#identifying specific vocab

[canmom]

one thing I learned recently - that seems obvious in retrospect - is that 'being able to recognise intervals and chords by ear' is not necessarily something that you need to just hope will happen automatically if you music hard enough.

if you go to music school there's a specific exercise they do called 'ear training' where they sit you down and make you practice recognising stuff (chords and intervals and so on) - either the teacher will play it or you can get software that plays a thing and asks you to identify it. sorta like the musical equivalent of using a spaced repetition system to memorise vocab in language learning.

there's actually an ear training program in the GNU suite. you can get it here. it's just a python program that hooks into your computer's MIDI.

#music #this post brought to you by another night of trying to play in tune with an accordion on the zhonghu #still feels like my brain is on fire for all the information getting shoved through it #canmom vs music #semi-autodidact problems...

[whumpinggrounds]

Writing Deaf Characters

I am making this a series now so pls drop requests if there is something you’re curious about!

Disclaimer: This is all based on personal experience and research, all of which relate to the American Deaf experience. It’s not perfect, nor is it representative of a global experience of d/Deafness. If you plan to write a d/Deaf or hard of hearing character, please do your own research! This is intended to give people a few ideas about where to start.

Vocab

Deaf = Refers to the cultural experience of being deaf and immersed in Deaf communities.

deaf = Inability to hear some or all sound.

Profoundly deaf = Inability to hear almost all or all sound.

d/Deafblind = Inability to hear some or all sound and as well as having some level (usually high) of visual impairment. 

Hard of hearing or HOH = A person whose inability to hear may not rise to the level of deafness or profound deafness, or simply may not identify with the term.

Deaf of deaf = A Deaf child born to Deaf parents.

CODA = Child Of Deaf Adults. This refers to hearing children, not d/Deaf children.

Manualism = Refers to the belief that d/Deaf children should be taught only sign language and should not be taught or expected to learn to speak.

Oralism = Refers to the belief that d/Deaf children should be taught only to speak and should be discouraged from learning or using sign language.

Bilingual-bicultural or bi-bi education = A school of thought that combines oral and manual education for d/Deaf children.

Mainstreaming = The belief that d/Deaf children should be educated in the same schools and classrooms as hearing students. (More widely refers to the belief that disabled students in general should be educated in the same schools and classrooms as nondisabled students.)

Deaf gain = The Deaf community’s answer to the term “hearing loss.” Rather than losing hearing, a person is said to be gaining Deafness.

Cochlear implant/CI = A medical device implanted into the inner ear which (debatably) produces sensation that is (somewhat) analogous to hearing.

American Sign Language or ASL = An American system of communication consisting of hand shapes, hand movements, body language, facial expressions, and occasionally, vocalizations.

Signed Exact English or SEE = A manner of communicating that directly translates English words into signed equivalents.

Home sign(s) = Signed communication that is specific to the signer’s home or community, which may not exist or be recognized in the wider world.

Identity First Language or IFL = A system in which someone is described first by an identifier that they choose and feel strongly connected to. Examples include describing someone as an Autistic woman, a disabled individual, or a Deaf man.

Key Elements of Deaf History

Can’t emphasize this enough - this is a VERY abbreviated list! It is also not in order. Sorry. That being said:

For a long time in America, Deaf children were not educated, nor was it considered possible to educate them. When this did change, American deaf children were educated in institutions, where they lived full-time. These children were often taken from their families young, and some never regained contact with their families. Some died and were buried at these institutions, all without their families’ knowledge.

In the early 20th century, oralism became popular among American deaf schools. This mode of teaching required lip reading and speech, no matter how difficult this was for students, and punished those who used or attempted to use sign language. Pure oralism is now widely considered inappropriate, outdated, and offensive.

Hopefully you’ve gleaned this from the above points, but d/Deaf schooling, education, and the hearing world’s involvement are a very sensitive subject. Proceed with caution. It’s unlikely your d/Deaf character would have a neutral relationship with schooling.

Helen Keller is probably the most famous deafblind person in America. In her time, she was also known for being a socio-political activist, a socialist, and a vaudeville actress. There are dozens of other famous d/Deaf people who are a quick Google search away. Give your Deaf character Deaf heroes, please.

The Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, was passed in 1991, and represented a landmark victory for disabled activists in America. Among its provisions were closed captioning for Deaf individuals, ASL interpreters for public services, and the right for d/Deaf children to attend accessible, accommodating public schools. The ADA is a HUGE deal. It’s also not perfect.

In 1961, cochlear implants were invented. I was going to write more about cochlear implants here, but it’s too long. New section.

Cochlear Implants

Massively massively massively controversial in the Deaf community. Always have been, potentially always will be. For people who strongly identify with Deafness and the Deaf community, CIs are an attack on their identity, their personhood, and their community’s right to exist. 

Do not allow people to “hear.” The input that a person receives from CI can, with physical therapy, training, and time, be understood and processed in a similar way to sound. This does not mean it would be recognizable to a hearing person as sound. It is often described by people who have them as being metallic, buzzy, or robotic. YouTube is a great resource for sound references.

In order for a cochlear implant to be effective, a personal will have to participate in years of training and therapy to correct process, understand, and interpret the feedback given by the CI. This is not negotiable. Even if your character just lost their hearing in an accident last week, a CI will not allow them to instantaneously regain that hearing. Nothing that currently exists in the real world will do that.

CIs, to be most effective, are almost always implanted when the recipient is very young. This decision is often made by hearing parents. This, again, is massively controversial, as Deaf activists argue that it violates the child’s bodily autonomy and is inherently anti-Deaf.

A cochlear implant, once placed, irreparably destroys any residual hearing that the recipient may have had. This is because it penetrates the inner ear in order to function. This residual hearing cannot be regained, even if the cochlear implant is not used.

Deaf people do choose to get cochlear implants of their own accord. Many d/Deaf people are very happy with their cochlear implants! It is still a highly charged choice in light of the political history surrounding d/Deafness and hearing.

Notes About American Sign Language

ASL is not a signed version of English. It is a distinct language, with its own vocabulary, slang, and grammar. Just a sentence would not be constructed the same way in Russian, Spanish, or Tagalog, a sentence in ASL would not be a direct translation of its English equivalent.

Deaf people have historically lower rates of literacy. This is not due to a lack of intelligence; it is because ASL and English are two different languages. ASL has no written equivalent. In order to be able to read or write, d/Deaf children must learn an entirely different language. This means that it is not realistic to always be able to communicate with d/Deaf people through writing.

As ASL is a visual language, many signs started out as very literal gestures. This means that many older signs are continuously being phased out as they or their roots are recognized as stereotypical or offensive. Please be careful in researching signs. I recommend Handspeak or Signing Savvy for accurate, relatively up-to-date information.

Many online “teachers” do not have credentials to teach ASL, and especially due to the prevalence of “baby sign,” home signs, invented signs, or false information spreads unchecked. If you see multiple different signs advertised for the same English word, please be diligent in checking your sources.

Not every English word has a distinct signed equivalent, and not every sign has an English equivalent.

SEE is almost never used by Deaf people. It’s rarely used and is generally thought of as a “lesser” version of both English and ASL.

ASL is a complete, complex, nuanced language. A character would not switch into SEE for a technical conversation or really any reason. Complex ideas, technical terms, and even poetry can all be expressed in American Sign Language.

Just like in English, there are some signs that are only considered appropriate for certain people to use. For example, the sign for “Black” when referring to a Black person has a modified version that is only used by Black signers. This does not mean it is a slur or the equivalent of a slur. It is a sign reserved for Black signers referring to other Black people.

Things to Consider/Avoid/Be Aware Of

I hesitate to tell anyone to avoid anything, because I don’t think I have that authority. That being said:

The Deaf community has a complicated history and relationship with cochlear implants and the concept of being “cured.” What message are you sending when you write a story in which a d/Deaf character is “cured” of their d/Deafness?

Generally speaking, d/Deaf people do not identify with the “disabled” label. Each person has their own preferences, and those preferences should always be respected. Your character(s) may choose differently than their real life community, but you should put thought into why that is.

Generally speaking, d/Deaf people use IFL. This means that a majority of d/Deaf people in America would describe themselves as d/Deaf people, rather than people with deafness, people with hearing loss, people that are hard of hearing, etc.

Okay I lied I’m going to tell you what to do here: Do not use words like mute, deaf-mute, or dumb when describing d/Deaf people. Hearing impaired is also not ideal but is considered outdated, rather than outright offensive.

The best lip readers are judged to be able to catch 30% of the words people say. How realistic is it to have a character that relies 100% on lipreading? What do you gain when you write a character that lipreads, and what do you lose?

Yes, Deaf people can drive. I don’t know why so many people wonder about this. It’s okay if you didn’t know, but please don’t come into my ask box about it.

Assistive Devices/Aids

Cochlear implants ^ see above

Interpreters. Will have gone to school for years, might have specific training for certain environments or technical terms, etc. For instance, an interpreter that works with Deaf people that have mental illnesses would be fully fluent in ASL as well as having requisite mental health training in order to interpret for them. Interpreters could be a whole other post actually, but I won’t tackle that now.

Closed captions. Self-explanatory.

Alarm clocks, fire alarms, and doorbells that use light instead of sound. This is sometimes a typical flashing light, but particularly fire alarms in predominantly d/Deaf spaces can be overwhelmingly bright. Bright like you’ve never seen before. Bright enough to wake someone from a dead sleep.

Some assistive devices also use sensation - alarms that actually shake bedframes exist and are the best choice for some people!

Service dogs - can alert people to sounds like the above - fire alarms, doorbells, knocking, etc.

Hearing aids. Generally not controversial in the way that CIs are. Only effective if people have residual hearing. Do not really expand the range of sounds people can hear, just amplify sounds in that range. Very, very expensive.

Microphones. If a d/Deaf or HOH person is in a crowd/lecture setting, the speaker will want to use a microphone. If this is a frequent occurrence, the microphone may be linked to a small personal speaker or earbud used by the d/Deaf or HOH person.

TTY: Much less frequent now that everyone can text and email, but stands for Text Telephone Device and was/is a way to send written communication over a telephone line. The message is sent, the phone rings, and a robot voice reads the message. Obviously, this is not effective for d/Deaf people communicating with other d/Deaf people, but it was often used to communicate with hearing people/hearing establishments, as when setting up appointments.

Media About/Including Deafness

No media is perfect and unproblematic, but here are somethings I have seen that I can verify do at least a pretty good job -

CODA is a movie that features Deaf actors, ASL, and a story about growing up, family, and independence vs. interdependence. 

The Sound of Metal is a movie that features ASL and a story about identity, recovery, and hearing loss/Deaf gain.

A Quiet Place is a movie features ASL and Deaf actors, although Deafness itself is not necessarily integral to the story.

BUG: Deaf Identity and Internal Revolution by Christopher Heuer is a collection of essays by a Deaf man that discuss a wide range of topics. This book is not always up to modern standards of political correctness.

Train Go Sorry by Leah Hager Cohen is a memoir by the granddaughter of a Deaf man, which discusses the intersections of the hearing and Deaf worlds.

Far From the Tree by Andrew Solomon is a research book about the effect of horizontal identity on parent/child relationships and features a chapter on d/Deafness. This is a good look at how d/Deafness can impact familial relationships. Some aspects of the book are outdated, and it was written by a hearing author, albeit one who extensively interviewed Deaf and hearing parents of Deaf children.

If you made it this far, congratulations! Thank you so much for taking the time to read through my lil/not so lil primer :) If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or feedback, please feel free to hit me up! If you have any requests for a diagnosis or a disability you’d like me to write about next, I’d love to hear it. Happy writing!

#writing disabled characters #writing disability #writing advice #longpost #deafness #deaf characters #writing deaf characters #disability writing guide #hard of hearing #hard of hearing characters

[corgitation]

resources I'm using for studying japanese

vocab/kanji:

wanikani: I use daily reviews to learn kanji and vocabulary using the kanji. This resource isn't free, but this has really helped me stay consistent. I like the UI and find the content helpful

renshuu: this is my favorite mobile app, I use this to learn JLPT-specific vocab and kanji. I use the free version

mochi srs: the best flashcard app! The UI is super easy to use and has lots of shortcuts for making and reviewing cards fast. You can easily create and edit templates for cards, and have cards reference other cards. I have a deck for kanji and one for vocab, and my vocab template references any kanji that are used in the vocab tab. There's also super easy furigana, lots of features for japanese.

grammar:

bunpro: really good for grammar, this has lessons for each grammar rule and divides them into groups through popular textbooks and their own groupings for jlpt grammar

genki textbooks: pretty standard textbook for learning vocab, grammar, and kanji

genki study resources: great site with activities for all the genki lessons

tokini andy genki reviews: extra practice for genki lessons, explains some grammar more clearly, introduces new dialogue.

reading:

japanese folktales for language learners and japanese stories for language learners: folktales are a really great way to learn, because these references come up a lot. I've seen references to urashimo taro in evangelion, and the new pokemon dlc is a reference to momotaro. This book has the japanese on one page and english on the other, with vocabulary after the chapter. (here and here on natively)

animal crossing new leaf tobimori: I've recently started playing this and it's so much fun. I'm already really familiar with the game so I don't depend on any of the text for playing, and it's good for more common expressions, differences in speech between polite/casual/male/female etc. I have a post describing how I'm able to play this here. (here on lingotrack)

listening:

japanese with shun: big fan of this podcast, it's free on spotify and youtube, which scripts on patreon. Each podcast is about a short subject, and they're all in japanese. (here on lingotrack)

learn japanese pod: some free podcasts on spotify with more paid content, this one is both about japanese and in japanese. It will teach phrases for specific scenarios, like ordering sushi or refusing situations.

tracking:

lingotrack: I started time tracking a couple of months ago and it's been so helpful! This site is great for quickly logging study activities and seeing how the time stacks up. It helps me identify which areas I'm spending enough time in and which ones are lacking. I also use the library section for keeping track of my japanese native content

toggl: I use this online stopwatch for tracking the time for different study activities so I can log them in lingotrack. It also has a browser extension which I usually use

finding native content:

natively: excellent site for finding comprehensible input content and tracking days read. This site has a lot of reviews for books so it makes it easy to find books that are on level. You can follow me here

lingotrack: collections in lingotrack provides user generated groups of content so that you can create an see groupings of native material content. There aren't as many reviews for material here as there are for natively though, so I find material there and then add them here. You can follow me here

other:

tofugu: this blog has everything. Use it for finding reviews on japanese language resources, learning grammar rules, etc.

jisho: dictionary app, I use it as my source of truth for vocab and kanji meanings

heisig's remembering the kanji: a different approach to learning kanji, this focuses on first teaching the simplest kanji and building from ones you already know. This is different from wanikani, which will make sure you know (its own) particles before introducing the kanji that uses them, but focuses on learning kanji and vocab in priority order. I'm listing it here because I don't use it much anymore

deepl: ai translator, works much better than google translate. You can also put sentences in chatgpt and ask it for broken down explanations. Take any translations from ai with a grain of salt - they are great tools but do not ensure accuracy

edit 3/10/2024: added tracking and native content sections, added links to lingotrack and natively for media

#japanese studyblr #studyblr #langblr #language #japanese

[thechekhov]

i see alot of people asking you lgbtqa+ questions so i figured i'd ask one! Why do some people identify as transexual vs transgender? is it just a preference in what label/term or is there a difference? I always thought the word transexual was phobic until i saw a lot of trans people using it?

Good question! Where to start...

Well, what you have to understand first is this:

Words evolve. 

Words change, word meaning shifts, words that we use today are NOT the same ones we used ten years ago, fifty years ago, 500 years ago. Language is constantly evolving to fit the needs of the group who uses it. 

And that’s not even going into the fact that different languages will (obviously) have different words for very similar concepts! Even if many words get traded around and adapted into languages, there’s a good chance that what started OUT as the same word will evolve and change into ANOTHER word, different from its original language.

Transsexual was a term originally introduced in Germany, in 1921(source). It was (and in some parts of the world continues to be) the standard term for someone who is trans and is seeking transition through hormone therapy or surgical means. 

The term transgender, on the other hand, was coined in 1965, and was originally designed to be an umbrella term for all who felt that they did not fit their assigned gender. With that understanding, transsexual was a term meant to indicate those who specifically thought to transition medically, vs those who did not. 

That being said - as I mentioned, words change! More recently, many people in the US and other countries (though not all) reject the term transsexual and have adapted the word transgender as a general one. That doesn’t mean one word is automatically ‘better’ than the other, however.

I have met a trans man from Germany who used the term ‘transsexual’ to refer to himself because to him, that was the common term. I know transgender women who have transitioned medically and still dislike using the term ‘transsexual’. It all depends on your background, your culture, and your linguistic history re: LGBTQIA+ vocab.

In general, the most simple rule of thumb is - use transgender to refer to people, but don’t be surprised if some people, especially older folks, or folks from non-US countries, use ‘transsexual’! 

#transgender #transsexual #lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtqia #trans #pride 2022 #pride #chekhov answers

[aikoiya]

Aikoiya's Writing Tips Masterlist

Important:

Everyone Who Makes NSFW Content (And Those Who Are Uncomfortable With NSFW)

Dadvice - Yo, if any young dude sees this & they don't have a dad or father figure in their lives to explain stuff, go here. I hope it helps.

Remember To Download Fave Fics On Ao3

Google Alternatives

You Can Give People 2nd Kudos On Ao3!!

How Get Sleep

Also, keep in mind that I'll be updating this whenever I find decent writing tips. So, check back with the version on my blog whenever, even if you've reblogged already.

My Stuff:

Tips For New Writers

The Importance of Establishing the Rules of Your Fic - Warning: This one's a bit of a rant.

List of Units of Time

Proper Characterization In Ships - Just my personal 2 cents.

My Personal Neologisms - Making up my own words. (Free to use.)

Realistic Resurrection Mechanics - From a storytelling standpoint. (League of Legends)

The Duty of Nobility - An Ideal

Portrayal of Deities in Fanfics

Portrayals of War Gods & Other Such Nonesense

Haunted Jukebox

You Will Always Be You - Motivational

Blessed Be The Creative

How I Define Shipping

Fear the Man Who Fears No God

Female Fighting Styles

Also, OneLook is a Godsend. If you're looking for a word, but all you have is the definition, then OneLook might help. Now, it isn't 100%, but it's definitely useful.

Other People's Stuff: (If anyone doesn't want their stuff on this list, please tell me & I'll remove it)

Realistic Way To Write More Consistently - Evidently works with Autism?

Guide to Naming Settlements - Toponymics

The Importance of Emphasis - Syntax Can Be Fun!

Motivation for Writing

Tips For Writing Dialogue

Canon Isn't Gospel, But It's Useful & Fun

Cultural Clothing References!!

Writing Tone

Uncommon English Words

Roman Numerals - (Cause I sure as heck can't remember them.)

Fight Scenes Advice - @illarian-rambling

Advice For Writing Deaf/Mute/Blind Characters

Things That May Be Causing Your Writer's Block & How To Fix It

How To Give Your Characters Chemistry - @tanaor

Fighting Scene Vocab

Gemstones

Writer's Block Cure Ideas

Types of Writer's Block

Why You Might Be Procrastinating & How To Fix It

Ways To Solve The 'Why Not Use Magic To Fix Everything' Question

Snappy Responses To "We're Soldiers; I'm Doing My Job"

Identifying Active vs Passive Voices in Sentences

Foreshadowing

Motivation Debugging

Long-Fic Help

Thou Thee Thy & Thine - Proper Useage

Nervous Tension Vocab

When Characters First Learn Swordfighting

Writing Blacksmiths

Computer Shortcuts

Writing Liars Believably

Love vs Lust

How to Depict Heartbroken Body Language in a Man

Medical: (Sponsored By @skyloftian-nutcase)

Ways You Can Pass Out

Dealing With Stab & Arrow Wounds

Time To Die of Organ Ruptures

Bluntforce Abdominal Injury

Writing Bloodloss

Fashion Vocab:

Shoes - @sartorialadventure

Collars - @sartorialadventure

Skirts - @sartorialadventure

Collars & Suits (Men's Fashion) - @suitdup

Historical Hairstyles - @eyesofdovesbytheriversofwaters

Types of Neck Ties

Music YouTube Won't Let Me Save (becuase it's being dumb):

Lullaby For A Ghost

Other Stuff:

DnD Subclass & Profession Ideas

Redoing Disney's Hercules - A Compromise Between Myth & Revision

Yōkai vs Kami

Complex Japanese Concepts - Looking for a specific word & would like help.

Draconic Crystomagic Infusion

Dragon HC

Dragon Forms

How I'd Do Scooby-Doo

Inconvenient History:

Black History

What's In My Heart:

A Stepping Stone on the Path to Jesus

My Other Major Masterlists:

Mythology Masterlist

LoZ Wild Masterlist

DP Ghost Zone Masterlist

Spiderman Masterlist

Arcane Masterlist

MLP FIM Masterlist

DB Masterlist

Inuyasha Masterlist

Homestuck Masterlist

Wizarding World Masterlist

Adventure Time Masterlist

Random Fandom Masterlist

Aikoiya Art Masterlist

#writing #literature #creative writing #masterlist #writing masterlist #aikoiya's writing tips

[tmos-time]

Your erisol skills by osmosis doodle got me thinking... So Eri would gain the coding brain cell and maybe some competence in pvp games (I feel like Sollux plays those).

But what would Sollux absorb? My first thought is maybe it would be Eridan's impressive vocab. Would Sollux start using words like ostensive and indomitable, without batting an eye?

Think of the looks he'd get from the others using obsequious correctly but they have absolutely no clue what it means. God forbid someone pointed it out, he'd probs start reading children's books to try and reset it XD

But would he gain any practical/more physically identifiable skills from ED?

ohhh so i HAVE thought of this on and off! i think sollux would have eridans mental encyclopedia of words, AS WELL as a new surplus of history and trivial knowledge that sollux could Not give a single shit about-- sollux nearly smacks eridan over the head with a mousepad when he realizes eridan's the source of suddenly knowing Too Goddamn Much about troll historical figures, eridan-specific scientific interests, and highblood art among other things lmfao

honestly i was going to say that nothing comes to mind about any practical/physically identifiable skills but yknow what? real funny visual coming to mind of sollux inexplicably knowing how to handle and care for all the guns eridan ever got his hands on lmao

#tmos opens mail #Anonymous #thanks for the ask anon! ✨ #meant to answer this over my lunch break but the time got away from me; oops! #probably wont put this in the tags but itll show up in the search regardless lol #also before i forget; its so funny you brought up the specific flavor of video games you think eridan would get from sollux #i've always imagined sollux as a rhythm games type of nerd. the image of eridan playing taiko drum and somehow doing it WELL? hilarious <3

[spanishskulduggery]

I have a question about the subtlety of translation and Spanish. I'm a very new learner, and was reading this Calvin & Hobbes strip: https://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbesespanol/2023/04/21

In it, Calvin says "¿Sabes cómo la leche sale por la nariz?¨, which I read as ¨Do you know how the milk comes out through the nose?¨ but the English version of the comic says "You know how milk comes out your nose?¨

The first is clearly a question of, Do you know how this thing works? Whereas the second is more like, Are you familiar with this thing?

Is there a way to distinguish between the two in Spanish? Is it perhaps an idiomatic use of saber, or a tense I´m not familiar with yet?

Also, while we're here: Why la nariz and not tu nariz?

Gracias!

(PS: I warn you now, I have a ton of questions like this as I'm learning!)

(PPS: English version: https://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/2023/04/21)

Truthfully it's really only by context that you can understand it. Your assumption could be correct in a different context, like if someone were legitimately asking "how does milk come out of your nose", but the rest of the context makes it read like... "so you know how..."

I feel like it's better understood vocally but if it were like ¿sabes CÓMO...? with the emphasis on cómo I would more interpret as "do you know how?"

...Me personally if I were asking how someone how something happened I would maybe say ¿sabes por qué? "do you know why/how (something happens)?" but I can see why you'd misunderstand it just by reading

It's something that would make more sense if you heard the vocal expression; it's not a specific function of saber, and it's not something you don't know... it's just a translation quirk

-

As far as la nariz vs. tu nariz it's a little quirk of Spanish with body parts

Many body parts are given the article [el, la, los, las] simply because ownership or possession is implied

As an example: se ha roto el brazo "he/she broke their arm", or me sangra la nariz "my nose is bleeding", or me lavo las manos "I wash my hands"

These expressions read impersonally in English; "he/she broke the arm", or "the nose bleeds me", and "I wash myself the hands"

But because the verbs are conjugated they imply who the subject corresponds to. Some expressions also have different object pronouns [which is a separate matter], but consider a sentence like me duele la garganta "my throat hurts"... it literally reads as "the throat pains me"

In a sentence like me duele la garganta it's implied that the "throat" is your own, because it wouldn't make sense in any other context

It's only when ownership/possession of a body part could be confused that you would maybe use a possessive... and that doesn't happen TOO too often since you can infer whose body part it is based on the object pronoun [me, te, le, se, nos etc. depending on what exact grammatical function they have] or the conjugation itself

Where you don't see them is when you're pointing things out or identifying them... like es mi cara "it's my face", or es tu nariz "it's your nose"

But in general, body parts rarely show up with possessive adjectives in Spanish. This also applies to organs, and (in general but not always) applies to things that belong only to you or are considered to be bodily in some way like "soul", "spirit", etc.

If you read more grammar related to body parts, especially like aches and pains or if you start learning about doctor's visits vocab you'll see more of that.

#asks #Spanish #langblr #long post #la gramatica #language learning #learn spanish

[orange-orchard-system]

hi! I'm part of a traumagenic system,

and im starting to be less bitter about endo systems.

I'm mainly just asking why some non-disordered/non-traumagenic systems use the term alters, I'm also wondering why you and others use the term system anyway despite the controversy? especially given they both have history in the medical field

(alot of old plurality sources reference that they borrowed/where inspired by the term system, and I think another tumblr blog went into detail about it)

also I hope this doesn't come off negative or we are also autistic so i hope it doesn't come off too blunt or rude,

i just genuinely want to understand better /gen

I have no idea what controversy you're referring to, unless it's the idea that endo systems are "stealing words" by using these terms, but I'll try my best.

The term "system" has its first roots in the plural/multiple community, taking from the definition of a system as "a group of things working together"; the first self-identifiers of "plural systems" or "multiple systems". In the medical circles of back then (aka, back when the community was first getting its footing), we were mostly just known as "people with MPD", and not very well respected or even humanized, which made these early communities (and their budding discussions on self-identification and understanding who they were) important. So, as for why non-disordered and non-traumagenic systems use the term "system" – well, it's our term. "System" is a community born term that's been here for decades, and psychiatrists adopted the term from us, not the other way around. Even then, though, we're still often only known within the contexts of specific dissociative disorders; you're more likely to find a medical text referring to, say, a "person with DID", rather than a "DID system". Using "system" to describe yourself, whether you're referring to yourself as a system of parts, a system of people, or a system of some secret third thing, is to partake in the community building that has been going on for many years now. And also, as I'll go into more in just a second, it's just a very common term to use, which makes it appealing. Take just a few glances around any corner of the community and you'll find someone(s) who identifies as a system, no matter what the type or origin of system. Outside of the medical circles I just mentioned, it's pretty much one of the default terms for someone who is more-than-one.

Alters is, admittedly, more medical, coming from "alternate personality states", but even still... it's just the default term for us in a lot of places. "Headmates" has been gaining traction in recent years, but "alter" is still the more commonly used term to refer to any member of a system, regardless of their origin or how their system works. I can't really fault people for deciding they're going to use the most common term for who they are, especially when it comes to discussions with others. Think of when you wish to talk to someone about your system – "alters" is probably the term that a person unfamiliar with plurality or systemhood is still going to recognize and know what it's referring to, thus making the term appealing to those who don't wish to give a vocab lesson whenever they talk about their system. Moreover, a lot of these alternative words for "alter" are very based in the English language; when we speak to our French friend about systems, while we may refer to ourselves or fictional systems with terms like "headmates" and "others", she defaults to "alters", as that's the only term either of us have found to refer to system members in French. When a term is this common that it's the default in multiple languages, it only makes sense that systems of all origins and types would use it, even if they're not traumagenic or disordered. Aside from that, folks may have their own individual reasons, but as I am not every system out there, I cannot be sure what these are.

I think I have the sources for these things and more context somewhere in my #resources or #history tags, but there's a lot in there to sift through, so, dig in at your own discretion. I'll tag this post with those tags to help you find whatever. Thanks for being kind in your questions, anon. I hope this helps you understand just a little bit better.

Edit: I do want to clarify something, as I went back through my own tags myself, and realized something I spoke of may not be clear – in this post, I write about how "system" is a community born term, which is true. However, I mean this in the sense/context of "system" being a community born self-identifier that helped reclaim a system's personhood in the face of dehumanization, and the general attitude of this is still present in today's usage of the term, thus making the term something systems of all origins and types may wish to also use as a self-identifier. The word "system" does have psychiatric usage before the era I spoke of, but it was much more general, and, as I mentioned earlier, is still far from a typical term to use in medical texts. Furthermore, despite this history, there are accounts that suggest that terms like "plural system" and "multiple system" may have originated organically (without influence of this past usage of the term), and thus would not be related to this past medical context. It was only after the term became known as A Thing™ in association with being more-than-one that it actually started picking up traction and became known as something specific in psychiatric contexts, which is why I refer to psychiatrists picking it up from self-described systems. Due to all this, "system" is not often considered much of a medical term, but rather a community term. Apologies if that wasn't clear.

#history #resources #front soup.txt #asks

[vermillioncrown]

Christ. Our BFF ZYX gets to punch WWX and also gets to fuck off to somewhere else and instead of a good time it's a motherfucking business conference where instead of learning shit you have to pander to your CEO? and they didn't even get to enjoy the punch. Even Xania-hellscape has to have SOME good parts, lord. This is terrible. Give Yuxun hot cocoa, a blanket, and a panic room.

unfortunately zyx lives in a Society, and the only good parts of this society is the lack of student loans, very dodge-able taxes, and magic sword fighting. chocolate is not in asia yet (let's ignore the chili thing yeah? yeah. that's not my sin, soooo) and panic room = seclusion in a cave

=

they couldn't even punch wwx, let alone have something to enjoy

=

they'll get some stuff to use as coping mechanisms next ch. is it better? eh. but a salad will be involved, and nothing cleanses like a nice, simply dressed, vegetable going cronch.

=

in seriousness, all these things are related. here, we see zyx in compute-error mode, where their mind wants one thing (maybe?) and their habits and survival mindset isn't letting them have it.

another is the implicit discussion on obligation, and what that means to me (aka zyx, and other people of in-between cultures). it might seem... nonsensical how zyx basically makes life difficult for themself, like "motherfucker you have two legs and a sword and you don't need to eat, just walk away?!?"

it's weird, growing up between an individualistic culture and collective one. to an extreme, neither are good. one thing that i can honestly admit that stunted me (and as a result, zyx is clearly Demonstrating) is the fear/inability to ask for help or that they can't do a thing, or negotiate obligations. obligations aren't bad--in like, how you can reasonably expect people will give you right of way on the street, or you should be respectful in public spaces, parents should care for their kids, etc etc--it helps people coexist. however, in a collectivist culture, in one with as high-context of a language as chinese, directly negotiating what obligations you can or want to handle (even if that negotiation will net benefits for everyone) is like if someone peed in your coffee at the coffee shop. you'd be baffled because "did that really happen?" "i don't have the operating procedures for this edge case of a social interaction, of which this barely qualifies"

what makes it more frustrating, to both the reader and myself (and if it's frustrating, then good i'm conveying it), is that zyx clearly has the vocabulary to identify their problem. (contrast with jzx, in which there was a throwaway line in earlier chs + his current frustrations where he doesn't have that vocab, doesn't understand, and gets even more frustrated because it feels like everything is wrong but no one notices.) but what can't be completely done is me showing you guys how disjoint that vocabulary is in both of zyx's 'native' languages. one set of vocabulary developed with one type of interaction and culture, and the other with another type. and they don't have the excuse of childhood bluntness and naivete to allow them to bulldoze through social interactions because that's the whole everything of them being an adult and hyper-cognizant of how they don't belong, needing to navigate carefully rather than other flavors of SIs/OCs that are teens and kids and really do act like that.

things matter, in a very specific way, to zyx and that's why given where they are in this life, it's never gonna be a stress-free fun time.

... unless they become sect leader in the future after things are truly peaceful (for this generation, at least)

then they can justify telling people, "this one is taking paid leave" ✌

"... huzi we don't get paid?"

#on dbd #inquiry #Anonymous #ch 20 is in no way the climax of the fic but it is def the boiling point for a lot of points i've been poking at in earlier chapters #the little bits of seriousness that zyx tries to gloss over with humor or understatements or sarcasm #like i never want my writing to be an Angst Fest even when talking serious shit #but it's always been serious and a very honest what-if. and if i'm anything it's fucking pedantic and anal-retentive about details

[merlions]

Hmm I know the whole thing of cis people not having a great grasp of trans related vocab/not wanting to say certain words is what spawned phrases and questions like "are you a they/them?" (Variations I've heard lately include "so is [name] a she/her now? Or she's still a she/they?" Etc) And that at first glance it can seem kinda transphobic, or at least kinda infantilizing

But I was just kinda hit with a realization that like that's actually a pretty fuckin decent way to ask if someones not cis? Especially on the fronts of safety and respect for privacy.

Like not everyone who is not-cis identifies as trans, or nonbinary, or both. Not everyone has specific labels for exactly their gender, not everyone even wants to find one, not everyone wants to tell people what specifics they've figured out. It also doesn't force you to verbally say or admit much of anything that would put you in a dangerous position if a bigot were to overhear this exhange. This person may be aware that you may not feel safe telling more detail to anyone, or that you've clocked nearby dangerous people that they aren't aware of.

Crucially it is a correct-pronouns-first type of thing. Like you can tell the person more about your gender, if you want to; but they are ONLY asking what pronouns you use, and any additional detail you give them is absolutely and entirely under your control and discretion.

Like I'm not saying it's the best ever way to ask if someone is not-cis or anything but like in retrospect, I think I judged that whole thing a bit too harshly and I genuinely think it's not a bad thing to have in this world

#definitely could think of a hundred thousand ways it could have been soooo much worse at the very least lmfao

[whumpinggrounds]

General Disability Etiquette for Writers

Vocab

Disabled is defined as “having a physical or mental condition that limits movement, senses, or abilities.” People can have a condition that fits these parameters and still not self-describe as disabled. This should be respected.

Neurodivergent is defined as “differing in mental or neurological function from what is considered typical or normal.” You may notice this is a very vague definition, as it’s a relatively recent term, and what “counts” as neurodivergent is still being defined.

Able-bodied, nondisabled, or abled are terms that refer to people who do not have physical or mental conditions that limit their movement, senses, or abilities. These people should not be described as normal. Normal is an invented concept.

Neurotypical refers to people that are not neurodivergent. Typically, this means that these people do not have mental illness or cognitive differences.

Person First Language, or PFL is a system of referring to people as people first. An example would be describing someone as a “person with Down Syndrome.” This is the same system that guides terms like “people of color” or “people experiencing homelessness.”

Identity First Language, or IFL is a system of referring to people by their disabled identity first. Examples would include describing people as “a Deaf woman” or “an Autistic advocate.” This is the same system that guides terms like “queer woman” or “trans person.”

There are communities that have broad opinions on PFL versus IFL, but when in doubt, ask the individual you’re referring to what they prefer. Do not ever tell someone their preferred identifier is wrong. Until recently, there was a big push for PFL to be the standard, and even able-bodied people felt comfortable pushing that, sometimes against the wishes of disabled people who preferred IFL. Person first language is not “more PC” than identity first, and people’s individual choices about this should be respected no matter what.

Accessible bathroom/parking space/seating is vastly preferred to “handicapped bathroom/parking/seating.”

In general, the disabled community rejects terms like handicapped, but also euphemisms such as special/special needs, twice exceptional, differently abled, or handi-capable. Again, there may be people who feel differently about this, and that’s okay!

Accessible refers not just to spaces that can be accessed by wheelchairs. If you’re writing for a specific character’s access needs, a space can be described as accessible even if it does not fit other imaginable access needs. If a space is being described as universally accessible, please try to consider needs beyond mobility.

Accommodations refer to alterations made to make a space or program accessible. This is not the same as the space/program being accessible. If changes need to be made in order to fit a disabled character’s needs, that space is being accommodating, not accessible.

Functioning labels and “mental ages” are widely considered inappropriate. They’ve also been widely used for a long time, and are still prevalent, but they ignore the changing and complex reality of disabled bodyminds and should be avoided.

Bodymind is a term that refers to the body and mind as a single integrated unit, where the mind/brain/consciousness cannot and should not be meaningfully separated from the body/embodied experience

Support needs refer to what a person needs to live their life. This can range from someone needing a wheelchair to move, to someone needing a car to drive to work. Able bodied people also have support needs.

Ableism is discrimination on the basis of disability. This refers to any kind of disability.

Sanism is discrimination on the basis of mental illness specifically.

Lateral ableism refers to ableism coming from a person or community that also falls under the disabled umbrella.

Eugenics refers to the idea that the human race can be “improved” by selecting for certain genes that are felt to be “superior.” It is a concept with a long, extremely dark history, and is widely considered a despicable idea and practice. Though it is widely condemned, the ideas and values that underlie eugenicist thinking still affect policy, treatment of disabled people, and imagined futures.

Please do some research on the specific diagnosis you’re writing about to find out what language is appropriate and inappropriate. I’m not going to make an exhaustive list here, mostly because I don’t want to write out a bunch of shitty ableist terms that still won’t cover everything. If you’re unsure about something, look it up.

General Etiquette

It is not appropriate to ask people person medical questions and expect answers. It is not appropriate to tell someone that you pity them, that you’ll pray for them, or that they inspire you. Do not give advice to disabled people about their bodies, diagnoses, or treatments. Generally speaking, no one should talk to disabled people as though they are any different than an able-bodied person.

How does this apply to your writing? Don’t have your characters behave in ways that run counter to the above points, and frame it as a good thing. Even if they’re doing their disabled friend/neighbor/stranger a favor, consider why the recipient of help needs to be disabled, and why this is an easy way to show that your character is “good.” Do not have your character appear and “cure” or easily solve difficult aspects of a disabled character’s life.

Disabled people don’t owe anyone explanations. This may include your audience. If it comes up, if it’s integral to the story, or if you simply want to, go into depth about your character’s disability or diagnosis. Also consider having a character that has a disability and do not explain what it is, or where it came from. (Shoutout Furiosa from Mad Max: Fury Road)

Disabled people are capable. Just because someone has support needs does not mean that they are totally dependent on others. Agency can look like doing something for oneself, but it can also look like being the person in charge of what’s being done, even if tasks are physically completed by others.

Do not pet, talk to, or approach a working service dog. Don’t even tell a working dog that they’re a good boy/girl/dog. Dogs are animals and they’re easily distracted. Owners should not have to worry that their dog missed something, or restart a complicated series of commands, because you wanted to say hi to their dog.

Assume competence. Always assume that a disabled person, no matter how they present, is capable of communicating for themselves. Do not talk down to them or address the people they may be with. Even if they have a cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disability.

You cannot always tell if a person has a cognitive, intellectual, or a developmental disability. They may have a speech impediment. They may communicate differently than you do. Their first language may not be English. They may be overstimulated or distracted and their communication may suffer as a result of that.

Disabled people have rights. This seems obvious, but I’m going to talk a bit more about what this means. Even cognitively disabled people have the right to decide what happens to them. This includes the right to refuse lifesaving care. As we know from the well-publicized Britney Spears conservatorship story, it is possible to transfer the rights of a disabled/neurodivergent person to an abled, neurotypical guardian. This is a relatively rare, expensive, and complicated process. It’s also often abused or misunderstood. Generally speaking, your disabled characters should have the right to control what happens to them, same as any abled character.

Research the community/disability/diagnosis that you’re writing about! Understand the medical implications, but try to get perspective on the social issues as well. Try to understand the community as well!

As ever, none of this is set in stone. Much of it is opinion based! This one in particular is short and very vague; for more specific guidance, research individual disabilities or check out the things I’ve already posted on writing disabilities. If you have questions, comments, or especially concerns, please visit me in my ask box. Happy writing!

#disability writing guide #disability etiquette #writing disabled characters #disability representation

[apollos-arc]

☾༺looking for a penpal༻☽

Hey! I'm Apollo, I live in the UK I'm looking for a penpal around 17-22, from anywhere I really don't mind (even the UK cause at least shipping will be cheaper)

I'd prefer snail mail ideally but emails I think would also be cute!

Any time of snail mail is totally cool :) I'd most likely be sending letters with some cute stickers, polaroid's and packets of tea etc, so if that's your thing then hit me up! Non negotiable - I will not accept penpals who are bigoted in any way, I'm lgbt so queer people are absolutely welcome (no terfs) <3 more under the cut

I have experience with penpals and I would prefer to have a conversation over messages first and preferably send an identifying photo first! (my first penpal did one holding up a specific hand signal so I knew they were genuine). I'm 18, NB (afab), Romani and I live in the east of England! I'm beginner level French but I love languages and other cultures in general so if anyone wants to swap vocab that would be awesome!

some interests of mine

▢ Ted Lasso

▢ Music (i like all types but 80s bands are cool)

▢ K-pop

▢ AEW

▢ Books (classics, YA, romance, horror)

▢ Poetry

▢ Painting (i am not good at it)

▢ TV and Movies (ofmd, good omens, many others)

some things I would like to send would be packets of tea, polaroids, maybe some trinkets, homemade photocards, stickers, stationary etc and then some diary entries, playlists, scent cards and pressed flowers. As well as some postcards!

if interested send me an ask (i wont publish it if you don't want), reply to this or shoot me a message <3 thank you

#penpal #snail mail #postcard

[an-organized-confusion]

Thinking about neurotypes again and about Gymrat!Remus.

Unlike Roman, he never had problems with dyscalculia (or any specific skill associated with that challenge.) In fact he excelled in those arenas - so picking up STEM knowledge was pretty easy for him.

But a few of his challenges that were more of a problem than his brother were...

Alexithymia - he’s shit at properly identifying his (and other people’s) emotional states (especially in the moment) and even though he has more vocab and supportive company to help him out here. It’s kinda like having Kid!Me learn how to finally read analog clocks without getting completely stumped/frustrated (it takes time and probably a bit more processing power than someone who doesn’t have any issues in the numbers arena.)

Which is wrapped up in stuff like his incredibly bad impulse control and interpersonal skills. He’s not a total monster in this AU, but it usually takes the consequences to hit either him or other people to realize he probably fucked up. (See: the whole AXE Body Spray incident in HS - realizing he aggravated the health of kids like Janus with that stunt.)

This also even more exacerbated by the fact that his gifts made him excel enough in coursework to be chronically under-stimulated and bored. He had a longer leash than Roman did just because of the gifted parts being more “conventionally respectable“, but absolutely inadequate help for the rest of his problems.

(And Esteban probably just  thought a lot of this shit was a phase Remus might outgrow, thinking Remus had no excuse whatsoever. Aaand probably some notions that makes it generally harder for AFAB people to get accurately screened for developmental concerns, anyways. He slipped through the cracks.)

#sanders sides #remus sanders #roman sanders #(roman's gifts were in the arts and he was p good at masking in most social contexts) #(but most people leave the A out of STEAM when it comes to academic appreciation) #(remus is creative in the the way science has art to it... but none of it's particularly pretty or always intelligible) #(again all of this is in acknowledgement all of this stuff runs a spectrum for people) #(while these two could be dx'd w/ something like adhd... i kinda want to play with the exp of someone who's und/late dx'd) #(ie when you just have a contellation of sx's that only make sense w/ the help of a trusted clinician)

[crimeronan]

my irish after a little under a year of study is at a point where Most of the time as i listen to raidió na gaeltachta, i can only follow the very broadest strokes of what’s being talked about - like, news recaps i can identify Who and What Topic is being mentioned, general discussions i can identify The Basic Topic This Discussion Is About, music i can identify the general vibes of whether this is a relationship/farming/sailing/anti-imperialism song, etc

except that there are times when rafi will see me light up & be like “what are they talking about?” and the answer is “oh they’re talking about language preservation inside and outside the gaeltacht and the role of parents versus schools and whether it’s feasible or practical to open more gaelscoileanna when almost every workplace uses english exclusively and-”

imagine if i actually learned common vocabulary like a normal fckn person instead of. just. hyperfixating on all the vocab related to one extremely specific niche of extremely specific political discourse in a country i do not live in

#also i have not studied enough over these past few months #i've kept the vocab i know fresh & maintained my duolingo streak but #haven't practiced tougher stuff like preposition conjugation and the tuiaseal ginideach enough #which has made me rusty. i need to think too much when formulating sentences #i credit the radio almost entirely with being the reason i can still understand well enough #even when i don't know vocab definitions (which is most of the time) i can at LEAST transcribe phonemes #but oh god. if i'd kept at the same pace i used in my first two months i'd be done with the duolingo course by now #kitkat learns gaeilge

[187days]

Day Eighty-Three

My APGOV students came in, crushed a vocab quiz- their very last one!- and then we did some test review. I addressed some common FRQ errors I saw on their last test- specifically, on the court case question and the argument essay- and practiced some questions with them. Then, I gave them the remainder of time to study independently, or work on other things. 

My World students continued to work on their multi-genre projects, and I did some planning and grading while they worked. I also answered questions, give research tips, and offered feedback on work when asked. One of the boys in my Block 2 class, who kept switching topics, finally found something he’s really interested in researching and blasted through half an essay. He even asked to switch into my room for his flex block so he could keep going because he “had the forward momentum, Miss M!” And then he had me read what he’d written because he was so proud of it (and rightly so- it’s good writing!), so that was awesome. 

It’s fun to watch my students soaring at the end of the semester. 

Also, not that I want to jinx it, but the vibe in my Block 3 class- which was awesome, at first, then abruptly became unsettled a few weeks ago- seems to have been restored. The attention-seeking behaviors that were so disruptive have largely ceased, there’s no argumentativeness, we’re having fun, the class conversations are positive... It’s such a relief to have that back! 

So, basically, what I’m saying is things are going well for me... which led to me causing some drama during today’s faculty meeting. 

Whoops. 

See, we’re supposed to write reflections on the first semester since it’s about to end, and The Principal gave us time to do that after making a few announcements. The prompt asked us to identify highlights and challenges, and I’ve definitely had both, but overall it’s been a good year. One of my colleagues at my table has NOT been having a good year, and it’s largely because she’s a department head, and the meetings between department heads and the administration have been pretty tough. I don’t know exactly what’s gone on, but I know they’re clashing. So this colleague kept saying she had no highlights to write about, and how could they think that anyone would, and I blurted out that I had plenty. Mrs. T told me that wasn’t a helpful comment, but... it was an honest one. Like, I’m not trying to be all toxic positivity over here- there are definitely things that need to be addressed, things we could be doing better, etc, etc...- but relentless negativity isn’t helpful either. 

I guess it was a “don’t rain on my parade” moment. Anyways, the moment passed, we all moved on. I’ll work on the brain to mouth filter in the future. 

#teaching #teacher #teachblr #edublr #educhums #education #high school #social studies #conversations about current events #Mrs. T #The Principal #faculty meeting #day eighty three

[distress]

hii sorry if this is an annoying question but i was curious how you went about learning japanese. are you self taught or did you take courses? any tips or things you wish you knew or did?

Not annoying at all, this is literally the first ask I’ve gotten in over a year LMAO. If anything I hope my response isn’t annoying. But I do wanna clarify that I am absolutely not fluent, I am just pretty good conversationally & pronunciation-wise. That being said I have dabbled in a lot of learning methods though I haven’t formally studied in quite a while (but keep trying to get back into it). This is going to be probably not great advice but pls feel free to ask for clarification/specifics

How I studied at first was self-study over a summer to reach intermediate level because the elementary level classes were always full at my college. When I did that, I used the Genki Textbooks, which I bought at that time since studying with a physical book & workbook is a LOT easier IMO, but you can find them for free online.

Over about 2.5 months I made it through all of Genki I. IIRC I made sure to do 2 chapters a week, all their workbook pages & textbook exercises sans listening. I was on a time crunch, which helped my motivation and is the only reason I did it so quickly.

I then took Intermediate Japanese I & II at my college, and my teacher was not very good, so I didn’t gain much from it outside of the kanji quizzes. Most of my classmates were a bit behind me (like bc they took the elem with the same not great teacher) or literally fluent and taking an easy A lmao.

If you want to self-study, definitely “shop around” to find what method works best for you. A physical textbook & workbook has always been my preferred method. DuoLingo is really good for the absolute basics & REALLY good for learning hiragana and katakana but is dogshit for grammar. Also finding an ideal study environment is super important.

If you are going to self-study but need a concrete goal/motivator, I would recommend signing up to take the JLPT IF IT IS ACCESSIBLE FOR YOU. It is only offered once a year in specific cities however. Here are the US locations for this December: https://www.aatj.org/jlpt-us/ (other locations https://www.jlpt.jp/e/application/overseas_list.html) I live in Florida, and I’m still a 5.5 hour drive away from the nearest test site ( which I will go to -_- )

ANYWAY, if you are starting from the beginning, I would definitely recommend focusing heavily on Hiragana & Katakana until you can identify them (even if you can’t write them all from memory yet). When you start studying vocab and grammar, you should avoid relying on the romaji. Don’t be scared of making mistakes. If you already watch anime, slice of life can be really good for listening practice to hear non text-book language & general pronunciation (beware of anime accent). Kimi ni Todoke is great if you want to test your progress with listening comprehension.

I also follow a lot of Japanese tiktokers, both randos and people doing Japanese lessons. A lot of these accounts are really good for brief lessons on how the language is actually used vs how it is taught.

Finally, don't be too intimidated by Kanji and the alphabet in general. It is the hardest part of Japanese, but it isn't as hard as it seems. Kanji are basically made up of a bunch of stylized/combined katakana, so if you master katakana it will be easier to remember Kanji. I think my biggest regret is not mastering katakana early like I did with Hiragana. I feel like it stunted my ability to learn Kanji. Also, textbooks will make it seem like it isn't used as much as it actually is. Japan has an insane amount of loan words and many of them are only recently being the common use vs non loan version.

cjdidhfjdkdjfjg

Edited to add I am a firm believer that the most important part of using language is being understood. So if you find a place to speak or a conversation partner, don't stop speaking or refuse to speak if you aren't sure you're correct. Like, if you're at a restaraunt and say toire wa koko desu ka (is the toilet here) instead of asking toire wa doko desu ka (where is the toilet), you're probably gonna be understood and you'll be practicing speaking. If you get embarrassed just question if you have ever judged anyone for fumbling your native language. You probably have never paid it any mind! Embarrassment is a HUGE, massive part of why adults do not learn languages as quickly as kids.