[Closed] Stroke by stroke

[killercoat]

Who: Obi and Akutagawa
When: January 13th
Where: Around the Far Shore
What: Akutagawa comes across Obi having difficult reading calligraphy and he helps him out.

[Akutagawa is learning that the afterlife has many strange occurrences. Dealing with ayakashi is one, but even the Heavens have bizarre happenings. As he walks he notices a man with dark hair looking up into the sky and watching as the strokes appear in the thin air. Stroke by stroke a kanji takes form in a very archaic strip and after it's completion it remains there. He notices that the man is still staring up at it as if trying to discern what it is.

There's something very familiar about the script since Akutagawa is able to understand it with ease. He approaches the man, and saying the meaning out loud.]

It reads, dream...

Comments

[yasei]

[ With his lips pursed in thought and a hand rubbing at his shoulder, Obi tips his head to the stranger and away from the symbol in the sky. ]

That's what it means?

[ When he looks back up at the symbol, he continues squinting at it. ]

Are you sure about that, Mister?

[killercoat]

Positive.

[ Akutagawa says so without hesitation, or even an ounce of doubt. He can read the character just fine. Although, he doesn't really understand why he's able to read it and this man can't.]

The style is very heavy-handed, but if you look closely it's very similar.

[ He doesn't really know how to demonstrate this to the other. Then he gets an idea as he looks towards a nearby tree. He steps over pulling off a thin branch, and he uses it as a writing utensil. He starts replicating the same strokes on a snow-covered plot by the tree. He then shows Obi. His handwriting is a bit neater despite using a stick and the snow as a canvas. ]

See? And please refer to me as Akutagawa, not Mister.

[yasei]

But it looks so different from the books I've seen the word in.

[ Obi's language is old-fashioned English, and he even knows it's called English these days.

He peers curiously at the character that is being written on the ground. ]

How'd it get so different, Akutagawa?

[ Akutagawa? Names here can sound so peculiar, and it may sound a little stilted in Obi's mouth but he'll get the hang of it. He would normally add a Mister there, but he feels a familiarity of darkness roll off this young man. ]

[killercoat]

Different? What are you talking about?

[ He's not really sure what Obi means, but this is certainly a universal character. It's not like it could be read differently. However, he picks up on the lack of recognition in the other's eyes. Wait...]

...Do you not know Japanese?

[He finds that odd. The Far Shore is so close to Japan, it makes sense if most of its deities are Japanese, but so should the shinki. So he comes with the expectation that everyone understands his native language to a degree.]

[yasei]

From the text in the books.

[ Obi has only seen it printed, and he's got some easily read instruction books with stroke-order on simple kanji, and those are not drawn to look fancy. ]

I don't. Well, I seem to understand it spoken but I'm only just learning how to read and write it. I've been told that the language I know is, um, English, he called it.

[ He = that buff hot redhead Iskandar. ]

Though that word is unfamiliar to me as well.

[killercoat]

[ When Obi confesses that his primary language is English, it explains a lot. Though it's also obvious that Obi can understand what he says. Although he has only been in the Heavens for a short while, he's never suffered from miscommunication. Everyone must be able to understand each other.]

Compared to English, I can understand how it could seem indistinguishable.

[ The strokes of a character could be more complex than the strokes of the alphabet.]

This character might be a bit complex for a beginner, but you have to be able to challenge yourself. Can you at least read Hiragana?

[Usually that's what children start with before mixing in Kanji.]

[yasei]

[ That people can understand each other is the Heaven's magic, but it doesn't solve everything. ]

And there are even more complicated ones, on top of that.

Ah, yes, that I can read and write. I can read and write katakana too.

[killercoat]

There certainly are more complex characters, but you don't need to know all of them to be proficient.

If you know Hiragana and Katakana it should make things easier for you to learn. This character, for instance, can be broken down into hiragana if you prefer.

[ Akutagawa goes ahead and uses the stick to write 'Yume' on top of the kanji.]

If you see a kanji you don't know, look it up and write the hiragana on top. This will make it easier for you to practice and read the text that might contain this kanji.

[yasei]

Oooh..

[ That does sound like a way to learn more easily. ]

It's like how some words are a lot longer than others and you don't need to know all words that exist to manage to be understood.. Something like that?

[ If you're in a place where you don't know the language, you'll still manage somehow if you've only got the will. ]

That'll be a lot of kanji that I'll have to write hiragana on top, then. It does seem like a great way to learn more easily.

[killercoat]

I believe they call them, root words in English, but there are similar characters like that in Japanese. There are textbooks that will start you with the basic characters you need to learn to be able to read more advanced ones with ease.

[When Yasei mentions that it he will have to write the hiragana for a lot of kanji, he isn't wrong, but it's a way to learn.]

At first, but over time you won't need to do it. This method is strictly for kanji that you are unfamiliar with, and once you remember them, you won't need to use the hiragana.

[yasei]

Root words? [ What a strange thing to call words. So other words are the trunk and the branches and leaves? ]

Oh yeah that does make sense. Then as time pass one can go back and see how much one's learned in however much time's passed.

[killercoat]

Exactly. It's probably more effective than learning each character stroke by stroke. It's can be quite mind-numbing and tedious, but it's another old, but tried and true method.

Though I believe using the characters more practically makes them stick in your mind longer. Reading them within a sentence over and over, makes you associate the character with a meaning and you understand how it can be used. So you're bound to put it into practice since you have a better grasp of the word, rather than how it's written.

[yasei]

One must need a lot of patience to write the same character over and over huh...

[ Or the attention span.. Obi does not have that. ]

So for example try to find books that include the words- books it's fine to write in- to practice that way?

[killercoat]

Patience and discipline. This is why they instruct children to do so at a young age. However, it can be discouraging for someone like you, who have more pressing matters than writing kanji.

[ There is plenty of free time in the Heavens. Though that shouldn't get in the way of their duties.]

Yes, it wouldn't be difficult to find these books. You just have to be aware of your current level. For a beginner, you can start with elementary literature and work your way up. Just whatever you do, don't attempt to read a Japanese newspaper, it's far too advanced for even most people.

[yasei]

Yeah a little bit..

[ Not that he doesn't have patience, but there are a lot of better things that he can do with his time. He's not the most studious person around, either. ]

No newspapers, alright, I can manage that. I'm not overly interested at the moment anyway. How do I know something is on elementary level? Actually what do you mean with elementary level, exactly?

[killercoat]

I mean in a simple sense. When most people start reading they normal begin with Children's picture books. Although if that level is too low, you can start with chapter books that students favor. Although I'm not much of a fan of them, I hear that manga is really popular. There's a mixture of both difficult kanji and pictures to help you along, so it can be a valuable resource for you.

[yasei]

[ So he's learned what video games are, among other things, buut ]

Okay, sure. What's manga?

[killercoat]

You don't even know that.

[ Akutagawa seems surprised. Manga seems to be all the rage with the youth, it's rare to hear that no one has heard of it.]

Calling it a picture book or even a comic book isn't exactly it. Manga is best described as a visual novel, the pictures and dialogue carry the story along. There are different genres so anyone can find something that speaks to them. Though I will warn you to read the book in the right direction, otherwise you might be confused.

[yasei]

Hmm..

[ Obi rubs his chin as he thinks over this new bit of information. ]

So.. It's like a storybook, basically.

[ He imagines large images, with text underneath. In a bit more of a classical fashion. ]