1st Card {Text}

[keystaff]

Sender: Kinomoto Sakura
To: All
Subject: Birthdays?

I hope this works. The journals we would have back home weren't like this. Showing everyone. Not unless we wrote online and it was public. I did only recently get here though. I'm Kinomoto Sakura! Sakura being my first given name, Kinomoto being my family one. I'm from Tomoeda in Japan. I'm thirteen fourteen now? I think. I'm not sure if this really counts as my birthday or not. I've never had one apart from my family and friends before. If this does count. That's a little strange to think about.

Back home, I'd have weird dreams but not quite like this exactly. And there was magic but not quite the same as this what I've seen so far at least. I'm still figuring all this out. This dream magic? Or whatever it's called. I do at least have one familiar face though! Kero-chan is with me. I mean. My stuffed toy came with me. Otherwise, I guess. I'm not sure if I should ask on how it works exactly? Dreaming? I mean. If others might be able to see my dreams here or?

[Because. Well. There's some things she is still trying to keep secret. And given her dreams are often prophetic and rather odd or dangerous sometimes. That might be important to know.]

Comments

[keystaff]

Oh, it's an honorific. Like a title? A way of showing respect or a sign of the relationships between people? At least. In Japan.

I could be better about it?

[lonelysmiles]

Ah, I see! Like how I used "Miss".

Forgive my ignorance, my dear.

[keystaff]

Yes! It's sort of like that.

That's not ignorant. I mean. People here seem to be from all sorts of places, so maybe you just aren't familiar with Japan, with Japanese to know the honorifics. So it's okay!

[lonelysmiles]

Honestly, I know very little about the Far East in general. I never strayed far from home when I was alive, and New Orleans was too far away for your country to be of any really relevant importance to my neighbors or myself. Self-centered, yes, but one tends to focus on one's own backyard first before poking their nose around the neighborhood!

Still, there have been quite a few people here from at least one version or another of your country, so the knowledge gap is getting closed at least! And I thank you for enlightening me on these "honorifics" so I don't make the same blunder again!

[keystaff]

New Orleans? Ah, that's. In the United States? Right? But I suppose you have a point.

It's alright! I'm sure you're probably better than me at least. I'm still learning with English for example. Syaoran-kun is better than me, for sure.

[lonelysmiles]

Correct!

I don't believe I've had the pleasure of meeting this "Syaoran" of yours.

Though now I'm curious: You used "san" attached to my name but "kun" to this other person's. I assume there's some sort of difference between them. Is that right?

[keystaff]

I don't think Syaoran-kun is here though. Not that I know of.

It's kind of complicated? Honorifics depend on how old you and the other person are. On how different your social rank is, or how well you know them, how familiar you are with the other person. I guess 'san' is like a default when referring to most others, being polite? Sort of like Mr, Ms, Miss, Mrs in English?. Except teachers - they're 'sensei'. But 'chan' is used for younger girls like me and Tomoyo-chan, or like a cute animal! Like say, a pet called Kero-chan. Then 'kun' is for younger boys usually, ones around the same age in school? That sort of thing. If there's no honorific it is usually because those people are really close.

Does that make sense? I haven't really had to explain before. Oh, and if I talk about 'onii-chan', that's my older brother, Touya.

[lonelysmiles]

[There's a long pause as Alastor reads over the response several times, aiming to understand.]

And I thought learning to speak proper English could be difficult!

It does make some sense though I'm not sure I understand the distinction with "onii-chan". I assume "onii" is the word for brother, but I doubt your brother is a cute animal.

[keystaff]

English always seems to have some. What's the word? Exceptions to the rules? It's hard! I'm still learning it!

He isn't a cute animal, no! He's just my older brother. He's in university and all now. He has a lot of part time jobs to help pay for it.

[lonelysmiles]

It seems your language has quite a few exceptions to its own rules, my dear. I don't understand why you used "chan" in this instance.

[keystaff]

Ah, that's just I guess my default for him since I'm younger. I grew up calling him that.

Trust me, he isn't cute or anything at all. He's always eating my food and snacks and calling me a kaiju. Ah, that's a monster, basically, a kaiju.

[lonelysmiles]

Ah. I see.

Sibling dynamics are a bit of a mystery to me at times!

[keystaff]

Maybe other siblings don't tease their younger sisters or eat their snacks but my onii-chan does at least. Tomoyo-chan doesn't have any siblings and I haven't met Syaoran-kun's sisters to be able to compare.