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necromancy-enthusiast · 10 months

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Traditional Chinese Translation of Homestuck Analysis-Beta Troll Typing Quirks

That's right, there's a full traditional Chinese translation of Homestuck. You can find it, along with links to other translations, here. If you want to jump to Hivebent when all the beta trolls are officially introduced so you can see this for yourself, here's a link to the first page.

But first, I'll give as succinct of a rundown of the elements of the Chinese language that are relevant as I can. The Chinese writing system doesn't have an alphabet, instead words all have unique characters. So a lot of the trolls' quirks just can't be 'transliterated', because they have something to do with spelling. Similarly, Chinese characters don't have upper or lower cases.

There are multiple ways to type Chinese on an electronic device, but the most common is using a Latin script keyboard. You type out the pinyin of a Chinese character (which is the system mostly commonly used to romanize Mandarin Chinese nowadays) and some suggestions for characters with pinyin romanizations spelled that way pop up in a little window, and then you pick the one that you want.

Chinese also has A LOT of homophones because instead of making a wider variety of noises like English, Chinese opted to differentiate words partially based on the tone they're spoken in. This is absolutely fantastic for puns and wordplay, English could never hope to be anywhere near Chinese's level in that regard. This comes into play with some of the trolls' typing quirks.

And just to clarify, sometimes I say 'Chinese' and sometimes I say 'Mandarin', that's because Mandarin is the official dialect in both mainland China and Taiwan and now the mostly widely spoken one in the world. It isn't mutually intelligible with most other Chinese dialects (this is part of why some people argue that Chinese isn't a single language but a language family). However, written Chinese can generally be understood regardless of the dialect you speak, even if people speaking in different dialects often have different ways of saying the same thing, like greetings and whatnot. When I say Chinese I mean things that broadly apply to written Chinese or the Chinese language/language family as a whole, when I say Mandarin I mean things specific to the Mandarin dialect. I think that about covers it. This post is already getting a bit long so I'll put everything else under a cut. Here's the breakdown:

Aradia: Replaces characters with the Arabic numeral for zero 0. I looked it up and apparently the Chinese character for zero also carry connotations of negation or mean things like 'nought' or 'no', which seems to fit with at least most of the instances she uses it in. Apparently this character can also have some link to death and dead spirits, which would fit given how she's a ghost at the beginning of the story.

Tavros: Uses the character 呃 a lot, which can be used like 'uh' or 'eh'. Uses 嗯 which can be used like 'hmm' or 'uh' as well, or like a general mumbling/light groaning sound, but with less frequency. Still, types haltingly, and uses commas, a lot, like in English, without any periods, Since Chinese doesn't have upper or lower cases, Tavros cANT DO THAT THING HE DOES IN ENGLISH, WHERE HE TYPES IN ALL CAPS OTHER THAN, THE FIRST LETTER OF SENTENCES, sO UNFORTUNATELY, there isn't a lot else to say here.

Sollux: Still refers to the others by their nicknames like KK and AA. He uses reduplication more often than most of the others, which is when you repeat part of a word or even a whole word for various reasons, often to stress your point. He also replaces characters that are pronounced as 'shi' in Mandarin with the Chinese character for 4, which is pronounced as 'si' and written as 四. I'm pretty sure this is supposed to be reminiscent of his lisp. EDIT: AS @autumntides reminded me, in at least Mandarin and Cantonese four is a homophone with death, and thus it carries the stigma of death and unluckiness. This fits in well with Sollux's mage of doom class and everything related to it, like Vriska mind controlling him to kill Aradia and him dying during the vast glub because he didn't make it into the game in time before Feferi revived him. I still think it's also the lisp, though.

Karkat: He doesn't type in a larger font size then the others so he doesn't really have any typing quirks, at least none I've been able to ascertain, but he's just as imaginative with his cursing. It can be pretty rough for me to parse and equally rough to translate into English in a way that doesn't sound really awkward, but one of my favorites is 'Rotten bloated corpse of God Almighty! Goddammit, what the fuck does your pockmarked think stem want?'

Nepeta: Uses onomatopoeias that equate to 'cat sounds' like meow and roar, as well as a good bit of reduplication. Still uses asterisk marks and speaks in the third person to indicate when she's role-playing.

Kanaya: Doesn't use punctuation. That's it, since she can't capitalize things like she does in English. I really wish I could say more but that's all I can see. She's still verbose, though.

Terezi: Replaces words that are homophones or near homophones with the numbers 1, 3, and 4 in Mandarin with their Arabic numerals, presumably to resemble how she types in leetspeak in English.

Vriska: Still types out characters 8 times occasionally, but rather than letters (since the Chinese writing system doesn't have an alphabet) it's the whole 'word' like 月月月月月月月月. Replaces words that are homophones (or almost homophones) with 'eight' in Mandarin with the Chinese character for 8 八. I'm pretty sure it's meant to signify that she's dragging the word out rather than repeating it, like when she does thiiiiiiiis in English.

Equius: Still uses % like X's, but he just types it and then types out the word. Again, I don't know exactly what kind of keyboard he's using, but if he's using a Latin script keyboard, he's just typing things like %xuan but when he's finished typing it looks like this %選.

Gamzee: Types out every other character in a slightly smaller font size then the default, he's the only one that changes his font size to resemble his English typing quirk. I'm guessing/hoping they have a set up where he can just as easily change font size as Latin script keyboards can change between lower and uppercase by hitting a certain button, but who knows. He uses ta ma de 他媽的 a lot, which is pretty much the Chinese equivalent of 'motherfucker/motherfucking', and cao 操, which is just 'fuck' but the verb.

Eridan: Still refers to the others by their nicknames like Fef and Kan. A lot of reduplication. A LOT of it, way more than Sollux or Nepeta even. I think this is supposed to be reminiscent of how he doubles his Vs and Ws in English rather then symbolizing true grammatical reduplication, though. It also seems to be that his specific flavor of reduplication is like Vriska's, it's meant to signify he's dragging the sound of a word out rather than repeating it. He also types ~ right after reduplication, seemingly to resemble the waves on the ocean and that he's sort of saying it in a 'wavy' manner, like how in English the comic remarks that he has a 'really weird kinda wavy sounding accent'. Honestly it's annoying to look at, and other Chinese speakers have told me the same thing when they saw how he types. Maybe that was intentional?...

Feferi: She does the same thing as Equius does with X but uses ) ( in front of words whose pinyin romanization starts with H. Uses 'gulu' in the place of 'glub' as transliteration. Replaces characters like those for 'is' 是 and 'have' 有 for characters that have that character in it but also have the character for fish 魚 like 鯷 and 鮪. Also occasionally uses ------ before characters, I think it's meant to symbolize that she's saying something excitedly.

And there you have it. This was rough and took a lot of time, but it was fun if at times deeply frustrating. I may do more of these posts comparing the Chinese translation to the original English, I'm particularly interested in the alpha trolls, but who knows. If you enjoyed this I'd greatly appreciate you sharing it :)

#homestuck #karkat vantas #gamzee makara #vriska serket #terezi pyrope #sollux captor #aradia megido #nepeta leijon #equius zahhak #feferi peixes #eridan ampora #tavros nitram #kanaya maryam #Chinese #chinese homestuck

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matan4il · 9 months

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Last post of good-natured silliness regarding Mile and Apo's trips! (the first can be found here and the second here)

Jul 28, Mile posted a pic from the car in Paris in the rain set to Jazz (his and Apo's fave music genre). Then he started posting from flying back to and landing in Bangkok. He was wearing the same cap with a big 'A' on it that he wore during departure on Jul 19, even though weather wise, that cap didn't make sense then and even less so now.

When he left:

And as he returned:

This is kinda similar to Apo, who wore his trinket necklace both when he departed Bangkok on Jul 19 and when he came back on Jul 25. It has two silver circle rings, joined by a heart pendant.

Apo when leaving:

And upon returning:

Back on Jul 6, when they went to Song Wat together, I noticed these joined rings and that, because most of the time the heart holds the two together, it makes them look a lot like Mile's double circle silver ring, which he has had for years, way before KPTS.

While Mile's ring is obviously not connected to Apo, I did wonder when Apo started wearing his trinket necklace which includes this pair of joined rings, and whether they might intentionally have been chosen for their similarity to Mile's (once locked together with a heart). I can't actually answer any of these questions, other than to tell you that Apo doesn't seem to have worn these rings before he re-met Mile in Oct 2020. At least I couldn't find any evidence that he did, not on his fingers and not on his necklace (though he did wear other necklaces). The first time I could find him wearing the joined rings on the trinket necklace is a pic Apo shared on Sep 13, 2021:

He's also wearing it in a pic he shared Sep 16, 2021, you can see it a bit better there (especially since on Jan 10, 2022 he posted another pic from the same occasion where the necklace with the rings and heart is even clearer). Also, as far as I can tell, Apo changes the trinkets he wears with the paired rings, but he always wears those. Make of all this what you will...

Mile posted a vid on Facebook from the plane as it approached Bangkok, captioned it with text about saving money to construct, buy and decorate a house, and added this post to his "Happiness during the day" album:

He also pasted the same text about saving money for a house onto a vid of an apartment with a view of NYC, which he shared on his personal IG, and we all know who loves that city and even lived there for 7 months...

After landing, Mile posted on IG pics and vids from the Eiffel Tower in the rain on Jul 27, and he captioned them with "Something is more romantic with rain... #LikeYou ^^". Within 13 minutes, Apo liked the post and commented, "Very romantic."

Mind you, the entire 10 days they've been apart, neither one of them used the word "romantic" in any of their captions. While Mile WAS ACTUALLY IN Paris, at the Eiffel Tower, in the rain, he didn't use the word "romantic," but he did right away after he returned to Thailand.

Apo posted on IG 15 minutes after Mile did, sharing pics from Jul 21 in China, and he captioned them "Sleep no more." Except unlike me, Apo capitalized every first letter of each word, which is what Mile always does with his own captions in English. Mile commented not long after with "Cool."

Another thing to note is the day before, Jul 28, as Mile was flying back to Thailand, Apo posted a pic from China, from Jul 23, where he's doing a half heart, and he captioned it, "Miss you."

Just as a bonus... On the same day, while Mile was flying back to Bangkok, his mom posted multiple pics and vids of herself in a green shirt (Mile's color) and yellow pants (Apo's color).

Wait, bonus #2! Mile also mentioned returning very soon. Pond replied to a photographer that he'll see him in September. The Paris Fashion Week 2023 starts on Sep 25, so we might get some more Mileapo in Paris then.

Did I miss anything? Probably, there's been a lot. But I hope this series of posts made you smile! You can find more of my Kinnporsche/Mileapo stuff under this tag. xoxox

#mileapo #mkp #mile phakphum #mile phakphum romsaithong #phakphum romsaithong #apo nattawin #apo nattawin wattanagitiphat #nattawin wattanagitiphat #man suang #man suang cast #kinnporsche #kinnporsche cast #kinnporsche the cast #kpts cast #kpts the cast #the dots i've connected them

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renaultphile · 4 months

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Hi, Dear. I just have finished TC. Though so much underlying I cannot quite understand well for English is not my first language, I love this story！！！

But likely owing cultural differences, I don't get why Ralph so cares about Laurie's “sorry, dearie, some other time” from delirium, which I consider as only kind of banter. What's wrong with these words？Are they rude or implying someting？ Hope to get this answered🥰🥰🥰

Thank you so much for this ask @yitwosirui . I think it is such a clever way of telling us so much about the characters.

I believe the short answer would be that this is definitely on the level of mild banter, not particularly offensive or rude. But it is a rejection and a gentle put down. So, in the context of Laurie being just a Corporal, and Ralph a Lieutenant and Captain of the ship it would be considered inappropriate because of their rank and also because of the context and the implications. In general Laurie’s response would suggest that he thinks/or is pretending that Ralph is making sexual advances, so on that level and in those times it would be considered offensive given he is a man! Well that’s my reading anyway!

So I think the various possibilities that really puzzle Ralph would be:

Laurie is delirious and confused and thinks Ralph is making sexual advances but doesn’t recognise him. But he seems to be gay and sexually experienced. Good news on one level, but then he is rejecting Ralph and doing it in an embarrassing way.

Or, all of the above but he doesn’t recognise Ralph.

Or, he recognises Ralph, understands the situation and is making an affectionate little in-joke that only Ralph will understand.

Or Laurie knows perfectly well that Ralph is trying to help him but chooses to make a bitchy and embarrassing comment, whether or not he recognises him.

Or, Laurie it not actually gay but he knows that Ralph is and is suggesting that Ralph is gay and predatory.

Reg covers everything up by making it into a joke that Laurie thought Ralph was a woman and I’m sure Ralph joked about it to his ship-mates in the same way.

So on one level, there is no real harm to Ralph – he can cover it up by saying Laurie was delirious, thought he was a prostitute, or whatever, and it is obvious to all he was not trying to sexually assault him!! In a way the only thing that would give him away would be his own reaction.

So why does he go on about it so much?

I think he must be so desperate to find out that he forgets how intensely embarrassing the whole thing must have been for Laurie (more embarrassing than for him!) He brings it up within minutes of meeting again. But embarrassment is the easiest emotion he can appeal to, otherwise he would have to admit that he had feelings or that he was hurt, or wondering about Laurie’s sexuality. So in a way he is trying to find out information while not revealing too much himself.

The other thing is that when he talks about writing to Laurie he says he ‘couldn’t be sure’ and that he wanted to ‘settle it’ – the first things that seem to motivate him are that he wasn’t sure what Laurie meant, rather than any more general feeling of ‘Wow I just saw Laurie again I must reach out!’ That feels very like Ralph, always needing to know exactly where he stands.

I don’t know if that answers the question, or makes sense!

I’m struck by how much they talk about this, but never breathe a word about what happened in the study. Pretty intriguing!!!!

I have a couple of personal theories relating to this too:

I recently thought about the way Ralph dismisses Laurie from the study, which is very abrupt, whether he intends it or not. And I thought in a way ‘Sorry Dearie’ is the ultimate revenge seven years later!

I see the obsession with that incident as foreshadowing how Ralph will be at the end, because I think he will be obsessed with knowing whether Laurie read his letter or not…….

Thank you so much again – I have sent you a little ask of my own!

#the charioteer #mary renault #asks #Thank you so much for your ask I really enjoyed thinking about this

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absolutebl · 2 years

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Thai Names & BL

Why SO Weird (to Westerners)

You're looking for information on the Thai chue len.

We might say "nickname" but the actual translation is "play name." And it's what an anthropologist might call a "use name." So this is the name you go by IRL, not necessarily your legal name.

First I should say that this is a lot more common than westerns realize, even in our own past. Many Roman women, for example, we know operated under what amounts to a chue len. And it was probubly quite common among the lower classes in Ancient Egypt and Greece, too. But since the poor and females are chronically understudied there isn’t a ton of data (or written records, for that matter).

The chue len has to do in part with the history of names in Thailand, and the fact that until relatively recently most people only had a given name and a chue len, and then when government regulations went into effect mandating a last names it quickly became really complicated.

You can read a great article on Thai naming conventions here. It’s fun to learn about. I highly recommend it. And I am going to assume you did read it and now talk only about the bits left out and odd.

The bit most BL watchers ask me about is answered in this statement:

“Many Thai nicknames are derived from English words. They may be English sounding names (such as ‘Anna’) or more obscure words that are chosen for their meaning, e.g. Book (symbolising intelligence), Bank (symbolising wealth).”

However, like most English words used in Thai, they aren’t pronounced the way we would pronounce them. (Hell when have you ever heard an American pronounce something like a Brit, anyway?)

One amusing example is “bur” which is Thai for “phone number.” It’s our word, but they made it... better. You can watch Dean ask for Pharm’s digits using just this one word (in the scene where he drops him off for the first time in UWMA).

What the article doesn't say about chue len is that sometimes they are chosen for fun/silly as a baby name (like fatty) and then changed by the person themselves at any point in their life.

You can opt to change your chue len whenever you want, since it's not a legal name. Also its not uncommon to have different ones with different groups (so one for friends, another for family, one for the public if you’re a celebrity, another for your lover).

Daonuea (literally starnorth AKA Polaris or the Northstar) in Star in My Mind does this, he uses two: Nuea with friends, Dao with intimates.

I hope you can see how in a language where you use your OWN NAME for the I pronoun regularly, this is VERY easy to do?

Also, the article doesn’t say that a chue len can also be based on a popular band/idol/actor at the time of birth. I understand from my Thai bestie that Golf/Gulf was one of these for a while back in the 90s? I think.

Anyway, I also found Thai names odd to start, now I barely notice or register. Partly because what we read in English captions often doesn’t really sound like what’s being said.

For example, both Tine & Type sound the same to me, like Tyyyyee.

Also I amuse myself with wondering how they got that name. Like if a baby is named Bbomb - erm, did they blow out their diaper all the time? Probubly not because that’s very English culture specific, but I’m still amused. Was War a really violent child? Are all those Flukes happy accidents? Why is Gameplay called Gameplay? Was he a big gamer who chose it for himself? Or did his parents get together because of an in-game romance?

It’s fun to think about the reason, because there usually is one.

There’s another naming convention the article doesn’t really talk about, which is all the chue lens amongst siblings often either rhyme (e.g. Win & Lin in Cupid’s Last Wish) or start with the same letter. Thai BL Kpop idol Bambam of GOT7 talks about this (he and his sibs all have B names). And also, hilariously, the fact that he actually doesn’t know his own brother’s given name because they have always just used the chue len with each other so he never had to learn it.

Some actors will take and go by (at least for a time) a more western sounding name (Phoom --> Pavel) but you’ll hear their Thai friends using their Thai name or a different chue len (much like some Korean idols). Others will go by a Thai name for in country work (Stewart --> Perth).

There is an episode of 2022′s Safe House where GMMTV actors all talk about their use names and where they come from and their siblings names etc... but no one ever translated it and I’m a dumbass who didn’t save that ep to link, sorry.

Here on Tumblr we tend to tag actors by their chue len + given name, partly because many actors choose that as their social media handles on IG etc...

Finally, you can watch Perth talk about some of this here on his YT channel.

from a question from @doorajar

(source)

#thai bl #thai names #why are thai names so weird #thai given names #chue len #thai cheu len #thai nickname #war wanarat #gameplay garnpaphon #tharntype #Gulf Kanawut #pavel phoom #Perth Nakhun #Perth Stewart #thai linguistics #thai language

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aebi12 · 7 months

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"Resentment" - Chapter 5 [AemondxRhaena]

Summary

He is the cause of her sufferings. He took her dragon, her betrothed, and her father. Now, he will also take away her future by having to marry him.

With so much history and bad blood between Rhaena and Aemond, their forced union has everything to fail, except that the proximity will make them discover that perhaps they have more in common than it seems.

AU - the Greens win the war.

Masterlist with previous chapters

Tags: enemies to lovers, romance, angst, drama, eventual smut, hurt/comfort

Please remember that english is not my first language, so I'm sorry for the mistakes...

***

“I am not going”

“But it is an invitation from the prince.”

"Exactly!" Rhaena says emphatically, crumpling the parchment and balling her hands into fists as she begins to walk again, “I can decline it if I wish so”

“Don't you think he'll feel slighted if you do that?” Marianne asks, rushing to stand next to her.

“I don't care if he does,” she says with a shrug.

Rhaena internally reproaches herself for having replied so lackadaisically and making evident her annoyance at the situation to her lady, but she simply sighs as she continues walking. To call an invitation to the words that the kinslayer has written is to be too lenient. The prince has practically demanded her presence, summoning her as if she were one of his servants.

Who does he think he is?

“Is it because of what Lady Blackwood and Lady Redwyne just told us?”

"What?"

“You know…” Marianne seems embarrassed, her cheeks turning red and her gaze unable to meet that of her lady, “About that woman… Alys Rivers”

“I am afraid I do not understand,” Rhaena frowns.

“I mean…” she sighs, “It must have been hard for you knowing that your future husband had a previous affair with a woman.”

Rhaena can't help but let out a giggle that turns into a laugh.

“Oh Marianne, no, no,” she replies, shaking her head and still laughing, “I don't care at all that my cousin had a mistress.”

Her lady's honey eyes widen comically, her expression of disbelief causing Rhaena much tenderness, “How come? I would be devastated if I found out about a scandal of such magnitude."

“You heard the old ladies,” she responds, “It is in a man's nature to have mistresses. Some are simply more… discreet about such matters.”

Her own father, Rhaena thinks, had had different affairs. During her stay in Pentos, even when she was a child, she had not been unaware of the flirtations between the rogue prince and his servants. And then, after his marriage to Rhaenyra, she knew that her father had not remained completely faithful to her stepmother.

“Well, yes, I know,” her lady admits, “But one can always wish that that wasn't the case, don't you think? Wouldn't you like, I don't know, for Prince Aemond to be devoted only to you?”

Rhaena gives a careless giggle, “No, not really. I don't care if the prince has his distractions. Our marriage is merely a political alliance, as you well know, so I have no expectations of any kind in that regard.”

Marianne seems to examine her expression for a few seconds, as if deciding whether or not Rhaena is being completely sincere. “Well, I hope I can find a husband who is totally faithful to me.”

Rhaena can't help but smile and take her lady's hand, caressing it gently, and nodding, “And so you will, I am sure. And I think I know who would be the perfect candidate for such a feat,” without waiting for the other girl to ask, she continues, “My cousin Daeron.”

“Oh no, don't start with this again, please,” Marianne asks, looking around her, as if she were scared that someone had heard Rhaena.

"Why not? I think you two would be a perfect union.”

“You just want to change the subject,” the brunette reproaches.

“Yes, and you will indulge me in that regard,” Rhaena replies. Marianne simply sighs and links her arm to her lady's, “I'll tell you what I'll do, I'll write a letter. If my betrothed can contact me and arrange a meeting through a message, I will do the same with Daeron and ask him to accompany us to the beach.”

"If you insist…"

“I do,” Rhaena nods and then her face widens with a smile, “Come on, let's go to my rooms and order wine and cake.”

***

Her sheets are soaked in sweat.

The next morning, Rhaena wakes up agitated and feverish, her nightgown clinging to her body and the images of the dream - nightmare - she just had still fluttering in her head.

The Gods Eye.

Her father and Caraxes. Falling down. How long has it been since she had that dream?

Years, probably. It had pursued her for several months after learning of Daemon's death, and the girl had managed to drive them away thanks to the relief of a minimal dose of milk of the poppy every night. Why did that dream have to return just now?

Of course, this time, she thinks as she throws back the sheets and sits heavily on the bed rubbing her eyes, the dream had changed. This time, the presence of her cousin and that of a mysterious woman with bewitching eyes had further darkened the atmosphere created in her mind.

Damn those gossip old ladies, mutters under her breath, standing up and calling for her maids. It is because of everything she had been told the previous afternoon that her mind was now punishing her by recreating situations that she had not witnessed and that had not bothered her in a long time.

“Prepare a bath for me, Cyndi, please.”

The maid prepares fills the tub, and Rhaena immediately immerses, closing her eyes and allowing the hot water to relax her muscles and free her mind.

“It was just a dream,” she says to herself quietly, “Just a dream.”

And repeating that, she dresses and spends the morning with Marianne, having breakfast in the gardens and practicing her embroidery. She even visits a couple of court ladies and has lunch with them, chasing away her worries and anxiety that builds as the hours pass.

But it is when her path crosses that of Aemond that her good mood finally fades. Although Rhaena tries to appear indifferent, and although he shows no sign of acknowledging her presence, she can notice his fixed gaze on her from the other end of the room. The girl bites the inside of her lip, suddenly nervous and hurries to leave the place, but the feeling of continuing to be watched persists.

Damn him, she thinks as she walks through the corridors without really paying attention to Lady Rosby's animated chatter, she had to find him precisely today, of all days.

Rhaena sighs and excuses herself to her companion, and makes her way back to her room.

It had been easy, the previous evening, to assure Marianne that she would not be attending the dinner. Only now, after thinking about it properly, she knows better than to simply ignore her betrothed. After all, she is supposed to play the role of a willing bride and, brushing aside the invitation from her future husband, doesn't agree with the role.

Still, she has no desire to spend an evening in the company of Aemond Targaryen. She knows that her cousin is spiteful and a part of her fears what he might do to her if they are alone, especially after the way she had treated him that time in the gardens. Letting out a moan, Rhaena covers her face with her hands.

No. Better not to go. Better to take refuge in the safety of her room.

Although he could come for you, thinks that unfriendly little voice in her head. As impulsive as the prince is, Rhaena doesn't doubt that he might as well send a couple guards to force her to attend the dinner.

He is the king's brother and his hand. He has all the power.

The thought frustrates and bothers her, but she knows there is nothing she can do about such an imbalance of power between the two. At least not yet. Maybe, just maybe... as Lady Jeyne had told her at the Eyrie, she might at some point have enough influence to counteract the prince's. But not now. And it's better, Rhaena knows, to just play along. At least this time.

“There you are,” Marianne's voice brings her out of her thoughts, “I thought we agreed to go to the library together.”

“Yes, well, it will have to be another day,” she responds with a sigh, “I decided to attend the dinner.”

Marianne looks surprised, but she just nods, “I think it is the most sensitive thing to do.” Rhaena doesn't answer, she just shrugs, “Do you want me to help you select your dress and accessories? Maybe we could even do something different with your hair, we still have some time.”

“It won't be necessary. I will just use what I am wearing now”

"But…" The lady frowns, “It is a pretty dress, yes, but this is a dinner with your future husband. Surely the occasion merits something more… elaborate”

“I have no intention of getting dressed specifically for this dinner.”

“But Rhaena!” Marianne looks frustrated, “Let me help you, please…”

“I am not going to make an effort to look good for…” Rhaena stops her words, breathes and gives her a forced smile, “I mean it is a rather informal occasion, what I am wearing now is more than adequate.”

Marianne sighs, “I wish that, for once, you would speak your mind to me”

"I do"

“No, no, you do not. Every time you are going to say something related to the prince, I can tell that you are not being completely sincere. Don't you trust me?” Her lady looks at her with a hurt expression on her face.

“It's not that,” she is quick to respond, although she knows it's just that, “I was only…” Rhaena bites the inside of her lip, a small wound starting to form from having abused the gesture in a while.

Did she trust Marianne? She knew that Alicent had appointed her, but she had proven to be sincere and discreet in these weeks of living together. Besides, Rhaena thinks, there's a certain innocence in her disposition that doesn’t seem fake.

“I don't want to make efforts for him,” she ends up saying, deciding to give her lady in waiting a vote of confidence, “I don't want to think about looking good for him or making him find me attractive.”

“Because you don't love him,” Marianne agrees.

“I could never love him,” she says, her voice harsher than she wishes, “I can barely tolerate his presence.”

“But you are going to marry him…” her lady looks at her with confused eyes.

“What other option do I have? It's not like they asked my opinion on it. And if they had done it, never, ever, Marianne, would I have accepted him to be my husband."

“But maybe… maybe if you give him a chance, the prince won't turn out to be as bad as he seems.”

Rhaena can’t help but laugh bitterly, “There is too much history between us. Even though I only saw him a couple of times before arriving at the Red Keep, Aemond Targaryen ruined my life in many ways.” Rhaena breathes and tries to control herself, but the words come out of her mouth, “He is a kinslayer, he murdered my betrothed, Prince Lucerys. He and his brother killed my grandmother and then he ended my father's life. And there is also the whole thing with Vhagar. My life would have been so much better if he hadn't interfered and taken everything I hold dear from me."

There is a moment of silence in which they simply look at each other, Marianne's expression becoming even more saddened. The lady takes a couple of tentative steps towards Rhaena, sitting next to her and holding her hand.

“I am so sorry, Rhaena. Gods, I am such a fool! I spoke without thinking and didn't even consider the fact that you and the prince were on opposite sides during the war,” she says quietly.

She shakes her head, “It is fine. It's been a long time since that happened."

“That doesn't make it any less painful.”

“No, it doesn't,” Rhaena replies, squeezing her hand and offering her a reassuring little smile, “But I learned to live with that”

There is another moment of silence before Marianne speaks again.

“The prince Lucerys… did you love him?”

No. The answer immediately comes to her mind. She had never loved Lucerys, at least not in the romantic way that her lady was referring to.

“I cared about him,” she replies, “I grew up with him and Luke was… he had a sweet heart. He would have been a good husband. Kind and considerate”

Her life would have been much calmer with Lucerys. She would have continued living near her family, in Driftmark. In her mother's ancestral home, surrounded by her memories, her presence... a lump form in her throat at the thought of this and she breathes deeply, determined not to cry.

"Do you hate him?" asks Marianne, “Prince Aemond, I mean, do you hate him?”

Did she? Rhaena bites her lip and thinks about the contempt she usually feels whenever she is around her cousin. Was that hate?

“I resent him,” she finally responds.

Marianne nods and seems to hesitate before asking, “Do you want me to go to this dinner with you?”

Rhaena looks at her surprised, “What?”

“I don't think it's a good idea for you to be alone with the prince. After everything you've told me, I think he might... might be unpleasant to you."

Rhaena's stomach clenches as she hears her verbalize the fears she herself had recently harbored.

“Would you really go with me?”

“Yes, of course” she nods vehemently, “He'll have to behave if I'm there, next to you, right?”

There is a note of hope in her voice and it is to it that Rhaena clings as she nods and leaves her room with her lady, walking down the long corridors and stairs until they reach the Tower of the Hand.

“He could have chosen a more suitable place,” Marianne murmurs almost breathless after finally reaching the prince's chambers.

Rhaena just smiles at her friend, her own chest rising and falling rapidly. Her lady smiles back and squeezes her hand before walking the last few steps to the double doors where two knights guard the entrance.

“Prince Aemond is waiting for Lady Rhaena,” Marianne says to one of them, who nods to them both and opens the door, announcing their presence.

The two young women enter the large room and Rhaena observes her surroundings feeling curious. There is not much furniture or excessive decorations on the walls, just some Targaryen symbols and a huge fireplace with a lively fire that bathes the room in a warm light. The windows are covered and she can't take in the view, although she assumes it's much better than the one in her room. Rhaena walks towards the table that is already set and the smell of the food almost makes her smile.

Until the figure of her cousin, walking with determined steps from somewhere at the other end of the room, appears.

Aemond Targaryen stops before them and places his hands behind his back, a look of genuine surprise in his good eye. Marianne, next to her, bows and Rhaena simply nods.

“Cousin,” the prince greets in his usual tone of voice between bored and annoyed, “And…”

“Marianne Westerling,” Rhaena says, introducing them, “My lady-in-waiting.”

A haughty little smile appears on the prince's face, “Lady Westerling, of course. Well, you can leave now. I want to have dinner alone with my betrothed."

“My prince, I…”

“You heard me, leave.”

“Marianne is not leaving,” Rhaena replies, frowning, “It would not be appropriate for us to dine alone, we are not married yet, so she will be my companion tonight.”

“That's right, my prince, I will act as chaperone. Surely Queen Alicent…”

“My mother is aware of my invitation,” Aemond cuts her off again, “And fear not, Lady Westerling, your ladyship's virtue is in no danger.”

His last comment is delivered with such disdain that Rhaena can't help but feel offended, her cheeks reddening violently from the rage she feels at hearing the mockery in Aemond's voice.

“I don't like to repeat myself, leave us alone,” the prince fixes his good eye on her lady-in-waiting, whom Rhaena feels tense next to her.

"My lady?" Marianne turns to her, looking at Rhaena with clear nervousness, her hands trembling.

Rhaena looks at her friend, and then at her cousin, who frowns and raises his eyebrows, as if daring her to oppose his order. The girl clenches her hands into fists, pressing her nails against her palms, and looks back at Marianne, offering her a little smile that doesn't reach her eyes, “It is fine, Marianne, you can go.”

The young woman nods and bows to both of them before leaving the room.

“There was no need to be so rude to my lady.”

“There was no need to bring her here in the first place,” he retorts, and adds, “And I seem to remember telling you to refer to me as my prince, my…”

“Lord or Prince Aemond, yes, right,” Rhaena interrupts, “Well, I am here. Is there anything you wish to discuss with me, my lord?” she asks, mentioning the last part almost under her breath.

Aemond watches her for a few long seconds, as if he were internally debating whether or not to respond to what he considers clear insolence on her part. In the end, he simply turns his back on her and walks over to the table.

"Sit. We'll eat and then I'll let you know why you are here."

He doesn't wait for Rhaena to take her place, but rather he motions to a servant, who appears out of nowhere to help him move the chair and settle into it. Rhaena stops herself from rolling her eyes and takes her place at the table, across from him.

“Pour us wine and then leave,” he orders the servant, who hurries to comply, filling both of their glasses with a drink that emanates a delicious sweet smell.

Once they are alone, it is obvious that the prince has no intention at the moment other than focusing on his dinner, as he fills his plate with a portion of the pheasant and vegetables that have been placed on the table. As Aemond begins to eat, Rhaena sighs and decides to do the same. The truth is that she is really hungry, having not properly enjoyed her lunch feeling to nervous about the prospects of that night.

And now you are here, she thinks as she cuts a piece of the soft meat, Dining with the kinslayer.

Despite the apparent calm, there is tension in the atmosphere, the room enveloped in an uncomfortable silence that is only broken by the eventual sound of cutlery and the fire in the fireplace.

It had been good, Rhaena thinks as she watches her cousin drink his glass of wine out of the corner of her eye, to have released to Marianne what she had kept in her chest for a long time. For years she had simply endured every blow that life had thrown in her direction, having no one to complain to, unable to lament her fate except alone. Not even at the Eyrie had she been able to speak so openly to Lady Jeyne. She didn't like being the object of anyone's pity, she preferred to try to put aside the losses of her past and focus on the positive of the present, of the good things that surely waited for her later. Clearly, that was not an option in the Red Keep. While she had been able to hope for a happy future in the Vale, here she could only resign herself to the life that had been chosen for her. And although she convincingly disguised her unease, it was clear that it had been building up inside her. And it had been better to let Marianne listen to her rather than, for example, losing her temper again in front of her husband-to-be.

Rhaena shakes her head and focuses back on her food, enjoying the savory seasoning of the meat, drinking the wine that she finds as exquisite as it smells. When she has finished her plate, she delicately wipes the corners of her mouth and looks once again at her cousin, who is still eating.

After a couple of minutes, however, she begins to feel anxious again. Why does it take so long for him to finish his dinner? Is he doing it to anger her? She didn't doubt that would be the case. And, furthermore, what does he want to talk to her about? Rhaena had been dreading spending hours at his side so much, that she had not thought about what his reason would be for summoning her to his private chambers. He certainly wasn't looking to befriend her or get to know her better, not when he had spent weeks simply ignoring her and not even making a kind gesture toward her. No, Rhaena doubted that was the reason. Also, based on his statements from a while ago, he was not seeking to be intimate with her either.

Thinking about that possibility, Rhaena can't help but blush again, her eyes instinctively landing on her cousin, who – as per usual - looks tremendously stoic and imperturbable, an expression of cold serenity on his face that irritates her.

How could a man like him have lost his mind to a witch of the forest? The impertinent question suddenly appears in her mind, surprising her, but at the same time awakening her curiosity as she remembers everything she had heard the previous afternoon. How is it that this Aemond Targaryen, who looks as cold as the northern snow, had practically abandoned his family to live a love affair with a low-born woman? He, who didn't seem to have any consideration for anyone, who seemed to think that everyone was inferior to him... Could it be that his love for her had been so strong that he had been able to overcome every prejudice? Had Alys Rivers seen a more… warmer side of him? That idea seems improbable to her.

And what had that Alys person been like? How had she invited the man who had slaughter her family into her bed? And more importantly, what had she seen in him? Rhaena frowns and takes a sip from her glass of wine as her eyes look at her cousin, trying to unravel the mystery of what that woman might have found attractive about Aemond Targaryen.

If she was objective, she assumed that the prince was not unpleasant to look at, his Valyrian features giving him that alluring aspect that most of the kingdom considered special. And then there was the poise and confidence with which he carried himself and that aura of mystery and seriousness that he exuded. That probably attracted the ladies too. Not that it worked on her, of course. To her, the presence of her cousin only seemed violent and exasperating.

He may be an attractive man, she thinks, but it only takes a moment in his presence for that to not be enough.

“Stop looking at me”

Aemond's voice jolts her out of her thoughts, her violet eyes meeting the sapphire blue of her cousin's.

“I wasn't looking at you,” she lies, breaking eye contact and bringing the wine glass to her lips.

“Yes, yes you were.”

“No, I was not”

“Mmm”

Rhaena shifts uncomfortably in her chair, “Are you done with your dinner yet? I would prefer not to extend our evening any longer than necessary.”

Aemond does not respond, but rather he stands up surprisingly and for a moment, the girl is sure that he will approach her with less than gentle intentions. Her cousin, however, turns his back on her, and heads towards the other room where he had appeared. Rhaena breathes a sigh of relief and stands as well, smoothing the folds of her dress and nervously toying with the strands of her hair.

Barely a minute later the sound of boots on the tiles alerts her of the return of her cousin, who walks directly towards her, extending a couple of books in her direction.

"Here. Take these to your room and read them”

Rhaena blinks several times, genuinely surprised by what she just heard. Books? Is her cousin giving her books? When he makes an annoyed noise with his mouth, she realizes that he still has his arm extended toward her.

“To what purpose?” she asks, finally picking up both volumes and reading the titles, “These are books about the Faith.”

“You will attend and participate in the celebrations for the Mother Festival,” Aemond agrees and adds, “With me.”

Rhaena can't help but giggle, “Thank you, but I have no interest in taking part in religious celebrations, much less by your side.”

“I didn't ask you if you wanted to participate or not, I'm just letting you know you will,” he replies dryly as he takes a step closer, glaring at her. “Do you think I want to spend more than the necessary time with you?”

“Then why insist that I accompany you?”

“Because it is our duty,” he responds simply as if that settles the matter, “We will do what is expected of us and I will not tolerate any more insolence from you, Rhaena.”

A chill that manages to gives her goosebumps runs through her body when she hears him say her name for the first time and in that threatening tone of his voice.

“Do you enjoy being so infuriating all the time?” The question escapes her lips almost in a whisper, her eyes again meeting the prince's.

“Almost as much as you enjoy strutting around Court, I imagine,” he replies with a cold, sideways smile.

"I don't…"

“I don't care,” he cuts her off, “Read the books and don't embarrass me during the Festival or I assure you that you will regret it dearly”

______________________________________________________

Please let me know what you think! And if you would like to maybe be tag in the next chapters :)

@ammo23 @qyburnsghost @niocel @ithoughtulikedme @avidreader73

Read in AO3

#aemond targaryen #aemond one eye #prince aemond #aemond fic #eventual smut #aemond kinslayer #resentment #ao3fic #rhaena of pentos #rhaena targaryen #aemond x rhaena #angst #drama #enemies to lovers

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stingyslegslookweird · 10 months

Text

A week or so ago, I made a post about Yukari's letter from episode 42 of Kamen Rider Agito, asking if anyone had turned the stylized English it was written in into a font. From what I could find, no one had.

So I did.

Say hello to Limitless Evolution, my first (and so far only) custom font, based off what's more or less the catalyst for the entire plot of the 2001 tokusatsu, Kamen Rider Agito. It's available in both OTF and SVG formats, and I've included the .txt save file for the website I used to make it, in case you want to mess around with that.

left: the screencap from my original post. right: the first paragraph of the letter, typed up in wordpad using the Limitless Evolution font.

And if you're wondering, here's what it says in readable English:

"In the beginning was Theos. Theos divided the light from the darkness, the day from the night, the firmament from the earth, and the land from the sea. Thus the world was finished."

A list of changes I had to make, for those curious:

The letter never uses the letters J, Q, X, and Z, so I had to come up with my own designs for them.

There are no parentheses, mainly because by the time I got to those characters, I couldn't think of any way to make them look good and consistent with the rest of the font.

Idk where else I can mention this but I realized partway through making this that, because all of the characters use straight lines, the Unknown (or whatever entity is responsible for this "language") likely used to write on wax or stone, since straight lines are much easier to legibly write with on those surfaces. Of course, this means there are absolutely no curves anywhere in this font (at least in the custom characters).

You might notice a few re-uses of specific characters here and there in other characters. Had I not done that, I 100% would've gotten burnt out halfway thru and never finished this.

The numerals are obviously not Arabic. I took inspiration from the weird "gang signs" the Unknown do before they commit murder and made the signs for numbers look like fingers on hands. I imagine their counting system works exactly like Arabic/base-10 counting, just with different symbols.

I replaced the tilde with a "does not equal" sign. The tilde sometimes signifies "is approximately equal to", and I figured the Unknown probably wouldn't vibe with that kinda thing.

I was gonna make the @ sign the Agito symbol but I forgor. 💀

The dollar sign ($) is also custom. It's the symbol for G with a line thru it. The Unknown strike me as a culture that would use Gold, plus it looks kinda like a crystal, which they might also perhaps use.

The ampersand (&) and plus (+) use the same symbol. I figured they mean basically the same thing, so why not, y'know? Also I couldn't come up with a good design for it.

I literally just realized as I'm writing this that the lowercase M is only slightly smaller than the capital M, and the lowercase and capital Ns are the same size. My bad. When/If I make an updated version of this, I'll be sure to fix that.

I used the comma in like six different characters. It's not laziness, it's resourcefulness.

Lastly, the greater than (>) and less than (<) symbols are meant to represent people bowing/praying, since I figured the Unknown would probably see it as whichever number was more "powerful". Kinda like the alligator thing but with fighting instead of eating.

So yeah. If you want, you can download the font by clicking its name earlier in this post, or here if you'd prefer:

Lemme know if there's any improvements or adjustments I should make in the next version that may or may not come out some time in the near or distant future. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ idk. Hope you enjoy regardless!

Update: In case you missed it, I released an updated version of the font that adds parentheses, brackets, some diacritics, and other fun things. It, along with the original version are both downloadable from the Google Drive link above (hopefully). I’m still planning on updating it again in the future, so if you have any suggestions or issues you’d like to see fixed in the future, lemme know and I’ll see what I can do.

#kamen rider #kamen rider agito #kr agito #masked rider agito #agito #agito spoilers #font #fonts #custom font #custom fonts #thing i made #sorry if the inconsistent sizes of the letters bothers you #the thing i used to make the font was easy-ish to use in every aspect OTHER than that #and for some odd reason the thing they give you to test the font before downloading it just didn't work for me #but anyway imma go relax #it's 6:30 and i've been working on this since noon #i am so tired

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blood-darkened-moon · 1 year

Note

What is your view about the characterisation of the overall Ashford family? I think they are Scots in origin, since the majority of them are red-rehaired, and likely they made their fortune on the British Empire. I have the impression that all of them had Ph.D. and were scientist, which is a rarity among European nobility.

Omg, what have you gotten me into? Don’t get me wrong, doing all the research was fun, but there is so much stuff I cloud write about here, so much stuff. Every time I thought I could see an end, new points popped up, and I had to keep it going. This is long. I hope you don’t mind. Anyway, I tried to limit this answer to speculations and useful information without drifting too much into headcanon territory.

Surname

The surname Ashford was first found in Cornwall and Devon in southern England. Later a branch of the family migrated eastward to Kent, where a town with the name Ashford can be found. There are seven places in total with the name Ashford in the UK. The surname Ashford originates from a place called Ayshford, which was located in Cornwall. Many Cornish surnames appear to be topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees. They are also characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. “Ashford” was also derived from the Old English words aesc and ford which meant a ford where ash trees grew.

Surnames became common during medieval times. English people were formerly known only by a single name. During medieval times the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent. Names were recorded as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules. It wasn’t unusual that the same person was referred to with different spellings of their surname. Spelling variations of Ashford include Aishford, Ayshford, Aysford, Asford, Asseford, and many more.

Peerage

In the UK, five peerages or peerage divisions co-exist, the Peerage of England (titles created by the kings and queens of England before the Acts of Union in 1707), the Peerage of Scotland (titles created by the kings and queens of Scotland before 1707), the Peerage of Great Britain (titles created for the Kingdom of Great Britain between 1707 and 1801), the Peerage of Ireland (titles created for the Kingdom of Ireland before the Acts of Union in 1801, and some titles created later) and the Peerage of the United Kingdom (most titles created since 1801 to the present).

The peerages in the United Kingdom include both hereditary and lifetime peers. The latter ones form now the majority. The titles comprised in the peer system are duke/duchess, marquess/marchioness, earl/countess, viscount/viscountess, and baron/baroness, with duke being the highest and baron the lowest rank. Peers can hold more than one hereditary title by virtue of different peerages.

The title earl is equivalent to count. The difference is that “earl” is only used for counts in the UK, while “count” is used for the same rank in other countries. A female form of earl does not exist. Thus, “countess” is used as a word for both a female count and a female earl.

Peerages are created by the British monarch by either writs of summons or letters patents. The Government in the United Kingdom makes recommendations concerning who should be elevated to the peerage after external vetting by the House of Lords Appointments Commission. The initiative to award a peerage, baronetcy, or knighthood today comes from the British Prime Minister.

Typically, the title is only inherited by the direct male line and is lost if the peer has no sons. In certain peerages in the peerage of Scotland and in exceptional cases, the titles can be transferred to daughters if there isn’t a male offspring available. Other descendants can be specified in the letters patent by a special remainder. Letters patents are not absolute; they may be amended or revoked by an Act of Parliament.

Family members of British peers aren’t peers themselves. They count as commoners until they receive a title, for example, through inheritance. Though, the children have courtesy titles. The eldest son of an earl, for example, receives the courtesy title viscount, and daughters receive the title lady.

English, Irish, or British (but not Scottish) peerage can only be inherited by a legitimate born child (parents are married at the time of its birth) and not legitimated by a later marriage.

Only 18 (2.2%) of 758 hereditary peers by succession were female as of 1992. A female peer, in their own right, keeps her title after marriage. Her husband does not receive a title by marrying her. If he has a higher-ranking title, she bears both titles. The higher-ranking one is mentioned first. Her title is inherited by her eldest son or daughter if she doesn’t have sons.

Notes:

Veronica was a countess. I haven’t found cases of women receiving titles on their own during the 19th century and a few 100 years prior. (I’m not saying they don’t exist, but I haven’t found anything similar.) I only found cases of women inheriting existing titles due to the absence of male children.

Veronica’s female descendants can probably inherit the title if they don't have brothers.

Alfred and Alexia weren’t born legitimate since Alexander wasn’t married. Alfred shouldn’t have inherited the title. Maybe Alexander requested a change in the letters patent, or Alexander married the surrogate mother and got a divorce after the twins were born, or this rule doesn’t exist in the RE universe.

Harman addresses Alfred and the other Ashfords incorrectly in his letters. He wrote Sir Alfred and used Sir for the others too. Sir is used for the gentry. The correct way to address Alfred is My Lord or Dear Lord Alfred. Only in the file Butler's Letter, he addresses Alexander correctly as Lord Alexander.

Timeline for reference (calculation can be found here):

Minimum estimation/Maximum estimation [Time as the head of the Ashford family] official and unofficial estimated dates

Alexia: January 1971 – December 1998 Age: 27 Alfred: January 1971 – December 1998 [1983 – 1998] Age: 27 Alexander: 1938/1943 – (March/April 1983) or December 1998 [1968 – 1983] Age: 40/45 or 55/60 Edward: 1910/1915 – July 1968 [1958/63 – 1968] Age: 53/58 Arthur: 1875/1885 – 1958/63 [1910/1925 – 1958/63] Age: 73/88 Thomas: 1875/1885 – 1910/1925 [1900/1905 – 1910/1925] Age: 35/40 Stanley: 1840/1855 – 1900/1905 [1875/1885 – 1900/1905] Age: 50/65 Veronica: 1805/1825 – 1875/1885 [1830/1850 – 1875/1885] Age: 60/80

Veronica

As I already said in the Veronica post, I dislike the background information from DC about her because it makes no sense and raises more questions than it answers. Therefore, I will ignore the part about her being a child prodigy (let’s say Leon made this up too). As for the rest, that’s ok, and I tried to integrate it. However, good looks and charming people with your manner of speaking won’t give you titles. I tried to find out what Veronica possibly could have done to receive hers without much success. Well, human nature never changes, so I guess the answer is the same as it would be today: lots of money and powerful friends in high positions. Money is always the best option to bend existing rules. Now have some, hopefully historically less inaccurate, speculations: Women during the Victorian Era and before didn’t have many options for what to do in their lives. They were mostly limited to being a housewife and mother, plus a few other career choices that would never explain Veronica’s success. Apparently, Veronica got her title in her mid-20 or so. She was definitely young, judging by the portrait. Starting at the bottom is unlikely since it would consume too much time. She must have had a lucky start. I assume she was born into a wealthy family, probably of commoners, since she is considered the founder of the Ashford family. If she was born into a noble family, even a low-ranking one, I assume, they would be at least worth mentioning. And based on the origin of the name, I think her side of the family originated from England rather than Scotland. Maybe her father profited from industrialization or had a trading business. Trading with the colonies or sovereign Asian countries was lucrative back then.

Veronica was probably the only (living) child of her parents. Because of that, they were either unusually supportive, or they died early (when Veronica was about 16-18). I prefer the second possibility. It would also offer a way to escape her fate. Veronica must have been highly intelligent and received a good education. However, not to the extent DC described. Why should her parents send her to a university (assuming this is even possible) when she’s just going to become some rich dude’s wife and a mother? Realistically this would be what her parents expected of her during that time. With her parents gone, she was free to do what she wanted. Inheriting her family’s fortune and her father’s company is a good starting point and a plausible way to make even more money. Maybe she had innovative ideas, took the right risks, and was able to multiply the profit immensely within a few years. Meanwhile, she used her economic power to make friends in high positions and gain more political influence.

Linguistic skills are certainly helpful for manipulating people and in the trading business. She could have been one of those people who could sell you sand in the desert. And when you make your money by trading with other countries, speaking the local languages is an advantage. It makes you more independent since you don’t need an interpreter, and direct interactions could make trading easier. (It is possible that she spoke other languages as a ten-year-old child, but only a few and probably not that fluent.)

I don’t think Veronica was a scientist, nor that she graduated from a university. Before she became a countess, she must have put a lot of work into her business and building relationships. There was no time to study. And afterward, why should she go back to learning? She was successful without a degree. There is no reason to get one. Plus, her position, especially since she was a woman, must have been very fragile. “Friends” wouldn’t have hesitated to backstab her if she would have shown any signs of weakness. She must have been ready to defend her position and do what was necessary. What I can see, however, is that after she retired, Veronica became a hobby scientist and attended lectures at a university. According to DC, she was interested in mathematics and biology. Owning a trading business would be an easy way to get her hands on exotic plants and animals from around the world. It is also possible that she invested a good amount of money into a university. And maybe she was rewarded with an honorary title for her commitment.

Personality-wise, Veronica must have been very ambitious, even hungry for power. I also think she was manipulative and ruthless since otherwise, she wouldn’t stand a chance in a world that could turn against her in a second. Thus, Alexia and Veronica seem to have similar personalities, which makes sense.

It looks like her husband took her family name. Unusual, but it is possible that he wanted to upgrade his status. Therefore, I think she married after becoming a countess, and her husband stood below her. He could have been a wealthy commoner like her or a younger son from a lower-ranking noble family. Maybe he even was a scientist and from Scotland. Her son had red hair. It is likely that it came from his side of the family. I know she must have carried the gene too, but her hair was either natural brown or blond and dyed brown for the portrait. Henna became popular in Europe only in the late 19th century. But people used an extract of onion skin or chestnut leaves to dye their hair brown before that.

Stanley, Thomas and Arthur

I don’t have much to say about them. There is no information given except that they exist. They all seemed to be successful in what they were doing, but they did not achieve anything outstanding. Stanley and Thomas were the eldest sons. I think it was expected of them to continue the family business. Though times change, and I don’t know how long it went on. Maybe they sold it at one point and invested in something else, or at the latest, WW1 put an end to it. As with Veronica, I think it is more likely that they were businessmen rather than scientists. Stanley had enough time to visit and graduate from a university. I’m not so sure about Thomas. I think he began his studies, but if he finished them is another question. He was young when his father died, in his early 20s. Stanley wasn’t that old at the time of death. Maybe he was sick, or it was an accident. I assume Thomas had other more important duties for the time being and suspended his studies for a while or later decided he was doing well without a degree. And we shouldn’t forget he died relatively young. Based on my reconstructed timeline, his death (between 1910 and 1925) may be somehow related to WW1 (1914-1918). Though I don’t think he was a soldier nor that he died on the battlefield. In case he had a family, maybe they died along with him.

As for Arthur, as the younger twin, becoming the head of the family was probably unexpected. He was in his late 30s and must have already established his own career. Without many obligations regarding his family’s business, he was free to choose a job to his liking so he could have been a graduate scientist. It appeared to be ok for him that his son became a virologist. As a scientist himself, he may have had a better understanding of Edward’s passion.

Edward and Alexander

Edward was apparently a very passionate scientist. He even went to Africa for research when he was already in his 50s instead of settling into a desk job. It appears a bit weird to me that Edward was the most notable member of the Ashford family after Veronica. Besides the foundation of Umbrella and possible academic awards, he hasn’t achieved anything we know. Ok, the foundation of Umbrella was a huge success, but Edward died in the same year and pretty much had nothing from it.

I already wrote several things about Alexander. Right now, I can’t think of anything new. So I will just link the other posts here. Alexander’s personality Alexander’s relationship with Edward Alfred and Alexia’s backstory and how Alexander treated them

Ashford family – General notes

It is possible, even likely, that Veronica, Stanley, and Arthur had more children than the ones we know of since the family tree in the game only considered the family members that inherited the title. Other potential children were either female or younger male children or older male children who died at one point.

Rockfort Island belonged to the Ashford family before Umbrella started the construction of its facilities in the early 90s. The island is small and located in the South Pacific. It has no strategic value and probably no precious resources, and without a plane, it is hard to reach from the UK. I doubt that Veronica, Stanley, or Thomas acquired it. There is nothing they can do with a tiny piece of land at the other end of the world. Most likely, either Edward or Arthur, in his later years, purchased it somehow.

Forget what I said about Rockfort Island. @midori-laboratories (thank you again) has pointed out that this island could have been a coaling station for refueling HMS ships. Before the Panama Canal was opened in 1914, the routes around Cape Horn and through the Strait of Magellan were the shortest navigable waterways from Europe to the west coast of the American continent. An island as a place for refueling and stocking up supplies nearby would have been a valuable possession. So it was probably indeed Veronica who purchased Rockfort Island. I still think the Ashfords (we know of) didn’t live there or visited the island frequently before planes became publicly available. Therefore, Arthur or Edward would still be the first family members who could have spent more time in this place.

Research degrees, such as Doctor of Science and other higher doctorates, first appeared in the UK in the late 19th century. The Ph.D., like it is today, was introduced in 1917. Therefore, the first Ashford, who could have an actual Ph.D., is Edward.

Alfred and Alexia – Veronica Project

Ok, the whole cloning plot wasn’t thought through very well at the time, but I want to offer a reasonable explanation anyway. It’s almost ironic that the scientific progress in the last decades helped to make some sense of it.

I always doubted that Alfred and Alexia were monozygotic twins because they were genetically obviously different. I want to point out that Alexander never claimed this was the case. He just wrote twins. Of course, seeing them as monozygotic twins is one way to interpret the situation, but not the only one and certainly not the one that makes the most sense. I think Alfred was rather an early-stage experiment/prototype that never should have made it into the final stages or some kind of backup plan.

First, it is almost impossible that Alexia was the only Veronica clone Alexander had prepared. In scientific experiments, you never do things just once, and they work immediately. Creating a Veronica clone is a multi-step process. If you want to avoid going back to zero, if something goes wrong in the end, you prepare yourself. There are many things that could go wrong: the clone dies while it is still in a cellular stage, the surrogate mother has a miscarriage, the clone dies during or shortly after birth, the clone is sickly because of genetic defects, and so on. Alexander probably had at least 5 to 10 Veronica clones ready to go. Alexia was only one of them. And who says Alexia was the first one? She was the first successful one but maybe the second or third attempt. Who knows? Now, this does not only apply to the final product. Alexander would have needed lots of pretests and methods testing. He may have produced dozens and dozens of Veronica clones and “clone precursors” ranging from laboratory waste over ok, but not what he was looking for to suitable but unfinished clones.

Also, the more I’ve read about cloning, the less likely it appears to me that Alfred and Alexia were true Veronica clones. For cloning, you need an intact cell with a complete genome and an egg cell from a surrogate mother. The nucleus of the egg cell is removed, and the other cell is inserted. Then you need an electrical impulse to start the cell division. The latter part is partially described by Alexander. My problem is the first step: finding an intact cell with a complete genome in a mummified corpse. As I already said in another post, I doubt DNA can persevere well under these conditions. Maybe it is possible, but I think it is very, very unlikely.

There is another way to “clone” something. I got my inspiration from the cloning attempts of mammoths. One approach involves taking DNA from Asian elephants, cutting out genes, and replacing them with other genes to make the resulting animal more mammoth-like. Alexander could have used a similar approach. This would not only solve the problem described above, but it would also even tie the loose ends of the cloning plot together. After extracting as much DNA from Veronica’s corpse as possible, Alexander could have used his or Edward’s DNA as a base. Edward, who was still alive when the project started, would have been the better choice. He is more closely related to Veronica, and maybe scientific interests, virology specifically, have a genetic component. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if Alexander used his DNA, considering his slightly creepy attitude toward his ancestor. These clone hybrids are the closest thing to having children with Veronica he could get. In any case, everything Alexander had to do now would be cut out and replace the respective genes to create a Veronica/Edward (or Alexander) clone hybrid. The genetic difference between humans is less than 1%. Alexander doesn’t have to replace that many genes. And maybe the resulting hybrids were even more Veronica than Edward (or Alexander). DNA shearing must have existed in the RE universe in the 60s because this is how Alexander inserted the intelligence genes, right?

Alfred and Alexia being hybrids instead of true clones would explain the different hair colors. Veronica had brown hair, the twins had blonde hair. Veronica could have dyed hers brown, which is possible. But maybe the blond hair color originated from Alexander’s or Edward’s (if he was blond) DNA. The hybrid theory could also explain why Alfred is male. If the base DNA is taken from Alexander or Edward, the first attempts would only produce male clone hybrids. Alexander was so fascinated by Veronica. I think he wanted the final result to be as close as possible to her, which means a female clone would be preferable. So Alexander must have exchanged the Y for another X chromosome somehow. Although, keeping some male clones just in case the procedure doesn’t work as intended or causes problems would make sense. A male Veronica clone hybrid is still better than nothing. And he can use less valuable clones for testing purposes. Alexia having the intelligence gene while Alfred doesn’t can also be explained this way. I assume the insertion of this gene is the last step of gene editing. If Alexander had planned to use the male clones only as a backup or for testing, then that’s a step he may have skipped for (most of) them. After the gene editing, he can proceed as described above.

Anyway, I assume Alfred is the result of a flawed experimental setup. Alexander didn’t pay enough attention at one point, switched the storage vessel, and ended up with Alexia and Alfred in the same vessel, which led to using them both instead of only Alexia. It would even add an additional layer to Alexander seeing Alfred as a failure. This explanation works with one single mistake without hinging on an arrangement of spontaneous mutations, coincidences, and whatnot.

Overall, if Alexander already had access to modern or futuristic techniques (from our world) in the 1960s, then I honestly think the cloning plot isn’t even that farfetched. Of course, it’s still science fiction.

Notes:

CRISPR gene editing, which is most commonly used, was first published in 2012. The researchers Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna, who work on this method, were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2020. There are similar methods, but they were also published after RE Code: Veronica came out.

Chromosome replacement therapy is a more recent approach to treating genetic diseases. The defective chromosome is removed and replaced with a healthy one. Y chromosomes can be replaced with X chromosomes with this technique.

Alfred and Alexia – General notes

I think Alfred didn’t study anything science-related, even if he may have been interested in it. No matter what he would achieve, Alexia would have towered over him with her achievements. Alfred never envied his sister’s intelligence, but constantly being compared to her must be tiresome. I think he either studied business administration or maybe history. At least medieval torture methods and war-related history fascinated him. He even brought an ultra-rare Wehrmacht tank.

Despite his fascination with war and the military, I doubt Alfred ever joined the British Army. He was in charge of the Antarctic base, Rockfort Island, and studied. When should he have done this? And then we have his mental state. No sane person would give this man a loaded gun, ever. It is possible that he tried and was declined, though. I think he got some training on Rockford Island along with the UBCS soldiers, at least he can fly a Harrier jet. Alfred must have brought the medals he wears on his uniform.

In the portrait puzzle, Alexia is called the true master of the family. I think this was Alfred’s personal addition to show his devotion to her. Since the title is only inherited by the male line, Alfred is the true hire. It doesn’t matter if he or Alexia was born first. Alexia could only become a countess if Alfred died. Harman never mentions her, either. And Alexia looks a bit older in her portrait than Alfred in his. Alfred, dressed as his sister, probably modeled for the painting.

It is strange that Alfred took control of the Antarctic base after Alexander disappeared and Alexia allegedly died. He was 12. But otherwise, Umbrella would have discovered Alexander and Alexia. It seems that Umbrella has lost interest in the facility after the incident with Alexia. So, it could be part of a deal. Alfred can have it, probably unofficially, until he turns 18, and in return, they build on Rockfort Island.

I don’t know what Alexia did to fake her death, but I assume it was something big, like an explosion or a massive fire that destroyed all or most of the labs. That’s the only way people wouldn’t get suspicious if they couldn’t find her body. Also, Alexia got rid of her research results this way. I think many researchers died during this incident too.

#resident evil #alexia ashford #alfred ashford #alexander ashford #veronica ashford #edward ashford #meta #ask #🩸🌙#i’m not insisting on everything being 100% correct here #and maybe i’ve missed something #ashford twins #arthur ashford

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misosick · 2 years

Text

dirty little secret - just another regret | bang chan

pairing: bang chan x reader, ??? x reader genre: uni!au, predebut/idol!au, manager!reader, slow burn chapter warnings: chan is a bit of a prick, that's it i think word count: 960ish

author notes: chapter two! this chapter brings us up to the 'present' more or less. poor y/n is getting baptised by fire, does it get any better? who knows? (me i know heheheheh) enjoy this chapter! feedback is welcome but not obligatory!

taglist: @idunnomanmynamewastaken (send me an ask to be added!)

previous chapter | masterlist | next chapter

It took a long time to get over Chris. You can’t remember how long, but it had to be done. You remember the first time you saw him with a girl in public. It felt like a punch in the guts, he was so reluctant to be seen in even the same area as you, but he was more than happy to be seen flaunting this other woman. You don’t recall a time you’ve run faster than that day. It got easier after that though. You decided Australia was no longer the country for you and chose not to stay after graduating, leaving behind all your friends, and all the memories. That ended up being one of the best decisions of your life. Upon moving home, you found a job almost instantly. Better yet, the company you worked for paid for your return to university, allowing you to pick up a degree in human resource management. You remember your manager mentioning that they had close ties to a large entertainment company in Korea, who had an opportunity arise to work with one of their more popular groups. They recommended you for the role, and following a Zoom interview, you landed the job.

So, here you are. In a foreign city, in a foreign country, on a foreign continent. You had a basic grasp on Korean due to taking the time to start learning prior to moving, but is that enough? Hopes and prayers only do so much, but that’s what you employ when you head into a high-rise building bearing the letters JYP. It’s a clean building, but all that’s on your mind is not saying the wrong thing and insulting the young lady at the reception desk.

“Hello, I am Y/N Y/L/N. I’m here to see Song Minhye.” Your broken Korean seems to work this time. You watch intently as the receptionist quickly types away and instructs you to take a seat. Not long after, a tall woman with a dark bob and killer legs exits the elevators to your left. You stand immediately and bow politely to this woman who you assume to be Minhye, your new boss.

“Hiya! Lovely to finally meet you! I’m Minhye, you must be Y/N? I’d love to chat get to know you more, but your induction is going to be intense, so we do have to keep moving.” Her looks do not match her voice. She’s chirpy, bright, and very excitable. You flash a smile and follow her back into the elevator, as she presses the 8th floor button, and the carriage starts moving. Maybe this wasn’t going to be as hard as you thought, at least one person in this building speaks English.

“So, you just moved here, right? From… where was it? It’s escaping me now, but I know it was a hell of a trek! I hope you aren’t too jetlagged! First things first, meeting the boys!” The elevator stops at the 8th floor, Minhye almost pulling you towards some form of dance room judging by the mirrors. You can vaguely seem some guys around your age in there, some drinking water, some stretching, you’re pretty sure you see a couple of taking selfies like white girls. One of them looks familiar, he’s on his laptop, clicking away at something, but the cap he’s wearing obscures his face a bit.

You don’t have time to ponder on it before Minhye is bursting into the room to a chorus of Korean words you don’t yet understand, tugging you in behind her. You look around and find a group of 7 very sweaty young men, and one man you thought you’d never have to see again. Your mouth goes dry, and you swear you’re about to pass out, but you won’t let anyone know. You were just a fling, something to pass the time and relieve stress. Nothing worth noting.

She starts speaking to them, and you assume she was introducing you to the men in front of you, but you still don’t know what’s going on. In fact, the only part of her monologue you understand is your name.

“Y/N, I need to go grab some things from my office before we keep going, I’ll be back in a sec!” And with that, Minhye’s out the door. You’re stuck in a room of strangers. The floor is rather clean as you rub your hands on the front of your thighs to try gather some courage to introduce yourself. Thankfully, someone else speaks up.

“Hi Y/N! I’m Changbin, nice to meet you!” The shortest of them steps forward and bows before extending his hand to you. You bow back and take his hand, shaking it gently and dropping it.

“I’m Jisung! You can call me Han or Hannie though!”

“I’m Seungmin!”

“My name’s Minho. Welcome!”

“Hey, I’m Felix. Everyone said you spoke English best, if you need help learning Korean let me know!” The Australian accent shocks you, but it’s thicker than you’re used to, and the voice is deeper. A cat-like boy steps forward, you can’t help but smile at the juxtaposition of his voice and appearance.

“Yeah, I do actually! I might take you up on your offer, my Korean’s nowhere near as good as it should be.” You laugh, somehow getting pulled into a bro hug. You ignore the stare burring holes into your back. The other two boys introduce themselves as Hyunjin and Jeongin, and you’re left looking at Chris. You watch as he swallows thickly and gains some composure. It’s impossible to distinguish the look on his face, but he is feeling something other than the nostalgia of seeing someone for the first time in years.

“I’m Bang Chan. Good luck, I doubt you’ll last long.”

#chris bang #skz #stray kids fluff #stray kids x reader #stray kids angst #skz fluff #skz angst #bang chan #bang chan x reader #bang chan fluff #bang chan angst #dirty little secret

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yuri-sorted-into-ravenpuff · 1 year

Text

Ron x Harry. Ronarry. VERY OOC. Happens around 5th year

NOTE: pls forgive me for any errors or any ooc. English is not my first language.

This is me pushing my Ron x Harry agenda hehe!

Ron's not sure what he is feeling. He have felt something similar to this for quite a while now, and may have felt comfortable of it for a time but then...

As time passes by, it intensified. He could feel his heart beating louder as he stared at Harry, could feel the hairs on his arm and neck standing much longer as he felt his touch, and could feel his face heat up faster whenever he gets closer. Maybe he's sick? Maybe it comes with being a teenager? But if it is, then why hadn't others felt the same way as him.

"Oh Ron, you innocent summer child," Is the only thing that Hermoine said to him when he talked to her. She said that she felt something like that before, and is possibly feeling it everytime she receives a letter from a certain someone (probably Viktor Krum).

"Come on! What is it? I don't want to act like this around Harry! He's got enough in his plate as it is!" But still, Hermoine just said that she will not be answering his question and would just leave it to him to figure it out.

"It's better this way! You have to figure it out yourself." Yeah right... Better this way! He admits that he is not as intellectually gifted as Hermoine is, and maybe even a bit lost in some other aspects in life, which is why he has asked for her help. But now that she refused to help him, he would just have to ask other people!

The twins could help.

Oh how wrong he was.

"Are you saying that our little Ronnie..."

"...is feeling something so strange..."

"...around our little Harry?" He nodded in answer, praying that this time, the twins wouldn't do the same as Hermoine and just leave him hanging.

"Well... I don't know if we should tell you..." George said, his eyebrows scrunching seriously. Fred then whispered something to George, something that may have stopped his other twin from considering the options.

They said the same thing as Hermoine.

"It's better if you figure it out, Ron. Besides, you have our blessing if ever you did figure this out." And the twins left with a wink.

He groaned, thinking of another person that he could ask about it on. He could try Neville.

"I've felt that once. It feels like you wanted to be around this person so much, but at the same time you feel a heavy almost like euphoric feeling." He felt hope with Neville. But then he dished out how it was better that he would discover it himself.

Well then, Seamus and Dean it is.

"Look Ron, we heard about this from the twins and they asked us to give you a hint. You could say that... You are feeling something much deeper than friendship." Then they left him wondering more. Much deeper than friendship? Of course he does feel something like that! He followed him on a life-threatening adventure in their first year for goodness sake! Not to mention he continuously would do that for years to come.

And now that the threat of Voldemort came back? Well, he's going to go to the front lines for his best mate!

Nights will follow, and he would be up thinking about what it is that he is feeling for Harry. Honestly, he tried to act like nothing has changed, that everything is the same.

He's still always beside Harry, making sure that he is eating enough, staying safe from bullies (darn Inquisitorial Squad and Umbridge!), having enough time for himself (considering that he is teaching them DADA), and that he is sleeping well. Not that Harry couldn't do all that but sometimes he just needs a little boost, you know? A little reminder that he shouldn't neglect himself.

As someone who has been friends with Harry ever since the beginning of their Hogwarts life, he could say with confidence that he knows his best mate well. Which is why he was one of the first ones to notice how he is acting quite differently.

"Harry," he called out as the teen just entered the common room. It was in the middle of the night, no one's left awake except for him and Harry. Harry who is twitching and holding his right hand.

"R-Ron, why are you still awake?"

"I was waiting for you," And worried for you.

"Well... I'm here now. You should go to bed. I'm going to follow soon." But before Harry could go upstairs, Ron marched towards him and gently reached for the hand that he is nursing. Harry lightly hissed, but is not stopping him from looking at whatever it is that is hurting him.

On his hand, an inflamed carving on his skin reads: "I must not tell lies".

At this very moment, he felt a different feeling altogether. Something welled inside of him, fiery anger that only came to him at certain situations. Righteous anger, not for him, but for Harry.

"Did that bloody cunt do this to you?" He calmly said, but deep inside he wants to shout. He wants to march down to where Umbridge is and give her a taste of her own medicine. Azkaban be damned.

"Ron, it's nothing-"

"This is nothing! I know for a fact what she is using on you, and it is illegal! This should stop! Is she only using this on you?! Is she targeting you because you're saying the truth?! I'm going to kill her! That arsehole will never know what's going to hit her!" In the middle of his rant, he didn't realize how he reached for his wand. He didn't also realize how he was marching towards the door, probably wanting to hex the hell out of Umbridge.

"Ron! Stop it!" Harry pulled him using his other hand, trying to stop him from whatever it is that he is going to do.

"Don't stop me, Harry! She needs to pay for what she did!"

"And what are you going to do?! Use the cutting spell on her? The unforgiveables?!"

"I would use it! She deserves it!" At that time, he knew that he has enough intent to use one of the unforgiveables. Despite being a Death Eater, Moody-Who-Is-Actually-Barty-Crouch-Junior taught them well of the said spells and well... he may have listened a bit too eagerly.

"Ron, enough! Why are you doing this for me?! I don't get why you're eager on fighting for me!" If there is anything else that he knows is evident with Harry, is that he has a low to non-existing self-worth. Past experiences, usually with adults that should have been guiding him, have rendered him questioning if he is worth the attention that others is giving him.

"Harry, you are worth fighting for! I understand that you are unfamiliar with this concept but, mate, you deserve everything good in life! At the same time, you don't deserve what Umbridge is doing to you. " Harry's green eyes started watering, tears threatening to fall from it. They both moved closer together, with Harry resting his head on his shoulder.

"But... Why? Why do YOU?"

Ron Weasley is a stupid stupid boy. He never expected his realization to happen in the middle of finding out Harry is being tortured by their DADA professor. He sighed, hugging Harry closer, tighter.

"Because... I care for you. We've been together for so long, mate. I... Love you." Harry let the dam broke after what he said, followed by a happy laugh. After a few seconds, Harry shifted.

"I love you too... for quite some time now." He whispered quietly, but it was enough for Ron's heart to start beating loudly.

That night, they decided that they're going to take things slow. They have the rest of their lives to figure things out and no Dark Lord is going to stop them. At the same time, they decided to contact Sirius and Remus. They'll know what to do with Umbridge's tortures, and to ask if there's any treatment for the scar that the Blood Quill leaves behind.

For now, they're satisfied with each other's warmth. For now, they're alive and together. They have each other and that's enough.

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solacefruit · 2 years

Note

I hope this is alright to ask but one thing I've been really curious about after reading your fics is how do you come up with natural sounding conlang and terms? Would you have any tips for that?

Hello! Yes, absolutely you’re welcome to ask that. It’s very nice--and kind of flattering--to get asked questions about writing and things that interest me, and although I haven’t had much time to answer or really interact on this blog lately, it’s something I find fun. If there’s ever anything I don’t want to talk about, I’ll say so, so please don’t worry.

I love conlangs (and also just... langs...) and I’ve put a decent bit of thought into them over the years so while I’m very much not an expert in the field or a linguist, I don’t mind sharing some of my principles for writing conlangs and using them in your stories and hopefully some of my thoughts will be useful to you!

I have a couple of mental guidelines that I use when starting on conlangs.

1. Why is it here? I think some people make conlangs because they’re fun (which they are) but never actually think about why/how to weave them into your story. They just kind of come up with some words, liberally sprinkle them through, and be like, [diogenes voice] “Behold, a plausible world.”

There’s an enormous conversation to be had about the question “does everything in a story need a purpose?” and we don’t have time for that today, so I’m going to sidestep all that and say instead, “If we take for granted that a good story is made through intentional creative decisions, what is the intent of including conlang in this story?” You might not end up with an especially complex answer, but any answer is better than none, in my opinion.

Personally, my reason for involving conlangs is about 60% because I want to introduce cultural details etc. that are not easily translatable into English and 40% because it’s fun and for me gives a richness and depth to the world and people in a way I find pleasant to read.

2. Who is speaking? Everyone’s got different lengths they can stretch disbelief to, so for some people, any creature can say anything. But I do feel it’s still worth thinking about the physical capabilities of the speakers. Are their jaws able to make these sounds? What sounds do we feel would be plausible for them to make (note: feels plausible and is possible are two different things, and it’s totally okay to go with impossible ideas as long as you can make them feel like they could happen).

One way to make a conlang feel plausible (especially for xenofiction) is to invoke sounds that we already associate with that kind of being, if there’s a passable real-world equivalent. So to use Watership Down as an easy example, the lapine language was designed to sound “wuffy, fluffy” because they’re rabbits and Adams wanted to use sounds that felt airy, light, and at home in meadows and fields. He also used some onomatopoeia, which can be another great way to make a word or aspect of language feel like it would exist for a culture.

3. Building blocks first. Some people will jump into a conlang with words fully formed and, as a general rule, I advise against that. I think if words come to you first that’s okay and you can and should write those down for reference, but if you want to make a conlang that feels cohesive, my recommendation is to start with sounds and syllables.

If that feels overwhelming, don’t worry. You can break it down into little bits. I think vowels are a strong place to start, since that shapes a lot of how a language sounds, so decide what vowel sounds would exist in this culture--and also what counts as a vowel and what sounds belong to what symbol. For example, “a” can have a range of pronounciations, and it will make things easier on you in the long run if you pick which sounds and how you want to present them.

Then you can do the same with consonants. In the end, you’ll end up with a kind of library of letters, which then you can start combining into syllables. These are the building blocks for your language. Play around with them to get familiar with the sounds and rhythm you want for this conlang. Are there letters or sounds that can’t go together? Are there letters or sounds that always go together? What combinations change the sounds of letters--e.g., how t + h = th?

Don’t be afraid to say, “this just doesn’t exist” and cut things out of the language, by the way. Gaps are as important as what’s there. Cultural rules around pronunciation are where accents come from, and what a language does--or doesn’t do--defines its identity (at least from a sonic perspective).

Personally I find this part super fun, but if you’re struggling with it, there’s a few algorithmic apps online that will do this kind of thing for you and give you a headstart. Usually googling variations of “conlang generator” will toss some up.

4. Don’t reinvent the wheel. From years of just drifting around internet creative spaces, I’ve noticed there’s often a trend in younger or less experienced writers to feel compelled to think about every single minute detail of the world they’re creating, and then getting profoundly overwhelmed because they don’t have the skill-set or knowledge to be a linguist, and a civil engineer, and a historian, and a biologist, and a politician, and--you get the idea. You don’t need to be all or any of these things to write compelling stories about complex worlds.

Your conlang doesn’t have to be functional outside of the story it belongs to. The conlang exists to serve the story you’re telling, not the other way around. Stories aren’t just a way to showcase a conlang. What matters is that the conlang fits into the story in a way that enriches the story, and often what that means is that the conlang should be used sparingly and purposefully.

Coming back to the point about intention, you can ask that question for each use of the conlang. Any time you’re writing a conlang word or phrase in, ask yourself--”what is this for?” It might be because what is being said has to be said in the conlang, because there’s no English (or other language) way to say it. That could be a concept, or animal, or other aspect of the world that is unique to this place and people.

Alternatively, you might be using the word because it’s someone’s name, or a pet-name, or something with cultural significance that simply will not be reflected by the language of narration. You might be using it to intentionally withhold information from your reader, because the characters know what that word means but the reader does not.

If you’re using it “just because” it sounds good or feels cool, that’s probably not the right time to use it. As a creative philosophy, I feel like you should always hold back a little. In a perfectly honed, balanced story, there should still be space left for wondering and dreaming for the reader.

5. Devise some root words for the nerds. Once the syllabic pieces are sounding good to you and capture the general tone and flavour and feel of the culture you’re making a conlang for, that’s the time to experiment with words. Some people will throw syllables together until words start forming--which isn’t a bad strategy--but then will go with those words with no further consideration as to the language as a living, evolving structure.

If you want your conlang to feel real, it’s worth putting a little thought into the relationship words have with each other--i.e., root words. These are what make certain words and ideas into cousins, etymologically speaking, and it means that you give yourself a lot of options with how to want to use the conlang you’ve made. You can also give the reader more to work with.

For example, you might come up with a word--pelthan. It doesn’t mean anything to the reader until you explain its meaning. Later, perhaps you use another word--vethelthan. This time, even before you explain the meaning, your reader might recognise the similar suffix and structure, and have an inkling--based on this, and the context of this new phrase--what this new word means.

Finally, you might use another word--palthor. And when you explain the meaning of this word, the reader can see how pelthan and palthor came from the same root word, the ancient prefix pelth-, and if you’ve made good choices as a writer, that might have some significance to the reader--or maybe just delight them, because they’ve unearthed a connection that you didn’t even tell them about in the narration, they figured it out all by themselves [wink wink nudge nudge].

Like I said, I love talking about this kind of thing, writing is my burden passion etc. etc., so this is some of my thoughts but not all of them! I hope it’s somewhat useful to you, though, and good luck with your writing.

#supposed to be working on my thesis oh dear #reply

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noxiatoxia · 2 years

Note

Any wayz!!!!¡! i recently unearthed a fic i half finished where kaoru goes into a depressive episode and locks himself in his room, similar to the concept we were talking about before. except hikaru, after trying lots of things to get him to communicate, just starts writing letters and pushing them under his door daily. its easier for him than talking out loud bc it feels less lonely than talking to himself outside kaoru's door.

anyway the letters tell kaoru about whats happening outside and in the host club, messages from the others, telling him how much hikaru misses him. and sometimes hikaru will draw him a little story comic of one of his stories to make kaoru smile, even though he's kinda trash at drawing. hikaru can only hope kaoru isn't just throwing them out, since he pours all his heart into each one.

and kaoru does read them. even though they break his heart. so sometimes he sees hikaru push one under the door and will just stare at it from his bed, sometimes not going to get it for hours at a time, scared to read it because of how emotional it'll make him. seeing how much effort and care hikaru puts into every single one, his attempts to make him smile, to make sure kaoru is updated about everything going on and the events of each day (even the silly things), to writing messages from the club word for word. its how hikaru shows his love and support.

it hurts kaoru that hikaru's still putting so much effort into making him happy after all kaoru's efforts to fade from his life, but he loves him for it at the same time. its just like hikaru, isn't it? to be so stubborn that even after weeks of not hearing a word back from his brother, that he would still put 100% effort into his letters? even with no guarantee kaoru's even reading them at all?

a part of kaoru, the part he'd been trying to squash down since he started this whole plan, hopes he'll never stop sending them. that hikaru won't ever give up on him.

maybe i should finish the fic,, didn't have many hopes for it but after writing all this,.... hmmm..

ANON!!!! THIS IDEA.... I LOVE stationary in stories. smth about a story told thru letters. MAGNIFICENT. (btw, if you ever finish that fic, i'd LOVE to read it. Love me some kaoru angst)

Hikaru always puts 100% into his letters, like you said. It's a little hard for him, because he's not a writer. Not only is he simply not great with his words, but he hates physically writing. He's super impatient and he feels he can't get the words out on the paper fast enough, so he prefers typing bc it's faster (im projecting) and of course, kaoru knows this. which is why it's extra special receiving a daily letter from him.

Each letter starts out the same. A basic how are you doing? Are you okay? I hope you're okay. I miss you a lot. And then Hikaru begins to give a detailed explanation about his whole day.

He'd talk about school- "We started reading Soseki's "the gate" in our literature class. It seems like something you'd like. In fact, I'm sure you've read it before" "we're prepping for an English test. It's so hard!!! I'm no good at English like you are. People say Japanese is harder than English, but I say that's just not true. At least Japanese makes SENSE!!!" "Today in math we're starting a new unit on grid transformations. Remember when he briefly covered them in middle school and you hated it?? You've always sucked at math, haha! Dw, I'll do your homework for you :) just do my English, kay?"

Of course, he'd talk about the host club the most. I think Hikaru probably became less of a host and more of a helper once Kaoru stopped coming to school in general. He can't ever get used to being a solitary host; he hates being alone. So, instead, everyday he spends it hanging around a different host, sometimes contributing to the conversation but mostly just helping out. Sitting next to Tamaki or Haruhi, standing next to Kyoya, sitting across from Hani and Mori. Of course he'd mention each letter how much the Host club misses Kaoru, and how everyone always asks how he's doing.

"Today I spent the day with Hani-senpai. I just brought him sweets n stuff. The guy ate 5 bowls of ice cream in fifteen minutes. FIVE!!! and he didn't get brain freeze!!! what is he!?!?" "I hung out with Haruhi for the host club today. I almost fell asleep because her conversations are soooo boring. but also, that could just be because I haven't been getting good sleep lately. it's hard to sleep without you and without knowing youre okay. ugh, i should have said that at the host club today as my excuse. i think the guests would have loved it, haha" "I spent the day with Renge out of curiosity. I always wondered what she does at our club the whole time... draw doujins and craft merchandise, it seems. I guess Kyoya-senpai put her to it. by the way, if we were animals, what animals would we be? i said fox but maybe wolf too... Renge said she saw us as hedgehogs"

And then, he'd end off every letter with a drawing/comic. Something to cheer Kaoru up. He'd also include extra paper if Kaoru ever wanted to write back... he hasn't yet, but Hikaru still hopes.

The idea gave me ~inspo~ so I drew a shitty cringe little comic in the style I think Hikaru would draw/write in... it's based off one of their stories Hikaru made up as a kid called "fox through time" in which a genius fox (named Dr. Foxtor) creates a time machine, intending to rewrite the past. In the original story, her future self comes back to the exact moment she finishes her time machine to stop her, and then there's some epic battle, but Hikaru made a parody comic in hopes to make Kaoru laugh....

ID in alt and under read more

A 6 panel crudely drawn comic on notebook paper. The first panel shows a doctor fox in a labcoat with a remote. "Finally!!! I have made my time machine! All I have to do is press the button…"

The second panel depicts a second fox in a black hoodie and glasses. She is pointing at the doctor fox, who looks shocked. "STOP!! I have come to prevent my mistakes…"

The third panel has the doctor fox exclaim, "Whoa! It's me from the future… That means my machine works!! Wait…"

The doctor fox then points and asks, "What is the most popular official Cinderella game in the future?"

In the fifth panel, the future fox looks thoughtful. She says, "Umm… well, there is just the one on GBA…"

The final panel depicts the doctor fox in the air mid-jump, throwing her remote on the ground and smashing it to pieces in a blind rage, exclaiming an angry "AUGHH"

#ohshc #hikakao #fun fact dr. foxtor's name in japanese i think would be kitsunsei #OK I GOTTA PASS OUT NOW ITS 7 AM...#;noxiatalks2ya

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tropicalrpg · 1 year

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13 just came back from the only creative writing class i'll probably ever take

i have an american friend to whom i've described redação class as essay-writing. that's not quite it; i didn't write an essay until, well, i wouldn't say i have. i was supposed to write an essay last year and one a couple weeks ago, but none of them are proper essays, like i'm writing now and would like to write more. (i tried to write an essay last year that i have yet to finish. i think it would be really interesting, even if i turned into an article.)

redações, especially in the enem model (and maybe i'm being a little bitch for writing about something like this in english, but consider this an introduction to the brazilian school system) (consider; you: consider this; you: my nonexistent reader, my guinea pig, my english-speaking pet), are anything but creative writing. here's the basic idea: you get a prompt upon which you have to build an argument. you get 30 handwritten lines. you have to reference another field of study, and in the last paragraph you have to propose a solution to the prompt's problem that fulfills a series of criteria (deed, agent, means, finality, details). you have to write this in up to a couple hours but ideally less than one, with no access to any type of resources to do research or base your argument on.

i hope it comes across, in the instructions given to write a redação enem, that it's just ridiculous. it does not build better students, better writers, or better citizens. you have to excell at writing redações enem in order to get into university, and that's basically all you need to know how to write them for; how do they make you better scholars? in what way do they prepare you for higher education? i study "letters", or what would be the equivalent to an english degree except it's not a portuguese degree but instead a languages, literature or linguistics degree; the second i got into uni, the only thing i would ever use a redação enem for would be to get a job. and that job is correcting redações enem; i have never, and know that i will never, have to write any sort of text anything like those ever again.

that class was not essay-writing. i described it as such because going over the details like i went here would have been wasted time, and it's a lot easier to work with approximations, like how american high schoolers have to write essays, we have to write redações. it's a similar exercise in practising textual skills, how to write, how to argue. it doesn't work the same, however, and perhaps the one thing i'd say the american education system has over ours (theoretically, not in practice) is the presence of essays from a young age.

essays are great. this creative writing class, which is not a creative writing class because that's not a thing teachers can offer as a class, but it is largely a class about producing each a singular essay (nonacademic, thank the lord; i've written academic essays already, but it's the still scholarly but truly creative pieces that i'm fascinated by) that has all the freedom in the world to be creative — this creative writing class is quite simply and quite literally a class on essays. reading and writing them. i have never read so many essays and learned so much, and i've never appreciated a literary genre more. this feels like true literature. the peak of nonfiction and fiction alike. i don't know; it's hard to find the words for it.

this is all to say that on monday, i think, my professor talked about writing with limitations. he asked if any of us had tried that (i could not allow myself to mentions things such as, i've written for fanzines that required certain lengths; required me to rewrite certain scenes; i've participates in ship week events that had me writing different stories of thousands of words day after day; i won nanowrimo in 2018, at fourteen fucking years old) and then mentioned how we are always writing with limitations, and, as an example, he cited writing tweets. i use twitter a lot, i always have and it might forever be my primary social medium, but i don't feel limited there. i feel more limited here, not only on this blog because i put a pressure on myself to write posts as long as i can make them but also because originally i wanted to write every day. i failed both ways.

i also failed if we look at my unnamed inspiration. they're so fucking poetic. to be frank, these days i hate their poetry, but their prose, good god. i hate their poetry and i hate their plot and i hate the characterisation they give to characters i love, but i adore their prose. and when they wrote every day for a couple months, they didn't push out blog posts that read like linear essays, not like i do. i start on a subject and get right to it, or even if not right to it i follow a line of thought. is that because i've grown up writing these disgusting, succint argumentative texts? i cannot say. but i can't suddenly write maybe two thousand words about swans in love. if i can get myself to be honest about my past and my present, i'm already doing more than i ever have. my writing has never been about me. maybe that's why i find essays so liberating.

2023.04.26

#essay #essaywriting #nonfiction #anonymous #personal essay #essay writing #creative writing

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luxshine · 3 years

Text

“Yo a ti, Cas” Or how mexican dubbing gripped us tight and raised us from Despair.

Ok. So I promised a big meta about the dubbing thing and so while I don’t have all the answers YET, here’s a bit of perspective on the differences between Despair and The Truth.

First, a little background. I am a former professional dubbing translator. While I worked on anime series from Japanese to Spanish, rather than in live action ones from English to Spanish, the process is not that different. Also, I worked in Mexico, where Supernatural is dubbed, so that’s why I can make the assumptions I make. Finally, my specialization in college was translation from English to Spanish, so I guess I know what the hell I’m talking about.

So let’s start on HOW you translate something for a dub. Back in the day, you got a ton of VHS tapes with the episodes on them with time codes, and, if you were lucky, a shooting script. This is to say, it was not a transcript of the actual words said in the episode, but the script BEFORE the actors, directors, and everyone else had a hand on what was said and changed. And thus, anything adlibbed? Is not going to be in that script which, at least for the anime side of things? Was a nightmare as the script was usually “And here X actor can say whatever they want” and I had to go and listen to the scene ten thousand times. Now a days, you get either a video file or a streaming link, and sometimes, the shooting script. If you get a script, btw, you can also not get a script in the original language. I know that the person who had to translate Sprited Away to Spanish was working off a German script, not the Japanese one. So yeah, some things can be lost in translation there.

THEN you get to translate. BUT you can’t just translate word by word. You have to adapt it so that it will sound like something a person will say, and sometimes, literally is not the way to do it. And in particular, Mexican dubbing has a reputation to uphold as the “Neutral” dub that is send to most Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America, so we can’t use certain words (I don’t have the list at hand, but I remember that I couldn’t use “Llanta” for Tire, and so I had to use “Neumatico”. And no “sweaters” or “hotcakes” or stuff like that), AND we have to match the lips of the original video. Which is like, the worst nightmare ever because of what we call “labiales”, that is to say, the letters where lips close.

I can’t tell you how much we all loved when a character gave a long winded speech with their back to the camera due to those damned closed lip letters.

All this is to say that sometimes, the line could be “We are all in this together for good or bad”, and the translation become something more like “Estamos en esto, por las buenas o las malas” (We’re on this, the good way or the bad way) or “Estamos juntos en las buenas y en las malas” (We’re together in the good and the bad), depending on the translator, dub director, and voice actor.

Depending on the client, that is, the original owner of the series, sometimes they will review the translation once it’s all dubbed and edited. I know that in the Avengers movie, a Disney rep was present on the cabin and forbade any changes from the script, which resulted on a couple of awkward lines in the end result. I don’t know if that’s the case for Supernatural, but I honestly doubt it. Still, translators can’t make huge changes for the dialogue. One couldn’t just ADD a relationship that wasn’t there, no matter what.

(As an aside, due to the very conservative mindset of some tv stations, it’s more common that gay relationships become more ambiguous, by changing “I love you” to “Te quiero” which can be more of a filial love than a romantic one. And well, that one case in Sailor Moon where a gay character was changed into a woman because the dub director honestly thought the character was a woman. But that was in the nineties)

Now, let’s go to how Castiel’s speech was translated.

The original, according to Superwiki, went like this:

Castiel: You're the most caring man on Earth. You are the most selfless, loving human being I will ever know. You know, ever since we met, ever since I pulled you out of Hell, knowing you has changed me. Because you cared, I cared. I cared about you. I cared about Sam. I cared about Jack. I cared about the whole world because of you. You changed me, Dean.

Dean: Why does this sound like a goodbye? Castiel: Because it is. I love you. Dean: Don't do this, Cas. Cas.

And the translation, as it was aired, went like this (And people, you have no idea the war flashbacks transcribing this gave me, so I hope you appreciate it):

Castiel: Eres el hombre mas amoroso sobre la Tierra. Un hombre sin egoismo; el hombre mas generoso que haya visto, y que jamas vere. Sabes que desde que nos conocimos y desde que te saque del infierno, el conocerte me ha cambiado. Porque a ti te importa. Y a mi me importa. Me importas tu. Y me importa Sam, me importa Jack, me importa todo el mundo. Y fue por ti. Tu me cambiaste, Dean.

Dean: Porque suena esto a despedida?

Castiel: Porque asi fue. Te amo.

Dean: Yo a ti, Cas. (The empty appears and Billie opens the door) Cas…

Castiel: Adios Dean

Dean: No!

Ok. So… At first glance, they’re pretty much the same until we get to the I love you. BUT let’s dissect it a little bit.

Cas begins with a “Eres el hombre mas amoroso sobre la Tierra” which is not how I would’ve translated “The most caring man on Earth” since “caring” is more like “Cariñoso” rather than “amoroso” which would be “loving”, and yes, there’s a difference. Plus, “el hombre mas amoroso” sounds a bit clunky, so Personally, I’d have gone with “Eres el hombre mas cariñoso en la Tierra”, that would’ve given us more time for the rest of the speech, but I wonder if the translator choice for Amoroso instead was more due to the fact that “amor” (love) is more clearly romantic than “care” (cariño, in a sense, more on this later) and so it foreshadows the end.

Again, with the literal clunkyness we have “Un hombre sin egoismo” (A man without egoism) which sounds weird no matter what language you speak, and it should’ve been “Un hombre dadivoso” (A giving man) or “un hombre desinteresado” (a selfless man) although the second could be mis-construed as “a man without interests” so “dadivoso” would’ve better. But the more puzzling is that the Spanish separates the selfless man from the next, which is REALLY confusing as the English is “the most loving man”, which would be “el hombre mas amoroso” making it quite redundant, so the Spanish changes it to “the most generous man”, “el hombre mas generoso”. To add to this, Cas continues with “that I have seen and I will ever see” instead of “That I know”, because it’s far more poetic. And loving.

So yeah, Mexican Cas is basically saying that Dean Winchester is made of love and puppies.

Ahem.

The next part “You know, ever since I pulled you out of hell, you’ve changed me” is more or less word for word, and the only thing that changes is that the English sounds more like a question and the Spanish one is an affirmation. YOU KNOW that ever since I pulled you out of hell, you changed me.” Little verb tense play, that doesn't change much except Cas’s resolution to say what he has to say.

And then we get to the part that made me squeal out loud. Because we go from

“Because you cared, I cared. I cared about you. I cared about Sam. I cared about Jack. I cared about the whole world because of you”

“Porque a ti te importa. Y a mi me importa. Me importas tu. Y me importa Sam, me importa Jack, me importa todo el mundo.” Which at first glance is the same, but NOPE.

First change: The original is in past tense “I cared”. Spanish version is in present tense: “I care”.

Which is a little non important thing except when you remember that simple present means “immutable absolute truth that won’t change with time”

Second, the choice of word for care.

I mentioned before that Care can be Cariño, as in filial, non romantic love (Or romantic love pet name, as it can also be Darling. It’s one of THOSE words). Other translations for care include “cuidado” (as in attention, concern, keeping, and worry), and of course “interesarse” (Which also can be care), “preocuparse” (care, bother, trouble, mind, fuss), and yes, “importar” but “importar” ONLY translates to English as a verb as “import”, “matter” “amount to” and notice how none of those words include “love”.

Mexican Cas is not saying “you love the world, and so I do”. Mexican Cas is saying “The world matters to you, and thus it matters to me, but my feelings for the World (and Sam, and Jack) are not in the same league as my feelings for you.”

And then Dean asks “Why does this sound like a Goodbye”, just like in English, in present tense…

And Mexican Cas replies in PAST tense. “Porque asi fue”. And THIS is important because it means that everything he said before WAS the goodbye, and not what comes next. All the rest? Is in the past. “Because it was”. Not “Because it IS”. And the next part? Is their future.

I love you.

Te amo.

Simple present. No ambiguity like “te quiero”. Spanish Te amo is for romantic love. Not brotherly, not family, not bro-mantic. ROMANTIC.

It’s like “I’m IN love with you” (Although that’d be “Estoy enamorado de ti” and I doubt that would’ve fit in the time Misha spoke)

And of course, the answer. “Yo a ti, Cas”. Not “And I, you” as I’ve seen it before (And I also thought it was, until transcribing the scene) but a simple “I, you, Cas.” Which ok, pretty cave-speak, but the meaning is pretty clear. Dean Winchester loves his gay angel.

It is also telling that the empty doesn’t appear until AFTER Dean confessed, so no, Mexican Cas is not “happy with the saying”, he had to get to the “happy with the having”.

And when Billy appears, it does seem as if he wants to say something more, but Cas is a love-sick selfsacrificing dumbass and so we all get our hearts broken.

I did get in contact with Dean Winchester’s mexican voice actor, and am waiting for answers to a small interview I did with him which includes the question “did that And I you, Cas” was in the script, and am trying to contact Castiel’s mexican voice actor. So I will be updating you on that. But I hope this clears up some of the questions about how Mexican dubbing made Destiel Canon :D

#dean deserved better #castiel deserved better #they silenced you #bi dean #supernatural mexican dubbing #y yo a ti #te amo #destiel #destielforever

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sonianvmd · 3 years

Text

thh characters with a crush on you

warnings: none, maybe some swearing but otherwise nothing major

oH and mentions of murder and death but this is danganronpa so im going to assume u expected as much

a/n: so we kickin this blog off with a bang, writing for LITERALLY THE ENTIRE TRIGGER HAPPY HAVOC CAST LMFAOAOAOAO (excluding hifumi, yasuhiro, and the two despairs doe bc i’ve already made that clear)

also some character’s sections are shorter than others im sorry i just couldnt think of as many bullet points for them *tiktok cry emoji*

edit: I FORGOT CELSESTE FU K SORRY

spoilers under the cut!!

★ 彡 ★ ミ ★ 彡 ★ ミ ★

makoto naegi

when he realizes he likes you, he doesn’t necessarily panic or anything, but he does get nervous

nervous around you, that is

y’all saw how he was with sayaka

if he says anything that might sound intimate then he’ll immediately rephrase it or reassure he didn’t mean anything by it

he really only does have good intentions but his wording just kinda flops sometimes

he appreciates how you listen to him and value what he says

you don't make him feel dumb or inferior compared to a bunch of ultimates with actual talents

he’ll muster up the courage to tell you eventually

let’s hope his luck comes through 😁

byakuya togami

now when THIS man realizes he likes you, he a bitch nigga bout it 😐

he can't believe he fell for a common plebeian such as you

but it was hard not to

the way you preferred to get to the point

the way you were aware of your situation and didn't sugarcoat how you felt about it, although you certainly were nicer with it than him

he's ruthless

anyways

you knew your priorities and spent no time trying to use your resources

he noticed how much you had in common; in you, he saw himself

and we all know how this mf feels about himself 😐

he’ll be quick to defend you in class trials

he won’t realize he’s doing it but he just subconsciously protects you

but just because he doesn't notice it, don't mean the rest of the class brushes past it as well

yeah they on his ass LMFAOO

kyoko kirigiri

kyoko is very good at keeping her composure so she won’t be very obvious

she’ll probably just hang around you more

she’ll also defend you in class trials, calmly

“oh, it couldn’t have been [name]. i remember seeing them in their dorm around the time the murder took place.”

hifumi probably finna say some dumb shit like “aye what was you doin in their dorm doe” but anyways

she finds you respectable

if you have anything to contribute, she’ll let you take the floor

when she tells you, she’s very composed, but also very indirect LMFAO

she’s not too sure on how to express her interest in you but maybe she’ll go about it like “well, [name], now we’ve made it here, would you like to step back into the world with me?” or somethin else along those lines idk

take her hand

pls

toko fukawa

y’all know her whole “master togami” shtick

yeah so 😁😁😁😁

no but fr, toko ofc still has her borderline stalkerish 🧍🏾‍♀️ tendencies

she’ll often find herself staring at you, either in the library or in the morning meetings everyday at breakfast

but she isn’t as straight forward as she is with byakuya

i actually think she’d be mad shy and non confrontational

the whole thing she kept up with him ? yeah, never again

if you approach her first then she’ll be able to get a few words out but for most of the conversation, she’ll just nervously play with her braids

you’ll most likely put two and two together

unless ur a makoto kinnie bc then you’ll have to wait till someone else puts it in place for u but anyways

if you decide to approach her about it, you’ll kinda be backing her into a corner bc she’s just bad at deflecting things lmao

she’ll eventually confess (begrudgingly but hey i mean its better than nothing)

expect much stuttering and a gesture like giving you a small gift

and not to be that writer that uses japanese terms in english writing but toko seems like a tsundere but not really if that makes sense?? so she’d probably shove it in your hands and if you try to say something then she’ll just try to play it off as not a big deal lol

calls u a baka 😍😍

aoi asahina

i know y’all all see how she is with sakura

yeah.

aoi is the kind of person who’d like to spend time with their crush rather than shy away from them

she values you and your friendship very much

bring her donuts

just trust me bring her donuts

she doesn’t really realize she’s into you like that for a while but believe me, she is, the whole time

and yeah i think she’d be nervous to tell you bc that’s just natural but ultimately she’d be cool about it

uh oh looks like we goin for a swim

sakura ogami

similar to kyoko, she’s very calm

despite her big and bad appearance, she really is a sweet girl

she cares for you and your well-being very much

will indeed go on x games mode for you

the way she tells you is very sincere and well spoken

kith her

naow

im sorry this is like the shortest one i couldn’t think of much for her 😔😔

leon kuwata

flirtatious ass mf

and he’s lightskin

so this just cannot go well

y’all know that bit where it’s like the guy yawns and stretches his arms up and then wraps one around your shoulder

yeah that’s literally him LMFAOO

he’s very confident

he was fairly well known with the ladies at his old school so you know he’s rhockin wit it ‼️

but

you feel.. different than usual ??

those girls were just lil flings n dates bc he was nice enough to accept their confessions and it boosted his ego anyway so it was a win win

but you

he was genuinely interested in you since he had saw you the first time

he didn’t just acknowledge your appearance

he learnt about your personality and your hobbies and what you liked and such, and he really cared and wanted to hear you talk about it all

he felt the need to really make an effort to show you how much he respected and had affections for you

he doesn't tell you in a grand way

probably just asks you out to a movie or somethin

he's chillin

mondo owada

you know

for being the biggest, baddest, most respected biker gang leader

or just for being in a biker gang period

mondo’s a huge softie lol

yeah he gets violent but he’s a sweet guy who cares about and is loyal to his friends

so mfs need to be nice to you

or they gettin whooped

when he decides it’s time to tell you how he feels, he thinks over his words and he’s all confident there’s no way you’d reject him but then he sees you in the halls and goes 🧍🏾 LMFAOOO

he’ll push through but it’s like he’ll walk up to you and look away from you because he refuses eye contact and just go

“so y/n, would you wanna.. tch.. come to a drive-in movie with me or somethin’?... dumbass.”

real smooth mondo i think you got em good job

please tease him LMFAOO it’d be so funny

he’d probably yell but you can tell he’s not mad so you just keep going with it

but once you’re done tormenting him, you do agree to the movie, don’t worry 🙏🏾

also mondo would call his s/o doll

that is all

chihiro fujisaki

my fav dude in a dress <3

chihiro would be quite shy, but that’s just how he is tbh so no surprise there

he’s very kind so he’d check up on you often just to see how you are

he cares about you v much

the way he confesses is one that consists of a red face as he offers you a box of candy or something similar

and he’d feel honored that you reciprocate his feelings

he’d be very scared to tell you his secret but once he does, he’s delighted to hear it doesn’t make any difference to you

he doesn’t know how he got so lucky with you

not only because woooo they like me back but also because you like him despite,, well everything about him LMFAOO

sweet lil boy

i’d feel like he’d talk about you to alter ego a lot

and when u meet the program for the first time, he’s like “oh! you must be [name]! master’s told me all about you :)”

sobbing i miss him

kiyotaka ishimaru

okay here’s the thing

if taka were to like someone

i can’t tell whether he’d be more strict because he doesn’t want them to get in trouble (and also so it would hopefully divert any suspicion that he DOES like you since he treats you the same as everyone else, only more)

or if he’d hold back more because he favors them LMFAOO

so imma write a lil bit for both

in the case that he was even stricter:

he’d prefer to be around you because he believes the best way he can make sure you stay out of trouble is to make sure you don’t get into any in the first place

of course it’s impossible to monitor you every second of every day but he does his best to make sure you’re doing well

if he sees you do anything out of line, he’s shutting that shit down IMMEDIATELY

but in the case he let up:

he’d still lecture you but noticeably less than the other students

if your feet were resting on top of a desk, he’d ask you to move them and then leave you alone rather than yell at you and forcibly move them himself

if you notice his behavior towards you in comparison to the other students do not tease him about it he will go as red as his eyes /hj

either way he’s confessing to you with a polite but exaggerated bow while holding out a well thought out letter with both hands

sayaka maizono

she will tell you

idk why but i feel like she’d be straight up lol

she’d make sure she’s sincere

she is the ultimate pop idol and all so she wants to make sure you know that she really does like you and isn’t playing a sick joke on you or anything

ok bc

while i do think she’d tell you

i’d feel like she’d be a little indirect just to see how you feel

like she’d give you a free ticket to one of her upcoming concerts with a kind smile

and naturally, you're like :o

and of course you come to support her

and seeing you smile at her from the crowd and cheer her on was the encouragement she needed to push her to ask you out

for real this time

she asks if you wanna come to a concert with her and ur like “oh yeah i love ur shows!!” bc ur dumb and then she’s like “no i mean.. for another artist” and eventually it hits you that she’s asking you out and ur like “oH YEAH YEAH SURE THAT SOUNDS GREAT YEAH OK” LMFAOO

———

i really hope that this is good LMFAOO this is my first time writing for dr so 😃👍🏾

fun fact i finished toko’s section first and taka’s last 😁😁

and i’d like to thank @mius-imagination @bloodygir n the rest of the discord for helping me figure some of these characters out *simultaneously whips and nae naes*

bye ive been working on this for like weeks this took forever

———

edit: here’s a deleted section bc i kept blanking for this character 😍

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