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Author Archives: Confanity
Hot air, cold air
物言えば唇寒し秋の風 (Mono ieba kuchibiru samushi aki no kaze; “When you say something, then your lips will feel the chill of an autumn wind”) Definition: Being nasty will only make you feel bad later; shooting off your mouth invites disaster. Needlessly … Continue reading
Sorry about all the words
暴言多罪 bou.gen.ta.zai Literally: violence – word – many – guilt/sin/crime Alternately: This is a polite, formulaic phrase to use at the close of a letter, apologizing to the recipient for being overlong, going too far with its content, or anything … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged apology, epistolary, formula, letter, 多罪, 手紙, 暴言
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Magic Monday: AI Magic 6
Week 6: Offensive Magic What do angry witches and wizards do? Curse people! This week we’re looking at a series of spells that are likely to give somebody a really bad day. Cursing Wink You inflict an obsession on your … Continue reading
Posted in World-Building
Tagged AI weirdness, curse, evil, magic, My Hero Academia, neural network, RPG, spell
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The softest immolation
鳴かぬ蛍が身を焦がす (Nakanu hotaru ga mi wo kogasu; “The silent firefly burns itself”) Definition: Those who feel the most deeply are silent, while those who talk the most are often shallow in their thoughts and feelings. “Light cares speak, great ones … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged 礎石, 鳴かぬ蛍, 鳴く蝉, 身を焦がす, loud vs quiet, Natsume Soseki, reserve, still waters, Yamato Nadeshiko
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A garde for vants
斬新奇抜 zan.shin.ki.batsu Literally: behead – new – strange – extract Alternately: Completely new. Unprecedented. Often used to describe a novel idea or unconventional way of thinking. Notes: Compare and contrast this compound with prior entry 奇想天外. It is an error … Continue reading
Magic Monday: AI Magic 5
Week 5: Power Play Magic is a tool, and people tend to find ways to use tools for amusements or relatively trivial tasks; it’s not all killing curses and raising new islands out of the depths of the sea. This … Continue reading
Posted in World-Building
Tagged AI weirdness, divination, fart, magic, neural network, RPG, serious play, spell
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When nothing sticks
箸にも棒にも掛からない (Hashi ni mo bou ni mo kakaranai; “Can’t be caught on a chopstick or a pole”) Definition: A work that’s just really badly made, or a person who is completely out of control. By extension, something or somebody about … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged chopsticks, 箸, nothing can be done, unsalvageable, 掛から, 棒
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The actual cruelest month
…would be September, then, I guess. 秋霜烈日 shuu.sou.retsu.jitsu Literally: autumn – frost – intense – sun Alternately: Stringent severity – of intent, or of some expression of authority such as discipline, punishment, etc. Strictness as harsh as a lethal late-fall … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged blazing sun, 烈日, 秋霜, hard frost, harsh, severe, strict, The Wasteland
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Magic Monday: AI Magic 4
Week 4: Tools of War Many say that the best magicians are those with a wide repertoire of spells that allow them to control a situation without any need for violence. But many also say that the longest-lived magicians are … Continue reading
Posted in World-Building
Tagged AI weirdness, battle, magic, Naruto, neural network, RPG, spell, war
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Blue sea, Red Cliffs, pale blue dot
滄海の一粟 (Soukai no ichizoku; “A single grain of millet in the deep blue sea”) Definition: Something incredibly small in the middle of something something incredibly big. A needle in a haycontinent. Metaphorically, the trifling, ephemeral existence of humans within the … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged 粟, evanescence, 蘇軾, millet, Red Cliffs, Sagan, scale, small, Su Shi, 前赤壁賦, 滄海
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landofnudotcom 