#etc: italics are chinese

[cliophilyra]

Twenty Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by @firehose118 - thank you Sam! 😊

How many works on AO3? 62

What’s your total AO3 word count? 228215

What fandoms do you write for? At the moment only 911 but in the past I’ve written for Supernatural, Sandman, Spiderman, Deadpool, other Marvel stuff & Sherlock.

What are you top 5 fics by kudos? Implausible Deniability (Spideypool) Put you mouth where your money is (Spideypool) Sex, Lies & Arguing About Chores (Spideypool WIP) Accidentally On Purpose (Spideypool) Sensing a theme here? The Other Shoe (Destiel)

Do you respond to comments? Yes! Always if I can.

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Probably either When you’re tasting’ what he’s drinking (Saltommy - link below) or Therefore Love Moderately (Deanbenny SPN - link below) but I have a few.

What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Probably - If it comes back (Saltommy - link below) - but most of my one shots have fairly happy endings.

Do you get hate on fics? Touch wood - No

Do you write smut? If so what kind? Yessss. Only M/M so far. I think I’m best at it when I don’t over think it and just write what I think is hot. I’m probably not good at the kind of smut that drives plot/character etc. Definitely want to try my hand at more kink stuff soon.

Do you write crossovers? Never have - I like reading some of them but I’m very picky :-/

Have you ever had a fic stolen? Yes, by the dreaded Wattpad 🙄

Have you ever had a fic translated? Yes! Two as far as I remember - one into Russian and one into Chinese.

Have you ever cowritten a fic before? Not properly, I have worked with Betas pretty closely in past but I would love to have a go at properly writing something with someone else!

What’s your all time favourite ship? I know there’s probably a bit of recency bias here but it’s genuinely a tie between Bucktommy & Saltommy. Obviously in total I have written more for Destiel and they will always be super important to me but there is something about the upwelling of ideas and inspiration for these two ships that has been amazing. I basically had writers block for about 5 years. In that time I wrote about 15 fics - almost all of which were super short. In the last 6 months that I’ve had 911 I’ve written 12!

What’s the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? Sex, Lies and Arguing About Chores - that was the one that brought on the writers block I think. I wrote myself into a sort of corner and got all stuck on peoples expectations of it and just froze up.

What are your writing strengths? I think I’m good at smut when I’m in the right mood and I like creating a sense of place and atmosphere and also I usually like my dialogue.

What are you writing weaknesses? PLOT. I suck at anything that requires a complicated plot or planning. Hence I don’t have many multi chapter things. Also character analysis - I always think other people are much better at this than me.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I haven’t done it much. Definitely wouldn’t attempt more than a couple of words without checking with a native speaker. I do not put it in italics lol

First fandom you wrote for? Sherlock (BBC)

Favourite fics you’ve written? Oh god this changes all the time, but today my top 6 would be: If It Comes Back - Saltommy second-chance reunion fic. When you’re tasting what he’s drinkin’ (are you thinkin’ bout me?) - angry jealous past-saltommy angst Calendar Boy - light hearted bucktommy fire calender PWP Like A Circus Wheel - saltommy secret relationship PWP Therefore Love Moderately - SPN Dean/Benny angsty PWP Implausible Deniability - silly smutty & occasionally angsty Spideypool adventure thing that I wrote as I posted it and was really happy with how it came out.

Also honourable mention to I’m Wasted (and I can’t find my way home) - Destiel endverse WIP which may never be finished but I really like what I have so far.

Tagging: @rdng1230 @thecarrott @rcmclachlan @alchemistc @nine-one-wanton @judymarch15

@marvelousbuckley @bangpop91 @racerchix21 @girlwonder-writes and anyone else who wants to play!

[supper-ansuta-broth]

fun enstars fact! it’s common knowledge natsume has a speech quirk where he ends his sentences in katakana. in english this is officially localized by the last few letters being capitalized, although over the years independent translators have used a variety of methods (capitalizing the last word, writing the last word in all caps, writing the last word in italics, etc). in korean, this is done by writing the last syllable in roman letters rather than hangul

(pics stolen from twitter i don’t exactly have access to krstars lol)

i don’t know how cnstars does it or how his spells are localized, but i assume the latter is similar to the other versions (different font without the speech quirk)

This is an interesting factoid that made me curious about how the other versions of Globalstars go about Natsume's speech!

Because I didn't know the answer, and don't currently have access to CN/TWstars, I was able to ask for help from the members of the Enstars Wiki server, and I was able to get an answer!

[ALT:

in cnstars, natsume's speech quirk is localized by having the last pinyin letter of the character emphasized, like how krstars does it, but not exactly the same either

你好吗a？ (níhǎoma?)

in twstars, natsume's speech quirk is shown using a dash, as the phonetic system taiwan chinese uses may not be understood by other traditional chinese readers, so they did away with it entirely

你好嗎—？]

Thank you so much to samuraidol for their help, and thank you for your ask!

[chouhatsumimi]

Words from Noragami, ch. 46

Words in bold are particularly relevant to the story, and words in italics seem like they’d be worth remembering outside the context of the manga. Bold and italic together means they’ve probably appeared somewhere in Noragami more than once. [Though it's been a kajillion years (okay three actual years) since I read it so I can't promise I can highlight them well anymore...]

辛 かのと, しん 8th in rank, eighth sign of the Chinese calendar 辛丑 かのとうし, しんちゅう Metal Ox (38th year of the sexagenary cycle, e.g. 1961, 2021, 2081) 酉 とり the Rooster (tenth sign of the Chinese zodiac), the Cock, the Chicken, the Bird, hour of the Rooster (around 6pm, 5-7pm, or 6-8pm), west, eight month of the lunar calendar 終, 竟, 遂 つい end, final, end of life, death, never, not at all / fin, final, conclusión, final de la vida, muerte, expiración 間引く まびく to thin out (plants, seedlings, crops, etc.), to cull, to run on a curtailed schedule, to cut down, to reduce, to kill a newborn child (due to financial difficulties) 食い散らす, 食散らす くいちらす to eat untidily, to eat a bit of everything, to dabble (in something), to try one's hand at various things 野盗 やとう brigand, bandit / bandolero, bandido 坊 ぼう, ぼん bonze, monk, monk's dwelling, boy, son, sonny, I, me, little, person who is … 一度, １度, 一たび, ひと度, 一とたび いちど, ひとたび once, one time, on one occasion, temporarily, for a moment, one degree, one tone, one musical interval / una vez, un tiempo, en una ocasión, temporalmente, por el momento, por ahora, un grado, un tono, un intervalo musical, una vez, un tiempo, en una ocasión

- Ch. 45 || Ch. 47 -

[piningintrovert]

NAVIGATION

Welcome to the organized chaos :D You’ll find a little bit of everything here, but mostly queer media, kpop & dramas. Remember, I said organized chaos — so I can’t promise things won’t get a little messy. 

My Content — click here for my tags

Gifs 

Collections: (1) Don't mind me … (2) Favorite kiss scenes (3) Parallels & tropes

Ramblings

Commentary

Meta

General Tags 

About Me — things that are deeply relatable

Notes to Self

Faves

Words — quotes, poetry, prose etc.

Art // Fanart

Miscellaneous

The fandom shenanigans start below the cut — only my absolute faves are listed. Everything is organized in alphabetical order and all visual media are categorized by language/region.

This is a living post; last updated 07.10.24

Kpop etc. 

Artists whose music I follow closely enough to consider myself a fan — a stan for names italics. I sometimes use kpop, khiphop & krnb as general tags.

Big Bang

BTS

DPR IAN

Jackson Wang

Wonho

SHINee

TXT

Zion.T

Series, Dramas & TV Shows 

Chinese

Like Love

The Untamed

Guardian

Gym Affairs

Word of Honor

Filipino

Gameboys // Gameboys 2

Like in the Movies

MyDay

Japanese

Cherry Magic

Life: Love on the Line

Minato’s Laundromat

Mood Indigo

Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice but to Kiss!

My Beautiful Man

My Love Mix-Up

Old Fashion Cupcake

Senpai, This Can’t Be Love!

The Novelist

Korean

I use kdrama as a general tag

Alchemy of Souls

Beyond Evil

Blueming

Extraordinary Attorney Woo

Long Time No See

My Name

Semantic Error

The Devil Judge

The Glory

To My Star // To My Star 2

Tomorrow

Where Your Eyes Linger

Taiwanese

Addicted Heroin

Be Loved in House: I Do

Kiseki: Dear to Me

History: Make Our Days Count

History: Obsessed

History: Trapped

Plus & Minus

See You After Quarantine?

We Best Love

Thai

A Tale of Thousand Stars

Bad Buddy

Between Us

Cutie Pie // Cutie Pie 2 You

Friendzone

KinnPorsche

Love By Chance

Love in the Air

Love Sea

Manner of Death

My Love Mix-Up!

My School President

My Stand-in

Not Me

Pit Babe

Second Chance

The Rebound

The Sign

Triage

Until We Meet Again

Vice Versa

Why R U?

Western

Black Mirror

Bridgerton

Criminal Minds

Game of Thrones

Heartstopper

Scandal

Sense8

Stranger Things

S.W.A.T.

The Sandman

The Witcher

Young Royals

911 // 911: Lonestar

Movies & Short Films 

Chinese

I Love You as a Man

Nobody Knows But Me

Korean

Private Lessons

Secret Roommate

Japanese

His: The Movie

The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese

Spanish

Trémulo

[penkraft123]

Difference between Hand Lettering and Calligraphy

Writing and illustrating words is a type of art. Creating words on paper with neat and clean designs, stroke is a well-crafted and patient art. There are many such art forms which promote writing into THE ART Here is a list of the most famous: Hand Lettering Calligraphy Typography

They are all beautiful art of writings in their own way. It has been noticed that people are often confused between them, especially between hand lettering and calligraphy - due to a few similarities. What is Hand Lettering? Hand lettering is an art of illustrating letters to give them a dramatic effect by shaping and drawing them in various characters and patterns. The best part about this is that there are no particular rules to be followed, except for that they should be readable. This art of illustrating letters was developed a hundred of years ago, majorly in the early 1800 with the rise of industrialization worldwide. Gradually, it became very popular and was vastly used in signage advertising. and lettering was thought to be a dying art in the late 1900s to early 2000s due to digitalization. But on the contrary, thanks the digital age, hand lettering has now become a famous art, spurring it into various commercial fields of art forms. To practice hand lettering these the tools would come in handy- Pencil - You can sketch and erase your ideas easily off the paper unlike with the pen. Roller scale - Roller scale is a great tool when you've to draw grids. It is otherwise also a very tricky tool to use and if not managed can spoil the art. Miscellaneous - The other things required are water colours, acrylic colours, brushes, palette, etc.

What is Calligraphy? Calligraphy is the art of writing beautifully in the tweaking pattern while writing the words. Calligraphy is an ancient and globally popular art form. It has been in continuance since 600. B.C., where it was originally invented in Rome. Since then, with the rise of modern calligraphy, calligraphy has undergone many major changes. As mentioned before, calligraphy is an art of writing and does not speak just one language. It is adaptable in various languages, which has given birth to doing calligraphy in many languages as below-

Chinese Calligraphy Indian Calligraphy Western Calligraphy Arabic Calligraphy

Calligraphy is immensely popular and requires practice and concentration to master the art. Calligraphy unlike hand lettering, has set of rules to follow for each pattern. It can be freely used in any shape too.

The tools required for Calligraphy are

Dip pens  They are the traditional calligraphy tools and are used for scripts such as copperplate, etc. Brush pens  They are also used for calligraphy and they are usually cheaper and a more approachable tool for beginners. Brush lettering can be done with brush pens. Flat nib pens They are used for calligraphy scripts such as gothic calligraphy, italics, uncials, roman capitals, and many more. Fountain pens They are more suited for penmanship as (most of them) don't have a flexible nib by default which is necessary for creating thick and thin lines like with the dip pens.

The conclusion is that it is important for artists to understand the work that goes in two different art forms.

Penkraft conducts classes, course, online courses, live courses, workshops, teachers' training & online teachers' training in Handwriting Improvement, Calligraphy, Abacus Maths, Vedic Maths, Phonics and various Craft & Artforms - Madhubani, Mandala, Warli, Gond, Lippan Art, Kalighat, Kalamkari, Pichwai, Cheriyal, Kerala Mural, Pattachitra, Tanjore Painting, One Stroke Painting, Decoupage, Image Transfer, Resin Art, Fluid Art, Alcohol Ink Art, Pop Art, Knife Painting, Scandinavian Art, Water Colors, Coffee Painting, Pencil Shading, Resin Art Advanced etc. at pan-India locations. With our mission to inspire, educate, empower & uplift people through our endeavours, we have trained & operationally supported (and continue to support) 1500+ home-makers to become Penkraft Certified Teachers? in various disciplines.

[jessicagrad603]

Joseph Churchward

Keynote speaker 1 at Typografika

The first type designer I am looking at is Joseph Churchward, a Samoan-born New Zealand graphic designer and typographer. He is an internationally renowned typeface designer who has created over 700 typefaces and fonts, a lot of them inspired and drawn from his Pacific heritage. 

I am a big fan of Churchward’s typography. His sans serif fonts are beautifully designed and created. His display fonts are some of my favourite. 

‘Joseph Churchward was born in Apia, Samoa, on August 20th 1932.  In his interviews he said that he first became fascinated with script as a boy when he would draw letters on the beach and watch as the movement of the waves manipulated their shape.  He lived in Samoa until he was 13.  He then moved to New Zealand to attend secondary school and shortly after his graduation, his career as a typographer took off!  His rich ethnic background including Samoan, Chinese, Scottish, English, and Tongan provided inspiration for his typefaces.  One of his accomplishments that he claimed brought him joy was being able to create 48 different Chinese fonts.  It was his way of contributing to his Chinese heritage.

On April 26th 2013,  Joseph Churchward passed away at the age of 80.  Even though he has moved on, his passion for his craft can definitely be seen and felt through his many typefaces and logos. To learn more and see examples of uses of his work check out fontsinuse.com as well as the resources below!’

https://www.americanaiga.com/blog/joseph-churchward

‘Fonts that he created in the 1970s in New Zealand have ended up in surprising places. Churchward Brush Italic was used for both the magazine Tate Etc., in 2007, and for a New York sightseeing bus tour company logo. While, happily, his work is disseminated widely, his control over its use is lost. It is, in fact, very hard for a designer like Churchward to reflect his culture. There are clear similarities, for example, between the font Churchward Design Lines, designed in 1970, and Lance Wyman’s graphic identity for the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City.’ 

https://www.frieze.com/article/joseph-churchward

[rkkyul]

190801 MGA SEASON 5 + EPISODE FIVE +  #5050 FEATURING : TEAM KT  ⟨ ━━ ❀ ° PART ONE: PERFORMANCE, LION HEART + I GOT A BOY ( LINES / SONG ) ⟩

it hits her all at once, the overwhelming emotions trapping her before swallowing her whole. she’s going through the motions - watching heejin and minho rise from their seat beside her as their names are called, numbly following them up onstage. kyulkyung isn’t sure she’s breathing air, mouth opening in surprise and eyes widening as her teammates lead the way. perhaps her reaction is a bit dramatic, but oh is it genuine. 

the whole experience was so surreal - to even be considered for the top performance of the week when she had failed to do so the entire show. kyulkyung was tired of being average, of resting on that safe middle ground between being the best and the worst. average. want an ugly word. their names weren’t called when the top performance was announced, but she was too high in the clouds to notice - hand clasped tightly around heejin’s as they awaited the announcement. was it disappointing? maybe a little, but to finally be at the point was certainly an ego boost. 

semi finalist. 

the words were strange to her. the woman who had allowed herself to persuaded into something she once found silly was now officially a semi finalist for the mga’s fifth season. oh, she couldn’t wait to tell her mom. 

her heart was still racing when the trio once again returned to their seats, following throughout the hug minho gave them - adrenaline coursing through every part of her being as the show went on without her. kyulkyung listened, watched more talented performers leave them and she wondered how she had even managed to make it this far. she didn’t doubt her worth or talent, just wondered what happened to suddenly have luck on her side. 

after the disaster that was 2018, the woman entertained the idea of this just being some cruel joke. zhou jieqiong? making it this far on her own? joonho would’ve laughed in her face. but she tried to not think about that.

she’s slapped back into reality when the contestants suddenly awake with life, their bodies moving in shock and excitement rising in hushed tones. moving her eyes from where they stayed fixated on her shoes, they follow the movements of the new appearances on stage

from sphere entertainment, please welcome CONVEX’s very own JINKI and JINWOOK, as well as our star trainee and winner of the last season of the MGAs, GO HOJUNG!

her ears hang tightly onto the world CONVEX, hoping a familiar someone’s name will follow but much to her disappointment, she’s left with unfamiliar faces and dismay. but she perks up, attentive in her seat as she patiently awaits the coaches from TRC to be announced. JINSOUL - kyulkyung can’t help the tiny noise that passes her lips, excitement enveloping her entire form when she lays eyes on her best friend. “hey, that’s my best friend!” she attempts to whisper to minho and heejin - practically shaking in her seat and definitely way too excited.

i can’t believe she didn’t tell me, despite her thoughts, kyulkyung grins anyway. her anticipation only grows as time passes. please let me get onto trc’s team. please. please. please.

and no, not just because that would mean jinsoul gets to coach her.

she’s just a tiny bit disappointment when the TRC group announcement rolls around and her name is passed up. just the tiniest bit. however, this is short lived when her name is revealed under KT. the company is a bit surprising, solely for the fact that she wouldn’t have chosen it for herself. out of everything, she was expecting nova the most. but getting picked to perform in a group for a company run by katie lee, that’s pretty amazing. 

                                                                     ❀

"semi finalist? oh, god i can’t believe.” yea, she can’t either.

kyulkyung laughs at her mother’s enthusiasm over the phone - feeling her cheeks grow hot at the woman’s constant, unrelenting praises. it’s nice to hear the complements and she allows her ego to inflate with each syllable. her mother always complemented her, but it was nice to hear something the woman herself could also feel proud of.

the mgas were different than anything else she had done in life. there was no reliance on anything other than what her talent alone had to offer. there was no behind-the-scenes magic that needed to worked, no amount of bills slipped under the table and secrets to be kept. the fact made her prideful if anything.

after last year, it seemed as if everything wrong she had done had constantly stayed on her back - a quiet monster, the chill that ran down her spine and kept her awake at night. it was hard to put it past her, but somehow she had managed to tuck it away far enough, bury it so deep within that it never even became an afterthought. the process took time and trust, especially with her mother who felt almost as guilty as her.

“you know after last year, i worried about you. i felt like i set a back example.” kyulkyung clenched the phone pressed against her ear tightly in her grasp, fighting back whatever emotions spewed up. biting down on her lip, the woman pushed through whatever words left her mother’s mouth through the phone. perhaps the worst part about the whole situation was that her mother felt responsible, took on her daughter’s worries and that was not okay. 

the woman’s voice is strained through the phone and she fears she’s holding back tears. “but i’m proud of you, for doing something and making it this far. i really hope you make it this week, jie.” me too, mom. she answers, burring herself further beneath the sheets - feeling the dull ache of attachment to the woman who can only speak to her through a phone or stupid screen.

“i wasn’t going to tell you this in case it jinxed you this thursday but chun and i are coming in next week - just in time for the finals. he has a business down there, but i figured i’d tag along just to see my girl.” and lying in her bed that night, phone tucked between her ear and pillow, making it to the finals next week meant so much more to her.

                                                                     ❀

once again,the week goes by rather smoothly with her teammates. except for the fact that they are busy, busy, busy.

the coaches and teammates are alike in the ways that they are helpful to a girl with minimal singing experience. and lucky for kyulkyung, this week she’s in a room full of incredible talents. of course yukhei and her scream over each other their first meeting, having only spoke to the boy over suwoong’s phone a few episodes ago and having got along pretty well. he’s just as fun as the woman expected and paired with talent to combat his upbeat nature. 

the girl known for her singing and musical talents, yuri is just as amazing to work with as she expected. their team is full of power vocals, yuri and sia bringing enough to the table and offering whatever tips they had to ever so curious kyulkyung. “c’mon please... think of me please?” she begs yuri to sing such an iconic song - phantom of the opera being a personal favorite of the woman. she could never get enough of the tragic story that was erik and christine. ugh, it made her cry every time.

“i’d say i’d help sing it, but that’s a disgrace to phantom of the opera. it’s a sin.” kyulkyung pulls a hand to her chest, bowing her head in sadness before shaking her head at the thought. yuri is the only one who could do it justice while she couldn’t bare the embarrassment for herself.

kyulkyung’s delighted witrh yuri’s compliance, elated to hear one of the songs from her favorite musical from personally one of her favorites on the show. before being teamed up together, the woman had always admired her from afar - completely losing herself in her voice and loving every moment of it. just as expected, yuri’s voice complements the song nicely and she can’t help the long drawl she lets out, pressing a hand against her heart and swaying ever so dramatically to the tone of the other’s voice. 

all shenanigans aside, the woman found herself in a situation that left her bewildered. she didn’t mind to help usually, but sia’s call for help left her a bit nervous. kyulkyung didn’t have experience with cutting or mixing music, but the other girl needed help and who was she to refuse? “i don’t care to, but you’ll have to lead the way some.” the woman admitted with a tiny smile, eager to help out in any way that she can. 

the process wasn’t too difficult, but it was a process. creating the choreography with nakyung for the dance break wasn’t nearly as hard as creating the mix, but eventually they got it done ( and kyulkyung was there to offer any extra help whenever someone needed it ). the fact that they had managed to pull it off was extremely exciting for the woman, even going as far as to do a mini celebration dance whenever they finished it. yes, she was embarrassed with herself afterwards but damn was she proud. 

turns out she’ll be heading back to hook & crook after the show with a little bit more than dance and performance tips.

                                                                       ❀

thursday approaches quickly and this time, kyulkyung’s a bit nervous when she climbs onstage. the semi finals held a lot of more meaning than the other performances and after being in the top 3 last week, she’s sure there’s an expectancy for both her and her team. in fact, the entirety of team kt had at least one episode’s worth of top 3 experience under their belt and it makes her wonder if they’ll be watched that much closer. 

her hair, now faded a bit after a few washes, hangs loosely atop her head - the white nature of her top and shorts a contrast to the red bandanna that’s tied around her thigh. she’s standing on stage with her team, head held high and signature smile wide despite the nerves that light up when the judges and eyes of their first live audience lays upon them. “hello! we are FOH!CUS.” the team greets before being met with the thunderous clap of applause.

the noise is enough to brighten her smile and settle whatever negative emotions she felt. kyulkyung did not get stage fright, well not anymore at least. the eyes of an audience was not foreign to her especially after her time with knb. it was all just noise to her, eager eyes there to watch them perform and their entertainment for the night. they’d give them a show worth while, especially with all the pretty faces and power vocals up there. 

in the most arrogant way possible, kyulkyung thought team FOH!CUS was hard to forget. 

“hello! constant #5050, zhou jieqiong here again!” she will never forget that tiny bit of chinese at the beginning of her introduction - not until the very end ( it’s kind of a habit at this point, honestly ).

as the group arranges themselves for the beginning of the performace, yuri finds herself in the center - surrounded by her teammates and introducing the audience to chi chi’s lion heart. the vocals are soft as are their movements, the singer’s tone and charisma alone enough to draw attention and set the mood of their performance. kyulkyung’s sure the audience’s heart fluttered just a little as did hers when she heard yuri sing the song for the first time.

ah 넌 달라진 게 없어 여전해 난 애가 타고 또 타 사냥감 찾아 한눈파는 너

kyulkyung’s voice follow’s the other girl’s smoothly, a nice transition into her sweet tone and flowing nicely with the music. luckily for her, the movements during this part are minimal for her at least - allowing her voice to carry unfaltering and comfortably. singing live was something she worried a lot about, but with tips and a lot of help, her confidence grew little by little. her smile is delicate upon her lips, her legs carrying her into the next series of moments as they draw into the chorus.

chi chi’s choreography isn’t hard to follow, but it’s nice and fun to watch. the song and melody allows for an easy smile from kyulkyung, putting on an image of a girl in love and innocence. their movements and choreography are soft and flows nicely against the music, but that makes it so much better when the shock of their transition settles in.

lion heart suddenly comes to a halt and everyone is moving into new position - a new light overwhelming them as the beat changes entirely. the mix that kyulkyung and sia put together takes over the stage, the group moving in sync with one another in a way contrasting themselves just a few moments prior.

nakyung and kyulkyung were responsible for creating the choreography, transitioning them into the beginning of i got a boy and creating a whole new mood for their stage. the woman’s presence changes drastically, a more coy, cheerful look overtaking her frame as the upbeat tone of the music sounds. personally, she prefers songs like this to lion heart - feeling more like herself with peppy beats and modern lyrics. hahaha! eh let me introduce myself - kyulkyung points to yukhei as speaks,  here comes trouble, whoo! there’s a playful grin on her lips as she moves - raising a hand to motion a ‘come here’ movement with her fingers, 따라해.

어떨 땐 오빠처럼 듬직하지만 애교를 부릴 땐 넘 예뻐 죽겠어

preparing for their performance was once again fun for the woman - this being what she looked forward to most when she joined the competition. and honestly speaking, kyulkyung learned a lot more than she thought she would. working with people was one thing especially on a show like the mgas, the fierce nature of the competition threatening to bring out the worst in people but so far, that hadn’t been the case ( at least for her ).

the way they move alongside one another on stage is exciting - no doubt a visual and talent overload for their audience and she wonders if this what being an idol felt like. and if that’s case, it makes her want that contract even more.

making it this far was exciting, but left her greedy more than ever. there was a lot pending on today’s performance, on her advancement into the competition that she undermined completely. coming in with no expectations and following through with nothing but the highest, that was surely a shock. but not only did she want a contract presented to her in the end, kyulkyung would also love for her mother to at least see her perform once. 

귀 기울여 주는 너 너

her mother’s words drive her confidence, fuel the endless stream of energy that courses through her as they near the end of their performance. kyulkyung didn’t have a lot of lines, but she didn’t asked for many - leaving the singing up to the professionals and taking as many notes as she could. the coaches and her teammates helped equally and she matched their drive with one of her own, practicing up until the very last moment because she didn’t need the embarrassment up on stage.

she’s not as perfect as she’d like to be, but she knew what she had to work with and milked it for its worth. what she lacked in singing she made up with her dancing and countless expressions, enjoying every minute she was up on that stage. 

as the performance neared its end, kyulkyung couldn’t help the bottomless pit of worry that began to sizzle deep within her stomach. no matter how good they did or how much the crowd loved their performance, one of her teammates would be going home. 

it hurt to think about, but she supposed that’s just the nature of a competition and she’ll do anything in her power to make sure that person isn’t her.

[0mellow-marsh0]

Chinese Zodiac Legacy Challenge

The most widespread theory behind the Chinese Zodiac focuses on the Jade Emperor’s banquet. He is said to have invited all of the world’s animals but only 12 showed up. He decided to honor those 12 animals by dedicating one year to each animal in the order in which they showed up.

Hi! This is my first sims challenge ever. I’ve been wanting to do an animal-themed challenge but I couldn’t figure out what kind of theme I wanted to use until now! I had a lot of fun making this and I tried to be as thorough as possible so if you’re someone who appreciates specificity, like myself, this challenge is for you!

                                             !!!DISCLAIMERS!!!

I’m aware that the Chinese Zodiac utilizes elements like metal, water, etc., but due to the nature of this challenge I will focus on the general descriptions

Some expansion pack elements will be used in this challenge! I don’t have all of the expansion packs anyway so I’ll try to make it a majority of base game stuff but all of these can easily be compromised. Alternatives will be in italics

GENERAL RULES:

Give your sim a specific item in CAS for each generation (ex. glasses, jewelry, socks?!, etc.). Everything else is free reign! 

Try to incorporate at least one lucky color from each generation whether it’s in CAS or while customizing your home. If you find a way to use all the colors go ham!

If you have a trait from a pack and think it will be a better fit for the description given use it! You’re only allowed to substitute one trait

Start the first generation with $50,000. (NO OTHER MONEY CHEATS ALLOWED). Then go into CAS, temporarily choose a different aspiration, then choose the Fabulously Wealthy aspiration again. That resets the progress of the aspiration so it gives you a chance to actually play and earn the money yourself.

You can’t cheat skill levels or career levels

Lifespan can be set to whatever you want but aging must stay on

Occult sims are allowed

Next generation will begin when the heir is a YA but you can get a head start by leveling their skills up until then

Generation One: The Rat

Lucky colors: Gold, Blue, Green 

“ A Rats characteristics tend to be more quick-witted with keen observation and foresight; which is why it was first to the emperor’s banquet! Rats also have bright and optimistic personalities which make them adapt to changes in any environment and easily get help from others. However, though Rats are ambitious in their careers, they may not be qualified to become great leaders due to their stubbornness and lack of empathy and humility.”

You are the very definition of progress, the perfect person to create and define your legacy.

Traits: Ambitious, Genius, Snob Aspiration: Fabulously Wealthy Career: Doctor/Business (Management Branch)

Live to the city/start a new life in Newcrest

Must marry a coworker (You work too much to find love any other way)

Max out your career

Max Logic skill and two other skills of your choice

Have triplets (Cheats can be used for this)

Complete aspiration

Generation Two: The Ox

Lucky Colors: Red, Blue, Purple

“Like the ox, people born in the Year of the Ox are industrious, cautious, less talkative, hold their faith firmly, and are always glad to offer help. It is said that Ox ranks second among the Chinese zodiacs because it helped the Rat but was later tricked by it. They have the talents to be leaders and are good at managing, but maybe a little strict. Oxen like routines and respects traditional ideas, doing things step by step. The persistence makes most of them become tireless workers.”

You’re extremely loyal to a fault. Just like your predecessor you are stubborn and hard-working. You run a conservative household but you are fair to everyone in it.

Toddler Trait: Independent Child Aspiration: Social Butterfly YA Traits: Active, Perfectionist, Neat YA Aspiration: Neighborhood Confidante Career: Salaryman/Business (Investor Branch)

Goals:

Must live in Willow Creek

Marry someone older than you (must be your first and only partner)

Get cheated on by a lover but stay with them

Have only 2 children, one boy and one girl (cheats can be used)

Max Charisma skill

Must complete aspiration

Host a party every two weeks

Generation Three: The Tiger

Lucky Colors: Gray, Blue, White, Orange

“ The Tiger are natural leaders and they can always bravely put brilliant ideas into practice. They are also generous, passionate, and hold a strong sense of justice. When meeting the weak or seeing anything unfair, the Tigers stand up and offer help. They are adventurous, ambitious, and have a strong sense of justice, but maybe also a little arrogant and impetuous.”

You are a natural-born leader who is strong and stubborn yet possess a soft heart. Just like your parent, you pride yourself on looking out for others but strive for a more relaxed household. You embody kindness and appreciate the outdoors.

Toddler Trait: Independent Child Aspiration: Rambunctious Scamp YA Traits: Loves Outdoors, Self-Assured, Outgoing YA Aspiration: Friend of the World Career: Politician (Politician Branch)

Goals:

Have only 1 child you love dearly

Live in Sulani/Oasis Springs

Start a garden and grow four different fruits and four different vegetables

Max the Charisma and Logic Skill

Max out your Career

Complete at least 1/2 of your aspiration

Generation Four: The Rabbit

Lucky Colors: Red, Blue, Pink, Purple

“Generally, the Rabbits are positive, gentle, and elegant. They love freedom, but once set goals, they just march forward for it without distractions. They are also self-disciplined, the typical kind of people who are strict with themselves but tolerant of others. Though looking mild and soft, the Rabbits in fact are alert to strangers and outsiders. They don’t trust others easily, unlikely to be fooled by others.”

You are the very definition of beauty and elegance, yet a little emotionally unstable under the surface. You struggle to find your place in the world but you fake it until you make it!

Toddler Trait: Angelic Child Aspiration: Social Butterfly YA Traits: Erratic, Family-Oriented, Paranoid/Gloomy YA Aspiration: Big Happy Family Career: Education

Goals:

Move at least 2 times (Final destination must be Henford-on-Bagely/Willow Creek)

Date at least 1 other person before getting married

Have at least 4 children

Master the Writing and Parenting skill

Must have a flower garden

Complete at least 3/4 of aspiration

Generation Five: Dragon

Lucky Colors: Gold, Silver, Hoary (grayish-white)

“The Dragon is full of fighting spirit and strength. The Dragons may look indifferent, however, they actually are chivalrous and always think of others.  They are charismatic, attracting a lot of followers and their talented leadership skills naturally convince every subordinate. But the Dragon’s pride may bring prejudice, and it is also a little hard for them to have the force of will to follow through. If they want to achieve excellence and get great success, then honing the willpower is indispensable.”

Growing up in a big family you always aimed to be the center of attention. You have no problem making friends and often find yourself surrounded by people who worship you.

Toddler Trait: Charmer Child Aspiration: Social Butterfly YA Traits: Goofball, Outgoing, Self-Assured YA Aspiration: World Famous Celebrity/Friend of the World Career: Social Media (Internet Personality Branch)/Style Influencer (Trend Setter Branch)

Goals:

Live in Del Sol Valley/Oasis Springs

Marry someone famous/rich

Have as many children as you want

Max Charisma Skill

Never turn down an invite to a party unless you’re working

Complete your aspiration

Generation Six: The Snake

Lucky Colors: Red, Light Yellow, Black

“The Snake easily attracts others for their mysterious character and graceful behaviors. They are calm and thorough and can always carry out a plan from the beginning to the end.  The Snakes are typically deep thinkers who are perceptive and skeptical about everything. In the love aspect, the Snakes are devoted lovers who will not fall in love with someone else.”

You are mysterious, attractive, and calm with a sensitive side. You have any interests and have no problem making friends. Growing up around extravagance you learned to appreciate the little things.

Toddler Trait: Clingy Child Aspiration: Artistic Prodigy YA Traits: Bookworm, Creative, Family-Oriented YA Aspiration: Soulmate Career: Painter (Patron of the Arts Branch)

Goals:

Stay in the same neighborhood as your parents

Marry your childhood best friend

Max Painting skill

If you have Get to Work, open your own retail store by the time you are an elder and sell your paintings/if not sell your paintings regularly

Max out your career

Have only one child

Generation Seven: The Horse

Lucky Colors: Brown Yellow, Purple

“The Horse is lively, energetic, courageous, and enthusiastic about people and life. However, they are not good at hiding emotions and their feelings will be easily shown on their face. Most of them are fond of joining social activities. They have a keen eye and display strong logical thinking, which makes them easily discover the essence of the phenomena and be considerate enough to take care of other people’s emotions.”

Unlike The Snake, you are extremely expressive. You love partying and getting to know others. You’ve never had a never had a negative relationship.

Toddler Trait: Silly Child Aspiration: Social Butterfly YA Traits: Bro, Cheerful, Outgoing YA Aspiration: Party Animal Career: Actor/Entertainer (Comedian Branch)

Goals:

Live in the city/Willow Creek

If in the city, your apartment must have the Lively Neighbors trait

Marry someone you met at a party

Throw/attend a party every weekend

Have one child but struggle to maintain a relationship with them

Complete your aspiration

Generation Eight: The Goat

Lucky Colors: Green, Red, Purple

“Goats care about others’ feelings and never intend to hurt people. Their upright personality also makes them sympathetic enough to understand other people’s problems from various perspectives, especially for their friends and loved ones. However, sometimes they can be very passive and tend to be a pessimist to see bad aspects of things, which means that they need strong support and enough understanding from their friends. Also, they keep alert when strangers step into their domains.”

Growing up without a lot of support from your parents made you sensitive to the things around you. You are very in tune with others but struggle to find stability in yourself.

Toddler Trait: Clingy Child Aspiration: Social Butterfly YA Traits: Gloomy, Good, Jealous YA Aspiration: Musical Genius Career: Entertainer (Musician Branch)

Goals:

Struggle academically throughout your school years

Marry your high school sweetheart

Have no more than 3 children

Build your own home office for music creation

Complete aspiration

Have at least $40,000 in your household fund, get a part-time job if needed

Generation Nine: The Monkey

Lucky Colors: White, Gold, Blue

“The monkey is intelligent, smart, and always appreciated by teachers and parents throughout adolescence. They also have strong bodies, all of they perform well in an organization and they tend to be excellent leaders compared to anyone else. In life, they are helpful and humorous enough to be favored by people. However, boasting may hinder them to make great success and they need more patience.”

Living with soft parents helped you get away with a lot. Though you excelled in school, you were very mischievous, and a little irresponsible.

Toddler Trait: Wild Child Aspiration: Rambunctious Scamp YA Traits: Athletic, Cheerful, Goofball YA Aspiration: Chief of Mischief Career: Athlete

Goals:

Maintain A’s in school

Once you reach level 5 in your career quit your job and getting married

Marry someone with the Mischief trait and become partners in crime

Have an elaborate wedding

Have only one child

Build an expensive home gym

Generation Ten: The Rooster

Lucky Colors: Gold, Brown, Yellow

“Roosters are good at making friends and adjusting themselves to new environments. Whenever there is a tricky problem, they wont give up easily and try every means to solve it. Since they cannot stand lagging behind others, self-improving is an important part of their life. However, as the name implies, Rooster people tend to be cocky or even arrogant sometimes. Their craving for attention may make others feel uncomfortable. The lack of patience could be another problem.”

You gained The Monkey’s smarts but unlike them, you decide to utilize your intelligence to the fullest. You obsess over excellence and only accept the best. Your daily activities include going to work and coming home.

Toddler Trait: Independent Child Aspiration: Whiz Kid YA Traits: Ambitious, Genius, Snob YA Aspiration: Nerd Brain Career: Astronaut (Space Ranger Branch)

Goals:

Live in Strangerville/Oasis Springs

Reach level 5 of your career before getting married

Marry someone that works for a service (firefighter, food delivery person, mail carrier, etc.). You fall in love with them unexpectedly

Have 2 children but place most of the responsibility for raising your children on your partner due to your studies

Complete your aspiration

Build a backyard shed or basement for science equipment

Generation Eleven: The Dog

Lucky Colors: Green, Red, Purple

“Dog people are cautious by nature, which means it may take a comparably long time for Dogs to accept new friends. However, once Dogs accept a friend, they will be very loyal to the friend and always be supportive. Dogs are loyal friends, honest lovers, and reliable families. Though being just and honest, Dogs are also very critical and sometimes make a sharp criticism. They are not good at taking in the whole picture to consider things, which may lead to misunderstanding and blaming their own mistakes on others.”

Despite not spending a lot of time with The Rooster, you are a lot like them. That’s probably why you butted heads so much as a child.

Toddler Trait: Independent Child Aspiration: Whiz Kid YA Traits: Bro, Hot-Headed, Loyal/Bro YA Aspiration: The Curator Career: Critic (Food Critic Branch)

Goals:

Live in Bridleton Bay/Newcrest

Go for a jog at least 4 times a week

Marry the first person you date

Have 3 kids and be an extremely active parent in the household

If you have the Dogs and Cats pack, adopt a cat (Oh the irony!)/if not, keep a pet fish

Max the Cooking skill and make every meal for your household

Generation Twelve: The Pig

Lucky Colors: Yellow, Gray, Brown, Gold

“Pigs are always diligent and upright and never to be pretentious. Thus Pigs are easy to get others’ trust. Their compassionate and genuine personality makes them glad to offer others a hand at any time, which results in getting a lot of good friends. They are called upon when sincere advice is needed and will always give a helping hand. Pigs may be a little realistic and emotional, and it is hard for them to detect lies and thus easily be fooled by bad people.”

You are the final generation. You are kind-hearted and loved by many. Although you had the perfect family as a child, you decided against having children. You choose to live your days focusing on your career, your personal growth, and your partner.

Toddler Trait: Inquisitive Child Aspiration: Social Butterfly YA Traits: Clumsy, Glutton, Outgoing YA Aspiration: Freelance Botanist Career: Law (Public Attorney Branch)/Gardener (Botanist Branch)

Goals:

Live in Sulani/Willow Creek

Max Charisma skill

Complete at least 1/2 of your aspiration

Marry someone with the romantic trait

Have your partner cook every meal for you (Out of love, not obligation!!)

Retire as soon as you are an Elder and live out the rest of your days tending to your garden

If you do decide to have children, you must have twins (Use cheats)

[lucilleguinevere]

Sweet Mess

⌗ Some thinks he’s stupid, some think he’s smart. Some thinks he’s docile, and some think he’s an animal. But everyone can agree on one thing, he’s a beautiful man. Inside, and out.

𓆩⊹ Lookism x Male Reader fanfiction ⊹𓆪

Chapter 1

.the past.

Trigger Warnings: violence, murder, blood, gore, fighting, child assault, etc (you get the gist of it).

Word Count: 1,929 Words.

Note: A story that has been loitering around in my draft library! Lookism is a fandom I can always re-immerse myself in anytime, because it's both exciting and.. There are too many handsome men (๑•̀д•́๑) Like how??? Why??? Dude, marry me??? So anyway, I have a ton of Lookism fanfictions and I found this little guy again. I had re-edited it one time, and after a brief proofread by yours truly and some change of words, it was ready to go! I really liked the backstory of the Reader character, and I really wanted to keep it, so here it is! I figure I could combine it with my other idea together, and the result will come out clear soon. I'll stop my long ass story and let you all enjoy the first chapter! (It originally had a prologue but I thought it was a bit too dramatic so I didn't post it (￣∇￣))

⊹ “Bold with quotes: Chinese.”

⊹ ‘Italic with single quotes: inner thoughts.’

The wind was chilly, more chilly than usual. The people around walked in thick clothing, while a small boy walked in only thin clothes and shorts. He walked barefoot, homeless and in a daze. He’s used to living alone and surviving in the streets, but this was his first winter without his mother who would always nag him to use thicker clothes, even if they rarely contact each other. He wrapped his arms around his trembling body, huffing a breath before he widened his eyes, a puff of cloud in front of him as he exhaled shaky breaths. Soon enough, white snow came showering on the small town as people admired the snow. Winter had arrived. While the young children played in the snow with glee, the boy could only tremble as he thought of the worse; he had little to no clothes, even if he were to wrap in rugged rags like a taco, the cold would still be able to seep through.

Disappointment flashed in the boy’s gloomy eyes as he watched the snow fall. He sat down on a wooden box as he stared into the sky, he had been hoping it wouldn’t snow, but the gods decided to go against his wish. Why are they so cruel to a victim like him?

“Hey!!” A female voice rang out, alerting the boy as he looked to the streets, where a pretty girl and a handsome boy were standing beside each other, the girl waving her hand his way. “Hey you!! Yes, you!! Come over here!!” The girl called, gaining attention from a few people nearby who looked at her as if she had a screw loose— maybe she does. The boy held a sigh as he got on his feet and walked his way towards the girl, what could she possibly want from him?

As he approached the two, he managed to examine their features better, the girl had dirty blonde hair and black doe eyes, her lips curved into a sweet, mischievous smile. Looking at the boy beside her, he had a handsome face, black hair and black eyes, a cold expression as his black eyes held affection for the girl beside him. “I like you! You’re pretty! Are you a girl??” She started, bombarding the boy with questions. Pretty? Him? In worn out clothes with a probably dirty face, pretty? His mother used to call him an ugly bastard with a smile, as if it was funny, but he didn’t understand. His face scrunched up in confusion, “..I’m a boy.” The boy finally answered, making the girl freeze as the boy beside him raised an eyebrow.

“Y-You are?!! Whatever, anyway, wanna work for me? My family’s rich and you can—” The girl started her ramble about how her family is a powerful family in China, but the boy couldn’t care less. After he waited and ignored everything she said, with a poker face, he said. “Thank you for the offer, but I’m afraid I don’t meet the requirements to work for your family. Please excuse me.” His immediate response stunned the girl as he walked away, leaving the two alone as he wandered off.

He walked up to one of the food stalls and the smell of food hit his senses, his stomach grumbled in hunger as he passed the stall, a wicked plan forming a shape in his mind as he looked around. With his dirty hands, he sneaked up near one of the stalls and whisked away one of the dangos, hiding it in his clothing as he passed by as if nothing had happened. He kept a calm face as he passed by, walking further and further away out of sight. No one would realize what happened to one, missing dango. As he chomped on it, eating it as fast as he could, he hid away, his mind drifting off to the girl in expensive clothing.

‘She must be the daughter of a noble, so arrogant and spoiled. Does she not know she could get into trouble, shouting out how her family is powerful and rich?’ The boy thought to himself as he finished his dango, a small group of thugs passed by, a dirty and evil grin plastered on their faces as they passed by, not bothering to whisper about their plans and findings. “I heard a small girl shout out about how influential her family is. She’s a pretty one too, did you look at her clothes? That’s some high quality silk over there, I’m sure she isn’t lying. Bet she’d sell for quite a fortune, especially that boy beside her.” The thug spoke to his friend, who lit up his cigarette. His face disinterested as he leaned against the wall. “Guess we can take ‘em, keep yer eyes on ‘em. Strike when they least suspect it.” The other spoke, telling the thug what to do as he nodded. They discussed a bit more before dispersing, unsuspecting of a boy who eavesdropped— no, overheard their conversation. The boy thought of warning the two, but shrugged it off of his mind, it wasn’t his business.

Besides, it was her own fault. No smart or sane person would shout out about their family's position without any bodyguards. Unless that boy beside him is a bodyguard? Who knows, it's none of his business. The boy stood up and sneaked away, looking for people who looked like pushovers to beg for their money. He eventually found some, getting a few yen, and bought himself better clothing. Of course, on discount. When people pity you or underestimate you, you're guaranteed an upper hand. You can save money, and have a bigger winning chance in fighting. After winning a sum of money from betting, he walked through the snow which was building up on the streets, his once barefoot now covered in a pair of cheap shoes. At least he feels more warm now. As he walked around in the uncomfortable clothing, he heard shouting and cries, as well as the clashes of melee weapons. He calmly approached the source of the noises, peeking his head out to see what was happening. It was the two kids he met just moments ago, the girl laying on the snow, tears falling down her eyes as the boy held his ground, his face covered in blood, and so was his spear. The only thugs left were the two who planned it all in the beginning. The boy watched as the thug managed to defeat the boy, getting him on his knees as the girl crawled over to him, cradling him as she glared furiously at the two thugs. "Please!! I'll go with you, so please spare him!" She begged the two thugs, who simply snickered.

"Did you think we're stupid? We may not receive the same education as you, but we're not that stupid. You are coming with us, and this boy is going to go down in the lake." The thug said, his grin greedy and lustful as he eyed the little girl who cried even harder, the boy gripped the little girl's hand as he stood up again, wobbling. Before he could grab his spear, the other thug sighed before kicking him in the stomach harshly, sending him backwards and lying on his back. His breathing became ragged, his chest rising and falling at a fast pace, he tried to catch his breath, but it's obvious he was too injured to even focus on protecting the girl. The thug grabbed the girl by her hair and picked her up, her feet dangling above the ground, his hand gripped around her neck, squeezing it. The boy watched it all happen, but his heart, his morality was screaming to do something because he can. He could do something. The boy sighed as he looked around for a weapon. His eyes landed upon a thin, metal pipe. It's end sharpened.

"You.. Le-t go of h-er this instance!" The boy laying on the ground on his stomach coughed and gasped for breath as he glared daggers at the thug holding the girl, his voice cracked as he growled and snarled at the thugs. He was choking her, his grin twisted devilishly as he did it for entertainment, watching the girl suffocate. The other thug approached the boy, smoking his cigarette, bent down to take a hold of him, but then a sudden blow of pain bloomed in his eye, and the feeling of warm liquid flowed down his cheek. His other eye widened in horror as he realized what happened, "Ah.. AAAHHHHHH!!!!" A metal pipe had pierced his eye, and the boy with dirt smudged on his face pulled the pipe out before raising it up and slamming it down on the thug's head, making him collapse. Whether he was dead or not, the boy did not care. The ravenette looked up in surprise to see the rude boy from earlier to look at the thug he just attacked, his glum eyes flashed with disgust as he approached the other thug who looked at him in interest. "Oh? You killed him? Well, no matter. I won't have to share the loot with anyone else then. So, I bid you my thanks." He grinned, showing off one of his golden teeth, his eyes flashed with a twisted look as he approached the boy, dropping the girl who was gasping for air on the pavement and left her behind.

"I say we fight—" Before he could finish, the boy striked, but this time, he didn't aim for the thug's eyes nor his head. But his balls. He tried stabbing it, but the thug was prepared, "Holy shit! You didn't hesitate—!!" Ignoring his surprised remark, the boy stabbed his leg, making him hold a shout of pain as he dropped to one leg. "You—" Without waiting for the thug to finish, the boy immediately pierced the thug's throat, making him cough out blood from his mouth as the metal pipe went through his thick neck. The boy pulled the metal out, blood matter spewing out everywhere, and even on his new clothes. The boy then threw the pipe away, noticing that the girl went to the black haired boy, looking up at him with fear and slight awe. The boy had the same look in his eyes, added with respect. "...What's your name?" The girl asked, her voice laced with curiosity. The boy kneeled down on one leg, and fished out an antibiotic his mother got him once. "M/n." He answered, looking into the girl's and the boy's eyes. His eyes held curiosity as he blinked, his cheeks splattered with blood.

But even so, he still looked chaotically pretty. "What's yours?" He asked in return as he examined the boy's hand, which were calloused and scratched. "My name is Vivi and he’s my bodyguard, Shaorung." The girl answered, with a small smile adorning her face. Her cheeks dusted with slight pink when M/n reached to touch her snow white skin, the feeling of cold surprising the girl as he put antibiotic on the scratch on her cheek. "So you said something about working under you?" M/n asked, recalling the first time the girl, known as Vivi called for him. His words made the girl's eyes widened, her heart thumping louder in her ears as she stared at the boy in front of her.

It was winter, and in that season, something sweet had bloomed among the red colored snow. It was also the beginning of his story. Of their story and how they meet each other. It was random and absolutely coincidental,

It was fate.

Next Chapter: Chapter Two

[stay-with-eunhae]

Eunhae analyses - why is Eunhae real - part 3 (psychology on Eunhae’s behaviours)

Thank you 溫莎虫 again for granting me the permission to translate the post https://wausichien.lofter.com/post/73cd8cde_2b4177fcb

For first-time readers, my words would be in italics, while the words from the original author would be normal. Also, some short forms he=happy ending, be=bad ending in Chinese. These are used as both nouns and adjectives. I also follow as I want to preserve the meaning of the original meaning of the author.

For non-Eunhae shippers, you can just leave this page. No one forces you to read. We have our freedom to believe what we think, you also have the freedom to believe what you think. We don't mind your business, so you also don't have to mind our business. Thank you.

I tried to analyse Hyukjae's personality and his feelings towards Donghae (including those aspects in contradiction with his usual personality) from the perspective of mbti lately. It was the most tiring analysis I have ever written. I didn't systematically analyse Donghae because I think he can be understood too easily... He literally puts all his emotions on his face and can be understood even without a more scientific analysis.

(And then later this author did write an analysis on Donghae's mbti. Please stay tuned for it after the triangular theory of love.)

I also did quite a lot of research for this article. I want to analyse why romance exists between Eunhae from the facial expressions and actions that happen in an intimate relationship between humans.

Due to the limited length of the article, I cannot compare each of the pieces of evidence in a very detailed manner. Instead, I would put a few key points in the end. You can pay attention to these and then would understand the special relationships between Eunhae.

Photo 1 (I put this in the photo post as I can translate it here directly.)

(Image translation: imitating the actions of others in order to let others believe in you and put their guards down. It is a skill in psychology in hypnosis --- mirroring. For instance, someone yawns in a quiet classroom. Another person would yawn immediately. And then the next person. And then the next, etc. just like getting infected)

The first definition I need to introduce is mirroring.

If this skill is not used in psychological research to gain trust from others intentionally but happens naturally instead, it is not a skill, but a phenomenon. Such a phenomenon can only happen between two people with an immense amount of trust. They would keep imitating others, but such imitation does not really sound like each other. It actually means that they are not simply imitating each other, but imitating how the image of each other in their hearts.

Eunhae often imitate each other, but interestingly the image they both imitate for 'each other' is very similar, yet does not sound like either one of them. It is a very typical example of 'mirroring'. The image they imitate usually cannot speak clearly and relies on each other a lot. It is actually the image of each other in their hearts.

Maybe in their personal lives, they always do aegyo to each other and rely on each other. They also speak softly. That's why it forms such an image that outsiders cannot understand, but only exists in each of their hearts.

Photo 2 (again I put into photo post)

(Image tranlsation: If someone exceptionally laughs a lot from the humour you make, perhaps they are interested in you.

Evolutionary psychologists said that humour and active reactions to someone's humour play a vital role in the development of humans. They transmit a signal for the urge to build a relationship with each other, no matter Plato's type of relationship, or romantic relationship.)

A human's reaction to the humour of someone he/she likes, is also a very innate reaction.

For the same actions done, humans often give better reactions to someone they like. It is also what we call for wearing coloured glasses for someone we like.

It is common knowledge that Donghae literally laughs off everything Hyukjae does. Although his reactions are usually pretty strong, his reactions for Hyukjae are often even stronger.

Moreover, Donghae often has a pretty short attention span, yet when Hyukjae is doing something for reaction, he pays his full attention for Hyukjae, and the attention span is really long as well.

It is a type of action showing attraction. It is because Hyukjae gives him an even stronger attraction, so he gives an even stronger reaction.

Lots of puns from Donghae are actually quite hard to understand, which often makes other members speechless, yet Hyukjae is always the one paying the most attention to him. Hyukjae is also always the only one to give reactions to his puns. These are also instinctual actions about attraction. It means Donghae's attraction is the strongest for Hyukjae.

Contacts between humans also have different levels. Ordinary contacts often show a sense of distance, yet skinships only exist between intimate relationships.

For social courtesy, such as dancing in balls such kind of activities with a necessity for physical contact, an important courtesy is that when the hand of the male touches the waist of the female, even the position is not accurate or the male does not feel that it is a comfortable posture, he cannot adjust the position of his hand. Even adjusting position is actually impolite for two people without an intimate relationship.

Even for friends with very good relationships, no matter of the same sex or of the opposite sex, skinship is also not an action that can be easily accepted due to its intimacy, especially skinships without any sense of reluctance and avoidance. This would mean an extremely intimate relationship.

Furthermore, one would often only carry out active skinships with someone they like, as it is a type of action to express love. Active physical contact is the highest level of physical contact. (I have to skip one sentence here due to that there is no such adjective in English, but no worries this would not affect the meaning of the overall paragraph.)

When one wants to use physical contact to catch the attention of the other, usually they would touch the positions with the highest frequency of contact. Normally one would tap the shoulder of the other or touch the arm of the other, as these positions are often not very sensitive. Also, physical contact and language communication can hardly happen together between people not being very intimate. You can only touch them, and speak when the other catches the attention.

However, Eunhae is having physical contact and language communication together in a habitual manner naturally. They would innately have skinship with the hands of the other and would speak what they want to speak while having physical contact with each other. Such natural instinct can hardly be done by acting or try to get them concealed.

The action of lying on each other can be done intentionally but having both of their arms crossed is an action that even a couple without a close enough relationship would not do. It is a classic action showing a sense of security, just like someone loves to hug a pillow when they sleep. Hugging a person innately can only happen when the other person can give you a strong sense of security. You can go to watch some dramas if you are interested. The male and female main characters would not even have these details when they act. It is hard for directors to think of details like this as well. Even the people doing these actions can hardly notice them themselves.

It is because this action is really rare, yet it gives a very important meaning when it happens.

Hugging is also a common action with much more I can talk about.

Compared with normal hugging, a more intimate hugging can be noticed in the distances between the heads and the legs.

The hugs between Eunhae would show crosses between their legs naturally, for example, this hug right after Hyukjae got released from the military. The distance between their head is also closer than normal, for example having kisses on the shoulder.

As Donghae loves to hug people too much, I don't do the analysis on him first. Yet, we can see the hug between Hyukjae and other people. He innately gives a distance between his head and the other person.

This is not something absolute, as during some emotional moments, Hyukjae's hugs with someone like his members, are also full of intimacy and trust, but the difference is that for Eunhae, you almost cannot find a hug with them pulling a distance between each other.

Some of the parts of the body are defined as sensitive. Not only that it has a relation to sex, but also physiologically these parts can innately reflect the reaction from the hearts of the people.

Ears and necks are two of the very classical examples. Almost no one can allow people who are not intimate enough to touch these two positions, which are related to the sense of security and sex.

However, the self-protection of these two parts between Eunhae basically does not exist.

If you notice how Donghae insists to stimulate Hyukjae from his ears, we can even boldly assume that not only is Donghae sure Hyukjae would not resist such action, but also he even knows Hyukjae would give special reactions to such action so he intentionally stimulates Hyukjae.

Even Donghae who has a high tolerance to physical contact, you can see a difference in the level of acceptance for touching his ears between Hyukjae and other people.

Photo 3

If saying touching the ear is showing the level of acceptance, touching the neck is showing the level of possession. Eunhae has a special obsession with the neck of each other, especially Hyukjae. Touching the neck or Adam's apple of the other is definitely not a normal physical contact.

Photo 4

For people who are not intimate enough, avoiding the neck is an innate action.

Photo 5

If saying ears and necks are already giving special meanings, the position between the legs is already on another level. It is not just about reliance and trust. It is already showing innate physiological actions as an animal.

We cannot take this position for joking no matter how close we are. This position is having the strongest defense mechanism for any human, except if this person already does not have a need to protect oneself.

Hence, there is not much to analyse here. You would understand when you try to substitute yourself into the situation. Such an invasion for a position like this can boldly suspect that these two had intimate actions before.

Photo 6

Some sort of famous scenes. 'Raising eyebrows' is not just meaning joking. Ryeowook raising his eyebrow is really meaning joking, but Hyukjae raising his eyebrow along with a rhetorical question is obviously a classical action meaning asking with the answer known, especially when holding his elbows, tilting his heads, and the changes in tones, all are characteristics of asking with the answer known.

Photo 7

After Donghae has debuted for many years, he would still get sick easily before recordings or concerts, as his psychological ability to withstand pressure is relatively weak. When this gets reflected in his physiological well-being, it would be shown us getting sick easily.

Donghae was also having a really terrible condition in this recording, but he would actively express his nervousness when Hyukjae asked him. It is an action to show his weakness only towards people he feels intimate with enough. Also, the action of Hyukjae did not make him more nervous but even raised a request to try once more. It means he was apparently getting more relaxed.

From the behind the scenes of D&E concerts, he was obviously having better conditions when preparing D&E concerts compared with the super show. This means that he is often more relaxed next to Hyukjae physiologically.

You would notice when you understand enough materials from them. Donghae can get himself focused while being relaxed with Hyukjae. This is really something special for Donghae. This can only prove that he is the most adapted to the environment with Hyukjae.

Photo 8

It is also a scene that is very obvious (to see their relationship), but pretty interesting as well when you analyse it. Donghae's way to beg by showing his weak side to Hyukjae is to kiss him lolll.

It is universally acknowledged that if you want to win the favour of someone, the best way is to do something they would like. Donghae's way to do something Hyukjae would like is to kiss him??

And it is also proven to be effective here. We really cannot wait for the origin of Lee Dong Haek.

Photo 9

Eunhae's 'obedience' towards each other, is often without hesitation and reluctance. Such kind of trust is the result of both the level of relationship and time. They would not have done and understood tacitly like how they are now without either of the component.

'Obedience' is a complicated and high-level intimate relationship. Not only does it mean absolute reliance and trust, but also implicitly shows how they get used to being with each other and adjust their actions according to each other over a long time.

Eunhae would not ask for the reason when they tell each other to do some weird actions and cooperate without hesitation. It is really rare. It also means that the power of each other is having priority over their own rationality, or even absolute obedience.

Only if they can ensure the counterpart would not hurt themselves, or even trust the counterpart unconditionally even if it would hurt themselves, would this level of obedience happen.

Certainly, apart from these details that can still be analysed, like eyesight such kinds of interactions can only be understood by themselves, but not by languages. Facial expressions, actions, and languages can be developed into a complete and systematic field of science. It is not just the result of research. More importantly, it is the innate physiological reaction that one would have but many have overlooked.

The difference between the relationships between humans can often be shown in certain small details. It is these details that build up a special human being.

If need to delve further, the degree of the corner of the mouth raised when one smiles can even be analysed. However, I think this level of detail is really sufficient right now.

Humans can often lie after getting a thorough consideration, but your innate physiological behaviours would not. Your innate physiological behaviour would get you closer to the person you want to get close to.

My analysis is not to prove that love exists,

but we can always find evidence of love.

It is a brilliant but (relatively) short psychological analysis by this author. Absolutely love it. Eunhae indeed is very special. Their behaviours speak for themselves.

Fortunately, I can translate the whole article in a few hours during my break so I can post it this week. I am not sure can I have enough time to translate the next one next week. Let me update y'all later on this.

Lastly, don't forget to support super junior's comeback by buying the albums (if it is affordable for you), streaming the MV and digitals, and very importantly vote in fannstar (the global fannstar award!!! very important we can get them a year-end award if we can win! The voting for this award will end on 11/7 and we still haven't pulled a safe enough gap with our opponents.) Let's stream to Don't Wait (aka Donghae) while voting when we get the time. Fighting everyone!

[thedandelion-writer]

❝remembrance❞

Word count: 601

Summary: Even as time passes by, Zhongli remembers still

A/N: And this is my gift to @zhongli-cafe for the Genshin Writers valentine exchange! I wanted it to be out on the actual day, but sometimes life gives you lemons so I ended up finishing it literally one day before it's due. It's a little short but hope you like it Dex, have an amazing day!

P.s. Words in italics are some sort of flashback

He remembers that you were fond of the delicate white petals of the qingxin flower, how they would sometimes appear translucent in the sun.

"I will take a bouquet of them," Zhongli says.

"Right away, good sir!" the florist complies with a smile, probably knowing that he was getting them for a lover, much like most of her customers today were.

By the time the blooms are in Zhongli's hand, they are tied neatly with a ribbon. The ferrylady notes the expense solemnly.

Oh yes, he also remembers your love of sweets. You never let him forget, how you always took your tea with three spoonfuls of sugar, how desserts always made your eyes light up, wishing you would do that whenever you looked at him instead. 

"A box of sugared slime," Zhongli says, before pointing to red silk packaging,"and place it in that, if you will." 

And so another item is placed in his possession. Again, the ferrylady notes the expense, her expression unreadable so as to spare him of her pity.

Zhongli walks down the streets, cradling the gifts that he intends to give you. But there was one more. He remembers how partial you were to the scent of silk flowers.  

"Don't they smell lovely, dearest?" you bent over a small cluster of the fragrant red blossoms and inhaled deeply, a smile forming on your face.

"That they do."

"Should I bring some silk flower incense for your rite of descension this year? Or would you prefer something else?"

Morax sets aside the spear he was sharpening to stand by his lover's side. He plucked a single one from the ground, slipping it behind your ear with a gentleness that was nonexistent the first time you met him.

"I would love anything you bring me."

His feet take him away from Liyue harbor and into a place he has not visited in a little too long. 

But this particular day, he decides, was perfect. 

Zhongli comes into the midst of a clearing, ringed by trees. In the middle, stood a headstone, illuminated by a band of sunlight. No matter how much time has passed, he still finds a twinge of that deep grief and loss he once felt. Not that he minds. Zhongli had come to love you knowing that his soul would outlive yours, as Guizhong warned him so.

 

The love story of a god and a mortal comes to a one-sided end, but he does not regret even a single thing. As his life lasts longer than yours, his love does too.

Laying the gifts he previously bought down, he begins to tidy up the grave. Not a lot of people knew of where you lay, so Zhongli was the sole person taking care of it. He preferred it anyway. 

First the flowers, then the box of confectionary. Lastly, he lights up the incense, permeating the surroundings with your favourite fragrance. Satisfied with his handiwork, Zhongli kneels and presses his forehead to the cool stone.

This would be the last time he would visit you. 

"When I die, mourn me for a few hundred years and then, I want you to promise me Morax, that you will forget me and move on."

Zhongli remembers this. And even though, if it were up to him, he would cling onto the memory of you for the rest of his existence, he will fulfill your wishes. Not as a contract, but as a promise.

"Happy Valentines Day, my love," he stands, giving himself one last opportunity to long for you. "I wish you happiness wherever you may be."

--

*I lightly took inspiration for this piece from the Chinese practice of 清明节 or qīng míng jié. It is basically when people come to clean up tombs of deceased loved ones to offer incense, food, etc and pray. But in the context of this fic, there is no religious purpose or anything like that (it's not even an accurate representation lol). Some in my family practice it and I just thought it'd add a good angst element ^^

**Valentines day may not exist in Teyvat but oh well

--

[upcycleability]

Stop Asian Hate!

The Past and Present Exclusion, Hatred, Sexualization, and Dehumanization of Asian-Americans

Bigotry against Asian-Americans is something that has existed for centuries. Long before the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, and long after the Japanese Internment Camps of 1942. Before people put signs in their neighborhood saying “J*ps keep moving, this is a white man’s neighborhood“ and will sadly keep happening long after this virus ends.

Dr. Seuss is well known for having dozens of anti-asian stereotypes written into his children’s books, and even made comics for years about how much he detested the Japanese as war propaganda. This history and these images are still defended fervently by many white people on the Right. They feel the removal of these books and the anti-Asian characatures are a “cancelling“ too far.

But historical facts and mockery is not the only issues that Asian-Americans deal with. They are still dealing with massive amounts of bigotry to this very day. In fact, the amount of hate they have been receiving is on the rise.

Since the onset of Covid-19, there has been a 150% spike in hate crimes against people of Asian ancestry. Slurs, mockery, and hate has been thrown towards Asian-Americans, even those who are not from China. This is because white people tend to have a hard time telling Asians apart, so they lump them all under the same umbrella and are racist against all Asian-Americans.

Recently, a white man who I refuse to name went into 3 massage parlers, which are usually run by mostly Asian women, and shot 9 people, killing 8 of them.

People are trying to defend his actions by claiming that what he did was not racism. These people are wrong. The actions of this sociopathic murderer is steeped in the obvious stench of anti-asian sentiments and mysogyny.

Image via Stop AAPI Hate

Of the 8 people who died, 6 of them were Asian women. Asian women that he viewed as “a temptation“ for his “lust“ and ergo deserved to be murdered. What do women wear in these massage parlors? These spas? Well... scrubs.

Scrubs.

He couldn’t handle his “sex addiction“ around women wearing what the typical nurse wears.

This is because Asian women are automatically seen as sexual and are inherently fetishized by American culture. So much so that for a lot of (generally white) guys, simply existing as an Asian woman is sexual. According to Chin Lu via The Bold Italic:

“I cannot comprehend what makes men choose to say things like ‘Unlike white women, [Asian] women remember what it’s like to be a woman: to be docile and submissive and respectful to a man.’ This is how they woo the ladies they’re presumably fond of?”

An article on Huffington Post mentions the same sentiment: Asian women often have to deal with a lot of oversexualization their entire lives.

This needs to stop.

We as white people need to change our behavior, and to change the society that we live in. Below are links to two articles showing a list of books that everyone to read to educate ourselves. Nobody should have to do so to treat Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders as human beings.

https://www.texasbookfestival.org/recommended-reading-about-racism-against-asian-americans/

https://bookriot.com/nonfiction-books-about-racism-toward-asian-americans/

We are all struggling through this world together in one way or another. At least 99% iof us are. There is no reason why we cannot work together to end bigotry, classism, ableism, and the like.

While imputting hasgtags into this site, this popped up. This is part of the problem. Asian women are not sexual objects. Objectifying women, and especially women of color is part of the reason women keep getting harmed, abused, and killed. @support​ @staff​ let’s change this mindset in the hashtags.

One way to help is by shopping at small Asian-owned businesses either around your town or online. Finding eco-friendly and sustainable shops can also be a plus.

Here is an etsy shop by an artist that I follow on Instagram named Kaitoonist, who makes lovely stickers and post cards:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/EverwillenPress

Every little bit helps, and always do your best to be an awesome person, and to be an awesome activist.

Also, if I said anything harmful or inaccurate in this post, or worded something wrong, etc, please message me and let me know so that I can correct it.

[rigelmejo]

Audio Immersion Loop

I’ve read this suggestion by Nukemarine before, and I think its quite a good idea - especially for improving listening skills and reinforcing what you know into a more immediate-understanding. https://www.reddit.com/r/LearnJapanese/comments/886lfg/does_your_japanese_listening_ability_lag_behind/

The core idea is: a mix of ‘audio seeds’ (audio you’ve studied before and therefore understood before) and ‘other’ audio (ideally things you’ve watch/heard with english subs or directly in your target language before - so your mind ‘likes’ the material). He suggests 30% audio seeds and 70% other, though any combo may be useful and he’s not sure if another % split would be more effective.

The idea is your mind understood the ‘audio seeds’ before in study, so as you listen to it regularly without pause your mind practices understanding it quicker and without concentrating as much, then over time you hear words/phrases/sentences similar in the ‘other’ audio material and your brain latches on and starts trying to comprehend them too and practices. 

I’ve very roughly followed this article’s advice before, and it started helping. So I’d like to make a proper list of what I could use for a full on Audio Immersion Loop that meets all these needs:

Japanese:

Audio Seeds: - Core 2k Pimsleur (audio directly from Nukemarine’s LLJ decks and because of that it should be mostly things I’ve studied before, or you could study using the Nukemarine LLJ Memrise Courses): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B8cWM0WNU3s4eFdSMzk5Vm9HR1E?resourcekey=0-KVCnBQh3SJxhn2oCUC-SiA - JapaneseAudiolessons.com (not ‘pure’ audio seeds idea since this includes english, but would count as comprehensible audio). Link for meL https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1qoJ7B002ZEgyDvCnGyFXUS1u8S_qgoG2 , General link for you: https://www.japaneseaudiolessons.com/ - Clozemaster Radio Mode for Japanese - Well suited for this, since you can have it play audio of sentences you already studied!

Other Audio: - Lets plays of any game you have familiarity with/like - for me that’d be Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy X, Ratchet and Clank, etc. Also any ‘video game movie’ since it goes directly through parts you know. - Condensed audio of FFX (perfectly suited for this): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1M5jdUQCM7O12r1X8np5y4ofkzBKMSdJo - Condensed audio of Death Note: https://www.paliss.com/episode/death-note-1615919536511x465432008057248060 - anything from this site if you’ve seen the anime: https://www.paliss.com/ - general condensed audio files: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1EMBr5yskSiBTZ-LUQtMY-r4AihRIJczJ

What I’d do: listen to Clozemaster Radio Mode Japanese, and FFX condensed audio.

Chinese:

Audio Seeds: - Chinese Spoonfed Audio (not ‘pure’ audio seeds because there’s english, but when I played this in even just the background regularly I saw listening skill improvements): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1MCKgOxzW9cd1u9cWjzGwWrpxnL5pDz0w - Clozemaster Radio Mode for Chinese - again, well suited for this, as you have the option to play only sentence audio you have already studied. 

Other Audio: - Guardian audiobook! by Avenuex: https://music.163.com/#/djradio?id=791802378&order=2&_hash=programlist&limit=100&offset=0 - Sherlock audiobook: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVyDH2ns1F757P-m8MHckuIFqWapl6y-1 - Guardian audiobook by wheat (I really like their voice): https://music.163.com/#/djradio?id=794964371 - Silent Reading audiobook (note this is the same version as ximayala so if you have that then just search ximalaya this version has some sentences/paragraphs skipped): http://www.6ting.cn/books/59641.html - Silent Reading audiobook unabridged (UPDATE I am listening through this one while following the webnovel and YES this version actually matches the text): part 1 - https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1b5411N7aa?share_source=copy_web part 2 - https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1SX4y1G7z7?share_source=copy_web part 3 - https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1tU4y1p74y part 4 - https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1cy4y1t7cC?share_source=copy_web - Silent reading (on music.123 by 景喵- , I tend to prefer this site because you can still listen to it in a mobile web browser with it minimized)  https://music.163.com/#/djradio?id=349361634&order=1&_hash=programlist&limit=100&offset=100  - Silent reading (on music.123 by  ���煜子)  https://music.163.com/#/djradio?id=792725710&order=1&_hash=programlist&limit=100&offset=100 - Guardian condensed audio (my link, will not work for others, u can ask for a copy if you’d like I just basically ran the episodes and subs through subsrs, mainly to make condensed audio): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/11J2qADG9rHSK_45rKpvVIpzXn8YYWhA_ - Silent Reading audio drama: https://youtu.be/DsdmeQBMD_M - Word of Honor audio drama: https://m.missevan.com/sound/2853120 - LiuLi audiobook: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLH_aGSaKXFeHSofRd4LF1Hl8fpCSREVBW - HP audiobooks: https://music.163.com/#/djradio?id=526222636&order=2&_hash=programlist - general condensed audio link for chinese if anyone would like (it has The Untamed): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1LtZEKe9ItVg-H5q-G01YITLyfrWpOZR-

What I’d do: listen to Chinese Spoonfed Audio or Clozemaster Radio mode Chinese (whatever I could get myself to), then other percentage split between any audiobooks I’d want to listen to Guardian/Silent Reading/Sherlock.

French:

Audio Seeds: - Francais Par Le Methode Nature (literally made to be comprehensible, even if its brand new then Still just like chinese spoonfed audio files, it should be fine to just play repeatedly until you pick stuff up): https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLf8XN5kNFkhdIS7NMcdUdxibD1UyzNFTP - Gigafrench audio files (specifically if you have studied the related lessons already): http://gigafrench.com/construction/ - Clozemaster Radio Mode for French (however I’m not a big fan of my phone’s french voice)

Other Audio: - Dracula in french: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0hdBpzGpYY - Frankenstein in french: https://youtu.be/8AP02iALr5A - Carmilla in french: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpOWTYUar6NK8Qn7niKNw7Vp0z5YE5t7Z - Buffy francias: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x42mdjh - Merlin francais: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2crj9t

What I’d do: listen to Francais Par Le Methode Nature on repeat, spend other portion of time going through Dracula audiobook tbh (unless anyone knows an audiobook I’d enjoy more that’s easy to find). 

---

As for me specifically, realistically what I plan to do for a while:

Listen to Clozemaster radio mode Japanese and Chinese more often in down time (make the most out of the fact I have the radio mode option lol)

Listen to more chinese audiobooks, in the background, any time there’s nothing playing otherwise. (Since I really could LISTEN more often, its super easy to do during work I just don’t do it).

Actual other materials in japanese and french I probably won’t get to for a while. But if and when I do, above is a good plan for ways to include more listening practice.

---

Overall, my main July (to maybe mid-August) study plan right now:

Listening to chinese audiobooks (so more listening in general)

Listening-Reading Method Guardian or Silent Reading (or honestly anything), just doing it when I feel like it or can. (so more listening and reading in general, along with getting through more of Guardian). This activity eats up the most study time.

Reading more chinese chapters (so more reading in general, I want to up the amount I’ve read)

Trying to use Clozemaster (Listening Mode and/or Radio mode) for Japanese more. (and chinese optionally, if I want) So more basic vocab/grammar for japanese. *italic is lower priority

Lower priority, but I’m also doing these:

Reading through japanese grammar guides (specifically finishing reading Sabuki https://sakubi.neocities.org/, and my Japanese in 30 Hours book). So enough of a grammar base to read more. This should take like 4 hours max to finish if I just sit down and do it. 

Small amounts of japanese immersion (mainly reading) - right now its been playing KH2 in japanese, and reading Guardian’s japanese translation.

Translating Guardian print novel into english (so mainly reading skills, translation practice). This is much slower going than reading, so I probably won’t have much time for this project until I’m finished reading it regularly. 

[seattlesea]

Percy Jackson Characters + Voices

Percy: -Has a heavy New Yorker accent -Uses a lot of New York/Manhattan slang and skater slang as well (if that’s even a thing) -Has quite a deep voice but gets voice cracks pretty often -Has a rough, gravelly, smoky, and vigorous voice -Talks pretty slow, like water calmly splashing on rocks  -But talks really slow when he’s bored or tired, people will stop listening before he even finishes one sentence cause he takes forever to speak  -Sometimes has a really deep, bored, and calm voice that’s actually quite pleasant to listen to when you’re tired, exhausted, or trying to relax -His voice gets deeper when he’s upset and shaky when he’s really scared -Half the time he’s talking slowly and taking his sweet time and the other half the time he’s talking at a mile a minute -Sometimes he sounds like the deepest parts of the ocean and melted chocolate and other times sounds like the surface of a calm ocean on a peaceful summer day -At night he sounds so sleepy and dreamy but in the mornings and throughout the rest of the day he sounds so bright and merry and chirpy it’s hard to believe those two voices are coming from the same person -But when he’s yelling he’s pretty intimidating, he sounds wild and fierce

Annabeth: -Has a slight Virginian accent she tries hard to get rid of -Her voice is kind of high and she hates it  -Has a light, clear, silvery, and firm voice -Sometimes sounds completely toneless and blunt when talking to people she doesn’t know and can sound cold as ice when talking to an enemy -She has a really nice and pleasant reading voice (and a nice, pleasant voice in general) -People love listening to her when she’s talking about something she’s interested in (especially architecture) cause she sounds so eager and happy and excited and it’s so nice to hear from her -Sounds loud and scary when she’s yelling -Can sound really tight at times -She giggles more than laughs, and her laugh is so quiet, barely noticeable -Pronounces every word perfectly and carefully, she pronounces every syllable at a time -Sounds like what writing in cursive looks like -She uses really long and sophisticated words a lot of people don’t know the meaning of. She’s pretty much a walking dictionary -Her voice gets lower when she’s sad and it’s heartbreaking -Overall she has a really soothing, simple, and steady voice  -She uses perfect grammar at all times and rarely stutters -Sometimes will sound like cotton and a soft breeze and other times will sound like ice and blizzards depending on her mood and who she’s talking to

Jason: -Pure American boy accent -Has a very steady and level voice and when he’s talking to people he doesn’t really know he sounds serious and monotonous  -But his voice is so soft and gentle when talking to his family and friends it’s like getting a verbal bear hug  -Has a slight lisp from his lip scar -Just like Annabeth, likes to pronounce things perfectly and on point -Sounds like what still water and glass look like -Is naturally really loud. He has to be reminded to lower his voice on a daily basis -Often unintentionally sounds toneless like someone reading an audiobook -He has the deepest voice out of all the males and sounds deeper when he’s upset or exhausted -Uses really obscure and complicated words and barely anyone but Reyna and Annabeth can understand him -Sounds really commanding and assertive when he’s yelling and giving orders

Piper: -Sounds like a typical California girl -Talks kind of slow and ties her words together when she’s tired -Has voice that’s not too deep or too high, kind of in the middle -Has a really pleasant, attractive, smooth, sultry, emotional, and soft voice  -But because of that she also sounds really honeyed and new people often don’t trust her when speaking to her for the first time -Uses casual, short, and simple words. No slang, nicknames, etc. Just the basic everyday words -Her charmspeak takes on the best qualities of the listener. Percy hears hints of Annabeth, Jason hears hints of Thalia and Reyna, Hazel hears a bit of her mother, etc.  -When she’s yelling she sounds frantic, almost hysterical  -And she gets a slight rasp when she’s been yelling too much  -Sounds like what honey looks like and what a birdsong sounds like -Has a soft and quiet laugh

Frank: -He used to have a Chinese accent, then a Canadian one -Uses a lot of Canadian slang most people don’t understand -Mutters in Mandarin a lot -Has a soft, soothing, silky, mellow, kind of deep, and overall really cute voice -He mirrors people often. If he’s been listening to Percy a lot, he’ll sound deeper and rougher. If he’s been listening to Annabeth a lot, he’ll sound higher and clearer, etc.  -Same thing goes for his laugh. It changes every few days or so -Has a loud and adorable contagious laugh. It sounds like happiness -Sounds like sunshine and sugar -Uses simple words everyone can understand -Also uses really good grammar -Talks at a pretty steady pace most of the time, even when he’s tired or mad -When he’s yelling he sounds really forceful  -Gets voice cracks when he’s angry or scared but doesn’t really mind

Hazel: -Beautiful voice, it sounds like heaven -Has a slight New Orleans and old-fashioned accent that makes it clear she isn’t from this century -Uses a lot of older slang and words that aren’t relevant today but no one bothers to correct her cause it’s so cute -Has a soft, soothing, flowing, kind of high, spirited, lively, pleasant, smooth, and passionate voice -Is the easiest person to listen to, her voice is so warm and calming -Sounds like writing in cursive and italics at the same time -Talks nice and kind of slow -Sounds like what the cool side of a pillow feels like, honey, and the reflection of jewels from the sun (pun intended) -Has a scary and assertive voice when she’s yelling -Everyone loves making her laugh cause it’s so sweet and delightful -Has a higher than average voice, mostly cause of her young age and cause she hasn’t really hit puberty yet -Overall has a really lovely voice -Uses a bunch of really cute pet names like ‘Sugar’, ‘Doll’, ‘Cutie’, ‘Love’, ‘Honey’, etc.

Leo: -Used to have a really heavy Hispanic accent that faded as he grew, but it gets clearer the more he raises his voice -His voice is higher than average  -Has a light, smooth, passionate, kind of husky, and gravelly voice that’s pretty attractive if you’re not into deep voices -Gets voice cracks and a deeper voice when he’s angry. When his voice is almost or just as deep as Jason’s, you know you f’d up -Sounds really low when he’s tired -Uses a bunch of mechanic and engineer terms that no one knows the meaning of -Mutters and hums to himself while he’s working -Uses really long and complicated words -Talks kind of choppily and will often pause mid-sentence -Sounds completely unhinged when he’s yelling, wild and terrifying -Mutters in Spanish a lot and often switches from English to Spanish then back again and Reyna is the only one who can understand him -Talks really, really fast, quite loudly, and talks a lot

Reyna: -If ‘butch’ was a word used to describe someone’s voice it’d be hers -Has a slight Puerto Rican accent that gets clearer when she yells -Also has hints of an unidentifiable islander accent that only Jason, Percy, and Annabeth know are from Circe’s Island -But also lived in California for 4+ years so has hints of a Californian accent as well so her accent is all over the place but it fits weirdly perfectly -Has a super deep voice, deeper than Percy’s and on par or deeper than Jason’s. Sometimes she sounds genderless  -Has a strong, fruity, smooth, steady, level, attractive, firm, commanding, and pleasant voice  -Can sound so soft and sweet that her voice sounds like fragile glass when she’s comforting someone and it’s so calming and warm -She’s learned to sound the same when she’s upset or angry after bottling her emotions for so long but whenever she lets go her voice gets low and shaky and sad and it’s heartbreaking -Whenever she yells it’s absolutely terrifying cause it’s loud and booming and strong and fierce and assertive and forceful and commanding and dominant and everyone listens to her right away without thinking -She uses perfect grammar and always has planned-out wording, but even when she’s using impromptu speech she never stutters or uses ‘uh’ or ‘um’ cause she’s so used to doing or coming up with things on the spot, especially in the heat of battle -She has a loud and slightly choppy but really cute laugh -Uses really weird and confusing curses no one knows she got from the pirates -In general curses a lot when she’s not on duty, especially during battle, more than Leo and Annabeth but not as much as Percy and Thalia -Also since she lived in California for 4+ years she definitely says ‘hella’ a lot and it’s her favorite word -Sounds like what melted marshmallows and coffee look like -Talks and mutters in Spanish and Latin a lot, sometimes mixes the two 

Nico: -Has a ranging accent from a bunch of different places after being surrounded by people of multiple cultures at the Lotus Casino for so long -But his most distinct accent is his Italian one and he can’t pronounce some of his ‘i’s, pronouncing them like ‘e’ instead, and he pronounces Will’s name like ‘Wheel’ cause of it and he hates it but Will loves it -He sounds scratchy, shaky, and sad when he’s upset and it’s so agonizing to hear him like that -Overall he usually has a dark, grim, melancholy, thick, small, soft, and slightly raspy voice -He talks really fast when he’s excited and he sounds so eager and enthusiastic it’s adorable, everyone loves it, especially Percy cause Nico sounds so much like the upbeat, energetic, cheerful kid who played Mythomagic years ago -Has a light, soft, and giggly laugh that everyone loves to hear from him -But his yelling voice is frightening cause he sounds like the depths of Tartarus are screaming through his body and since he rarely raises his voice, all his pain and anger are shown through his voice at the same time -Gets voice cracks when he’s really angry or sad -Sounds like steel and what mint tastes like -Uses phrases from the 19th century and still uses terms and codes from World War II

Thalia: -Used to have a regular American accent but after travelling the world with the Hunters for over two years started picking up a ranging accent from various places, similar to Nico -Is naturally super loud just like Jason (like brother-like sister) and isn’t allowed to talk while the Hunters are stalking prey cause she alerts the monsters within a second if she speaks -Has a very brash, raucous, thunderous (pun intended), booming, smoky, sultry, silvery, stentorian, ringing, and slightly husky voice -Naturally sounds really sarcastic even if she’s not being so, and everyone she speaks to for the first time thinks she’s being rude when that’s just how she talks -Has a loud and booming laugh similar to Jason’s -Uses a lot of modern slang -Curses the most out of everyone and way too much, there’s at least two curse words in every sentence -And after hanging around Reyna so much she’s started saying ‘hella’ a lot, too -Gets a rasp when she’s been talking for a lot cause her voice is so loud it’s honestly a wonder why her vocal chords haven’t been destroyed yet -People often think she’s partially deaf -Sounds like thunder and lightning (literally and figuratively) -Roars more than yells, and it’s really scary and intimidating

Calypso: -Has a thick islander accent and kept trying to mimic different people’s accents until finding out that’s considered offensive  -Often sounds sad, harsh, lost, and/or lonely cause all the time she spent alone on Ogygia -Has a voice that isn’t too high or too deep, but perfectly in the middle -Has a clear, honeyed, mystical, smoky, sultry, soft, and slightly fruity voice and can sometimes sound plummy -Uses slang and phrases from a hundred different centuries and no one can understand what she’s saying -Sounds grating and ringing when she’s yelling -Gets voice cracks when she’s upset -But overall has an almost otherworldly voice that makes her sound celestial and almost alien -Has a soft, clear, and giggly laugh that’s sometimes super quiet and other times louder than a speaker at full volume -Uses lengthy and sophisticated words and loves using British slang -Has hints of a British accent as well -Uses really good grammar  -Sounds like fluffy clouds and warm sand

Rachel: -Typical American accent  -Has a super relaxing and soothing voice that can calm down anyone without her even trying and she’s a great comforter because of it -Has a clear, silvery, thick, fruity, smoky, and steady voice that isn’t too high or too deep, also in the middle -Curses and mutters quite often -Uses a lot of modern and artist slang most demigods don’t understand -Learned curse words from a bunch of different languages  -Has a nice, pleasant, easy-to-listen-to voice everyone loves to hear -She and Annabeth reading books together sounds like heaven -Is actually a really great singer and she, Thalia, and Reyna can harmonize weirdly well -Gets a slight rasp when she’s tired -Never raises her voice, ever, even when she’s angry or annoyed -Her pace is all over the place. Sometimes she talks super slowly, other times steadily, and other times faster than a car on the highway, but generally she drags some of her words and sounds so peaceful people love talking to her -Tries her hardest not to show any emotion when she’s upset, scared, or angry but usually fails and sounds shaky and brittle, almost like she’s going to cry, even if she’s not even close to crying -Sounds as beautiful as her paintings -And sounds like the scent of citrus and vanilla

(inspiration from lililibird-deactivated20162017)

sorry I’m spamming lmao

[vrishchikawrites]

I suck at writing dialogue.

Any advice, senpai?

Ok *rolls up sleeves* I have 10 tips!

1. Give characters individual vocal characteristics.

2. People don't write and speak in the same way.

3. Read the sentence in one breath.

4. Think about what the character would say and wouldn't say.

5. Characters interact differently with different people.

6. Use Dialogue to show what's happening and people's opinions on it.

7. Mind the dialogue tags.

8. Avoid cliche phrases.

9. Avoid saying obvious things.

10. People often don't respond logically or answer questions.

I've elaborated everything below and cut for length.

1. Give characters individual vocal characteristics.

LWJ has his famous 'mn' and I tend to use 'aiya' with WWX to showcase his casual manner of speaking. Nailing character voices at first is important to create natural dialogue. Clear vocal characteristics help readers identify one person from another, especially if you don't want to overuse identifiers like names or pronouns.

2. People don't write and speak in the same way.

People will sometimes skip articles, forego a few grammar rules, and will almost always shorten words and sentences wherever possible. Instead of saying, 'I'm hungry, I want to eat' most people will say, 'I'm hungry, want to eat' Remove all unnecessary words from the dialogue as much as possible, even if the character is considered talkative.

Use italics if you want to emphasize, ellipses to highlight pauses and indicate hesitation, dashes to also highlight sharper pauses. Use them instead of saying words to describe the situation.

3. Read the sentence in one breath.

When you finish writing the dialogue, read it out loud to see if you can say it in one breath. If not, add a pause or a full stop at appropriate places.

4. Think about what the character would say and wouldn't say.

LWJ speaks very efficiently. He always makes his point without speaking too many words. You wanna condense such a character's sentences as much as possible - without making him sound robotic because afaik, he doesn't sound stiff and robotic in Chinese (i may be wrong). WWX, on the other hand, is liberal with his speech but he's not verbose. To me, he doesn't say unnecessary words either, he just tends to elaborate more than LWJ does.

Before you create dialogue for any character, you'll need to understand what is characteristic and uncharacteristic for a person to say.

5. Characters interact differently with different people.

A person's tone will change based on who they're talking to. WWX will be more open and playful with LWJ, he'll take on a more mature edge when interacting with the juniors, he'll be distant and respectful with LXC, and distant but with an edge of sharpness with LQR.

Examples from the first chapter of Trapped and Patient

With WQ - "This is madness." He protests, "You're giving me too much credit!" With a stranger - Wei Wuxian taps on the table, smiling at the notes as the wine bottle is placed in front of him, "My friend, does that man come here often?"

With JYL - “Shijie! You know how restless I get,” His voice is cheerful, “What can I do here? I’m just sitting on my hands and languishing while everyone else is out there, preparing for war-”

With Sect Leader Yu - Wei Wuxian frowns, “Very well, I’d like to personally speak with them before I accept any sort of offer.”

With LXC - “I will tell you all, of course.” He assures and looks around, “I heard a few rumors and decided to offer my services to you and Chifeng-zun.”

With LWJ - "Lan Zhan! Lan er-gongzi!" He greets, elated, "I missed you!"

Everyone's tone changes based on who they're addressing and what kind of situation they are in.

6. Use Dialogue to show what's happening and people's opinions on it.

In T&P - Ch - 2 - WWX and LQR have a conversation and WWX says this:

He glances at Lan Qiren, “You have been in my position before, Elder Lan, was it a privilege?”

With it, WWX is able to explain his position in a way that is relatable to LQR, establish a connection with LQR, and lay the foundation for their relationship down the line.

LQR's response is an indication of acceptance and truce. It is also a conversation between adults instead of an elder and a teenager. If I played my cards right, I have showcased that LQR's perspective has shifted and WWX has grown enough and is cautious of his new position to take LQR seriously like he didn't before.

“Good. It is past time you live up to your potential, Wei Wuxian.”

Dialogue can establish the foundation of relationships better than paragraphs worth of description can and it does it in a way that is more personal.

7. Mind the dialogue tags.

He said, she said, etc, are sometimes necessary and sometimes they're not. If you can clearly identify the speaker, there's no need to add the tag. If the conversation is a rapid-fire exchange of words between two parties, you can forgo tags entirely.

He grins sheepishly, “I seek advice from you against his wishes, Zewu-jun. Forgive me for being a bit anxious.”

Lan Xichen waves his hand, “We’re both older brothers, are we not?

“Tell me about your new cultivation. It is remarkable.” There’s genuine interest in Lan Xichen's voice, “Where did you come up with the idea?”

“You’ll laugh,” Wei Wuxian says-

This dialogue uses the tag 'WWX says' only once and the rest of the conversation doesn't have it. Be conscious of the tags and where you use them.

8. Avoid cliche phrases.

Few things pull a reader away from a story than cliche phrases that people will rarely utter in their life. An exchange like this - "Why are you doing this?" - "Because I love you, damnit!" has become too common and isn't as effective as it used to be, especially when a character is confessing for the first time.

Best way to avoid cliche or cringy dialogue is to read the sentence out loud and consider whether it sounds natural.

9. Avoid saying obvious things.

If you've already written a paragraph on how eerily quiet a forest is, there's no need for a character to say - "It is quiet here isn't it?" Especially if the character is someone like WWX or LWJ, who are naturally observant. Don't let your character explain everything you have already described in text unless they need to explain it to someone.

10. People often don't respond logically or answer questions directly.

People tend to not answer questions directly. Even in serious conversations, they'll go about it a round-about way.

Wei Ying is silent for a while before he laughs softly, "Aiya, Lan Zhan, I already know what you wish to ask." Wangji waits patiently for permission and Wei Ying huffs and nods, "Yes, you may."

"What did you eat?"

Wei Ying picks up Wangji's hands and presses a gentle kiss on them, lacing their fingers together. He lingers for a moment before sighing, "My Hanguang-jun doesn't deserve to hear of such grim things."

Wangji curls his fingers because that might as be a confirmation. His heart breaks for his beloved and he closes his eyes, "Your husband wishes to know, Wei Ying."

"Mostly some small critters, Lan Zhan," he admits, "Sometimes I'd dig up roots of trees. They were softer and easier to consume. I managed to catch a few birds. Bugs, earthworms, maggots, crickets- they were plentiful.

WWX doesn't give a straightforward reply without LWJ coaxing things out of him. Characters lie, deflect, evade, blurt out excuses. LWJ consciously doesn't interrupt people but it is natural for people to interrupt each other's conversations too. Sometimes people will take a frustratingly long time to get to the point. You need to incorporate that.

"Hanguang-jun, surely you understand! Our village has faced draught ever since these children arrived and we finally know why! The Gods are displeased with us!"

Wangji looks at the children, feeling a stir of concern at their wan faces. They've already been beaten black and blue by angry villagers.

"I'll be taking the children," Wangji looks at his husband in surprise but doesn't voice any objections. It is rare for Wangji to deny his husband anything these days and Wei Ying's desires are often simple things, easy to fulfill with the greatest pleasure.

No one directly replies to the person who has spoken. That's also a common thing. Every question or comment doesn't need reciprocation to carry dialogue.

Of course, this is my amateur attempt. I would also recommend doing some online research. Hope this helps?

[chulip-blossoms]

15 Anti-Capitalist Ways to Be Productive During Unmotivating Times (or Self-Care)

I've summarized each point the best that I can, so hopefully this helps someone out there.

By: Teanna

Youtube Channel: Fab Socialism

My thoughts (stuff not in the video) are in italics

As Teanna talks about in their video, these tips are for working on yourself and prioritizing your rest while slowing working things off your to-do list. These can also be helpful if you need a change in your routine and aren’t sure where to start.

1. Taking More than One Shower at Odd Times of The Day

Don’t wait until you feel like it’s a “proper time” to do something like eating or showering if it'll make you feel better

2. Clean Your Room (declutter, give things away, wash your sheets, etc.)

a. If it helps, I tend to have a show on or listen to music when I do this so I’m focusing less on the task and it feels like going thru the motions

3. Go Over Your To-Do list with a Reality Check*

As in write down what you want to get done, cross out anything you don’t actually have to do, and instead of trying to do stuff within the day, work it in over the course of week or month

*if it gets too long and complicated, just ditch it

4. Guilt Free Naps Are Productive

Get what you need done if it helps you nap guilt free, but if you’re too tired to do anything, just take the nap

Idk if this’ll help anyone but I time/set an alarm for my naps because if I sleep too long I get such bad headaches

5. Do Something Nice for Someone (Arts & Crafts)

--------------------------------

6. Have Something to Look Forward To

Taking a walk or a grocery trip, lie down on your bed, etc.

At my last job, every evening I came home and watched a new Mainland Chinese, Hong Kong or Taiwanese film. It combined my interests of learning about different cultures and watching nice stories. So it doesn’t need to be anything big.

7. Do Your Laundry More Often

8. Wash Your Hair (don’t even worry about styling)

9. Don’t Avoid Finances!

Check your bank account + know what’s in there, and avoid impulse spending

Write down what you find yourself buying and how much it costs

10. Feel Proud of Yourself! Lots of Pep Talk! (especially the small things)

--------------------------------

11. (If and When You Can) Be Present and Appreciate Life

Even if it’s just for a few seconds, pause and take in everything from where you’re sitting to the noises outside just to ground yourself in the moment

12. Properly Plan with Small Achievable Tasks (Daily Tasks, Weekly Tasks, Monthly Tasks)*

*if you think this will work for you

a. Take small steps, even if you don’t finish the whole task

13. Delete Your Social Media

14. Just Try and Prepare

If you’re afraid of doing something, prepare beforehand the best you can

15. I could have missed something but they ended the video with just the understanding that you do not have to dedicate your life (or your sanity) to a rise and grind mentality. Not everything you do has to be toward the benefit of production. Do what you gotta do (in terms of work and paying rent), prioritize your values, and love yourself wholly.

Of course not all of these can or will apply to everyone's situation, but try or use whichever of these tips speak to you. Praying nothing but the best for your wellness, wholeness, and happiness.