Our War of Words

Ace. She/Her. 🇨🇦

[ourwarofwords]

I’m proud of you, boo! 💜😘

[20o1-deactivated20240129-deacti]

April will be filled with joy.

April will be filled with love.

April will be filled with peace.

April will be filled with trust.

April will be filled with kindness.

April will be filled with miracles.

April will be filled with hope.

[thoughtkick]

“She doesn’t want to hear that she is flawless. She wants to hear that she is loved regardless of her flaws.”

— charmingwinds

[ourwarofwords]

Rude.

Whose side are you on? #funnymemes #funnyvideos #rude #relatable #relatablememes #officelife

[story-dj]

No version of reality. A piece from my poetry book MOONLIGHT & YOU - available WORLDWIDE on Amazon!!

[survivetoread]

Read With STR: मृत्युंजय - कर्ण 1.7

We're reading मृत्युंजय [mṛtyuṅjay] by Shivaji Sawant!

कर्ण 1.7

अतृप्त [atṛpta] - unsatiated, unsatisfied

टणक [ṭaṇak] - hard, firm

हाताळणे [hātāḷṇe] - to touch, to handle

लक्ष्यवेध [lakṣyavedh] - hitting or cleaving of a mark

किकर [kikar] - sweet acacia, needle bush

आविरत [āvirat] - endless, constant

कोंदटणे [koṅdaṭṇe] - to be stuffed in, confined in

शीण [śīṇ] - exhaustion, fatigue

बुंधा [buṅdhā] - near the base or root

शर [śar] - a type of reed or grass

कुरण [kuraṇ] - meadow, grazing field

सांबर [sāṅbar] - sambar deer

टवकारणे [ṭavkārṇe] - to perk up (one's ears or horns)

उमलणे [umalṇe] - to bloom

चर्या [caryā] - countenance

निरागस [nirāgas] - childlike, innocent

कुंचला [kuṅcalā] - paintbrush

दाटणे [dāṭṇe] - to thicken

Notes and summary:

Karna begins to repeatedly dream of bows and arrows. One day, while on a routine visit to a forest to collect wood for chariots, he finds a meadow with a herd of cattle. Among them is a deer. Karna and Shon wonder at how a deer could be amidst a herd of cattle and lost from his own herd, as if he was unwanted to them.

Karna's thoughts are drawn to the earrings he has born since his birth. He asks his mother about why he is the only one to wear earrings and not, say, Shon, but his mother refers him to his father. His father refers him to the Ganga. The Ganga provides no answers.

Karna poses the question to Shon as well, who colourfully describes how beautiful the earrings look on Karna when he is asleep. Karna is dissatisfied with this answer and demands to know who he really is.

[survivetoread]

Read With STR: मृत्युंजय - कर्ण 1.6

We're reading मृत्युंजय [mṛtyuṅjay] by Shivaji Sawant!

कर्ण 1.6

झणत्कार [zhaṇatkār] - jangling, ringing

प्रत्यंचा [pratyaṅcā] - bow-string

झुबकेदार [zhubkedār] - tasselled

गोंडा [goṅḍā] - tuft

पिटाळणे [piṭāḷṇe] - to shoo, to get rid of

पेलणे [pelṇe] - to balance, to manage

खंड्या [khaṅḍyā] - white-breasted kingfisher

वेध [vedh] - puncturing, piercing, hitting a mark

नित्य [nitya] - constant, regular, unbroken

आम्रफल [āmrafal] - mango

देठ [deṭh] - stalk

साळिंद्र [sāḷindra] - porcupine

नलिका [nalikā] - tube, tubular organ (quill in this context)

Words I did not get:

धनुकली [dhanuklī] - This likely means the 'frame' of the bow based on the context, because its dictionary meanings of 'cotton-cleaner's bow' and 'pellet-bow' don't fit here.

Notes and summary:

Karna's father routinely brings bows home, and Karna is fascinated by the weapon. He takes up a bow and with Shon, starts playing with it. Karna proves to be a talented archer, and over time, he keeps playing with the bow under his father's supervision.

He expresses a desire to be an archer so skilled that he can loose endless arrows at a time, like a porcupine shooting its quills.

[survivetoread]

Read With STR: मृत्युंजय - कर्ण 1.5

We're reading मृत्युंजय [mṛtyuṅjay] by Shivaji Sawant!

कर्ण 1.5

सारथी [sārathī] - charioteer

पर्णकुटी [parṇakuṭī] - cottage

अपूप [apūp] - a small cake of flour

पिंगट [piṅgaṭ] - brown, auburn

पुष्ट [puṣṭa] - nourished, cared for

उधळणे [udhaḷṇe] - to run amok

त्रेधातिरपीट [tredhātirpīṭ] - consternation, confusion

सफाईदारपणे [safāīdārpaṇe] - elegantly, gracefully

उमटणे [umaṭṇe] - to appear on the surface

मार्दव [mārdav] - delicacy, tenderness

आसूड [āsūḍ] - horsewhip

आयाळ [āyāḷ] - mane

डिवचणे [ḍivačṇe] - to provoke

योजन [yojan] - an ancient measure of distance of about 1.4 km

व्याकूळ [vyākūḷ] - anguished

काहूर [kāhūr] - cloud of confusion

श्येन [śyen] - bird of prey, such as a hawk or eagle

कपोत [kapot] - pigeon, dove

क्रौंच [krauṅc] - crane (bird)

थवा [thavā] - flock, crowd

कुतूहल [kutūhal] - curiosity

तेजःपुंज [tejḥpuṅja] - brilliant, burning bright

हुरहुर [hurhur] - yearning, anxiety

वियोग [viyog] - bereavement, separation

रोरावणे [rorāvṇe] - screech, such as of a bird

धिप्पाड [dhippāḍ] - lofty, imposing

राकट [rākaṭ] - tough

मांसल [māṅsal] - fleshy, fat, corpulent

उद्गार [udgār] - utterance, interjection, ejaculation (of speech)

खूर [khūr] - hoof

खिंकाळणे [khiṅkāḷṇe] - to neigh, to whinny

ताल [tāl] - palmyra tree

किंशुक [kiṅśuk] - palash, bastard teak

मधुक [madhuk] - oil-nut, butter tree, mahua tree

पाटल [pāṭal] - padri tree

तमाल [tamāl] - false mangosteen

शाल [śāl] - sal tree

तरळणे [taraḷṇe] to float

घटका [ghaṭkā] - an ancient measure of time

वेळावणे [veḷāvṇe] - to turn, to move

Words I did not get:

वेगांचे काच [vegāṅče kāč] - "त्याच्या हातांवर वेगांचे काच उमटलेले असत."

पत्ररथ [patrarath] - some kind of bird, but can't tell which one exactly

रथनीडा [rathnīḍā] - "रथनीडाच्या बाहेर डोकावून त्यांच्या थव्यांकडे एकटक पाहत तो मला अनेक प्रश्न विचारीत असे."

सांतवण [sāṅtvaṇ] - some kind of tree?

Notes and summary:

Karna mentions his father as a charioteer in the service of the Kuru king Dhṛtarāṣṭra. When Karna's father would bring his chariot back home, Shona and Karna would go on a joyride to the banks of the Ganga, where Shona would collect clamshells.

The two brothers banter on the way back, with Karna flippantly swearing that he will rise high like eagles do, so much so that Shona will not even be able to see him.

As he returns with Shona, Karna feels an unusual attraction to the setting sun, even feeling bereaved at its temporary departure. Shona remarks in passing that the setting sun resembles Karna's face.

Shona mentions Karna's attraction to the sun to their mother, and Karna's mother stares at Karna until he leaves the cottage.

[survivetoread]

Read With STR: मृत्युंजय - कर्ण 1.3, 1.4

We're reading मृत्युंजय [mṛtyuṅjay] by Shivaji Sawant!

कर्ण 1.3

विशुद्ध [viśuddha] - purified, cleansed

प्रतिष्ठा [pratiṣṭhā] - glory, fame, prestige

असूया [asūyā] - envy, jealousy

निर्हेतुक [nirhetuk] - without selfish interest

द्वारपाल [dvārpāl] - gate-guard

कृतज्ञ [kṛtajña] - gratefulness, thankfulness

माया [māyā] - love, affection

दुबळा [dubḷā] - weak, infirm

पाझरणे [pāzharṇe] - to leak, to trickle, to seep

निर्भेळ [nirbheḷ] - unadulterated

Notes and summary:

Karna describes a carefree childhood spent in Champa with his younger brother Shoṇa (Śatruṅtapa, but commonly called Śoṇa]. He also expresses praise and deep gratefulness for his parents Radha and Adhirath.

Karna expresses how, when thinking of his parents, a pair of tears wells up in his eyes, but that he considers tears to be the sign of a weak mind and so wipes them away.

कर्ण 1.4

मनसोक्त [manasokta] - at will, to one's heart's content

कुंडल [kuṅḍal] - earring

कासावीस [kāsāvīs] - distressed, agonised

डोलवणे [ḍolavṇe] - to move, to sway

मुका घेणे [mukā gheṇe] - to kiss

अनिवार [anivār] - irrepressible

Notes and summary:

Karna was commonly known as 'Vasu' in town and by his loved ones. He had an earring on each ear since he was a newborn.

Karna expresses effusive praise for his mother for her affection. He describes her as constantly afraid of losing him, and she warns him never to go close to the river Ganga, although she doesn't tell him why.

Secretly, Karna finds himself irrepressibly drawn to the river's banks to play. He swears not to tell his mother about this, to the point of bribing his younger brother with clamshells and medlar fruit.

[ourwarofwords]

To simpler times, when listening to this song a million times made me roll my eyes and grin with adoration.

To my first love, the only man whose photo has ever made it to the mantlepiece. 

To holding him accountable for his actions, but still loving him and the fluttering in my chest every time he smiles. 

To the woman who I hope makes him as happy as he deserves to be.

To the missed birthdays and anniversaries over the last 2 years when I was busy loving someone else. 

To my favourite birthday gift, a day I will never forget. 

To my A, who will be my ‘Always’, always. 

[romanticprojections]

[story-dj]

Modern love. From my book LOUD WORLD, QUIET THOUGHTS - available WORLDWIDE on Amazon!!

[letters-to-lgbt-kids]

(TW: Abuse)

My dear lgbt+ kids, 

When we think about abusers, we often have a clear picture in mind: The evil person who enjoys being evil. 

They like to hit their kid because they enjoy hitting. They tell their partner horrible things because they enjoy to see them cry. 

The problem with that picture is that you’ll hardly find anyone who talks about their abusive behavior like that. If the abuser admits that their behavior was wrong at all (which many never do), they usually find “a good reason” for it. 

They didn’t know better. They were stressed or overwhelmed. They just couldn’t help themselves. They were drunk. You provoked them. They had a bad childhood. You scared them and they just tried to defend themselves. They were actually trying to help you. It was just passion that boiled over. It was wrong but it won’t happen again. They did it because they love you so much. They were jealous. And so on. 

Do any of these “good reasons” actually justify abusive behavior? Of course not. But they do make it difficult for the victim - both while they’re still living in the abusive situation and after they got out of it. 

You may hesitate to ask for help or feel guilty that you did ask for help. After all, they had a good reason for what they did, so it wasn’t really evil abuse and you don’t really have any reason to feel scared or traumatized, right? Wrong. 

The “reason” behind abusive behavior doesn’t matter. There’s no good reason to abuse someone. You do not deserve to be abused for ANY reason. You deserve help and support. You deserve safety and healing. 

With all my love, 

Your Tumblr Dad 

[letters-to-lgbt-kids]

My dear lgbt+ kids,

Asexual people can kiss, cuddle, hug, make out, feel arousal, have a libido, want a romantic relationship, be in a romantic relationship, marry, have kids, think people are beautiful. have a dirty sense of humor…

Does that mean every asexual person wants or does all of that? No. There are asexual people who want/do some of these things, all of these things, none of these things. And all of them are “real asexuals”!

There are no rules - except for “You can do anything you feel comfortable with” and “You don’t need to do anything you don’t feel comfortable with”.

With all my love,

Your Tumblr Dad

[ourwarofwords]

That moment when you know more than the older, white, man lawyer who is often dismissive of you

[survivetoread]

Read With STR: मृत्युंजय - कर्ण 1.2

Second chapter of the first section of कर्ण [karṇa]. We're reading मृत्युंजय [mṛtyuṅjay] by Shivaji Sawant!

कर्ण 1.2

लतावृक्ष [latāvṛkṣa] - sal tree

पहुडणे [pahuḍṇe] - to lie, to recline

चकोर [čakor] - Chukar partridge

चातक [cātak] - Jacobin cuckoo

कोकीळ [kokīḷ] - Asian koel

भारद्वाज [bhāradvāj] - crow pheasant

कलकलाट [kalkalāṭ] - racket (of noise)

रणरणणे [raṇraṇ'ṇe] - to glow in intense heat

कदंब [kadaṅba] - burflower-tree

लोळ [loḷ] - glowing fire

अर्भक [arbhak] - infant, child, baby

क्षितिज [kṣitij] - horizon

पात्र [pātra] - channel of a river

अफाट [afāṭ] - boundless, immense, gigantic

निर्भीड [nirbhīḍ] - dauntless, intrepid

अवखळ [avkhaḷ] - mischievous, playful

उत्तरीय [uttarīya] - upper or outer garment

खट्याळपण [khaṭyāḷpaṇ] - mischief, naughtiness

स्वैर [svair] - unrestrained, wilful, self-willed

फेरफटका [ferfaṭkā] - stroll, tour

कोंदण [koṅdaṇ] - setting or socket for gems

निखळणे [nikhaḷṇe] - to come loose

झेपावणे [jhepāvṇe] - to leap

Notes and summary:

In this short chapter, Karna briefly describes his hometown Champa and the banks of the Ganga, where he plays with wild abandon. He also contemplates on the nature of childhood, likening it to an chariot driven by wilful and free horses, which can take him to flights of fancy.

[survivetoread]

Read With STR: मृत्युंजय - कर्ण 1.1

Let's go! We're reading मृत्युंजय [mṛtyuṅjay] by Shivaji Sawant. The book is divided into several sections, each focusing on one character. कर्ण [karṇa] gets multiple sections dedicated to him.

We begin with the first chapter of the first section, कर्ण [karṇa].

कर्ण 1.1

कालवश [kālvaś] - dead

तत्त्वचिंतक [tattvaciṅtak] - philosopher

समरांगण [samarāṅgaṇ] - battlefield

भाता [bhātā] - quiver (of arrows)

ठासणे [ṭhāsṇe] - to tamp, to pack

एकजात [ekzāt] - of the same stock or parentage

पात [pāt] - drop

तळपणे [taḷapṇe] - to radiate, to glow

बांधिव [bāṅdhiv] - artificial, built

केविलवाणे [kevilvāṇe] - pitiful

कलाहीन [kalāhīn] - artless, uncultured

पारखणे [pārakhṇe] - to evaluate, to discern

धरणितल [dharṇital] - the surface of the earth

यच्चयावत [yaccayāvat] - every single one

प्रेमसर [premsar] - shower of love

ओथंबणे [othaṅbṇe] - to sag

गहनगंभीर [gahangaṅbhīr] - profoundly deep

निर्धार [nirdhār] - determination, resolve

थोपवणे [thopavṇe] - to stop, to hinder

जोम [zom] - energy, vitality, vigour

लक्तर [laktar] - rags, torn cloth

गर्जणे [garzṇe] - to shout, to roar

जरीकाठ [zarīkāṭh] - gold thread-edged

तलम [talam] - fine, delicate

कुंपण [kuṅpaṇ] - fence, enclosure

सहस्र [sahasra] - thousand

चिंधी [ciṅdhī] - rags, torn cloth

अडगळीत [aḍgaḷīt] - messy, disorderly, littered

संदुक [saṅduk] - chest, trunk (for keeping objects)

झंझावात [zhaṅzhāvāt] - storm

झुंजणे [zhuṅzṇe] - to deal with, to cope with

गदागदा हलवणे [gadgadā halavṇe] - to shake, to jolt

सामर्थ्य [sāmarthya] - strength, potency, vigour

नितान्त [nitāṅta] - extraordinary, excessive, to a great degree

चष‍क [caṣak] - goblet, cup

नर्तक [nartak] - dancer

पदन्यास [padnyās] - footwork

आवेगपूर्ण [āvegpūrṇa] - full of impulse or passion

आलिंगन [āliṅgan] - embrace

क्षणभंगुर [kṣaṇbhaṅgur] - fleeting, transient, frail

प्राणपण [prāṇpaṇ] - risk of one's life

रांगडा [rāṅgḍā] - rough, uncouth

कानठळी [kānṭhaḷī] - deafening

मर्मभेदक [marmabhedak] - that cuts or pierces a tender place

कळप [kaḷap] - flock, herd

इतस्तत: [itastatḥ] - here and there, to and fro

सुबक [subak] - attractive, pretty, neat

चाळवणे [čāḷavṇe] - to tantalise, to incite, to excite

बकुल [bakul] - bullet wood, medlar, Spanish cherry

दरवळणे [darvaḷṇe] - to waft, to linger

मंजूळ [maṅzuḷ] - pleasant to hear, sweet to the ears

Notes and summary:

Good gosh, I only read 5 pages and I already have a massive vocab list out of it. Madness. This novel isn't holding back at all.

In this opening chapter, the narrator Karṇa declares that he wishes to speak of his life posthumously. He describes the events of his life as arrows of a quiver that he wishes to unleash upon the world, and declares that he would have his arrows tested by the fatherhood, motherhood, brotherhood, mentorship, and friendship of this world.

Karna describes his life as decorated royal vestment turned into torn rags by the ravages of circumstances. Further, he warns the listener that his story has no goblets of sweetness or hypnotic dances, but only conflict.

He is confounded by how to begin when so many memories appear before him, but his thoughts come to the town of Champa on the banks of the Ganga. He is very fond of the town, describing it as his (presumably mental) refuge.