#pronunciation of How to pronoun

[popcornkwantum]

Dndads names and why I won't steal them for myself

Starting of strong with: Henry. Beautiful. Wonderful. I feel like other people have a different mental image of someone called Henry tho, but it's almost near perfection. Might also fit better with someone a bit older than me

Darryl. Never heard of the name before listening to DnDads. Don't think that Dutch people will pronouns or spell it correctly (including myself when I realized I have spelled it wrong this whole time until I checked it specifically for this post)

Ron. No offense to all the Rons out there, but no thanks. Sounds a bit too old. Also, I know a Ron

Glenn. If rock music would have been my personality. Also, Dutch pronunciation sounds awful

Taylor. Too many people associate it with the real Taylor Swift obviously. Would have been a considerable choice otherwise

Lincoln. Actually, I like the sound of the the name. Not for myself probably, but it sounds nice. I hate the spelling tho

Scary. No.

Normal. Absolutely not

Hermie. I absolutely love this name. But then I would want to have Hermie as a nickname and Herman as the full name, but in my understanding, the name Herman in Dutch is mostly popular with middle-aged emotionally distant men. But Hermie sounds so good aaaah

Terry. Pretty solid. Don't see it for myself, but it has something going for it

Sparrow & Lark. Same reason: if I would have been into birds as much as I'm into ants, I would have definitely stolen one of their names. Probably with a preference for Sparrow. A tiny bit sad that I'm not into birds that much

Grant. Nah. Also, Dutch pronunciation is awful. Kinda funny, but awful

Nick. No cons at all?? I love it??? It's PERFECTION. You can even go with Nicholas as a full name and use both Nick and Nicky as nicknames and !! I don't know anyone irl with that name, the most famous person with that name I can come up with is the character Nick from heartstopper, but I like the books, so I don't mind? Nick is just chefs kiss to perfection. But also, I can't keep collecting names like a dragon hoarding gold. But they're just all like tiny little shiny jewels I want to keep in my pockets

[corkinavoid]

DPxDC Not So Artificial Intelligence

Barbara thinks it was Bruce, with his love for new additions to the Cave. Bruce thinks it was Tim, with his late hyperfixation on AI. Tim thinks it was Babs, with her ever evolving network of keeping everything under control.

They are all wrong, but the fact stays a fact: the BatCave has an AI assistant now.

It is not very good at first, not recognizing voices very well and messing up commands, but the Bats write it off as a learning curve. Besides, it never makes the same mistakes twice, and in a couple of months, even the tiniest slip ups fade away.

Its name is Betty. First, Dick named it Bat-AI (a reasonable name), then it transformed into Bat-I for easier pronunciation, and then Steph called in Betty once, and the name was sealed.

And they all love Betty. Betty is the best, keeping track of their everyday lives, reminding them of their civilian meetings and vigilante business, alerting them of any suspicious activity in the city. Oracle finally gets to sleep for more than 4 hours in a day with Betty's help. Tim gets company when he is three weeks in and elbows deep in a case - it's easier when he has an illusion of someone to discuss the matter with, and Betty even offers him insight. Damian learns to do digital art just to have a little competition with Betty. He wins, but the AI is a worthy opponent, in his opinion.

Even Bruce begrudgingly likes the AI assistant. She is competent and helpful, and Alfred seems to approve of how she doesn't let Bruce overwork himself when he escapes medbay to keep searching for answers.

That is, until one day, Tim installs speakers specifically for Betty in the Cave.

The voice that comes from them is not robotic or mechanical.

It definitely has human intonation.

"Hello, Red Robin," the voice - a male voice, actually - greets him with slight amusement. Tim feels an uneasy feeling sinking down in his stomach.

"Betty?"

"You know me as such. I would prefer it if you called me Danny. He/them pronouns."

Remind him, who installed the AI?..

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

Danny got trapped inside the Batcomputer somehow - I suspect Technus had a hand in it - and decided to embrace it. He used to be a vigilante himself, so why not help this whole family of vigilantes while he is at it? They look like they need a hand.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Speech & Language

Milestones Related to Speech and Language

Birth to 5 months

Coos

Vocalizes pleasure and displeasure sounds differently (laughs, giggles, cries, or fusses)

Makes noise when talked to

6 to 11 months

Understands "no-no"

Babbles (says "ba-ba-ba")

Says "ma-ma" or "da-da" without meaning

Tries to communicate by actions or gestures

Tries to repeat your sounds

Says first word

2 to 17 months

Answers simple questions nonverbally

Says 2-3 words to label a person/object (pronunciation may not be clear)

Tries to imitate simple words

Vocabulary of 4-6 words

18 to 23 months

Vocabulary of 50 words, pronunciation is often unclear

Asks for common foods by name

Makes animal sounds ("moo")

Starting to combine words ("more milk")

Begins to use pronouns ("mine")

Uses 2-word phrases

2 to 3 years

Knows some spatial concepts ("in" or "on")

Knows pronouns ("you," "me" or "her")

Knows descriptive words ("big" or "happy")

Uses 3-word sentences

Speech becomes more accurate, but may still leave off-ending sounds. Strangers may not understand much of what is said.

Answers simple questions

Begins to use more pronouns ("you" or "I")

Uses question inflection to ask for something ("my ball?")

Begins to use plurals ("shoes" or "socks"; regular past tense verbs, "jumped")

3 to 4 years

Groups objects, such as foods or clothes

Identifies colors

Uses most speech sounds, but may distort some of the more difficult sounds, such as l, r, s, sh, ch, y, v, z, th. These sounds may not be fully mastered until age 7 or 8.

Uses consonants in the beginning, middle, and ends of words.

Some of the more difficult consonants may be distorted, but attempts to say them

Strangers are able to understand much of what is said

Able to describe the use of objects ("fork" or "car")

Has fun with language; enjoys poems and recognizes language absurdities ("Is that an elephant on your head?")

Expresses ideas and feelings rather than just talking about the world around him or her

Uses verbs that end in "ing" ("walking" or "talking")

Answers simple questions ("What do you do when you are hungry?")

Repeats sentences

4 to 5 years

Understands spatial concepts ("behind" or "next to")

Understands complex questions

Speech is understandable, but makes mistakes pronouncing long, difficult, or complex words ("hippopotamus")

Uses some irregular past tense verbs ("ran" or "fell")

Describes how to do things (e.g., painting a picture)

Lists items that belong in a category (e.g., animals or vehicles)

Answers "why" questions

5 years

Understands time sequences (e.g., what happened first, second...)

Carries out a series of 3 directions

Understands rhyming

Engages in conversation

Sentences can be 8 or more words in length

Uses compound and complex sentences

Describes objects

Uses imagination to create stories

NOTE

The ability to hear is essential for proper speech and language development.

Hearing problems may be suspected in children who are not responding to sounds or who are not developing their language skills appropriately.

The above are some age-related guidelines that may help to decide if your child is experiencing hearing problems.

It's important to remember that not every child is the same.

Children reach milestones at different ages.

Source ⚜ More: References ⚜ On Children ⚜ Hearing ⚜ Children's Dialogue

[writers-potion]

How do I accurately include diversity, and not make it look like I’m just putting it in there for the sake of it?

Writing Diverse Characters - Things to Remember

Honestly, there's no definitive answer to this.

Your characters are people with clear goals, desires and a role to play in the plot. As long as they aren't just sitting there with little else but their race/gender/disability, etc. as their ONLY personality trait, at least you're on the right path.

As for representing a diverse character realistically, here are some things you can consider to get started.

Do's

RESEARCH. There are plenty of blogs/YT vids/websites that exist to help you! Meet people!

Get beta readers.

It doesn't have to be explicit. Racial identities become quite clear early on through the setting, name, and initial description(hair, eye/skin color, body shape, etc) without having to drum it into the readers each time. Gender diversity can be conveyed through the use of certain pronouns without awkward declarations.

Character first, diversity second. Please don't intentionally create a diverse character and then think about how you can push them into the cast. Have a working character, who happens to belong to a particular group.

Read works that have represented a group well. There are plenty of non-fiction works, movies and documentaries that capture the lives of people around the world with a good eye.

Use the correct terms/language

Include different types of diversity

Don'ts

Race/gender/diability is NOT a personality trait. Please. Telling me that you have a Korean girl tells me next to nothing about the character herself.

Using sterotypes. Now, it's all right if your character has a few sterotypical traits, but definitely not if sterotypes are the only thing they have.

Diversity is not a "shock factor". Suddenly revealing that a character is actually gay and has been in the closet all this time as a refresher so that it draws readers' attention? Not a good idea.

One diverse character does all. This can often be seen in female characters of slightly dated works where one woman will play the role of supportive mother, sister, femme fetale and sexy Barbie at the same time. Don't write a diverse character who basically does everything a diverse character can possibly be. All that it proves is that the writer is lazy.

Things I personally hate seeing:

Weird pronunciation of languages. As a Korean person, I always get turned off by works (mostly badly written fanfics, yes, I read those...) that try to transfer Korean dialogue directly onto the page without even checking for the correct way to spell them out. A similar example would be pinyin for Mandarin. Please, this makes the character sound stupid throughout...

Character sticking out almost painfully. If your character isn't from the region but have lived in it for a long time, what reason do they have not to blend in?

Relying on variety shows/dramas as reference. Media representation of diverse characters that are meant for entertainment is not the best source for authentic research. I die every time someone lists a number of Korean rom-coms they've watched for "research". IT DOES NOT COUNT.

As a last note, remember that there's no limit to the kind of characters a writer can writer. Accept that our job as writers is to step into other people's heads, not seeing things from one (our) perspective - and it is not going to be easy.

Hope this helps :)

[yandere-kokeshi]

Can i request platonic yandere 141 x darling who has a speech impediment? When they go out and the waiter asks him what he wants he gets nervous and struggles, often goes mute etc. How would they feel if the darling asks them to talk for him?

Warnings: yandere behavior, feat of being made fun of, and Platonic fluffiness — NOTHING ROMANTIC

A/N: Even though you requested for male, there are no pronouns stated; hope you can still enjoy this <3. I had fun writing this!

To start, they don’t bat an eye nor care that you have a speech impediment. It’s just another thing to you, the same with scars or appearance. Of course, they do know that snide comments are expected, especially in public, but they’ve shown many times to be all respectful, and not having an ounce of frustration when it comes down to you.

With words and pronunciation, they know how difficult it can be. 

This said, whenever you are talking about something, and get stuck on a word — their eyes flicker at you, before one of them will give you a synonym that’s easier for you to pronounce. Letting you continue on with a second-thought. 

With their own ways of showing affection, it’s the same with helping you. Simon and Kyle are often the ones that try to let you do things on your own, but also step in if needed. As for Simon, he’s quieter when helping you, especially if you’re having trouble. A rough hand will grab yours, and he’ll avoid your gaze with silence, only giving you a small nudge to resume your story. Now, starting with another letter or giving yourself a short break to try once more. 

Gaz is more gentle, looking at you before guessing the word or filling it in with a description of the word; laughing when you nod frankly at his finishing. He also helps you through pronunciation, spelling it out with baby steps, and ensuring that you don’t feel embarrassed or bad for going slow. Everyone learns at their own pace, and their own way. 

As for Price and Johnny, both of them can be quite overbearing. They like to take advantage of you asking for help, which makes them talk through every interaction in public. 

Price is more prominent to jump in, spewing out what you were going to say — before looking at you with a questioning look when he notices that it annoys you. When you try to talk to him about it, he gently waves it off, saying that: “I was helping ya’ kiddo, no need to be embarrassed for asking for it. We know you like the back of my hand, yeah?” 

With Johnny, he has a tendency of guessing your words, spewing them out like a machine gun; which only frustrates you more. Towards the end, he gets it right. But it doesn’t mean it is incredibly annoying. 

When eating out all together, especially at a place that can be busy, all of them take patience really seriously; they know how mean people can be. So when eating at a restaurant, they let you talk until they read you can’t do it anymore; Soap actively making jokes to the waiter to ensure they’ll wait. 

But, when it comes down to the waiter, who's only giving you the ‘eye look’, or simply being impatient. Price or the others will step in and finish it for you, looking at you with a nod and a gentle smile.

Masterlist || Please consider reblogging and commenting instead of liking. It helps me as a creator!! Stay well!!

© yandere-kokeshi 2023 — Do not copy, modify, edit, repost, or use my works for ASMR readings, tiktoks, or other content.

[kaciidubs]

The Summoning | Spooktober 2023

❣ Summary: Desperate times called for desperate measures, and you may have just summoned the most desperate measure of them all. ❣  ❣ Word Count: 1.16k ❣ Warnings: Demon! Jisung, humor, smut, Reader is a wee bit sassy, Switch! Reader, Switch! Jisung, implied multiple rounds, riding, open ended ❣  ❣ Female! Reader [No use of Y/N] | You/Your pronouns ❣  ❣ Additional Tags: Han is referred to as Jisung, Ji, Baby, and Sir, Reader is referred to as Jagi, and Baby, barely edited, there's basically no plot ❣ Stray Kids Masterlist ❣ General Masterlist ❣ Spooktober 2023

You were sure you followed the incantation properly, the candles were at the right points on your - albeit crudely drawn - sigil and the pronunciation of the Latin words were damn near spot on with the YouTube video you kept bookmarked. 

So, why wasn't there currently a tall, burly demon standing in front of you, ready to snatch your soul in more ways than one?

"What the fuck?"

Standing before you, looking just as confused as you were, was a man - a man - with admittedly gorgeously styled hair, an all black outfit that some how highlighted his slim figure, and a golden cross chain hanging from his neck.

Ironic.

"What- Where-" His eyes scanned frantically around your room before settling on you, still knelt at the head of the summoning circle. "Who are you and how did you do that?! Where am I even at? Who are you?"

You bristled at his constant questioning, eyebrows furrowing, "I should be asking you who you are! I was hoping for some sort of scary horny demon who was ready to blow my back out, not whoever you are!"

"Horny demon? Blow your- Hold on, hold on." He pressed his hands to his face, muttering under his breath though you weren't able to catch what he was saying. "You... You tried summoning a demon for sex? Are you insane?!"

"No, I'm horny." You deadpanned, crossing your arms over your chest, "And you're one to judge, since you came here!"

The demon dropped his hands, eyes wide and lips - cute, plush-looking, and kissable - set in a pout, "I didn't come here on my own! You summoned me, remember?!"

Groaning, you glanced toward the notebook with your summoning notes written in it, "I guess, even though you weren't what I was expecting at all." Looking up at him again, you shrugged, "Well, if you aren't going to satisfy anything, you can just - I don't know, poof back to hell or wherever you came from?"

He froze, mouth opening and closing with stammers that made you raise an eyebrow inquisitively. "I... Well, I can't."

"Huh?"

"I can't leave until I, um... Satisfy your needs."

If you looked hard enough, you could've seen the faintest blush rising on his cheeks.

"D-Don't get this wrong, either!" He shouted, quickly falling into the defensive, "I literally can't, it's in the incantation, I'm bound to you until I satisfy the contract of your summon."

There was a beat of silence between you, the cogs in your head working double time as you processed his words and all their double entendre meanings.

"So... You're stuck with me until you-"

"-blow your back out, yes."

Sure, he may not have been the big scary demon you were hoping for, but you couldn't deny that he was attractive and he looked like he'd be a pretty good lay. Besides - when would you be able to say you summoned, and fucked, a demon?

Pushing yourself up from your knelt position, you brushed off your knees with an exaggerated huff, "Alright then," you put your hands on your hips, smirking at the brunet in front of you, "fuck me."

Within the next ten minutes you learned a few new things; the first being that his name was Jisung - or at least, that's what you caught amidst his heavenly soft lips moving rapidly against your own. The second was that there was a specific way demons operated when it came to summons, and your chant just so happened to bind onto him. The third was that he had extremely sensitive ears, and for someone so sure about initiating things, he was a mere gentle breeze away from folding to your command.

And boy, did he fold.

"Oh, fuck me-"

He laid underneath you, hair an unforgivable mess thanks to your restless fingers and face wrapped in sheer pleasure as you rode him like a woman possessed; the springs in your mattress protesting in kind.

"Fuck- Fuck, Jagi, just like that."

"I can't tell," you huffed, breaking away from your assault of the pretty skin of his neck, "if you're the one who's supposed to be fucking me," your fingers slid from his hair and to his shoulders, slowly dancing their way down to his nipples, "or if I'm the one fucking you."

"I-I tried, but you-" a whimper fell from his lips as you gently pinched at the small, perked nipples, "-didn't even g-give me a chance!"

"Give you a chance? Baby," your movements changed to slow grinds of your hips, a sinister smirk growing on your lips from the way his pouted lips fell into a small 'o'. "I gave you permission to take me, use me as you wished - show me the reason why my summon worked on you." Leaning down, your lips grazed over his, "Show me why I chose you."

The air shifted around you, sparks of excitement shooting down your spine as you felt him shiver underneath you - your only sign of a physical change before you were suddenly rolled onto your back with ease.

There was no point in hiding the delighted giggle that floated from your mouth, not when it was subsequently followed by a shocked gasp as you took in the man - or rather, demon, before you.

His irises were a deep red, rivaling the prettiest of roses, while a set of horns curled from the sides of his head before curving up at his temples, the sharp points looking more inviting than they should have been.

Your pussy clenched at the smirk he wore, teeth bearing points that surely weren't there before.

"Why you chose me, Jagi?" Jisung spoke, the newfound low register in his tone wrapping around your mind and rendering you utterly defenseless. "Want me to show you why I'm the only one worthy of ruining this little pussy? Give you the treatment you got down on your knees for?"

His hands found your thighs, sliding down to your knees to hook your legs around his lithe hips before pressing forward, sinking whatever inches escaped you back into your slick cunt.

"Well?"

Taking that as your warm invitation to speak, you nodded quickly, "Y-Yes."

He tsked, loose strands of hair falling before his eyes as he shook his head, "Yes?"

"Yes, Sir." The title fell from your lips effortlessly, almost as if it was waiting to be used all along - natural.

His smirk grew wider, and you found yourself wishing he'd show you the delicious contrast of his sharp teeth and his pillow-soft lips, if only for a moment.

Anchoring onto his knees, Jisung cocked his head as if to process the simple addition of one word, "Sir... That's a good start, baby - keep it up and I might have to stay even when the contract's up."

From that moment on, the only chant you needed was his name, your sigil now in the form of your nails on his back, and whenever you summoned him, he came - and so did you, many, many times.

✧. ┊Tagged lovelies: @goblinracha, @having-an-internal-crisis-rn, @midnightfrog625, @anyhow-everything, @bangchanbabygirlx, @sweetracha, @j-onedrabbles, @happilydeepestwonderland, @nightimescapes, @caitlyn98s, @ch4nn13luv, @ihrtlix, @sometimesleeknows, @jeonjungkookenthusiast1997, @maximumkillshot, @y-ur--i, @acker-night, @dreamescapeswriting, @specialstay, @broken-glowsticks, @s00buwu, @dancerachaslut, @junglyric, @tinyelfperson, @jj-stay, @katsukis1wife, @inlovewithmusician, @keen-li, @armystay89

✧. ┊Kinktober only: @selicua

✧. ┊If your username is in bold italics that means tumblr won't let me tag you. If you’d like to be added to the taglist, fill out this form!

[homunculus-argument]

It's actually kind of fascinating how exclusively english-as-a-second-language teachers only come in lawful alignments. I've had lawful evil english teachers, lawful neutral english teachers, and lawful good english teachers, but never one that wasn't one of the above.

Like how does a person whose entire moral code and sense of ethics is founded on a stalwart faith that There Are Rules That Must Be Followed dedicate their entire life's work to teaching the most chaotic goblin goddamn language currently spoken on Earth, that looted the word "loot", hunted their singular second person pronoun to extinction, and whose spelling and pronunciation are so detached from each other that native speakers have national competitions about getting it right?

Or is it like being a priest. Like you just have to have absolute faith in the ultimate sense and logic of it all, no matter how much evidence you see to the contrary, or you'll never make it in the field.

[visualtaehyun]

MY GIRLS ARE FINALLY ON AIR

Disclaimer: not a native Thai speaker, still learning 🙏

Ongsa and Sun

At first, Ongsa wrongly assumes that Sun is older so she calls her พี่ /phi/, speaks respectfully and wais her:

ขอโทษค่ะพี่ /khaaw thoht kha, phi/

Then they settle into these pronouns:

☀ Sun: เรา /rao/ -> Ongsa (calls her เธอ /ter/ once when she asks her name)

🌐 Ongsa: เรา /rao/ -> Sun

-> เรา /rao/ is an informal 1st pers. pronoun that pretty much all the students in Ongsa's class seem to use

Later, when they're texting, it takes Ongsa entirely too long to catch onto the fact that Sun thinks Earth is a guy because-

คุยกันมาตั้งนาน เรายังไม่รู้เลยว่านายชื่ออะไร /khui gan maa dtang naan. rao yang mai ruu loei waa naai cheuu a rai/ -> นาย /naai/ is a male 2nd pers. pronoun

While we're talking about their texts, the subs have this weirdly mixed up:

1 - ฝันดีนะ /fan dee na/ = lit. dream well/good dreams, 'Sweet dreams' 2 - ราตรีสวัสดิ์ /raa dtree sa wat/ = formal, 'Good night' 3 - Similarly, Sun's มอนิ่งนะ /morning na/ is a more informal 'Good morning' compared to formal อรุณสวัสดิ์ /a roon sa wat/ or polite สวัสดีตอนเช้า /sa wat dee dtaawn chaao/

When Ongsa isn't gay-panic hiccupping, she's actually really clever and witty! I'll get to her ig posts in a second but there's also this moment:

ยังสวยอยู่เลย /yang suay yuu loei/ สวยจะ หมายถึง ซวยอ่ะ /suay ja- maai theung- suay a/

The difference in pronunciation between these two words is just the tone - สวย /suay/ (rising tone) means pretty vs. ซวย /suay/ (middle tone) means unlucky

from.the.earth__

ถ่ายรูป ด่วน สี-ขาวดำ /thaai ruup duaan see khaao dam/ = urgent/express black-and-white photography caption: ยกกล้องมาถ่ายแทบไม่ทัน /yohk glaawng maa thaai thaaep mai than/ = almost didn't raise the camera in time to snap this

caption: เงา-เหงา /ngao-ngao/ = shadow-lonely -> เงา ๆ /ngao ngao/ is an expression that means indistinctly, faintly

The difference in pronunciation is, again, in the tones - เงา /ngao/ (middle tone) means shadow vs. เหงา /ngao/ (rising tone) means lonely

caption: ว้าว! ปลาทับใจจัง /wow! bplaa thap jai jang/

I love this SO much omg It's a pun on ประทับใจ /bpra thap jai/ = impressed, but also a visual pun!!

ปลา /bplaa/ = fish + ทับ /thap/ = placed on top of + ใจ /jai/ = heart

caption: สู้ ๆ นะ เป็นกำลังใจให้ /su su na. bpen gam lang jai hai/ = Fighting! Rooting for/encouraging [you]!

Another visual pun! This one's only funny if you know what peaches are called in Thai: peach = ลูกท้อ /luuk thaaw/ - but the word ท้อ /thaaw/ in there? It means discouraged!

Alpha, Aylin, and Luna

🔝 Alpha is Ongsa's older sister: พี่ /phi/ (used as a 1st pers. pronoun) -> แก /gae/ (informal 2nd pers. pronoun)

👽 Aylin is their cousin, in the same grade as Ongsa, and speaks pretty curtly, almost like someone would on two-way radio: she doesn't use any pronouns apart from this once-

แกกำลังบุกรุกที่ของฉัน /gae gam lang book rook thee khaawng chan/

Omitting pronouns is possible and not uncommon in Thai but doing so constantly, combined with her monotone speech pattern, low voice, and mostly a lack of ending particles, it does stick out! It doesn't really come across in the subs tbh (apart from including the way she refers to people as humans = มนุษย์ /ma noot/):

ไม่ต้องแคร์ใคร /mai dtaawng care khrai/ = Don't need to care about anyone.

🌙 Luna, Alpha, the two bullies, and Mawin all seem to be in the same grade because all of them use the impolite pronouns กู/มึง /guu, meung/ (=I/you) amongst each other - how very fun to finally hear some GMMTV girls talk like this :D

I love Alpha and Luna teaming up to beat up scold these two dipshits:

Alpha: พวกมึงสองคนแกล้งน้องกูออ /phuuak meung saawng khohn glaaeng nong guu aaw/ Mawin, trying to defuse: พวกเธอใจเย็นก่อน /phuuak ter jai yen gaawn/

While the girls are furious, the guys are clearly fearing for their lives, wai'ing endlessly 😂

Lastly-

Sarah Salola

I gasped when I saw her name in the credits!! She's this handsome singer-songwriter with a lovely voice who's queer herself - she's talked about her sexuality and style before (interview is in Thai) but this Valentine's she revealed her partner :)

Here's a cover of Nont Tanont's รักแรก (First Love) she did with Jan 💕

Needless to say, I can't wait for her OST and the accompanying MV that's surely gonna be super cute!

[yumeka-sxf]

Japanese Linguistic Observations in Spy x Family - part 4

Part 4 - Furigana and double meanings

I discussed in Part 2 how Japanese is comprised of three different alphabets: hiragana and katakana (together referred to as "kana") which represent pronunciation, and kanji which represent meaning. With there being over 2,000 kanji in common use, as well as various ways to pronounce any one kanji character depending on the word it's in, children learn kanji gradually throughout their school years. So manga and books aimed at a younger audience will typically have kanji "translations." These are comprised of small kana called furigana which are printed to the right of the kanji to show how to pronounce it. In the below panel for example, the one word that has a kanji is the 嬉 in 嬉しい. The furigana shows that 嬉 is pronounced うれ ("ure") to make the adjective "ureshii" (happy).

Sometimes manga authors will use furigana+kanji in creative ways to convey different meanings to words that specifically suit their story/characters. This alternate way of translating kanji is called 当て字 (ateji). One way of using ateji is to help introduce fictional terminology. In SxF for example, Ostania and Westalis are made-up words, but Endo assigns them their own kanji: 東国 for Ostania and 西国 for Westalis. The second kanji for both of them is 国 which means "country," and the first kanji for Ostania is 東 which means "east" while 西 for Westalis means "west." However, to differentiate them from the actual words these kanji represent ("toukoku" and "saikoku," which mean "eastern country" and "western country" respectively), Endo writes out their pronunciations in katakana next to the kanji. You can see this in the panels below.

Even though they're not real words, by assigning them kanji that represent what they are – "east country" and "west country" – even without any context, Japanese readers get more information about these terms than English readers do thanks to the use of kanji and furigana.

Another way manga authors can use ateji to suit their needs is by telling readers to pronounce otherwise normal Japanese words in the "language" they want. For example, the word used for "codename" in SxF is 暗号名, which is a real word that is pronounced "angoumei." However, when we look at the furigana that Endo assigns to it, he specifically tells us to pronounce it like the English word "codename" (コードネーム).

Since SxF is a series that takes place in a fictional version of Europe, Endo must have found it more fitting to use English for specific keywords like this.

While the above examples are fairly common throughout all manga, especially those that have a lot of fictional terminology, Endo also gets creative with using ateji to form double meanings that lend insight into the characters' thoughts/feelings. And we get one of the best examples of this in the very first chapter:

This is the scene where Twilight's saying that he became a spy to create a world where children don't have to cry. The word for children, 子ども, should be pronounced "kodomo," however, the furigana is telling us to pronounce it as じぶん (jibun), which means "self." By creating this double meaning of Twilight saying he'll make a world where children and/or he himself doesn't have to cry, points out in a subtle yet poignant way just how much Twilight's trauma as a child shaped his determination to make sure other children don't have to suffer the same fate. It's a brilliant way of showing a deeper side of the character that he wouldn't outwardly show.

A similar example occurs in chapter 49 during the cruise arc, in the scene where Yor is guarding the room at night, thinking about how she was dragging her feet during the Barnaby fight. Her last thought during that scene is wondering what she's fighting for, however, even though the word used is いばら姫 (ibarahime), which means "Thorn Princess," the furigana tells us to pronounce it as わたし, which is the "I"/"me" pronoun that Yor uses.

The ambiguity of reading the word as "I" or as "Thorn Princess" emphasizes how she's struggling with her Thorn Princess identity at that time. It can almost have a different meaning when reading it one way or the other. For example, reading it as わたしは何のため ("For what reason am I [doing this]…) or as いばら姫は何のため ("For what reason is Thorn Princess [doing this]…) gives the impression that she's trying to distance herself from "Thorn Princess"…that she's unconsciously seeing herself and "Thorn Princess" as different people.

Another example that's not as deep but still interesting is from chapter 87, where Sylvia visits Fiona in the hospital and tells her not to push herself so hard, even for his sake, with "his" referring to Twilight. The kanji used is 黄昏 (tasogare) which means "Twilight," but the furigana translation is あいつ (aitsu) which means "that guy/that person."

This is a clever way to use kanji/furigana to indicate that Sylvia is indeed aware of Fiona's feelings for Twilight by having her not refer to him by name, but also informing the reader that she definitely knows who she's talking about.

I also find it interesting that all three of these examples are spoken from a character we're viewing from behind. I think it's just a coincidence, but still interesting 😅

I'll wrap up with one more example from chapter 58, where Loid notes that his understanding of Bond is lacking, just like Anya. Once again, the word for children, 子ども (kodomo) is used (Loid likes making double meanings with that word, doesn't he?) but the furigana translates it to アーニャ(Anya).

I interpret this as him saying he needs to understand children better, but he specifically means Anya (even though he doesn't want to admit his particular yearning to understand her).

If you're wondering how the anime handles these ateji, it seems to vary. In the anime version of the chapter 1 example, Loid says the correct kanji translation "kodomo," but in the chapter 49 example, Yor says the furigana translation "watashi."

The anime seems to use the reading that would make the most sense if spoken out loud by the character.

I haven't read enough manga in Japanese to say that this use of furigana+kanji to create double meanings is a common thing, but even if it is, I'm sure Endo has his own unique style of doing it. I know there's more examples in SxF that I missed, and unfortunately I don't have the time to look through every chapter to find them. But if you happen to come across any others, feel free to let me know 😃 I may amend this post or create another one if more interesting examples pop up.

Continue to Part 5 ->

<- Return to Part 3

[official-linguistics-post]

How would you go about pronouncing the neopronouns, hx/hxm, shx/hxr, thxy/thxm, and xt/xt? Is the X incorporated into the pronunciation (eg: hks/hksm, ʃks/hksr, etc.), or is the X just silent and the pronouns are pronounced like he/him, she/her, etc.? Or does it vary? I'd really appreciate someone who goes by these neopronouns to shed some light on the matter. Thanks!

i have no idea, i've never run into these in the wild and i'd automatically want to ask the user their preferred pronunciation. if i couldn't get an answer, i'd probably default to an unstressed vowel sound for ease of articulation.

does anybody who uses this style of neopronoun have opinions?

[posh--bee]

Ein Kompliment || König

pairing → König x Reader

summary → König comes home from deployment to find you singing and dancing to a German song in your kitchen—completely surprised by how well you speak his language.

warnings → none, just tooth-rotting fluff, no descriptions or pronouns used for reader, no y/n used

author’s note → This is just a self-indulgent domestic little oneshot because I felt nostalgic for some German music from when I was younger :) The title means “a compliment” and it’s also the name of the song. You can listen to it here. Also, I have literally no clue about CoD and never played one of the games for even a second, but this man still managed to steal my heart.

word count → 2.1k

König could hear the music blaring even through the closed front door of your home, the muffled sound of electric guitars, drums, and the singer’s voice greeting him when he put the spare key you had trusted him with early on in your relationship in the lock and turned it. 

The door opened and the music became even louder, clearly originating from the little radio you had in your kitchen, and a smile formed on König’s face when your cheerful voice joined the singer. From the sound of it, König guessed that you were in the kitchen as well and he carefully placed his bag next to your shoe rack, not wanting to give his presence away just yet. He had intentionally told you he wouldn’t come back home to you for another week just so he could surprise you. The lie had left a foul aftertaste when he had told you and the disappointment in your voice had nearly broken his heart, but in the end it would be worth it, he had told himself, seeing your face light up in delight when you spotted him and jumping into his arms, clinging to him and covering his whole face in the sweetest kisses, the sound of your joined laughter filling your home. 

König couldn’t wait to finally see you again, the weeks and months without you by his side were nothing short but torture for him, but he forced himself to take slow and silent steps towards your kitchen, not wanting to ruin the surprise so close before its grand reveal. Despite his size and mass his heavy combat boots made almost no sound against the wooden floor of your hallway, and he was confident that with the help of your music playing you wouldn’t notice him until he stood directly behind you and wrapped his strong arms around your smaller frame, probably giving you the fright of your life before you recognized your gentle giant, scolding him with giggles and kisses for scaring you like this.

König couldn’t shake the smile that pulled on his lips at the thought of it, but a sudden realization made him stop dead in his tracks, just outside of the open door of your kitchen. He couldn’t believe that he hadn’t noticed it sooner but the song that had been playing since he had arrived wasn’t in English—it was in German. 

And you were singing to it.

König’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion and he stayed still while listening to the sounds coming from your kitchen, wanting to make sure that all the blows to the head he had received during missions didn’t manifest as him suddenly hearing something that wasn’t actually real.

After a few more moments of concentrated listening, he came to the conclusion that he didn’t suffer from an auditory hallucination and that you were indeed singing along to a German song even though you had claimed to not speak his language. Your pronunciation was a little bit off, that much was true, but you more than made up for it with your enthusiasm while singing along to the lyrics and König wondered with a frown why you had never told him how well you spoke German. Needing to investigate this surprising discovery further, he peered into the kitchen, dimly remembering having heard the song playing on the radio from time to time over the years, the first time probably even before he had joined the German Armed Forces. 

The sight König was met with left him breathless in the best way possible, a warm feeling spreading in his chest while he watched you dance to the music in the middle of your kitchen, singing into a clean whisk with your back towards him, completely oblivious to his presence. He couldn’t tear his gaze away from you, couldn’t move a muscle or find his voice to let you know he was home, just watching you with pure adoration in his eyes, his heart almost bursting with all the emotions he was feeling at this moment. 

You were still dressed in your pajamas, your feet sliding along the tiled floor with your movements because of the fuzzy socks you were wearing, stumbling over some longer words in the lyrics of the song but continuing to sing all the same. The bright and clear morning light shining through the kitchen windows illuminated the room almost magically and created a halo around your head, and König swore if he had a ring with him right now, he wouldn’t have wasted any more time and go down one knee, asking you to spend the rest of your life with him—even though he hadn’t had the guts yet to tell you that he loved you.

Just when the second verse of the song came to an end you suddenly spun around and spotted him, freezing for a few seconds to process that your boyfriend was home already and standing in your kitchen before your eyes lit up and the smile on your face became blinding. König opened his mouth in an attempt to greet you, to tell you how happy he was to be back and how much he had missed you, but his voice was still lost, not being prepared to be caught by you, his grand reveal now ruined. 

You however weren’t deterred by this surprising turn of events at all, you were nothing short of ecstatic to see him again and König couldn’t help the big smile on his lips, readying himself to catch you when you jumped into his arms like you always did. But it seemed you had other plans and instead of your usual greeting you lifted the whisk back to your mouth with a twinkle in your beautiful eyes, pointing at him with your other hand. König lifted an eyebrow in confusion, wanting to ask what you were doing but you preempted him, joining the song still playing on the radio again, singing the refrain to him, your eyes never leaving his.

Ich wollte dir nur mal eben sagen

I just wanted to tell you

Dass du das Größte für mich bist

That you are the greatest thing to me

Und sichergeh’n, ob du denn dasselbe für mich fühlst

And to make sure you feel the same way about me

Für mich fühlst

About me

Your little performance left him speechless for the second time that day, still dumbfounded by how well you spoke German, not to mention that the meaning of the words you were singing to him pulled at his heartstrings. You were always vocal about your feelings for him, never hesitating to tell him just how much he meant to you, but hearing you sing something like this to him in his own language made him absolutely weak in the knees. 

And of course this was when you decided to run to your boyfriend and jump into his arms after all, completely catching him off guard and for a moment he struggled to hold you up which was something that had never happened before. But once you had your arms securely wrapped around his neck and your legs around his waist, he held you with ease and was promptly rewarded for it with a beaming smile and a kiss on his cheek.

“I missed you so much,” you sighed and pressed your forehead to his, overcome by a wave of emotions at his early return home. The weeks and months without him were always lonely, your bed feeling cold and empty without your personal heater holding you close at night and refusing to let you go, your whole house not feeling complete without your boyfriend lounging on your couch or sitting at the table and doodling in his sketchbook, quietly humming to himself. 

“I missed you too,” he murmured against your lips before kissing you deeply, blindly walking you both towards the kitchen counter and gently setting you down on it, only breaking the kiss when you ran out of breath. You smiled up at him and put the whisk down beside you in favor of cupping König’s face with both hands, your thumbs caressing his skin, running along the prominent scar on his lips and the slight stubble along his jaw.

His eyes fell closed as he leaned into your touch, his body relaxing against yours but still cautious not to put too much of his weight on you, feeling truly at home now that you were in his arms again. But there was still a question on his mind that he couldn’t shake off, so he quickly reached for the radio that was playing a new song by now and turned it down before asking, “When did you learn to speak German so well?”

The smile on your lips became bashful and it was one of the few times in your relationship that you had to avert your gaze from him, usually König was the one struggling with maintaining eye contact even after being with you for some time already.

“I started learning it when we got together. I used some apps and stuff and started to listen to German songs as well, that really helped. I wanted to surprise you one day when I’d more confident with speaking it,” you admitted in a small but proud voice, delighted that he thought you were good at his language already despite being caught before you considered yourself the same way.

König stared down at you while his mind struggled to process your words, wondering if you had made it your personal mission to render him speechless as often as possible today because so far you had been doing a fantastic job at that. He hid his face in the crook of your neck when you looked up at him again, too overwhelmed to from any kind of verbal response to your explanation, his heart beating violently against his ribcage. He hadn’t thought it was possible to fall even deeper in love with you but here you were, proving him wrong again and again, now by secretly learning German just for him.

With a sympathetic chuckle you allowed him the time he needed to collect himself, wordlessly rubbing up and down his back with one hand while gently running your fingers through his hair with the other one, making him hum in appreciation.

You smiled up at your gentle giant when he untangled himself from you again and took one of your hands in his much larger ones, calloused fingers nervously playing with yours, a blush creeping up his neck to his cheeks and all the way to the tips of his ears. You quirked your eyebrow at him, wanting to ask him if he was okay when he locked eyes with you, a resolute look on his face that made you understand just how important his next words would be to him.

You sat up straighter, your heart beating faster and a pleasant and warm feeling settling in your stomach at being in the center of his undivided attention, at having him look at you like you were the most important thing in the whole universe. 

And to him you were just that which is why he couldn’t let any more time pass without him telling you just how much you meant to him, making sure you knew that he felt the same way about you. 

König’s voice faltered slightly when he began to speak but he was determined to finally express the true depths of his feelings for you, his fingers tightening around yours, the feeling of your warm skin against his grounding and calming him, encouraging him to carry on.

“You are, without a doubt, the greatest thing that has ever happened to me and you make me the happiest I’ve ever been in my life. A-and what I’m trying to say with that is that I love you. I love you so much.”

Hearing his words and the sincerity in them made your heart skip several beats and you felt tears of pure joy welling up in your eyes, unable to say anything in response. König constantly showed his love for you in other ways and you had never doubted his feelings for you even once since the beginning of your relationship, but hearing him say it out loud touched you deeply, making you the happiest you had ever been in your life.

You gave him a teary smile and before König could even think about apologizing for making you cry you pressed your lips to his, pouring all of your emotions into the kiss, making him gasp quietly at the intensity of it. You chuckled affectionately at the displeased look on his face when you pulled back all too soon, but you just shook your head, lovingly gazing up at him before softly saying,

“Ich liebe dich auch.”

You loved him too.

[kiragecko]

Know Your Neopronouns

If you look around online, you can find lists of neopronouns. (Neopronouns are words that get can be used instead of 'he' or 'she' when refering to someone.) Most show just the first 2 terms (‘Ey/Em,’ or ‘Ze/Zim’). Few provide any info about how to pronounce them. And even less provide examples of how messy real usage is. This guide is an attempt to show how real people are using neopronouns. It’s based off the data of the 2020-2023 (Nonbinary) Gender Censuses.

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English Pronoun Sets include:

Subject (the person acting) – ie. They

Object (the person the action is happening to) – ie. Them

Dependent Possessive (ownership, thing owned is named) - ie. Their

Independent Possessive (ownership, thing owned is not named) – ie. Theirs

Reflexive (action affecting the person who is acting) – ie. Themself

In a sentence:

They walked in and told me their name was Chris. I said hi, and showed them the name tags. They found theirs and put it on themself.

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Neopronouns come in 3 flavours:

The first type is based off the most common English personal pronouns:

‘They/Them/Their/Theirs/Themself (or Themselves)’

‘He/Him/His/His/Himself’

‘She/Her/Her/Hers/Herself’

This type of neopronoun usually mimics the ending sounds of one or more of the common pronoun sets. For example, ‘Ze/Zem’ pronouns are based on ‘he’ and ‘them.’

The second type includes pronouns not usually used as personal pronouns (like indefinite ('One'), neuter ('It'), or definite (‘that’)). It also includes neopronouns derived from them ('Thon').

The third type is based on various nouns not usually considered related to gender at all ('Star' or 'Pup'). These are called ‘nounself pronouns.’

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I’ve listed both the common pronouns, as well as the most used neopronouns. For each entry, I include a variety of forms and spellings. I do my best to provide pronunciation. (I have not heard all of them pronounced, and what little I was able to find online might not match what real people are saying.) And I mention if they mimic feminine or masculine pronouns, singular they, indefinite pronouns, nouns, etc.

List of the 25 Most Common Pronouns Used By Nonbinary People in 2023 (According to the Gender Census):

They

He

She

It

Xe

Fae

Hir

Ey

E

Ae

Ve

Ze

Star

Hy

Thon

Void

Ne

Kit, Cat

Pup

Vae, Vey

Xey

Mew, Meow

Bun

One

Moon, Lun

Other pronouns with more than 30 users in the census (not included as separate entries)

That, Thing (that/that/thats/thats/thatself, thing/thing/things/things/thingself, that thing/that thing/that thing’s/that thing’s/that thing – 56 people)

Vamp (vamp/vamp/vamps/vamps/vampself – 54 people)

Sun, Sol (sun/sun/suns/suns/sunself, sol/sol/sols/sols/solself – 51 people)

Dey, Dae (dey/dem/deir/deirs/demself, dae/daem/daer/daers/daemself – 46 people)

Zey (zey/zem/zeir/zeirs/zemself – 46 people)

Per (per/per//per/pers/perself – 18 people)

Rot (rot/rot/rots/rots/rotself – 37 people)

Sie/Sier (sie/sier/sier/siers/sierself - 36 people)

Nya/Nyan (nya/nya/nyas/nyas/nyaself, nya/nyan/nyans/nyas/nyanself – 36 people)

Bug (bug/bug/bugs/bugs/bugself – 35 people)

Ix, X (ix/ix/ixs/ixs/ixself, x/x/xs/xs/xself – 34 people)

Ce (ce/cer/cer/cers/cerself – 33 people)

1. Singular They (They/Them)

Most common nonbinary pronoun set, this was used by 30,188 people in the 2023 Gender Census.

Usual Set:

They / Them / Their / Theirs / Themself (30,107 people) Pronunciation: ðeɪ / ðɛm / ðeɪɹ / ðeɪɹz / ðɛmsɛlf (dhay / dhem / dhayr / dhayrz / dhemself)

Nonstandard Sets:

They / Them / Their / Theirs / Themselves (67 people) Pronunciation: ðeɪ / ðɛm / ðeɪɹ / ðeɪɹz / ðɛmsɛlvz (dhay / dhem / dhayr / dhayrz / dhemselvz) Plural they.

They / Them / Their / Theirs / Theirself (3 people) Pronunciation: ðeɪ / ðɛm / ðeɪɹ / ðeɪɹz / ðɛɹsɛlf (dhay / dhem / dhayr / dhayrz / dherself) Nonstandard They

Using them when talking:

They walked in and told me their name was Chris. I said hi, and showed them the name tags. They found theirs and put it on themself.

Nonstandard sets:

They walked in and told me their name was Chris. I said hi, and showed them the name tags. They found theirs and put it on themselves.

They walked in and told me their name was Chris. I said hi, and showed them the name tags. They found theirs and put it on theirself.

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2. Masculine Pronouns (He/Him)

Second most common nonbinary pronoun set, this was used by 17,182 people in the 2023 Gender Census.

Usual Set:

He / Him / His / His / Himself Pronunciation: hiː / hɪm / hɪz / hɪz / hɪmsɛlf (hee / him /hiz / hiz / himself)

Nonstandard Sets:

He / Him / His / His / Hisself Pronunciation: hiː / hɪm / hɪz / hɪz / hɪsɛlf (hee / him /hiz / hiz / hiself)

Using them when talking:

He walked in and told me his name was Chris. I said hi, and showed him the name tags. He found his and put it on himself.

Nonstandard set would end with: He found his and put it on hisself.

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3. Feminine Pronouns (She/Her)

Third most common nonbinary pronoun set, this was used by 13,220 people in the 2023 Gender Census.

Usual Set:

She / Her / Her / Hers / Herself Pronunciation: ʃiː / hɚ / hɚ / hɚz / hɚsɛlf (shee / her /her / herz / herself)

Using them when talking:

She walked in and told me her name was Chris. I said hi, and showed her the name tags. She found hers and put it on herself.

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4. Neuter Pronouns (It/It)

4th most common set of pronouns (up from 5th last year), and probably the most controversal. Seen as dehumanizing by many people, and as validating by others. (7,859 people)

Usual Set:

It / It /Its / Its / Itself Pronunciation: ɪt / ɪt / ɪts / ɪts / ɪtsɛlf (it / it / its / its / itself)

Using them when talking:

It walked in and told me its name was Chris. I said hi, and showed it the name tags. It found its and put it on itself.

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5. Xe/Xem Pronouns

5th most common set of nonbinary pronouns, and the most popular neopronoun set. (4,649 people)

Usual Set:

Xe / Xem / Xyr / Xyrs / Xymself (4,504 people) Pronunciation: ziː / zɛm / zɚ / zɚz / zɛmsɛlf (zee / zem / zer / zerz / zemself) Based on: Singular They, with Feminine subject and possessive pronouns

Nonstandard Sets:

Xe / Xir / Xir / Xirs / Xirself (74 people) Pronunciation: ziː / zɚ / zɚ / zɚz / zɚsɛlf (zee / zer / zer / zerz / zerself) Based on: Feminine

Xe / Xim / Xis / Xis / Ximself (27 people) Pronunciation: ziː / zɪm / zɪz / zɪz / zɪmsɛlf (zee / zim / ziz / ziz / zimself) Based on: Masculine

Xe / Xem / Xir / Xirs / Xirself (23 people) Pronunciation: ziː / zɛm / zɚ / zɚz / zɚsɛlf (zee / zem / zer / zerz / zerself) Based on: Nonstandard They, with Feminine possessive pronouns

Spelling:

Subject - Xe (4604), Xie (18), Xi (10), Xy (9), Xhe (7)

Object - Xem (4508), Xim (38), Xym (10), Xiem (3) | Xir (38), Xer (24), Xyr (18), Xher (3)

Dep. Possessive - Xyr (4472), Xir (62), Xer (43), Xeir (23), Xier (5) | Xis (32)

Ind. Possessive - Xyrs (4469), Xirs (54), Xir's (4), Xers (42), Xeirs (22), Xiers (5), Xhers (3) | Xis (25) | Xir (7), Xyr (3)

Reflexive - Xemself (4495), Ximself (31), Xymself (9) | Xirself (42), Xerself (28), Xyrself (22), Xeirself (7)

Using them when talking:

Xe walked in and told me xyr name was Chris. I said hi, and showed xem the name tags. Xe found xyrs and put it on xymself.

Nonstandard sets:

Xe walked in and told me xir name was Chris. I said hi, and showed xir the name tags. Xe found xirs and put it on xirself.

Xe walked in and told me xis name was Chris. I said hi, and showed xim the name tags. Xe found xis and put it on ximself.

Xe walked in and told me xir name was Chris. I said hi, and showed xem the name tags. Xe found xirs and put it on xirself.

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6. Faerself Pronouns (Fae/Faer)

6th most common set of pronouns, and the 2nd most popular neopronoun set. (2,662 people)

Usual Set:

Fae / Faer / Faer / Faers / Faeself (2,623) Pronunciation: feɪ / feɪɹ / feɪɹ / feɪɹz / feɪsɛlf (fay / fayr / fayr / fayrz / fayself) Based on: the noun Fae/Fairy, with Feminine object and possessive pronouns

Nonstandard Sets:

Fey / Fem / Feir / Feirs / Femself (10 people) Pronunciation: feɪ / fɛm / feɪɹ / feɪɹz / fɛmsɛlf (fay / fem / fayr / fayrz / femself) Based on: Singular They

Fey / Fem / Feir / Feirs / Feirself (9 people) Pronunciation: feɪ / fɛm / feɪɹ / feɪɹz / feɪɹsɛlf (fay / fem / fayr / fayrz / fayrself) Based on: Nonstandard They

Fey / Feyr / Feyr / Feyrs / Feyrself (6 people) Pronunciation: feɪ / feɪɹ / feɪɹ / feɪɹz / feɪɹsɛlf (fay / fayr / fayr / fayrz / fayrself) Based on: Feminine

Spelling:

Subject - Fae (2638), Fey (18)

Object -Faer (2625), Feyr (3) | Fem (14), Faem (7)

Dep. Possessive - Faer (2637), Feir (11), Feyr (7)

Ind. Possessive - Faers (2636), Feirs (11), Feyrs (6)| Faes (3)

Reflexive - Faeself (2625) | Faerself (7), Feirself (5), Feyrself (5) | Femself (7), Faemself (4)

Using them when talking:

Fae walked in and told me faer name was Chris. I said hi, and showed faer the name tags. Fae found faers and put it on faeself.

Nonstandard sets:

Fey walked in and told me feir name was Chris. I said hi, and showed fem the name tags. Fey found feirs and put it on femself.

Fey walked in and told me feir name was Chris. I said hi, and showed fem the name tags. Fey found feirs and put it on feirself.

Fey walked in and told me feyr name was Chris. I said hi, and showed feyr the name tags. Fey found feyrs and put it on feyrself.

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7. Hir Pronouns (Ze or Sie/Hir)

The set associated with older users. Shi/Hir is also associated with the furry fandom and intersex people (who may consider it a completely different set. Research suggests there might have been drama in the 90s.) (2,190 people)

Usual Set:

Ze / Hir / Hir / Hirs / Hirself (2,148 people) Pronunciation: ziː / hiːɹ / hiːɹ / hiːɹz / hiːɹsɛlf (zee / heer / heer / heerz / heerself) Based on: Feminine, with a long ‘ee’ for all forms.

Nonstandard Sets:

Shi / Hir / Hir / Hirs / Hirself (34 people) Pronunciation: ʃaɪ / hiːɹ / hiːɹ / hiːɹz / hiːɹsɛlf (shy / heer / heer / heerz / heerself) Based on: Feminine, with the same long ‘ee.’

Spelling:

Subject - Ze (2107), Sie (30), Zie (6), Se (3) | Shi (26), Shy (6)

Object - Hir (2177), Hyr (9)

Dep. Possessive - Hir (2174), Hyr (8) | Hirs (5)

Ind. Possessive - Hirs (2177), Hyrs (7)

Reflexive - Hirself (2173), Hyrself (7) | Hemself (3)

Using them when talking:

Ze walked in and told me hir name was Chris. I said hi, and showed hir the name tags. Ze found hirs and put it on hirself.

Nonstandard set:

Shi walked in and told me hir name was Chris. I said hi, and showed hir the name tags. Shi found hirs and put it on hirself.

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8. Elverson Pronouns (Ey/Em)

Very similar to Spivak pronouns (next), these ones have the subject pronoun (‘ey’) based on ‘they,’ rather than ‘he’ or ‘she.’ (2,056 people)

Usual Set:

Ey / Em / Eir / Eirs / Emself (2,037 people) Pronunciation: eɪ / ɛm / eɪɹ / eɪɹz / ɛmsɛlf (ay / em / ayr / ayrz / emself) Based on: Singular They

Nonstandard sets:

Ey / Em / Eir / Eirs / Eirself (10 people) Pronunciation: eɪ / ɛm / eɪɹ / eɪɹz / eɪɹsɛlf (ay / em / ayr / ayrz / ayrself) Based on: Nonstandard They

Spelling:

Subject - Ey (2051), Ei (3)

Object - Em (2048)

Dep. Possessive - Eir (2049)

Ind. Possessive - Eirs (2049)

Reflexive - Emself (2037), Eimself (3) | Eirself (11)

Using them when talking:

Ey walked in and told me eir name was Chris. I said hi, and showed em the name tags. Ey found eirs and put it on emself.

Nonstandard set would end with: Ey found eirs and put it on eirself.

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9. Spivak Pronouns (E/Em)

The set most often named in articles explaining neopronouns. (1,624 people)

Usual Set:

E / Em / Eir / Eirs / Emself (1,575 people) Pronunciation: iː / ɛm / eɪɹ / eɪɹz / ɛmsɛlf (ee / em / ayr / ayrz / emself) Based on: Singular They, with Feminine/Masculine subject pronoun.

Nonstandard sets:

E / Em / Es / Es / Emself (13 people) Pronunciation: iː / ɛm / iːz / iːz / ɛmsɛlf (ee / em / eez / eez / emself) Based on: Masculine

Spelling:

Subject - E (1604), 'E (3) | En (7) | Em (8)

Object - Em (1600), Im (6) | E (5) |En (4)

Dep. Possessive - Eir (1577), Er (5) | Es (14), Is (5) | Ems (6) | Ens (4)

Ind. Possessive - Eirs (1576), Ers (5) | Es (10), Is (5), 'Is (3) | Ems (9) | Ens (3)

Reflexive - Emself (1593), Imself (4) | Eself (4) | Enself (4)

Using them when talking:

E walked in and told me eir name was Chris. I said hi, and showed em the name tags. E found eirs and put it on emself.

Nonstandard set:

E walked in and told me es name was Chris. I said hi, and showed em the name tags. E found es and put it on emself.

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10. Lindsay Pronouns (Ae/Aer)  (344 people)

Very similar to Spivak and Elverson pronouns. Created for a scifi alien race in 1920.

Usual Set:

Ae / Aer / Aer / Aers / Aerself (236 people) Pronunciation: eɪ / eɪɹ / eɪɹ / eɪɹz / eɪɹsɛlf (ay / ayr / ayr / ayrz / ayrself) Based on: Feminine, with vowels similar to Singular They.

Nonstandard sets:

Ae / Aem / Aer / Aers / Aemself (22 people) Pronunciation: eɪ / ɛm / eɪɹ / eɪɹz / ɛmsɛlf (ay / em / ayr / ayrz / emself) Based on: Singular They

Ae / Aer / Aers / Aers / Aerself (20 people) Pronunciation: eɪ / eɪɹ / eɪɹz / eɪɹz / eɪɹsɛlf (ay / ayr / ayrz / ayrz / ayrself) Based on: Feminine, with possessives based on nouns.

Ae / Aem / Aer / Aers / Aerself (19 people) Pronunciation: eɪ / ɛm / eɪɹ / eɪɹz / eɪɹsɛlf (ay / em / ayr / ayrz / ayrself) Based on: Nonstandard They

Spelling:

Subject - Ae (328), Æ (4), Ay (4) | Aer (3)

Object - Aer (268) | Aem (44) | Ae (13)

Dep. Possessive - Aer (285), Ær (3), Aeir (5), Ayr (4) | Aers (24) | Aes (8)

Ind. Possessive - Aers (296), Aer's (4), Ærs (3), Aeirs (5), Ayrs (4) | Aer (6) | Aes (12)

Reflexive - Aerself (280), Ærself (3), Aeirself (3) | Aemself (25) | Aeself (14)

Using them when talking:

Ae walked in and told me aer name was Chris. I said hi, and showed aer the name tags. Ae found aers and put it on aerself.

Nonstandard sets:

Ae walked in and told me aer name was Chris. I said hi, and showed aem the name tags. Ae found aers and put it on aemself.

Ae walked in and told me aers name was Chris. I said hi, and showed aer the name tags. Ae found aers and put it on aerself.

Ae walked in and told me aer name was Chris. I said hi, and showed aem the name tags. Ae found aers and put it on aerself.

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11. Ve/Ver Pronouns

These seem to be the neopronouns to play around with! Many of the sets here alternate masculine and feminine forms, sometimes in unpredictable ways. (304 people)

Usual Set:

Ve / Ver / Ver / Vers / Verself (70 people) Pronunciation: viː / vɚ / vɚ / vɚz / vɚsɛlf (vee / ver / ver / verz / verself) Based on: Feminine

Nonstandard Sets:

Ve / Ver / Vis / Vis / Verself (42 people) Pronunciation: viː / vɚ / vɪz / vɪz / vɚsɛlf (vee / ver / viz / viz / verself) Based on: Masculine and Feminine

Ve / Vem / Ver / Vers / Vemself (32 people) Pronunciation: viː / vɛm / vɚ / vɚz / vɛmsɛlf (vee / vem / ver / verz / vemself) Based on: Singular They

Ve / Vim / Vis / Vis / Vimself (30 people) Pronunciation: viː / vɪm / vɪz / vɪz / vɪmsɛlf (vee / vim / viz / viz / vimself) Based on: Masculine

Ve / Vem / Vir / Virs / Virself (29 people) Pronunciation: viː / vɛm / viːɹ / viːɹz / vɚsɛlf (vee / vem / veer / veerz / verself) Based on: Nonstandard They

Ve / Ver / Vis / Vers / Verself (22 people) Pronunciation: viː / vɚ / vɪz / vɚz / vɚsɛlf (vee / ver / viz / verz / verself) Based on: Feminine, with one Masculine possessive

Spelling:

Subject - Ve (230), Vi (59), Vy (4)

Object - Ver (90), Vir (57), Zher (6) | Vim (59), Vem (56), Vym (5) | Ven (8) | Vis (4)

Dep. Possessive - Vir (73), Ver (56), Veir (18), Vyr (10), Vier (4) | Vis (107) | Virs (4), Vers (3) | Vens (3)

Ind. Possessive - Virs (83), Vers (67), Veirs (18), Vyrs (9), Vaers (3) | Vis (92) | Vens (3)

Reflexive - Verself (100), Virself (75), Vyrself (5), Verrself (4) | Vimself (48), Vemself (33) | Viself (4), Veself (4) | Venself (6)

Using them when talking:

Ve walked in and told me ver name was Chris. I said hi, and showed ver the name tags. Ve found vers and put it on verself.

Nonstandard sets:

Ve walked in and told me vis name was Chris. I said hi, and showed ver the name tags. Ve found vis and put it on verself.

Ve walked in and told me ver name was Chris. I said hi, and showed vem the name tags. Ve found vers and put it on vemself.

Ve walked in and told me vis name was Chris. I said hi, and showed vim the name tags. Ve found vis and put it on vimself.

Ve walked in and told me vir name was Chris. I said hi, and showed vem the name tags. Ve found virs and put it on virself.

Ve walked in and told me vis name was Chris. I said hi, and showed ver the name tags. Ve found vers and put it on vimself.

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12. Ze Pronouns

Pronounced almost identically to Xe pronouns, but derives from Ze/Hir pronouns (286 people)

Usual Set:

Ze / Zir / Zir / Zirs / Zirself (140 people) Pronunciation: ziː / ziːɹ / ziːɹ / ziːɹz / ziːɹsɛlf (zee / zeer / zeer / zeerz / zeerself) Based on: Ze/Hir, which is based on Feminine, with a long ‘ee’ for all forms.

Nonstandard Sets:

Ze / Zem / Zir / Zirs / Zemself (76 people) Pronunciation: ziː / zɛm / ziːɹ / ziːɹz / zɛmsɛlf (zee / zem / zeer / zeerz / zemself) Based on: Singular They

Ze / Zem / Zir / Zirs / Zirself (26 people) Pronunciation: ziː / zɛm / ziːɹ / ziːɹz / ziːɹsɛlf (zee / zem / zeer / zeerz / zeerself) Based on: Nonstandard They

Ze / Zim / Zis / Zis / Zimself (76 people) Pronunciation: ziː / zɪm / zɪz / zɪz / zɪmsɛlf (zee / zim / ziz / ziz / zimself) Based on: Masculine

Spelling:

Subject - Ze (237), Zie (27), Zhe (17), Zi (3)

Object - Zir (126), Zer (8), Zher (6) | Zem (83), Zim (31), Zhim (7)

Dep. Possessive - Zir (181), Zer (31), Zeir (20), Zyr (12), Zher (10), Zhir (3) | Zis (10) | Zirs (5)

Ind. Possessive - Zirs (178), Zers (31), Zeirs (22), Zyrs (12), Zhers (10), Zhirs (3) | Zis (8) | Zir (3)

Reflexive - Zirself (149), Zerself (14), Zherself (6), Zyrself (4), Zeirself (3) | Zemself (78), Zimself (25), Zymself (4), Zhimself (7) | Zeself (4)

Using them when talking:

Ze walked in and told me zir name was Chris. I said hi, and showed zir the name tags. Ze found zirs and put it on zirself.

Nonstandard sets:

Ze walked in and told me zir name was Chris. I said hi, and showed zem the name tags. Ze found zirs and put it on zemself.

Ze walked in and told me zir name was Chris. I said hi, and showed zem the name tags. Ze found zirs and put it on zirself.

Ze walked in and told me zis name was Chris. I said hi, and showed zim the name tags. Ze found zis and put it on zimself.

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13. Star Pronouns

The most popular nounself pronouns (13th overall)! (157 people)

Usual Set:

Star / Star / Stars / Stars / Starself (133 people) Pronunciation: stɑɹ / stɑɹ / stɑɹz / stɑɹz / stɑɹsɛlf (star / star / starz / starz / starself) Based on: Nouns

Nonstandard Sets:

Usual Set: Star / Star / Star / Stars / Starself (9 people) Pronunciation: stɑɹ / stɑɹ / stɑɹ / stɑɹz / stɑɹsɛlf (star / star / star / starz / starself) Based on: Nouns, with possessives influenced by Feminine/Singular They

Spelling:

Subject - Star (150) | Sta (3)

Object - Star (144) | Stars (4)

Dep. Possessive - Stars (119), Star's (16) | Star (12)

Ind. Possessive - Stars (130), Star's (19)

Reflexive - Starself (150)

Using them when talking:

Star walked in and told me stars name was Chris. I said hi, and showed star the name tags. Star found stars and put it on starself.

Nonstandard sets:

Star walked in and told me star name was Chris. I said hi, and showed star the name tags. Star found stars and put it on starself.

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14. Hy/Hym Pronouns

Pronounced identically to masculine pronouns. (130 people)

Usual Set:

Hy / Hym / Hys / Hys / Hymself (103 people) Pronunciation: hiː / hɪm / hɪz / hɪz / hɪmsɛlf (hee / him /hiz / hiz / himself) Based on: Masculine

Nonstandard Set:

Hey / Hem / Heir / Heirs / Hemself (9 people) Pronunciation: heɪ / hɛm / heɪɹ / heɪɹz / heɪɹsɛlf (hay / hem /hayr / hayrz / hemself) Based on: Singular They

Spelling:

Subject - Hy (97), He (10), Hie (5) | Hey (10)

Object - Hym (65), Hymn (44), Hem (15)

Dep. Possessive - Hys (97) | Heir (11), Hyr (3) | Hymns (4)

Ind. Possessive - Hys (97) | Heirs (1) | Hymns (5)

Reflexive - Hymself (58), Hymnself (46), Hemself (12)

Using them when talking:

Hy walked in and told me hys name was Chris. I said hi, and showed hym the name tags. Hy found hys and put it on hymself.

Nonstandard sets:

Hey walked in and told me heir name was Chris. I said hi, and showed hem the name tags. Hey found heirs and put it on hemself.

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15. Thon Pronouns

One of the oldest neopronouns, dating to 1858. A contraction of 'that one'. Linguists and social reformers LOVED these pronouns, actual users are much rarer. (122 people)

Usual Set:

Thon / Thon / Thons / Thons / Thonself (104 people) Pronunciation: ðʌn / ðʌn / ðʌnz / ðʌnz / ðʌnsɛlf (dhuhn / dhuhn / dhuhnz / dhuhnz / dhuhnself – ‘the’ + n) Based on: One (Indefinite Pronoun), which works identically to nouns

Nonstandard Set:

Thon / Thon / Thon / Thons / Thonself (6 people) Pronunciation: ðʌn / ðʌn / ðʌn / ðʌnz / ðʌnsɛlf (dhuhn / dhuhn / dhuhn / dhuhnz / dhuhnself) Based on: One, with possessives influenced by Feminine/Singular They

Spelling:

Subject - Thon (119)

Object - Thon (114) | Thons (5)

Dep. Possessive - Thons (104), Thon's (5) | Thon (7)

Ind. Possessive - Thons (101), Thon's (12) | Thon (4)

Reflexive - Thonself (119)

Using them when talking:

Thon walked in and told me thons name was Chris. I said hi, and showed thon the name tags. Thon found thons and put it on thonself.

Nonstandard sets:

Thon walked in and told me thon name was Chris. I said hi, and showed thon the name tags. Thon found thons and put it on thonself.

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16. Void Pronouns

The 2nd most popular nounself pronouns (16th overall) (117 people)

Usual Set:

Void / Void / Voids / Voids / Voidself (72 people) Pronunciation: voɪd / voɪd / voɪdz / voɪdz / voɪdsɛlf (voyd / voyd / voydz / voydz / voydself) Based on: Nouns (Void)

Nonstandard Sets:

Voi / Void / Voids / Voids / Voidself (69 people) Pronunciation: voɪ / voɪd / voɪdz / voɪdz / voɪdsɛlf (voy / voyd / voydz / voydz / voydself) Based on: Nouns (Void), with subject form shortened to better match established pronouns

Voi / Void / Void / Voids / Voidself (10 people) Pronunciation: voɪ / voɪd / voɪd / voɪdz / voɪdsɛlf (voy / voyd / voyd / voydz / voydself) Based on: Nouns (Void), with subject form shortened, and possessives influenced by Feminine/Singular They

Spelling:

Subject - Voi (108), Vo (3) | Void (80) | Vi (3)

Object - Void (180) | Voi (9)

Dep. Possessive - Voids (134), Void's (14) | Void (18) | Vois (14) | Voi (4)

Ind. Possessive - Voids (153), Void's (19) | Vois (12)

Reflexive - Voidself (181) | Voiself (9)

Using them when talking:

Void walked in and told me voids name was Chris. I said hi, and showed void the name tags. Void found voids and put it on voidself.

Nonstandard sets:

Voi walked in and told me voids name was Chris. I said hi, and showed void the name tags. Voi found voids and put it on voidself.

Voi walked in and told me void name was Chris. I said hi, and showed void the name tags. Voi found voids and put it on voidself.

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17. Ne/Nem Pronouns

(114 people)

Usual Set:

Ne / Nem / Nir / Nirs / Nemself (61 people) Pronunciation: niː / nɛm / nɚ / nɚz / nɛmsɛlf (nee / nem / ner / nerz / nemself) Based on: Singular They, with Feminine subject and possessive pronouns

Nonstandard Sets:

Ne / Nim / Nis / Nis / Nimself (19 people) Pronunciation: niː / nɪm / nɪz / nɪz / nɪmsɛlf (nee / nim / niz / niz / nimself) Based on: Masculine

Ne / Nem / Nir / Nirs / Nirself (8 people) Pronunciation: niː / nɛm / nɚ / nɚz / nɚsɛlf (nee / nem / ner / nerz / nerself) Based on: Nonstandard They, with Feminine subject and possessive pronouns

Ne / Nem / Nems / Nems / Nemself (7 people) Pronunciation: niː / nɛm / nɛmz / nɛmz / nɛmsɛlf (nee / nem / nemz / nemz / nemself) Based on: Nouns

Spelling:

Subject - Ne (98), Nie (4), Ni (3)

Object - Nem (65), Nym (25), Nim (16)

Dep. Possessive - Nir (48), Neir (11), Nyr (10), Ner (7) | Nis (13), Nys (6) | Nems (3), Nims (3)

Ind. Possessive - Nirs (45), Neirs (11), Nyrs (9), Ners (5) | Nis (15), Nys (5) | Nems (5), Nims (4)

Reflexive - Nemself (68), Nymself (22), Nimself (15) | Nirself (5), Neirself (3), Nyrself (3)

Using them when talking:

Ne walked in and told me nir name was Chris. I said hi, and showed nem the name tags. Ne found nirs and put it on nemself.

Nonstandard sets:

Ne walked in and told me nis name was Chris. I said hi, and showed nim the name tags. Ne found nis and put it on nimself.

Ne walked in and told me nir name was Chris. I said hi, and showed nem the name tags. Ne found nirs and put it on nirself.

Ne walked in and told me nems name was Chris. I said hi, and showed nem the name tags. Ne found nems and put it on nemself.

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18. Kit, Cat Pronouns

The first of the animal based pronouns! People using animal based pronouns frequently alternate between multiple sets - based off animals (kit, bug), their sounds (meow, caw), and their body parts (paw). (103 people)

Usual Set:

Kit / Kit / Kits / Kits / Kitself (60 people) Pronunciation: kɪt / kɪt / kɪts / kɪts / kɪtsɛlf (kit / kit / kits / kits / kitself) Based on: Nouns (Kit/Kitty)

Nonstandard Sets:

Cat / Cat / Cats / Cats / Catself (23 people) Pronunciation: kat / kat / kats / kats / katsɛlf (kat / kat / kats / kats / katself) Based on: Nouns (Cat)

Spelling:

Subject - Kit (69) | Kitty (6) | Cat (23)

Object - Kit (64) | Kits (3) | Kitty (8) | Cat (23)

Dep. Possessive - Kits (65), Kit's (3) | Kittys (4), Kitty's (3) | Cats (18), Cat's (4)

Ind. Possessive - Kits (62), Kit's (4) | Kitty's (4) | Kittens (3) | Cats (17), Cat's (6)

Reflexive - Kitself (67) | Kittyself (4) | Kittenself (4) | Catself (23)

Using them when talking:

Kit walked in and told me kits name was Chris. I said hi, and showed kit the name tags. Kit found kits and put it on kitself.

Nonstandard sets:

Cat walked in and told me cats name was Chris. I said hi, and showed cat the name tags. Cat found cats and put it on catself.

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19. Pup Pronouns

(102 people)

Usual Set: Pup / Pup / Pups / Pups / Pupself (75 people) Pronunciation: pʌp / pʌp / pʌps / pʌps / pʌpsɛlf (puhp / puhp / puhps / puhps / puhpself) Based on: Nouns (Pup/Puppy)

Spelling:

Subject - Pup (85) | Dog (6), The Dog (5) | Mutt (4)

Object - Pup (75) | Pups (6)| Dog (5), The Dog (4) | Mutt (4)

Dep. Possessive - Pups (69), Pup's (12) | Dogs (3), The Dog's (4) | Mutts (4)

Ind. Possessive - Pups (69), Pup's (13) | Dogs (5), The Dog's (4) | Mutts (4)

Reflexive - Pupself (82) | Dogself (6) | Itself (4) | Muttself (4)

Using them when talking:

Pup walked in and told me pups name was Chris. I said hi, and showed pup the name tags. Pup found pups and put it on pupself.

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20. Vae Pronouns

Ve pronouns have endless variations! These ones use a subject form based on They, rather than He/She, and seem to be influenced by Ae and Fae pronouns. (91 people)

Usual Set:

Vae / Vaem / Vaer / Vaers / Vaemself (42 people) Pronunciation: veɪ / vɛm / veɪɹ / veɪɹz / veɪmsɛlf (vay / vem / vayr / vayrz / vemself) Based on: Singular They

Nonstandard Sets:

Vae / Vaer / Vaer / Vaers / Vaerself (27 people) Pronunciation: veɪ / veɪɹ / veɪɹ / veɪɹz / veɪɹsɛlf (vay / vayr / vayr / vayrz / vayrself) Based on: Feminine

Vae / Vaem / Vaer / Vaers / Vaerself (11 people) Pronunciation: veɪ / vɛm / veɪɹ / veɪɹz / veɪɹsɛlf (vay / vem / vayr / vayrz / vayrself) Based on: Nonstandard They

Spelling:

Subject - Vae (63), Vey (24)

Object - Vem (26), Vaem (22) | Vaer (28) | Vae (3)

Dep. Possessive - Vaer (59), Veir (14), Ver (4)

Ind. Possessive - Vaers (58), Veirs (14), Vers (5)

Reflexive – Vaerself (37), Veirself (4) | Vymself (20), Vaemself (16) | Vaeself (4)

Using them when talking:

Vae walked in and told me vaer name was Chris. I said hi, and showed vaem the name tags. Vae found vaers and put it on vaemself.

Nonstandard sets:

Vae walked in and told me vaer name was Chris. I said hi, and showed vaer the name tags. Vae found vaers and put it on vaerself.

Vae walked in and told me vaer name was Chris. I said hi, and showed vaem the name tags. Vae found vaers and put it on vaerself.

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21. Xey Pronouns

Xe pronouns also have a version based on They in the subject form. (91 people)

Usual Set:

Xey / Xem / Xeir / Xeirs / Xemself (37 people) Pronunciation: zeɪ / zɛm / zeɪɹ / zeɪɹz / zeɪmsɛlf (zay / zem / zayr / zayrz / zemself) Based on: Singular They

Nonstandard Sets:

Xey / Xem / Xeir / Xeirs / Xeirself (37 people) Pronunciation: zeɪ / zɛm / zeɪɹ / zeɪɹz / zeɪɹsɛlf (zay / zem / zayr / zayrz / zayrself) Based on: Nonstandard They

Xae / Xaem / Xaer / Xaers / Xaerself (11 people) Pronunciation: zeɪ / zeɪɹ / zeɪɹ / zeɪɹz / zeɪɹsɛlf (zay / zayr / zayr / zayrz / zayrself) Based on: Feminine

Spelling:

Subject - Xey (71), Xae (10)

Object - Xem (70), Xaem (4) | Xaer (4)

Dep. Possessive - Xeir (49), Xyr (12), Xaer (8), Xer (7), Xeyr (3)

Ind. Possessive - Xeirs (46), Xyrs (12), Xaers (7), Xers (7), Xeyrs (3)

Reflexive - Xemself (61), Xaemself (3) | Xeirself (5), Xaerself (4)

Using them when talking:

Xey walked in and told me xeir name was Chris. I said hi, and showed xem the name tags. Xey found xeirs and put it on xemself.

Nonstandard sets:

Xey walked in and told me xeir name was Chris. I said hi, and showed xem the name tags. Xey found xeirs and put it on xeirself.

Xae walked in and told me xaer name was Chris. I said hi, and showed xaer the name tags. Xae found xaers and put it on xaerself.

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22. Mew Pronouns

These pronouns often alternate with Kit/Cat pronouns, or other cat sounds like Nyan or Purr (89 people)

Usual Set:

Mew / Mew / Mews / Mews / Mewself (48 people) Pronunciation: mjuː / mjuː / mjuːz / mjuːz / mjusɛlf (myoo / myoo / myooz / myooz / myooself) Based on: Nouns (Mew)

Nonstandard Sets:

Meow / Meow / Meows / Meows / Meowself (27 people) Pronunciation: mjaʊ or mi‧aʊ / mjaʊ / mjaʊz / mjaʊz / mjaʊsɛlf (myow / myow / myowz / myowz / myowself) Based on: Nouns (Meow)

Spelling:

Subject - Mew (53) | Meow (29) | Mrr (3)

Object - Mew (49) | Meow (29) | Mrrp (4)

Dep. Possessive - Mews (47) | Meows (25), Meow's (4) | Mrrps (3)

Ind. Possessive - Mews (45) | Meows (27), Meow's (4) | Mrrps (3)

Reflexive - Mewself (50) | Meowself (31) | Mrrpself (3)

Using them when talking:

Mew walked in and told me mews name was Chris. I said hi, and showed mew the name tags. Mew found mews and put it on mewself.

Nonstandard sets:

Meow walked in and told me meows name was Chris. I said hi, and showed meow the name tags. Meow found meows and put it on meowself.

-

23. Bun Pronouns

(71 people)

Usual Set:

Bun / Bun / Buns / Buns / Bunself (60 people) Pronunciation: bʌn / bʌn / bʌnz / bʌnz / bʌnsɛlf (buhn / buhn / buhnz / buhnz / buhnself) Based on: Nouns (Bunny)

Spelling:

Subject - Bun (69)

Object - Bun (69)

Dep. Possessive - Buns (59), Bun's (10)

Ind. Possessive - Buns (55), Bun's (10)

Reflexive - Bunself (68)

Using them when talking:

Bun walked in and told me buns name was Chris. I said hi, and showed bun the name tags. Bun found buns and put it on bunself.

-

24. Indefinite Pronouns (One)

The 'formal' option - this is what grammarians used to suggest (64 people)

Usual Set:

One / One / One's / One's / Oneself  (51 people) Pronunciation: wʌn / wʌn / wʌnz / wʌnz / wʌnsɛlf (wuhn / wuhn / wuhnz / wuhnz / wuhnself) Based on: Indefinite Pronoun

Spelling:

Subject - One (53), That One (7), This One (4)

Object - One (50), That One (8), This One (3)

Dep. Possessive - One's (30), Ones (23), That One's (6), This One's (3)

Ind. Possessive - One's (31), Ones (22), That One's (6)

Reflexive - Oneself (53), That One's Self (4)

Using them when talking:

One walked in and told me one's name was Chris. I said hi, and showed one the name tags. One found one's and put it on oneself.

-

25. Moon/Lun Pronouns

(57 people)

Usual Set:

Moon / Moon / Moons / Moons / Moonself (32 people) Pronunciation: muːn / muːn / muːnz / muːnz / muːnsɛlf (moon / moon / moonz / moonz / moonself) Based on: Nouns (Moon)

Nonstandard sets:

Lun / Lun / Luns / Luns / Lunself (9 people) Pronunciation: luːn / luːn / luːnz / luːnz / luːnsɛlf (loon / loon / loonz / loonz / loonself) Based on: Nouns (Lunar)

Spelling:

Subject - Moon (33) | Lun (9) | Lu (8)

Object - Moon (33) | Lun (10) | Luna (6) | Lunar (3)

Dep. Possessive - Moons (26), Moon's (8) | Luns (12)

Ind. Possessive - Moons (26), Moon's (7) | Luns (12)

Reflexive - Moonself (34) | Lunself (12) | Lunaself (4)

Using them when talking:

Moon walked in and told me moons name was Chris. I said hi, and showed moon the name tags. Moon found moons and put it on moonself.

Nonstandard sets:

Lun walked in and told me luns name was Chris. I said hi, and showed lun the name tags. Lun found luns and put it on lunself.

-

A note on defining sets:

Deciding what to consider a variant, and what to consider a different set altogether, wasn't easy.

Elverson and Spivak pronouns are mostly separated because of their history, and how (relatively) well known they are. I then tried to stay consistent, and separated things like 'ze' and 'zey' sets.

Animal and sound based nounself pronouns are grouped based on how difficult it was to separate them. A relatively high percentage of people wrote 'kit' and 'cat' forms into the same entry. Less people grouped 'mew' and 'nya' forms. And, while 'mew' and 'nya' forms were FREQUENTLY grouped with 'kit' and 'cat' forms, I kept them separate for my own sanity.

I am also VERY glad that 'sie/sier' pronouns didn't make the top 25. 'Sie', 'se', 'sea', 'ce', and 'ke' are probably unsortable without talking to their users individually. (There's at least three pronunciations in there - 'zee', see' and 'kee'!) But I love the 4 people using 'sir' as a pronoun. That amuses me!

[janmisali]

the official jan Misali styleguide

so uh I decided to compile together a bunch of rules that I've come up with over the years for myself for how I write videos. this is not comprehensive and is unlikely to be genuinely useful to anyone (very few of these are things I'd consider to be "good advice" for anyone else who wants to make videos, they're mostly just how I personally do things), but here we go anyway!

text

text should be typeset in Noto Serif by default, using other fonts for their specific aesthetic effects on a case by case basis, always presented in contrast with Noto Serif

text should be white, on a black background, with keywords highlighted in teal (#008472)

text should use justified margins, unless this looks bad or is too hard to do with the specific program being used

the pronoun "I" should always be capitalized

proper names should usually be capitalized, but may be left in lowercase to convey a less formal tone when appropriate

the name "jan Misali" should be written with a lowercase "jan" and a capitalized "Misali", following toki pona capitalization conventions (and in general, all toki pona text should follow toki pona capitalization conventions, only capitalizing proper names)

brand names with irregular capitalization such as "YouTube" should always be in lowercase ("youtube") as a sign of disrespect

words may be capitalized for Emphasis, but this should be avoided sentence-initially

avoid capitalization for any other purpose (such as sentence capitalization or all caps) unless this is done to imitate a specific style meant to contrast with the default Misalian style

in addition to the aforementioned teal-coloring and capitalization, words may also be marked as emphasized using italics

these three styles of emphasis should be used for different purposes: teal for keywords (emphasis primarily to aid in reading), italics for spoken stress ("normal emphasis"), and capitalization for the Other Kind (meant to get the reader to slow down and pay attention to the Specific Wording of the emphasized section, but without drawing immediate visual attention to it in the way teal text does)

punctuation should only be used when it is strictly necessary for the text to be parsed or when it conveys meaningful information about how the text would be read out loud (the apostrophe does not count as punctuation for the purpose of this recommendation; it is included as part of the spelling of words it appears in)

the word "amateur" should be spelled "amature" without explanation

numbers should be written out in full as words, unless they're being used for alphanumeric codes, entries in a numbered list, years, or a video about math

text should be written word for word as it would be pronounced out loud, including filler words ("um"s and "like"s) and contractions, following the manner of speech outlined in the next section

narration

everything should be written in a formal but conversational tone, with hesitations, filler words, and stutters carefully inserted to make it sound less "written", as though the narration is one continuous unscripted infodump

however, nothing should ever genuinely be unscripted. everything should be phrased very carefully to convey information precisely and efficiently in a way that is easy to understand

there should be some sort of attempt to pronounce non-english words authentically, especially with proper names (unless there exists a common-enough anglicized pronunciation that you can be confident is more likely to be understood)

nothing should be written in a way that assumes that the audience knows less about the subject matter of the video than the narrator, except in very rare cases where this assumption is appropriate (such as when using an explicitly educational style, or when the subject is so niche that acting as though everyone already knows about it would be actively detrimental). information should always be presented as though it's a recap of common knowledge ("right?"), something that the narrator only learned relatively recently ("apparently"), or something that the narrator is unsure of ("I think")

jokes should never get "in the way" of the actual video. they should serve a purpose just like everything else. (the key question to keep in mind here is "if someone doesn't find this funny, what could they take away from it instead?". the answer should be something like "it would just be information presented in an unusual way" or "it would just be an awkward transition between two unrelated topics" or something. if the answer is "nothing, it would just be a joke they're not getting" then it had better be a really funny joke to justify its existence.)

calls to action should be avoided. the video should respect its audience members to make decisions for themselves, and only directly tell them what to do in exceptional circumstances

[zachfoxx121]

Okay so I really really really like Russell Adler

Here are some of my favourite headcannons for him. (Featuring other cold war characters)

Alright so first up is his past!! Bro was born in 1937, between WW1 and WW2. He knows both German and Russian, so I like to think either his mom or dad (hell, maybe both) are immigrants from around those areas of Europe. To push that, his file doesn't say where he was born, just the date he was born. And a language is arguably easier learned if its in a household than in a book. Pronunciation and all that. Maybe his parents/one of them were Jewish too, and thats why they immigrated to the USA? It's also debatable if he was even born in the USA, since as I before mentioned, his birthplace isn't filed.

This headcannon is kinda borrowed, I cant remember who I original saw say it, but due to Adler's scar he has trouble/can't smile. It happened after 1968, but before 1981. When you ask him how he got his scar, he doesn't give a truthful answer, like Parks had said. "Oh I had trouble with a girl," "missed and fell," or "a tiger got me." My biggest guess, just from how it looks like a shrapnel wound, is its probably embarrassing. I like to think it was from a mine, maybe even a helicopter accident. But due to its position, it mightve damaged some facial muscles, and makes it hard to upturn a side/both sides of his lips. With scars, depending on how deep, nerve endings get fucked up and make it hard to move certain muscles, yknow?

This ones a bit silly, and has to do with Bell (I always play Bell as male, so sorry if I say "he" instead of "they" as their pronoun.) because I'm such a sucker for their relationship. Since Bell just kinda gets dumped on him, and their about the same build/height, I like to imagine he just dumps all his old/unwanted clothes into Bell's closet. In his file people he works with have described him as fashionable, and I don't know how good he gets paid, so he might go through clothes pretty fast to keep up with the times.

(Also for fem Bell, I imagine it's the same as this but with Park's old/unwanted clothes.)

Building on that, hes probably fashionable so wherever he is he doesn't seem out of place. With his scar it may be a bit difficult to blend in, but if he wears stylish enough clothes thats probably what grabs people attention more. "That guy had such a nice jacket," "did you see his shoes?" Even the difference between his '81 look and his new '91 do good to show his ability to keep up with fashion.

This headcannon is a bit more for Bell, but depending on which occupation you give them (CIA, MI6, ex-KGB) I like to imagine thats the accent they have post brainwash. With CIA, he has Adler's accent, and MI6 he copies Park's. With ex-KGB just a russian accent, which would probably be more realistic since it can be difficult to literally change an accent, but bro was experimented on so much it could have!!

I mention Adler in that because I like thinking of Bell saying a word and everyone being like "why'd they say it like Adler", because even in the USA theres so many accents!! Like even Mason and Woods have slightly different accents, especially if you think about the og voices in bo1.

This headcannon is a bit sad (and a big spoiler for the end of the "Good Ending"). After Adler shoots Bell, I think he stayed to make sure Bell was really dead. To make sure they bled out. In that though, I think he let Bell have one of his cigs, even smoked with him while he died. "Least I can do for you, kid." He didn't let Bell die alone. I really think it was hard for him to kill Bell, but he just had to shut the feeling down because it was (most likely) an order. Even though its probably more likely he shot Bell in the head, better than Arash did.

Anywho thats all I feel like typing out rn have fun with these some of them are constantly playing in my head!!!! :)))

[yuurei20]

This is a little bit of a weird long question lol

I'm more asking your opinion about it haha

I'm trying to think on it - is Idia an Otaku because that's the setting the game is for (Japanese audience) and those are the signifiers that a Japanese audience would recognize as "nerd", or is he just an Otaku in general and would still be a "Weeb/Anime nerd" if the original audience was American/otherwise western.

Like - what I mean is in American pop culture, the "Weeb/Anime fan" is kind of a subset of nerd. Like none of the characters from "the big bang theory" (to my knowledge) are "weebs", they aren't our most generic image of a nerd. If a character/person is a "Weeb" it usually means they have a specific interest in Japanese media, and this doesn't necessarily correlate to other "nerdy" things.

Because in America/Western settings, Japanese fandom culture is foreign (thus me using Weeb instead of Otaku though plenty of people call themselves Otaku rather than weeb), so the implications of Idia being a Weeb is somewhat different - he's no longer a "generic nerdy character", but something a tad more specific.

So like - how there's beansfest or the use of honorifics or how the unique magic works with pronunciation - that usage of Japanese culture and language to express what Yana is trying to do, but it isn't necessarily meant to be Japanese in universe, because NRC is distinctly not set in Japan or even the Twst equivalent of Japan

Basically to sum up my rambly question - do you think Idia is supposed to be a "Nerd" in general or is he supposed to be an "Otaku"?

Tldr, would Idia be buying "comic books" in the EN localization or would it still be "Manga"

How exactly is our dear Idia the Nerdy foil to Hercules's Jock lmao

Hello hello!! Thank you for this question! ^^

Is there a word that can encompass both, in English? 👀

I think this connects to how the word "otaku" in Japanese seems to be different from the word "otaku" as it has been adopted by English, so this might be confusing 💦 But I will do my best!

I found an excerpt from a book called "Otaku Marketing" that provides an explanation of "otaku"'s original meaning, summarized here:

The basic definition of an 'otaku' is someone with a particular obsession who devotes an extreme amount of time and money to that interest and possesses deep knowledge and imagination regarding it. The term can be viewed negatively, describing a person who is immersed in subcultures that are difficult for the general public to understand, and who lacks communication skills. These days it has become more generally accepted with a meaning similar to "enthusiast" or "fan", and its usage has diversified, including terms like "health otaku" that contrast with the negative connotation, but the original image of otaku as being obsessively dedicated, introverted, and intense remains. Examples of otaku include military enthusiasts, railway enthusiasts, Johnny's Entertainment enthusiasts, Gundam enthusiasts, Hanshin Tiger enthusiasts, etc.

This is very much Idia ^^ There are many traits associated with otaku that we see in him, from his stutter to how quickly he speaks when excited, self depreciation combined with contradictory pride, net slang--even the manner in which he laughs and the personal pronoun that he uses.

In English it seems that, as you say, the Japanese-language concept of "otaku" has been separated into "nerd" and "weeb."

Idia is interested in things like puzzles, board games, horror movies with practical effects and Halloween, which might not be the first thing that comes to mind when an English-speaker hears the word "otaku" and may push him more into the "nerd" category.

Idia mentions reading manga and watching anime, but is this just because the game is being developed in the same country that produces those things?

Is this a case of Idia not being fully localized, and an American-developed Twst would have made him interested in American comic books and cartoons to suit its home audience, as you say?

I agree that NRC does not seem to be set in Japan or even a Twst-Japan-equivalent, but that might be exactly the point: Idia is interested in media from another country, and that is where things get interesting!

It seems that a Twst-Japan equivalent exists, and Idia is a big fan of their pop culture 👀

Sam mentions branches of his Mystery shop that exist in the "East," introducing things from real-world-Japan culture in the New Years events.

How canonical the New Year's events are meant to be is a little vague, especially because everyone (except Azul, Jade, Floyd and Scarabia) go home for New Year's in the main story--a point that is integral to the plot of Book 4.

But even if New Years is meant to be a fun little spin-off with no real connection to the culture of the actual universe, we also have a vignette where Idia explains what ninja are to Silver, saying that "they live in a far eastern country," and mentioning things like "shuriken," "fireball jutsu" and "samurai."

If there is another word in English that encompasses both "weeb" and "nerd" together, then I think that might be it! If it must be one or the other...I am not sure!

I have seen EN players who missed the Harveston event insisting that Idia doesn't actually like anime, just movies and video games, so it seems to be a divisive subject on EN.

Idia's interest in the pop culture from this unnamed country in the East is definitely not his defining personality trait, being only one of the many facets of who he is ^^

How to express this in English seems more complex than one may think!

Is it inaccurate to describe Idia as a "weeb" because of the depth of his interest in locally-produced board games and movies that have nothing to do with Twst-Japan-equivalent-media? If he is referred to as a "nerd," will there be friction because of lines like, "an anime can be so good it's literally life-changing"? Are the two groups mutually exclusive in English?

I am not sure I have an answer :> Would be most grateful for any opinions and ideas!

[niki-phoria]

hii! can I request a foreigner 8th member of enhypen studying Korean with niki except they just keep using it to flirt with each other and the other member who’s teaching them (heeseung/jungwon/jay whoever) is like damn I didn’t come here to third wheel and they get all flustered hihi

Rlly love your work! It’s so difficult to find gn reader fics so your blog is rlly one of my comfort safe spaces 💙

pairing: niki x gn!reader (no pronouns used) genre: fluff word count: 613

includes: flirty niki, lowkey secret dating au, reader isn't korean but race/ethnicity aren't specified, this is short i'm sorry i had no ideas ://

a/n: thank you for requesting !! it means so much that this blog is a safe space <33 i hope you like it :))

requests open !! read my rules first

niki leans his head against your shoulder as you pull out your textbooks. you flip through the pages until you find the chapter you had been working on. beside you, jay raises an eyebrow at the unusual affection from niki, though neither of you notice it. 

“we left on adjectives last time,” jay says. “why don’t we work on more vocabulary?” you glance at niki for confirmation before nodding at jay. “okay, there’s a list of different words, i think we should practice using them in sentences. you can make up whatever sentences you want, just focus on grammar structure and picking words from the list.”

your practice begins routinely - you and niki take turns practicing how to use more and more complex words to change the context every now and then. jay speaks up to correct you every now and then, offering feedback on your pronunciation or pointing out how small variances change the meaning completely.

it isn’t long until niki’s half of the conversation stalls as he stares into your eyes. you can feel yourself growing increasingly flustered under his watch. his lips quirk upwards as you nervously look away from him and back down to your notes. “your eyes are pretty.”

“yeah?” you turn to look back at him, cocking your head. 

“yeah,” niki nods. “you have pretty eyes and a pretty smile.” 

jay scoffing behind you makes you jump slightly. he raises an eyebrow at you, eyes moving from you to niki. “are you two flirting? in front of me?” his faux offense makes you laugh as you turn back to the notes in your textbook. 

“we’re not flirting!” 

niki’s poor defense falls of deaf ears as jay playfully continues teasing. “really? you’ve never told me that i have pretty eyes or a pretty smile.”

“maybe i just don’t think that you’re pretty.” 

you laugh as jay playfully gasps, putting a hand over his heart. “well, if you two are gonna sit here and flirt, then i’m gonna go.”

“we weren’t flirting!” you call after him. you can’t help the laugh that escapes you when the door closes behind jay. niki is quick to join in as you collapse onto your shared bed beside him in a fit of giggles. “we should keep studying,” you whisper. 

“we should,” niki replies. “but since when have we ever followed the rules?” 

his teasing makes you chuckle even more as he reaches up to wrap his arm around your waist, tugging you down to lay beside him. you let out a sigh as you relax beside him against the covers. you shift even closer to him so you’re resting your head against his chest as his grip around you tightens ever so slightly. 

you fall into a comfortable silence together. niki’s eyes slowly begin to flutter closed in the silence until you break it with a whisper. “do you think he knows?”

“hm?” 

“jay. do you think he knows about us?”

“maybe.” 

you shift to look up at him, furrowing your eyebrows in confusion. “maybe? you’re really not worried that he might know about us dating?”

“even if he does-”

“he probably does.”

“even though he does,” niki continues. “he’ll support us. all of the hyungs will. we both know that.” you sigh, laying back down against his chest. you let the steady rhythm of his heart beating calm your own anxieties as he rubs a gentle hand against your back. 

“hey,” niki whispers, tilting your head up to look at him. “i love you. regardless of what happens or who finds out, i’ll still love you.”

you smile, leaning up to pull him into a sweet kiss. “i love you too.”