#northern speaks

[northerngoshawk]

Let’s talk about Katara.

Let’s talk about Katara, who had been born to a culture already decimated by the war and bloodshed and violence, who had been born the last waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe because the Fire Nation took them all.

Let’s talk about Katara, who had to watch her mother die to protect her, who had to watch her father leave with every man left in the tribe - and with him, many of those who were keeping the Southern Water Tribe’s cultures and traditions alive.

Let’s talk about Katara, who had to watch her own brother become obsessed with surviving and fighting, who pushed again and again and again to teach the younger children how to fight, until all that the tribe’s culture became is fighting and surviving.

Let’s talk about Katara, who had forgotten (and how everyone had forgotten) what it means to have fun until Aang arrives (“Don't you see? Aang's brought us something we haven't had in a long time: fun.”) because the war took that from her and her tribe and all they remember is how to fight and survive.

Let’s talk about Katara, who is the only one alive who could possibly understand what Aang has gone through, and how Aang is the only one who could understand what Katara has gone through. How they are both the last benders of their respective cultures, and how those cultures were destroyed by the imperialist Fire Nation. How they are holding on to every shred of their cultures in a world that continually rips that away from them.

Let’s talk about Katara, who lashed out in anger at Aang because he picked up waterbending so quickly (and it’s not fair, it’s not, it’s not, because she should’ve learned it growing up in the first place, but it was taken from her with every waterbender taken from the Southern Water Tribe) and she was the waterbender, what does it mean when she can’t even learn her own bending?

Let’s talk about Katara, who finally found a shred of her culture that wasn’t lost to the war, who sat in Bato’s tent that was built to resemble their home and joined in the ceremonial ice dodging as a rite of passage for Sokka - and how even then, it was tainted by the war (because Hakoda left when Sokka was supposed to do it and they didn’t dodge ice like they’re supposed to).

Let’s talk about Katara, who had traveled from the bottom of the world to the top in the hopes of learning waterbending - only to be told that no, you can’t learn because you’re a girl, who had to literally fight for her right to learning waterbending - her right to learning about her own culture.

Let’s talk about Katara, who learned that the necklace she and her mother and her grandmother wore was a betrothal necklace from the Northern Water Tribe - just another piece of her culture that didn’t truly belong to the Southern Water Tribe.

Let’s talk about Katara, who fought, and won, and could now learn waterbending alongside Aang, but all she is taught is the Northern style of waterbending. She will never learn the Southern style - the style native to her tribe, the style she should’ve learned (and yes, maybe it should be enough that she was even being taught, but war takes and takes and takes and you can’t help but grieve what was taken).

Let’s talk about Katara, who had been so eager to learn from Hama because she was the only other Southern waterbender, who had begged Hama to teach her their tribe’s culture, and all she was taught was use every resource at hand to survive and bloodbending - not even a shard of the Southern Water Tribe’s culture can survive without being tainted by war and bloodshed and violence.

Let’s talk about Katara, who looked Yon Rha in the eye - the man who killed her mother, the man who led the Southern Raiders in destroying every last piece of the Southern waterbenders’ culture - and chose to walk away instead (and maybe it’s because she’s strong enough to do it, maybe it’s because she’s too weak not to do it, but it’s more than he deserves).

Let’s talk about Katara, who looked Zuko in the eye and forgave him - Zuko, who had been part of the nation that instigated the destruction of her culture, who had been part of the royal family that commanded that destruction (and maybe she understands that it wasn’t his fault, not entirely, but maybe it’s also hard to see his face without remembering the ash and smoke and fire that consumed the Southern Water Tribe) - and that takes strength.

Because listen, listen. Katara is a character shaped by cultural genocide and loss and colonialism and assimilation. Her title as “The Last Waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe” defines her as much as how Aang's title as “The Last Airbender” defines him. Every choice she makes, every action she takes, has always been built upon loss - of her mother, of her culture, of her people.

Culture has always defined Katara so intimately, and by missing that, we miss who she is and who she’s meant to be.

#kataralove #atla katara #anti anti katara #katara meta #listen i have FEELINGS this morning #atla meta #northern speaks #time to see if any antis will clap back #sigh #this is an amalgamation of fic and essay im so sorry lollll #katara #assimilation #cultural genocide #colonialism #long post

[dimonds456]

Yooperlite??

I've lived here my whole life how the FUCK am I only just hearing about these.

#dimond speaks #michigan #yooperlite #northern michigan #my state. i thought it couldnt get any weirder. i was wrong. #guys i think gravity falls should have taken place here instead GFHJSDAKFGADS

[canisalbus]

I just recently started following you so i don't have the full lore of your murderous gay religiously traumatized doggos, BUT, from my understanding, they are Italian and i don't know what part of Italy they are from, yet i can't help headcanoning Vasco as Tuscan, while Machete is probably from some part of Veneto. And as an Italian who has heard Tuscans and Veneto dialet, well it's an hilarious mental image.

Vasco is indeed Tuscan, Florentine to be specific. He comes from a wealthy and influential noble family that has lived in Florence for centuries. He's proud of his roots, and it's usually easy for strangers to tell where he's from. He's a resonably successful politician and has worked as an ambassador and representative of Florence on numerous occasions.

Machete is originally Sicilian (ironically about as far from Veneto as possible), although he was taken to mainland at young age and has lived in several places since then, before ending up in Rome. The way I see it, he exhibits very little local color, his demeanor and (even though Italian hadn't become a standardized language yet) way of speaking are formal, neutral and scarcely give away any hints about his personal history, at least in the 16th century canon.

#I tend to take the easy way out with the various Italian dialects/languages and temper their effect on how the dog world works #even though to my understanding in reality they differ drastically from each other even today and they aren't always mutually intelligible #especially when you compare northern and southern ones #I know at least Sicilian is so different from modern day Italian it's considered a separate language entirely #it isn't the only one but I'm not a linguist and not even Italian so I'm not really qualified to be explaining any of this to you #main point is that my dogs are well traveled educated and adaptable so I'd like to believe that they manage #otherwise making this whole scenario work would become very complicated #language barriers aplenty #Machete is a fast learner with a natural knack for languages so he absorbs/decodes new ones easily #and I can see him acting as an interpreter if necessary #which is a valuable trait for someone working as the secretary of state I'd imagine #a lot of people he ends up dealing with speak at least passable Latin so at a pinch they might perhaps try switching to that? #Vasco might have a Tuscan flavor but Machete is more of a blank slate (at least in public and at work) #answered #fallenoftheromaempire #feel free to correct me if I've gotten something wrong I'm not an expert and this stuff is complicated for an outsider

[fiery-emblems]

Sketch of the day: Modern AU?

My idea for this is that Soren's father is an extremely corrupt Trump-like business man who had his wife institutionalized to prevent her from talking about abuse. Due to this Soren has been in foster care from a very young age. I know most people go for a goth/punk look for him but this time I went with a kid who tries to dress low-key/ a little nicely but he has a hard time because his clothes are second hand and don't fit right.

Ike and Mist are from a very loving, solidly middle class home with parents whom are well liked and respected in the community. They struggle a bit with the loss of their mother but for the most part they're very well adjusted. Ike in particular is the jock who doesn't tolerate bullying at his school! Its easy to imagine that his life revolves around some kind of contact heavy sport like football or wrestling, which his father no doubt coaches.

#soren has a scar on his forehead from being dropped as a baby lol #I figure almedha is still struggling because she's living in her husband's home county and is far from her own #I've always liked the idea that in a modern au the dragons would be middle eastern/northern african #or in general from an arabic speaking area #soren might know who his father is but still never met him #tellius au #modern au #soren #ike #mist

[blacklegsanjiii]

@alazycrab00 ASL+S where the jungle children speak Northern much to everyone's confusion and displeasure.

When Law first hears Luffy, Ace, and Sanji speaking it after Punk Hazard he asks why they would know it and Zoro is confused that Law speaks jungle child which makes Law rub his temples. This crew, this god damned crew, it's been a day. He has a migraine already. Law asks about it at some point and Luffy says Sanji taught it to them. Law looks at the cook who is smoking with a cocked eyebrow.

Then he checks their injuries from Marineford and admires Sanji's leg courtesy of Franky and deems them all fine, why wouldn't they be? The three of them are monsters. They're feral as well he finds and they almost exclusively talk to each other in Northern. Robin will occasionally chime into the conversation with common but none of the other crew speak it or understand it.

In Dressrosa as the half of the crew is resting in the cabin Law is shocked to find another feral brother, who is the Chief of Staff in the Revolutionary Army and Robin knows him and Fire Fist and him are speaking in fluent Northern but Sabo's accent sounds almost as naturals as Sanji's. Sabo asks where Sanji is and Ace says he went to Zou under Law's orders. Also they know Law has been allowed in the galley when he and Luffy aren't and Robin is giggling as Law is flushing. He is so red and Sabo is losing it as he gives Law approval as long as the other two do. Robin responds that's very sweet of him in common and everyone asks what that means.

After whatever arc, when the brothers are all together and they're laying on the grassy lawn of the Sunny. They're pointing at constellations and talking of their dreams, that Luffy is a god now, the Northern falling from their mouths like a gentle rain in the jungle. They talk about their memories of Foosha and Windmill Village and Dadan and how Sanji is going to bring her to the All Blue and how Ace talks about each one of them joining the family of bandits. Zoro, who is on watch, listens to the brothers talk in a language he doesn't understand but he can hear the hope and will and freedom of their voices and dreams.

#black leg sanji #monkey d. luffy #roronoa zoro #trafalgar law #portgas d ace #revolutionary sabo #vinsmoke sanji #nico robin #sabo one piece #fire fist ace #asl+s #amputee!sanji #they speak northern! #lawsan #sanlaw

[svsss-fanon-exposed]

About your response re: Gongyi Xiao's name, if the given name is one syllable, how would he be referred casually? I've only just started learning more about how chinese names work, and from what I've been told names should preferably have two syllables. I've seen additives such as A- and -er, but I don't exactly know how they work and don't want to make assumptions.

This obviously doesn't relate to canon facts like this blog intended, so apologies if the question is unwelcome! Hope your day is lovely either way 💕💕

Tbh I'm open to answering as many questions as I can, even if it's not this blog's main intention-- even if I can't answer or don't answer correctly, at least then it's out there before a bunch of eyes that can peer-review!

Whether a given name in Chinese has one or two characters, that can depend a lot on generation. For example, I believe for a long time it was two-character names that were customary, then more recently one-character names, and the current generation has gone back to favoring two-character names again. Sometimes, a given name will have three characters, maybe even four, but I have only heard of this and haven't seen it so it's very uncommon.

Either way, you're hardly ever going to call someone by a single-character name without a modifier. Usually names aren't used without modifiers at all, but it's especially so for single-character names. To call someone by a single-character name with no modifier is not unheard of in literature, but it is very intimate, and also very uncommon-- so I wouldn't suggest using it that way.

Anyway, for Gongyi Xiao in particular, one could very, very informally call him 萧儿Xiao'er/Xiao'r，or 阿萧 A-Xiao. However, this is very familiar and would only be used by people older than him, especially when he is young, or people who are very, very close to him like parents or older siblings and other relatives, or by a romantic partner-- not casually between friends. Both of these are intimate and affectionate, with a "cutesy" sort of feeling, though to my own interpretation Xiao'er is slightly more so than A-Xiao.

For his peers, 公议师兄 Gongyi-shixiong would be standard, even for those peers from other sects as cultivators of the same generation call one another Shixiongdi/Shijiemei even when they are not from the same sect in SV.

As for general close friends, Calling him 公议兄 Gongyi-xiong would be appropriate (with "xiong" here as roughly equivalent of "bro") or perhaps 萧哥 Xiao-ge as something even less formal but not as intimate as Xiao'er/A-Xiao.

So, someone of the same generation could call him inorder of formal to least formal, Gongyi-shixiong > Gongyi-xiong > Xiao-ge, and a partner of his could say A-Xiao or Xiao'er.

#answered #gongyi xiao #svsss #language #translation #cultural tidbits #this works the same way for other single-character given names #such as Shen Yuan #and i do know there are regional differences in diminutive #i'm originally from central-northern china #in addition to my long time without speaking fluently #so others from other regions & with better fluency might have different thoughts on how to call him #definitely feel free to add on #anyway i do like questions like these because it lets me share things i know with others #while also helping me with my own learning through peer-review :>

[bonefall]

Idea: as Snake Claw and Thrushpelt share the comedic trait 'uses American words occasionally' could Snake have a distant descendant? Could be interesting as a little background thread to the concepts of Legacy and Inheritance through BB, plus could give a Trait to a background cat sometime. Bloodline curse/blessing of 'good at using violence as a tool, capable of putting that tool down. However, *American*...'

Oh that's incredibly funny I need to use this somewhere. Themes of legacy and inheritance in BB; Bloodline curses, what we choose to accept from our family and what we leave behind, that which can and cannot be rejected, american jumpscare....

I already made a design in my head for Snake Claw though, and it doesn't have the Tawnyrain Mullet... maybe he picked it up from listening to someone else. Or maybe I'll keep the genetic american jumpscare on hand and give it to the character you least expect.

#Everyone in BB has a Northern English accent except Thrushpelt when he says ''PRAWJECT'' like Toby Fox when he's speaking Japanese #Guy who says Howdy: Howdy :) #I think Prince River's Ripple is an objectively hilarious character to drop an American word #Especially if he has a normal accent 99% of the time and then he says ''DAGNABBIT'' #fennelposting

[reallyhardy]

have another audio gift.

lothlorien from the watermill's production of the lord of the rings: a musical tale (3rd preview performance, 27th july 2023.)

#LOTR musical #the lord of the rings: a musical tale #LOTR #lord of the rings #lord of the rings musical #you can hear when he's just speaking at the start here #legolas has a northern accent. and i really think that's funny #u always think of elves having an RP accent. he said nah. i'm just gonna keep my own accent. LOVE him for that #anyway i think georgia really sounds stunning and very like LMK #you can tell she absolutely loves the song #audio gift

[cavae-oculos]

Remember, the woods will not judge you. If tears burn your eyes, the sprouts will accept them. The leaves will whisper reassurance, if you only understood them. The roots will hold you if you feel the weight of the world crushing you, so tightly it feels suffocating. We are always listening. Do not forget.

#the verdant ones speak {text post} #a little ominous positivity :) #cryptidcore #gremlincore #cryptic suggestions #cryptidkin #cryptic positivity #northern gothic

[northerngoshawk]

fave kataang hc i have is after CoD and kataang begins dating, Katara loves to put a hand over Aang's heart or lay her head on his chest to hear him breathe

#northern speaks #random thoughts #kataang headcanon #aang #katara #kataang #shfhwjdjjd it's giving hiccstrid energy #the amount of times i've seen astrid put a hand on hiccup's chest #very soft and intimate

[pitske]

ROTZBACKE! HAKENZAHN! OI! OI! OI!

#I know some people will disagree with me here and that is totally okay : #I grew up watching httyd and I absolutely prefer the german version over the og (which doesn't happen often) #I think it is so undeniably better in my opinion because it 1) is what I am used to #and 2) because I'm a northern german and the way they talk seems so close to home its just nice- #um's auf gut deutsch zu sagen: die hamburgern so schön /lh #of course in my family we mostly speak like that for emphasis or whatever but I JUST AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH I LOVE IT SO MUCH #I can speak along with the movie in its entirety in german I just-only piece of media that had more of an impact on my life than Undertale #I will say I am sadly not a third movie enjoyer. I'm sorry I just didn't like it very much but I respect the people who do #I also have only watched it once while I've watched rtte like... idk 3 times? #also finally getting to the drawing- I LOVE SNOTLOUT AND HOOKFANG SO MUCCH #also Rotzbacke's Synchronsprecher is just so damn funny- #oh btw Planzin and Tectco watched me go through the five stages of grief when I realized the reason why angel dust sounded so familiar #in the german dub was because the voice actor is the same guy who voice acts fishlegs in german #pitske’s art #pitskederdoenerhaendler #so much shit going down guys I need to draw the entire dragon rider crew #httyd fanart #httyd #snotlout #snotlout jorgenson #hookfang #how to train your dragon

[foxless]

keeping my eye on all the ground-dwelling therians; im perched in the trees ensuring that no one messes with you

#figuratively speaking #otherkin #therian #therianthropy #alterhuman #nonhuman #bird therian #bird theriotype #northern harrier therian #northern harrier #northern harrier theriotype

[blacklegsanjiii]

Since North Blue has it's own lenguage, wouldn't it be funny if in like, ASL+S, Sanji just gets nervous or angry and start to talk in North Blue without even noticing? The ASL would be confused as hell-

Each Blue technically has its own language, but in the East Blue and Grand Line mostly common is spoken so Sanji in any of the ASL+S bullshit I have just getting scared and babbling in Northern Blue and his brothers staring at him like 'what is this gibberish?' and then Sabo realizing Sanji's from another Blue and rolling with it until Sanji gets excited and goes off in his native tongue about something as they stare at him and then ask for an explanation in a language they understand.

Sanji teaching it to his brothers and everything and like Sabo knowing Northern Blue in the revolutionary army as a child and no one can figure out why he would know that. Luffy and Sanji talk in it while they reminisce about Dadan and Foosha, Ace talks to Thatch excitedly in North Blue. They used it to keep secrets and have conversations.

In the verse where Sanji loses his leg and they're all in the White Beard fleet and Shanks and Marco are looking at them as the kids are all half awake just mumbling incoherently to each other in northern and Shanks and Marco are just staring at them in they're drugged fucking state and if the Heart Pirates are there most the have to be trying not to laugh as Law looks at them with confusion and Shanks asking them to translate and Shachi, Penguin, and Ikkaku eagerly telling them what dumb shit they are saying which is basically like 'shrimp are too good for us' 'shrimp are delicious and they have it coming' 'i can't feel my toes' and other exceptionally dumb shit.

In Dressrosa Sabo and Ace are talking in it at the cabin and Law is once again looking at them in confusion as they catch up like old friends and when he asks it's like 'Sanji taught it to us' and then straight back to northern as Robin laughs.

#black leg sanji #portgas d ace #revolutionary sabo #monkey d. luffy #trafalgar law #vinsmoke sanji #sabo one piece #fire fist ace #straw hat luffy #answers #asl+s #they speak northern! #amputee!sanji

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Thanks @fancyskink for your donation! I enjoyed doing this northern gannet-- I had no idea they had such bright coloration around their eyes!

Fun fact: Northern gannets have tiny airsacs under their skin that cushions their impact into the water when diving and helps them resurface faster!

#jack speaks #jacks art #northern gannet #fauna for palestine

[rongzhi]

Hi Wawa. I’m a 华人/SEAsian of Chinese descent interested in learning more about my heritage. Now I know where my family came from except but Great-grandpa from Dad’s side is a bit of a mystery. Dad’s side of the family are Hakka people from Guangdong, mom’s side are from Fujian. We don’t think Great-grandpa’s Hakka, at least not fully, but no one knows what he is. He might not even be Han. My dad thinks he’s Western Chinese, ‘he’s really tall and he looks like them’ he said. I asked Chinese friends and one of them said that’s probably wrong because normally it’s the Han going to Western China and not the other way around. I agree because what would a Western Chinese person be doing up in a random Guangdong mountain village? Another friend suggested he’s Shandong because they’re also known for being really tall. Do you have any idea what the truth is likely to be?

mmmm youknow.... sometimes, there is no discernible reason for the way people look. yes there is a stereotypical look of a people from a certain region, but not fitting the stereotype doesn't automatically mean they're from somewhere else!

your great grandpa might've just been a tall southerner lol (not impossible). and at this point, unless there are written records with insight, "the truth" here is probably just a family myth—something to gossip about when everyone gets together and start comparing physical attributes :P

#text #answered ask #speaking from experience some ppl just look different from the family & there's not really a particular ancestral/geographical reason lol #if you're really curious you could take a genetic ancestry test and maybe it'd show if there is some northern ethnic group mixed in but... #as for hypothetical west to east migration tho that is easily explained by trade routes. literally centuries of trade #generations could have slowly moved east over time

[juneviews]

no, actually my least favorite thing about watching thai dramas while speaking & understanding thai... is that the dialects never match up 😭😭😭 if a character is from a non-central province, they'll have their whole family speak in northern/southern/isaan dialect while the main character, who's played by an actor from bangkok, will unexplainably not have any remnants of his native dialect when he speaks even though he was born & raised in the area and often time never even left... that shit breaks the fourth wall to me, like... why even hire an actor who doesn't fit the role fully, I don't get it 😭

#axelle rants #i told sunset about you #to be continued #I'm too lazy to tag ALMOST EVERY SHOW THAT TAKES PLACE OUT OF BKK #I adore itsay but this is literally its only AND biggest flaw in my eyes bc why the fuck is teh only breaking into southern dialect - #- for shits & giggles when he was born in phuket and lived there his whole life like WUT #same for oh-aew the dude never speaks southern dialect at all it makes ZERO sense #but teh's mom tarn & SOME of the friends speak correctly... it's so jarring #there's only 3 types of shows that have avoided this #1) to me it's simply you where nadech's character speaks both isaan dialect & central dialect as a way to show us that his character is - #- ashamed of his roots & then gradually accepts them. it's well done imo #2) isaan shows with an entirely isaan cast & crew like siew sum noi and nah harn... which is why I love isaan shows sm #3) I believe 1000 stars did this well? unless earth's character is supposed to be northern which in that case nevermind #HOWEVER bkpp MADE itsay so I'm willing to forgive the fact that they can't speak southern dialect even though it takes me out of the show #axelle learns thai