#even if it is to be more accurate when writing about spanish speaking characters in fanfics without relying on google translate
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A New Sensation Explanation || The Owl House (Hunter x Willow)
HO HO HO, Merry (late) Christmas to @thebest-medicine , I'm you're @squealing-santa writer! I was ecstatic to get to write for The Owl House, and even more so when I saw your list of characters to use included Hunter and Willow! 🤩
I hope you enjoy your fic! 💜
🚫 MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD FOR SEASON 3 OF THE OWL HOUSE 🚫
Summary: On a day like any other, while teasing Hunter who's refusing to take a break, Willow accidentally discovers that he's ticklish. The discovery doesn't seem to be only hers though, as Hunter's never experienced tickling before. Now Willow gets to explain this new sensation, and treat him to his first ever tickle attack. The question is, how long can she remain in control of the situation?
Word Count: 1,426
Note: This is officially my longest fic yet, and I'm honestly quite proud of it ☺️ I really hope I was able to keep Hunter and Willow accurately in character. Admittedly it's been a bit since I've watched any episodes, plus in general this is really one of the first full fics I've ever done with existing characters. I think I did okay though and I'm pretty dang happy with what I've made!
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One relaxed morning, Hunter is alone in the previously abandoned house near Luz's, sitting on the floor and fully engaged in a book while Flapjack sits on his shoulder and reads along. His focus is quickly broken as he's spooked by a knock at the door, causing both the book and Flapjack to go flying as he jumps.
"C-Come in!" Hunter says, still a bit rattled.
"There you are," Willow says as she lets herself in, Clover flying along beside her. "The house felt lonely with everyone out and about, figured I'd track you down to see what you're up to."
Hunter smiles a bit at the idea that she would come looking for him. "Ah, well, I was just studying up on some Spanish. I feel like I'm lagging behind the others."
"Wellll I wasn't going to say anything, but you have been saying 'aloha' instead of 'hola' for a few lessons now, and according to Luz that's a different language entirely.." Willow giggles a bit, putting her hand over her mouth in an attempt to stop so she wouldn't make him feel too bad.
Hunter sighs in frustration. "I'm never gonna get the hang of this, or catch up with all of you."
Willow notices his expression growing sad, and gently places a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, you'll get there in time. Heck, counting your mistake you're speaking one more language than any of us, that's something."
A small laugh escapes Hunter. "Yeah, I guess that's something."
Willow smiles. "Why don't you take a break for a bit and grab a snack?"
"Maybe later, I should probably keep studying." Hunter grabs the book off the floor and tries to find the page he was on.
"Noooo, you need a break, put it down." She says, sitting beside him.
"I'm never going to get better if I don't continue studying, I can eat sometime la-AH!" Hunter's words get interrupted as Willow pokes his cheek. "Hey, what gives?!"
"I'm not leaving you alone until you take a break, boop!" She boops his nose, then starts poking random spots with both index fingers.
"W-Willow! Cut that out, you're not going to change my mind!"
"I'm sure I can, just need to find the riiight spot. How abooout.." Willow pokes Hunter's side, and he suddenly jumps.
"EEP!" He squeaks, then immediately scoots back, blushing red and embarrassed.
Willow's expression goes from slightly spooked to a suspicious grin. "Hunter.. Are you.. ticklish?" Her grin widens with that last word.
Hunter's embarrassment dies down a bit, replaced with confusion. "W-What's 'ticklish'?"
"Oh come on, like you don't know, ya goof!" Willow smirks and pokes both of his sides a few more times, causing more squeaks and giggles, but also increased confusion.
Hunter looks down at himself. "Why am I laughing, how.. how are you doing that?" He looks back up to Willow, waiting for answers.
"You.. really don't know what tickling is, do you?" She says, receiving only a shake of the head indicating 'no'. Willow lets out a giggle, realizing she'll now have to explain this to him. "Well, tickling is a type of gentle way of touching someone that makes them laugh. And if you're very sensitive to those types of touches, it means you're ticklish."
"Oh, interesting! So I'm.. ticklish?" Hunter asks.
"Yes, yes you are." Willow says with a proud smile now that he's getting it. "I can't believe you've never heard of tickling before."
"Well Belos was never one for pleasant touch, and the rest of the Emperor's Coven just kind of kept to themselves. This sensation is fascinating though." Hunter says, looking back down at himself.
Willow hesitates for a moment, but decides to ask a question. "Hey, would you like to experience some more? I mean, only if you're comfortable."
A warm blush appears on Hunter's face, remembering how quickly the sensation overtook him, plus the fact that it's Willow doing it. "Well, um.. if you'd like. I'm.. fairly curious."
"Haha yay, okay let's do this!" Willow positions her hands at his sides, hovering a few inches away. "Ready?"
Hunter's blush increases heavily as he stares at her hands. "R-R-Ready!"
Fingers begin scribbling up and down Hunter's sides, immediately causing a load of loud giggles, mainly from Hunter but some from Willow as well. Her face is glowing, happier than ever seeing her friend laugh more than ever before.
"Ahahaha!! Thihis is strahange!" Hunter says through his laughter, still wrapping his head around the whole concept of tickling.
"Haha yeah? I hope you're at least having fun!" Willow says, still worried she may be pushing him further outside of his comfort zone than she should. He doesn't reply, instead covering his face to hide the darker shade of blush. "You are, aren't you? You're liking being tickled!"
His face still covered by his hands, he shakes his head. "QUIHIHIET!!"
"Aww, let's see where else you like being tickled. Let's try here, and here, aaaand here!" Willow's fingers dance across various tickle spots as Hunter fails to squirm away. First his underarms, then his tummy, and then his neck which seems to be especially ticklish.
"NAHAHAHAHA!! FLAHAP HELP!!" Hunter shouts, desperately reaching in Flapjack's direction. The little palisman flies up to his hand, transforming into his staff form for Hunter to grab onto. Once he does, the two phase away from the tickle attack and across the room, allowing him to catch his breath.
"Hey!" Willow shouts, playfully. "You get back here, there's still some spots we need to test. You know you want me toooo." She wiggles her fingers in his direction.
Hunter's blush is as red as ever, smirking a bit seeing Willow enjoying herself so much. "Y-You stay back!" He shouts, hoping she won't.
Willow smiles and runs at Hunter, who phases across the room again. She runs at him and the same happens, and again, and a few more times. "You cheater, I'm gonna get you if I have to do this all day!" Willow says, giving a playfully evil smile as she draws a glowing green circle in the air, making a small vine grow from the floor to grab Hunter's leg. He panics and phases once more, landing right behind her, and instinctively copies the action that started this all and pokes Willow's sides. "AH!"
Hunter sees her face as she turns to face him, her cheeks turning the color his were just moments ago. Suddenly the evil smirk that was once hers now creeps onto his face. "Willow.. Are you ticklish too?"
"Don't you dare!" She says through a smile, secretly hoping he'll take the initiative, and her wish quickly comes true. Hunter does his best to mimic her finger movements over the same spots she tickled him, seemingly doing a good job as she squirms and wiggles in his grasp, laughing just as loud as he did previously. "STAHAHAP THAHAT!"
Hunter smiles seeing how much fun she's having, his eyes lighting up knowing that he's making her feel that way. "Oh this is fun, I can see why you like doing this! Making you laugh is.. really fun!"
Willow blushes, happy to have given him such a fun new experience. Though despite the fun she's having, she wants revenge. "CLOHOVER! GET HIHIM!!"
Hunter's eyes grow wide. "Wait, what?" The fluffy bee palisman flies over to him, nuzzling into his neck. "Hehehey! Quihit it, you! Ahaha!" Hunter falls to the floor in a fit of giggles. "Flahap! Gehet her!"
"Wait no! NO! AHAHA!" Willow falls back as Flapjack brushes his wings on her tummy.
The two laugh and squirm on the floor next to each other, as each of their palisman tickles the other. This goes on for several minutes until they both yell out for a truce, calling off their small friends and catching their breaths.
"Thahat.. was perhaps the most fun I've ever had." Hunter says, smiling wide as his breathing slows down.
"I'm so happy you had such a good time, you deserved it. I had the best time too." Willow says, with a small yawn. "Goodness that took a lot out of me."
"Me too." He says, realizing how much he's struggling to keep his eyes open.
Willow pats her shoulder. "Come here, you dork."
"O-Okay." Hunter says with a blush, moving closer to lay his head on her shoulder.
The two cuddle close with their palisman joining the cuddle pile, eventually falling asleep in each other's arms, both smiling from the fun time. Both hoping it could happen again sometime soon.
#squealing santa#squealing santa 2k23#the owl house#hunter noceda#willow park#hunter x willow#tickle fic#tickle fics#tickle#ticklish#tickling#tickles#tickle community#lee#ler#switch
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A full transcribe of JAVIER PEÑA'S dialogue/lines from the TV show NARCOS.
S2/E1 - FREE AT LAST
Includes full dialogue, and dialogue from any deleted/additional scenes available.
I've created this as a point of reference when writing for Pedro's characters, and I hope you find it useful. Even if you just want to read the dialogue. 🖤
FULL MASTERLIST OF PEDRO CHARACTERS DIALOGUE
☝🏻Dialogue has been fully transcribed by myself using reference to original scripts (if available), audio subtitles and using my own two ears. Therefore, mistakes can be made, however I have tried to be as fully accurate as I can. If you spot an obvious mistake, please kindly let me know. Where audio is not clear, I have marked with *inaudible* Scenes are separated for ease of reference.
FULL SCRIPT DIALOGUE:
Escobar’s out.
He’s fucking out. He took Sandoval hostage during the siege and when the army went in… he escaped. Walked right out.
__________________
Jesus Christ.
No, don’t know him.
Well, it looks like we’re not invited to the dance.
__________________
This and Mein Kampf. Two classics of 20th century literature.
How are you not wearing rubber gloves touching that shit, man?
We should take this shit to our office. It’s better than any of the shit we got.
Look, I think I found something that might help us.
Wait.
__________________
Of course, Colonel. I hope we didn’t get off on the wrong foot.
This is more than adequate.
Gracias, Colonel.
Oh, wow, this is from 1962.
__________________
Seriously? Directly in front of me? I don’t spend enough time looking at your face?
That’s better.
(In Spanish) DEA, Agent Peña.
(In Spanish) Oh yeah, which one?
(In Spanish) Yes, there’s a reward. What’s your information, Miss? Who are you talking about?
(In Spanish) La Quica? You know La Quica?
(In Spanish) Do you work there?
(In Spanish) How long ago was this?
(In Spanish) All right. We’ll look into it.
Let’s find out.
__________________
It was an unsolicited phone call. She asked to speak to an American. We would just need a couple of cars and a few men.
(In Spanish) It would be worth investigating, Colonel. We’re not asking for a lot.
Gracias.
__________________
Alleys run along the house here… and here. We'll keep the other car waiting around back.
(In Spanish) I’m not sure of anything.
Go.
All right.
__________________
(In Spanish) Right here, to the right. It's the next right.
(In Spanish) Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Just fuckin’ drive.
(In Spanish) There’s the taxi. Park on the left. There.
(In Spanish) All right. Wait for me here.
Trujillo!
(In Spanish) Move! Move! Move!
That way.
Fuck! Fuck.
__________________
FULL MASTERLIST OF PEDRO CHARACTERS DIALOGUE
#pedro pascal#javier peña#javier pena#pedro pascal characters#javier pena narcos#javier pena dialogue#pedro pascal character dialogue
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Star Wars and racism
Normally I don't like to talk about this topic and given Tumblr's reputation I might as well have a ''kick me'' written on my back but just like those people are allowed to write pages upon pages about how star wars is ‘‘problematic’‘ I’m allowed to disagree. And I'm sure a lot of people have similar opinions but are too afraid to show it.
1. ‘’An alien has an accent therefore it's a caricature of whatever people have this accent.’‘ It's a huge galaxy with thousands of different species, planets, and cultures. Of course, not everybody will speak the same way. I think it's pretty cool and accurate.
2. ‘’Toydarians, Muuns and Trandoshans are Jewish stereotypes.’‘ It's just like the Orc argument. If you think any of those creatures and your immediate thought is, Jew, maybe you're the racist.
Watto is the poster child of the Jewish star wars stereotype and I never understood that. Because of his accent? Because of his nose? When we see more Toydarians in the Clone Wars, we see they are nicer and nobler than Watto. Their clothes and their king's saber remind me of Polish szlachta. And even Watto has a great backstory that explains his selfish and greedy behavior. Basically, he took part in a war that left him traumatized and he took it out on others.
Random person: Then why didn't they explained it in the movie?
Me: Because that's not what the movie is about.
Random person: How was I supposed to know that not every single member of this species is an asshole?
Me: Basic logic. Just because a white person, a man, a Chinese person, or whoever was mean to you doesn't mean that everybody is like that.
Muun noses help them warm up to the cold air in the mountains that they live in. Their architecture is similar to that of Greece. In the clone wars, we see that they have somewhat of a clockwork theme. Because they're so good at math. That's more of the Alps and the Switzerland inspiration.
Neimoidians have Asian accents and hats. But their clothes and jewelry is more similar to the European aristocracy. Even their guards look Spanish to me.
Long story short the star wars aliens aren't supposed to represent one single group of people. They’re a mishmash of multiple things to create something completely new and alien.
Trandoshans were never a Jewish allegory. The voice actress for Cid is Jewish and some dumb people come to the conclusion that now all Trandoshans are Jewish. Cid is a Trandoshan! She's not even the villain. The actress was chosen because her voice fits the character. Also, Cid has a bar and her VA played in the show Cheers. This is grasping at straws to create a controversy.
3. ‘’But there are bad guys who are racist.’‘ ''But this guy was a victim of speciesism! Why is he a bad guy?'' ''But these are good guys why are they racist to other species?''
It's almost as if things aren't so black and white.
Someone can spontaneously be discriminated against and discriminate against other people. Chiss think of themselves as the best in the galaxy. Meanwhile, Thrawn is being looked down upon for being not human. A taste of his own medicine in a way. And it doesn't look like he thinks ''This is terrible! No one should be treated this way!'', it's more like ''I'm going to put up with this until I get to rule you all, you pathetic humans.''
That one episode of the rebels in which pretty much everybody calls the last Geonosian ''the bug''. Or during the Umbara arc when our beloved clones call the Umbarans ''shadow people''. Or how in the unfinished Utapau arc Anakin is a dick to a Toydarian because he reminded him of Watto. Or how Anakin hates Hutts, even a baby.
It's almost like the characters can have grudges against their enemies or form their opinions on their worst experiences.
Besides, in a galaxy where you can die any number of ways, be enslaved, full of alcohol, drugs, crime, and other terrible things name calling isn't that big of a deal.
It also shows the tragedy of it all. Every species suffered in some way and if they were allowed to talk about it and bond they might've been friends.
It’s getting long. I might write a part 2 or responses if I get any comments.
#star wars#star wars the clone wars#star wars rebels#star wars the bad batch#the bad batch#Toydarian#muun#neimodians#tbb cid#agent kallus#Garazeb Orrelios#zeb#star wars the clone wars season 7#Trandoshans#neimoidians#Neimoidian
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Ker si en delček vzela s seboj - Bojan x fem!musician!reader - part 1
A/N: Sentences/words written in italics are in their native languages, or to emphasize a few things.
A/N 2: AI was mostly used to write the lyrics, I changed a few things.
A/N 3: Not everything is accurate/according to what actually happened. Many things are made up, like this story.
A/N 4: This story and the way the characters play out have nothing to do with the real people. This is an imaginary story, in an imaginary world, with imaginary situations.
This series contains explicit/mature/adult content (use of drugs and alcohol, explicit material, swearing, etc).
“But I got my power in my hand / You hold no power over me
And I’ll take my flowers while I can / So let the love shower over me”
Dilja’s song had to be one of my favorite but most underrated songs of this year’s competition. She was not even 21,5 and her voice was pure power. She was performing right after us, so I got to watch her from the side, as soon as we got off stage because I didn’t want to miss a thing.
“Hey, (Y/N). Come on, everyone went back in the box.” Alex nudged me a bit to get my attention.
The ‘box’ wasn’t a box per se; it was a designated area for all the Eurovision acts to hang out during the Barcelona pre-party, surrounded by fans, other contestants, and past contestants. It had soft sofas, and tables full of snacks and drinks. Thank God, because I was already feeling my feet hurting from all the sightseeing we did yesterday.
“Give me a sec. She’s almost done.” I was moving around on my own, trying to be as respectful as I could during Dilja’s performance.
Once she finished, I clapped along with the audience and waited for her as she walked off stage to give her a congratulatory hug. We walked towards the box to meet the others as ‘Wild Youth’ was ready to take the stage.
It was only the first of the ESC Pre-Parties but we were all lucky to stay in the same hotel, so I got to meet the others in the hotel lobby two days ago. Our band, ‘Kitty Revival’, which was representing Greece, arrived a few days before the others, so we had some time to explore the city on our own.
I hadn’t been here in almost 9 years (tomorrow, it would be 9 years actually) and I was excited to see all the places I didn’t get to see when I was here on my last-year school trip.
Dilja and I got along from the beginning and got to do some sightseeing together. My sister also came along as she was the only one who spoke Spanish and I had once promised her to take her to Barcelona sometime in the future. She was only a year older than Dilja so they had a few things in common - more than Dilja and I actually.
Until now, I had met all of the acts at the pre-party, and I had made some friends - mostly Dilja, Mae, Iru, and Joker Out. Most of them were younger than me, but we still had a lot to talk about, like living the whole Eurovision experience - or at least, part of it.
Greece hadn't been participating in the pre-parties, but I really wanted to take the chance. It didn’t only mean song promotion, but also PR and getting to know the other participants. We practically had to beg the Greek delegation to let us participate in the pre-parties because they actually thought we shouldn’t.
As Dilja went to sit next to Mae, I went to sit next to my bandmate, Alkmini “Mini”, but Jan from JO quickly took over the seat. I raised my brow at him, but he just shrugged and pointed towards his old seat, next to Bojan, his bandmate.
I turned towards Mini. “We’ll talk later, okay?”
She simply nodded and I went to sit next to Bojan. The Slovenians had already performed first out of everyone else, so he was now stretching comfortably, but the moment he saw me, he moved a bit to make some space for me. “Thanks”, I murmured, hoping he’d hear it.
“You were amazing out there!”, Bojan tried to speak over Ireland’s song but he ended up screaming a tad too loud, trying to sneak his arm around me. Thankfully, I was used to the loudness and didn’t mind, but his arm made my heart race involuntarily.
I turned towards him to watch him smiling brightly, looking dazed and mesmerized, making me wonder how many drinks he had already. I could already see that Kris - who usually looked very mature for being the youngest one - was on the verge of being wasted already, screaming and dancing around. And we weren't even at the actual party that was gonna be just us.
Bojan was a natural flirt and could mesmerize anyone - I got that from the very first moment we met, and I wasn’t going to deny that he was so good-looking, and how he was slowly but surely making me let my guard down.
I leaned towards his ear. “How many drinks did you have already? We still have a long way to go until the end of the night. We still have an actual party to go to later"
“I had a few. Don’t worry. I can handle my alcohol.” His breath was tickling my ear, and I felt goosebumps as he laughed with himself. I couldn't help but smile at him.
He went on to talk about all the places they visited with his bandmates, the 'Wild Youth' and the ‘Sudden Lights’ guys today; some of which I had already visited. He kept telling me that he was 'too excited' to see all these amazing places and practice his Spanish with the locals.
"Though I wish you could come with us, as well. I mean you…your bandmates and you. Not you, you, as in you, (Y/N). You know what I mean?" Bojan was laughing awkwardly, trying to deal with his sudden embarrassment.
"I know. I wish we could come with you guys, but my bandmates insisted that we had some extra rehearsals for today. It's the first time we play outside of our usual area range, and everybody's kind of nervous about the whole thing. We mostly had people who speak Greek listening to our music and coming to our gigs, so this is totally different."
Bojan let out a giggle that made my heart thrill. "I totally get what you mean. Don't worry about anything. Your guitar skills are magija, magic, and your song is really good. I love hearing it. I love hearing you sing. Even if it's only in the back." Bojan moved a little closer at this point.
I didn't know how to feel about him at that moment. I wanted to lean closer to him, but it felt a bit out-of-character for me, and not entirely appropriate, given the time and place. I gave him an awkward thumbs-up and excused myself before I acted out of instinct that should not come to the surface.
I walked in front of Mini and gave her a signal to follow me. We walked to the bathroom, where it was significantly quieter than the box or the pit. I could think better here where I wasn’t overwhelmed with sounds, feelings, touches, and smells.
“Your cheeks are a tad red. You're flustered. What happened?” Mini had a talent for knowing how I felt without me saying a word, so there was no point in hiding the truth from her. We have been playing in the same band for over a decade now, so it made sense that she learned to “read” me well, even when I wasn’t trying to show any emotion.
“I think Bojan is flirting with me? Or not? I cannot really get him. He seems flirty with everyone - without actually flirting, you know? - but he’s more…expressive to me? He has confused me.” Maybe I was exasperating but the Slovene made me feel…things already, and I didn’t want to be just me, imagining things that weren’t there.
“Well, I do think he’s acting 'flirty' with you. And many others. But he hasn’t been like that with me, or Alex, or Dimi, or Stef. Just you from the band.”
“So? What do you think?”
“I honestly don’t know. Was he like that on the first day? When we went sightseeing?”
I tried to think of yesterday when we got into the mini-tour bus the party organizers booked for us and went around the town with Joker Out, Wild Youth, Sudden Lights, Tvorchi, Iru, Dilja, and Mae. We started early in the morning so we'd have enough time to see everything.
I was supposed to sit with the girls in the last row, but it was already taken by Jure, Jan, Conor, Andrii, and Jimoh. So, now we all had to split.
Iru and Mae sat together, and Dilja sat with my sister; Ed decided to sit next to our tour guide, with Callum and David close by.
I wasn’t annoyed by that; I was going to sit with Mini either way, but, at the last minute, she chose to sit with Dimi, leaving Alex and Stef to sit together. Okay, I would sit on my own - no issue with that.
Okay, I was annoyed; it reminded me of my school years, being the last one to get selected for anything. I couldn’t wait for the bus to start, so I wouldn’t have to think about being alone, not being chosen, and such, even if it wasn't supposed to be for long.
Against my initial thoughts, I felt someone sit next to me. I pretended I didn’t notice, but then they tapped my shoulder and I had to turn to look at them. To my surprise, it was Bojan who sat next to me.
I raised my glasses to look at him better. “What happened? Did your band abandon you, too?”
He looked around the bus, pointing at Kris and Nace who sat diagonal from us, in the front. “You could say that. They sat in pairs and I was left out. I hope you don't mind me sitting with you. I had nowhere else to sit."
So, he didn't choose to sit with me. It was just a convenience. "Yeah, no problem. Don't mind me." I turned around to look outside of the window; I really wished I had my headphones with me at that moment, but I left them in my hotel room.
Part of me was trying to focus on watching the city as we drove through it, but the other part of me was trying to decipher what Bojan was doing right beside me, without actually having to turn around and look at him.
“Hey, um…(Y/N), right?” Bojan spoke up and I had to turn around again.
“Yeah. And you’re Bojan. Bojan Cvjetićanin, right?” I raised an eyebrow at him. I thought he heard my name yesterday when we introduced ourselves to each other.
“Yeah.” He smiled widely. “I didn’t expect you or anyone to remember my last name actually.” He chuckled awkwardly.
“I remember everyone’s full name. Part of having an acoustic encoding and a photographic memory.”
“Oh, nice. So, (Y/N), speaking of photographic memory, do you know where we are going? I didn’t have time to look at our program.”
The program was given to us, specifically to know when and what we would do each day!
"Well, they'll drive us up to Montjuïc Hill first, so we can see the city from above. We'll visit the castle and then they'll drive us to the Botanical Gardens, then to Anella Olímpica, which is actually near the venue where the party with the fans will take place. Then, we'll visit the Spanish Village, then Parc Güell, and then, back to the city center. They'll leave us at Barri Gòtic, the gothic neighborhood and we have free time to visit whatever we want. I'll go to the Picasso Museum, Casa Battló, Casa Amatller, Casa Malagrida, and I'll have to find a way to go to Sagrada Familia, otherwise, I see myself unable to walk in the near future. Lunch is at 5 o'clock. The meeting point is Plaça de Catalunya, which is actually close to where we're having tomorrow's private party."
"Do they say what kind of lunch are we having?"
"They mention 'traditional Spanish cuisine', so I assume tapas, paella, gazpacho, and such."
"Oh, okay. I hope they got the memo about Nace on time."
I thought about it for a moment. "He shouldn’t eat gluten, right?”
“Yeah..? How do you know about that?”
“Because I cannot eat dairy and sugar, so I had to email them beforehand to let them know. So they sent me the menu to choose feasible options and let me know that there would also be gluten-free options for ‘another contestant’ with intolerance, just in case I had any other dietary restrictions. And I actually shouldn’t eat gluten because of my thyroid, but there aren’t enough gluten-free options in Greece, so...”
I just realized I started talking too much again and I stopped before I embarrassed myself more than I had already, but Bojan was looking at me…fascinated. His eyes were on me and he was perked up, waiting for me to continue my narration, but I thought that he hadn’t talked at all yet.
“So, have you ever been to Barcelona before?”
“As a band, no. Only Jure has never been here before. I was actually born here but we moved back to Slovenia when I was little, although I think I know a few Spanish but only now do I get the chance to speak with someone who actually speaks the language, you know? What about you? Have you?”
“Actually yeah, I have been to Barcelona before, but like almost nine years ago. Last-year school trip. We call it ‘triti lykeiou’, the third of high school. So it’s been some time, and even then, we didn’t get to see everything, or at least things that I wished we could see, like the inside of Sagrada Familia or the Picasso Museum.”
We continued talking for most of the time, from the moment we sat together on the bus till the moment we went back to the hotel, as Bojan became one of my ‘fellow travelers’ for the day, along with the rest of Joker Out, my band, and my sister. Bojan turned out to be a very pleasant person to talk to; it felt like I was talking to an old friend - effortless, familiar, meaningful. He was the most sociable and chatty out of all JO members, though, at times, I appreciated Jan’s more quiet company.
“I don’t know. Really. He was talkative, friendly. He may have seemed flirty and all that, but maybe it’s his way of communicating with others. Every time I try to speak with someone, they think I come out as flirting with them when I don’t. Maybe that’s just Bojan.” I shrugged, not caring to talk about it further.
“Okay. So, do you actually want to pee or…? We have been here for some time. The boys will be worried.”
“You can go back if you want. I’ll pee and I’ll be back shortly.”
I was quickly done, but stayed in the bathroom for a few more minutes, going through the photos I took yesterday. Bojan was in at least 90% of the group photos. He was obviously very photogenic, and he looked so smiley and happy. I took photos of every single one of our tour group, but Bojan would constantly find a way to get in, photobombing everyone’s photos.
I caught myself smiling, and I couldn’t deny that he was the reason I was currently smiling and silently laughing on my own. Going to his Instagram, I immediately saw he had uploaded on his stories and I was too curious not to click.
He had mainly reposted some videos from the Joker Out's official Instagram account with today's meet and greet, fans' photos, them getting ready for the pre-party, and a few short videos of them 'partying' before the audience pre-party.
And then, there was a video of my band playing on stage, but going through the video, it was mostly focused on me playing my guitar. It was…different, seeing myself through Bojan's eyes; the way his camera was moving from my guitar to my face, watching my 'concentrated' look.
I felt myself getting hot and my cheeks burning again. I felt a pain in my stomach - not sharp per se, but it was enough to make me notice it, accompanied by a light headache. I was pretty sure that it wasn't because of the few drinks I had; I could only attribute it to the tiredness of the past couple of days. I hadn't eaten well because I was embarrassed to eat in front of the others, and yesterday was slightly too hot outside.
I leaned against the wall, trying to take a breath, but I knew I just needed to sit down and everything would be okay. I exited the bathroom as calmly as I could and went back to the box to find a place to sit.
My seat next to Bojan was now taken by Mae, who was laughing loudly and enjoying herself, sliding her hand over Bojan's toned arm. I felt a bite of jealousy and sadness in my heart. Of course, there would be others interested in Bojan.
Bojan himself was smiling back at her while drinking from his champagne glass. He was having fun, and he seemed as interested in her as she was in him. The pain in my stomach became sharper now, but I didn't want to let others know how I felt, so I quietly took a seat on Alex's lap, as I usually did.
Alex wrapped his arms around my waist out of instinct - that's what we always did; that's how we all acted with each other in the band. We were all very open with each other, to the point we would even walk around naked when we were staying in the same hotel room or tour bus or each other's house if we felt like it. It wasn't forced; we were just comfortable with being close and intimate with each other.
They were all currently discussing possible places to tour in the summer if we got good feedback from the competition and the audience.
"What do you say, (Y/N/N)? Where would you like to go this summer?" Alex spoke calmly.
"Ideally, on vacation." Everyone snorted laughingly. "But if I had to choose, I'd say ask the people where they want us and we can go on from there. See if there's a way to arrange something."
"I guess that would be the most fair thing to do. Since we don't know where we stand with the people's view in this competition."
They all nodded, agreeing, before going back to talking about food. I sighed, trying to forget that I hadn't eaten anything since yesterday night, and snuggled my head in the crook of Alex's neck.
"Tough day?" Alex whispered as the others continued talking to each other.
"Tough day, you don't say anything." I was close with all the guys in the band, but Alex was more understanding and easier to talk to.
Alex glanced at me rubbing my tummy. "You're not on your period, right? That was last week?"
"No, it's not that. It's…" I looked towards Bojan and Mae, not so discreetly may I say, so Alex caught up quickly.
"Ha." He paused for a few seconds. "You're jealous. Who is it this time? Bojan or Mae?" I was open to my friends about my sexuality, but I never talked about it to others because I never had to or wanted to explain myself.
"Bojan. I don't know, Alex. I don't want to be just another participant thirsting over another one. Or be one of the people thirsting over him. I don't want to risk approaching him, only to be rejected. I'm tired of that."
Alex kissed me on my cheek and rubbed his nose against it. "I don't want to tell you what to do and what not to do, (Y/N). But I will tell you that we all take risks in our lives. We took a risk by being here, exposing ourselves to millions. If it's a risk worth taking, you should take the chance." He paused for a second. "And for what is worth, I think he may also be jealous now."
"How do you know that?"
"I've been glancing at him this whole time, and he hasn't stopped looking toward us. If looks could kill, I'd be chopped right now."
I turned my head to look at Bojan's side, and I saw he was already looking at us, mouth agape, and eyes wide open. We kept looking at each other for just a few seconds until he stood up and went away, probably towards the bathroom or somewhere else.
Could it be that he thought Alex and I were dating and he got jealous? No, no way. Bojan had a much too interesting life if I were to say so, looking through his social, to even care if I was with someone or not. Every participant was charmed by the Slovenian golden retriever. Everyone loved him. He had too many options to care about me and my life.
And he may have seemed interested yesterday, but today he was talking, drinking, and flirting with everyone like he was in his natural environment. I just had to forget all the things he made me feel, even for a day or two, and continue being civil with him because we had over 1 and a half months ahead of us until all this was over and we went back to our usual lives.
Though it was easier said than done, as, no matter how much I tried to avoid him over the next week during the Polish pre-party - unless it was a group activity or obligation, he always managed to be there somehow.
Was it a last-minute meet and greet with local fans before the pre-party? He somehow was close by, with the rest of his bandmates, probably having 'decided' to make a sudden meet-up of their own in the same area we did.
I tried not to notice how flirty and handsy he was with everyone, especially Noa when she showed up at the Israeli pre-party. She wasn't sent to perform, but as Israel hosted the pre-party, she must have been assigned as our co-hostess and presenter for the night.
I didn't know Noa was Bojan's soft spot, his weakness, until I saw a random post on Twitter, dated 2 months ago. It was uploaded by the official Joker Out account on Twitter, featuring Bojan. Noa was his weakness - his ‘weak point’, to be exact.
Now it made perfect sense why he seemed so infatuated with her and was pretty much following her around the whole night, except for when he had to go on stage and perform. And even then, he personally thanked Noa for her hospitality and how amazing and organized the party was.
I was really trying not to think of all that, not to think that the man I liked was flirting, touching, and partying with everyone else but me. I tried not to think that he could be going to bed with someone else, especially not me.
And then came Jere, going by the alias 'Käärijä'. And he was cute and kind and funny. And they immediately clicked with Bojan and they started spending as much time as they could together. And I would hang out with my bandmates, Iru, and Mae, and now also Alessandra, Alika, Teya, Salena, the 'Vesna' girls, and Elen, who went by the stage name 'Brunette'.
But it wasn't the same as it was that one day with Bojan, and though I was happy for him seemingly having found someone who actually made him happy, I couldn't help myself from wishing I was that someone.
Nevertheless, I tried to have as much fun as I could, without thinking of him or anyone else. And I did have fun, partying, singing, playing guitar, and going out with the other contestants, even Joker Out.
I was acting like nothing bothered me, and I was getting pretty good at it. In public. Because every time we got back to our hotel rooms, I fell into the abyss of my loneliness.
When we had a free day before the Amsterdam pre-party, everyone else went out, getting to know the city by night, but I decided to stay in my room, feeling too tired - emotionally - to have fun.
Lying in my bed, in my short, pink and wine-red nightgown, strumming my acoustic guitar, and humming, occasionally gulping some of the wine Mini bought a day ago, trying to find a new music or line for how I felt at the moment.
It wasn't usually hard to write a paragraph or two because it was usually a collective job, but I wasn't as emotionally charged before as I was now. Though, when I started strumming the chords, the lyrics started writing themselves.
You get on with life as that shy boy,
You're an adorable kinda person.
You like singing and playing hooky.
You like to contemplate life.
But when you start to daydream,
Your mind turns straight to him.
Sometimes I look at you and I look into your eyes,
I notice the way you think about him with a smile,
Curved lips you just can't disguise.
But you think it's singing making your life worthwhile.
Why is it so hard for you to decide which you love more?
Singing or living?
You like to use words about life.
But when you stop talking,
Your mind turns straight to him.
You like to hang out with me.
But when left alone,
Your mind turns straight back to him.
You hate crying and confrontation.
But you just think back to him,
And you're happy once again.
Oh, God. It was as soppy as it could get. But I bet Alex and Stef could probably make something good out of it. I wasn't good at the final editing and corrections, but I was good at laying all my emotions on the table and coming up with a rough layout of a possible song.
A rough knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. I checked the time on my phone. 01:36. Oh, no. I must have been too loud and someone got mad and came to complain.
I quickly and quietly tiptoed towards the door, waiting to be screamed at, for playing guitar at that time. I should have remembered that not everyone staying here was a Eurovision participant, and we were randomly put in our rooms. And it was probably late for some people.
Opening the door, I came face to face with a rather distressed Bojan. My heart fell at the sight of him. His hair was ruffled and stuck out all over the place. The dark circles under his eyes were more prominent than before, and his whole face was sunk.
"Hey, Bojan." I spoke quietly, aware now of how late it actually was. "What are you doing here? I thought you guys went out?"
He pointed into the room, and I took it as if he wanted to come in, so I took a step back to let him in. He walked heavily towards the small couch near the window, and let himself plop heavily into it.
We didn't speak for a few minutes, and the room felt heavy with awkwardness. I didn't know if I should speak or let him speak and explain why he was here at that time. I decided to break the tension.
"Hey, Bojan? Do you want me to bring you something to drink? Or eat? I have water, orange juice, cranberry juice, maybe some Greek koulourakia?"
He raised his eyes to look at me. His eyes were literally lost as if he was drinking heavily and managed to drive off somewhere he didn't know how he got there.
I took it as a signal to go through Mini and I's shared suitcase, and pick up a few things: a small pack of tsourekakia, a pack of oregano chips, an almond chocolate, and a can of Greek mountain tea from the fridge.
I placed them in Bojan's lap but he kept looking at me with those empty, lost eyes. "Eat up. You look like shit."
He let out a snort, smirking, as he awkwardly started opening the chips first. He snacked for a few minutes, occasionally closing his eyes, either out of pleasure or tiredness, I didn't know which one.
I looked at him closely, taking in his every perfect, little expression. He looked so small and fragile as he chugged down the oregano chips, like a little kid enjoying his afternoon snack. He saw me looking at him and offered me some of the chips.
"Thank you, but I can't eat them. They have milk powder in them." He shook his head and continued snacking.
He finished up and took the pack of tsourekakia in his hands, carefully examining the pack to understand what those were.
"They're like a small version of tsoureki, a Greek sweet-like bread which we eat as a snack, or sweet, or dessert. These have hazelnut praline in."
He shook his head again, as he opened the bag and grabbed one, throwing one in his mouth. The second he bit into it, his eyes rolled over his head, and I laughed at how much he enjoyed it.
I grabbed the can of tea and opened it before offering it back to him. "To balance the sweetness."
Our fingers brushed each other's, and it felt like it was forever ago when I last touched Bojan. I couldn't help my need to stare at him forever. His chocolatey eyes sparked even more now than they usually did, probably because of the alcohol in the man's system.
Out of a sudden, he grabbed my free hand and pulled me into his lap. I was so shocked and taken aback, that I could only look at him with wide eyes. Thankfully, he didn't spill any tea on us or the couch, because it would have been awkward to explain how the sofa and the rug underneath were stained with cold tea.
I noticed my nightgown had risen a bit, so I quickly pulled it down before my underwear was shown. Bojan wrapped one arm around me, while the other started moving up my thigh and below my nightgown, where I tried to cover myself up. My heart literally skipped a beat under his touch and our close contact.
We could only stare at each other. I was scared of doing anything that he may misunderstand and he was a bit too cautious to do or say anything. Or so I thought because he leaned forward, towards me. I didn't move, partially because I was frozen and partially because I'd been wanting to be in this position with Bojan since Barcelona.
His lips brushed against mine, nibbling my lower lip enough to make my heartbeat skyrocket. I wanted to give in but I quickly realized that Bojan wasn't actually in his right mind and it wasn't okay to take advantage of his loose state. So, I pulled away and pushed myself out of his embrace. He tried to resist but he was weaker in his drunk state.
"Bojan, I think you should go to your room now. You're drunk, you're not thinking straight, and you may start doing things you will most likely regret in the morning."
"I would never regret kissing you. Not in a million years. Not when that's the one thing I wanted to do from the moment I met you." He spoke for the first time tonight, his voice coarse and intoxicating.
I couldn't deny that I thought he was a bit obnoxious at first; he seemed too happy, and excited, and bouncy to be real. But when I actually got to meet and talk to him, he seemed down-to-earth, and lovely, and loveable.
"I'll be honest with you. I wanted to kiss you since that day in Barcelona when we spoke for the whole day. But I know it, and you know it too, that you have to come to your senses, and if you still feel the same, we'll talk about it sometime in the future, okay? Now you'll have to go to your room before our friends come back."
Bojan tried to stand up with wobbly legs but fell back on the couch. I facepalmed myself, knowing that getting him to stand up and go to his room, two floors above me, would be extremely difficult, even with using the elevator.
"What if…", he mumbled, "...I stay here for tonight? Please?" He gave me his best, doe-like, pleading eyes, knowing exactly where to aim to convince me.
I sighed, not wanting or being in the mood to argue with him. I looked at the oversized bed and tried to make some calculations for how we were gonna fit properly.
"Okay, but I won't be giving up the whole bed. I'm older and sensitive. We'll both sleep as far as possible from each other, capisci?"
"Si, signora." Bojan smiled brightly, and my heart beat faster. I swore that man would be the death of me. Was I too old at 26 to die over a younger man?
Bojan extended his arms towards me, expecting me to help him get to bed. I took a deep breath to calm my rising temper and walked over to him. I grabbed him from the waist, slowly pulling him up, and he put as much weight as he could on me.
Lucky for me, the bed wasn't too far away. Because Bojan, though considered short for a man, was about 10 centimeters taller than me, and he was both muscular and curvy, just my type. Pulling him up would be a bit easier if I wasn't feeling under the weather, because of my upcoming period.
I managed to get him to bed safely, lifting his legs to lie down, and pushing him a bit towards the middle, scared that he was gonna fall off at some point. I noticed he had his eyes closed already, and he was breathing heavily, so I assumed he had fallen asleep already.
I went back to the shared suitcase and got some painkillers, then grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, and placed them in the nightstand beside him. I personally never had a hangover because I always knew I couldn't handle alcohol at all, so I only drank in moderation. But I knew how awful a terrible headache can make you feel for the whole day forward.
I covered him with a blanket, as it was a bit chilly, even in the seemingly warm hotel. Bojan looked so peaceful, like a little angel, slightly smiling in his sleep. I took a picture in my mind and a picture in my phone, to forever remember that moment.
It was only then that I noticed I had a text message from Mini. I left my phone on silent mode so I never heard the text sound. "We're coming in 20. Do you want us to bring you something?" Sent 12 minutes ago.
It was a bit too late to text them. They would probably not see it on time. I walked carefully and quietly to the bathroom and called Mini from there.
"Ei, (Y/N)! Did you get my message? Do you still want us to pick up something for you?"
"Yeah, yeah, it's all good." I tried to whisper but also make myself audible. "Mini, can you do me a favor? Can you stay with Alex tonight?"
"Why? Did something happen?"
"Ehm, I...have a visitor tonight…"
"Omg, (Y/N)! Did you finally get laid?!"
"Wait! (Y/N) got laid?!" I heard my bandmates' voices in the background, whistling and making too much noise.
"No! No, it's not that. He just came to see me, and he was too drunk to get back to his room."
"Okay, tell me everything or I'll come over to see. Who is it? Is he cute? What does he look like?"
"Mini, I can't tell you who it is. That's…private." Nothing was private with these four, but I couldn't just out Bojan like that.
"Is it Bojan?" Alex spoke clearly on the phone.
I sighed before speaking. "Yeah, it's him. Please don't make it way bigger than it already is."
"That's what she said! But seriously, I'm just messing with you. And don't worry about Mini; she'll stay with me. Maybe one of us will get lucky tonight."
There were a few milliseconds of silence before Alex growled an "Aouts!", probably Mini's response to his comment. I snorted. Alex wasn’t that type of a guy; he just liked to mess up with his friends, and he knew that Mini wasn’t one to enjoy his pranks, so he did it more to her.
“(Y/N)? Where are you?” I heard Bojan whining from the room.
“Guys, I have to go now, okay? I’ll text you if I need anything.”
I got off my phone before anyone could respond, and I walked out of the bathroom. Bojan was lying on his left side, eyes half closed, looking towards the bathroom door. I moved closer to the bed, and he shot me a sweet, yet bright smile upon seeing me.
“Hey, are you okay? Do you need anything?” I wasn’t sure how to approach him or his state; I didn’t want to seem like I was hitting hard on him or that I was looking for any reason to get close to him.
“Can you please come over?” His voice was coarse and it gave me goosebumps.
I slowly crawled onto the bed, moving slowly to keep myself covered. Bojan’s eyes never left mine, as he watched me moving around and getting closer and closer to him.
“Closer. Please.”
I crawled again until I reached him and laid down beside him, facing him. His eyes still held an untold tiredness, but he still kept them open, as if I’d walk away the second he closed them once again. He moved his arms around me, slipping one underneath me and pulling me into his embrace.
His body felt warm and inviting, and I could now smell the scent of his clothes and his body: baby powder, musk, vanilla, and sandalwood, all mixed together in a scent that took over my mind.
His hands were moving up and down my back and arms in a comforting way, and he was breathing a bit more heavily now. I closed my eyes, enjoying the moment, though I knew I shouldn’t be getting that close with someone I had no future with - short-term or long-term.
Either way, we were from two different countries, living in two different worlds, and busying ourselves with different tasks. The only thing we had in common was that we were in a band, each of us representing their own country in Eurovision.
Just the thought of losing Bojan like that, expectedly and naturally, made me tear up, but I quickly forced myself to gulp my sadness and tears down. I didn’t want to upset him. This was a beautiful and emotional moment between us and I would ruin it if he noticed my wet, sunken eyes.
I calmed myself down and tried steadying my breath, though that led to me getting more and more sleepy in Bojan’s arms. And though I didn’t want to disturb his peace by staying there, I couldn’t bring myself to leave his soft touch, especially when Bojan laid his head on mine and started humming a - I assumed Slovenian - lullaby.
His voice, even when he was singing that low, was heavenly. I didn’t know what it meant, but I let myself enjoy Bojan’s rich, deep voice. He was singing and caressing my head, sliding his fingers through my hair and making my being go numb.
It only took a couple of minutes of Bojan singing lullabies for me to fall asleep in his arms.
#bojan cvjetićanin#bojan cvjeticanin x reader#bojan cvjeticanin fanfiction#fanfiction#joker out#jure maček#jure macek#nace jordan#jan peteh#kris gustin#kris guštin
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i wanna write fanfics but i'm not sure how to keep everyone in character and to write normal dialogue. do you have any advice? thank you!
Okay so, I've written fanfiction and roleplayed for nine years, and I know it's scary and hard at first, but eventually with enough practice, writing will become as easy as breathing air.
First thing I do is envision the scene in my mind, like a movie! What's the setting? The mood? What kind of characters are here? What's the plot? Materialize all of this in your brain and do not force yourself to make dialogue, it'll come up to you naturally. Think of yourself as the actor for all these characters, feel their emotions, study their motives, backgrounds, passions and even body mannerisms.
If you're dealing with a pairing or characters that correlate with each other, try to think. What are their similarities and opposites? Are they really all that similar or is it one or two few traits? This is where the Venn Diagram comes in! That's the method I've been taught at school, and honestly, I could make a list but the Venn Diagram helps me visualize things better. To be honest I have sharp memory to things I'm fixated in, so I don't do it physically, but it's very useful! And YES, while studying these characters annotate everything that could be useful in writing dialogue.
Do they have an accent? A lisp? Is there any vocabulary depending of where they were raised?
I have things to say about these things in dialogue and the first two are more personal and up to my taste.
Personally when people write "accents" that aren't like Country or Irish accents that actually have different words in the vocabulary, when you replace the letters to make the "sound" and in a way create new words, not only does it look messy, it IS messy to read! It's an unfortunate phenomenon in the Team Fortress 2 Fandom lol.
EXAMPLE: "Viz is not good. Vhat was a vad decision."
For these instances, use regional words and spellings for the dialogue, it says much more than what I've told you. Are they british? Use words like "favourite" instead of "favorite" etc. Trust me, the readers aren't dumb people, you can do ONE paragraph describing that your character has an accent and they would understand.
I think my gripe against that style of writing isn't only aesthetically but also because I'm bilingual (my native tongue being Spanish) so honestly, it would look a little offensive reading a fanfiction where my type of accent is typed like that.
When writing bilingual people ALSO avoid this:
Like prideling said, that one's a big example of what bilingual people do. Even in their own native language! I constantly forget to say "accurate" in Spanish lmao.
And we do not "switch" languages, we aren't Dora The Explorer. We can greet and talk normally to people. Only times I'd say bilinguals happen to jump back at their native tongue accidentally it's when they're surprised? It's happened to me, but for a very short time. Bilingual readers prefer to be represented with the struggles of knowing two languages and showcasing their culture throughout descriptive paragraphs over anything.
Anyway, moving on... DIALOGUE!
This is a classic. Do NOT get comfortable with the verb said. Try using other words like: exclaimed, announced, warned, shouted, whispered, etc!
The more you write, the more you'll learn about these verbs, adverbs and adjectives and it'll come handy tremendously. We don't want to have too much repetition do we?
I am also handing you this emotion wheel that will be incredibly useful if you're starting writing:
Speaking of repetition... Remember that thing I said about studying your characters? Try to avoid too much repetition of one word between the two characters. As you may have noticed people have a cadence and ways of speaking. If you do that a lot, people will break from the immersion and think it's you who's talking, not the character.
Another classic! SHOW, DON'T TELL.
If you're into writing, you'll probably have heard this saying before. All writers have committed this sin when they started writing, using adverbs and adjectives too obsessively instead of narrating how the character feels.
Is your character anxious? How about instead of doing:
“Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck! What am I supposed to do now!?” He anxiously exclaimed.
We do...
“Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck!” He tightly gripped onto his jet black hair and ripped it from his scalp into shreds. Pain was the last thing he cared about when a bigger torture was on his mind. His chest constricted, his lungs having less oxygen filled with hot air. The corners of his eyes burned, and his brain constantly banged to the corners of his skull begging to free it from this horrible outcome. The man started to lose his senses, he couldn't smell the horrible stench from his machines, or feel the bottom of his feet anxiously walking in circles, his fingers were getting tingly and numb. Onceler couldn't even see the insides of his destroyed mansion and the deforestation he caused from his window. All of it was a blur and too much too handle, the weight of his actions fell into his mind and stomach, forever scarred and stuck like that last stump in the middle of what used to be a vibrant Truffula Tree forest.
“What am I supposed to do now!?” He scratched his knotted throat as loud as he could, ripping his vocal chords. It didn't matter if he could hear himself now, he didn't listen to his real soul in the past, and now, no one will listen to him now. No matter how much he begged for help.
Alright, that was a little big example there haha! But you get it right? Here's a picture to help you visualize better.
Mind you, the first example isn't bad to use! Just don't constantly use it. It's good to show a story throughout the actions of your character!
Alright, what else... what else... oh yes!
Be mindful of spellchecking bots!
I'll be honest to you, I do use them! They come incredibly handy because sometimes I mess up verbs or I just simply add too many spaces or create typos without meaning to! But remember that bots are bots, and at the end of the day they don't have humanity. They're AI. Therefore, these bots might make suggestions to change certain words because they don't recognize it as part of the vocabulary, but if you do click on everything they suggest, your dialogue will become very robotic and lacking of stylization. Keep those peepers open!
Use a beta reader?
I never had one. To me, writing is a very personal thing and for me to have one, they would have to share the same fandom that I'm writing of to be trustworthy. Beta Readers can be useful because they can point out mistakes other than spelling ones. Something the bots CANNOT do. They can point out weird things in dialogue, plot holes, etc.
Learn of your narration voice.
The way you narrate is your brush strokes of art but in writing! What type of a narrator are you? The unreliable type? The classic? Or just a narrator with a god complex? Have fun with that! And remember, if you want to narrate not as a narrator or yourself but as one of the characters, REMEMBER to study the character. Basically, the first tip I gave you.
Stuttering.
Don't overuse it. And we don't always stutter like: "b-b-but!" NO! Instead, try slurring the words, and adding ellipsis (the three dots ...)
Not only is it more realistic, but it looks better on writing.
This image is something I struggle with too, but it'll be useful to see it now!
Honestly, my path for writing has been rocky and I raw-dogged this shit, so it's an honor being able to help you! If you ever have any doubts keep coming here! I love to get in more depth, but I've been making this post for like an hour already!
I think that's all I can give you for now! Lots of people that have read my fanfics and roleplays have pointed out that dialogue is my forte! It's rather flattering. As always, I don't give tips or boast about my writing without evidence, so here's a snippet of a Normaler fanfic I'm writing:
“I brought you some things. Water and a towel. Hopefully that's enough.” She handed him the materials and he gladly took them, opening the water bottles and damping the towels.
“Thanks. It's tomatoes. I doubt there's a lot to get me dirty with those.” He chuckled awkwardly, before rushing to rub the towel against his cheek.
Norma smiled, raising her eyebrows.
“I take it that you're a foreigner?”
“You can tell?”
“Your accent. Yeah.” Norma stretched her legs as she sat next to him. “You're one of those cowboys?” She grinned back at the man.
The Once-ler laughed, and my... did he have a goofy laugh. Not what she expected.
“I wish. It sounds like fun, but where I come from, rural life is pretty boring.” He continued to rub the towel against his clothes.
“Greenville doesn't like foreigners.” She explained bluntly. “They always come here with bad intentions.” She furrowed her eyebrows with a teasing smirk, causing the Once-ler to dramatically gasp, a hand on his chest.
“B-But I ain't coming here with bad intentions!”
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On Bheem acting as a "mediator" between Ram and Seetha
[Disclaimer: this is not about shipping wars, it's just an analysis because I find the dynamic interesting. Whether you ship rambheem or ramseetha or both or neither is irrelevant for this, and beside the point.]
Click here to read this post on Ao3
It always drew my attention that most of Ram and Seetha's interactions seem to be mediated by Bheem. That is, have him as a middle man; there is the obvious part where Bheem brings Ram back to Seetha, but it's more than that. Ram also only writes to Seetha because of Bheem. When they first reunite, it is Bheem who joins their hands together. Even during Etthara Jenda, there is no moment with just Ram and Seetha; Bheem is always there. In fact, there is a brief moment with only Bheem and Seetha, but none with only Ram and Seetha. It seems that Ram and Seetha only ever meet through Bheem, as if he's the thread connecting them.
I thought that was interesting and I think I'd like to expand a bit on that. At first I thought it was just because the movie is obviously focused on Bheem and Ram and their relationship and the other characters are... Just not that explored outside of their relationship to the core characters and/or the plot. But I think there is also some symbolism there that is worth exploring.
When Ram leaves Seetha, he tells her that a part of him will always be with her. I'm working with the English translation here, because unfortunately I don't speak Telugu, but I did check the Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian translations and they all pretty much translate the same, so I'm going to assume that the translation here is accurate and communicates everything it's supposed to communicate. That means that leaving Seetha is also leaving that part of him behind. I mean, the symbolism is pretty obvious here. He takes his pendant, which was a single circle, and breaks it in two. One part he takes with him, another he leaves with her. From that moment on, Ram is incomplete.
And I think that the part that he left with her isn't just, generically speaking, half of him; I think the part that he left with her was his own humanity.
Here's why.
When Ram leaves his village, he takes two things with him: his grief and his sense of duty. That is all he has in Delhi. Well, other than his uncle, but his uncle was already in Delhi before Ram went on his mission, so I don't think he counts as something Ram "takes with him". I really doubt Ram would have asked Venkateswarulu to come if he hadn't already been in the police force before Ram was.
When we first meet Ram, the only emotion he allows himself is anger, and even then, only in private where no one can hear him. Even Venkateswarulu seems unable to really reach him. Ram is fueled exclusively by his rage, his need to do something to alleviate his grief, and his promise. He has no meaningful connections with anyone, he doesn't allow himself his feelings, and he needs to keep everything that makes him himself locked away so he doesn't blow his cover. Ram is living in nearly complete isolation and completely detached from his own feelings; he doesn't even allow himself his grief, because it would get in the way of his mission. It serves as fuel and a reminder of what he has to do, but it's not something he is actually allowing himself to feel in full.
So what is missing? He is missing his sense of community. His history, because Seetha has been a part of his life since forever, and she is also the embodiment of his connection to his village as a whole. His love and his joy, because everything that was meaningful and dear to him he left behind with her. And as time goes by... More and more, he leaves his ideals, too. By the time we meet Ram, he isn't really fueled by his need to free the land; he is fueled by his grief. When he falters, he doesn't think of the free world him and his father envisioned; he thinks of the despair he felt as he watched him die. He is doing this because he is, in a way, trying to provide meaning to his family's death, trying to save them symbolically, trying to alleviate his survivor's guilt and fulfill his promise. He gets so fixated on the weapons he forgets they're a mean and not an end. Therefore, his beliefs ended up staying with Seetha as well.
So... Community, history, love, and beliefs. Combined, I'd say that's pretty much everything that makes us human. Of course, pain is part of the human experience as well, but without those... There isn't much else left for a person.
And look, I'm not saying that Seetha makes him good or that she exists to take care of him and bring him back to himself, I want to make that clear. This isn't about anything in particular Seetha does or should do to or for him; this is about the fact that Seetha was the last good thing Ram allowed himself, and therefore his distance from her is also his distance from his own needs. The further he is from Seetha, the further he is from himself and his humanity.
I think there are at least two scenes that add credibility to that thesis: the first and most obvious one is when he is torturing Lacchu and his wristband snaps. When Ram first gets to the point of no return, when he is doing the most inhuman thing you could conceive, and he's doing it with gusto, too, because he's angry, he completely loses his connection to her. And then it immediately cuts to Seetha not only waiting for Ram, but actively asking a kid to scout and check if he is there. She is unable to find him, unable to connect again; and then it is made pretty clear that Ram has strayed too far from her. It is immediately after that moment that we learn he hasn't written to her in all these years, and one of the villagers even asks her if Ram remembers her at all. I also think it's interesting that it's the rest of the village that voices the concern for Ram and the sense of betrayal, and not Seetha; not to mention that they went to her to ask what is happening with Ram. This further cements Seetha as a representation of his connection to his own past and people: it is through her that they seek him out, and therefore, she is the link between them.
(Again, I'm not saying that she is literally the one doing the work of keeping them together; I'm saying that the movie has her, symbolically, embody the entire village. So when we are reminded of his distance from her, we are also reminded of his distance from them, and therefore, from himself)
The second scene is when he, finally, after all these years, writes to her. This is the first time in the movie where Ram actually voices his thoughts, instead of just screaming and drowning in his own memories. We know what Ram is feeling and thinking, but he never allows himself to acknowledge it. When he does, he does it through talking to Seetha; because she is the one who keeps the part of him that allows himself to feel, the part that is idealistic and that is doing this for love for the motherland rather than hatred for the British. The part that remembers what he is really fighting for.
And not only does he seek himself in Seetha, he is also only able to connect to Seetha when he stops denying himself. I actually think that's the most important part. He has spent four years isolated from her, without any sort of communication; he lost his way to her because he locked out his own humanity to be able to survive being a double agent. It is only when he unlocks it, really allows himself to feel and think and question, that he is able to find his way back to her.
And what allows him to unlock his humanity and search for her in the first place?
Bheem.
That's where his mediation comes in.
Because Bheem was the first one to crack Ram's walls at the very least since he went to Delhi, but I'd risk saying that really it's the first time since he lost his family. He kept everyone at arm's length; he threw himself into his mission as a way to avoid actually processing his grief. Of course he still had his village and Seetha, but you don't just become this repressed and guilt driven out of nowhere. Even as he's saying goodbye to Seetha and the village, Ram doesn't once smile. We see his face tight and nearly blank, the same way it was when he was first introduced, fighting that mob. There is determination, but otherwise, he is completely closed off. And he is leaving alone.
And then he meets Akhtar, and this motherfucker becomes unrecognizable.
I've joked before that he must have pulled his cheek muscles after he met Akhtar, but it is seriously a jarring difference. He spends the entire Dosti montage grinning from ear to ear, save for the "don't eat with your left hand" moment and the parts where they aren't actually together. We have never seen him give even a tight lipped smile before, and suddenly the man can't stop laughing. We have never seen him express a clear emotion, and suddenly we have him not only emoting but also showing vulnerability. Even after the montage, Ram is frequently grinning at Bheem, and he is shown with his body language relaxed when we've only really ever seen him tense. In fact, not only tense, but so tense he is frequently shaking.
It's not even just the expression of positive emotions. Meeting Akhtar also gives us our first glimpse of who Ram truly is and what he actually believes. The best example of that is the events in Naatu Naatu. For the first time ever, Ram rises up against the British. Even if it's in a small way, it's an act of open defiance that we hadn't seen before. He taunts Jake, he mocks him, he openly laughs at him (which is also curious, considering that Bheem was the one that Jake hurt; but Bheem is largely ignoring Jake, while Ram is going out of his way to antagonize him). The part of Ram that is purely rational and mission driven would have thought it better not to draw attention; so when Ram chooses to take that risk and be defiant, he is also remembering what really matters to him: protecting his people and fighting for justice. And that takes the form of protecting Bheem.
Therefore, those parts of him that had been kept away suddenly come crashing back when he meets Bheem. Bheem helps him find his way back to himself without even trying, and if he is finding the way to himself, he is finding the way to Seetha. Not to mention that it is because of the fact that he couldn't live with betraying Bheem that he wrote to Seetha in the first place. Bheem helped him find the part of him that loves and rejoices and is driven by more than just rage again. So, when he turns his back on Bheem, he is also going back to denying himself his own humanity. But he can't actually do it this time; and so, when he finds himself unable to keep repressing himelf, he writes to Seetha.
Even before that, however, Ram's connection to Seetha is only shown to the audience through Bheem, and the link between his relationship with Bheem and his relationship with Seetha is shown from the very first time we learn about her.
We are first shown the pendant during the Dosti montage. Ram was wearing it before, of course, but the movie kind of went out of its way to hide it. In his introduction, he is straight up not wearing it. The first time he is shown with it is when he is destroying that poor punching bag, and he nearly immediately wraps his hands and wrist in tape that covers it:
[ID: Screencap of Ram punching the bag, where you can see his knuckles and wrist are wrapped in tape. End ID]
Then, in the "RRR" title page, they didn't include Ram's pendant in the drawing of their hands together, even though they kept Akhtar's wristband:
[ID: Screencaps of Ram and Bheem's joined hands when they meet; you can see that Ram is wearing his wristband. Then, when it transitions into the drawing, his wristband is no longer shown, but Bheem's is. End ID]
They're not always hiding it, and you can frequently see it on Ram's wrist if you know to look, but they don't draw attention to it and actively avoid accidentally drawing attention to it.
(But also, interestingly enough, it is first visible in the scene where Ram is talking to Venkateswarulu; and the scenes where it is most visible before Dosti are the ones where Ram is talking about killing governor Scott, and when he's helping Bheem save the child. I think this is a subtle way of hinting that this is who Ram truly is; even though he is pretending when he says that he's going to kill governor Scott, he is still closer to himself and his ideals than he was when he attacked that mob. And even more so when he helped Bheem do what they both are sworn to do: protect their people.)
Then, during the Dosti montage, they film it directly for the first time. We see Ram playing with it and acknowledging it, and we learn that it is significant to him. And then they won't stop filming it after that.
This isn't a coincidence; the pendant is the embodiment of his connection with Seetha, and, therefore, with his humanity, as previously stated. The fact that it is shown during Dosti, which is also when we first see Ram acting fully like himself, goes to show how much Bheem's friendship is helping bring Ram back. I mean, for starters, just sitting there fiddling with it and smiling is something I can't imagine pre-Bheem Ram doing. Nevermind the fact that he lets Bheem see it and doesn't even try to hide that moment of vulnerability from him.
After that, the pendant is used to highlight Ram's struggle with figuring out what he wants to do (which really means figuring out who he is) after he betrays Bheem. For example, when Ram grabs Bheem, we get a shot of him crying blood, and the blood falls right beside the pendant, in a shot that shows almost nothing but these two things:
[ID: A drop of blood falling on Ram's hand, right next to the pendant. You can seee only Ram's wrist and a bit of the holy thread wrapped around his palm. End ID]
(Also, this time, the illustration of their hands does include the pendant)
[ID: The illustration of Ram's hand that immediately follows the previous shot. The pendant can be seen wrapped around his wrist and over his palm. End ID]
Further cementing the idea that the wristband represents the last of his connection to his humanity is the fact that, in the flogging scene, Ram is wearing it on his left hand.
In every other scene, it is on his right hand. That seems to be something they were very careful about. But throughout the flogging you can see that it is on the left. In fact, they even open the scene with a shot of it:
[ID: Ram driving to the square. He is holding a whip in his left hand, and the bracelet can be seen on his wrist. End ID]
Throughout the scene, it is hard to see the bracelet because of the uniform's long sleeves, but there are a few shots that confirm that it's on his left wrist:
[ID: Ram with the whip on his right hand, pulling it back. His left hand is in front of his body and the bracelet is visible. End ID]
And at the end of the scene, we can see it clearly:
[ID: Ram cradling Bheem's bloody face. His left hand, on which you can see the pendant, is holding Bheem's chin. End ID]
It's too consistent to be an accident, especially considering how it never ends up misplaced in the left wrist in the other scenes. On top of that, the movie brings up the fact that the left hand is considered dirty (in the scenes where Bheem's fake mom and Ram's real mom tell their respective children not to eat with their left hand).
Disclaimer for this part: I'm neither Hindu nor Indian, so I looked up as much as I could on the right/left significance, because I believe people should make an effort to understand the implications that don't speak directly to their experiences, especially when it comes to culture and race. If anything I say is inaccurate or offensive, please let me know, and I'll edit it. If there's anything else I'm missing, feel free to add it as well. I also assume that the cultural associations with the right and left go beyond religious significance, since Akhtar's family is Muslim and not Hindu and they also enforce the "no eating with your left hand" rule. But Ram is Hindu, so I'm also using sources that talk about its significance in Hinduism. I don't mean to imply that the two are interchangeable by that.
I found many different significances associated with the right and left sides in Hinduism (right is male, left is female; right is submissive, left is contrary; right is yourself, left is your spouse), but the most important one seems to be that right is sacred and pure, and left is profane and dirty (because that one was mentioned in every paper I found, and it was usually the first to be brought up). Hence why it's important that you eat and give offerings with your right hand, and do "unhygienic" tasks with the left. This rule also applies to Islam, which explains why Akhtar's fake mother made the same comment. The fact that this aspect of the right/left duality is brought up in the text also implies that this is the most important one in this context.
So, if the left hand is dirty and profane, and the pendant is Ram's humanity, and the pendant is on Ram's left hand in this scene... I think what the movie is telling us is that in this moment, Ram is forsaking himself. He is going against everything that he truly is and believes, and his own feelings; he is even condemning himself, in a way, because this is the kind of thing that there should be no turning back from. In that moment he is the furthest he could be from everything that is holy, and good.
(Also, from a Watsonian perspective, we know that Ram has been taught that the left hand is dirty by his mom; if he chose to change the placement of the pendament in that moment, I think that speaks volumes on how he's feeling about himself. I also think it's possible that he did it because he couldn't stand to whip Bheem with the same hand that held his reminder of Seetha).
I also find the "right hand is yourself and left hand is your spouse" significance relevant here, although secondarily. I know Ram and Seetha are not married yet, so I'm not sure if Ram's left hand already "counts" as representing Seetha, but even if it doesn't, I think the fact that Ram is putting the embodiment of himself away from the hand that represents himself and on the wrist that is supposed to (at least eventually) represent Seetha goes to show that he truly left everything that matters about himself with her. His soul is no longer resting within himself because he turned his back on it. So, it is all with Seetha. If he had left half of his true self with her before, once he whips Bheem, he fully abandons himself. All that's left of the true him is in Seetha's memories.
This is, I think, further enforced by the fact that, although we get enough shots of Ram's left wrist to confirm that it's there, what the movie focuses on the most during that scene is not its presence on the left wrist, but its absence on the right one. Ram's right sleeve is always slightly pulled up in that scene, so we can see that the wristband is not there, like the movie is constantly calling to our attention that something is wrong with Ram. On the same vein, during Komaram Bheemudo, the framing very carefully hides his pendant in most shots. They go out of their way to leave it out of frame, even in the closeup shot of Ram wiping his tear (which he does with his left hand, where the wristband is at the time).
Here are some examples of both the framing and the sleeve being ridden up:
[ID: Ram picking up the spiked whip. The shot cuts right where his left wrist would begin, but shows most of his right arm. The sleeve is ridden up til nearly mid-arm, so you can clearly see that he's not wearing the wristband. End ID]
[ID: Ram first hitting Bheem with the spiked whip. His sleeve is still rolled up, and his wrist is in the foreground, without the wristband. His left hand is behind his body, out of frame. End ID]
The entire Komaram Bheemudo scene focuses on the lack of the wristband, aka the lack of Ram's own self in that moment. He is doing everything he is supposed to be fighting against, and betraying himself in the process. So the absence of him is felt even more acutely than the displacement itself.
Then, when Ram decides that he is going to save Bheem, the opposite happens: they go out of their way to keep the wristband within the frame. Even when Ram first shows up in that scene, it is framed in such a way that the part of him closest to the viewer is his right wrist.
[ID: Ram walking into the scene where Bheem was flogged. It is shot from under him and to his right, so his right wrist is the thing closest to the camera. You can see the wristband on it. End ID]
Even when he is being filmed from the left, the wristband is still visible:
[ID: Ram being filmed from the left side as he talks to his uncle. He is shown from a 3/4 position, so we can see the wristband on his right wrist even as it is turned away from the camera. End ID]
And even when there are other objects obstructing part of him, the framing is such that you can always see it:
[ID: Ram looking at the blood on his hand. He is shown from within a circle of barbed wire. There is an X right beside him, but it is still framed in such a way that Ram's pendant is visible as he raises his hand to look at it. End ID]
In fact, during that scene, we get a closeup of the pendant for the first time since Ram betrayed Bheem:
[ID: Ram touching the ground, which is wet with Bheem's blood. The pendant, back on his right hand, is visible on his wrist, resting over his palm. End ID]
And the trend continues: you don't see his wristband at any point while he is talking to Governor Scott, but you do see it many times when he is rigging the weapons to save Bheem (complete with several closeups, but they are very quick). Very interestingly, when he puts Malli in the car and drives towards the hanging point, the framing is such that you can see the wristband, but only partially. Ram is being careful, but still giving himself away; he is too kind to Malli, he is too tense as he's driving, he's showing too much of himself. He's still trying to hide it, but it's enough for Scott to see.
[ID: Ram putting his hand on Malli's shoulder comfortingly as he puts her on the car. The shot is framed so that the seat covers half of the wristband, but the other half is visible. End ID]
Then Ram tries to enact his plan to free Bheem, and again the pendant is not only in frame, but also always turned towards the camera even when it means being in different positions in relation to Ram's hand:
[ID: Ram when he's impaled on the tree. He throws his right hand up, and the framing ends right where his wrist does so we can see the bracelet. It is turned towards his inner arm. In the second image, he has fallen to the ground. Again, the pendant is on frame, with the pendant turned towards his outer arm and falling over his hand. End ID]
And listen, I know that I sound insane, but this is consistent. Obviously Rajamouli didn't frame every single shot with the wristband in mind, but there is a very clear pattern where the wristband is invisible when Ram is pretending to be a British officer, and visible when he's not. That's not even only after Bheem is whipped; in retrospect, they were also doing that in the first few scenes. Ram was not wearing the wristband when he was fighting that mob; he was when he was punching the punching bag, but it was hidden. Then it was shown when he was with his uncle, and even more when he was talking about killing governor Scott. When he was lying to Lacchu, it didn't appear much. Then it made a comeback when he helped Bheem save the child, and then in the Dosti montage we had a lot of attention drawn to it (not only in the obvious moment where he talks about the pendant, but also in others; for example, in the shot where they are talking and laughing, Ram's pendant is visible, despite the fact that he has his hand in his pocket).
[ID: Ram and Bheem walking side by side. They are both laughing, and Ram is looking slightly down. His hands are in his pockets, but the wristband is still fully visible. End ID]
So, I think the framing matters here. If the flogging scene was drawing attention to the absence of the pendant on Ram's right wrist, these other shots are drawing attention to its presence. The more of the real Ram we see, the more of the pendant we see, again directly making the link that the wristband = Ram's humanity and true self.
Interestingly enough, it is only after he has officially saved Bheem that we get a clear closeup meant to show only the pendant again:
[ID: Ram lying on the grass after saving Bheem. He is out of focus, and his hand is extended towards the viewer. The pendant is falling over his palm, plainly visible and in focus. End ID]
If denying Bheem was denying his humanity, saving Bheem was saving it; it is back into focus, plainly visible and no longer locked away. I also find it interesting that this is when we finally get the flashback of when he gave the pendant to Seetha in the first place. At this point there's been 2h15m worth of movie and despite the fact that the pendant is very clearly referenced several times, we only get to see that moment right then. I think this implies that this is the moment when he finally connects with the part of him that's missing; it also drives extra attention to the relationship between saving Bheem and recovering that part of himself.
Not only that, but this is the first time we get a flashback that shows Ram driven by purpose, and not grief.
Ram has several flashbacks throughout the movie, but they are always of his father's death. His grief is the only thing pushing him forward. It is his grief that leads to him betraying Bheem (and I find it interesting that the pendant is also not visible in that scene, despite the fact that we get closeups of Ram's bloody right hand. I had kind of been assuming that they would show the pendant then, since it seemed to be connected to his purpose, but they don't. Now, I think that's exactly the point. The pendant is Ram's purpose, and he doesn't really have it in sight right then. He remembers the pain and the blood; he doesn't remember the ideals and hope that he had when he chose that path. He doesn't remember that this is about freedom, he only remembers that this is about a promise). It is his grief that he is thinking of when he's practicing shooting; whenever we see Ram's past, it is always focused on that one day.
The scene where he gives the pendant to Seetha is the first time we see a flashback with adult Ram. And in it we get to see Ram being tender (although he's still very serious); we get to see him talking about courage; we hear the "Vande Mataram" chant, a scream of love for the motherland rather than trauma and resentment; we get to see Ram being larger than life, motivated, focused. I mean, hell, Seetha puts a tilaka on his forehead. That is supposed to help one's focus, health, and mental stability, yes; but it's also related to the search for self awareness. Ram leaves with Seetha his humanity, and Seetha says goodbye by trying to connect Ram deeper with himself. Obviously, that doesn't last. But once again, the link that his connection with Seetha and the pendant = his connection to himself is strengthened.
And so, reliving that memory means finding that connection to himself again. It means finding his drive, his courage, his motive. It seems that, finally, Ram has remembered himself. And he achieved it through his love for Bheem, who, just like Seetha, now embodies his ability to connect to others, fight for what's right, and be himself.
I believe that this is also why, after that scene, the pendant stops being a wristband and becomes a necklace.
[ID: Ram in prison, groaning and throwing his head back. Due to the movement, you can see the pendant is now on a necklace. End ID]
A wristband is easier to see; it is something that you can always bring back to your line of sight. Wearing the pendant on a wristband, Ram is keeping it as a reminder; he is trying to make sure he doesn't forget who he is and what he's fighting for. We even see it serve that exact purpose during the torture scene with Lacchu. But a necklace doesn't need to be seen. Putting the pendant on a necklace means keeping it closer to his heart. At this point, Ram has internalized the pendant, and doesn't need to look at it to remember who he is; it's already a part of him. Because once he remembered who and what he's fighting for, and found again his humanity and drive, he didn't need it as a reminder anymore.
It's also worth noting that Seetha wears her own pendant as a necklace as well; when Ram puts it on the same place, it implies that their connection is stronger. As if they are no longer displaced and there is no longer the chasm between the Ram Seetha remembers and the Ram Ram sees.
Additionally, the pendant was originally a necklace before Ram broke it and gave it to Seetha:
[ID: Ram talking to Seetha before he leaves the village. He is wearing the pendant, which at this point is a full circle, as a necklace. End ID]
Then, immediately after he tears it, it becomes a wristband:
[ID: Ram spreading his arms as he gets on the boat that will leave his village. This is after he has broken the pendant, and he is no longer wearing it as a necklace; instead, we can see that he is wearing a wristband. End ID]
So, it being a necklace again also implies that he is going back to his roots, reconnecting to who he was and what he wanted when he first went on this mission.
Which is why it's extremely interesting that Bheem is the one to give Ram back the other half of the pendant. You'd expect it to be Seetha when they are reunited, but instead, Bheem takes it to him before he brings Ram back to Seetha. Which in turn reminds me of what he tells Seetha before going to rescue Ram:
"I will bring you back your Ram even if I have to lay down my life."
Again, I am going with the English translation, and I don't know what they say in the original, but I did once again check the Netflix translation and the translations in other languages that I speak/understand and they all kept the "your", except for Italian, so I am going to assume that this translation is accurate and close to the original Telugu.
This wording striked me as odd when I first watched, because why is Bheem emphasizing that Ram is Seetha's in that moment? Obviously they are engaged, so, you know, makes sense, but why is he emphasizing it? Rewatching it now, I think I get what he means: it's not just that he will bring back Ram; it's that he will bring back the Ram that Seetha knows. The real Ram. It's not enough to bring back Alluri Sitarama Raju; he is telling her that he will bring her the Ram she knows and loves, the one who's a rebel and who's whole. Which is why it makes sense that he takes Seetha's half of the pendant with him.
That is another part that first striked me as odd, because it seemed to directly contradict another thing he told her:
"Seetha shouldn't go looking for Ram. Ram should come to wherever Seetha is."
So why bring the pendant with him before reuniting Seetha and Ram? If this was simply about bringing Seetha and Ram back together, it would make no sense for Bheem to do this. Which is why I think that it's more than that; when he brings Ram back the pendant, when he puts the two halves back together with his own hands, he is making Ram whole again. Not just because he is saving him from death, but also because he is offering Ram his forgiveness and friendship again; and Ram needed that in order to move on from what he did, and find the person that he tried to bury and nearly forgot about these last 4 years.
In other words, the union of the two parts of the pendant is less about reuniting Ram and Seetha as people, and more about reuniting Ram with what Seetha represents; which, in turn, allows him to come back to Seetha as the Ram that she knew and missed.
(Of course, Ram will never go back to being exactly the same, and the pendant will always have the marks of the break; but it's rebuilding itself, and that's what matters)
And that is a natural conclusion to their relationship, because Bheem had been helping Ram find himself since the moment they met, as shown in the Dosti montage and the jarring differences between how Ram was and acted away from Bheem versus near Bheem. Not to mention Naatu Naatu, the first and only moment where Ram didn't just stand by and watch as his people were done injustice before he decided to save Bheem. The Ram that Seetha knew would never have come back to her if Bheem hadn't been there to help him find his humanity again. Which is why Bheem is the one to put the pendant together, and also why he is the one to put Ram's hand in Seetha's when they reunite; because without Bheem, Ram wouldn't have found his way back to her, because he wouldn't have found himself again.
I also think this is one of the reasons Bheem also puts a tilaka on Ram's forehead; of course, there is the fact that he is giving Ram the getup that he is known for, but remembering how Seetha had once put a tilaka on Ram's forehead, I think the fact that Bheem does it the second time also reinforces the connection between his relationship with Bheem and his relationship with Seetha, as well as the idea that he is reconnecting Ram with himself, just like Seetha tried to do when they were first parted.
Bringing Ram and Seetha together meant reconnecting Ram with his true self, and because Bheem was the one who reminded him who he was and what he was fighting for, he needed to be the one to do it.
#rrr#rrr 2022#alluri sitarama raju#komaram bheem#rise roar revolt#bheem#raju rrr#rambheem#ramseetha#meta#rrr meta
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Thanks for tagging me babes ☺️ @sapphireblueye
How many works do you have on A03?
7! Five multi-chaptered and two oneshots
2. What's your total AO3 word count?
481,884 (I honestly thought it was more)
3. What fandoms do you write for?
HOTD, specifically Lucemond with some background pairings.
4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?
1. Forget me not
2. Hiding in plain sight
3. Fill my bleeding heart
5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?
I do! However my timing is always so bad and it makes me feel shitty but I’m the sort of person who needs some time to think out what I wanna say + I get distracted very easily and forget to do so until weeks later. My responses are horribly late but my words are genuine.
6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?
Hm, I guess it would be by latest oneshot featuring corpse queen Luke with a very mentally unwell Aemond. Very sad.
7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?
The ending isn’t published yet since the story won’t be completed for a while but Hiding in plain sight should be my happiest ending according to my plans. Crazy, I know.
8. Do you get hate on fics?
I wouldn’t say I receive outright hate. Maybe a few backhanded responses every once in a while but it’s rare.
9. Do you write smut? If so what kind?
YES! Very emotional, 9/10 there will be tears shed while they fuck nasty.
10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one
Sadly no. I don’t think I’m the type of person who could pull off clashing two different universes and their characters together. It’s a difficult thing to write in my opinion and the handful of crossovers I’ve downloaded so i’ll never lose them are god-tier. Takes a lot of talent me thinks.
11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?
Not to my knowledge 🧐
12. Have you ever had a fic translated?
Yes. Its translated in spanish
13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?
Nope. My process is a very long drawn out one that I don’t want to stress anyone out with while trying to work alongside me. Sometimes it’ll take me weeks or even months to get a chapter out. Im looking at you FMBH.
However I wouldn’t be co-writing something small if the plot interests me. Maybe four chapters or so? Idk
14. What's your all-time favourite ship
IchiRuki (bleach) and Braime. Samdean is a big one too.
15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?
Interesting enough I started a WIP when Lucemond was still new so around December-ish. It’s a dragon shifter AU but I don’t know where to take it so she’ll probably never see the light of day. Lol
16. What are your writing strengths?
Conveying emotions I think. Probably because i’ve been down the depression and crappy self image rabbit hole enough to express it in my works. Internal monologue is also one I’m good at.
17. What are your writing weaknesses?
Pacing! Omg my pacing is ass. Everything is either too slow or too fast which leads to so much re-editing to get it all flowing in an appropriate time.
18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?
I don’t do it because google translate isnt very accurate most of the time and language is so important. If I do feel writing dialogue in another language is that important i’ll ask someone who speaks it to help.
19. First fandom you wrote for?
Well…does the shitty fic I wrote about Edward/Bella/Jacob in seventh grade count? Because if not then Lucemond it is lol
20. Favourite fic you've ever written?
Forget me not. She’s an icon, what can I say.
Tagging; @handsome-wise-strong @armonial
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Hey there,
I'd love to tag you for these questions for writers:
2. Go to your AO3 “Works” page, to the sidebar with all the filters, and click the drop-down arrow for “Additional Tags.” What are your top 3-5 most used tags? Do you think they accurately represent your writing habits?
10. How do you decide what to write?
17. What highly specific AU do you want to read or write even though you might be the only person to appreciate it?
22. Who is your favorite character in [Setting Sun] and why?
23. What’s a trope, AU, or concept you’ve never written, but would like to?
29. What songs would be (or are) on a playlist for [Setting Sun]? Explain your choices if you want!
51. If you write in English as a second language, what do you find easier to write in English, and what is harder than in your first language?
Thanks for writing 'Setting Sun', I love it and I'm so curious how this story will unfold!
Hihi nina! (Can I call you nina?)
2.-
Lolololol here it is!!
Alternate Universe - Modern Setting
Angst
Regency Romance (next one is regency too so putting them both here)
Character Death
Friends to Lovers
lmao makes sense!!
10.-
I have a LOT of ideas!! I just let them stew for a while in my brain until one feels alive enough in my mind! So it starts with "What if" and I only start working on it if it's giving me colors, sounds, and shapes! I need the full color vision!
17.-
So this is a very guilty want of mine because hinata is my third favorite character of Naruto, but I've been looking forever for a naruhina fic set during the pain arc or war arc where Hinata is seriously injured/dies, and Naruto has to process his feelings about it without Hinata having to do any more work. Either that, or I want a re-write of Naruto that handles the romance better and is more queer, please, we want diversity in this HOUSE, not just pair the spares
22.-
So right now my favorite character in Setting Sun is obviously Temari, but my favorite character to write right now is actually Kankurō! I really enjoy writing his dealing with political intrigue and the dichotomy of how he has to act vs how he really feels, and how easy yet tiring it is for him to continously put up the act. I also feel sorry that he's dealing with everything on his own, and he's going on this self sacrificing quest to keep his siblings safe even though they, particularly Gaara, do not understand why he would want to do it, and his (misplaced) guilt about the situation with Gaara, coming to learn about it, and that without meaning to, Kankurō’s been the cause for some of the things that have happened. (Not because of him, but just because he's the first born son)
I just have a lot of feelings about it ok?????????
23.-
I really want to try writing fantasy!! So far I've mainly done Canon and semi or striaght up Modern AU!
29.-
I actually have a playlist I use when writing!!
It has a LOT of songs but hopefully at the end I will have a more refined playlist!
Here are some of my favorite ones from the playlist!
I mean... come on... if this one isn't them I don't know what is!!
Come on... come ON...
51.-
It has actually been probably a decade since I tried to write anything in Spanish besides poetry! The truth is that after nearly 12 years of studying, reading, working and speaking English, my vocabulary in Spanish is very basic, and my grammar has been suffering :( also my original fixation for writing in English is because I purposefully wanted to make my writing inaccessible to my father, who could only say "hi how are you" in English, so it find it hard to write and being vulnerable in Spanish. It all feels like too much you see. In English, I can manage my feelings and expression better
I'm so so happy you're enjoying Setting Sun!!!!!!!!!! I've been working on chapter 8, and I think it's going to be a very big chapter all in all! From now on, it feels like every chapter will be a big one, in terms of plot points, so I'm nervous! If all goes well, Setting Sun will be 15 chapters, and then I'll start working on planning Ultraviolet and Dawn, as well as The Road Back Home!
From this ask game!
#thank you so much for asking!#this was a great way to look at a lot of this stuff!#setting sun au#dayeongi writes#i love getting asks so thank you so much!!💖#shikatema
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Thanks for the tag @fairytales-and-folklore
20 questions for writers
1.How many works do you have on AO3?
I have 21 fics on AO3 right now
2.What's your total AO3 word count?
68,266 words in toto
3.What fandoms do you write for?
So far I have written for:
The Owl House (Cartoon) (16)
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) (1)
One Last Stop - Casey McQuiston (1)
Adventure Time (Cartoon 2010) (1)
Amphibia (Cartoon) (1)
4.What are your top 5 fics by kudos?
The Backfiring Prank
The Gold String of Fate
I'm working on a song, It isn't finished yet
Disabilities & Disclosure
Something warm on your plate, clothes on your back
5.Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?
Only sometimes, not always. I really appreciate comments but I sometimes forget to reply to them or I don't reply because I can't come up with something more interesting to say other than "thank you". I still appreciate getting comments even if I don't answer tho.
6.What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?
Probably "No Future,Not For You". Most of my others have happy endings or at least bittersweet but this one is the only one that is 100% all angst no comfort. It's short but it's brutal.
7.What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?
Probably "I'm working on a song, it isn't finished yet". It has a very happy and satisfying ending. Tho, most of the others have happy endings too. I think this one feels more satisfying because it's a longer fic.
8. Do you get hate on fics?
Nah, I don't think I'm popular enough to get hate yet. I might get hate when I'm more known but not right now.
9.Do you write smut? If so, what kind?
I only tried writing smut once because an ex friend dared me to. It's not on AO3 tho. Idk if I'll ever write more smut in the future, but I think I want to. It might be fun to experiment with it.
I think my type of smut would be more sentimental and soft and emotional. You know, self indulgence stuff. And I would probably write some of the stuff I'm into into the fic.
10.Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?
No I don't like crossover fics.
11.Have you ever had a fic stolen?
Nah, like I said, I'm not that popular yet.
12.Have you ever had a fic translated?
Nope.
13.Have you ever co-written a fic before?
Nah, I've had people beta reading my fics but no.
14.What's your all-time favourite ship?
Probably Huntlow, but I also really like Bubbline and Lumity and Sundry. Tbh I have a lot of ships I love.
15.What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?
I don't publish WIPs before they're done because I don't wanna leave people unsatisfied. However, I do have a lot of half written fics on my computer that I completely gave up on.
16.What are your writing strengths?
I think I'm good at capturing the characters's escence and doing their dialogue in character and accurate to their canon personalities. It's very important to me that the characters feel like themselves.
17.What are your writing weaknesses?
Probably that I get stuck too much. Like unless I'm on a writing roll, I will sometimes just get stuck and not know how to continue a fic for days.
18.Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?
I've only done it a little bit, on some Owl House fics when Luz or other characters are speaking Spanish. It's easy because Spanish is my first language. Idk how I would go about it if it was another language tbh.
19. First fandom you wrote for?
On AO3? The Owl House. In general? My Little Pony probably.
20.Favourite fic you've ever written?
Definitely "I'm working on a song, it isn't finished yet." "Terrified Grom Hags" might be a close second tho.
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Rules: Go to your published works on AO3 and list the first fic you ever published there, the last fic you published, any fic that you wrote for a fandom/ship only once, your favorite fic you wrote in the fandom/ship that has the most works, the fic you wish more people read, the fic you agonized over the most, the fic that sprang fully formed from your mind without any effort, and a work you are proud of—for whatever reason. <3
Tagged by @spartanguard thanks lovey
Oh good grief, there's a lot of stuff to go through here hang on...
First fic published there: Anthony and Virginia, back when I was headlong into Pepperony/the MCU. Published on May 24, 2012. I have fics that are dated older, because I backdated them when I cross-posted some old stuff over for archival purposes, but A&V is the first fic I published on AO3. It was also the first time I was getting back into fic writing after a couple of years of break!
Last fic published there: SPEAKING OF... Growing Up Hanyou was posted sometime probably in 2021 or 2022, it doesn't say when I uploaded it because I backdated it to the original publishing time of 2008. It was a slice of life sequel-ish to A Matter of Trust, a fic that I won an award for Best Melodrama for, which honestly tells you everything you need to know about 19-year old Amanda's fic writing habits.
Any fic that I wrote for a fandom/ship once: The Old House, for Breath of the Wild. While I've written for the Legend of Zelda franchise before, they're literally lost to the annals of time because it was like 2002 and I have wiped that from the internet as best as I know how. (also it was like seventeen usernames ago) They're best forgotten, though I do kinda wish I kept the one around that tried to bridge what happened between OoT/MM and WW. It was also very dramatic. I was a very dramatic child.
Your favorite fic you wrote in the fandom/ship that has the most works: Red-eye to Incheon. Biased because this is heavily pulled from my (positive) experiences in Korea without any of the negative stuff (of which there were many), but I really liked writing this and getting to live a little vicariously through the characters (I'm a very boring person. Expat culture is fucking WILD when you're a boring person like me so I mostly observed and filed away for later use, aka here.)
The fic you wish more people read: Very Cool. If I'm going based on hits, I can see why some of these aren't like. Hit up more. There's the very old ones that I archived here, there's one-offs that are just genfic that most people in fandom Do Not Care About. But I'm actually proud of Very Cool because I wrote it after seeing a copy of the Doctor Who magazine on the stands while I was in England and I wrote Eleven exactly how he speaks in his cadence and honestly it should have more than 239 hits even as a little crackfic, especially back in the big Series 5/6 heyday thank you.
The fic you agonized most over: Day of the Dead. I think I agonize a bit over every fic I wrote, but I think most of the WTNV fics were agonized over a bit more. It was 2013, I was really pushing myself with what I was comfortable writing and Tumblr was REALLY Tumblring at that time so there was a lot of cause to not get cancelled over a fic (seriously. There were a LOT of wolves with pitchforks then. If you think it's bad now, it was worse then) I wrote my first genderswap fic in that fandom, I played a lot with the laws of physics and reality, and I wrote this, my first fic that was multi-lingual. I had a lot of help to make sure the Spanish was correct and even after it's been nitpicked over a bit, but for the most part everyone received it well. But I did SO MUCH research because I really didn't know much about Dia de Muertos at the time, it hadn't become a thing to integrate it into the US yet, Coco was years off, and I wanted to make sure I was portraying this cultural holiday accurately and respectfully, while also showing that these are still just people celebrating and it's not going to be this Irreverent Thing you follow exactly to a T.
The fic that sprang fully formed from your mind without any effort: The Corner of First and Amistad. I literally wrote all 8 chapters in one day and then posted as I finished editing. I do wish I'd had more experience/training in how I write now for this, because I think this fic deserves it, but for something that was brain-dumped so completely in such a short amount of time it's not bad. I'd also need like. Fresh eyes to go in and help with the edits because while I KNOW it needs polishing and expanded on, I'm always too fucking precious about my own work to do anything without someone forcing me to.
A work you are proud of—for whatever reason: Hook-Echo. This is the fic no one wanted, no one asked for (though let's be real, all of my multi-chapter AUs are this, every single one is a "huh? how is THAT an AU?") and absolutely a "I wrote this because it's been living in my brain for years and I just needed something to force me to sit down and write it all out", so I can absolutely thank the 2018 Big Bang for giving me that excuse. It was published after the show ended, so the fandom was... gone by then, so it definitely is a passion project like no other and didn't get anywhere near as much love as it might have had it been done on the heels of finishing Dark Horse like I'd originally planned.
#captain swan#wtnv#doctor who#inuyasha#breath of the wild#amanda writes#tag games#fanfic#cs fanfic#dw fanfic#wtnv fanfic#inuyasha fanfic#loz fanfic
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So I'm reading your Midnight Espresso fic even tho I've never seen supernatural because I love your Soldier Boy series, plus size latina reader, that's me!! And then the "shouldn't you know about latin american myths" made me roll my eyes, like I am centroamericana y no sabía, because I've only grown up around caribbeans and my only non carribean friends are mexican (and they're still puertorican) and argentine, like so many gringos really think we are a monolith, like when I visited El Salvador recently my family would look at me in shock when I used Carribean slang that is accidentally a bad word, and I think a lot about the time my abuela got in trouble for using the Spanish word for pest (which is also a lovingly used word by salvadoreans for kids) y las viejitas carribeñas were so offended because this word means "penis" in carribean spanish, to the point where for my colombian sister it's just the word for pest but she doesn't use it because she has the carribean connotation for it, whereas my mom and abuelita called me this word when I was little, so like I don't swear in spanish because of an intergenerational family curse that caused a lot of trauma and the only way to combat it was propriety, but it's the only "swear" word I will say while I'm singing along to bad bunny
Anyways this is super off point, and I don't know how I got to this point (the long story telling in many stages is a salvadorean gene like the way uncle colm from Derry Girls tells stories), but I love your writing, and found the "I'm cuban, not guatemalan" line to be funny because yeah while speaking spanish with different people I gotta take off my "proxy carribean" hat or my "centroamericana" hat
Hola, mi amor!! 😘
First of all, thank you for reading "Midnight Espresso"! That one is very special to me, being a plus-sized Latina myself. 🌶️💅🏽
I'm also working on a Part 2 to that fic, tentatively titled "Shall We Dance." 😉
But getting into your actual comments below:
It's pretty hilarious how often I've gotten asked if I'm [insert brown ethnicity here]. Believe me, it's run the gambit. I guess I look racially ambiguous. 💁🏽♀️
But yes, a lot of people assume every Hispanic/Latino culture knows everything about the other, which is why I chose to make this reader Cuban (like myself). I couldn't accurately tell your Salvadorean experience, for example. Like of course, I can research a culture to write a character, but it wouldn't feel as natural or authentic for me to write as I did writing from my own multicultural experience.
So Dean's line:
“Shouldn’t you be an expert on this already?” Dean teases as you rifle through the pages. “I thought Latin American legends were right up your alley.”
It's tongue-in-cheek, but you're right, it's pointing to a larger issue about how most Americans view Hispanics/Latinos as a whole. 😂
And omg I could tell so many stories about me or my fam/friends getting in trouble with words other Spanish-speaking cultures don't use, or it has an entirely different meaning lmao.
For example, my Cuban ass was talking to my Dominican friend (I'm Dominican as well, but I tend to speak more like a Cuban). Cubans tend to "eat their 's'" on the ends of words. So I said something like, "aw, damn, I'm really liking the look of those tostones." Which of course, is just a fried plátano.
What her Dominican ass heard was "totones." Which for the English speakers in the room, is a woman's pussy. (Or translated more literally, multiple pussies.) 😂
I'm so sorry you've been scarred from cursing in Spanish, because it really can be so colorful and inventive. 😂😂
But I freakin' love Derry Girls!!! And I'm so glad you enjoy my writing, amor. Thanks so much! 😘❤️❤️
#Curvy Latinas unite#Platano Power#ask me stuff#tostones v. totones#I'm ridiculous I'm sorry 🤪#Midnight Espresso#Part 2 coming soon!#dean winchester#dean winchester x plus sized!reader#dean winchester x latina!reader#dean winchester x reader#shall we dance#writers of color#zepskies answers
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sorry if this is a weird question or if its offensive and i know you dont speak for all romani people but i was wondering if it was OK to create a romani character in fiction as someone who isnt romani? like what is the majority stance towards it? cause i know with closed cultures its highly frowned upon, i just wanted to ask basically, bc i know people who arent romani can accidentally create offensive portrayals, so is it better to not do it at all? please do not feel pressured to answer or anything i just really find your blog to be insightful ! thank you for reading i hope you have a great day
Hi! No worries.
I've heard many different opinions on this. Some Roma who don't have any issue with it if someone comes to them asking advice for their Romani OC, some Roma who think that no representation is better than bad representation and who don't want any Gadjo writing Roma, and some Roma who hate this discourse because they think media discourse takes too much place when discussing Romani issues. That's for politically aware Roma. The "normie" Roma I know (relatives, family friends) don't seem to care that much (I know so many Sinti who love Disney Esmeralda for example).
So you won't find any consensual answer to this, so many people have different opinions on this.
I personally think it is very hard for Gadje to write a Romani character because they don't really know what actual Romani cultures are like and accurate information is hard to find. When I see people asking advice for Romani characters, they rarely seem to understand that Romani cultures can really, really vary from place to place, religious practices can be very different, etc. So asking "can you help me with my Romani character" doesn't do much because there are so many differences between, say, a Romanian Roma, and a Spanish Gitano.
I do think Gadje can write accurate depictions of Roma if they are, say, basing their character on Romani people they personally do know. This is why I am particularly cautious whenever I see an American talking about their Romani OC. Americans tend to have an even more fictionalized and inaccurate idea of Roma.
I also want to say, the main reason why it's so difficult is because Gadje don't know much about Romani cultures, but you don't have to make a culturally traditional Romani character. Some Roma aren't very traditional, especially in mixed families and/or if they are Sinti and settled.
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THANKS TO THEM I'M BAWLING RN
Here it's 8 AM in the morning and I just finished watching Thanks to Them.
I did guess this episode would be about Luz' friends discovering human world and it would end in a cliffhanger with Belos.
BUT IT STILL DESTROYED ME 🥺😭🥺😭🥺😭
They were learning Spanish with "the scary owl" aka Duolingo 😅 And Hunter was trying to learn how to sew like Dadrius I- 🥺
I actually wanted everyone to go to school with Luz and see how human schools work. But it didn't happen, and Luz seemed miserable there compared to Hexside.
Another interesting thing was Camilla's dream about Luz. She loves her just the way she is, and actually enjoys her creative side. But everyone else in human realm sees Luz as a failure and such comments overwhelmed her. I would say this is an accurate symbol of having a child with special needs AND depression / anxiety.
Believe me or not, I get the exact feeling of drowning in deep waters when everything feels overwhelming to me. It's like I can't breathe and I sink deeper in my mindscape. But I always find a way to breathe. To get out of there. And it's thanks to shows like TOH 🥹
I really appreciate Dana and TOH crew for making one of the best shows I have ever seen in my entire life. If I was able to grow up with this, if I was in my childhood, I would have a lot more self confidence. But it's not too late, even as an adult and as a teacher I am learning a lot.
Hunter's PTSD is valid. He did his best to cope with Belos' existence but things took an unexpected turn.
The sacrifice was already guessed by the fandom but it still broke my heart and I'm still crying as I write this post.
I'm really sorry if my comments or thoughts don't make sense. It's just my way of being open with how I feel and I really want to share my thoughts as I remember them.
I wouldn't be able to talk to the people around me about these things. I'm in a toxic situation where my family is against my lifestyle. We are polar opposites and they don't get me. But I know this fandom will. I'm sure someone will be able to relate to it. Just like how I could relate to both Luz and Camilla.
Speaking of them, the ending took me by surprise. I didn't expect them to be together. I thought they would be seperated once again, but I guess this proves how much Camilla cares about her children. Yes. Her children. She is a proud mom of 6 teenagers 🥹
I hope she will be able to meet Eda, King and Principal Bump. I really want Camilla to see they love and understand Luz the way she is. And hearing Bump's comments would reassure her that Luz belongs there. Maybe she can even help with the Collector by like... being the awesome mom she is and telling them bedtime stories. Because I can't see them as an evil character. They just look like a lonely kid with divine powers to me.
Last but not least, I hope they destroy Belos for good. He deserves the worst after all the evil shit he did 🤬
#toh spoilers#toh season 3 spoilers#thanks to them#thanks to them spoilers#camilla noceda#luz noceda#fuck belos 2k22#all my homies hate him#rip evelyn 🥺#the owl house spoilers#the owl house season 3 spoilers#the owl house season 3#toh season 3#thank you dana
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Multilingualism and translation: What good linguists need to know to work as freelance translators
What does it take to work as a freelance translator? Is it enough to be fluent in multiple languages? Or do you need some special skills, too? It’s true that many translation companies prefer hiring native speakers of their target language(s), but these days, there are plenty of freelance translators who are multilingual or even polyglots – people who speak several languages. This guide is for linguists and translators with little to no freelance experience, who want to become successful freelance translators, and it is intended to give you advice on how to use your linguistic talents to make money as a professional freelance translator.
Work as a translator
If you are a linguist, then translation might be a good career choice for you. Translation is an interesting and challenging job which requires knowledge of languages, cultures and the ability to understand the client’s needs. You need to know the target language well in order to translate into your native tongue accurately. Language training is essential. You will also need training on how to handle cultural issues such as differences in humour or styles of writing.
Translation services have been in demand in recent years due to increased global trade and the need to communicate with people in other countries. However, there are not enough translators who can translate a specific language and this is why many companies are turning to online courses. These courses teach how to be a translator and how to use translation software such as Google Translate. Many of these programs offer certificates or diplomas that show that you have completed training.
If you want to work as a translator without having studied a foreign language formally (e.g., Arabic), then do not give up hope! There are many different ways to gain the necessary skills. Some programs offer intensive courses and internships while others offer part-time degrees over several years with an internship included. As long as you have a solid background in linguistics, these programs can prepare you for any future challenges related to multilingualism and translation.
Start small
Translation is a profession that requires a good command of at least two languages. It is one of the few professions where you can work remotely. For people who are bilingual, translation can be a great way to make money. The best way to start is to work freelance. This will allow you to build your portfolio and find clients. The advantage of freelancing as a translator is that you do not have to travel too far from home and your schedule may be more flexible than working for an organization.
Good linguists should always make sure they are up-to-date with the latest terminology in their field. They will want to become certified if possible. As technology improves and becomes more accessible, it is important for a linguist to learn about new tools for translation and how best to utilize them. Online courses are gaining popularity among professionals because they allow them to learn new skills while working and they don’t require any time off work. They also save money on tuition fees as these courses are often free of charge or low cost.
Some translators use dictionaries or search engines to find out about words they don’t know when translating from one language to another, but there’s no substitute for training and experience. Translating from English into Chinese takes more time than translating from Spanish into French because some characters have more than one meaning depending on their context within a sentence. That means that if you translate, they will meet at 6pm into Spanish, the verb tense changes depending on whether you mean they were going to meet at 6pm or they will meet at 6pm.
The language industry is in a constant state of flux, with new technologies and approaches emerging all the time. To be a successful freelance translator, you need to be able to adapt to change and keep up with the latest trends. Here are a few things you can do to stay on top of the latest developments in the language industry:
– Follow Language Log (https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/) on Facebook or Twitter for regular updates from the field, or the Translators and Interpreters ProZ.com Group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/ProZcom/).
– Read blogs like Translate Plus – https://www.translateplus.com/blog/ or ProZ.com Blog – https://go.proz.com/blog (the world’s largest community of language professionals) for insights into working as a freelancer.
– Attend industry events like the annual ATA Conference (American Translators Association) or the ITI in the UK, in order to network with other professionals and find out about new tools or resources available for translators.
– You can also find work by joining international organizations like IATEFL (International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language) or the International Federation of Translators (FIT).
Build your portfolio
Online platforms like Upwork, ProZ, Fiverr, Indeed and LinkedIn offer a great place for translators to find their first clients but it is also possible to find work through agencies and other freelance forums. As long as one has the necessary skills and experience in a particular language, there are plenty of opportunities to be found.
It is important to remember that your skills and knowledge are well suited for this position, with examples such as previous work experience as a teacher, editor, proofreader, content writer, etc.
The first step to finding a good agency for translators is to do some research on what type of company would suit you best. Keep in mind that not all companies will have an opening available at any given time so it is important to have an open mind about what you want.
Direct clients pay more, and in certain cases much more, than all but a handful of elite agencies. In many cases, you can double what your favourite agency pays you unless they’re a particularly generous agency and value your work highly. If looking for direct clients, there are many types of companies, from law firms to engineering firms and marketing agencies. Make sure you have a strategy before contacting them; identify their needs by researching the company online and reviewing job postings. Once you feel confident enough, send off your resume with an accompanying cover letter which highlights why they should hire you. If you don’t hear back from them after a week or two then follow up with another email update to keep them informed about your interest in working for them.
The agencies deal with translators and have systems in place to verify the quality and ensure that the delivery is optimal. But direct clients do business with many different service providers at once: graphic designers, editors, print departments, IT vendors and many more. You are only one of many, and you are not at the centre of their world, no matter how much you are at the centre of yours. So, they expect you to go ahead and be independent. Of course, they’re usually there to answer all the terminology questions, and that can be clarified at the outset, but otherwise, you’re on your own.
Another option is gaining experience through online volunteering, there are organisations like TWB (https://translatorswithoutborders.org/volunteer/) and Voluntouring.org (https://www.voluntouring.org/) that allow people to volunteer their services for free. One can also go ahead and start translating independently without having a huge portfolio because small projects can still be lucrative.
One final thing that potential translators need to consider is whether they are comfortable with going abroad where living costs may be more expensive than where they live now. However, travelling and getting exposure to different cultures is something that many would enjoy doing. So, if this isn’t a problem then these jobs are perfect for someone looking to explore the world!
Stay on top of trends in your industry
There are other creative options for talented linguists, such as learning DTP. You may already possess some editing or publishing skills, perhaps that could be a winning combination for your future career. A desktop publishing artist or artworker is responsible for translating the work of art directors and graphic designers into digital files ready to go to print or be placed online. A DTP artist is usually skilled in multiple computer design applications, such as Adobe CS.
In desktop publishing or DTP, software creates page layouts with text, photos, graphics, and tables so that the final product can be printed out or displayed electronically. It’s not just books, magazines and newspapers that use DTP, but also posters, signs, retail packaging, promotional items, presentations, menus and much more. When text and visual design need to work together, DTP is able to create the right layout, adjust size and style, and adjust other elements to make the visual design perfect. Some people have jobs where they only use DTP software, while others may work on different aspects of the job. These people will still need to learn about DTP skills because it is part of their trade, even if they never actually use it themselves.
You might want to start by studying English literature at university before entering this career path and gaining an understanding of typography and other technical terms related to layout.
Know what hiring managers want
Many companies require their employees to be proficient in more than one language, which has created a demand for qualified translators. But what do hiring managers look for when they’re trying to fill these positions? They want candidates who are specialized in the specific industry they are looking to hire someone for. They also want people who have experience translating text from the source language into the target language and vice versa, so you should get certified if you don’t already have this certification. It’s important that you provide them with your qualifications because most companies will only accept applicants who meet all of their requirements.
Get testimonials
Good testimonials from past clients are a great way to show off your skills and attract new clients. When looking for testimonials, be sure to ask for specific examples of the work you did that was particularly helpful or impressive. If you can, get in touch with the clients themselves and ask them to write a brief statement about their experience working with you. Include these testimonials on your website or in your portfolio to show potential clients what you’re capable of.
Stay positive
When you’re looking for work, it’s easy to get bogged down in the negative. You scroll through job postings, feeling underqualified and wondering what you could possibly offer that someone else couldn’t do just as well. But it’s important to remember that there are plenty of people out there who need your specific skillset. And with the right attitude, you can find them.
It might take from 6 months to a couple of years to make enough money as a professional translator, but having the ability to translate into several languages is one thing that will never be obsolete. So, keep at it!
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yeah so this has been sitting in my drafts for a month •<• i thought i posted it already. whoops.
Writing 3MoM has been really good character study for what Caboose is like before and after O’Malley and… other brain ouchy events, but I’m still figuring out how to write him, especially regarding serious topics, so things like Caboose’s dialogue might be different when I finish (whenever the hell that’ll be)
but ye. now others may finally meet Bruh, my beloved. until now only a few mutuals know about them haha. i’ll have to scrounge up my brainstorming bits about them for the rest of you at some point.
——the initial post——
Here’s something I wrote a month or so ago, inspired by the encroaching holiday season and my other Caboose-centered fics-in-progress (including this one, there are 3 I think?). Haven’t really worked on it since but I’ve been on sort of a fic hiatus so I’ll share what I’ve got. (Next chapter of 3MoM still dropping sometime this week) fggsddf that’s how long ago i made this post? oof literal month
contains: Caboose struggling to remember things, fun family interactions, troubling family interactions, hostility towards mental disability, hopefully accurate spanish but it’s a rough draft so whatever, i’ll be sure to check it all over before publishing the final product (am aware of the missing accents over i, will add them in later)
So uh. Prepare yourself for pain, I guess. There’s plenty of fluff too tho
----
(Incomplete WIP-- end result may look different)
A Caboose Family Christmas Special
Headache. Maybe he should just go back to sleep. No, it was okay. He’d feel better after he had his medicine and some water and some breakfast. He swung upwards, immediately reeling in regret. Too fast. He blinked.
This wasn’t Blue Base. He looked around. He was on a couch. Where was this? A basement in someone’s house, it looked like.
There were people noises nearby. He walked to the stairs and climbed them. He peeked over the half wall on the side.
“Hey, Michael! You’re up!” He knew this person.
“Feliz Navidad!”
“Where am I?” Caboose was sure he’d never been here before.
“Oh, this is Ella’s house. Bad morning?”
Caboose looked around. Everyone was here! Even some people he didn’t know.
“Tio Michael!”
Caboose turned to the voice. “Uh… Hello!”
Two little kids were staring up at him. He was glad they were not babies. Kids were fun.
“Do you remember us?”
“Uncle Michael forgets a lot.”
“Tio Michael.”
“Uncle sounds better.”
“No, tio does!”
“Hey, stop crowding your tio, you two!” It took a second-- a scary second where he wasn’t sure-- but it was his sister.
“Ella?”
“Michael,” she acknowledged with a grin. She paused and looked around, searching.
Caboose knew that face. She took a breath in, and Caboose covered his ears.
She shouted, “Gabbi! Spongebob meme!”
Bruh walked over rubbing their ears. “She’s outside. Thanks for the busted eardrums, though.”
“Bruh? You have grown up so much!” Caboose ran up the rest of the stairs and around the railing to scoop them up into a bear hug.
“Ohh this again.” Bruh sighed but they smiled up at him. “Yeah, yeah, happy to see you too, dude.”
“Where’s Deli?”
“He’s actually going by David now.”
Caboose set them down. “For a long time? Did I forget again?”
“I mean… Not that long.”
“Sorry.”
“Hey, you remembered our names. Two out of three’s a passing grade!”
“Barely,” Del-- David joined the talking circle.
“Speak of the nerd.” Bruh said. “Michael’s saying hi to everyone.”
David didn’t look as happy to see him.
“Hi David!” Caboose said. “I like your shirt. Robots are the best. Have you met Freckles?”
David looked away from him. “I’ll take Miguel and Legend. C’mon guys. There’s more room to play outside.”
“We wanna talk to Tio Michael!”
“It’s just going to be the same conversation you had yesterday.”
“No, David, we should all talk. It’s not that often we’re all together.” Ella turned and called over her shoulder. “Martín! Can you take the kids?”
“I’ve got my hands full with Sadie.” The guy was holding a baby.
“Take your son and nephew, too. I want to talk to my brother without children harassing us.”
“Bruh is right over there. Why can’t they watch them?”
“I charge by the minute.”
“They might run off. A standard rate might be better,” David mumbled to Bruh.
“En serio, chico?” Martin responded. “Es la Navidad!”
“Yeah, working holidays costs extra.” Bruh grinned.
Ella pulled Bruh into a hug. A squeeze one, not a cuddle one.
“Just watch your nephews, you little--” She looked over at the kids. “Orejas.”
They covered their ears.
“Burrito.”
“Burrito is not a bad word,” one of kids objected.
“Hah! I knew you were still listening! Now, go with your Tío Bruh.”
“Yeah, Miguel!”
“Los dos.”
They both grumbled, but they followed Bruh out of the room. Without a word, David walked off with them too.
“David! Wait—“ Ella did an angry pout to where David left.
“His name is Miguel?”
“Yeah, I named him after you. Well, kind of. The Spanish version.”
“Woah…”
“Do you remem-- Do you know your other niblings? I can introduce them to you.”
“Ella, have I... met them before?”
“C’mon, what’s with the questions? Don’t you want to say hi to everyone?”
Ella was good at acting, but she didn’t like lying to him. She didn’t want to tell him the truth though, either. He needed to find Gabbi.
Someone said she was outside. He was pretty sure he heard that.
“I am going to say hi to Gabbi first.” And before Ella could object he ran out the front door.
—
“Gabbi, do I forget everyone a lot?”
Gabbi froze. “Whatttt??” She laughed uncomfortably.
“Like, a lot, a lot.” With the Reds and Blues and Carolina… they were used to him being like this. No one got worried when he couldn’t remember the right words. It didn’t cause problems much because that’s just how it was, but when he was away, things felt different. He felt— He realized that he was different. Even with his family. It especially bothered him with his family because sometimes they looked so sad and that was worse than strangers looking annoyed and— “I know— I know I don’t— Some stuff is harder for me, and I don’t forget because I don’t care, I forget because I forget. I—“
“Michael, it’s no big deal, really. It’s ok.”
“Is that why David’s mad at me?”
Gabbi’s face fell. So it was.
“He doesn’t like me.”
“He is not mad at you. He’s... mad and sad for you. Everyone was at first, but he’s still got it all bottled up in his heart.”
“How do I... unbottle that?”
“I don’t think you can. He just needs more time, I think.”
Caboose considered. “I will make him stop being upset with fun and hugs.”
“That is the exact opposite of what I said.”
“Too late. I am doing the fun plan now.”
“Hey hey, wait. Did you have your meds? Any breakfast?”
“Nooo?” Caboose responded guiltily. He had been distracted by all the people.
“C’mon. We’re going to the kitchen together. And then you need to get out of your pajamas. No friend quests until you’re ready for the day.”
“I’m all grown up, you don’t need to baby me.”
“Imagine how Ella feels. She’s married with kids, but I’m not going to stop with her either.” She started poking at Caboose. “C’mon, c’mon, a la cocina, let’s go!”
———
It’s very incomplete but I had wanted to explore how Caboose’s relationship with his family might have been affected by what he’s been through. I don’t know when I’ll continue working on it but it still feels like a solid starting point.
also still figuring out how to write Caboose’s perspective and how his memory difficulties and whatnot manifest. might rework some parts.
again, chapter 2 of Three Months O’ Malley coming soon fggsddf it’s been out for like a month now
it’s been a lot of fun figuring out all of Caboose’s many many siblings (still figuring many of them out tbh) and iirc chapter 2 has a little bit about Ella and Gabbi, with focus also on Sephi, Maria, and Christina in later chapters. My first fic introducing a lot of the siblings (Cabooses Slumber Party) was pretty overwhelming with like nine sisters at once, so hopefully the focus narrowing to only a few at a time will feel easier to follow.
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Writing Latino characters
Before I get into these tips/things to avoid when portraying a character who's Latino, please keep in mind that I'm speaking for no one but myself. I'm just one voice, and there's so many other things that go into writing Latinos that I'm sure I'll forget to mention. And for anyone who might see this, please consider reblogging as these are some things that I feel like all non-Latinos should take into consideration.
—————
•Latinos aren't just from one country alone. We come from a large variety of places (ex. Puerto Rico, Cuba, Perú, Costa Rica, México, Argentina, etc.).
•Not all Latino cultures are the same!!! I cannot stress this one enough. We all have different cultures based on where we're located. This means that we all have our own traditions, national holidays, dialect, names, last names, foods, music, etc!
•To expand on the food topic more: stop associating all Latinos to tacos, burritos and nachos. And additionally, just because a character is from a certain country doesn't mean that they only eat foods that are native to that place.
•Just to clear this up real quick: Latino is NOT a race!!! Stop treating it like it is!!
•When writing a story, it's important to think beyond just the plot and story you wanna tell. You have to think about how and why you're using the characters that you are. Make sure that each character is there to serve a purpose. Representation for the sake of feeling woke and inclusive is tokenism, plain and simple.
•On that note, representation points do not count if that “representation” just means that the minorities end up dead. Or even if they're just there to be tortured or mistreated. I hope I don't have to explain why this is a shitty and racist thing to do.
•Don't rely on cultural symbols in order to sell your character. I get that you might want to emphasize the diversity and show just how inclusive you are, but you have to slow down and think, "Is this detail actually important to the character, or is it detracting their development/the plot?". Because believe it or not, while it's an important part of who we are, our personalities don't center around our cultures—shocker!
•If you feel like you're portraying something in a racist way then...you probably are. Some little details aren't obvious at first, since a lot of racism tends to be a lot more subtle than you'd think, but it's always good to double check. It's difficult to authentically tell stories with characters that exist outside of your own lived experiences. A lot of these things are easily googled and capable of being researched, but make sure that these sources are from actual Latinos because non-Latinos do not get to decide what does and doesn't count as racism to us.
•A problem that usually arises when writing characters of colour is falling into racialized stereotypes or making them one dimensional. It's an easy trick to fall into but please try your best to avoid it.
•One of the most well known Latino stereotypes is making the characters sexy, flirtatious and promiscuous. All it does is perpetuate this unrealistic perception of our already romanticized culture. This doesn't mean that your character can't flirt, but centralizing their entire personality on their sexual appeal is harmful.
•The stereotype that the majority of Latinos work as janitors, maids, and gardeners couldn’t be farther from the truth. There is nothing wrong with having these types of jobs, but they aren't the only ones that we're capable of acquiring and it drives me up a wall to see just how much it keeps getting reinforced throughout all different types of media. It's placing us in a very limited box which is extremely damaging. Latinos are capable of having all kinds of occupations, whether it’s as doctors, lawyers, actors, artists, journalists...—you name it!
•For the love of God, don't make them or their parents abusive. We've had enough of the angry Latino trope and if you're the type of person that portrays minorities as violent and aggressive for absolutely no reason whatsoever then I'll automatically assume the worst of you.
•Some other stereotypes include: the drug dealer, the immigrant, the lazy Latino, the Latin lover, the fiery Latina, etc. Just by doing a quick Google search, you'll get a large number of sources that'll inform you of all the stereotypes and tropes out there that you should do your best to avoid.
•I've noticed that a large portion of the Latinos shown in media are portrayed as though they know every single aspect about their country and that's...honestly pretty unrealistic. Many people, regardless of where they're from, mostly just have a general understanding of their country's history and that's it.
•Latinos are diverse. Afro-Latinos exist. White Latinos exist. Mixed Latinos exist. Muslim Latinos exist. Jewish Latinos exist. Plus-sized Latinos exist. Curly haired Latinos exist. LGBTQ+ Latinos exist. Disabled Latinos exist. Write about them. You shouldn't just focus on representing the types of Latinos that you and the rest of society consider "acceptable".
•Not all Latinos speak Spanish. Don't forget that Portuguese is another one of Latin America's main languages or that there are a lot of Latinos out there that don't speak either of those languages. That doesn't make them less Latino in the slightest, whatever languages they do or don't know shouldn't determine how valid their identity is.
•When writing bilingual characters, do NOT use Google Translate. We can tell when you do because it is glaringly obvious. Reach out to someone who actually speaks the language if you want dialogue to flow more naturally and accurately. And if possible, reach out to someone who shares your character's nationality since the expressions and dialect tend to be different depending on where they're from.
•Most bilingual people don't switch languages mid-sentence nor do we "forget to switch back". This is a MASSIVE pet peeve of mine. Yes, it CAN and DOES happen –mostly when we're around someone who we're very close and comfortable with– but most bilingual people tend to just speak English to non-Spanish or non-Portuguese speakers. These "language switches" tend to translate in a very awkward and stilted way when written into actual dialogue, especially when it's done by non-bilingual people.
•Language switches usually happen when someone forgets a certain word or phrase in the language they're speaking in. Ex. "No encuentro el –¿cómo se dice?– el screwdriver." (This is something that's personally done by me at least multiple times a day. And it's not the best shown example, but it gets the point across)
•Do NOT have your Latino character say something flirty/sexual to someone who doesn't understand the language they're speaking in. That counts as fetishization and it's disgusting.
•If you're writing a romantic relationship, please don't have the Latino call their significant other mami or papi. It's what we call our moms and dads respectively.
•As I mentioned before, people are far more than just their culture. So, just treat your characters with the same respect and importance as you would any other character. Minorities should be allowed to have just as many layers as white characters. Humans are complex beings, and just as you should give a white character a reasoning behind their actions and behavior, writing minorities warrants the exact same thing.
•And lastly, it's okay to mess up. All you have to do is own up, take accountability and work towards bettering yourself so you don't make the same mistake again.
#i'm not even sorry that this is as long as it is#i've been wanting to say all of this for soooo long#i'd put it under the cut but tbh i don't rlly feel like it rn lol#luna talks#writing tips#latino#i know there's some typos in there but oh well haha#hope these help at least a little :)#long post#latino representation#diversity#writing advice#important#character tips#writing resources
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