have here. what would you tell someone you love in your position? think about it for a sec instead of panicking.

conclusion; people pleasing is useless. you are the centre of ur universe. your peace is the only priority. people are stupid. you can do this. dont let anyone make you feel less than you are. i love u 🫶🩷

[maria-ruta]

Veronica 💢 🕷️ 👪 and ❤️ :3

💢 ANGER - what are some habits they have that will take some getting used to?

usually she takes some extra time in the begining of the night to put a pretty face X'D washing, makeup, outfit, nails etc... thos some of her images take less time of preparation (like punk for example)

I can remember one specific moment in the game when she didnt have time to make herself all pretty and such because had lots of things to do and later on regreted this bc was mocked in elysium by it's keeper toreador and her goons, and im sure it wasn't the only ocasion in her life, so yeah i think as years go she keeps taking her preening routine more seriously and personal, probably OCD in some sense

another trait of her that some vampires might have troubles to getting used to - she has high level of humanity, so she would be against hurting inosent people, or killing anybody etc

if you have troubles or problems, she is willing to help, but it might turn into her giving her advice that you haven't asked for. so for you it might be pretty irritating, sometimes she's crossing the line

🕷 SPIDER - what is their biggest fear? do they have any irrational / mundane fears?

her beast taking over resulting in her hurting others (happened at least several times in our game), her loosing her humanity completely and her turning into inhumane bloodthirsty monster

loosing everyone she loves, being completely lonely

hurting kids - she even has tabu on drinking blood from children and teenagers

👪 FAMILY - what is their family like? what is your ocs relationship to them? does your oc have any siblings?

her biological family: back in 1920s, before she became vampire, she had father and mother, older sister and younger sister. older sister was married and had husband and little son Tommy (around 6-7 years old. the only character i came up with a name hahaa). her family origianally lived in little town near Chicago. Veronica had big dream of becoming singer or actress in Chicago. Her parents were judjemental of her lifestyle there and were telling her to stop this nonsense and marry already, like her big sister. So Veronica didn't have very good relationship with her parents but it wasn't awful either. Her relationship with her sisters were better

But after her embrace her sire arranged it so that Veronica was noted as dead so... Veronica hasn't had a chance to see her family again, because she had to keep the masquarade... Her family were heartbroken and her parents made a conclusion that nothing good comes from girl chasing her stupid dreams in a big city U_U

Even tho it was dangerous and painful Veronica sometimes would sneak to see how is her family doing

her last relatieve who remembered her - her nephew Tommy - died in nursing home around 80s. Veronica visited him there once, the second time she came he was already gone

sad is the story of immortal creatures

but neitherway, during her vampire years of life, she made friends and connections

there are vampires that I think she would call her family

for example her coterie members - Rene (character of my friend Kate), Jaquilene (character of my friend @tench-art), Charlie (character of my friend @osatokun)

her sire Moore, her friend anarch Jack, her friend Johny

fairy Monica also quikly won a place in Veronica's heart, and she thinks of her as her little sister (Monica called her big sis several times anyway haha)

and Veronica's current boyfriend brujah Jake is going to become her long term relationship (for at least several years for sure. its rare for vampires to have relationship forever) so he's also getting a place in her found family haha

❤️ RED HEART - their love language(s)?

attention, help, gifts, doing something for you, hugs, kisses, flirting idk

Link to the ask meme post