#figure out the meaning of because of english vs. how many for which knowing english actually leads me astray (false friends)

[coquelicoq]

this post is brought to you by: la lettre A

i finished all 58 pages of the letter A in this french dictionary! and it only took me 18 days!!

knowing myself and how i work, if i want to actually keep this up long enough to finish the entire dictionary, i should celebrate this milestone with a look back at what i have learned and accomplished. (not that i actually need an excuse to ramble about words, but i'm not gonna turn one down lol.)

keep reading to learn exciting things such as: which french nouns for abstract concepts can be masculine OR feminine! which french playing card is idiomatically considered to have bad fashion sense! which prefixes are actually TWO prefixes meaning totally different things, the little fuckers! and more!!

first, some stats

percentage of dictionary taken up by A words: 7.6% (58/763)

percentage of dictionary read so far: 8.4% (counting the preface and abbreviations)

rate and duration: 3 pages/day for 18 days (approximately 1-2 hours per day)

total entries: 2304. note: this is not the same as the number of words defined (an entry will often contain derivations of the main word, such as adjectives and adverbs formed from a noun) or number of definitions (an entry will often define multiple senses of the same word)

rows added to my vocabulary spreadsheet: 214. these are not all of the words i didn't know, just the ones i want to prioritize learning. baby steps.

times i learned a word from the dictionary and then later that day encountered the same word in the wild: probably like ten times!

times i learned a word from the dictionary and then later that day encountered the same word in the wild and still knew what it meant: maybe four times lol

fun facts about A words!

you may have noticed that there are a lot of pages in the A section (relative to the mean, which would be about 29 pages/letter). this is primarily because some very productive prefixes start with this letter!

prefixes of note

a- (toward, to). eventually i managed to internalize that if there's a word i don't recognize that starts with an a, if i chop off the a (+ the following letter, if it's a doubled consonant) it will often leave me with another word i do recognize, and the a- word indicates some kind of movement toward the state or action indicated by the shorter word. the entry for a- (the second entry in the entire dictionary) told me this explicitly, but it didn't really sink in until like...yesterday lol. you'd think i would know better, from 1) taking latin (this prefix is from the latin word ad, meaning to), 2) having a form of this prefix in english as well, 3) knowing how prefixes work, etc., etc. but alas. i stay humble 😔

a(n)- (not, no, without). very fun when you have a letter which at the beginning of words can mean either "not [root]" or "becoming [root]". big shoutout to greek and latin for that.

it's interesting that this dico didn't have an entry for the ab- prefix (also from latin, the opposite of a-). ab rights!! (one of my favorite latin verbs is abesse, meaning "to be away". present participle: absens, absentis. look familiar???)

anté/anti- (before), from the latin ante, vs. anti- (against), from the greek anti. greek vs. latin strikes again!!!

apo- (away from, off). obviously english also has this prefix because french forced their lexicon upon us, but i hadn't actually put together before now that it was a prefix because i've never studied greek. so now i am doing the next best thing, learning about english by reading about greek in a dictionary about french.

archéo- (ancient) vs. archi- (chief, ruler). mostly notable because i used to be very distressed by the fact that the ch sound is pronounced differently in these two environments. but now i know (it's a k sound in archéo and an sh sound in archi)!

auto- (self) vs. auto- (related to road vehicles). i just love that the second one came from the first via back formation (from automobile), aka the popular girl of the morphological processes.

i wouldn't really call them prefixes, but avant (before), après (after), and arrière (behind, back) also all begin with A, and they are stuck in front of other words to make new hyphenated words, thus padding out the A section further.

page hogs

(entries taking up 1/6 of a page or more)

à

affaire

air

aller

appel

appuyer

art

attendre

avant

avoir

like you guys don't get enough attention already !

🤯 momence

accourir takes être as auxiliary in the compound tenses! are you seeing this shit!!! dr. & mrs. vandertramp is a LIE!!

guess what the verb alphabétiser means. did you guess "to alphabetize"? WRONG! it means to teach someone to read and write!!

in other "learning things about english by reading a french dictionary out loud" news: did u know that reMUNeration is a word? not just reNUMeration (which is also an accepted spelling), but reMUNeration. the m and then the n! what! how have i never noticed this in the past 34 years of my existence! some people may say it's strange to read the dictionary, but i think this proves i need to read MORE dictionaries actually. life is beautiful. consciousness is a miracle!!

the noun l'après-midi (afternoon) can be feminine or masculine! how do you pick? idk! gender anarchy! this just in: every afternoon is genderfluid hours selon les francophones!!

okay, here's a headscratcher. l'auriculaire (noun) means "pinky finger", but auriculaire (adjective) refers to the ear/hearing. the only explanation i can find for this is on french wikipedia, which is very [citation needed] and seems apocryphal at best. (and if that wasn't enough totally unrelated body parts for one word to be about for you, auriculaire can also refer to the chambers of the heart 😇)

mes bien-aimés

favorite words to pronounce

antipathie [ɑ̃tipati]

antiquité [ɑ̃tikite]

antithétique [ɑ̃titetik]

architecture [aʀʃitɛktyʀ]

association [asɔsjasjɔ̃]

au-delà [od(ə)la], especially with the article (l'au-delà [lod(ə)la])

authenticité [otɑ̃tisite]

autochtone [otoktɔn]

tous azimuts [tuzazimyt]

please listen to my one true love (voice reading french words on wordreference dot com) pronounce "association". crops watered etc.

least favorite words to pronounce are any that start with aéro-. consecutive vowel sounds and an r sound? sans façon, je m'abstiens 👍

FAVE WORDS PERIOD

une accolade: an embrace/a hug, or one of these guys: { }. is that not the cutest shit.

une agrafe: a staple. i've become very attached to this word for some reason. (haha, attached, get it)

un aimant: a magnet. i am SURE i knew this at some point but fortuitously i forgot all about it, allowing me to see it with fresh eyes and be delighted all over again. (aimant is the present participle of the verb aimer, meaning to love. therefore magnet = one who is loving 😫💘)

tu ne manques pas d'air ! : you've got some nerve! ooh, i just know this is going to come in handy.

[nom] par alliance: [noun]-in-law. i like this because une alliance is a wedding ring (and also, more directly, an alliance. but that's boring!).

une amphibologie: sentence or phrase that's grammatically ambiguous. obviously i'm all over this. cela va de soi.

ahaner: to puff and pant. i love this one because it's onomatopoeic (the h is silent, so you make two "ah" sounds in a row, like you're breathing out twice)!

french has a word meaning "person who goes on vacation in august" (it's aoûtien(ne), from août, meaning august). how fucking rad is that?

i love et alors ? (big deal), et après ? (so?, so what?), and j'en ai vu d'autres (I've seen worse). also à d'autres ! (yeah, right! or likely story! or (for the brits out there) pull the other one! or (this is not in any dictionaries but i am extrapolating) nice try but i wasn't born yesterday!)

avoir une araignée au plafond: to be a little cuckoo, to have bats in the belfry. literal translation: to have a spider on the ceiling. just reminds me of that classic tumblr post about nicolas ii the last czar of russia hanging from the ceiling fan. i know that post is about bad vision, but the vibes are there and that's what matters.

archi- is a prefix in words like architecture, but it can also be added to adjectives as a slangy intensifier meaning very, extremely, super.

mentir comme un arracheur des dents: lie through one's teeth, though the literal translation would be more like "lie like a tooth-puller". is this because dentists are always like "this will barely hurt at all"? (omg i just looked it up and found a source (reputability: unknown) that says exactly that)

arrondir [qqch]: round [sth] up/down. aw look, it's got "rond" right in there. and i like that you can use the same construction regardless of whether you're rounding up or down, because it's not actually necessary to specify.

habillé(e)/ficelé(e)/fichu(e) comme l'as de pique: dressed like a scarecrow, looking like something the cat dragged in. literal translation: dressed like the ace of spades. is the ace of spades known for looking bedraggled in french card decks?? dying to know.

un ascenseur is an elevator, but it can also mean scroll bar. that makes so much sense! they do look like little elevators!

accrocher means a lot of things but primarily to hang, hook, snag, grip, etc. (it's related to crochet, hook.) one of its figurative senses is to get along, click, hit it off. les atomes crochus is chemistry (between people)...literally "hooked atoms". avoir des atomes crochus avec [qqn] means to have a lot in common with [sb].

autant pour moi: my bad, silly me. apparently was originally "au temps pour moi". au the temps, they are a-changin...

l'auto-stop: hitchhiking! as far as i can tell, stop came from english, but it happened centuries ago, and this dictionary isn't marking it as an anglicism. i mostly think it's funny that french definitely couldn't adopt the word "hitchhike" (french has, like, two of those sounds in its phoneme inventory lol) but they still ended up with something that came from english but which their lexicographers are not acknowledging as having come from english. (canadians say faire du pouce which is also great)

faire avec: make do, get by. i love a preposition that doesn't take a complement! feels illicit. like we're being naughty. even though it's actually so accepted as to be included in an abridged dictionary for a language that has literal laws about which words not to use. i know, okay? just let me have this!

next up: 34 pages of la lettre B 👀👀

[ineffable-suffering]

Why Aziraphale is an unreliable narrator

Part 2: The Story of wee Morag

This is Part 2 of 3 total metas. Here are:

Part 1, in case you want to read about my analysis of the Story of Job first

and Part 3, in case you're impatient and want to jump ahead.

Fair warning though, for the sake of understanding some of the references, you're probably better off reading this chaptered meta chronologically. However, every part should work just as well as a standalone! I'll do my very best to make it so.

Alright, off or on you go beyond the cutty cut!

I'll start this second part off with a very brief summary of the main take aways and points from Part 1, which go as such:

Memory, as opposed to a third party's narration, is not a factual, objective retelling of a story or event. It's mingled and mangled with emotions, imaginations and exaggerations, projecting both the feelings and impressions you had back then as well as those you might have now in the present time back on whatever it is you are remembering. (Which is why we need to put everything that Aziraphale is remembering into the context of what he might have felt in the past, as well as what he's feeling right now.)

While this doesn't mean his (or anyone's) memories are lies, it does mean they're a very subjective and sometimes factually distorted representation of what actually happened, which, in our case, gives us a lot of subtext and a lot of not-there furniture to figure out and look at.

So, let's continue with S2E3 and the Story of wee Morag. We start our flashback with a scene of Aziraphale writing his diary entry on the 10th of November, 1827. Immediately, it's firmly established that this is once again not an outside-point-of-view narration, but rather what Aziraphale remembers and wrote down.

One thing that immediately stuck out to me here, is how helpful and kind Crowley is to Elspeth, pretty much from the very beginning when they meet her in the graveyard. Not only does he take on a Scottish accent so she won't perceive him as English (as she does with Aziraphale), but he also helps her drag the barrel that has the fresh body in it and, in the end, even pulls it all by himself while Elspeth simply follows behind them. Here's a rather poor-quality picture, for reference:

Now, we know that despite not showing it very often, Crowley has always been very fond of the humans and never really put himself on a pedestal simply because he's an immortal being himself. He likes humans, just like Aziraphale does. But, just like this story will tell us, Crowley knows that on top of liking humans, you can't just put them into boxes of good and evil and expect them to always do what is supposedly the "right" or "divinely good" thing to do. (Which is what differentiates him from Aziraphale in the way he understands and treats them, as we're shown in this minisode).

Him immediately and unspokenly helping Elspeth with dragging the barrel therefore might also be a first sign of a tiny projection from present day Aziraphale, as opposed to what Crowley might have actually done (probably just walked beside her, like Aziraphale) because he has the knowledge that Crowley really was so very kind to her in the end, wasn't he? And that he's kind to humans in general. ("Not kind! Off my head on Laudanum!" Sure, babe.)

Most of this minisode, in my opinion, is actually there to establish how Aziraphale's view of morality and good vs. evil used to be quite flawed and elitist –– and how Crowley has always been there to gently nudge him towards questioning his black and white view of heavenly right and hellishly wrong. That's why I think there's not as many hints in this minisode about Aziraphale's memories not being an accurate portrayal of what happened, as there are in the Story of Job or the magic show in 1941. (And, fear not, the latter will definitely be the most hint-heavy one). Alas, there's still a few bits and bobs in the Story of wee Morag that stuck out to me, that make a brief yet good case of the whole unreliable narration thing.

First of all: The way Aziraphale describes all of it in his diary is so different from the way we see him actually remembering it. It's almost like he tried to write this entry (and possibly all of his diary) as a bit of a thrilling short story, with himself as the main character. Which makes sense, given the fact that he adores books and would certainly be keen on dabbling in the art of capital-w Writing himself. It's yet again hinting at the fact that sometimes people (and angels) try to polish and bedazzle stories (and memories) to make them seem more exciting and adventurous, often to distract from the not-so-fun parts of it.

Like when Aziraphale's diary narrates:

"It was with heavy heart we arrived at Elspeth's destination. I was determined to thwart her monstrous plan!"

... and yet we see Crowley and Elspeth casually walking down the alleyway, very obviously not heavy-hearted in the slightest, while Aziraphale nervously scurries on behind them, very obviously not determined to thwart. (Timestamp-wise, it's around 17:38 in S2E3, in case you want to see for yourself.)

We get another cinematographic/auditory hint at the fact that Aziraphale's memory is heavily influenced by what he's feeling that very moment, when Dr. Mister Dalrymple –– FRCSE, thank you very much –– shows him the tumor he removed from the seven year old boy. You can see the shock and horror on Aziraphale's face once he learns of this child's cruel fate. We then proceed to hear Mr. Dalrymple's voice grow sort of echo-y and far away as the sad music swells up and drowns out his voice almost completely. It's awfully similar to what it feels like when really horrible news are broken to you and you dissociate and drift into a state of shock. Here's the clip of it, so you may listen for yourself:

It's clear that this is a very subjective portrayal of what Aziraphale is going through during this part of the memory. He's deeply horrified and saddened about the little boy having passed away so early in life – and we hear and feel this shock with him. Through him, because this is his memory. Whatever it is he's feeling and thinking, we're feeling and thinking it too because we're seeing it through his lense.

Another (less sad) hint at a possible exaggeration is the abnormally deep hole Crowley makes the two graveyard watch keepers fall into. I'm pretty sure he's very much in charge of his miracles, making this random slip-up seem a little silly – which is why I'm also pretty sure the "Might have slightly overdone it on that hole" is a wee bit of a meta hint at this just being another one of Aziraphale's dramatic bedazzlements of this story. For the *flings feather boa around neck* drama!

You know what else might be exaggerated? Hm, I dunno, maybe Crowley growing into the size of a tree for no apparent reason. Sure, yes, he's pretty high on Laudanum which is making him a bit loopy. But apart from that, it does seem an awfully big cinematographic euphemism for him being the metaphorical (and, once again, for the drama of it) literal bigger person in this scenario. He's the one who ends up saving Elspeth and who manages to secure a safe life without poverty and grave robbing for her. While Aziraphale was so tangled up in his own moral journey and main character-ism, missing that wee Morag was seconds away from death already, Crowley is the one who actually ends up growing stepping up for the human in need and saving them for good (pun intended).

In a way, it might just be Aziraphale's view of/feelings for Crowley in this very moment. Watching the demon outgrow what, according to Aziraphale's heavenly logic, is supposed to be a foul fiend, bestowing evil upon humanity – and growing into someone who does the exact opposite and saves Elspeth instead. Another larger-than-life character development, in Aziraphale's eyes. Literally.

Let's switch back to the topic of the diary entry one last time, so I can make my final point of the this minisode's unreliable and a smidge over-dramatic narration of Dr. McFell. If you pay close attention, Aziraphale starts the entry we're all getting to experience with: "Last month, Crowley and I both happened to be in Edinburgh." Which means it didn't actually happen on the 10th of November, but rather at some point in October, 1827. Once we see Crowley get hydro-pumped back to Hell after rescuing Elspeth, the minisode ends with, presumably, the last sentence of Aziraphale's diary entry: "And that was the last I would see of Crowley for quite some time."

Take my hand and let's look at where the furniture isn't: This very clearly means that Crowley couldn't have been gone for more than a month, at best. Read again: "It happened last month and that was the last I would see of him for quite some time." This, albeit indirectly, clearly implies that when Aziraphale had sat down to write the diary entry, he had already run into Crowley again. Otherwise his phrasing would have probably been more along the lines of "... and I haven't seen Crowley since" or "... and Crowley has yet to return from wherever it is Hell's currently keeping him".

What's the point I'm trying to make? Good question. I guess my main point of storyteller Aziraphale being a bit over-dramatic in his narration is simply backed up by this, since A Single Month would barely pass as "quite some time" for an immortal being like him. And yet that's how he puts it, in his little Confidential Journals of A.Z. Fell, Vol. 603.

And another point that has absolutely nothing to do with the topic of this meta (but I'm still gonna make it 'cause this is my memory post): The meeting at St. Jame's Park in 1862 that so many, post-S2, took to be their first run-in after the Story of wee Morag, actually wasn't that at all. They saw each other at least once only a month later, as Aziraphale's diary lets us know. Which explains why he wasn't very surprised or concerned when he met Crowley in London, 1862. If there really had been 35 years in between those two events, the first one ending with Crowley being sucked back Downstairs to receive more than three decades worth of hellish punishment, wouldn't Aziraphale have been at least a tiny bit worried or more interested than:

Just saying.

Alright, let's string this inflated hot air balloon of a post back together so we can outline some invisible furniture. This time with only two humble points:

Crowley through Aziraphale's lense Backed up by how we are introduced to Bildad the Shuhite in the Job minisode (suave, cheeky, smart, passionate in shoemaking and obstetrics), it's growing quite clear that Aziraphale's memories and impressions of Crowley are very fond and impressed ones. He sees him as someone who's not only witty, funny and cool, but also as someone who has figured out way sooner and faster than him that nothing's ever black and white. Not God's plans and not the human's choices either.

Aziraphale as a bit of an exaggerating adventure author With the direct parallel we get of inkslinger journalist!Aziraphale in the present day, it's quite apparent after this minisode that Aziraphale's memory is not only deeply influenced by his emotions, but that he also tends to have a bit of a dramatic touch to him. Although, you gotta give it to the guy: A month without seeing the love of your life, even if said life is eternal, can indeed seem like "quite some time".

Well, would you lookie here, we've reached the end of Part 2! What a journey it was. I hope you forgive me for the fact that I drifted off-course a few times. I just can't seem to reel in my silly little observations, even if they've got nothing to do with the point I'm trying to make. But hey, doesn't that just make me a little bit like Aziraphale's storytelling, in a way?

I'll let you be the judge of that.

See you in Part 3! And in case you haven't snuck a peak yet: here's Part 1 again.

Ta!

[caffedrine]

Character vs. Event – The Beast wants to Lure the Rabbit Silvio Ricci vs Azel Radwan - Summary

If you trust me to know what I'm doing, then we have both made a huge mistake. I cannot guarantee accuracy for this summary, or even grammatical correctness.

Please support Cybird and pick up this event when it makes it to the English Server

Also - Silvio is super hot in this one. Don't get distracted by the sexy new princes, Silvio brings it.

This is set without Silvio or Azel being romanced.

What if Emma had gone on to purchase books in Benitoite on Akatsuki’s behalf?

After completing Akatsuki’s errand, Emma briefly stopped by the main port before heading back to the inn. The port seemed unusually busy, and Emma overhears some of the crowd talk about the living god, also mentioning that Silvio had personally come to welcome him.

Emma is also curious by the talk of the living god, and wonders if this means Silvio is just ahead.

She had briefly met Silvio a short while ago when she had played the role of ‘Belle’ in Rhodolite. Silvio, First Prince of Benitoite, had tormented her many times, and possibly because he was suspicious of her secret role, had made her his caretaker. Thankfully Rio had protected her, but unfortunately, he was not around to shield her now.

It would have been smart for Emma to turn away and go to the inn, but she was curious about how her former acquaintance was doing. Curiosity drew her into the crowd, and with some luck, she was in a prime position to see Silvio.

Benitoite knights had formed an empty zone, in which Silvio stood looking at a large ship bearing the emblem of Tanzanite. Following his gaze, Emma saw a single figure move down the ship’s gangway.

At first glance, he was an otherworldly man with features she has never seen before. His hair was silver, and his eyes were a mysterious color that she couldn’t quite place but was striking even from a distance.

Around her, the crowd confirms that this new person is the living god, and Emma recalls hearing that there was a real god in human form in Tanzanite. From the looks of him, she could believe it.

As he came closer to them, Emma could see that the Living God’s expression was full of compassion and love that surrounded everyone, starkly contrasted to Silvio’s tyrannical expression.

(something wicked this way comes)

With a politeness that took Emma by surprise, Silvio welcomed Azel, the Living God, to Benitoite. Azel kindly thanked Silvio for his gracious hospitality and prayed that all the people of Benitoite would be blessed.

Emma is surprised, she didn’t think Silvio was capable of being so polite and gracious. At least, he had never appeared that way in front of the Princes of Rhodolite. The Living God must be something if he could draw this personality out of Silvio.  It gives her goosebumps.

Just as Azel begins to accompany Silvio to a nearby carriage, a man behind Emma shouts that Azel is a fraud and has bankrupted him. He demands his money back and starts lashing out, pushing hard at the crowd and Emma.

Benitoite knights rush over to the man, and the combined commotion of the rampaging man, and the knights trying to restrain him send Emma landing on the ground hard. Just as she realizes that she’s technically in the open space, Silvio recognizes her.

Silvio rushes towards her, demanding to know what the hell she’s doing here. He swears at her, and Emma is almost relieved to see the normal Silvio. Emma begins to apologize, assuming he’s upset because of how close she is, but Silvio shushes her, examining her leg, which she only begins to notice is badly scraped up and bleeding through her skirt.

Before Emma can react, Silvio bends down and scoops her up into his arms. Emma demands to know what he’s doing, but Silvio shushes her, threatening to toss her into the sea if she doesn’t calm down. Emma ignores the threat and tells him that she’s not so injured that she can't walk. She points out that he’ll attract undue rumors if they see him right now.

Emma flails more, but Silvio shrugs off her movements. He tells her that he isn’t going to follow any orders from her, and besides, no one cares about them right now. Emma stops and looks at the crowd, and sees that indeed, everyone is focused on Azel.

Azel is telling the crowd that if anyone has a grievance to air with him, to please follow the formal procedures to request a meeting. He promises that as long as time permits, he will listen to all the people of Benitoite. But he would hate for his beloved people to be injured further by this outburst, and to be patient with him.

Like a miracle, the crowd quieted down like the receding of the tide. Even Emma feels like her heart quiet down, and she wonders if this is a miracle from god. Silvio tells Emma that they’ll take this opportunity to leave quickly. Emma asks where he’s taking her, and Silvio responds that he’s sure as hell not going to stand here holding her forever, so they’ll just go back to the castle.

Emma tells Silvio to think things through and put her down. Silvio tells her to stop ruining his mood and takes a threatening step towards the sea. Emma doesn’t say anything, and Silvio looks satisfied.

In the carriage, Emma tells Silvio that she’s grateful for his kindness, but she absolutely hates this. Silvio tells her that she only has herself to blame, making him get violent in front of a state guest. Azel tells Silvio that he absolutely doesn’t mind, in fact, this sounds like a profitable story.

Once he pushed her into the carriage, Silvio had one of his servants retrieve a first aid kit and hand it to him. When she saw Silvio’s wicked grin, Emma immediately understood what was going to happen next and grabbed the hem of her skirt to hold it down. Just as she expected, Silvio forcefully tried to pull up her skirt.

All in front of the Living God, sitting across from them.

The fight between Emma and Silvio was so childish, she wanted to cry. She tell Silvio that she can take care of this herself, but Silvio insists that he’s a better medic than she is, and watching a amateur fumble about will only irritate him.

Emma tells him that’s fine, she’ll just get off his carriage, go home, and take care of it herself. Silvio rejects this idea.

Emma demands to know why, and Silvio snaps back that she’s very annoying, and if she resists any further, he’ll tear off her skirt. Emma wails that Silvio is truly the worst. She wonders if this is revenge for their time together in Rhodolite where she had been avoiding being his hostess.

Finally Azel speaks up, telling them to give it up. Silvio appreciates the backup, but Emma points out that he might have been talking to Silvio.

Azel notes that he is always troubled by the worries of stupid people. But, for her, he will lend a special hand.

Emma was surprised at the words, but Azel’s serene, benevolent expression never wavered. In the shaking carriage, Azel stands and moves to sit on Emma’s other side, trapping her between him and Silvio.

Silvio complains that with all three of them on the same seat, the carriage’s balance will be off. Azel tells Silvio in that case to go ahead and move to the empty bench.

Smiling sweetly at Emma, Azel asks her name, and introduces himself as Silvio’s personal fortuneteller, to Silvio’s displeasure. He asks since when were they that close, and Azel asks if Silvio is cheating on him with other fortunetellers. He laments that Silvio is so cruel even though Azel tries so hard for him.

Silvio protests, for one, he doesn’t even believe in fortunetelling. Azel smiles and exclaims that he is the only fortuneteller in the world that Silvio trusts. Silvio sighs in defeat.

Taking advantage of their distraction, Azel jerks the hem of Emma’s skirt up, exposing her wound.

Mockingly pitying her, Azel takes the medicine from Silvio, and begins to treat Emma as a bad feeling wells up in her. Unfortunately, she is trapped between Silvio and Azel and has no choice but to accept having her wound treated.

Azel treats her wound without the slightest show of compassion or mercy. It hurts badly enough that Emma yowls in pain, and clings to Silvio, who recoils and demands that she stop touching him. Through her tears, Emma apologizes, but cannot bring herself to let go of Silvio.

Azel is as efficient as a battle nurse and bandages her wound with gauze. By the time he finishes, the pain recedes. In a voice very different than the serenely benevolent one he’s used up to now, Azel mocks her for crying over being treated.

Then, with a very tender and compassionate gesture, Azel wipes the tears away from Emma’s eyes, and she wonders if the painful treatment was a dream. Emma thanks Azel, and he assures her that as Silvio’s precious friend, she is his sucker- wait, he meant friend, too.

Silvio breaks the moment by demanding Emma get off of him. As Emma scoots away, Silvio flings himself to the corner of the bench, but not before she notices how red his face is. When she brings it up, Silvio threatens to throw her out of the carriage, and Emma wonders if he’s embarrassed.

No, he’s a tyrant, it must be something else.

Azel takes this moment to bring up the cost of the treatment. He leans close to her ear and whispers a number so large that Emma feels herself grow faint. A light seems to shine from behind Azel as he explains that god has just used his own hands to treat her, so if anything, this is a discount.

Emma asks Silvio to save her, but he replies that this is her own fault for refusing to let him treat her. He goes on to explain that as gods go, Azel is pretty evil.

Emma realizes that Azel just scammed her.

Azel assures Emma that he’ll create a loan document so that she can pay her debt back in installments. Emma asks if there's anything other than money that can pay him back, and Azel considers this before agreeing. He’ll forgive the debt if Emma agrees to become his exclusive maid (slave) during his stay. Emma is confused, he said the word ‘maid’ but she’s pretty sure he meant ‘slave’.

Silvio cuts in, he has already hired the most skilled maid in Benitoite to serve Azel. There’s no need for Azel to put up with Emma’s amateurish attempts.

Azel disagrees, he’s grown fond of Emma. She’s not intimidated by princes or gods, so he’s certain he’ll feel very comfortable with her. Then again, if Silvio has that strong of an opinion, he doesn’t mind Silvio paying Emma’s debt on her behalf.

However, he knows Silvio is the type of person who doesn’t waste money. If Silvio is going to help this woman personally, does it mean that he’s in love with her?

Silvio immediately denies this, and Azel shrugs. It’s too bad, it sounds like Emma is going to be his new maid (slave) after all.

Emma agrees to serve Azel and have him waive the costs to treat her. Mentally she apologizes to Akatsuki, it looks like it will be a while before she is able to return to Rhodolite.

At the Benitoite Castle, Azel thanks Silvio for his hospitality, he always loves the food served to him. Silvio assures him that serving him is absolutely no trouble, and to eat as much as he likes.

Emma, now wearing a maid uniform, is their waiter and has been serving them since they first set foot in the castle. Thanks to her time as Belle, she was actually doing quite well. However, she is concerned that there are no other servants besides her, as everyone else has been dismissed. She is kept very busy, working by herself.

Azel and Silvio begin to talk seriously. Azel talks about an easy mark - er, merchant, who is still active. Silvio agrees, they’re using Azel’s name to sell expensive products. Unfortunately, while immoral, this isn’t illegal in Benitoite, and they need to get them on something else. He asks if Azel needs his help, but Azel refuses. Instead, he would like Silvio to do that favor he asked for.

Emma more or less understands the problem. She wonders if the whole point of Azel’s trip is to stop the sale of fake holy artifacts and imagines that there will be a lot of trouble ahead. She idly refills Silvio’s rose wine as Azel turns to her and explains that she’ll be helping him.  Emma starts and nearly empties the wine pitcher on Silvio. She asks if she misheard, but nope, Azel is going to use her for his job tomorrow.

Silvio immediately grabs her hand and cuts in. He was actually planning on having Emma help him tomorrow. Besides, he saw her first, Azel should back down.

Azel asks how much he should sell Emma to Silvio for. He reminds them that he’s an evil god. Silvio clicks his tongue, and Azel turns to Emma. He doesn’t mind if Emma chooses between them.

Silvo End

Emma is paralyzed by the sudden choice. She decides that in the end, she has to pay back her debt to Azel, so she slowly turns to him.

Behind her, Silvio clicks his tongue and tells Azel he understands, all he has to do is buy her. Azel smiles beautifully, remarking that it’s about time that Silvio’s made up his mind, no, Lord Gold*, that is. Silvio grumbles for Azel to stop calling him that.

Magnanimously, Azel agrees to stop, after all, he is very loyal to Silvio. He then praises Silvio for saving his dear friend. And to not ruin the moment, Azel will give him the bill later. This is not included in the compensation they’ve already arranged. Silvio grumbles about how stubborn Azel is.

Silvio then smiles arrogantly at Emma, and she wishes that she had gone with Azel instead. She has moved from the frying pan into the fire.

Silvio tells Emma that just as Azel once said, he doesn’t waste his money. He intends for her to work off her debt completely, and he plans on enjoying this.

The next morning, Emma is summoned to Silvio’s bedroom, and with a wicked grin he explains that today she is his personal maid. He warns her not to run her mouth with him. Emma would love to complain, but since Silvio holds a sizeable debt over her head, she cannot oppose him. Very politely, Emma agrees and tells Silvio to go ahead and give her any orders he wants. She goes full maid mode and calls him ‘master’.

This wipes the smirk off of Silvio’s face and he complains about it being weird when she’s like this. Emma reminds him that he has just told her to be his maid, so what does he want her to do? And why does he look so frustrated when she’s obedient?

Silvio has an errand for Emma to run. He hands her a list of book titles. Azel has requested these particular books from Silvio, but they’re rare enough that no single bookstore has everything. Silvio needs someone to go to the various bookstores in Benitoite and cobble the list together.

Emma is somewhat surprised; this is pretty much her normal job. She was worried that Silvio would give her a horrible onerous task, but this lines up with her abilities perfectly. She assures Silvio that she will be back by nightfall, accepting the list. She will pay off the debt with time to spare.

So why is Silvio accompanying her on this errand? When she asks, Silvio tells her that it’s none of her business. Emma laughs and teases him, maybe he’s coming with her because he cant bear to part with her so quickly?

Silvio reaches out and grabs her head, crushing it in a painful grip. He tells her to focus less on him and more on her task.

Emma asks if this means that Silvio doesn’t want to leave her alone. Silvio is not amused by this and begins to shake her head, blurring her vision. She complains that her eyes are shaking, and Silvio warns her to stop saying weird things.

Fine, fine, Emma will let it be. She’ll pretend there’s nothing weird or unusual about Silvio following her on her errand. That he assigned her.

The first bookstore she stops by was one she had purchased books from Akatsuki the previous day. The bookstore owner recognizes her, and asks if the rumor is true, is she now dating Silvio? To Emma’s horror, the owner explains that the rumors were that when the Living God arrived in Benitoite, Silvio and Emma had an intimate moment. Publicly. And now, the rumors say that Silvio has both the Living God and his mistress as guests at the Benitoite Palace.

Anyway, here is the book Emma requested. Please, give the bookstore owner’s regards to Prince Silvio.

Immediately upon exiting the bookstore, Emma tells Silvio that they need to break up.

Silvio looks stunned as he accepts the book from Emma. He recovers enough to remind Emma that they can’t break up, they’re not dating in the first place.

Yeah, well, there are rumors going around. Rumors . . . from Silvio’s very nonchalant reaction that he already knew about.

Yep, according to public opinion, Emma is Silvio’s woman. At least in Benitoite.

Okay, then they should break up publicly.

Silvio refuses to take orders from his newest maid. Instead, they should go to the next store.

As they walk, Emma is aghast at how fast these rumors are spreading. Oh, she just knew something bad would come from Silvio picking her up at the port. And now, she has become hyper-aware of all the people they pass by, feeling their gazes slide over her. Oh, what would happen if the rumors of her being Silvio’s woman spread past the Benitoite capital?

As if reading her mind, Silvio wonders what would happen if that dog hears the rumors too. He slips an arm around Emma’s waist and bends down to whisper in Emma’s ear. It occurs to her that, from the right angle, this looks like a intimate moment.

Silvio is doing this on purpose.

The longer they stay together, the faster the rumors will spread. Now Emma has just one last resort. She points and shouts that Azel is right there across the street.

This breaks Silvio’s attention, Azel should be in a different part of the city all together, dealing with . . . And Emma is gone, sprinting off down an alley. She thinks she heard Silvio scramble after her, but she continues full speed ahead, and practically dives into the first store around a corner. Gasping for breath, she waits, but it seems like she has shaken off Silvio.

After a moment, Emma decides to look around the store. It’s a general store, full of cute accessories that make her think of Benitoite. Something on the shelf catches her attention.

After Emma makes her purchase, she leaves the store, confident in her escape skills and planning on finishing her errand. She gets as far as the main street before a voice calls out to her. Before she can even look, she is dragged into a different alley and pushed roughly against the wall.

It’s Silvio.

And he is pissed.

Maybe Emma would have been better off if just a regular kidnapper had found her instead.

Silvio hopes that Emma is prepared to face the consequences of her actions. Emma is, but she doesn’t regret trying to stop the spread of the rumors. If it gets out that she is Silvio’s mistress, her marriage prospects will plummet.

Silvio is aghast, is that what she cares about? Hasn’t it got through her head why he’s spent his entire day with her yet?

Realizing what he just said, Silvio shuts his mouth, then swears, he didn’t mean that last bit to slip.

In case Emma hasn’t realized it, Silvio is a prince. And, if that’s not enough, he’s rich. Like, really rich. The rumors have already spread, and right now, she’s the most kidnappable person on the continent.

Oh. Well, maybe if Silvio had said that from the start, Emma would have been more cooperative. But, from his expression right now, Silvio looks embarrassed. It’s not something she is used to from this arrogant tyrant.

Emma apologizes, she didn’t realize he was worried about her. Silvio quickly denies this, he was never worried. He just would be upset if something happened. Totally different emotion.

Silvio is still a tyrant, which Emma hates, but still . . . Emma thanks him.

She pulls her recent purchase out of her pocket – a trinket with a ship motif. The little ship looks like it’s about to have a grand adventure, and looking at it, all she can think of is Silvio’s face.

Emma explains that she realized that back when she got injured Silvio hadn’t hesitated before running to tend to her. In the end, he had even paid Azel for treating her. But, in retrospect, she had never thanked him, so she wanted to give him this as a token of her thanks. Also, she might have been holding on to it to soothe Silvio’s ire when he eventually caught up to her after she escaped him.

But it wasn’t a lie that she wanted to thank him.

Silvio stares at the tiny ship resting in the palm of his hand, frozen. His ocean-blue eyes are wide and he seems very surprised. As the silence continues, Emma grows embarrassed. Maybe he dislikes the trinket – it’s nothing to a millionaire like Silvio. She tells Silvio that if he doesn’t like it, she’ll just take it back.

Silvio immediately snatches the trinket away, holding it above her head. He never said that he didn’t want it. He smiles as Emma grasps at air.

It is a very silly trinket, but Silvio will accept it as his due. Emma thinks he looks surprisingly happy, and her heart skips a beat at a smile she never saw back in Rhodolite.

No, that’s stupid. What’s the point of getting excited about seeing one nice smile on a tyrant’s face? She’s being far too lenient with him.

After this little adventure, Silvio actually listened to Emma’s request, and although he still followed her, he managed to do so without being seen. She was able to finish purchasing the last of the books on the list by the time the sun began setting over the sea.

Emma returns with Silvio to the castle, then cheerfully announces that her job is over. Since she’s paid off her debt, she’ll go ahead and return to the inn she’s staying at.

Emma is somewhat sad; this is probably the last time she will ever interact with Silvio. As a bookstore clerk, she cannot easily approach him, as they practically live in different worlds. She wishes him well, and turns to leave.

Silvio abruptly grabs her, wrapping his arms around her from behind.

Did Emma seriously think she could just leave like that?

Silvio Epilogue

Emma met Silvio when the King of Rhodolite died and she had been nominated as Belle to choose his replacement. Silvio had come up with many tricks to try to get her to reveal her identity, leading them to but heads more often than not. If she had to describe their relationship, Emma would say that it was not a good one.

So how exactly did she end up like this?

His arms are wrapped around her like a backward hug, and he’s asking why she thinks she can just leave like that. Emma points out that she completed his errand, and her job is over.

Silvio half-laughs, does Emma really think that all she needed to do was run a single errand to pay him back? As his exclusive maid, she hasn’t even served him dinner yet.

Silvio has a lot of maids in the castle, right? Maid who would be thrilled to serve him any meal he would like, right? Why does he want Emma? Silvio asks if this is how Emma pays back her debts, by mouthing off to the people to whom she owes money.

Silvio doesn’t need Emma to serve him dinner. Emma figures that this is just revenge for everything that happened between them in Rhodolite.

Emma thought she would be free after she served him dinner, but then Silvio’s official duties as the Prince of Benitoite began. He had her sorting documents, organizing files, and assisting with enough paperwork to make her dizzy.

By the time most of the paperwork had been conquered, Azel had returned to the castle. While Silvio listened to Azel’s report, Emma served tea, sweets, and a shocking amount of gold bullion to Azel. Honestly, there was enough gold to last a person an entire lifetime.

Silvio is pleased with Azel’s report, the business was destroyed and was untraceable back to Silvio. Azel is pleased that Silvio is pleased. If Silvio has any other problems, merely contact him and Azel will come running. And, of course, that offer is extended to Silvio’s woman.

Azel is disappointed that neither Silvio nor Emma want a divination.

After the meeting, Emma accompanies Silvio back to his room, where she can hear the sound of the ocean running over the sand. He pours a drink for both of them and tells Emma to drink up. Emma asks if he normally treats his maids to alcohol, and Silvio tells her that she is fired as a maid. She’s far too cocky for the profession.

Emma has no problem with this, it was a lot of hard work.

Silvio urges Emma to drink up, he doesn’t feel like drinking alone today.

The liquor is a light sea-blue and makes her think of Silvio. Since Silvio is personally pouring her drink, she decides to accept and try it.

Silvio explains that it’s a traditional Benitoite liquor, very rare, so Emma might not get a chance to try it again. Tasting it, Emma remarks that it makes her think of the sea, a fitting beverage for Benitoite. It was very tasty and easy to drink, so Emma would have to be careful.

Silvio knocks back a shot of the liquor and pours himself another glass. Emma wonders if she should be worried.

Silvio tells Emma that she should stay at the castle tonight. Emma isn’t certain that it’s allowed, with her being a commoner and all, but Silvio insists that she is his guest. Silvio corrects her, she’s not a guest, after all, he did buy her. Emma asks what the difference is between a guest and someone in debt to him, and Silvio muses it depends on his mood at the moment.

How strange. All while they spent time together in Rhodolite, Silvio had been unpleasant and tyrannical. But right now, it could be said that they were getting along. Now that she isn’t terrified of him discovering her true role, she can see different sides of him. Maybe this playful kindness had been there back when they first met, and Emma had been too wary to notice it. For one, she never would have guessed that he would immediately come to her aid if she was injured.

These thoughts stir confusing feelings inside her, so Emma washes it down with another drink.

When Emma laughs softly and admits to Silvio that she never would have imagined that she would be in his room this late drinking with him. Maybe she had been right when they started the book-buying errand that morning, and Silvio liked being around her. Silvio disagrees and tells her not to get so cocky.

With a shrug, Emma decides that she’s been here long enough, it’s time for her to return to her room at the inn.

But as soon as she sets her empty glass on the table, Silvio grabs her wrist.

Silvio reminds her that they already talked about this, he doesn’t want to see her get kidnapped. Emma asks if that’s the only reason he’s acting like this.

Silvio’s brows furrow, and there’s an awkward silence between them.

Huh, Emma would have thought that Silvio would swear at her and deny it or something. She wonders what Silvio is thinking about during this long silence and decides to back down. She assures Silvio that she does not doubt that he only wants her to stay out of concern for her safety. But Silvio’s grim expression doesn’t go away.

Trying to lighten the mood, Emma reaches out to poke Silvio where his brows are furrowed, but he suddenly leaps backward as if she burned him. From across the room, Silvio shouts at her to not touch him without permission.

Emma blinks owlishly at him, then recalls that time when Azel was treating her wound in the carriage how he had panicked when she clung to him. She asks if Silvio cant bear to be touched, but he denies this, looking everywhere other than her eyes.

This is a weakness.

Emma can’t help but grin wickedly. Silvio grows more upset and yells that she is getting carried away without being aware of her place. Emma shrugs, she’s probably drunk so what she says and does doesn’t count.

Silvio’s frown curls into a grin.

It doesn’t count?

Uh-oh.

With a wicked expression, Silvio stalks towards her, placing his glass on the table. Feeling wary, Emma steps backward, only to topple down on top of his bed.

Silvio pushes her down, hovering over her and caging her with his arms and legs. His face is close enough for the tips of their noses to touch, and Emma and Silvio breathe the same air. When Emma tries to move away, Silvio grabs her hand tightly. Emma can’t see anything other than Silvio, cant hear anything other than their heartbeats. Their fingers are tangled together, both of their bodies hot enough for sweat to bead along Emma’s brow.

Silvio laughs, Emma really is drunk.

Emma would like to respond to it, but every time Silvio exhales, his breath scatters her thoughts.

Silvio sighs, Emma can’t leave now, not with that expression. He roughs up her hair, tangling it with his fingers. Emma asks what he means, and Silvio tells her to stop talking, or else he’ll take a page out of Azel’s book and increase her debt to him.

Once he has tangled Emma’s hair to the point that it looks more like a bird’s nest than a hairstyle, Silvio gets off of Emma, letting her up. Emma sits up and begins righting her hair, and Silvio starts helping.

Emma tells Silvio she really should leave now.

At the very least, she can’t stay here. Her heart is doing backflips, and she cannot describe the feelings washing through her. Standing up, Emma reaches Silvio’s bedroom door, but he calls out to her, stopping her.

Silvio tells Emma that the next time she comes to Benitoite, she really should stop by the castle and say ‘hello’. Besides, he owns her loan, she can always come by and work it off.

What a tyrant.

Emma agrees that she doesn’t want to be in debt to him until she dies, so she will stop by the castle. Unless she forgets.

Silvio grumbles for her not to forget him.

Well, the debt, at least.

Silvio pours himself another drink, and Emma begins to leave for real, only for something to catch her eye. That trinket she had bought for Silvio on a whim sparkles on his desk in a prominent position.

She has no idea what her feelings for Silvio are.

Azel End

The day starts with Emma chasing after the Living God. She calls out for him to please slow down, but Azel refuses to stop his powerwalk.

Even though Azel is not running, his legs are long enough that his stride propels him farther than Emma. Even though they had left at the same time, Emma has to rush after him. Very kindly, Azel sympathizes with having stubby legs and warns Emma that if she can’t keep up with him, he’ll just have to leave her behind.

Eventually, Azel makes his way through a back alley, but there is no sign of anyone else there. Just ahead of her, Azel pulls to a stop, and Emma can make out two men guarding a door. Azel apologizes for intruding, and as both the guards start at the sight of the Living God, he opens the door and walks in.

Catching up, Emma breathlessly repeats Azel’s platitude and runs in after him.

There are many people inside, and they are all reacting in surprise to Azel’s sudden entrance. Some are shouting with joy, and others are crying as if they are experiencing a divine visitation. A very different reaction than the one Azel received at the port. Emma feels like she is watching drowning men clutch at straws.

Azel didn’t seem to even notice the crowd. Instead, without pause, he marches towards the stage.

Emma sees a large vase in the middle. She imagines that this is a fake holy item being auctioned under Azel’s name.

Standing on the stage, Azel calls for the crowd to quiet down. He is very sad, he has heard that there is the sale of holy items, and he sees that the rumors are true. Do they not understand that God’s protection isn’t bought with money?

Did Azel hit his head while outside of Emma’s eyesight? She stares at him in disbelief as he continues. Azel assures the people that God doesn’t need money, otherwise those without money would not receive any protection. God loves all and protects all despite their wealth or status.

Azel’s face and voice is full of compassion and love, if this was the first time Emma interacted with him, she would even believe him. Surprisingly, even after interacting with him, Emma can feel Azel’s voice penetrate her heart and is filled with a holy sensation. Like her, everyone around seems to be holding their breath, waiting for Azel’s next words.

Well, not everyone. The merchants selling the fake divine artifacts try to flee. This snaps the crowd out of their trance and as one they turn against the merchants and begin to form a mob, demanding their money back.

The merchants run out the back way, and the crowd rushes after them, leaving behind an empty auction area of only Emma and Azel. She asks if Azel plans on chasing after the merchants as well, but Azel refuses. He’s not stupid enough to leave behind all this money.

(Azel isn't upset that people are scamming others, he's upset that he's not getting a cut)

Emma asks what meant a few minutes earlier when he was saying that God doesn’t need money.

Well, that was then, and this is now.

Azel beckons Emma forward, her job starts now. It’s easy enough, even an idiot like her can do it. Leaping down from the stage, Azel starts pushing Emma ahead of him into a side door she missed earlier. Emma recognizes one of the merchants in the room and asks how Azel knew that he was there. Azel reminds her that he is a God and tells his slave maid to look sharp. Emma snaps back to her senses and locks the door behind them.

Emma was glared at by the merchant, but Azel moves to stand between them, blocking their line of sight. Azel greets the scammer and drapes a companionable arm around his shoulders and forces him to sit at a nearby table. He and Azel should have a fun chat together.

The scamming merchant’s face is pale.

Azel knows this person. He knows his name, his home address, his workplace, where his family lives, and so on. It seems this merchant has several gambling debts and is having trouble making ends meet. But none of this is Azel’s concern, right? He only care that he was using his name in selling these goods. The compensation should be about . . .

Emma cant hear what Azel says next, but the merchant’s face tightens like he bit into something sour. Emma feels sympathetic with the merchant, but she can only pity him so much, as he was obviously running a terrible business.

Azel is continuing, loud enough for Emma to overhear. Since the merchant has extorted a lot of money out of people using these false holy relics, and he had a recent run of luck at the gambling hall, this is an easy price to pay.

The merchant asks why Azel would ask for that much, and Azel replies that he is the Living God. And, with his divine foresight, he has prepared a loan document for the merchant. He’s a kind god, so he’ll only punish him monetarily. He smiles at the man, as sweet as if a halo was over his head.

Suddenly the merchant hurls himself off the chair, kicking it away and barreling towards Emma, who is directly in front of the door. Azel calls out to Emma that this is her time to shine.

What? Whaaat? This is impossible!

But, if Emma lets this merchant get away, she will never be released from her debt. Thinkign quickly, she grabs a nearby broom and braces herself to whack him.

And then she sees the knife in the merchant’s hand.

Oh. She’s probably going to die.

Noooo! She can’t give up now! Not after all those self-defense classes they made her take while she was Belle! Emma kills the fear in her heart, raising the broom, ready for a broom to knife fight with the merchant.

Suddenly a chair flies from behind the merchant, hitting him hard enough to knock him to the ground. Azel steps on the merchant’s head, grinding his face into the floor, asking if he’s an idiot as well as an incompetent.

Emma wonders if that last bit was directed towards her and not the merchant. At least, Azel is looking at the merchant instead of her.

The benevolent façade is gone, and the change is so complete Azel looks almost like a completely different person.

Azel asks if the merchant thought that he truly could run away from Azel. Does he think that God is that compassionate? That is a ridiculous thought, no God could be that convenient to humanity. The merchant has just made Azel his enemy, he should know the weight of that decision.

Azel is disgusted that scum like this merchant is using God’s name to exploit others. He’s now changed his mind, the loan document is not enough for the merchant to pay for his sins. Adding the crime of pointing a knife at what belongs to Azel, all the merchant’s wordly possessions will be confiscated to pay for the disrespect.

Azel then begins to dig through the merchant’s pockets, eventually pulling out a rusty key and tossing it to Emma. Azel glares at the merchant lying on the ground one last time before standing up, using the merchant as a stepstool.

They find the safe, full of an eye-watering amount of money. Emma thought Azel would keep all of the wealth for himself, but instead he instructs her to call for the knights; they’re going to return the money to the victims of this merchant’s fraud.

That said, Emma did notice Azel taking some for himself.

This was all legal, as Emma would eventually find out. The document Azel made the merchant sign proclaimed that he transferred all his wealth to Azel. Everyone, including the responding knights, bowed down in gratitude to Azel.

Everyone except Emma.

When they are finally alone in the carriage, Emma asks Azel, by chance, if he’s actually really evil. Azel laughs and admits that he was wondering what she would say. Then his smile disappears, and he warns Emma not to say anything else. She has a flash of Azel stomping on the merchant’s head and she closes her eyes, cringing as if she expects Azel to get violent.

After nothing happens, Emma opens her eyes, only to see Azel looking at her with a shocked expression. It's as if her reaction was worse than an insult.

Azel tells Emma that she should learn how to run away. Think of this as a divine prophecy from god, she is going to die if she continues to stick her nose into unnecessary things. Emma asks him not to say such ominous things, and Azel tells her he would love to, but anything else would go over her stupid head.

Azel asks what she was thinking back in the room, he didn’t bring her with him to fight. Emma explains that she was thinking about her debt. Azel is exasperated, he is certain he told her that he wanted her as a distraction. Ugh, maybe it’s on him, and he said it wrong. Next time, he’ll have to dumb his instructions down for her. A lot.

Emma apologizes for causing him to worry, but Azel assures her that he was never worried about her. Instead, he was worried about Silvio, what would happen if he inadvertently offended his beloved prince by getting his favorite killed.

Azel sighs and sulkily kicks Emma’s seat. He’s going to have to add the cost of saving her to the loan document. Emma is aghast, didn’t he just receive a lot of money?

Oh Emma, no matter how much money you have, you never have enough.

Yep, Azel is definitely an evil god.

How can she say such things? And to think she’s special, she has been personally chosen by god to serve him. If anything, she should be bowing down in gratitude.

On another note, Emma’s debt is too high now to just be Azel’s maid for the day. Congratulations, she’s now his newest slave.

Emma refuses.

Azel asks if Emma plans on selling her organs then.

Emma begs god to have mercy on her. Azel smiles benevolently, God has no mercy for humans. Congratulating Emma on her newly extended loan, Azel stands and traps her between him and the carriage seat.

It occurs to Emma that it would be better if she jumped out the window of the carriage.

Gently placing his fingers against her cheek, Azel tells Emma that he intends to have her repay the loan with her body.

Azel Epilogue

Emma covers herself and glares up at Azel. He asks how conceited can she be, but Emma just reminds him that he said to pay  him back using her body.

He did. And he intends to use all of her.

There is a lot of manual labor that needs to be done, after all.

What did she think he meant? Azel laughs, he’ll just add another bit to her debt for this insult.

It wasn’t until the end of the day that Emma truly understood ‘use all of her’. She was so tired, all she wanted to do was fall face-first into bed and sleep. Instead, she limites herself to sitting down and resting her face on a nearby table.

Azel had spent the entire day performing divinations for the people of Benitoite. Since he was a god, and a foreign god at that, people outside of Tanaznite rarely had an opportunity to receive his divine guidance, making the day very busy.

Honestly, Azel would rather not do this, but he wants to keep on Silvio’s good side. As the richest man in the world, Silvio is not only Azel’s number one benefactor, he is also Azel’s friend. And, to maintain that relationship, Azel will visit and bestow God’s blessing on the citizens of Benitoite.

Unfortunately, he can only run a divination for one person at a time, he needs someone to keep everyone waiting organized. Emma will be paying back her debt by lining up supplicants, guiding them to Azel, handling complaints, and more.

All the chores that need to be done outside of divination will be handled by Emma.

Emma asks if he really intends for her to handle this by herself, and Azel does. After all, she is his only slave here in Benitoite. Of course, if she wants him to bring on another worker, they can pull out the loan document and figure out how much debt to add.

Fine. Emma will do her best, by herself.

Not only did Emma have to cater to the needs of the supplicants, but she was also in charge of Azel’s personal requests, such as bringing him food and drinks.

She can’t help but wonder about all the people waiting (impatiently) in line for hours for a chance to consult with the evil god. Maybe Azel’s divinations were really worth all the trouble.

Emma is not present for Azel’s divinations and has no idea what happens once she leads people to him. All she is aware of is how anxious the people waiting in line are, and how full of hope they are when they leave him.

At the end of the day, with her head face down on the table, Emma wonders what a divination is like.

Suddenly a breath blows into her ear, sending a shock through her. She looks up to see Azel’s face right there.

He thanks her for all of her hard work and dismisses her for the day. Emma asks after him, will he also return to his guest room?

Azel likes this room, it has a perfect view of the sunset. She watches as he leans against the window, staring out across the sea. Intrigued by the scenery God is watching, Emma joins him. She remarks that the sunset is beautiful, this room has a clear view of the horizon. Azel asks if she heard him dismiss her, but Emma insists that she likes watching the sunset.

Well, that’s fine. It’s not unpleasant watching the sunset with her.

That’s interesting, Emma thought Azel disliked her. Azel disagrees though he doesn’t like the fact that she is terrible at regulating her emotions. But think, why would he have someone he hates spend the entire day serving him? He’s not the local masochist to put up with that.

That said, Emma is staying here late. Does she want Azel to pay for her lodgings at the castle too?

Emma cuts in, she’s staying because she has a question for him. She noticed that Azel didn’t take any money for his divinations, even though he keeps on taking as much as he can from her.

Azel reminds Emma what he said earlier, God’s protection is equal. Both rich and poor have the right to seek salvation.

Well, that is the official reason, but the truth is that Azel uses divination to gather useful information. For example, he found out that Emma was the latest Belle of Rhodolite. Depending on the time and place, he could use that to extort money from her.

When Azel tells people’s fortune, people like to talk about useless things with him. And, despite his background, he can gather a lot of useful tidbits.

Azel then asks if Emma would like him to divine her fortune. He urges her to accept, for all they know, this might be the last time divine inspiration strikes him, and he might never be able to tell a fortune again.

Emma can’t believe that Azel is making this offer out of the kindness of his heart, but in the end, she is very curious. She agrees.

Azel asks what she has a question about, and Emma asks if any question is acceptable. Azel assures her that it is, after all, he is the Living God.

Okay, Emma would like to know about her future love life. It’s been on her mind to fall in love and settle down soon, and she wonders how that will go.

As soon as she asks, Azel’s benevolent smile twists into a scowl. He wonders why everyone wants to learn about their love lives, it’s really revolting to him.

He tells Emma that if she’s that concerned, go chase after Silvio. To her shock, he explains that Silvio definitely likes her, so that’s her best bet. He gives her a pitying look and says that he has lost his motivation to perform a divination for her.

Emma is upset, she was looking forward to seeing what a divination performed by the Living God would look like.

Okay, fine, if she doesn’t go after Silvio, maybe she’ll meet someone else. Whom? He doesn’t know, and he doesn’t care.

Emma argues that Azel’s prediction is far too vague, and Azel tells her that’s the beauty of fortunetelling. He then extends his hand towards Emma. He would like his fee for divining her fortune now.

Emma reminds him that his fortune-telling services are free. Azel assures her that she’s just that special – he charges friends and family more. Emma doesn’t want to be special to Azel, who is more of a fraud-scammer than a real god.

Azel clicks his tongue, Emma never learns, does she? He pinches her cheek, reminding her that he’ll add enduring insults to her overall debt. Emma argues that she wasn’t insulting him, she was telling the truth. Azel snorts, her sincerity takes a certain kind of courage, doesn’t it? This time, Azel’s smile is strange and his grip on her cheek is lighter.

If what Azel said was true and not a deception, Emma will be able to meet a suitable man with good taste. At this point, as long as he’s not Azel, Emma will be happy.

Azel tells her not to worry, he’s not interested in her romantically either. Honestly, their compatibility is the lowest possible, the world would end before they came together.

Besides, instead of think about love, Emma should use her brain to think of a way to repay her debt to Azel. Still teasing Emma’s cheek, Azel’s smile grows dark and evil. When Emma scowls at him, he only laughs.

Really, she would be happy to fall in love with anyone other than this dark-hearted evil god.

(You heard it here first, route is over, no chance of romance between these two)

[haru-dipthong]

Humans are like tape recorders.

To all language learners out there drilling grammar structures (and vocab to a lesser extent), I have some bad news. No matter how much you rote learn or memorise, you can’t say something* in a language if you haven’t already heard it said by someone else, many times.

In order for you to say something, you must have recorded it in your brain first.

The reason for this is twofold.

If you haven’t seen or heard something actually used, how are you meant to know how it’s used!? Gonna go out on a limb and say not many people here are able to speak Pirahã. How would you say “I just drank some water” in Pirahã? You don’t know, right? Because you’ve never heard it said! In this respect, a language that you can’t speak at all is no different from a language that you can speak a bit, or even a language you’re fluent in.

Memorising stuff out of a textbook or flash cards is not sufficient to count as “hearing something many times”. It’ll give you some examples, but not enough (especially if what you’re memorising is the grammar structure itself, and not example sentences). Your conscious thought processes (which includes looking things up in long term memory) are simply too slow to be effective if they need to be used more than once every few seconds during conversation. Rote memorisation works at the conscious thought level, and is therefore only useful as a supplemental tool. Hearing something actually spoken (many times) internalises it on the subconscious level, which is what is needed for fluid speech and comprehension.

*That’s not to say that it’s impossible to ever say anything original. When I say you need to hear something before being able to use it correctly yourself, I mean you need to hear sentence structures and words, not necessarily whole sentences like a script.

Our brains are very, very efficient at acquiring language, provided we give them a non-stop stream of data to record (this is how babies learn - they don’t need textbooks). Then, the brain can cut up the tapes, analyse patterns, paste separate tapes together, and allow us to speak in our target language without manually recalling from memory.

What does this mean for you, the language learner? Put down the textbook and watch as much content in your target language as possible. Use the textbook/dictionary to help you look up something you’ve heard if you can’t figure something out from context, but that’s all it should be used for. Watch youtube, kids shows, regular tv, news, podcasts, anything you can find. And never use subtitles in your native language! Your brain will turn off the tape recorder automatically if it sees an easier way it can parse the information.

In this video, Matt (from the youtube channel Matt vs Japan) says the following, which I have translated to English:

こういうアドバイスする時に一番反論として出てくるのが 「でも観てもわからない！」 だから 「できない」 っていうんだけど、わからないからこそ観るべきだよね --- When I give the advice [to go hard on consuming input], the biggest counterargument people have is “When I watch it, I can’t understand what they’re saying! So it doesn’t work.” but it's actually the opposite: you don’t understand it, therefore you need to watch it!

The reason you should watch it is you don't understand it! You can’t understand it until your brain has recorded it!

[yellowhollyhock]

raph vs a volcano day 20

The 1987 episode plot:

Donatello's health scanner predicts Raphael has only 24 hours to live. Raphael goes around doing good deeds and taking ridiculous risks because he's gonna die anyway. Meanwhile Donatello figures out his machine didn't work right and means to tell Raphael, but you see he is distracted doing good deeds and taking ridiculous risks. It culminates with Raph inside an active volcano (trying to stop it from erupting? bro??) and his brothers have to come rescue him.

I love this episode. For so many reasons.

1) What an interesting way to give Raph his role while keeping him in character within the new role they gave him for this show. Because Mirage Raph is the guy who always wants to help without pausing to think about whether they can. He's known for sometimes being impulsive and always being protective. And not just of his fellow turtles! He sees someone in trouble he wants to help. But usually in Mirage that's expressed with violence. So for the show they made the "crazy one" express the same traits through sarcasm instead and he became the witty one, and I love how future Raphs are both. And I especially love when 1987 Raphael himself is both

2) This is such a classic plot. It's like... the tribbles spoof/tribute or 'character gets kidnapped but acts so annoying they get released.' You know the kinds of plots I mean right? Our style of storytelling has changed (it's always changing) but tv shows in late 80s early 90s especially had these. You could pretty much guess the plot from the title because you know the characters and you know the story. The exciting reveal is mostly the jokes. There are words for what I'm saying but I haven't had an english class in a few years, so take this ramble and trust me. It's a beautiful example of whatever this is. And!

---2a, It doesn't have the classic resolution that 'character thought they had one day to live due to a misunderstanding' would have on a kids show. There isn't a 'moral' about seizing the moment and using your time wisely. There also isn't a moral about communication, so instead of the miscommunication being annoying like it would in a preachy episode, it's gloriously hilarious to watch

3) Speaking of that, the obligatory 'he tried to ask' scene is Raphael watching Michelangelo cry on Donatello's shoulder because "I'll miss him so much" "I'm sorry there's nothing I can do for him" it's the oven. The oven is broken. Michelangelo is sobbing in Donatello's arms like his world is ending because they're going to have to get a new oven because this one's beyond fixing. And Raphael fully believes that Michelangelo is begging Donatello to fix him, when this version of Donatello is so very none medic. Like I don't even know how to describe why and how much I love this scene. I think I killed english

4) The scene of Raphael in the volcano. I just. He's so funny. This episode really captures what I love about the whole show, which is that I am absolutely buying into it and feeling deeply about it, and simultaneously enjoying it ironically. Does that make sense? When you can put your whole heart into unironic enjoyment but your brain at the same time gets it's 'make fun of this' treat. So both types of fun at once.

---4a it's not trying to fix the plot holes it's enjoying that in this format you don't have to. I feel like this is severely under utilized in modern cinema. make things not make sense on purpose for fun. don't explain about where they are, how they carried that object with them, why there were not other consequences for certain actions. The fun thing about stories is they don't have to be realistic unless you want them to

so for today I had intended to write a Rise version of this episode. I think it would work well for them. Plus, Raph and Donnie bonding. However. That is going in drafts and will be coming. later (march for raph is my opportunity to collect drafts for the rise turtles apparently.) I'm actually still debating if Donnie would make a health-o-meter or if something goes down in witch down, but either way, ❤️💜

[spanishskulduggery]

I'm running into que/qué, cuando/cuándo, and donde/dónde in my lessons, and although I seem to be mostly guessing right which to use in which spot in the sentence, I don't really understand what's going on. Could you explain the difference and when to use which?

The general linguistic answer is that the ones with the accent marks usually refer to a question word (or a noun), while the ones without the accent mark are more used like prepositions or connecting clauses

That's not always the case as sometimes there's something like quién which tends to refer to a person in particular like "a single person" either an implied or unknown, while quien often is used in the sense of either connecting clauses [a "that" when it's a "who"... like "the woman who lives here" vs. "the woman that lives here"]

That quien/quién can be confusing when you have something like "whoever reads this" quien lea esto being without the accent mark... because it's more literally "to the person (whoever that is) that is reading this"

-

Some are pretty obvious because they get used in different situations like como is "like/as" and cómo is "how" and they're so different that they feel more distinct

[another one maybe more involved is cuánto/a "how much/how many" vs. something like en cuanto a (algo) which is "concerning (something)" or "insofar as..."]

...

The differences are clearer like qué is "what" and que is "that" where que is used to connect clauses, and qué is normally a question word or used with an unknown [no sé qué quieren decir "I don't know what they mean"; it's not strictly a question construction with the ¿ construction but it is an unknown]

In most cases, you can see which one is more appropriate; that the accent mark usually shows an unknown quality. Sometimes you get better at figuring it out by sounding it out in English

As an example; "I don't know what they mean"... if I were being emphatic I could say "I don't know WHAT they mean" which then I'd understand okay it's an unknown.

A few other examples:

They never told me what time they were going. Nunca me dijeron a qué hora iban. They don't have anyone to turn to. No tienen a quién recurrir. I don't know why. No sé por qué. I know where we are, but I don't know where we're going. Sé dónde estamos, pero no sé a dónde vamos.

*Note: a dónde "where (to) / (to) where" is sometimes adónde all one word. Similarly you might see a donde or adonde without the accent mark but sharing that same pattern [i.e. adonde vayas "wherever you go", a donde vayas "wherever you go", same difference]

-

Now as far as prepositional qualities, you're more likely going to see this with donde "where" and cuando "when"; you'll see quien or cual as more relative clauses [as in "the one who" or "the one that", rather than "who?" or "which one?"]

¿Dónde sucedió? = Where did it happen? Este es el lugar donde sucedió. = This is the place where it happened. ¿Cuándo lo firmaste? = When did you sign it? Cuando lo firmas... = When you sign it... / Once you sign it... ¿A quién le importa? = Who cares? A quien corresponda... = To whom it concerns... ¿Cuál es? = Which one is it? Motivo por el cual... = The reason for that...

...

I find that in general quien/quién is the hardest for me personally with all of the question words but that might just be me.

[orphanheirs]

OC interaction tag

I was tagged by @winglesswriter !! Thank you!

Winglesswriter's OC: Lady Ikath is a noblewoman raised in luxury by a loving family. Despite being a beautiful lady who loves fashion, jewelry, and ballroom gossip, she's not the spoiled brat you would expect. She's kind and caring, gentle to the point of naivety. Under the delicate exterior hides a spine made of steel, though, that helps her withstand the hard times that come later in her life.

My OC: Tristan is the youngest child of a fabulously wealthy country gentleman in England in the early 19th century. He is the spoiled brat you would expect. 12 years old at the time of the main plot, he's spent his childhood so far sequestered indoors due to chronic medical issues. He's intellectually precocious and knows a lot about a wide variety of academic subjects, but he's particularly passionate about the occult and fancies himself a black magician. He'd previously been obsessed with science, then got frustrated with the limitations it had in the time period and turned to magic. He also loves literature, art, music, and fashion. He's self-centered and arrogant and can be quite cruel. He tends to be duplicitous in the way he acts towards others vs his intentions, and insolent towards adults/authority figures. The lack of affection and socialization in his formative years has made him see others as objects, a means to an end. But he's also curious, creative, and fun loving. If he finds you fascinating or shares your interests, you might get genuine conversation from him- though he might act insufferably entitled to know everything about you/everything you know. He's extremely determined to get what he wants. He recently summoned a demon to help him run away from home, and now he's on his own. (Well..the demon is..still there..) Free at last! (Except for the..pact..) Tristan's a sickly pale and frail looking kid, with blue eyes and dark hair.

How they’d interact: Honestly? I think Tristan would love Lady Ikath. He loves fashionable ladies. He loves fashion, jewelry, and ballrooms too! He'd want to know especially about all the balls she goes to. Because she's kind she probably would actually give Tristan the time of day, unlike other adults, which would make him like her even more. If she was really sweet to him, it might make him a bit uncomfortable (he's not used to that) but that wouldn't deter him. When others see the good in him he doesn't see in himself, it doesn't line up with his core beliefs and he's stymied and doesn't know what to do with that. So he may get quiet. But not for long. He would barrage her with questions about her interesting life and would want to know where she was a noblewoman of (Ikath doesn't sound English after all, and he'd be super intrigued by a "foreigner"). He might ask her if she's a spy, or other inappropriate questions like how many amours she has, if she herself has ever been involved in a scandal, etc. Things might sour depending on if/how much this would bother her, but Tristan could handle it if she shut him down. He'd probably be put out if she cast him off though. He might actually find it in himself to exercise self-restraint just so he can keep hanging out with her.

Tagging: @leahnardo-da-veggie, @fortunatetragedy, @kaylinalexanderbooks, and @armentas !

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Vil dieting the SDC crew is another thing the localization tweaked from JP. Vil calls sweets and soft drinks the (future) cause of their obesity (肥満) in CH 22 and puts them on an obvious weight loss diet of chicken breast and veggies even in EN. There are different perspectives about how to consolidate the localization vs original, and I think it’s useful to be aware of both of them.

[Referencing this post!]

***Content warning: discussion on dieting!***

Yes, one notable change between JP and EN is the censorship of many mentions of weight. This is particularly noticeable in regards to Azul’s backstory, in which his being overweight is not mentioned. I believe this occurred because people in the west are more sensitive when it comes to that subject (again, NOT confirmed, just my hunch).

In the original post, I was speaking based on a reading of the episode from TWST JP and pointing out major changes between JP and EN (altered terminology and cut content). Vil does indeed have dialogue in JP in which he states he will watch the other boys’ figures; it doesn’t necessarily mean he wants them to actively lose weight. It means he wants them to maintain a healthy weight and to build muscle; Vil is not saying anyone is currently in need of losing weight. Rather, he says the change in diet is to help “thoroughly tone” their bodies (in reference to muscles; ie “whipping them into shape”). They will need this muscle for their performance and endurance on stage.

As I said before, the detail of Vil “watching their figures” is not present in EN. Instead, he makes a general statement about how their “minds and bodies” must be like mirrors, perfectly polished. I neglected to mention the difference in the original post as it didn’t make a huge difference in understanding the overall story.

In both JP and EN, Vil still cites optimal nutritional intake as the main reason for implementing a new diet for the VDC/SDC group. He confiscates everyone’s snacks because they are often rich in simple carbohydrates, which aren’t as filling but usually come in high calorie processed foods. They’re just counterproductive for performers to consume, as it prompts a person to eat more and overshoot recommended daily caloric intakes.

I just wanted to clarify that while a low calorie, high protein diet (ie the chicken and vegetables) can help with weight loss, it’s also not a “starvation diet” as some have interpreted it to be; both Vil and Rook say that the menu is meant to meet their nutritional needs for rigorous dance and singing practice. Vil also allows Epel and co. to have healthy items in moderation such as nuts, dried fruits, and apple juice; he does not ban all snacks. It wouldn’t make sense if Vil underfed his fellow performers, as this would hinder the entire group and thus his chances at defeating his rival. “Dieting” is not always inherently tied to wanting to lose weight; “dieting” is simply a change in one’s eating habits, which can be done for a variety of reasons.

The fact that EN still retains the details of the diet but cuts out the weight mention leads me to believe the primary intent of the diet is to make sure the boys are eating healthily. Knowing the alterations between JP and EN isn’t necessary to enjoy TWST, but I think the awareness of them helps with understanding cultural differences and how that can impact the presentations and fandom perceptions of characters, scenes, and motivations. For example, 肥満 (which can translate to obesity (medical term) or general excess weight (general term) sounds less… harsh in Japan? If that makes sense?? But the same term in English is seen as taboo due to differences in cultural attitudes surrounding weight. So Vil mentioning obesity in JP isn’t a huge issue, whereas it could be seen as offensive if the localizers had brought the line over to EN.

[solarpunknow]

A weekend in a solarpunk future

Today was quite the busy day- and it was spent almost entirely outdoors.

This morning was the monthly 'get to know the plants around you' meetup. The idea behind this group is that 3 people (This time it was me, A., and C.) who are very familiar with the native plants around here and their uses, as well as the invasive species around here and their uses, lead a group through one of the local parks, and we teach the new comers what we know. We get a lot of people who have just moved to town and aren't yet familiar with the local ecosystems, those who didn't grow up foraging or working with plants, and of course some retirees who are looking to connect with nature in a way that they couldn't during their working lives back in the 2010s and 2020s.

We started by going over plants that get confused by beginners a lot (western bleeding heart vs herb robert, mahonia vs holly, that sort of thing), then moved on to the most common and vigorous native plants, and how each of us uses them in our lives (stinging nettle for tea, pesto, soup, the fiber for cloth, etc). We finish out the meetup by identifying the most... shall we say, vigorous of the invasive plants, and how to safely remove them (I mean, some have sap that can hurt you, so it's good to point those ones out). Some make tasty food, but we discussed how to safely compost the rest of them.

Gotta be honest, turning a problem (invasive species) into a resource (fertilizer) fills me with a sense of satisfaction like no other. C. usually takes the ones that are good for making fertilizer (invasive buttercup, bindweed, Hyacinthoidess, etc); I'll take the English Ivy and Himalayan blackberries home because my pet goats love to eat them. They also love bindweed, but I can share.

Anyway, we show the new folks how to identify and remove them, and then we put their new skills to the test. It's really starting to make a noticeable effect in the areas we visit, and I have to hope that every one we teach keeps practicing on their own.

Of course, removing the invasive species is only one part of the solution, but that's a whole different post.

This afternoon was a work party at the community/foodbank garden, which is always a good time and opportunity to connect with others. Back in the day I would've been confused by what a "community/foodbank" garden was, but honestly, it works. People who can, come and work in the garden and take what they will use for the next week. People who aren't able to donate their physical skills come by the food bank and are able to get the food they'll use in a week. It used to be that people thought there would be too many "takers" and not enough "workers", but it turns out that working in large groups, in close connection with the land, knowing that you're helping not only yourself but others in your community is hugely motivating for a large segment of the population. It's also awesome because the people who run the garden are super passionate about sustainable gardening and figuring out how to make gardening accessible to everyone in the community who wants to, so people feel comfortable coming to learn and then taking the knowledge and skills back to their neighborhood hub/commons gardens. Really, in the past ten years, the number of people who have started incorporating native plants, started mulching, stopped pulling out plants that support native insects, built rainwater and grey water irrigation systems and so on has really blossomed. The city is so much greener (and cooler) than it used to be, both metaphorically and literally.

Speaking of greywater, that's tomorrow's project. This evening is for listening to the chorus frogs and relaxing on the back porch.

[slugtranslation-hypmic]

Hello Slug! Translation question here. I am interested in doing translation work someday (but first I need to work on my Japanese). I wanted to know, how would you translate "tsundere" (or other dere types) ? Or do you think the concept of tsundere is familiar enough to English readers that you could leave it as is? I know you're big on localization, eg. leaving out honorifics, making equivalent jokes in English, etc. I thought about "playing hard to get", but I don't think that's accurate? Idk.

I understand why this question is being asked, but in my opinion, questions like "how would x word be translated?" fundamentally miss the point of how translation works. At its core, translation is a process of taking ideas conveyed in one form, tailored to one audience (in this case, an audience of Japanese speakers), and changing the form to tailor the idea delivery to a different audience (in this case, English speakers). Words are a part of this, but words are only one of multiple means to express ideas. A single word could be used in a myriad of contexts to convey many, many ideas. Maybe an author writes a character using the word tsundere to make them sound like a reclusive nerd. ("Michiko slapped me after I asked her out for the 99th time. Isn't it cute how tsundere she is?") Maybe it's intended to add levity to an otherwise serious scene or undermine the legitimacy of a character's outburst. ("You're such a jerk! How dare you vanish for two years? I thought you were dead, you selfish bastard!" "Wow, tsundere much?") Each of these scenes should probably be handled in different ways, so focusing on translating individual words in a vacuum is, imo, missing the forest for the trees.

The same message will also be communicated differently depending on its audience and purpose, which by no means should be a controversial statement. Turning down a friend's invitation to hang out vs declining an invitation to an academic conference would necessitate two radically different communication styles, even if the core idea ("I don't want to accept this invitation you've offered me") is exactly the same. Localization is the concept of changing communication styles to fit one specific locale, wherein translation plays a part in that. The difficulty is that locales and groups of people who speak a particular language are not always the same thing, particularly with especially common international languages like English, Spanish, French, Arabic, and Mandarin Chinese. The English-speaking sphere is such a vast group encompassing over 1 billion people that it's virtually impossible to assign anything but the broadest generalizations as rules or guidelines of the entire group's thought patterns, behaviors, and collective cultural consciousness. Without a small enough locale to work with, determining the target audience's exact needs and background knowledge is enormously tricky. In the past, I've focused mainly on a US-centric approach because you really do have to choose something, but I've learned more over the years how this thought pattern is frustrating for many and how it continues to further neoliberal globalist/imperialist thought in ways that I'm not fully comfortable with. So I am moving away from that in my own work, but determining as much information about the target audience is still enormously tricky and varies wildly from work to work. A niche fantasy isekai light novel might be comprised mainly of hardcore readers who will pick up on many tropes of Japanese fiction and will feel slighted if these tropes are not present. A cute animal manga in print will likely have a much broader market appeal and will attract many readers with little to no knowledge about Japanese customs, language, and literary tropes. A free-to-play mobile game based on a TV show that's popular in, say, Latin America will have many non-native English speakers playing it who may be puzzled by an excessive use of idioms and figurative language. In some target audiences, the word tsundere is very likely to be understood by most readers, some of whom might take offense if that word is not transcribed as is. In other target audiences, transcription may cause the core idea to fly over the majority of the readers' heads. It's not a bad thing or an inherent insult to understand that different audiences have different needs and different knowledge levels. A friend with a Phd in chemistry understands that I have not spent the past 5+ years in deep study of chemistry and adjusts his communication with me accordingly. Likewise, it's not wrong to know that most (even if they are not the most vocal!) audience members of fictional works tend not to have spent years studying Japanese language and media and adjust the communication accordingly as well.

But without any knowledge about the information to convey, the format it is being conveyed in, and who to convey it to, I can't make any sort of informed decision about how to translate something. "Playing hard to get" would work totally fine in some circumstances. So would "tsundere." So would "blowing hot and cold" or "a love-hate relationship" or half a hundred other things.

[maranzalla]

Top museum you want to visit vs top museum you've visited

oh boy

top museums you've visited

Uffizi, Florence: no holds barred, my favourite place in the world, on every plane except physical I am always here, I gleefully download the little picture of a random item they send each month with the newsletter, I drop my earnings in the bookshop with the faith and drive of a XV century burgess buying an indulgence for their soul, whatever bullshit the director pulls I will be there for it , and when the yearning hits you can take the virtual visit which is very well done

Museo Egizio, Torino: same as above but with more restraint, in the sense that I love it a lot but I am able to contain myself in the presence of it, mostly because i'm usually in Turin for work and I have yet to figure out if there's a way to go to the bookshop directly without going through the museum (sadly). I am always THIS close to buying a replica of a Bast statue in the online shop though. Also I watch their youtube channel and it's FULL of nice talks, docs, etc I'm in love with the director

Sforza Castle museums in Milan: overlooked by many but there's loads of nice things here, largest Egyptian collection in Italy after Turin, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Renaissance, Gothic... you name it, we have it, and the ticket is pretty cheap all things considering, plus you're in the castle itself which is great , makes all other castles seems quaint in comparison , i can almost feel the steely gaze of the Duke as he plays la pallacorda in the yard while the foreign ambassadors twiddle nervously

Museo della Scienza e della Tecnica, Milan: great times here were had as a kid. very interactive. used to be you could also visit a real submarine from WWI here, but I think they moved it to Genua (submarines need water)

Galata Museo del Mare / Italian Emigration Museum, Genua: putting these two bad bitches together because one is the offshoot of the other, but hear me dear reader: here you can visit a life-sized replica of a Genoese war galley from the XVI century and they'll have you at the oars. Most importantly, the emigration part, which deals with the Italian emigration from the XIX century onwards, should be required fucking reading for all schools and also most adults in the current era. It's a CYOA that has you escaping extreme poverty in rural Italy to find your luck abroad, but it's tough and merciless. They have you sign up for an ocean voyage to escape to America and the ship fucking capsizes with you on it, and by this I mean that (last time I was there) they put you in a little boat in the dark that they rock around and spray you with water, and unless you and your other fellow visitors row fast enough, the lifeboat sinks and you die. They have you show up at Ellis Island with a passport and you have to plead your case but you don't know English, in which case you get sent away, or perhaps earlier in the boat you caught TBC and they find out! They have the foreman in France dismiss your requests because Italians are fascist traitors and they didn't forget the 1941 invasion! 10/10, should be mandatory , makes you really think about what passed and is still passing in this world and how we are all leaves of the same garden . Some people should come here and think about how lucky they are

Beijing Tapwater Museum: senpai really insisted visiting this one while we were there, and ngl, it is Exactly What It Says: a museum on how they gave running water to Beijing, a great feat. I'm putting it here because getting there is a fucking odyssey (it's really on the outskirts of Beijing, which means it's really, really far away from places foreigners are usually seen) and we had to ask for directions and walk through a residential complex to get there, and once we did the staff member at the booth was so surprised they were almost going to let us in ticketless. also we were the only ones there so they had to light it all up for us

Beijing Crime Museum : a museum about crime and punishment since the Qing dynasty up to ... ? I want to say modern times but the whole idea of the musuem is that there's apparently no crime anymore (nice!) so it gets to about the first DNA tests on crime scenes. This effectively functions as a museum of the late Qing - early Republican era, which is my favourite period in modern Chinese history, and also it gets extra points because the bookshop is chock full of extravagant PCC merchandise. This is were I got my badge holder saying "I AM A GOOD COMRADE! WHATEVER THE PARTY ASKS, I WILL DO!" , which I wear in everyday company life as a private joke to myself

(not a museum! but) Memorial grave of Matteo Ricci, Beijing: this is the site of the first cemetery that allowed westerners to be buried in China as part of the emperor's favour, and this is where the very first such honoured westerner is buried. Matteo Ricci was an Italian missionary that in the XVII century lived his whole life in China, and had such a pivotal impact on the relations between Chinese and Italian / Western culture that we're still banking, as a country, on this guy's social credit nearly 400 years after the fact. His grave (with a couple of other Jesuits) now sits squarely at the centre of the Beijing Party School, and if you think about it, this means that the crop of the PCC studies and grows around him. This is not normally open to the public but as a recognition of his greatness, if you show up at the gates with an Italian passport they give you a little ticket and you can go visit. I'm putting it here because as a Chinese studies person, I love Ricci, and also because the experience of walking through the Party school with your little ticket and going to see the grave is pretty much as exclusive as they come

National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery, London: I think the National Gallery > the British Museums, it's a much friendlier place (British Museum is too big, swallows you whole), plus all the portraits make it seem like you're visiting friends. Also the bookshop there is 10+, and also the scones I had with @girlwholovesherwords

Museums I want to see:

i'll be honest: i'll go anywhere. I've been to the Shoes Museum in Vigevano, i don't care. But I'd say that unfortunately there's places that are really, really hard to get into: Syria, Iran, Iraq... those places are unfortunately destroyed or blocked, the loss is insustainable. Hell, I'd say going to the Russians museums is pretty harder these days too, so yeah

[zhuzhudushu]

I just found your blog (I am learning Chinese so I keep getting the blogs of other language learners reccomended) and while scrolling through it, I ran across that other ask about being a speech pathologist. If you don't mind a question from an absolute stranger - do you happen to have a book rec for understanding American accents & pronunciation geography? I'm a native English speaker, but my foriegn friends keep asking me English pronunciation questions and I can't answer them - I generally want to answer "well, in some cities they say it that way, but in other cities they say it that other way, so both are fine". But their textbooks say it has to be one way, and that just confuses me so much. (one recent example was when to pronounce "the" as "thee" vs "th-uh" "Th-uh apple" and "thee apple" Both sound natural to me but "th-uh apple" is my normal. But apparently that is "wrong" for most of the USA?) I'd like to get a better understanding of what defines mainstream English and what parts of my own speech are a geographic quirk.

Also, I feel like the thing making my friends sound foriegn isn't pronunciation details like that, it's more rhythm and tone or something, but I don't have the vocabulary or background knowledge to figure out what part of their speech sounds off or how to fix it, so if you have a rec for a basic "how speech works" book I'd love that too. (I'm not asking for a book that will magically give me all the knowledge of your profession- that is obviously impossible. But I'd like to learn at least a little since I get asked these types of questions so very very very often and I feel like I am generally exceptionally unhelpful, to my dismay. (I have tried some random linguistics books and they were a) very dense and difficult and b) not really covering what I was looking for.)

Any advice is appreciated! (But there is absolutely no urgency and it's not very important, so don't feel obligated to like, do research or even reply if you can't think of something appropriate for laymen off the top of your head.)

OMG Longest Ask Ever Award??

I have also come across foreign speakers who were told they Had To Pronounce Things This Way, but in my experience, if they get snippy with me about it when I tell them that's not true, then I will send them to videos or TV shows to show real speakers pronouncing it a variety of ways. Once I sent a friend an Appalachian accent video and she couldn't understand it at all which was funny.

When I was in grad school, unfortunately the only real resources we had were for AAE (African American English) dialect, because my field has a horrible history of diagnosing Black children (especially boys) with language disorders for "incorrect grammar" that was really just a dialect. This was really the only dialect we studied.

But really, in my experience with intermediate+ English learners, they are VERY aware that words have multiple pronunciations. I mean, especially in Chinese, they should know that's true because those with Taiwanese and Beijing accents can struggle to understand each other (for just one example). Also, many of my Chinese friends learn British English, and are very aware that different English-speaking countries have different vocab and pronunciation.

I also agree that for the most part, if non-native speakers are difficult to understand, it's less about pronunciation of individual sounds, and more about the flow of the sounds together. We combine sounds, we skip over some, we connect them, and also - especially for tonal language speakers - their intonation doesn't sound natural and it throws native English listeners off.

But unfortunately I don't know of any good accent book resources. But to help you search yourself, the Normal (white i mean what) dialect is formally called Standard American English in educational settings. If you google that you might be able to find some books on it. This also goes for Standard British English and Standard Australian English.

I haven't watched them but WIRED on youtube has a whole set of videos about a US Accent Tour lol You could check those out?

[thessalian]

Thess vs the Learning Curve

There was this whole post I just finished reading, which I didn’t want to hijack, about how old people should be when they learn to read, and in what setting. And ... I mean, there seems to be some serious research that indicates either way, but my experience is a little ... different.

So let’s start with ... I learned to read when I was about three, three and a half, as far as anyone can accurately figure. The reason this is such a vague age range is because no one knows exactly how the fuck I learned how to read. The best guess is that I followed along with my mother when she read aloud to me (because it didn’t matter how busy she was, or how tired, she would read to me every night) and picked things up from there and storytime at day care. They figured out that I could read at my day care; apparently I’d been eschewing the usual toys for the bookshelf, and the lady who ran the day care centre was curious about whether I’d memorised the books or could actually read them, and her little test resulted in the following conversation when Mum came to pick me up from day care:

Counsellor: Ms [Thess-Mom], were you aware that your daughter could read?

Mum: I ... suspected, but I wasn’t entirely sure if it was memorising or--

Counsellor: Well, it isn’t. She just read me the newspaper.

No, I probably didn’t know what a lot of the words I was reading meant. But apparently I was pronouncing them pretty damn well.

Now, I don’t know whether this is how you should learn to read, and I sure as hell don’t know how primary school goes about teaching you how to read, because I never learned in school.

...Well. Not in English, anyway.

See, at around the age most people are in kindergarten and first grade, learning how to read and write in their native language, I was learning in French and only in French. I lived in Montreal. The school had a French immersion programme. The first three years of grade school were 100% done in French, no exceptions, whereas the second three years gave us a head start on swapping classes throughout the day by having some of the subjects (mostly history and French grammar / literature etc) in French and some (science, maths, English literature but never English grammar, oddly) in English.

I didn’t learn English grammar in a classroom setting until I moved to the US and hit eighth grade, and the heavier stuff in ninth grade was a nightmare for me because I’d learned French grammar first. Thing is, I could still construct a perfectly grammatical sentence long, long before that - I just didn’t know what an adverb was in English.

(My asshole of an English teacher that year took out his dislike of me, specifically of me flagging up that Shakespeare was writing plays for people to watch and enjoy and laugh rather than knowingly Creating Art That Would Resound Through The Ages, by refusing to help me even when I asked, but that’s another story.)

So, yeah, I dunno. I was reading pretty well when I was very young, pretty much miles ahead of my classmates. But I was never formally taught to read in English at all. So that whole post made me feel a little like an outlier and a whole lot more like a freak. That’s my own damage, I know - I probably shouldn’t care about that so much, so many years later. But I do. Being the outlier gets old pretty damn quickly. Still, it’s not my fault that apparently my brain works the way it does, and it sure as hell isn’t my fault that my education was in a bilingual city in a bilingual province that was trying to be as Francophone as possible by the time I left, and then moved to the kind of place where they’d yell at you to “speak American”.

Sometimes I just get fed up with Being Weird.

[dumbsack]

One last flex of my dislike for Echoes and probably my last "shit on Echoes" post until the idiotic scumbags that run the game do something else deplorable and greedy. Consider this my mega post about the game with some thoughts and reasoning put into it besides *incoherent screeching*.

Echoes of Mana sucks. We all know that. I'm shouting into the void at this point. The loading times are unacceptable, co-op is a joke, the incompetent devs couldn't figure out what to do WITH A BASIC FRIENDS LIST, pull rates are absolutely awful, there was little to no testing done, Bravers is the most shameless display of greed I've ever seen in any game ever, Gingham was fucking awful, gems were a good idea but poorly executed, and characters RARELY interacted in meaningful ways in crossovers. It was a bunch of horseshit all the way through. Characters would be advertised together, only to not show up together (Duran and Angela and Charlotte and Kevin are promoted a LOT together, but only show up together in social media posts and gems (ironically getting more likes on those posts than the story chapters do...), Amanda never interacts with Sumo, Keldy never says a word to Lekius, etc. While the Secret of Mana trio get to freely interact with each other, female protags never got to interact in meaningful ways...).

The quilt/tapestry theme was so forced. We only get to see one (1) stitched together world (DoM and LoM)... And it did nothing with the crossover. Cool. And I died internally every time the dispatches said "WE'RE WEAVING UP GOOD STUFF".

What the fuck was up with the gems for SD3? No DSK/Loki vs Duran gem? No Bil and Ben vs Hawkeye? No pornomags gem? No Grand Croix gem? A good chunk of the gems for SD3 are made up bullshit. Yet, whenever someone farts in Secret of Mana or Legend of Mana, there's a gem for that. Hmm.

Don't get me started on the banners, though. Good grief. Fire and Ice, the so-called 31st anniversary celebration, was absolutely terrible. Terrible boss, ho-hum story that did nothing with the characters... I could say that about pretty much every event, actually, except for maybe 3 of them, max. (Any event with Duran in it because he was allowed to be a character, and the Manor one with Fuji, Randi, Popoi, and Blainchet.) Also, the events text was straight up broken for like a day. Lovely.

As funny as the LoM and Toto crossover was, being shilled at so explicitly at the end was the biggest slap in the face. No, I don't want the creepy Riesz statue, and I don't want to subject myself to the LoM anime. I don't want to look at Shiloh's weird lumpy, ballsack abs ever again.

I know I can't be too mean about this, but the English version has so many typos. As an amateur fanfic writer, I get it. I can't tell you how many typos I've passed over by accident that pop had to point out to me in my shitty fics after I've posted them. ... But neither of us are getting paid for writing/editing fanfic. So... Yeah.

But, my biggest problem, which I cannot overstate...

I absolutely detest how Angela's character is represented in Echoes. It directly contradicts and violates her character in TOM to the point I don't think the writer of that chapter actually played the Dragon Lord arc... Or the game at all, only getting snippets of dialogue from YouTube videos or some shit. Everything about chapter 2 undermines her arc AND Duran's completely (honeycomb: "lol I just trained hard to get magic lol xdddd")

In the chapter, she is shown training (yes, she says she had training when your main asks how she got to Cascade Cavern) and effortlessly fighting alongside Quilt, Honeycomb, and Duffle WITHOUT MAGIC, and tooootally besties with...

Okay.

No.

I'm sorry, this is not the same character as the one depicted below. The Angela in ToM is clearly a girl out of her depth and not the bad boss bitch she is in Echoes.

It's very heavily implied that Angela is very sheltered, lazy, selfish, and has probably never left Altena, expressing only a very vague understanding of the lay of the land (she couldn't even name Alrant!) Early game Angela in TOM pretty much lucks into her victory in her first fight (the tutorial fight!) expressing disbelief she was even capable of doing such a thing. She then almost promptly passes out in the cold and is luckily rescued by some locals.

Once you get into the meat of the game, she's pretty eager to pass off the fighting ("I can leave the fighting to you, right?"), immediately wants to take a nap upon reaching Jadd, bitches about Molebear Moors ("I'm filing a complaint about this path!"). Overall, it seems like she fluked her way to Wendel, making her way there by sheer luck, not skill.

None of these "negative" traits are shown in Echoes. Without consequence, YOUNGER, PRE-MAGIC ANGELA, after a cringe-inducing speech about friendship or whatever, she jumps into the fight with the Crimson Wizard alongside your stupid group and comes out unscathed...

Which is what completely undermines Duran's arc. Duran, one of the strongest swordsmen in Valsena, got owned by the CRIMSON WIZARD and almost died (and many of his fellow soldiers/knights were killed that night, ones implied to be more experienced than he is!)

"oh, but sack," you say, "she didn't fight the Crimson Wizard alone! She had help from Quilt, Duffle, and Honeycomb!"

ah yes, three other undertrained kids. That makes it better.

No. It doesn't. Let me reiterate: trained Valsenan soldiers, said to be among the best in the world, died to CW. Pre-magic Angela should have gotten hurt, or faced some kind of consequence for trying to take down an opponent like that. But no, she doesn't. I can believe she and Duran can take down Full Metal Hugger. Sure, fine. Whatever. That's just a big, dumb crab, not a powerful wizard even late game Duran and Angela still express difficulty facing even after getting stronger, judging by their battle dialogue.

"But sack! It's just a dumb gacha story! Don't take it so seriously!"

I know! But boy. BOY. BOI. AAAA IT'S SO EXPLICITLY BAD AAAAAAAA-

"Hey sack! Angela slaps the boys shit in Jadd when they approach her bed! She must be strong!"

Those are slapstick powers. Duh.

Also, this is a nitpick, but I really hate the retcon with male mages being overly present in Altena. In ToM and SD3, a soldier explicitly states the Altenish army is comprised of all women, which implies male mages are pretty rare (José, CW (who actually isn't a wizard lol he had to borrow evil powers like a little bitch)). I can believe non-mages are discriminated against, that's fine. I can believe Angela would stand up for Framaus if he was being bullied. Honestly? I think that's great! Angela may be selfish and a jerk, but I can definitely see her standing up for him for being a non-mage.

But, former besties? No. You don't talk about a former bestie like, "ew I have nothing to do with that guy!" You would probably say, "we used to be friends, but then he became a huge dick." All Angela states on the matter to Duran is "it's complicated" and that "he used to be nice". Yeah. Also lmao, the irony Framaus finally starts calling her Angela only for her to loathe when he calls her that by the time ToM rolls around is amazing. Really makes you wonder if Angela bumped her head and got amnesia or something.

Oh, and I do not find Framaus endearing or sympathetic. He's a creep. A fucking CREEP.

Ah, I get it now. Angela is too naive to realize that. Okay, chapter's issues absolved! (Not.)

Oh, and don't get me started on Angela replacing Framaus with Victor, too. Makes her look like a fucking psycho. Did the Echoes writers forget Victor exists or what? He's the only Altenish character not present in Echoes.

Fuck.

Fuck this chapter. I hate it more than Heroes of Mana, and that was a whole game of stupid horseshit and nonsense.

Echoes sucks. Angela's contradictory representation in Echoes is merely a symptom of a poorly managed, poorly written, poorly coded game.

Also, who the fuck thought it was a good idea for Hawkeye to be the Mana swordsman? You're the worst. The literal worst. Fuck you the most.

[milkcolle]

pluralasking's 100 questions!!!!!! wow!!!!!!! I was bored at work lol answers under the cut

1. What is your System name and / or the name you collectively go by?

we're the milky way collective! shortened to milkcolle, but we're all fine getting referred to as seven. technicallyyyy that's nara's internet persona name, but we've all basically gotten used to it being used. so we're all fine with it!

2. Which word do you prefer to use for your System? (example: System, Collective, Constellation, ...)

we're a collective! we're fine with being called a system, since we are, but we use collective in our system name because at first we were really afraid to call ourselves a system or even plural! avoiding the term system in general made it easier for us while we figured things out and realized no, we aren't actually stealing a term not for us.

3. What are your Systems origins, if you choose to label them?

traumagenic did!

4. Do you have any Subsystems?

no idea, but we do have a lot of "groups".

5. Do you have any Sidesystems?

once again, not sure!

6. What is your opinion on you& / your& language and similar types?

im honestly not super familiar but like do what you want? lol. not for us though. just say "you guys" or something.

7. What methodes do you use to keep track of your System and it's Members?

mostly simplyplural at this point! plurali we use to share our list with our singlet friends. we had a neocities at one point but it started getting hard to update with every change. we also used to use pinterest? but then we had a lot of fusions and its likeeee cleaning it up is gonna be a huge task so we stopped using it.

8. What is your Systems ways of communication?

we usually can communicate pretty fine in the head! we don't really have an internal world though so a lot of it is just "I know this now that I'm fronting" or "we can talk but only when we're cocon".

9. Is communication hard or easy for you (and why is it the way it is)?

I mean I hear other systems can talk in their internal world? or have things happen when they're not fronting? so like. hard in comparison to that. sometimes we also get walled off. like now! we're recovering at the moment though so things should get better for our communication soon.

10. Do you view yourselves as parts of one person or as multiple people in one body?

we're individual people! we tend to think of all systems like this unless explicitly told not to.

11. Who are you out to as plural?

just online really! irl we could never talk about this kind of thing.

12. What languages do you collectively / one of you speak?

i meannnn we're only fluent in english. we have been learning japanese but we keep getting sidetracked now that we're not in traditional school learning it and have to self study. we can read hiragana and katakana and Some kanji. we really need to brush up on it though lollll someone yell at us to take out our genki book again

13. What is something you can't seem to collectively agree on?

aesthetic. most of us are into alt fashion but in different ways, and then there's the people who are like super normal and don't really give a fuck about how we present. ouji fashion vs sweatpants and a tshirt vibes lol

14. If you have a collective Identity (such as Gender or Orientation), what is it?

we're a gay gnc trans man collectively!

15. Do you collectively identify as queer / LGBTQIA+?

yes! nobody in our system is cishet anyway

16. Do you collectively identify as Otherkin, Alterhuman or Nonhuman?

yes! the line between kin and fictive is hard for us to identify, so we mainly just identify as fictionkin. if people aren't open to that kind of thing, we do also refer to ourselves as multifictives to help people understand better. a lot of us also consider themselves to be nonhuman otherkin, with many of us heavily identifying as related to the divine or the undead.

17. Do you have a collective rentry / carrd / something along those lines? (feel free to share!)

no, but our plurali is here!

18. What does switching feel like for you?

when we're not in a bad headspace, there's like a pressure in our head and we sort of lose focus for a bit before someone else hops in. if we're in a bad headspace, it's more like someone will lose their hold on front and we end up blurry, sometimes rapid switching for a while until someone can get back up to a solid front again.

19. Are you Monoconscious, Polyconscious or something else?

honestly I don't fully get this but I guess poly? we're all individual people. though we do have a lot of common knowledge and don't black out amnesia most of the time when we're mentally ok.

20. What does fronting feel like for you?

hi this is aira! sometimes there's a fog and I feel a little lightheaded, but normally it just feels like. existing? im just a guy.

21. How many System members do you have?

at the moment of typing: 35? maybe? again we're in a very weird mental situation and have made some changes but we're not sure how much is the dissociation making us think someone new split or if someone new actually split. because mistakes happen! often, actually! that's dissociation for you lol

22. Which word / words do you prefer to use for members of your System?

alters and headmates!

23. Which age group seems to be the most common in your System?

mostly adults in their 20s. and I mean. bodily we're 25, so

24. Which gender seems to be the most common in your System?

most of us are masc, either binary men or nonbinary men.

25. Are there any talents / hobbies you picked up because of a Member?

i got us back into watching anime, though I really like shoujo and the others aren't super into it? meanwhile nara got me and lambda into jfashion (mainly jirai). also dromi is the main reason we play genshin, even though we started playing for maki lol

26. Do you have any in-system relationships?

i think nara and lucio are still /r???????? and there's also maybe something going on with nara and evie but who knows. but most of our relationships are familial! we have a lot of siblings and siblinglikes in here.

27. Do you label roles within your System (and if yes, which ones?)

roles are very fluid! so we don't! plus not everyone has a role, and we don't like the idea that there has to be some larger meaning for someone in our system to exist.

28. Are most of your Members introjected, brainmade or something else?

again, complicated! we rely on fictional identities to have a sense of self. we're like a bunch of fictional characters stitched together. but aren't singlets like that with the people they've met throughout their lives too?

29. Do you use names, emojis or something similar to sign off messages (and if yes, which ones and why?)

emojis! if you look back in our system tag (🌌) you'll be able to find our explanation.

30. Do any of your System members use Xenogenders?

I think ben like? identifies more as a computer bug than any gender.

31. How do Members pick face claims?

usually it's kin stuff honestly. except for io. they're not kin from hsr (probably. we haven't actually started to play yet), they just kind of look like that. one day I knowwww it's gonna confuse someone.

32. Do you have any Introjects of popular sources?

I mean it depends what you consider popular? but like we have danganronpa, nintendo, genshin, etc characters if that means anything.

33. Do you have any Introjects of unpopular sources?

hellloooo to all of our idols and joseimuke characters. shuuen. and then ren is two different pitchloids that were only popular in like 2012.

34. Do you have nonhuman members?

yes but everyone is humanoid. so like. angels. ghosts. demons. etc.

35. Do any of you use Typing Quirks?

maki talks like a lolXDsorandom scene kid and uses kaomoji does that count

36. Do all of you front, or only a selected amount?

we all have fronted! not all of us are frequent fronters though. I'm probably like. top most frequent honestly. and then bottom is like. crow maybe. but that's because he's a bit more fragmented.

37. Are there any Members who can't or prefer to not speak?

waka (our little) struggles with speaking and talks mainly in the third person in kind of fragmented sentences, but that's kind of it?

38. Are most of you short or tall in height

don't talk down to us just because we're short kings lollllll

39. Is there a Member that is collectively loved by all in the System?

rey. 100000% rey. maki also because he's literally the best ever.

40. Do any of you struggle with being front-stuck a lot of the time?

sometimes? not enough for it to be a big issue though.

41. Do you have a Headspace (if not, is there a reason)?

no we have that thing where we have issues with visualization. if a number gets skipped, assume it was a headspace question that we can't answer

43. How do Members look like in Headspace? (example: Cartoony, Foggy, Realistic, ...)

sorry not sorry for being a bunch of anime characters?????

46. Do you remember what happened in Headspace when you switch into front?

yes and no? sometimes we'll have a general Feeling of something having happened or having talked about something. bleeding thoughts maybe? idk

51. Are there any "System Stereotypes" you fit into?

idk what any stereotypes are honestly but I feel like I always see people fakeclaim people for having introjects and specifically for having danganronpa and genshin introjects and it's like ooooooops dangankins and genshinkins in this head

52. Who of you would be considered the "evil alter"? (in a lighthearted, joking manner)

probably lucio honestly LOL or dromi because of the cannibalism support

53. What is your favourite inside-joke with a Member?

once ren said baller and he's not allowed to live it down

54. What is your favourite Plural meme?

nervous system when the confident system walks in (and it's like. hitsugi and shu enstars)

55. Is there any character that you headcanon as plural?

ame/k-angel is the first that comes to mind! also randal and satoru.

56. Is there any show or movie that you believe is a good plural representation, despite that not being its intention?

honestly jojo part 5 was kind of awesome. thanks for the plural rep!!! still think it's crazy how people on twitter baby doppio though like that's a grown ass man with a child. once again randal and satoru also read as plural to me and I love their writing a lot!

57. Is there any song that you believe decribes your plural experience?

ghost (vocaP) in general has a lot of songs that really speak to our mental illness. big fan of uncanny which is literally written about being plural.

58. What about an artwork that describes your plural experience?

honestly not sure! but I think it's always really nice seeing fanart of your source that really does feel like it represents you. like ill never forget how happy io was to see a single piece of fanart of iori with super long hair. because that's them!

59. Which Member of your System do you believe to be the prettiest of them all?

this is hard because I feel like if we said anyone but joshua he'd kill us but alsoooo if we said anyone but yoh they'd also kill us.

60. Do you collectively have a lucky number?

we like 3!

61. When did you first discover your System?

late 2019 was our full system awakening but we did realize and then immediately forget back in like. 2016? maybe?

62. How many Members did you know about during your Syscovery?

3? I think? nara maki and dell. though at the time im prettyyyy sure dell was dormant so it was just nara and maki for months.

63. Was accepting your Plurality a challenge for you?

very much! we were sure we were faking it and lying and stealing terms that weren't for us.

64. How did you learn about Plurality?

we had plural friends growing up!

65. Where there any signs of your Plurality, if you look back at your past?

us and our imaginary friends (all of which were alters) against the world

66. Do you think your Syscovery changed a lot in your life?

100%! I feel like for as bad as things get sometimes, we're functioning a lot better in certain aspects of our life. plus, it's nice to know we're not alone! sometimes we do wish we never found out, mainly socially, but having people who accept us is really nice.

67. If you're out to others plural, have they ever told you later on that they already thought about it before you realised?

yes lol

68. What was the biggest struggle during your Syscovery?

one of the main reasons we dislike sys/course is because it held us back from realizing we were a system. fakeclaimers were scary as fuck and we were convinced we were subconsciously faking. I know nara and maki struggled a lot with questioning if the other was real or just a delusion because we did struggle with those often before our current meds.

69. Was there any big event that led to your Syscovery?

not really? mainly nara kept looking at his imaginary friend in adulthood maki and was like. ok something is up here. and then we realized.

70. What is something you want questioning plurals to know?

it's ok to be wrong! you're not a bad person for questioning your plurality and ending up not being plural/having a different disorder. you weren't tricking anyone. so long as you respect the community, and don't go on to start fakeclaiming others, you're fine!

71. Are you Neurodivergent (and if yes, how?)

we are autistic! we might have adhd also but we don't want to say anything definitively

72. Do you have any physical disability?

we don't that we know of!

73. Do you have a dissociative disorder?

yes, DID.

74. Do you have any other disorder?

not going to reveal everything in one place but bpd and ocd are probably the disorders we struggle with the most.

75. Do symptom vary in intensity depending on the fronter?

yes! mainly bpd. some people it's all consuming, other people don't really get impacted as much.

76. Do you think your disability / disorder has an influence on your plurality?

probably! we've split a lot because of our symptoms.

77. Do you have amnesia of any kind?

mostly emotional amnesia. sometimes blackout amnesia, but usually just during very stressful periods.

78. Are there Members who deal better with symptoms than others?

mentioned earlier but yeah, especially with bpd.

79. Do your disorders / disabilities influence communication or switching within your System in any way?

when we're deep in an episode, any kind of episode, it's pretty much impossible for us to communicate. lots of walls.

80. Does being plural help with your disorders in any way? (example: another Member switching in to take care of the body during difficult times, ...)

it's helpful to be able to get different points of view from different members. writing down opinions on our problems is really helpful.

81. Which is your favourite plural flag?

i've only seen the white yellow black one tbh

82. If you have one, which is your favourite plurality related tumblr blog?

can I say fkf. we've been a regular for years and fictives are more than welcome.

83. What is a fun fact about your System?

ohhhh this is hard. king has umanoprincesama (the japanese title of the my horse prince app) as his twitter handle. he hardly uses it anymore though.

84. What is a flavour of ice cream that describes you collectively?

maki says birthday cake. he won't explain why lol

85. Which pride flag is the prettiest, in your collective opinion?

i know we like the wlw and mlm flags! we like the flowers.

86. If you collectively had to choose between being a sweet or a sour candy, which do you pick?

probably sweet? we love sugar.

87. Your body always morphs into what the current fronter(s) look like, would you want this power or not?

absolutely oh my god. though we are working on making a collective singlet sona

88. Is there a Hatsune Miku in your System?

...kind of? she uses miku as a faceclaim.

89. Who has been in your System the longest (if you can remember)?

we aren't sure! our candidates are like. maki dromi and waka.

90. If you collectively had to choose, would you rather only eat sweet foods or only eat savoury foods for the rest of your life?

ohhhh this is hard. I think savory but I know we'd be missing dessert hard. but we can't live without gyudon.

91. If you collectively had to choose, would you pick to become a vampire or a werewolf?

we're split on this. I think we lean more vampire though.

92. Your body is transfered into one of your Members sources, which do you pick and why?

pokemon obviously lol

93. If all of you turned into animals right this second, which animals would we find in your System?

too many of us for me to assign fursonas to everyone but like. birds. cats. bunnies. that kinda vibe?

94. What would a Minecraft server with all d your Members look like? (example: chaotic, peaceful, laggy, ...)

we haven't played minecraft much actually so I couldn't tell you! when I played I personally just liked building. but I know that a lot of people in our system would absolutely sabotage shit lol

96. What topic would you collectively make a youtube channel about? (it can't be plurality!)

hmmmm we aren't as into them anymore because of the fandom but mobile gacha games probably! i personally love idol games forever thanks

97. Which superpower would your body obtain, if you had to collectively decide on one?

shapeshifting!!!!!!

98. Who would pick the coolest tattoo for the System and who would pick the worst?

king would pick the worst everyone else feels passable except maybe nicola but king would get something dumb as fuck tattooed just because it's funny

99. If you only were allowed to eat one food for the rest of your life, but you would have to decide on the food collectively, what would it be and what would the decision making look like?

gyudon. like. I don't think that's even a question. we collectively fucking love gyudon.

100. What is the most fun about doing polls and answering questions, in your opinion?

we like getting to communicate more and express ourselves as plural! it's nice. we get scared to express ourselves on a lot of other websites so it's cool to be ourselves here and talk about ourselves openly

[clemencetaught]

(jumps in your askbox to ask things about the birthday boy uwu)

THESE ARE!!! For Patrick (Verse One):

⏳ In which aspects have you seen Patrick change? As in, the initial idea/concept you had of him VS. Now? ⏳ If he had the time and availability to have a pet, which one do you see him choosing? ⏳ Did he use to have a favorite place when he was a child? Somewhere he remembers with fondness? ⏳ What's a place he's always wanted to visit but hasn't? ⏳ Does he know that a certain detective named Lee Hyuk always carries him in his heart and mind and misses him like nuts and blames me for being away (IUWEHDWEIUDHWD)?

Feel free to skip any (or all) questions ;W; HOPE YOU'RE DOING WELL!!!

now it's the professor's turn ( nosy questions for the birthday enby w/ @jeoseungsaja )

ALEX!!! 💕💕💕 my dear friend, first of all THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THESE 🥺🥺🥺 i shall do my best to answer them as thoroughly as possible :DDD

⏳ In which aspects have you seen Patrick change? As in, the initial idea/concept you had of him VS. Now? 

HMMM, well i make it no secret that his inspo is professor layton, specifically in the third game- like literally, i think i made a post adding him to my muse roster on suki’s blog ( JK IT WAS ON CALUM’S BLOG here’s the post tho )...i was honestly debating between whether to make an oc inspired by her*shel lay*ton or just to write the professor himself. But i also wasn’t confident in my ability to write canon characters and i also knew that the layton rp community is kinda…dead?? ANYWAYS, when patrick started out, i originally planned for him to be very similar to layton himself: someone whose life at multiple points has been marked by significant losses, but because these losses happened a while back, someone who has learned to, not necessarily move forward (yet) but more of learned how to live with the grief. Since the creators of the lay*ton games probably didn’t have as much time to flesh out the professor in the third game as i would have wanted them too, patrick was basically supposed to be my exploration of that…you could say patrick in a way, is my self-indulgent lay*ton fanfiction FJSKLDJFLSD 😂

But to be more specific about the initial concepts, patrick was supposed much more in touch with the outside world ( henceforth the ‘anthropology’ part of his career once upon a time :’D ), more adventurous and also a tad more…brusque? more frigid? Kinda like that professor who’s always affable and you admire from a distance, but u wouldn’t necessarily go to for emotional support….basically not quite the gay english professor that all of the queer kids end up loving and subconsciously consider him the father figure they never had :’D

This is all way, if i may compare patrick to lay*ton, i’d say patrick ended up be way more milder, reserved and closed off in comparison to lay*ton. Warmer too although i think part of that also comes from his relationship with hyuk AKA as once stated, hyuk uses his teeth for patrick so patrick doesn’t have to grow them himself. Also while the two do more or less do still have the same demeanor, but patrick, in particular, is unabashedly biased towards his loved ones. Would drop everything for them even his morals ( which isn’t exactly very good of a gentleman :’D ). So i’d say in that sense, lay*ton is almost?? Ironically milder in this sense? In while he does have preferences, he doesn’t have as many sheer dislikes….patrick on the other hand does have very specific dislikes that while he doesn’t vocalize, it’s very obvious to know what they are. 

I’ve also noticed in this past year, patrick, depending on the verse, is becoming a lot more…petty morally ambiguous ( hyuk come collect your person and chastise him too fjksldjfdls :’D ). Selfless yes, but the means and his way of thinking uh….maybe it’s not the most morally upright version :’D i also do think he’s a bit more prone to silliness too in comparison to my original concept <3

⏳ If he had the time and availability to have a pet, which one do you see him choosing?

It’s more apparent in verse three and maybe even verse two, but patrick is very much of a cat person. Not that he hates dogs, but i do think he’s more drawn to cats, whether they’re on the sillier side or the reserved side- he’s a big proponent of self-suffiency and since the man is like, always working, he would want a furry companion who doesn’t mind just passing the hours in peaceful quiet :’D as of right now, he could probably get a cat, but it’d be an adult cat, probably one still pretty young.

If he gets one after elise has flown the nest though…i could see him getting a kitten :’D preferably a stray one bc patrick has a tendency of taking in strays, human or not &lt;3 <3 <3

⏳ Did he use to have a favorite place when he was a child? Somewhere he remembers with fondness?

Libraries have always been a source of solace for patrick especially when he was in secondary school. As the only asian kid in his town and not to mention probably the only kid that was adopted, the books in the library provided him with examples of sorts of people who were more like him…granted in the 1980s there probably wasn’t as much as there is now, but it certainly made him feel less alone. So i’d say the library in his childhood would be one of his favorite places aka one place he also would probably sleep over in if not for the librarian kicking him out :’D i’d say if he didn’t get in engrossed in academia and teaching, he’d probably be a librarian ( which he was in his second life &lt;3 )

⏳ What's a place he's always wanted to visit but hasn't? 

Anywhere that has hyuk in it. OKAY BUT SERIOUSLY, i would say….maybe yeongju? Since that’s where he was born originally although patrick wouldn’t actually know that until like after the whole thing with felicity went down. But i do think it is a place that would also help explain some of the strange images he sometimes gets of his past life as a seonbi…

⏳ Does he know that a certain detective named Lee Hyuk always carries him in his heart and mind and misses him like nuts and blames me for being away (IUWEHDWEIUDHWD)?

Hmmm, i don’t know hyuk…you might have to say a bit louder for patrick in the back to hear JFKLSJDFLSKJ jkjk, pls don’t apologize for your speed, patrick and i are MORE than happy to wait for u…unfortunately for all of us, you are stuck with me for as long as this hellsite is around and even when it dies i'll still be haunting u &lt;3

but since you’ve mentioned this, patrick has snuck out here to say something:

“Ah, spoken like a true pigeon– do let him know to come back as soon as he can. I’ll have a Crosstown donut and an iced americano ready for him.”