#hi i have a californian accent and this super interesting to me

[suffarustuffaru]

i am so sorry i keep reblogging everyones responses to this post akdndn but i find all everyones responses super interesting!! and yeah it makes sense that people struggle with different characters <3 and of course garf really does have a normal accent (same with kararagi characters) (i love garf i just also love teasing him wkdndn his character only brings me pain bc i am californian.)

yeah sin archbishops are super tricky o.O but i think with them you gotta depend a lot on their INSANE body language and mannerisms too and when you combine it with the text of their dialogue itll probably read at least a little closer to how they are in the anime? and YEAH as for reinhard hes tricky!! but i think he gets a little easier to write once you remember that hes really just extremely repressed in Everything and Anything involving emotion or stuff related to his trauma so of course hes oblivious to why julius had to beat up subaru. or like why reinhard feels Distant all the time. bc he is!! hes friendly but hes overall Stilted. like all the time. hes formal but not as formal and flowery as julius, and i think reinhard is always a little Uncanny with the way he presents himself and speaks. when youre That powerful from Birth its gonna affect everything about you. and he has certain emotional stakes too so i think he isnt gonna think “oh julius has to punish subaru publicly so that subaru doesnt get killed by the other knights”, hes gonna think “my friend julius is beating up my other friend subaru and its not fair at all :(( why did this have to happen? :(( this is just a detriment to both of them!!”

maybe the real test of how big of a rezero fan you are is how well you can read or write garfiel’s dialogue. ever thought of that

[lovemesomesurveys]

survey by xalikattx

FOOD What is your favorite salad dressing? I’m a ranch gal. I rarely have salad, but I have a lot of ranch, ha.

Favorite sit-down restaurant? I don’t have one, I rarely go out to eat anymore. And that’s even pre-Covid. I like getting takeout.

Favorite pizza topping? I had pizza last night that had lots of creamy garlic sauce, cheese, spinach, green onions, and ground beef. It was gooood.

What food could you eat for two weeks straight and not get sick of it? Ramen. I’ve been eating it for like 2 years straight every night :X

What do you put on your toast? Butter.

What food do you eat the most? Ramen, boneless garlic parm and lemon pepper wings from Wingstop, and chicken tenders.

Do you like food? I’m not a foodie like I used to be. :( I miss those days, honestly. My appetite and eating habits are so messed up now and I don’t/can’t enjoy a lot of the foods I used to. Most of the time I’m eating just cause I have to and it feels more like a chore than enjoyment. The times I do really enjoy it are nice.

Do you LOVE food? ^^^^

Do you even eat at all? I mean, yeah. Kinda have to. But like I said, my appetite and eating habits are whack.

What do you put on your ice cream? Strawberry syrup if it’s vanilla ice cream. Otherwise I don’t put anything. Well, unless I’m at an ice cream shop, in which case I might live a little and add some fun stuff like cookies or something. I rarely have ice cream at all though, to be honest. It’s been a few years since I’ve had any.

Do you like steak? No.

Or are you a vegetarian? No.

How about a vegan? No.

What food do you hate the most? I don’t do seafood. 

TECHNOLOGY How many TVs are in your house? Three.

Do they all work? Yep.

Do you have Comcast digital cable? Nope. 

AT&T Uverse? Nope.

Dish Network? Nope.

Something else? We have DIRECTV. 

Nothing?

What's your favorite show? I have many.

What's the worst show? I’m not into most sitcoms like Big Bang Theory, The Goldbergs, 2 Broke Girls, Two and a Half Men, etc.

What color cell phone do you have? Coral.

What kind? iPhone XR.

What does the first text message in your inbox say and who sent it? I’m not checking. 

What was the last text you sent and who did you send it to? I texted, “Done” with a thumbs up emoji to my brother a couple days ago. He sent me a link to do a survey he needed people to take for one of his classes and I texted him back letting him know I did it.

Who was the last person to call you? My mom.

Who was the last person you called? My mom.

CURRENTLY Are you missing someone? I’ll always miss my loved ones who have passed away.

What are you listening to? An ASMR video.

Watching? That ASMR video ^^^

Worrying about? I have my doctor appointment in a few hours and my doctor should have looked at my CT scan I had done a week ago, so naturally I’m just nervous and anxious about it. I don’t think think there’s anything new or surprising going on that I don’t already know about, but there’s always the “what if.” I always worry they’ll find something bad. I’m also worried she’ll want to do some surgical procedure or something, which I’m totally NOT for. And there’s also the chance she’ll decide to stop prescribing my medicine, which I worry about every appointment because of the strict laws against them. 

Where are you? I’m in my room sitting on my bed.

What's it like there? It actually feels cool in my room right now, it’s nice.

How are you feeling? Anxious.

Is anyone with you? Who? Not in my room, but yeah my family is home. 

Are you hungry? Not at the moment. Too nervous.

What do you want to eat? Nothing right now.

Thirsty? No, I have water and a Starbucks Doubleshot energy drink.

What do you want to drink? ^^^

What time is it? 5:10AM.

LASTS Thing you ate? Ramen.

Thing you drank? The water and Starbucks energy drink I just mentioned.

Thing you said? “Goodnight.”

Movie you watched? Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers.

Store you went to? What did you buy? I think it was Walmart for groceries. I haven’t been to the store myself since March. :O I’ve done a lot of online shopping, though, for clothes and stuff.

Person you talked to? My brother.

Person you hugged? My mom.

Kissed? Joseph, yearsss ago.

Yelled at? I don’t yell at anyone.

Book you read? I’m currently reading, “Miss Polly had a Dolly” by Willow Rose. It’s the 2nd book in a murder mystery/suspense series. 

Thing you touched? Besides my keyboard, I just touched my phone a bit ago.

Person you became friends with on Facebook/Myspace/whatever other site? Someone I know requested to follow me on IG recently, which I accepted and followed back.

RANDOM Are a righty or a lefty? Righty.

Have you ever had anything removed from your body? Yes.

What is the last heavy object you lifted? I can’t lift heavy stuff. We’re talking like 5lbs maybe at the most. I’m weak, but I’m also a paraplegic with a bad back and I can’t lift heavy things for that reason alone. I’m also just really weak, ha.

Have any scars? I have a ton. 

How did you get them? Any interesting stories? Majority of them are surgery related, but there’s non-surgery related ones as well.

if it were possible, would you want to know the day you're going to die? Absolutely not.

If you could change your name, what would you change it to? Nah, I’ll keep mine.

Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000? Nooo. I can’t eat or handle spicy food at all anymore D: Like, I’m super sensitive to it now. I couldn’t have a drop of hot sauce, let alone drink it. 

How about 10 bottles of ketchup? Ew, no. Fun fact: I was grossed out by ketchup for several years because I saw someone do something like that one some gameshow as a kid and it just made me sick for some reason.

10 bottles of maple syrup? No. I like maple syrup, but it doesn’t take much at all for it be too sweet. A little goes a long way. I certainly don’t want to drink it.

A bottle of vinegar? NOOO. Also, how do people drink apple cider vinegar??? Just smelling it is horrendous.

10 jars of peanutbutter? I love me some peanut butter, but I couldn’t eat 10 jars of it. One jar will last me a long time. Also, it wouldn’t take long before it started sticking to the roof of my mouth and I started having a hard time eating it. 

How many pairs of flip flops do you own? Zero. I don’t wear flip flops, sandals, wedges, or any open-toed shoes. 

Favorite month? October and December.

Do you always answer your phone? Not always, like if it’s an unknown number or my doctor calling with an automated message to remind me of upcoming appointments. I always answer if my parents or brother call, though, which are pretty much the only people who call me, soo I guess the answer is mostly yes? haha. 

It's four AM and you get a text message, who is it? I have no idea cause again my parents and brother are the only ones who text me, with the exception of my Nana now and then, and none of them would text me at 4AM. I live with my parents and brother for one, for two they’d all be here at home asleep at that time so yeah I don’t know why they’d be texting me. I imagine my Nana is asleep at that time, too.

If you could change your eye color what would it be? Green or blue.

Do you own a digital camera? Not anymore.

Do you take lots of pictures of yourself? Ew, no. I very rarely take a selfie. 

Do you take them in front of the mirror in the bathroom? No.

Have you ever had a pet fish? Yeah, I had a ton when I was a kid.

Pet hamster? I had two when I was a kid.

Bird? Nope.

Rabbit? Nope.

Iguana? Nope.

Favorite Christmas movie? Aw, I love Christmas movies I have several favorites. 

Favorite Christmas song? Same thing as the movies, I love ‘em.

Can you do push ups? Nope.

Can you do a chin up? Nope.

Does the future make you nervous or excited? Terrified.

Ever been in a car accident? No, thankfully.

Do you have an accent? Everyone does, but it’s weird for me, a Californian, to think of myself as having one. Like, it’s not distinctive like someone from Texas or North Dakota or New York, ya know? 

What song always makes you cry? The acoustic version of Everlong by Foo Fighters.

Have any plans for tonight? Probably watch some Halloween movies like I’ve been doing just about every night this month.

What were you doing at 12 AM last night? My Bible study.

What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? I haven’t gone to bed, yet. I have a doctor appointment in a few hours so I’m just staying up. :/

[theproofinthisong]

review of heartbreak weather

coming back for a review of nialler’s album :D

heartbreak weather: love the catchy melody which contrast really well with the sad lyrics. that song got a really california sound, i can see myself driving (even if i don’t have a license yet lmao) to the west coast with this song in the background. it’s very poppy with all thos beats and accents that are very sunny and beautiful. niall’s voice in it is liquid honey as always, the lyrics are lovely, my only issue with it is that it’s a bit too generic for my taste. it’s niall’s so it’s always great but it’s not the song where he got the most innovative and creative out of the whole album. other than that, i’m into it.

black and white: easily on my top 3. the lyrics are STUNNING, they’re so raw and pull at your heartstrings right away. heartbreaking ballads are really niall’s forte, he CRUSHES them always. you can feel the ache, the sadness, the anger, the frustration. niall got amazing control of his voice, but i absolutely cherish those moments where he get a bit loose and you can hear those beautiful moments of vulnerability. also it’s UNCANNY how easily he can switch from headvoice to chest voice to falsetto in a matter of seconds in this. he’s such a polished vocalist i’m?? ALSO THE LOW TONE??? OH MY GOD!!! niall is so good at conveying the feeling of nostalagia, like he made me nostalgic of a time, place and relationship i didn’t even experience myself and that’s quite magical when it happens. a fave for sure.

dear patience: what i love about this song is those instants where he is almost on the verge of a crack and he NEVER does. once again, it takes great control to be able to achieve that. the chorus really stays in your head after the listening and i love the belting. the lyrics are simple and a tad repetive but it’s working. it’s not my favorite because it does sound like other stuff he did but i’m enjoying it still.

bend the rules: his diction in this song is PURE FIRE. i love when he does that because it creates an impact and a resonance that would be less powerful without it. it’s a wonderfully produced ballad with that californian road trip vibe AGAIN (so into that) and all around a great track. also the chorus is AMAZING. i love the instrumental, i’m very fond of the lyrics (i’m not saying you’re lying but you’re leaving out the truth/and i’m not saying that you’re guilty cause i don’t have any proof are the HIGHLIGHT), i think it captures really well the mixed feelings you can have after a break up. a SONG.

small talk: downright the one i listened to the most. A FUCKING BOP. slow hands’ big sister and temporary fix’s cousin. he said horny rights. niall always kills it when it comes to sexual songs, they’re always so suave and full of sultry. i mean this song truly makes me want to bang him against a table. sorry. the instrumental reminds me of on the loose, i don’t know if it was done on purpose, but if it is, it’s super clever. very sexy and catchy as hell, and it makes me wanna dance until the end of the nght, which are...the best kind of songs. he did that.

nice to meet ya: second SEXY song of the album and what a great choice it was to pick it as a first single, because it’s one fucking beast. it’s such a cool song, makes me feel so confident and grown. also the frenchie i am LOST HER MIND to the j’adore la mer part. i don’t know what i love most about this song: the mmmm part opening and ending the track?? the low intonation on the “everytime i turn around you disappear” and “i like the way you talk” thing ?? the very OLD ROCK belting on let me treat you to a drink line? the french bit? the part where he sings with an echo that reminded me so much of the beatles? can’t pick, it’s too good. as lewis capaldi said, THAT IS SMUT.

put a little love on me: basically, this song, black and white, flicker, too much to ask and this town makes the holy quintet of heartbreak. i love to torture myself so when this one came out, i spent my time replaying it until my heart was all dried out from too much suffering. again, THE ACHE. i’m so fucking sad. listening to this and wrong direction by hailee back to back truly hurt my soul. niall excells at those heartfelt, bare, piano accompanied tracks, and that’s eternal law. i wanna die. and at the same time, this song makes me wanna live because it’s just too beautiful. and heartbreaking. and terribly honest. please gimme rest.

arms of a stranger: a bit of a country vibe (slightly) and i’m a SUCKER for this. the chorus is out there breaking hearts left and right. the lyrics are killing me, boy is too young and pure to feel helpless like that. but the fact that he can channel the heartbreak and transform it into art is really admirable. first listening i wasn’t BOOM THIS SONG IS MY FAVE but it’s defintely growing on me.

everywhere: the way he sings the first lines is too cute. after i’m a little more mixed because this song sounds just like others in the album. it’s not very distinctive, whether it’s instrumental or vocals. the lyrics make it good still, and it’s niall so it’s always good but probably my least fave out of heartbreak weather. the final belting is nice though.

cross you mind: the opening (purely instrumental) is so catchy and full of memories i don’t how to explain it?? and then when he sings in that whispery tone, please...too lovely. except for the chorus which is a bit too generic for my taste, i love everything, the bridges, the verses...it’s all very american but in the best kind of way. the king of diction is back, i WOULD DIE for that precision on the genie in a bottle line. with a more original chorus, this would have easily slid higher on my top. also very dancy and full of life which i enjoy always. and the oh oh oh too short part is my thing mister. and the outro too. king.

new angel: oh hell yeah guitar riffs. this song is very summery and warm and it tricks you into thinking that it’s the happiest song of the album with the fancy beats when it’s fact it’s just like no more sad songs which means...super sad and about trying to forget the love of your life with someone else. made me real sad so i’m not thanking you funky irish bitch. anyway. the chorus is iconique and i can appreciate the cleverness of the whole thing even if i’m mad.

no judgement: the direction of this song is very surprising and not like anything niall ever put out, he’s coming out of his comfort zone and i love it. i want him to explore different genres because i’m sure he’ll nail them all. the instrumental and the vocals are the epitome of cool. it’s quite special and a tiny bubble of joy, which is amazing because the whole album is full of heartbreak (hence the title...i’m so funny). cute af.

san francisco: just like everywhere, my issue with it is that it’s too similar to other songs. i don’t want to sound like i find it bad, i don’t, the vocals, melody and lyrics are on point but i just expect more than that with niall. he’s such an audacious and taking risks person i want it to show in his music. and though this song is nice, it’s a bit unsurprising for my taste.

still: the first part sounds SO MUCH like that one george ezra song that made me vibe back in 2013. love the throwback. the part where his voice go lower and the song more slow reminded of fool’s gold which is GREAT. it’s my favorite part of the song. i also love the chorus which brought me back to the 1D days, it was very 1D and that’s a huge compliment in my book friends. it’s a great ending track and a treat to listen.

concluding this, i’m gonna say the first half of the album is a KILLER. all of my fave songs from the album are in here and they’re just pure GOLD. the following others are interesting but a little less impressive but that’s purely personal. all around it’s bloody well-rounded album and honestly putting out 14 songs of that quality is something to be celebrated. great job nialler.

[byebyedonewitheverythingbye]

Fan-traslations of Zombieman’s speech goes “too American”?

I’m only writing this post because some people were super annoyed at the way Zombieman was fantranslated and they were wondering where this all came from, if the fan-translators were taking LOTS of liberties or what.

First of all: most manga/anime fans depend on fan-translations and seriously these people are amazing for providing this service. In many cases, they are better than official translations, too. Take into consideration as well that translating and localising goes hand in hand... and it’s very difficult sometimes, because of linguistic and cultural circumstances.

That said: Zombieman does have a “particular” speech pattern in Japanese, HOWEVER making him sound like some ridiculous Californian "too punk and cool for life” cop from a 60s movie in the fantranslations was not the best way to go about it, and yes I also find it makes him sound really obnoxious. To be fair, the way I see it in Japanese, he IS supposed to sound like a parody of a hard boiled agent-ish guy although it’s precisely because he’s also somewhat “gentle” -or rather, considerate- for a tough guy that he chooses euphemisms over more exact but “violent” or “disgusting” terms when he refers to things such as “execution”.

I don’t know how up to date with the webcomic the manga fantranslators are, but let me tell you Zombieman just NEVER SHUTS UP during the Monsters Association arc, so it’s not like you only have the latest manga chapter to catch on Zombieman’s speech pattern and quirks. He’s got a lil “accent” too, if you listen to the drama CDs... localisation work is always tricky and it’s difficult to transfer the way he talks to a language like English but seriously you don’t need to have him say Yo’ and Ya’ every two lines either.

And yes obviously I’m super interested in him which is the reason why it’s easy for me to put together all this info to discuss a better way to “localise” the way he speaks,  but I’m still really surprised that, somehow, 2 of the fantranslations I saw around today managed to make him sound like your typical American asshole who can barely talk, instead of sweet but rough and silly with his overuse of cops’ anime terminology and incessant inner monologue. Like I said, it seems clear to me he’s supposed to sound like a City Hunter or Detective Conan character parody (much like Child Emperor actually) but my god there is quite the stretch from that to “annoying stupid overacted presumptuous American cop with annoying accent”. The guy talks in a way that could put babies to sleep and you make it sound more obnoxious than Tatsumaki lmao way to go.

 I shouldn’t be surprised though? This comes from the same people who somehow “translated” Senkou no Flash to “Lightspeed Flash” and then there is actually insulting and degrading stuff like *translating* Okamaitachi to “Sheman” and fans who defend that “translation” even after being told why it’s so so so WRONG AND DAMAGING.

So yeah, always remember that you must take everything with a grain of salt in these cases. Fantraslations are just that: fantranslations.

[luziflor]

Update (long post)

So I wouldnt say I was astral projecting today. Much more of lighly travelling up there and getting to some sort of inbetween spot between here and there, maybe?

Background: Years ago in my coven my mentor had us do a meditation exercise. We would visualize roots growing from where we stood, and tree branches growing up from us. It would lead you into a starry space, and she taught us to put up a ward and shield there. You would then travel into the tree to get to something that was supposed to be a personal temple, to meet with your deities and such. Not really the same as astral home. So im gonna like.... push it up there. Or something. Point is, I have a home thing already its just not really in the right location yet, but is close-ish maybe. Another problem i have with this though is that I used to be into thoughtforms. I had a few, and they had pet dragons. We had a lovely home with lots of wooded areas and a sea and everything. I could tell that one was strictly in my head at the time though, as I used to get severe headaches and even feel the energy in my brain severely shift. Thats a different story, but causes me to again question if im actually doing anything or just creating more thats only my brain (then again, ive heard of egregores being able to see egregores of others or travel to their homes.... ). Clearly, I have some things to work through.

About the home/temple that was already there - literally was created by 16 year old me after seeing an aesthetic pic on tumblr. Maybe I can find it again but I really doubt it. Anyways, the inside is light and dark blue marble. It has gold accents, and greek styled columns. The whole thing is really an old greek looking place. I recall I had a waterfall or something in there that would cause severe damage to a real house but I liked the look so it didnt bother me. There is a white greek statue of a woman in there but I could not tell you who it is. To the left there is an altar. The original was above a stone fireplace.

How its been updated: Same color scheme, theme, and random statue. The water feature was changed though, now its a small pond outside my house with a mini rock waterfall. Like for turtles. My altar is now a weird wooden desk bookshelf hybrid, that doesnt fit the theme at all. But its pretty. And I added a pet altar, it came to me as a wooden slab on metal legs or something, and it has wings that fold upward on it. Very cheesy but its a lovely piece, so I let it be. It has constant offerings of meat, water, and leaves or veggies to my passed away pets. I´ve also made it so they have a space where they can come and go as they please. I was also interacting with my deities and like uh hey guys u can make your own rooms if you want, just follow normal human rules. And I dont think any of them except Hecate did, and she did it immediately hahahah. But its not something I expected from her, though I am new to her as well. She made one that is kind of like a cave? And it had glowing amber light from the inside, and a gold metal accent piece at the top. She placed it very close to my altar but not rudely close. Apparently theres also a kitchen in there but its much more modern looking, and I got blocked from going in there (see below). I added new shields and wards, and a symbol appeared to me but its not related to any deity or anything. It came as I was setting up the shield and looking for sigils too. Its at a weird angle, a bunch of buildings mostly sky scrapers on a flat street. Below it are one line going down, and two lines attached to it with arrows or something going out. I would also like to point out that I huge painted ball python wrapped itself around my house, but it only came in images and energy I cant actually see it on the house.

Experience this time: Went in, established my being there. Looked around, was mostly the same as when I left it though some features such as my altar and water had been changed. Basically anything that worked with elements had disappeared really, or left behind a mild energy and base to build off of again. 

Welcomed in my deities to talk to them. Had a great meeting with Zeus, Poseidon, Lilith, and for the first time, Hecate (though I have interacted with her already).

Hecate was the first I greeted. She had her hair in a nice smooth updo, and looked like an oil painting. Im still working on visualization, she didnt move much  but I heard her speaking and felt the energy. She also had a golden bird metal band in her hair, which surprised me as well. Shes very nice so far, though i find it funny that she, mother of witches, had to put her room right next to my altar (which only has one side available). I thanked her for her work with me so far, especially as my oldest dog passed just recently, and I have another one whos young and sick now (he is much better today!).

Then was Lilith. When i first saw her, she was old and cranky but none the less friendly to me. Just kinda like a grandma with a temper. That had been in winter. Now as it is summer here (or spring? guate is weird), she came to me as a woman who had to be 19-early 20s. She had light olive skin, and swamp green eyes with slit pupils. She had brown loose curled hair that was every so slightly frizzy and very full. She was full human, but this time her body was super limber and a bit long like a snake. She was in a plain white dress, but it was like you could feel that her abdomen had a very specific shape that was like a snake. She was lovely, very kind, and patient with me as always. She is sweet but definitely has a jokester and teasing energy about her. After I left her, a huge californian king snake wrapped itself up around my shoulders just to chill, and I felt his scales moving across my shoulder. I havent held a snake in years, and I know for a fact my old cal king has died.

Next was Zeus. He is so much like a father figure to me, and he was very cheerful. Unfortunately because I havent really met up with him in a very long time, he looked to me like the animated Neptune from Little Mermaid. Yeeaah, sorry man. But he was fine none the less. We have a good relationship, he was glad to see me reaching out to them again. Even though I could not see him as he is for me, I could feel his energy. For me he is very hearty, and big. Its like santa clause with an attitude problem. (sorry pops)

Finally, Neptune/Poseidon. This one has been confusing for me as he presents himself to me as both. First it was more of Neptune, but now more of Poseidon. While Zeus is more like a father to me, Poseidon is the one that has all of my interests or is coincidentally related to weird things that happen to me. While Zeus has always been like a father, Zeus and I were more detached to begin with. But Poseidon was always the sweet uncle who related to what I liked and taught me valuable lessons. Today I saw him and felt him at the time, but once I was recording it in my journal I forgot almost everything about the experience other than it was super nice. 

There was some point where I had looked down, and noticed I had on partial armor in the color of gold on my legs and on my lower arms. Then I saw light dusty blue fabric draped over my arm, and more detail came from there. I was somehow wearing a stereotypical greek dress, but also bits of gold armor. I looked into a mirror and also saw that I had on a golden crown which felt a bit much in my tastes, but it was lovely so I kept it anyways! 

I saw my old dog Molly in there, though we didnt interact. Muffin, my recently passed, was there too. And I met up with her, and while I cant for sure say it was her it was good to have a few moments where I felt like I was playing with her again and hearing her weird snorts she makes when shes happy. My physical body had started crying after that. I could feel her bones again, if it was her shes happy but needs some serious vetting, which is probably the case anyways. Hopefully the offerings and me getting more experienced will help as time goes on. 

In my pet altar, I opened the drawer and found pictures. The only one I could really make out was one of my passed kitten, Possum. Possum had been a soul mate of a cat for me, ive never felt a connection like that before. And when he was passing away in the middle of the night across my whole house, I woke up for no reason not feeling tired at all. Then something told me to go outside because I had to go get him. He died a few hours after that, and im broken hearted to this day. 

At the beginning of this whole thing, I created an athame. Its based off of the ones they sell here but I have yet to actually get my hands on. Its made of metal and stone, and the tip of the handle has a tigers head. This one is a regular athame but I was immediately moved to make it into something to defend me from malicious spirits as well. I immediately slipped it into a knife holder that happened to be around my waist.

I was going to the kitchen, as my deities had left, there were no pets running around in there (maybe Muffin, but I had been interuppted in the physical world so our session broke off), so I was lonely and wanted to explore. I immediately felt blocked from going in there, and a black figure flew out at me. I felt just about nothing from this experience so I dont think that part was real (and I will go into more detail about this in a second). I grabbed my knife, stabbed it in the head, and the spirit was passed out or whatever for a second. I took it outside and realized I could removed the black around it, it was just cloth. It was what appeared to be some sort of white teenager, but the look of him really made me feel like he was not modern times. I dont know. Ive never seen him before either, and again, I didnt feel any panic from this at all. Only when i got blocked from the kitchen.

When I had egregores, I had a nice home for them. But in the upstairs I would hate going to because a black figure would come up to me. I would feel panic and even feel this in the physical realm sometimes. It is not around me anymore I dont think, or if it is, its only kept in my mind so its something personal I would assume. He was banished long ago, I changed their house, and didnt see him ever again. I questioned that experience at the time but it felt more real than the one I had earlier today. I dont know. 

Long story short- met up with the deities, Hecate had to put her room next to my altar, new guards up, snake things happened, might have killed a spirit but maybe nah, maybe hung out with my deceased dog for just a few seconds.

[coldtomyflash]

Hi there! I'm a linguist major, and I've really enjoyed your speech pattern analyses. Regarding /post/156381555082, I just wanted to let you know that, linguistically, there is no such thing as an "unaccented" or "neutral" accent. That's actually a dialect linguists call Standard American English*/SAE* (spelled with an asterisk to indicate that the word "standard" should be taken with a grain of salt). It's the prestige dialect of American English, which is why we perceive it as "unaccented."

Ah yeah, I actually know that :) (I was a ling minor so I know a little, at least, even if it’s rusty because it’s been quite a while since my old ling classes). But thanks for bringing it up, because it’s probably worth talking about, now that we’re here.

I didn’t want to get too into the details on that post because I try not to get too academic on here, but when I said that Keiynan is going for the “All American” (i.e., SAE, or ‘news anchor’) accent, I largely meant that he’s going for the one that we perceive as most neutral because of film and media, and what most (American) laymen will think of as “neutral” English from those sources. Lol I even checked the wikipedia page for it (General English) and it says “the scholars who use it today admittedly do so as a convenient basis for comparison rather than for exactness” which was pretty much me in that post.

Largely, what I meant was that Keiynan’s American accent is lacking the distinct inflection of any parts of New England, the south or the southeast, and isn’t overboard on the Californian (but it creeps in, I think? It’s hard for me to say because of how close this dialect is to my own in terms of phonology). Grant’s dialect as Barry seems pretty close to this dialect too, ftr (at least by my hearing of it) and Candice as Iris doesn’t really have any of the markers of Texan accents despite being raised there (though Candice herself doesn’t seem to in interviews either? The Southern Shift or any of that, the fronting of certain vowels, but obviously not every speaker in Texas actually has that accent). 

Anyway, I think the notion of SAE, if I’m not mistaken, arises from urban middle and western America? Actually I just checked that wikipedia page (super interesting) and yeah, the modern one seems to encompass midland and western US, as well as ‘standard’ (again that word) Canadian English (which, we have regional dialects too, sigh...). But that last bit doesn’t surprise me, because as a western Canadian, the ‘movie’/SAE dialect is really similar to mine in terms of most vowel sounds, minus a bit of the Canadian raising and some word choice, slang, etc, though there are some shifts in the ae/e sound around this part of the country and those sounds are almost allophonic to me now.

But yeah, the sociological issues inherent in the prestige of American English and certain dialects are a little beyond the regular scope of this blog, sadly.

[oliviasmithnicholls]

Things I did when I was 27

With my 28th birthday looming over the horizon (tomorrow to be exact), I've been lamenting the loss of my early and mid 20's, and facing the fact that I will definitively have reached my late 20's. Having come to end of a job contract 3 months into being 27, and not having found work since, I realised  this had shaped the way I have viewed this age, and perhaps defined it too much. Life is obviously a lot more than your job or career, and with that in mind I have decided to make a list to remind myself of the things that I did at 27.

Trained a Team- So ok, this one is job related, but hear me out, the list has to feature a true representation of the year. With a few months to go on my job contract, I was asked if I would travel to Bristol and train a team so that they would be able to do my job. Now some people I imagine would see this as a kick in the teeth, especially if they had been with  a company a long time, but I hadn't, and  I also saw it as an interesting challenge. I got to go somewhere different, meet some new people, and have a crack at teaching people. It turns out I wasn't actually too bad! I also had a rare chance to get to know one of my colleagues a bit better whilst we lived in a hotel for a little bit. Plus my boss said I was an invaluable part of the process, and lets face it, it's always nice to feel needed sometimes.

Signed with more recruitment agencies that I can remember the name of- Those first few weeks of job hunting are the most fervent. Your CV is updated, the job applications are flowing and you find yourself double checking the year you did your GCSES and then gasping in disbelief, as you fill out forms that some sadist decided to make in word so that one sentence could lead to half an hour of re-formatting. Never fear though, because then come the phone calls from the recruiters and you find yourself in a stuffy, sparse office having your passport given more attention than it has at the airport the last few years. Just got to try not to mix everyone up when they call as they seem to have a habit of having exactly the same Christian names..

Finally got a phone contract- Now this isn't a particularly exciting one, but I think it represents a move towards adulthood. People have previously mocked me for my pay as you go status. In the past I had refused to commit to a man in a shiny suit asking me to sign a very long looking form filled with terms and conditions I don't wish to peruse in my own time. I guess times are changing.

Completed taking part in a clinical study- This is kind of a cool one. For anyone who is interested, the study is called MooDFOOD and involves 9 European countries. The study is exploring the link between food and depression. I was initially interested because I wanted to go in a BODPOD like I had seen on TV, but then I learnt a bit more about the study, and I was keen to take part and do my bit for science. The BODPOD does make a cool whooshing sound like a spaceship though..

Got back into swimming- Finding myself with a bit more time, I felt this year was high time to get back into a hobby that I used to do a lot more when I was younger. I was a lifeguard when I was 16, and I used to teach children to swim as well. I began heading back to the pool a couple of times a week and I find the exercise not only physically, but mentally rewarding. Just have to be prepared for a bit of afternoon lane battles!

Became an exercise DVD queen- This is quite similar to the above, but it takes a different kind of will power not to throw your trainer at Davina or swear at the impeccably dressed, sweat less, Californian babe gracing your television screen. Sure, exercise DVDs can be irritating in part, but they are a convenient building block for getting back into fitness when you can't afford the gym, and they are also a good way of measuring your progress given they are the same every time.

Made some new friends/acquaintances- Sometimes when you cast your mind back over a year it can be easy to focus on large events like a holiday or a big surprise of some sort. One of the nice surprises is realising you've met and got to know some new people. Although I am no stranger to a touch of social anxiety, I love the unexpected nature of an evening where you meet someone new and get to know a bit about them, and sometimes gain a new perspective on things.

Went to Barcelona- I always think if you managed to get some travel in, you can't declare a year a failed year. This is going to sound truly pathetic (and give away the fact I was a true 00's teen) but I have wanted to go to Barcelona for over a decade, ever since it featured on an S Club 7 TV series. Let me tell you reader, I was not disappointed! Incidentally, don't panic, there wasn't a 00's pop band in sight. The architecture, the culture, the art, and the food were all mesmerising. I may have almost cried over how beautiful the Sagrada Familia was inside, with the light shining through the stain glassed windows. What can I say, we all have our weaknesses, apparently mine is excellent light..

Caught up with my philosophy friends- As you get older, its easy to find yourself losing touch with people. People change jobs, move house, and have kids around this age. I am pleased that I have stayed in touch with people from my undergrad course, and it's always lovely to see them, although sometimes it can be tricky to get everyone's diaries to align. Also some of them are an ocean away and that can make meetings a little rarer. It was great to see the philosophy crew a couple of times this year, and in particular I had a fun night seeing some free comedy at the Angel Comedy Club.

Caught up with my uni house mate friends- As above, with it nearing 10 years since we met and started living together, I am grateful we all still find the time to see each other several times a year. If it wasn't for one very meticulous organiser (that certainly isn't me!) it would probably happen a little less, so I am glad she kicks us into action. We are a little older, but we can still pull some embarrassing moves on the dance floor, attempt to be super civilised at a restaurant, or even as was the case this year, end up invited to some random ladies house at 2am and befriend all her pets!

Brought in the new year on a roof in central London- Why is the roof important I hear you ask? Or lets say you did for the sake of this. The roof isn't especially important, (although it was fun to be able to see the fireworks) but the older part of me that is obviously ready to turn 28, found itself thinking “Well, this is probably a once in a lifetime opportunity to stand on a roof in central London that isn't a bar”. What was important was I got to spend NYE with my best friend and some pretty rad people he knows.

Walked a lot- Over 821 miles since Christmas day to be exact. I have got a fitbit, and have become one of those boring people addicted to the numbers. But factoring in that I got the fitbit in December, and my birthday was in August, that's got to be over 1,000 miles this year right?

Found a museum that has got to rival The Pencil Museum in the dull yet interesting stakes- I enjoy travelling, and visiting museums, but I have a silly game I play, I like to find what has the potential to be the most ridiculous or dull sounding museum and see what it's really like. This has led me in to such places as Cork's Butter Museum, ( the man at the desk was so surprised that we wanted to go in that he let us pay the student price even when we advised him we weren't)  and The Pencil Museum in the Lake District. This year’s find though has to be the Salcombe Maritime museum, dusty and dour but with a few hidden gems. What can I say, I guess I'm kind of nerdy.

Faced the dentist- This again, sounds a little bit strange, but hear me out. I have anxiety, and one of the ways it manifests is that I find going to the dentist extremely stressful and scary. So much so that I had avoided it for over 4 years.  I finally faced my fears and went, and it wasn't as bad as I thought in the end.  I did had to have a little bit of work done, but it wasn't the end of the world, and I've been sufficiently scared into flossing by the hygienist. Also my dentist has a very charming Irish accent, which seems to help quite a bit.

Won several pub quizzes- Ok, so maybe not several, but we have won at least 3 times in the last year, maybe 4. I have been part of a weekly pub quiz team for a couple of years now, and sometimes when we get it together we are pretty good. The fact you win a crate of beer at one of these pubs seems to motivate certain members of the team. I love a pub quiz, even if we do appallingly, it's fun.

Read some good books- I always think a new year is a new chance to read more books. I haven't perhaps read as much since I left my job as I did when I was working, (got to do something during the commute) but I have read some thought provoking ones. The one that stands out for me recently is “The Handmaid's Tale,” which despite being written in the 80's seems very relevant today.

Caught up with school friends as if no time had passed- This can be a wonderful sensation, it really depends on if you wanted things and time to have passed. The festive season made for some short and sweet meetings. Looking back it has also reminded me there are people I have known from school that I wish I had taken the opportunity to spend more time with this year, here's hoping we get it together this year.

Given money to charity- I have always given money to collection tins, and  homeless people etc, as one tends to do, but this year I started donating regularly to Wateraid, UNICEF and Macmillan nurses via text. I think its actually a really handy way of getting people to donate, as often when faced with someone signing people up to a charity on the street, we shy away from the paper work. I suppose is a little bit selfish, but people expect to be able to do things at the click of a button. This is something I want to continue to do, as I think it's really important to give what you can to help others.

Find something to do I haven't done before- With less than 12 hours before I turn 28, I have an urgent desire to do something I haven't done before. Here lies the end of my list, in which I have no doubt forgotten several things I've done this year, but that's ultimately a good thing, as it means I have managed to think of plenty of things I have done, when I previously couldn't think of a single thing. Does anyone have any genius ideas about what  new thing I should hastily do?

[caseyingeneva-blog]

16 February 2017

This was the day that I arrived in Switzerland!  I flew from SFO to a layover in Paris, and then from Paris to Geneva.  During my layover, I met up with a fellow student on the same study abroad program.  While we were talking and figuring out our game plans for when we landed in Geneva (I needed to get to my university dorm and my classmate needed to get to a hotel), a young woman next to us overheard our conversation and gave us suggestions and tips for how to travel from the Geneva airport!  In essence, public transportation is super easy, taxis are extremely expensive, and that if we wanted to Uber (a far cheaper alternative to taxis), we should take the train from the airport to the main train station (Cornavin) in Geneva and get an Uber from there.  This would be my first of several experiences with an extremely friendly Genevan.  If you’re somehow reading this, thanks Claire!

When I exited the plane in Geneva, this was one of the first things I saw.

As a Northern Californian native, this excited me a lot.  There are so many cool countries in proximity to Switzerland; Geneva itself is right up next to France.  One of these days I need to take a train/bus and pop into the neighboring nation!

After gathering my luggage at the airport, I picked up a ticket that allows for free public transportation for 80 minutes (which both Claire and my study abroad program recommended).  Right after that, however, my fellow classmate and I were stopped by customs...Yikes.  They asked us a few questions about what we were doing in Geneva and went through our luggages.  The agents were friendly enough, but they were definitely taking their time before letting us go through.

I opted for public transportation to get to my dorm.  After the hold-up with customs, I hurriedly hopped on a train from the airport to Cornavin in order to hitch a ride on a bus from Cornavin to my dorm.  The airport train was straightforward, as Cornavin was the first stop.  But the struggle began when I got off Cornavin and tried to look for my bus, Bus #3 headed to the direction of Crêts-de-Champel.  I read and re-read the instructions my program gave me, and thought that that specific bus stop wouldn’t be too far away from the train station, since there were tons of other bus stops surrounding it.  After circling around the station twice with my 75 pounds worth of luggage and asking two different people, I finally found the stop.  It ended up actually being couple of blocks away from the train station — more than I had anticipated.

When I finally boarded the bus, it had already been more than 80 minutes after I picked up the free ticket.  Oops.  With my heavy suitcases and sweaty face, I merely hoped that no one would check my ticket and sat down frantically.  Cue Encounter with Kind Genevan #2.  A woman on the bus told me to sit next to her, and she started to immediately talk to me in English and made sure I was all sorted out.  She told me that it was important for her to reach out and offer help to people who look like they need it, since she knows what it’s like to be in that position too.  After chatting for a bit, she actually gave me her business card “in case of emergency.”  Frances-Lise — thanks again for lending a hand to a clammy, clumsy American girl!

Finally, I made it to my dorm.  After sorting out administrative details, I was able to relax for a bit!

Not pictured:  The tons of shelves, closet, and sink and mirror behind me!

This is the first time I actually will have my own room to myself, excluding when my twin sister is not home and sharing our bedroom.  I have to say, this new space is pretty glorious.

To end the day, I met up with the classmate I had the layover with for dinner.  We decided to eat at Le Relais de l'Entrecôte, a well-known steak frites place that has locations in several cities around the world.  When you sit down, all the waitresses ask you is how you like your steak.  Your subsequent dinner consists of bread, salad, and two servings of steak frites (!!).  Everything else (drinks that aren’t water, dessert, etc.) you have to order separately.

Encounter with Kind Genevan #3 happened during our dinner.  During a lull in my classmate’s and my conversation, the man next to our table asked my classmate and I about our very American accents.  The three of us had a very interesting, educational discussion mostly about international politics,  on topics like nationalities (where we’re from and where our parents are from), languages (I don’t speak French, and only a little Mandarin), and the phenomenons of the rises of Trump, Duterte, and Brexit.  Later, it was revealed that the man was a former director at the United Nations, which made his perspective and opinions even more fascinating!  When my classmate and I left, the last thing he told me was “Casey, remember to learn Mandarin!”  I include this statement only because I know my parents would appreciate it.

That pretty much wraps up my very eventful first day in Geneva!  In the future, I hope to be more succinct, but this particular day was very much worth retelling, in my opinion. :)