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ruanbaijie · 3 months

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我会保护你，保护你一辈子。无论是你的一辈子，还是我的一辈子。 ARCS OF THE SPIREALM 致命游戏 (2024) [in/sp]

@userdramas event 15 something new: a new show from 2024 @asiandramanet mar creator bingo board ⎈ typography ➻ notes for translations and motifs (spoilers!) used below the cut

Arc 1: 雪村 Snow Village

Quote: 一人不如庙，二人不观井，三人不抱树，独自莫凭栏 One person shall not enter the temple, two people shall not look into the well, three people shall not hug a tree, one shall not lean against the balustrade alone. - the death rules of this door

Motifs: a circle meant to represent the well, split into two to represent (what are assumed to be) the "real world" (top half) and "virtual world" (bottom half). note where rnz is placed

Arc 2: 菲尔夏鸟 Fitcher's Bird

Quote: 小老鼠搬鸡蛋，鸡蛋太大怎么办？一只老鼠地上躺，紧紧抱住大鸡蛋。一只老鼠拉尾巴，拉呀拉呀拉回家。小老鼠搬鸡蛋，鸡蛋太大怎么办？一只老鼠地上跑，紧紧抱住大鸡蛋。一只老鼠拉尾巴，拉呀拉呀拉回家。Little Mouse, carrying an egg, what shall it do if the egg is too big? Little Mouse, lying on the ground, tightly hugging the big egg. Little Mouse, pulling its tail, pulling and pulling and pulling it home. Little Mouse, carrying an egg, what shall it do if the egg is too big? Little Mouse, running on the ground, tightly hugging the big egg. Little Mouse, pulling its tail, pulling and pulling and pulling it home. - the creepy as hell nursery rhyme recited by the three girls

Motifs: broken egg, clock ticking backwards that's formed by the staircase that's rotating clockwise (which I realised was a neat little trick to hint that they were travelling forward in time) and the cut birthday cake

Arc 3: 阿姐鼓 Sister Drum

Quote: 她不见了，找不到她了 She's gone, I can't find her - the words written by the older sister in her diary

Motifs: top view of a Chinese drum, bamboo

Arc 4: 佐子 Zuozi

Quote: 我的腿没有了，你的给我好吗？My leg is gone, can you give me yours? - the death line of this door

Motifs: ripped pieces of paper, handwriting, slowly appearing words

Arc 5: 威福利山疗养院 Waverly Hills Sanatorium

Quote: 已经过了八点了，你们为什么不睡觉？It's already past 8pm, why are you still not asleep? - what the nurse says right before she starts chasing after the players who are outside their rooms

Motifs: room 502, overlapping but non-concentric circles representing a Russian doll

Arc 6: 雨中女郎 Woman in the Rain

Quote: 总不能是你一直保护我们吧 It can't always be you protecting us - what lqs says to convince rnz to let him go into the painting world

Motifs: picture frames shifting from scenes of the players to scenes of the door god and painting world, and back again

Arc 7: 哭儿郎 Crying Baby

Quote: 天惶惶，地惶惶，我家有个哭儿郎，过往恩客念三遍，一觉睡到大天光 Panic in the skies, panic on the earth, I have a crying baby at home, when the kind guest who passes by recites three times, they will sleep till the next morning - the line that will save you in this door. Interesting to note that there's actually a similar line that exists, except one of the changes is instead of 恩客 (ēn kè "kind guest"), it's 君子 (jūn zǐ "gentleman"), and while I translated 恩客 literally as "kind guest" here (what each of the individual characters means), the word itself actually in the past, used to refer to "benefactors" - the customers whom prostitutes fell in love with

Motifs: a lamp with lqs as the flames (vague hint at what rnz always tells lqs) and rnz as the base (note the orientation and negative colours), swirls meant to mimic water as in the book, this door was slightly more strongly related to the river god

Arc 8: 扫晴娘 Rain Doll

Quote: 如果这样，明天还是阴沉下雨的话，我就砍掉你的头 If it's still gloomy and rainy tomorrow, I will chop off your head - the line to recite in this door in order to make it rain

Motifs: umbrellas in the corners, a window (there's this one beautifully framed scene in this arc where they both open the windows of their room at the same time) showing the iconic nanqiu umbrella scene (each of them coloured differently on purpose) vs. the outside of the window with the rain dolls and additional rain overlay layer

Arc 9: 箱妖 Box Demon

Quote: 别看那个箱子，看我 Don't look at that box, look at me - what lqs tells rnz when he gets "hypnotised" to open the box

Motifs: diamonds forming 3d boxes

Full list of scenes used since this gif moves too quickly: rnz waking up from his "hypnosis", rnz and lqs staring at each other after rnz returns from his "death", cyx turning around to look at lqs when they thought rnz was dead, cql being pulled into the box, juxtaposition of rnz (upright) and ybl (upside down) in front of the stained glass windows, one of the box people in the box rnz nearly opened when he was "hypnotised", rnz being full of shit in front of everyone else (as usual)

Arc 10: 无解 Insoluble

Quote: 二人去一人归 Two people go, one person returns - the hint that appears consistently for the 11th door

Motifs: kaleidoscope of the final scene before rnz walks away

I put the two final doors (百鬼夜行 "Night Parade of Hundreds of Ghosts" and the "real" "12th" door) together because I really like how the hint applies for both the 11th door as well as the ending of the show

I also used 无解 "unsolvable" (the original name of the final chapter in the novel) for the name of this arc because of how short and simple it is, but also how it just summarises the 意难平 (idrk how to translate this, but sort of like the bittersweet feelings, being unable to let go of the past) of this arc and the entire show. Just like how there was no way to solve the 11th door with a happy ending for both people (assuming only two people went in lol), there was no way to solve the 12th door and the entire game with a happy ending for both rnz and lqs

However, instead of translating 无解 as "unsolvable", I used "insoluble" instead as it sounds just a little more poetic and is more symmetrical, and also hints at how lqs's memories of and feelings for rnz, whether his whole experience was a dream or otherwise, never dissolved with time 🥲

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ribbonstrawberrysurprise · 6 months

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TMM Weapon and Attack Descriptions

Small followup to the character bios post, featuring the information about each Mew Mew's weapon and attack from the 2002 Fanbook vs the TMM New Artbook (both the 2002 insert and the main section).

See the comparison chart here.

First, one BIG thing to notice right off:

The '02 Fanbook actually spells the attacks as リボン/ribon instead of リボーン/riboon. This is big because there's always been debate on whether they should be transcribed as "Ribbon" (usually spelled リボン, with a shorter o) or "Reborn" (usually spelled as リボーン, with a longer o).

Basically, does the stretched out o sound mean it's meant to be understood as "Reborn"? Or is it meant to be understood as each girl stretching out the first word dramatically ("Ribboooon,") before moving on to the personalized ending section. This is definitely the way they enunciate it in the anime and parallels the way other magical girl shows structure attacks (e.g., Mars... Flame Sniper, Precure... Blue Forte Wave, Hirogaru... Sky Punch). I've weighed in on this here.

So, does this settle it once and for all?

Well… not in my opinion. Like, I do still think "Ribbon" is the correct transliteration! But I don't think the Fanbook is reliable for a few reasons:

1) The editing on the Fanbook is a little spotty, so there are multiple spots of inconsistent formatting/spelling. For instance, in the charts, all items in lists are separated by interpuncts (・) except for Buling's special skills, which is separated with a comma (、). There's also a missing interpunct in the list of Retasu's favorite foods (the other girls' lists do put an interpunct on the end of a line, so it's not a purposeful choice), and Shirogane's name has a space between the kanji of his surname and given name, something done for no other names*

*(Okay.... so it's also done for Buling's, but this is a real thing sometimes done for Chinese names to indicate that the surname is only one kanji instead of the 2-3 you'd expect of a Japanese surname...... But this is also changed/corrected in the New version, though, so???)

In my non-professional opinion, some of the phrasing also feels a little weird, and there's not much care put into text spacing and especially where lines break, but I'm not confident enough in my Japanese skills to state this for certain or put specific examples...

2) There is no other place where the attacks are written as リボン/ribon across the MANY places they are spelled out (e.g., the original manga, a La Mode, ReTurn, the PS game guide, character profile stickers). See above for examples!

3) Even though the TMM '02 insert in the TMM New Fanbook reuses a lot of text from the '02 Fanbook, it does NOT maintain this spelling, which suggests it was another error that was corrected.

So it's net zero information imo 🤷‍♀️

More small things under the cut:

I translated 必殺技/hissatsu waza as "finishing move". It literally means something like "certain kill technique" and is commonly translated as stuff like "special move" or "special attack" as well.

The '02 Fanbook describes the attacks in terms of what they do in universe, whereas the New Artbook describes what happens in the stock footage.

The '02 Fanbook also makes a big deal out of Ichigo's attack being the strongest and claims it's the only one that can purify a Chimera Anima and release the Parapara. It's generally true that they have to play her stock footage she has to finish off the big Chimera Anima, but the other girls consistently finish off smaller Chimera Anima, plus instances like Zakuro instantly defeating the big crow in episode 10 and all of the girls (including Pudding, somehow???) managing to defeat a bunch of big Chimera Anima at once when Pie releases them en masse as a distraction in episode 49. The '02 insert keeps the note on Ichigo's attack being able to finish off Chimera Anima but drops the "not that strong" part from the descriptions of the non-Ichigo girls and even adds that Zakuro's attack is "strong enough to surprise/frighten Quiche". The New artbook has no mention of any one girl's attack being more powerful.

The descriptions of the attacks kind of back up my claim that none of the girls except Lettuce have an elemental attack and are instead all light-based and separated by range:

Ichigo: balls of light; final blow on Chimera Anima Mint: arrow of light; ranged attack Lettuce: stream of water; attacks multiple enemies at once Pudding: wave of light that turns into "pudding"; captures enemy Zakuro: whip of light; can be used close or far away, can bind enemies, can cut into pocket dimensions somehow

...Zakuro is clearly way too OP, since she can essentially copy the effects of Mint, Lettuce, AND Pudding's attacks plus having dimensional powers. I mean, the "cutting through dimensions" thing is way outside the range of the other Mews' powers??? And it shows up so little...

Speaking of Zakuro, the New version eliminates the space-cutting power but also describes her weapon as a cross with a ribbon attached to the end instead of as a whip! (It does say she uses it like a whip in the attack description...) She does move it like a rhythmic gymnastics ribbon a little even in her original attack footage, but it's kind of funny to insist the ZaCross Whip isn't a whip!

They sure are caught up on how Lettuce can use her attack even when tied up since she only has to move her fingers. A situation which only happens once.

I find it a little funny that they never really acknowledge how all of the weapons are based on musical instruments. The LettuceTanets are obviously called castanets, and the StrawBell Bell is noted to have a bell attached, but only the the New fanbook calls Mint's weapon "lyre-shaped" instead of "bow and arrow-shaped". Not once are the PuRing Rings compared to a tambourine (although New does mention the bell) or the ZaCross Whip to a flute.

Confirmed that in the anime Buling's attack is not literal pudding but rather something that looks like it. (The manga is still a toss up considering we see it being eaten...)

The difference in phrasing between the '02 Fanbook and the New insert is pretty funny. プリンのようなもの / purin no youna mono, "a thing/object/substance that's like pudding" vs プリン状の物体 / purin-jou no buttai, "a solid object in the form/appearance of pudding". Puddingy thing vs physical object in the form of pudding.

#Tokyo Mew Mew #Tokyo Mew Mew New #Meta #Translation

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thehauntedinfirmary · 6 months

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Fic Rec Friday Edition 24

Welcome to Fic Rec Friday! We're in the mood for some longfics for this cozy December evening, so settle in and read along!

Hell for the Holidays by ma_malice Complete | 23k words

“There will be no sacrifice,” Shane said for the third time since they’d landed in Illinois. “Not so much as a chicken. Stop being weird.” Shane takes Ryan home for the holidays. It goes about as well as you’d expect.

Santa Daddies by drunkkenobi Complete | 3k words

“I really think we should just tell her,” Shane argued. “Kids find out anyway, might as well have our girl be ahead of the class.” “Shane, she’s three!” Ryan shot back. “All kids should believe in Santa at three!” Or: Ryan and Shane vs The Santa Problem

The Young and the Hopeless by mccxxvi Complete | 54k words

He lifted the towel to wipe his small mirror, when he saw it. There was writing on the mirror, a single word wiped into the condensation, written with a finger, a set of tidy, straight letters. Alexander. Ryan almost screamed. The ghost wanted Ryan to find his murderer and bring him to the light. Alexander must have been whoever murdered him. Ryan sighed, resigned to be the detective responsible for it. “Fine, I’ll find this Alexander you want. But I don’t know what to do afterwards,” he said to his empty room. A 1960s Professor!Shane/PhDstudent!Ryan gothic novel flavored AU fic, because i know a market gap when i see one.

A Ghoul's Guide to Life, Death & Afterliving by MercurySkies Complete | 70k words

'Shane was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that, to quote ‘the’ Charles Dickens with an emphasis on the 'dick'. They didn’t tell you the great Victorian novelist was also a grade A asshole in high school but then again what do they tell you in high school? Shane Madej was dead, as dead as one disembodied soul standing seemingly above his own corpse probably can be.'

The Last Days Of The Bergara Gang by PhyllisDietrichson Complete | 41k words

“Plus,” and he smiles with all of his white teeth, “if we’d left you there much longer to cardsharp that crew, likely your night would have ended with a knife to the throat.” He reaches out as if to graze his fingers over Shane’s clavicle, then remembers himself at the last minute. His hand hovers in the air. “And what a shame it would be, to mar that throat.” “Do you—what do you want, Bergara?” Shane stammers out. He winces at the waver in his voice. “You,” he responds, his eyes sweeping up to meet him with a gaze that pierces Shane between the ribs.

hey boy, take a look at me by weakspots Complete | 18k words

Ryan is 27, for Christ’s sake, and he’s not exactly hideous, so there’s really no reason to spend his money on a dude — a dude — whose face he’ll never see but whose livestreams he’s been jerking off to for roughly 4 months now. He should be going out and partying and fucking random chicks. Or a guy, whatever, just to get it out of his system and confirm to himself that he really is 100% straight. Because he is. This is morbid curiosity, if anything.

Whatever The Opposite Of Lesbian Sheep Syndrome Is by orphan_account Complete | 9k words

Shane was the one who kissed, not the one who was kissed. Shane was the one who did the holding, not the one who was held, and that was fine.

made it so far in time by addandsubtract Complete | 12k words

“I’m, uh. I’m pretty sure the you I’m friends with is older,” Ryan says, and then winces.

use somebody by bodhirookes Complete | 10k words

“You’re the most obnoxious person I’ve ever met,” Shane says over the sound of Ryan’s workout noises, which are equal parts distracting and hideous. “Why can’t you just be a lazy asshole like the rest of us?” “I have a figure and reputation to maintain,” Ryan grits out, not even pausing to look at him. “Can’t be a big, bad ghost hunter without my guns.” Or, Shane has a thing for Ryan's muscles and Ryan has a thing for Shane having a thing.

a child's answer by deerie Complete | 2k words

“You know, it’s kind of sad about the Queen Mary,” Ryan says as they make their way to the mess hall. “That’s where I saw a ghost for the first time.” Shane stares at him incredulously. Ryan can tell that he wants to say something, but is refraining. He’ll have to find the video of the tube of toothpaste being knocked off the counter as proof to show Shane. Ryan remembers the panic he felt in that moment: the revelation that something existed outside of the realm of what he understood. It’s the same feeling that he had when the Kaiju first appeared, thrashing and tearing and ripping buildings and bridges to shreds.

A Symptom of Time by fightingfuries WIP | 12k words

"Sure," Shane says easily like he doesn't believe Ryan for a second. "You're living out the plot of the 1993 Bill Murray vehicle Groundhog Day. Now where does the kissing factor in, exactly?" "You were all like 'I'm Shane, I don't believe in magic but you should find a tall brunette to kiss.’" Shane laughs again, helplessly. "I'm the tall brunette? I obviously meant Andie McDowell." He catches himself. "If I had said that, which I didn't, because time loops aren't real."

Want to learn more about The Haunted Infirmary? Check out our pinned post!

#shyan #skeptic believer #shyan fic #shyan fic rec #otp: we took an oath #friday fic recs #haunted fic recs

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transmechanicus · 1 year

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What was your opinion on the HH book Mechanicus, if you've read it?

It was okay. I like Graham McNiel as a person and i like many of his characters but some of the plot threads he’s created are…dated, i think is the best word. The concept of the Void Dragon on Mars is something that has been dropped by omission from the canon, and iirc hasn’t been mentioned at all by other authors. The HH books particularly evolved over the course of the series, and Mechanicum being like the 3rd book means it was written in a completely different background vs the Siege of Terra. So this leaves a lot of its larger plot points COMPLETELY abandoned and arguably impossible to even properly follow up on. It’s a good book, but the way it ends is impossible to take seriously in the modern 40k canon imo.

#my stuff #asks #wh40k #warhammer 40k #slightly drunk sorry if this is incoherent #i like the book but i think the void dragon on mars is stupid #like i think ollianus pious is stupid #it’s a random tidbit from an old edition that they tried to hang onto in black library and they shouldn’t have #should’ve left it behind

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muserepeats · 1 year

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What do we need LESS of in Fexi Fics? What are you tired of reading?

At this moment, I don't think I'd ask for LESS of anything in Fexi Fics. If you're still here on this ship, brain rotted through despite the odds and the time that has passed and how LONG we have to wait until S3, then please, write whatever the fuck you want, whenever the fuck you want to. Take a break, come back, revisit an abandoned WIP, start a new WIP, start five new WIPs. Completely revamp an older fic, write a prequel, a sequel, a trilogy, a random epilogue. Do something really challenging or do something in your comfort zone. Anything goes. Just tag appropriately - I think we've all learned that lesson by now, eh? I understand the motivation for engagement, we all want comments and kudos and it feels great. But this is a small fandom and at this stage anything published has gotta be for the love of Fexi and pure, unrelenting passion for your idea. And remember there are lots of readers who have no idea what's going on on tumblr, don't think of any writers as having a brand, they just want more content. (I was that reader in Feb/Mar/Apr.) Anyway, there are ~1500 Fexi works on AO3, millions of words written by authors covering a ton of different tropes, prompts, in-canon vs. AU, fluff, angst, fix-its, etc. Maybe 1500 doesn't seem like a lot, but to me, there's so much more to discover. If something turns your nobs or absolutely turns you off, it's kind of on you to seek out or ignore, to read or not read, to not take it personally if you don't like it, and to write whatever corner of the fexi-verse gets you absolutely jazzed. And again, always tag responsibly.

#them’s my thoughts #asks

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dettiot · 11 months

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Tagged by @wonderlandleighleigh

So, wanted to get some hiatus rec lists going and encourage some self promo in my friends so how about sharing your top fics no matter how big or small - give us the links to your wonderful words with the Most hits/Most kudos/Most comments/Most bookmarks /Most words/Least words

Most hits, kudos & bookmarks: It Runs in the Family (Teen, Iron Man/Arrow crossover) Felicity Stark is the best of her parents. But becoming vice-president of a brand-new division of Stark Industries and moving to Starling City will test her in ways she never thought possible. Especially when a masked vigilante in green leather crosses her path. An Arrow/Iron Man crossover.

Most comments: Two Men, Same Name (Mature, Arrow, co-written with @melsanfo) Oliver Queen's path in life is set in stone. Suffocating under the high expectations of his parents while running a company he’s barely interested in. Still, he never fails to disappoint his parents, even when he’s on his best behavior. He’s supposed to settle down, marry well and follow in his father's footsteps, without stepping an inch out of place . . . until a red streak with yellow lightning changes his life forever.

Most words: Two Sides of the Same Coin (Mature, Chuck, 161,930 words) When you're a spy, there's all kinds of occupational hazards when you work with another spy. For Sarah Walker, though, one mission becomes a life-changing experience. Because working with Charles Carmichael leads to protecting Chuck Bartowski.

Least words: the disaster lineage vs. the coolaster lineage (G, Star Wars, 390 words) A different take on Twilight of the Apprentice . . . a louder take.

And for the fics I'm also proud of:

The Point (Teen, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) Bottom line is, even if you see 'em coming, you're not ready for the big moments. No one asks for their life to change, not really. But it does. Just how did Buffy become the Slayer we see in The Wish?

heads-up display (G, Star Wars) Darth Vader throughout the Original Trilogy, as described by the readouts and warnings in his heads-up display.

Ready at Your Hand (Teen, Chuck) In the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, a Catholic plot against the queen comes to the attention of spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham. To protect Elizabeth, he develops an unusual plan: hide the passing of intelligence between two agents by a false romance. When Lady Sarah Walker and Chuck Carmichael meet, though, their pretend flirtation becomes much more.

Slipping Away (G, Doctor Who) She knows something is wrong.

Today's Inspirational Message (Teen, Veronica Mars) One version of Logan's summer.

Honestly, I love all my fics--so if anything catches your attention on my AO3 works page, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

And if anyone else wants to participate, consider yourself tagged.

#my fic #arrow #chuck #nbchuck #veronica mars #star wars #doctor who #dw #buffy the vampire slayer

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quetzalpapalotl · 2 years

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Accents and Syllables in Spanish

Or I’m so mad about this that I wrote an explanation of basic Spanish grammar:

First, all letters in Spanish are consistent in their sound, some consonants vary in how they’re pronounced but there are rules to this. Spanish has five vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and their sounds don’t change. I’m not going to explain the pronunciation of all letters here, so I’ll work on the assumption you’re familiar with them. So if you know the way the letters sound and know the orthographic rules I’m about to explain, you should be able to know how to pronounce any word in Spanish by just reading it.

Words are divided by syllables, each syllable in Spanish feels very individual, like the beat of a drum. Vowels are the core of each syllable, a consonant sound must always come with a vowel, the priority goes to having a vowel after, but it can also follow a vowel when there is none after it.

Respeto: res-pe-to

Vena: ve-na

Estructura: es-truc-tu-ra

Now, each syllable has what we call the sílaba tónica, that is, the stressed syllable. Which syllable you stress can completely change the meaning of a word. For example, título, titulo, and tituló would mean title, [I] title, and [she/he] titled, respectively. Luckily there are rules to know which syllable to stress

When a word ends in a consonant that is not N or S the stressed syllable should be the last one. For example: ayer (a-YER), reloj (re-LOJ), valor (va-LOR).

When a word ends in a vowel, N or S the stressed syllable should be the penultimate one. For example: gato (GA-to), marco (MAR-co), polen (PO-len).

Accent marks (á, é, í, ó, ú), signal the stressed syllable whenever it doesn’t follow the previous rules. This would of course mean that all words where the stressed syllable is any one before the penultima one would have an accent mark.

Café (ca-FE), corazón (co-ra-ZON)

Árbol (AR-bol), cráter (CRA-ter)

Sílaba (SI-la-ba), célula (CE-lu-la)

Hiatus and diphthongs

Ok, now that we covered the basics let’s move to something more tricky. Spanish vowels are divided into strong (a, e, o) and weak (i, u). Whenever two strong vowels are next to each other, each keeps to its own syllable, forming a hiatus. However, a weak syllable gets pulled in by the force of a strong vowel and becomes part of the same syllable; the same thing happens if two weak syllables are together, forming a diphthong.

Hiatus: toalla (to-A-lla), leer (le-ER), aéreo (a-E-re-o)

Diphthongs: reino (REI-no), hueso (UE-so), buitre (BUI-tre), camión (ca-MION)

The way to break a diphthong and make a hiatus with a weak vowel would be if the weak vowel is pronounced with enough strength to break into its own syllable, which would make said syllable the stressed one of that word. In this case, an accent mark is always written regardless of the usual accentuation rules.

Río (RI-o), ataúd (a-ta-UD), cafeína (ca-fe-I-na)

Acento diacrítico

That’s all on accents and pronunciation, but you may have noticed that some Spanish words have accent marks even when you wouldn’t need it to know how to read it out loud, mostly seen in monosyllabic words (which wouldn't need an accent mark in any case). Well this is what we call an acento diacrítico.

This accent mark is used to differentiate between words that are written the same but belong to different grammatical categories. For example:

Sí is an adverb meaning “yes”, while si is a conjunction meaning “if”.

Tú is a personal pronoun meaning “you”, while tu is a possessive determiner meaning “your”

I won’t make a full list, but you will notice that it’s usually the pronouns that get the accents mark. Él means him/it, but el means “the” (Él está enojado vs el carro es rojo). Compare ésta vs esta, mí vs mi etc.

Furthermore all interrogative adverbs have an accent mark: dónde, cuándo, cuánto, qué, quién, cuál, por qué.

And that’s pretty much the gist of it. Now you too can read any Spanish word you encounter!

#idk who this helps but i love spanish grammar so #if anyone has any questions let me know #also let me know if they actually taught you this in school and not in some adavanced class

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faerywhimsy · 1 year

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I am being completely normal about quietly compiling a Devil's Minion playlist and chatting to @eosphoroz about it. Wanting to track it before I forget why I grabbed each of them.

AKA: I went and gave myself more than two hours of feels, and now need to talk about it.

Ended up being a bit of a fanfic rec along the way as well, if you stick with it 😅

Everybody Wants to Rule the World - Lorde cover (2013)

Daniel got everything he wants, coming to Lestat's house in New Orleans after his interview with the vampire. A vampire has found him here! Only, Armand is far more than Daniel bargained for.

Welcome to your life There's no turning back Even while we sleep We will find you

Let's Dance - David Bowie (1983)

I'll admit this one first found its way into my playlist because of this Daniel/Marius fanfic by the same name, written by @cup-of-lixx. (Just know it's not the song the author intended listened to along with it.)

But, fuck, if this isn't the song that goes hand-in-hand with the QotD, 'Go now, start running!' line, I don't know what to tell you.

If you say run I'll run with you And if you say hide We'll hide Because my love for you Would break my heart in two If you should fall into my arms And tremble like a flower

The Frail - Nine Inch Nails (1999)

In those moments when Daniel thinks Armand has lost Daniel's trail, he pauses to eat or drink something and struggles to learn to recoup his losses. Only then to find Armand staring at him from across the street, or from under that bus stop.

This little recognised piece is a 114 second instrumental without lyrics. But I feel the title and tone of the track perfectly incapsulate Daniel's human frailty in those moments he's forced to introspect on what his life has already become, and even Armand's last words to him.

"I am going to let you leave here. I want to follow you, watch you, see where you go. As long as I find you interesting, I won't kill you. And of course, I may lose interest altogether and not bother to kill you. You may have hope in that. And maybe, with luck, I'll lose track of you. I have my limitations, of course. You have the world to roam, and you can move by day. Go now. Start running. I want to see what you do, I want to know what you are."

Hurricane - 30 Seconds to Mars (2009)

That whole run and chase part of the story happens in a bunch of vignettes, doesn't it? Well, good thing I have a few other songs to cover this period of time. If the last one was from Armand's PoV, this is from Daniel's.

Do you really want? Do you really want me? Do you really want me dead or alive to torture for my sins?

Sacrament (Acoustic) - HIM (2003)

Is it possible to have a VC playlist without 'His Infernal Majesty' (omg). Never mind that Ville Valo and his host of songs remains my existing head canon for Lestat during his rockstar period, this song perfectly captures the pull Daniel begins to feel towards Armand before he's even come to accept it.

I know my weak prayers aren't enough to heal Oh the ancient wounds so deep and so dear The revelation is of hatred and fear

Way Out Of Here - Porcupine Tree (2007)

Once Armand starts letting Daniel out of his sight again—largely because Daniel starts demanding, begging, irritating about becoming a vampire—Daniel starts running away. That'll show Armand! Daniel thinks. Only, he begins to start to realise that his time with Armand isn't so easily forgotten as all that.

I'll try to forget you And I know that I will In a thousand years or maybe a week I'll burn all your pictures, cut out your face The shutters are down and the curtains are closed And I've covered my tracks Disposed of the car and I'll try to forget even your name And the way that you look when you're sleeping

Opheliac - Emilie Autumn (2006)

I already made a post on this, but the TL;DR is that this has both Daniel's dysfunction vs Armand's composure in the form of Shakespearean quotations as different viewpoints within the lyrics.

You know the games I play And the words I say When I want my own way You know the lies I tell When you've gone through hell And I say I can't stay

Wanna Be Sure - Aidan Hawken (2010)

Daniel always leaves, but he always comes back to Armand again. Daniel always leaves, but Armand takes him back again. Neither of them can help themselves.

I keep coming back To you everytime Washing the walls of the room that you slept And the place that you hide I wanna be sure That your hearts on fire And your gonna be pure And that your love is all mine

Video Games - Lana Del Rey (2012)

This one I feel viscerally whenever I read a fic where Daniel is high or drunk out of his mind and completely, completely devoted to Armand.

There are way too many of those to link here, it being the central canon theme.

He holds me in his big arms Drunk and I am seeing stars This is all I think of It's you, it's you, it's all for you Everything I do I tell you all the time Heaven is a place on earth with you

Bloodstream - Stateless (2007)

Boy, this one's a heart jerker brought across from another vampire fandom, also very much pressing on those themes of obsession and addiction.

I think I might've inhaled you I can feel you behind my eyes You gotten into my bloodstream I can feel you floating in me

Possession - Sarah McLachlan (1993)

And just because there's the tiniest hint of a sweetness in these years between our boys (although truthfully we do get more of it in fandom) it felt like this rounded out our trio of Daniel loves Armand more than he loves his own life songs, and sometimes Armand even knows it.

mercy in you by @apoptoses is a freakishly good example of a moment of the strange sweetness between them.

My body aches to breathe your breath Your words keep me alive And I would be the one To hold you down Kiss you so hard I'll take your breath away And after I'd wipe away the tears

I Grieve - Peter Gabriel (1998)

This song frequently pisses me right off. It's got this really sweet melody for like, the first 3/4 of it, and then it ends out on this ridiculously bop-hopeful melody completely at odds with the rest of it.

But today, when listening to it as a song that starts while Armand is coming to reconcile breaking his vow never to make a fledgling with his blood, followed by the false hope of what might come afterwards... it actually works fabulously.

And I can't handle this I grieve, for you You leave, me Let it out and move on Missing what's gone They say life carries on .... Did I dream this belief Or did I believe this dream? Now I will find relief I grieve

Bel Air - Lana Del Rey (2012)

The haunting melody playing in the background of the movie version of the mind vision of Venice that Armand creates for Daniel as he turns him, the last time before the veil of silence falls between them.

There's an argument with this song that the corruption of wealth as evil signified in a place like Bel Air could mean this place represents for Hell, which I gotta say is also On Point with Armand's warnings.

Don't be afraid of me Don't be ashamed Walk in the way of my soft resurrection Idol of roses, iconic soul I know your name Lead me to war with your brilliant direction

Hardest of Hearts - Florence and the Machine (2009)

I heard this song for the first time via this Armand/Lestat fanart by @martinijordan. What can I say, it also makes me think of Armand turning Daniel from his PoV.

My heart swells like the water at wait Can't stop myself before it's too late Hold on to your heart Because I'm coming to take you Hold on to your heart Because I'm coming to break you

Hero - Nickleback (2003)

Akasha has just been killed. Daniel's a vampire, Armand's a vampire, they're both alive and together, and for just one brief, shiny moment... it seems like everything between them is going to be just fine.

I am so high. I can hear heaven. No heaven, no heaven dont hear me. Now that the world isn't ending It's love that I'm sending to you.

Euphoria (Firefly) - Delirium (1999)

As a vampire, Daniel is suddenly exposed to senses unimaginable to his human self from before. It's intoxicating and raw in this new and completely different way that the alcohol, the drugs, they didn't even touch. Daniel was so, so right about this being the only thing he ever wanted.

I never want to loose What I have finally found There's a requiem A new congregation And it's telling me go forward And walk under a brighter sky Every nerve glowing like a firefly

It Can't Rain All The Time - Jane Siberry (1994)

Will I ever not also think of The Crow with this song? That movie with its many similar visual themes to VC. For me, this song is the very beginning of Daniel's madness after turning, before he realises it's not exactly a 'normal' part in the process of becoming a vampire.

Sometimes you can barely tell the difference Between darkness and light Do you have faith In what we believe? The truest test is when we cannot When we cannot see There's something wrong, and It's hard to belive that love will prevail

Anna Begins (Acoustic) - Counting Crows (1993)

Make An Exception, a Fucking Devastating fanfic by @hekateinhell, but also words that are present in the lyrics to Anna Begins.

So now I'm always thinking of Daniel's madness and this song together. (Go read this fic, it will tear your heart out and make you cry in the best way - note: this is also not the song that was intended for listening with this fic by the author.)

he's talking in his sleep It's keeping me awake and [Daniel] begins to toss and turn And every word is nonsense but I understand and Oh lord, I'm not ready

Bring Me the Disco King - David Bowie (2003)

Ahahaha, this is Armand railing at Daniel because he wants to leave, despite Armand determined that all fledglings are doomed to loathe their makers, and basically turning that into a self fulfilling prophecy that both of them must live through.

It was bad when Louis left him. It's gonna be 70,000,000 times worse with Daniel.

Killing time in the 70's Smelling of love through the moist wind Don't let me know when you're opening the door Close me in the dark, let me disappear Soon there'll be nothing left of me Nothing left to release Dance, dance, dance through the fire

The Wooden Boat - Miranda Sex Garden (1994)

Full on madness for Daniel. Not with Armand anymore, but immediately before Marius sweeps him up. Has anyone registered my love of the minor key for this playlist yet? Hnng.

Hear me out, there isn't going to be a 'The Model Trains' song. However, there is a 'The Wooden Boat' song, and it's just freaky and eerie with only three stanzas for over six minutes, growing into a crescendo of background noises that speak beautifully to Daniel's gradual overstimulation and the world becoming an impossible place for him to live in anymore.

Bonus: This can be followed by the title track, 'A Fairytale About Slavery' then 'Cover My Face', for maximum indie music mind fuck.

For a moment you were almost there Through your veil I saw you stare Follow me, I'll lead you through my dreams Let me share the only thing I call my own

Medicine - Daughter (2015)

I was listening to this on repeat and making myself cry while writing Daniel in his madness the other day (no I'm fine, thanks for asking).

Technically this is definitely well into the 'playing with model trains' timeframe for me, rather than Devil's Minion, but it definitely gives the same angst vibes so, screw it, I'm including it here.

You could still be, what you want to What you said you were, when I met you You've got a warm heart You've got a beautiful brain But it's disintegrating

Hello - Evanescence (2003)

Look, so Daniel is the Devil's Minion, so therefore any song that makes me think of him is still technically Devil's Minion.

Okay. So, if the last song is Marius watching over Daniel and being aware of his mental state, this is Daniel inside his own mind being incredibly aware of his own failing state, over which there's nothing he can do. Other than be conscious of it, which is actually a big step.

If I smile and don't believe Soon I know I'll wake from this dream Don't try to fix me I'm not broken Hello I'm the lie living for you so you can hide Don't cry

My Beautiful - Lennon ft. Travis Meeks (2001)

Every single incredibly unsatisfying phone call between Armand and Daniel whilst Daniel is still vacationing at the Marius Home for Wayward Vampires (term taken from the fanfic scars by @serenwanders)

You called, I answered, but baby I'm only half awake 'Hush little one, with you here everything is going to be okay,' Is all you say but what if things don't go that way? It's over, we both know, we're both tired of playing the parts I said, 'Goodbye,' you said, 'Oh well nothing's really lost,' Call every now and then just to hear your voice talk to me You still say, 'Everything's all right' But it's not and that's something you're too blind to see

Just Give Me A Reason - P!nk ft. Nate Ruess (2012)

A tiny bit of hope in the jungle, and another phone conversation no doubt. Marius is trying to convince Armand that, after all his time with Daniel now, from Daniel's perspective at least, it seems to him all is not lost.

Alternate take: This is Daniel absolutely shitting himself as he and Marius ready themselves for Daniel to see Armand in person again for the first time in decades.

Just give me a reason, just a little bit's enough Just a second we're not broken just bent And we can learn to love again I never stop, you're still written in the scars on my heart You're not broken just bent and we can learn to love again

Rolling in the Deep - Adele (2011)

Everything is so. freaking. polite. when Armand and Daniel see each other that first time. It's like they're pod!versions of each other in front of everyone else.

But when they get a moment to themselves, there's this blow out argument, an end to treading on egg shells like they have been since Armand turned Daniel nearly 30 years ago. It's messy. Armand blames Daniel for leaving him. Daniel blames Armand for doing his best to make Daniel hate him. And, at the end, the arguing feels so familiar and comfortable that both of them start to relax in the beginning of healing their past together.

You had my heart inside (you're gonna wish you) Of your hands (never had met me) And you played it (tears are gonna fall) To the beat (rolling in the deep)

Hello - Lionel Richie ft. Jennifer Nettles (1983)

Forgiveness. Can you imagine? Indulging in obsessive behaviour is something Daniel will always have to watch for, but he and Armand have been through Hell together and come out the other side now at Trinity Gate. They earn their happiness and, finally, an ability to see and accept each other as (relative) equals.

And they never let each other go again.

Hello, is it me you're looking for? I can see it in your eyes, I can see it in your smile You're all I've ever wanted and my arms are open wide 'Cause you know just what to say, and you know just what to do And I want to tell you so much, I love you

#completely normal #the devil's minion

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cowthropologist · 1 year

Note

1, 6, and 36 generally, and 77 about The Tower

Do you prefer writing one-shots or multi-chaptered fics?

These days I've been writing almost entirely multichaps. Even my non-multichap fics are almost all part of a series. I wrote a oneshot last week for the first time in ages and even that was in six parts (it was a 5+1 fic).

6. Do you have your work beta'd? How important is this to your process?

Not generally. I did recently find a beta reader for some of my Resident Evil fanfic though, and she's beta'd 3 things so far for me, which is absolutely thrilling. Normally I read over and revise my own stuff but I'm getting ECT right now and it's making me dumber and worse at writing, and having a beta reader is incredibly helpful.

36. How do you write kissing scenes?

One word at a time, same as any other scene tbh.

77. Do you have a favorite scene you’ve written from The Tower?

I love the last two scenes of this chapter, especially the bit where Callista realizes that Corvo is Emily's father.

#ask game #mar vs the written word

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karla-the-elemental-dreamer · 1 year

Text

Terra Week 2023 - Day 5 Package

@terrakhweek

Prompts Addressed: Duel + last-minute-bonus!

Pieces: 1. Drawing of 'Property Dispute'; stemmed into Grandma vs. Xehanort. 2. Picture of Orange Flower from Dad 🤨

Requires mod/re-share on Twitter (written pieces)?: No - published via Twitlonger.

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The one and only piece I had ready for Day 5 based on the prompt ‘Duel’.

I decided to call this piece “Property Dispute”:

A very powerful scene as it’s pretty much the battle for Terra’s heart, but it gets preserved with the last minute safeguard. Terra also says some powerful words here.

Trivia: I showed my grandma (mum’s side) a picture of the older Xehanort, and she got so traumatised, saying she never wants to see his ugly face again XD She doesn’t even know what he did to Terra.

Now, I just told her what I was doing, and she called out “ugly ko smrt!”, which means “ugly like death!” in Croatian XDDD BTW, you don’t have to listen to grandma, you’re allowed to like or dislike this man lol.

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GOOD WORK DAD:

I’m not making this up when I say that today (25 MAR), my dad went over to grandma’s (his mum’s), and when I opened my phone, I got this picture in my inbox:

It’s another orange flower! A simple daisy this time.

Now what does this have to do with Terra week?

My dad must have been paying attention to where I posted the chrysanthemums and why I did it. I’ve told him that this week, I have all these pieces to share for ‘an online project’.

Even though my parents don’t have avid knowledge of Kingdom Hearts lore, they do know who Terra is well as a number of other guardians. Due to how I portray Terra in the house (and in my timeline), my mum really likes him, so my dad must be tuning in.

What conclusions can we draw from this?

My dad understands what the ‘project’ is that I’m involved with: Terra Week 2023.

My dad understands that Terra’s signature colour is Orange.

So this work deserves to be recognised.

The friend I just spoke to also said that flowers can represent ‘New life and new beginnings’. So we can relate these images of flowers being posted to Terra’s redemption and future discoveries and aspirations.

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Summary of grandma’s: Mum’s side – Traumatised by Xehanort. Dad’s side – Grows all these orange flowers that just found the camera on the right day/s.

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Last minute laughs at 9:00 PM (AEDT):

I was just having a joke with my mum in the kitchen and grandma on the couch.

I said “if grandma went up against Xehanort, she’d win with her frying pans and her tongue. Terra should let her fight the battle for him. No dark forces would overcome my grandma”.

That’s definitely on the topic of ‘Duel’ alright.

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To link us back to Terra-Week 2023, I bet Terra's having a cackle at the stuff with my grandma (mum's side) and Xehanort.

Terra: "I'll name my next finishing command 'European Grandma'".

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Thank you and see you on Day 6! 27/28 MAR (TZ dependent).

#terra kingdom hearts #terra #kh terra #terra kh #terraweek2023 #kh bbs #terrakhweek #duel #xehanort #heart #darkness #flower #orange #family contributions

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afrogeekgoddess · 1 year

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Meme: Top 10 AO3 Works vs. Personal Top 10

Rules: List your "top 10" (or up to 10 if you haven't written that many) fics ranked by kudos on AO3. Are you surprised by what's most popular to your readers? Then, under a cut, provide your ranking of your personal top 10 fics (with explanations if you want!), and then tag a few fellow writers!

I was tagged by @scarletmanuka!

My Top Ten by Kudos are all Sherlock BBC fics (kudos numbers as of Mar-19-2023):

After Love (completed Jun-30-2012, 244 kudos)

After Life (completed Dec-16-2011, 188 kudos)

After Death (completed Feb-17-2012, 147 kudos)

Heart on a Shelf, co-written with BehindTintedGlass (completed Oct-4-2011, 94 kudos)

Scarlet and Gold (completed Dec-12-2012, 93 kudos)

A New Tradition (completed Nov-26-2011, 92 kudos)

Visual Feeling Strategies (completed Oct-16-2011, 91 kudos)

Somewhere I Have Never Travelled (John’s Theme) (completed Aug-12-2011, 72 kudos)

A Perhaps Hand (completed Nov-13-2012, 71 kudos)

A Thousand Delicious Deaths (NSFW, completed Sep-2-2011, 67 kudos)

I’m not surprised that After Love has the most kudos, since that’s the last story in a post-Reichenbach trilogy, so people may have saved their comments until the end. Common theme among these fics: growing emotional intimacy and recovery between the main characters (Sherlock and John for all fics, save for A Perhaps Hand, which is a Sherlock & Jim Moriarty fic); references to poetry and/or poetic language (even more so with A Thousand Delicious Deaths, which is explicit(ly) poetry); references to art (ATDD again, also Visual Feeling Strategies); lots and lots of talking.

My Personal Top Ten (in no particular affection order):

Acrodynia (The Karate Kid/Cobra Kai): My first fic after an eight-year dry spell, my first in a new fandom, and my first getting into the nitty-gritty of medical research.

After Life, After Death, After Love (Sherlock BBC): This trilogy was my first real try at writing long fiction in any genre, and it came at a time when I was working out lots of personal stuff that found resolution through writing this fic.

Foodways (The Sentinel): Another first in a new fandom, another that involved nitty-gritty research (this time, into food culture, Black history, and hunting traditions), and one that involved making something grow from an almost-throwaway line.

Light Delivery (The Karate Kid): I loved trying to condense the decades-long relationship between Mr. Miyagi and his truck into a 100-word drabble. And it’s one of the best titles I’ve ever used for any of my writing.

Repose (The Karate Kid): Another foray into dreamwork, with some magic and music and Buddhist philosophy thrown in.

Scarlet and Gold (Sherlock BBC): I hadn’t done much magical realism in my fic, so this was a delightful exploration of emotion and symbolism for a post-Reichenbach fic. And my love of birds.

The Things That Nourish (Sherlock BBC): another post-Reichenbach fic, written in second person (so rare for me), with a full embracing of my poetic prose style. And lots of fruit, which had deep healing meaning to me IRL when I wrote it.

A Thousand Delicious Deaths (Sherlock BBC): This is an ekphrastic piece inspired by a friend's art--"Poisonous" by @khorazir--and the joy I felt in writing it comes through in the spiraling and lush language.

Specifically tagging (but anyone who wants to can join in!): @youandthemountains, @khorazir, @gardnerhill, @irisbleufic, @variousqueerthings, @clavally.

#fanfic #fanfiction #ao3 #AGG fic #cobra kai #sherlock bbc #the karate kid #the sentinel tv show

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pallastrology · 1 year

Note

hello !!! i read your libra venus vs mars post and i enjoyed reading it sm i thought i'd leave some kind words for you <3 thank you for your work! (reading it as a libra sun, venus AND mars was so entertaining haha. i was like. i'm all three...... XD)

aw, thank you so much! that’s really lovely to hear 💗 triple libra? amazing 🤩 you might also find this post interesting xo

#love letter

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bookclub4m · 2 years

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Episode 158 - Audiobook Fiction

This episode we’re talking about Audiobook Fiction! We discuss narrators vs casts, sound effects, music, adaptations, footnotes, and more! Plus: How do you picture the hosts in your mind when you listen to us?

You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, or your favourite podcast delivery system.

In this episode

Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | Jam Edwards

Things We Read (or tried to…)

Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, narrated by a full cast

Coasting Trade by Robin McGrath, narrated by Robert Joy, Rick Boland, and Anita Best

Things We Lost in the Fire by Mariana Enríquez, translated by Megan McDowell, narrated by Tanya Eby

The Sentence by Louise Erdrich

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori, narrated by Nancy Wu

What Are You Going Through by Sigrid Nunez, narrated by Hillary Huber

Other Media We Mentioned

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Tertiary to Hexagonal Phases (Wikipedia)

The War of the Worlds (1938 radio drama) (Wikipedia)

What We See When We Read by Peter Mendelsund

Welcome to Nightvale (podcast)

Mostly Void, Partially Stars: Welcome to Night Vale Episodes #1 by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor

99% Invisible (podcast)

The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to the Hidden World of Everyday Design by Roman Mars and Kurt Kohlstedt

The Anthropocene Reviewed (podcast)

The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

Control (video game)

Control || Talking Simulator

Nimona by N.D. Stevenson

Nimona by N.D. Stevenson, narrated by Rebecca Soler, Jonathan Davis, and Marc Thompson

The Stanley Parable (Wikipedia) (it’s not quite as narrated as Matthew and Jam implied)

Official website

Gadsby (novel) by Ernest Vincent Wright (Wikipedia)

“does not include any words that contain the letter E”

A Void by Georges Perec (Wikipedia)

“entirely without using the letter e”

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

My Brain is Different: Histoires of ADHD and Other Developmental Disorders by MONNZUSU

Project X: Challengers - Seven Eleven by Tadashi Ikuta and Namoi Kimura

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, narrated by Ray Porter

The Sandman (audiobook version)

Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam, narrated by Marin Ireland

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

Links, Articles, and Things

Episode 133 - Flash Fiction

Episode 108 - Visual Novels

Serre - Kinda bilingual anglos play French-language Visual Novel

Episode 027 - Non-Fiction Audiobooks

Audie Awards

Turns Out Not Everyone Can Picture Things In Their Mind And Sorry, What?

Lowly Worm (Wikipedia)

Let's Play (Wikipedia)

Oulipo (Wikipedia)

24-hour comic

Episode 047b - Terrible Stories by Matthew (you have been warned)

Episode 142 - Sequels and 2022: The Year of Book Two

ISO 8601 (Wikipedia) (date standard)

June Is #audiomonth: Narrator Trading Cards Giveaway

Two-Fisted Library Stories (Twitter bot)

Digital Accessible Information System (Wikipedia)

20 Fiction Audiobooks written & read by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) Authors and Narrators

Every month Book Club for Masochists: A Readers’ Advisory Podcasts chooses a genre at random and we read and discuss books from that genre. We also put together book lists for each episode/genre that feature works by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) authors. All of the lists can be found here.

Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen, narrated by Catherine Ho

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley, narrated by Isabella Star LaBlanc

The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich, narrated by the author

Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson, narrated by Peter Jay Fernandez

Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee, narrated by Emily Woo Zeller

The Memory Librarian and Other Stories of Dirty Computer by Janelle Monáe, Yohanca Delgado, Eve L. Ewing, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Danny Lore, Sheree Renée Thomas; narrated by Janelle Monae and Bahni Turpin

Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley, narrated by Joniece Abbott-Pratt

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori, narrated by Nancy Wu

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor, narrated by Robin Miles

War Girls by Tochi Onyebuchi, narrated by Adepero Oduye

The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka, narrated by Traci Kato-Kiriyama

The Beadworkers by Beth Piatote narrated by the author, Christian Nagler, Fantasia Painter, Drew Woodson, Phillip Cash Cash and Keevin Hesuse

Dating Dr. Dil by Nisha Sharma, narrated by Soneela Nankani, Sunil Malhotra and Vikas Adam

An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon, narrated by Cherise Boothe

Four Aunties and a Wedding by Jesse Q. Sutanto, narrated by Risa Mei

The Strangers by Katherena Vermette, narrated by Michaela Washburn

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong, narrated by the author

Zone One by Colson Whitehead, narrated by Beresford Bennett

The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson, narrated by Kyla Garcia

Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu, narrated by Joel de la Fuente

Give us feedback!

Fill out the form to ask for a recommendation or suggest a genre or title for us to read!

Check out our Tumblr, follow us on Twitter or Instagram, join our Facebook Group, or send us an email!

Join us again on Tuesday, September 20th when we’ll be discussing the winner of our “we all read the same book” poll and discussing Hurts So Good: The Science and Culture of Pain on Purpose by Leigh Cowart!

Then on Tuesday, October 4th we’ll be talking about the genre of Fictional Biographies!

#episodes #genres #formats #audiobooks #fiction

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wizardofahz · 3 years

Text

Sentinel vs. CatCo

Kara sighs internally as she spots the Superfriends whiteboard.

While it has become a permanent fixture in Andrea’s office, it doesn’t always feature so prominently. The focus of the meetings determines its location. If it’s an internal meeting unrelated to the Superfriends, it can be pushed off to the side: towards the balcony or in front of the cabinets. If the meetings involve board members or anyone Andrea wants to impress, it’s tucked into a corner and discreetly covered.

Today, the Superfriends whiteboard stands right beside Andrea’s desk, which means their meeting is going to entail more requests for Superfriends interviews.

Kara braces herself.

And then Andrea says some of the worst words possible: “I want an interview with Sentinel.”

Kara wills herself not to react. On the other side of William, Nia actually snorts.

Nia has worked her way back into Andrea’s good graces, but Kara very much doubts that openly snorting at their boss’s request will lead to another mental health day. Before Andrea can react, Kara says, “I, uh, I don’t think she likes giving interviews.”

“That’s what Nia said about the Superfriends,” Andrea says, completely undeterred, “and we have since gotten interviews with most of them.”

As much as Kara hates to admit it, Andrea’s right. They never participate in puff pieces about what they do for fun, but when they have a cause to promote, they lend their voices in support.

Through his PI work and with his deep ties to the alien community, J’onn had been encountering many others who were also the last of their kinds. With an interest in preserving these alien cultures, he had dedicated a portion of the Mars space in the planetarium to a rotating exhibit of those cultures. He had also teamed up with Kara to revive her Aliens of National City series for a special feature.

Brainy had volunteered for a live public service announcement when a toxic chemical spill had breached the boundaries of an industrial complex and threatened nearby neighborhoods. He had been a little too thorough with the technical details though, and Dreamer had had to intervene to make it more vernacular friendly. His PSA had been big with the scientific community, where some of his equations had been beyond current understanding and sparked contentious debates.

Nia had done a fantastic interview of the new Guardian about marginalized human communities. To quell any curiosity, Guardian briefly mentioned that she wasn’t ready to reveal her identity, but she did reveal that she had the previous Guardian’s blessing to pick up the mantle. Annoyingly, most media outlets chose to focus on that rather than the deep dive into intersectionality.

Alex hadn’t done any interviews. None of the Superfriends had thought twice about it.

Until now.

Knowing how private Alex is, Kara can already picture her reaction to this request.

“If it’s about the ratings, I could get another exclusive from Supergirl,” Kara volunteers. “You said she’s the ideal Superfriend for interviews.”

“Mmm, but we’ve had Supergirl,” Andrea says. “We’ve had all the other Superfriends. We don’t know enough about this Sentinel.” She taps the board under Alex’s picture where it says “HUMAN?”. “Is she fully human? What is her motivation? If she is human, how did she come to join the Superfriends? I want to know.”

“And if Kara’s right?” William asks. “We seem to get interviews with the Superfriends on their timeline, not ours.”

“Then get yourselves on their timeline,” Andrea says. “But I’ll be generous and give you a week instead of 24 hours. If you still fail, well, you’ve heard me say your alternatives enough by now.”

On their way out of Andrea’s office, Nia passes by Kara and mutters, “I’m not touching this one.”

Kara cannot disagree with that life choice.

“What did Nia say?” William asks.

“Nothing.”

...

Alex looks up from her console as Kara enters the Tower. “Hey, what did you want to talk about?”

Knowing how little Alex will appreciate the conversation, Kara says, “You love me beyond measure, and that will never change, right?”

Alex turns around completely, resting her back against the console. She crosses her arms. She knows the difference between Kara approaching her abandonment issues and something Alex will find unpleasant. “Yes? Am I going to change my mind?”

Kara grimaces. “Andrea wants an interview with Sentinel.”

The look of horror on Alex’s face would be hilarious in any other circumstance. “Why?”

“Because you’re the last Superfriend not to give an interview. Andrea thinks that makes you mysterious and intriguing.”

“Not happening.”

“I figured as much. I tried offering up a Supergirl exclusive instead.”

“I love you.”

“Well, she didn’t bite.”

At that, Alex’s head drops back, and she stares at the ceiling.

“I'll write something up anyway,” Kara continues. “Hopefully it will keep Andrea happy in the meantime.”

“Thanks.” Alex gestures for Kara to come in for a hug. “I know you don’t like puff pieces either.”

“It’s okay,” Kara says into Alex’s shoulder. “I’ll find something meaningful to write about.”

...

Alex glances around the downtown street. Luckily she, Brainy, and J’onn had arrived in time to stop an Infernian from destroying a private lab. The police had also shown up and set up a perimeter, which was helpful as a crowd had developed to the south.

“Sentinel!”

Alex spots William Dey at the front of the crowd. "Oh, hell no.”

She normally likes William well enough, but given what Kara told her about Andrea’s request, he’s now on her list of the last five people she’d want to see at any given moment.

“I gotta get out of here,” Alex tells J’onn. “You and Brainy got this covered, right?”

They look over to where Brainy is explaining his containment technology to the police officers taking custody of the Infernian.

William says her name again.

J’onn glances at William then back at Alex with amusement. “Go. We’ll be fine.”

...

“Sentinel!”

Alex looks across the chaos of overturned cubicles and office supplies to see William Dey approaching.

Alex frowns. How did he get here so quickly?

Luckily they are on the fifth floor of the building, which means Alex has an exit strategy William doesn’t. “Supergirl, meet me outside.”

“Copy that.”

A few of the windows were broken in the fight. Dreamer already has the offending meta-human contained, so Alex doesn’t feel bad leaving William behind.

Alex picks the window with the cleanest break and jumps through.

...

Andrea drops something on Kara’s desk. “What is this?”

“An interview with Supergirl,” Kara responds after a quick look.

Andrea sighs. “Kara, I know you heard me when I said I wanted an interview with Sentinel, not any Superfriend.”

Kara shrugs. “I couldn’t get ahold of Sentinel, neither could William, and Supergirl had something she wanted to say.”

“Did you ask Supergirl about talking to Sentinel?” Andrea asks expectantly.

Kara blinks. “I think they have more important things to do than to act as messaging services to one another.”

“It’s not your job to think about their priorities. It’s your job to think about CatCo’s priorities,” Andrea says. “Get me an interview with Sentinel. You, specifically. And again, I don’t think I need to give you the consequences spiel. You have 24 hours.”

Kara reaches out to clear the Supergirl interview from her desk, but Andrea snatches it back up.

“I’m still publishing this.”

...

Kara looks apologetically across the couch.

Just as Kara had tried to give a Supergirl exclusive to spare Sentinel an interview, Alex is now giving an interview to spare Kara’s job.

“Okay, I have to make this on the record, so let’s maybe do a rehearsal.”

Alex sighs but shrugs her agreement anyway. “Yeah, okay.”

Kara hands over her notepad where the questions are written out. “These are the questions I’m going to ask you.”

“You already know the answer to most of these,” Alex says as her eyes glide down the page. “And there’s no way we can publish them.”

“I know. That’s why we’re rehearsing. We’ll have to come up with something that’s real but not revealing.”

Alex balks. Kara doesn’t have to wonder which question its at because Alex reads it out loud. “‘You’ve been a super hero for a while now, but this is your first interview. Why now?’ Seriously?”

Kara grimaces. “Yeah.”

“Because my little sister’s boss is a pain in the ass.”

“Alex.”

“Right, come up with a fake but real answer.”

But their quest for acceptable answers is a tedious process that comes up short.

“I can’t do this,” Alex groans and flops back into the couch cushions. “How about I promise that when I have something to say, I’ll say it to you? You can have that promise on the record.”

“I’ll try,” Kara says. She’s also tired, and she hates forcing this on Alex.

Andrea won’t be thrilled with it, but Kara will make it work.

...

The next day Alex sighs in relief at Kara’s single emoji text.

A thumbs up.

#supergirl #alex danvers #kara danvers #andrea rojas #moments in the life of superfam

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darklove9314-blog · 3 years

Text

Underneath My Skin:A Nessian fanfiction

Author’s note: Hey guys!!! Welcome to day 7 of Nessian month, ( This one is late) today’s prompt is Tattoo Artist AU. If you want to participate in Nessian Month, all prompts are on @illyrianet page

“Are you nervous?” Gwyn asked as Nesta looked over to her, Emerie sitting in the next chair, scrolling through her feed on her phone.

“Why would I be nervous?” Nesta asked leading through the book she had brought with her.

Today had been the day that Nesta, Gwyn, and Emerie had made the spontaneous decision to each get a tattoo. It was all their first and each of them had an appointment with a different tattoo artist who they had talked with over the phone and sent the rough idea of what they wanted done.

“Well it is your first tattoo and I know most people are nervous for theirs.” Nesta shrugged.

“Nesta?” A voice asked as her eyes flickered up to see one of the hottest males she had ever seen. She put her book away looking up at him with a smile. His hazel eyes looking down at her.

“That’s me.” She answered with a grin as Emerie gave her a knowing smirk. “I’m all set up whenever you’re ready.” He told her as Nesta stood up, Cassian was going back towards the booth in the corner Gwyn whispered

“Of course Nesta would get the hot one.“ She sighed as her name was called from the other side her eyes widened.

“I stand corrected.” Gwyn grinned standing up and calmly making her way to the other side of the parlor shaking another attractive mans hand. Introducing himself as Azriel. Nesta gave her a subtle wink. Emerie sighed,

“Of course you and Gwyn got the hot ones knowing my luck I’ll probably get-“

A blonde woman emerged calling Emerie’s name as Emerie’s eyes swept up and down, a shy smile crossing her face as she commented,

“I love this place.” She sprang up almost tripping over her chair as she quickly recovered following the blonde woman into her section as Nesta headed towards where Cassian was stationed.

Nesta looked at the stencil in his hand with the design she had emailed him about, a small book that had one of her favorite quotes written on the front of it. A quote that meant a lot to her and her friends. Nesta smiled at the design as she looked into Cassian‘s hazel brown eyes. Gosh, he really was handsome. If she had been at a bar instead of a tattoo parlor, she would have offered to buy him a drink, but she guessed talking to him while getting her tattoo done would do.

“Did you decide where you wanted your tattoo?” He asked as Nesta pointed to a specific placement on her forearm.

“Right here will do.” she told him as he placed the stencil on her to test out whether or not she liked it. the gentle brushing of his fingers sending shivers up her spine. She shouldn’t be thinking all the thoughts she was thinking with a total stranger. It wasn’t like her.

“Does that look good?” He asked his voice seeming an octave lower, she ignored it dutifully and stared at the tattoo that would be inked permanently to her skin in an hour or so.

She nodded eager to get started.

“Alright, go ahead and sit on the chair facing me.” He instructed as she sat in the chair.

Cassian grabbed his stool pulling it closer to her as he looked at his inks. she had chosen to do a tattoo with colors, so she knew he was setting up his black, gray, blue, and silver ink. She had seen his work online, knew that he was good at it. she was fully prepared.

“Just remember we can stop whenever you want to. We don’t have to get this all done today just in case you’re not feeling up to it.” He smiled.

She smiled at him at the challenge. “Oh I’m more than prepared for this.” Nesta answered him. His smile grew.

“In that case, let’s get started.” He replied as she felt the first prickle to her skin. It felt similar to a cat scratch. with barely any pain there, but she knew that there could potentially be a difference between how she felt while he was outlining vs how she’d feel when he was shading, some claimed the outline hurt some the opposite, but she knew that it would be worth it in the end,

“So how long have you been a tattoo artist?” She asked

“Going on six years.” He answered.

“Impressive.”

He gave her a slight smile illuminating his face. She notice the tattoos that inked his light brown skin and the scars that marred them.

“Do you have a favorite piece?” She asked after a few silent moments had passed.

“Of my work or the tattoos I’ve received?”

“Both.” She asked intrigued to hear his answers.

“I’ve done a lot of tattoos, as for a favorite-“ He shrugged, “I like hearing the meaning behind the tattoo, I like people sharing their stories, Don’t get me wrong, I love my craft, but the people are what makes this job worth it.“

She tilted her head at that wincing slightly as the needle went over where the bone was, she was told that would hurt the worst, so she distracted herself.

“So what’s the story on your favorite tattoo?” She asked watching his hands as he worked.

“Me and foster brothers have wings on our backs to symbolize our relationship that way no matter how far we go or what city we may end up in, we’ll always have something to remember each other by.“ He answered as Nesta felt a pang in her chest. She had heard stories about the foster care system. knew how tough it could be for the children who were in them, but she knew it wasn’t her place to ask and that it was his story to tell so she simply asked.

“Do you all still talk to each other?”

He had finished the outline and now had started on the shading. It stung slightly but it wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle.

“We’re roommates actually. One of them is actually working on your friend now.” He told her.

“The one by the name of Azriel?” She asked him. He nodded.

“That’s the one. He and I have always worked together. Rhys however, he works for the courthouse.”

“Didn’t want to be a tattoo artist like the rest of you?” She teased as a small smirk crossed his lips.

“He lacks the skills to do so.” He answered as Nesta felt another pang in her chest, One of a different sort.

“I can relate. I was more of the studious one in my family. My sister Feyre was the artist.” She answered.

“Does your sister live in the city?” He asked.

“Yes, but ugh, we’re not that close, it’s complicated.“ she answered not willing to elaborat. it wasn’t that her and Feyre didn’t love each other, it was just that having two neglectful parents made them seek comfort elsewhere. Anywhere else besides each other. Had made their fight horrid, both slewing out venomous words that they weren’t sure if they meant or not. It had been the worst when they both were teens, Feyre had been three years younger, but still accomplishing her goals had always been easier for Feyre, for Nesta, not so much.

Her and Elain were closer, but not by much. To Elain, Nesta had been overbearing. and she didn’t blame her for the thought. It was either she suffocated the people that she loved, becoming a burden or she hadn’t loved them enough. Both of which she had worked on in therapy or rather what she was still working on.

“I get complicated families.“ He said, a sad look in his eyes.

“I was always the complicated one.“ She told him. Not sure why she had done it. He was a complete stranger. but for whatever reason she felt as if she could talk to him about anything.

“So was I.” He confided in her. Making her eyes meet his. “Out of me, Rhys, and Azriel, I took things the hardest and I didn’t always handle them in the best ways. I always got into trouble. Said some awful things to them and the others, it took me time. And it wasn’t until I had a foster mom who gave a shit about why I was hurting that I truly started to heal. So I get being the complicated one, The way you feel like a burden even when you’re not.“

His thumb smoothed over the skin, checking on the ink there as she felt a calming reassurance in her chest. knowing that this would end soon. that this was probably the last time they would see each other.

“It looks like we’re almost done.” He told her changing to a lighter topic. Not knowing how they had gotten onto a heavier one,

“Looks like it.” She had told him. Looking at the book on her forearm.

“So I take it you’re a reader?” He asked, working on the last of her touchups.

“Have been since I was old enough to read.” She confirmed.

“Is this a quote from a book?” He asked gesturing to the quote there.

“Ugh no. It’s just the motto for us that my friend Gwyn came up with.” she told him as he read it.

“We are the rock against which the surf crashes and nothing can break us.” He smiled admiring the tattoo. “I like it.”

She wasn’t sure why the blush had crept on her cheeks at his words but it had.

“Thank you.” She told him hiding her blush from him. Normally she didn’t blush when a man gave her a compliment, but Cassian somehow was different.

“Well it looks like you’re done.” He answered. as she got up and went over to the full length mirror observing her tattoo, a book with her and her friends motto on it. They had all chosen the design together because as Gwyn had said herself, all their stories deserved to be told and all of them had a love for books.

“I love it. Thank you.“ She smiled as she glanced up at him.

“It was my pleasure.” He stated wrapping up her tattoo.

“Now you’re going to want to keep this wrapped for a couple of hours and then follow the instructions I give you on the paper you’ll leave with for tattoo after care, but besides that, you are free to go.”

After Nesta had paid and Gwyn and Emerie had finished with theirs. Gwyn and Emerie chatted happily about their tattoos looking at the colors they had chosen them in. the same colors as their friendship bracelets, Nesta smiled turning towards Cassian as she extended her hand to him.

“It was a pleasure meeting you.” Nesta told him as his hand slipped into hers, giving it a slight shake,

“The pleasure was all mine- Nesta-“

“Archeron.” She finished. A little more quickly then she would have liked.

“Nesta Archeron, the name does have a ring to it,” He answered giving her a wicked grin, Was he-Was he flirting with her? “Well Nesta Archeron, I hope we see each other again.” He stated and before she could answer his other client arrived as he went to tend to them and Gwyn and Emerie flocked her while they were outside,

“Do you ever think you’ll see him again?” Gwyn asked as Nesta looked back at the tattoo parlor with a smile on her face,

“I’m not sure, but I hope so,“

#nesta archeron #nesta #cassain #nessianmonth #nessian

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