NotW #59 Swoka Ikran

[Swoka Ikran]

Who are you?

Spoiler

Tell us about yourself! Where are you coming from, what languages do you speak, what do you do, how old are you, tell us a few words about your family, work etc. This is the job interview part.

My real name is Nick, although most of you on here know me as Swoka Ikran. I live in southeast Pennsylvania, about an hour west of Philadelphia in northern Chester County. I'm currently 19 years old and am in college.

I attend a branch campus of Penn State with major in Information Systems Technology. I'm a commuter, so I live at home. Currently on summer break and unemployed, although I do on occasion fix computers for money.

I have precisely zero friends who like Avatar (although I do know a Trekkie in college), so this website is all I have Not too surprising though, seeing that I don't have many friends, and that Avatar is the first time I've even been interested in sci-fi/movie scene.

Why are you here?

Spoiler

What brought you here to the Learn Na'vi forum in the first place? Did you fall in love with the language? With Pandora? With a character? Did someone invite you? Or did you stumble upon this site? Once here, why did you decide to stay? How much time do you spend here every day?

I've told this story a few times on here before...including earlier today

I discovered Avatar due to boredom on January 9th, 2010 (a Saturday). My parents wanted me to get out of the house since there was a snowstorm forecasted for Sunday. I had no idea what to do, so I looked at the movie listings.

I'd never heard of Avatar before, and when I read the description posted on the theater website, it sounded like a bad movie made with an oversized budget, so I passed on it at first. With nothing else decent playing, I decided to go see it anyway with my mother. I left the theater wanting to see it again. I was just amazed by what I'd seen. I saw it 6 more times in the theater over the course of the year (2 were SE viewings).

I started lurking here sometime in February after being snowed in by an abnormally large blizzard that dumped almost 3 feet of white stuff on us. I just randomly decided to google Na'vi because I was bored, and this site was the first on the list. I didn't join initially because I belonged to 4 other forums at the time.

I finally joined LN in April after one of those forums went under. I was forced to leave a second forum when I graduated high school since it was run on the HS's intranet, and a third folded in November. I'm inactive on the 4th, so LN is the only board I actively participate on.

Where do your alias and profile pic come from?

Spoiler

Do they have a special significance? Is you alias a translation of your real name, or just a bunch of random letters thrown together? Is that you on your profile pic?

The 2 words in my name, Swoka Ikran (or in English, "Sacred Banshee") come from two different places. I liked the concept of the banshee at the time (and still do!), so I started with "Ikran".

The "swoka" part actually comes from oeyä sa'nok leru skxawng...she somehow managed to not realize (until I told her) that toruk was an entirely different species from ikran. After she saw it for the first time, she referred to Toruk as "that sacred bird" on the car ride home.

I remembered that conversation when I made my account, and liked the sound of "Swoka Ikran", so I used it My pic is just a generic one of Ney on her banshee.

Srak nga tsun nìna'vi pivlltxe?

Spoiler

How well? Why did you start to learn it? What is your ultimate goal with the language? Do you have specific methods/tools you use in learning the language? How did your friends, family, or colleagues react to your interest in learning Na'vi? Have you told them at all? Have you converted any of them?

No unfortunately I like it, and do know enough to read quite a bit of stuff on here, but can't write/speak it beyond simple stuff. I don't actively spend time studying it either, but I noticed I'm learning it slowly just by being here Looking up words in the dictionary several times also helps...

What's you favorite Na'vi word? Did you incorporate it (or others) into your everyday vocab?

Probably Irayo.

Irayo and skxawng are the only two I use in everyday English.

In your opinion, what are the top three user-created content on the LN website?

Spoiler

Anything from the main site, the wiki, or the forum including language docs, threads, quotes, literary works, images, etc.

* Taronyu's Dictionaries
* Na'vi in a Nutshell
* Either VrrtepCLI or Seed of Language...I can't decide which.

Have you made any contributions to the LN community that you're particularly proud of?

Spoiler

What made you make those? Do you plan on contributing (again) in the future? How?

I've published a few things here on LN 6 things so far...in order chronologically with earliest first:

* Avatray
* Seed of Language Lesson Converter for v2.x
* Countdown sigbars
* The Na'vi Word of the Day Sigbars (probably my most well-known work)
* Windows version of VrrtepCLI
* Sacred's Sigbar Tool (just released right before I wrote this NotW post )

What is it that you liked/hated the most about Avatar ?

Spoiler

How many times have you seen it? How big of an Avatard are you? Prove it!

I don't think I could pick one thing I liked or hated about Avatar...I loved the whole thing.

I've seen the movie 43 times to date, not counting partial viewings, the times I listened without watching, or the times I watched without audio.

As for being an "avatard"...sort of. I've got a decent-size collection of stuff from the movie. Pics if anyone's interested: http://forum.learnnavi.org/avatar-et-cetera/my-avatar-collection/ (I've since hung the posters and gotten a few extra things...need to take some new ones at some point.)

Has Avatar  changed your life in any way?

Spoiler

Are you trying to become a Na'vi? How and to what extent? Do you live on a tree? Do you wear your hair in a long braid? Or are you just simply blue? Do you bond with animals? Is Gaia on your contact list? Did you have your photo 'shopped?

It's definitely made me more conscious about what we're doing to our environment...and I now recycle pretty much anything I can, including stuff I used to just toss in the nearest trash bin.

Aside from that, it has made me think more about things I used to just ignore as unimportant...

If you could ask Frommer or Cameron three movie or language related questions what would they be?

Spoiler

You can make requests specific words/expressions too.

* Cameron: Will we see the surface of Polyphemus in the future?
* Cameron: Any idea how much Avatar 2/3 will cost to make?
* Frommer: Am I correct in assuming the language will keep being worked on for a long while after Avatar 3 comes and goes?

What else do you do in you free time?

My hobbies, Avatar and computer programming. Recently, my free time been spent developing Avatar-related programs. It's a good way to enjoy both at once

Other forms of entertainment I like include FailBlog and the like, action/crime-drama TV shows and crime-reality TV.

I also play video games, but not often. I do have a Wii, but it's mostly used for watching Avatar...

Name your top three favorite Earth animals from most favorite to least. Why those? What's the animal you're most terrified of?

I like all of them But, dogs are easily my favorite, and cats my least.

Not sure what the middle one would be...I'm thinking either fish or amphibians though.

Pirate, ninja, zombie, or robot?

Spoiler

Something else? Maybe a combo? Exactly what subtype? Why? (For those of you not so versed in trash tropes, this question basically amounts to asking "What superpowers would you like to have?")

Probably robot, because those seem most useful...

What three items would you take to a desert island and why?

Spoiler

Anything from books, movies, games, instruments, music, sporting equipment, etc. You'd be provided with means to fully utilize the chosen items – electricity, MP3 player, etc. –, but you couldn't use them for anything else. Escape is not possible.

* Tools needed to gather food and build a shelter.
* Medical supplies.
* Computer with internet connection, browser, and a copy of Avatar on the hard disk.

If you could travel to anywhere in space and time (including fictional universes), where would you go and why?

Pandora. I think the reason is obvious.

If you were granted one single wish what would it be?

More wishes since it's the logical choice.

What is a question you'd ask yourself? How would you answer it?

Q: Which of these questions was hardest for me to answer?
A: #17...

True or false?

Spoiler

Write three statements about yourself, the more extravagant the better. At least one of them must be true. At the end of the week, you'll have to tell which ones were truthful and which made up.

* I almost died in a car accident when I was 4.
* I'm in the 3% of the population with a condition that causes irreparable depth-perception loss, and can't properly see 3D as a result.
* I started learning computer programming when I was 7 years old.

What is the funniest, weirdest, or most embarrassing Na'vi or Avatar  related thing that has happened to you?

Spoiler

Something along the lines of a MLIA short.

Nothing too embarrassing. The only one I can think of is the time I said "Irayo" instead of "Thank you" to the waiter when I was out to dinner with my family.

...

Spoiler

Asked by the previous NotW.

From Maweyatan: Which clan would you be a part of if you were a Na'vi on Pandora?

Probably the Omaticaya. If not them, the Ikran Tribe of the Eastern Sea. Remember what I said about banshees in #3...

And finally, for the record: This is by far the longest post I've ever written here on LN.

EDIT: Fixed typo...what else is new?

['Itan Atxur]

Congrats!!

I remember that snow storm around the time Avatar came out. Made a small dent in it's opening weekend

I'm gonna go with false, true, true.

[Eywa'eveng-tìranyu]

Seykxel sì nitram, ma Swoka ikran!

Phew! I'm not the only programming-crazy one here!

My guesses: True/True/True

Have a nice week!

[Tirea Aean]

Congrats ma tsmukan!

TFT

I appreciate your help on vCLI
the sigbar tool is pretty sweet too.

Keep usin the programs you develop for us, and youll learn the language without too much effort! Only thing is grammar.

[Maria TunVrrtep]

Congratulations Swoka Ikran!!!

Who are you?

Spoiler

Tell us about yourself! Where are you coming from, what languages do you speak, what do you do, how old are you, tell us a few words about your family, work etc. This is the job interview part.

My real name is Nick, although most of you on here know me as Swoka Ikran. I live in southeast Pennsylvania, about an hour west of Philadelphia in northern Chester County. I'm currently 19 years old and am in college.

OMG that is too darn funny.  I'm originally from Delaware county.  I worked in Chester county for a while.  Small world!

True or false?

Spoiler

Write three statements about yourself, the more extravagant the better. At least one of them must be true. At the end of the week, you'll have to tell which ones were truthful and which made up.

* I almost died in a car accident when I was 4.
* I'm in the 3% of the population with a condition that causes irreparable depth-perception loss, and can't properly see 3D as a result.
* I started learning computer programming when I was 7 years old.

Hmm let's see ...
False
True (Well there is a strange condition that does this.  Not sure why I said true.)
True (since I know a lot of guys your age who started programming when they were 7 or so)

Have a great week, fellow Philadelphian!
ta Mrrìa TunVrrtep

[Swoka Ikran]

Irayo for the wonderful comments everybody

[Human No More]

Congratulations

I know the feeling of not knowing any Na'vi AFK all too well

Ts/Ng/Ng

[Dreamlight]

Conga-rats.

I'm going to say True, False, True.

[Alyara Arati]

Seykxel sì nitram!

T,F,T

Enjoy your week!

[Txonä Unil Stä'nìyu Rolyusì]

Ma Swoka Ikran tewti! Seykxel sì Nitram! I was wondering when you'd make it here

I have precisely zero friends who like Avatar (although I do know a Trekkie in college), so this website is all I have

I definitely feel your pain here. Not even my mate shares my love for Avatar. It's almost to the point where I'm not sure how much longer our relationship is going to last.

* Tools needed to gather food and build a shelter.
* Medical supplies.
* Computer with internet connection, browser, and a copy of Avatar on the hard disk.

I totally failed when answering this lol. I didn't notice it was asking for 3 things...I answered with like 7! But you've summed up nicely all the things I'd want

* I almost died in a car accident when I was 4.
* I'm in the 3% of the population with a condition that causes irreparable depth-perception loss, and can't properly see 3D as a result.
* I started learning computer programming when I was 7 years old.

I'm gonna say N/Ts/N

Ngeyä kintrr sivunu ngaru ma tsmukan

-Txonä Rolyu

[Txur’Itan]

Congratulations Swoka Ikran.

T/T/T

[akiwiguy]

Conga-rats ma tsmukan!
VrrtepCLI is epic, thanks for helping Tirea out with it

Ng/Ts/Ng

['Oma Tirea]

Seykxel nitramsì ma Swoka Ikran

'En seri: C/C/G

TBH you have done some awesome work, and your karma is probably underrated a little

[Swoka Ikran]

Irayo nìmun everybody!

Ma Swoka Ikran tewti! Seykxel sì Nitram! I was wondering when you'd make it here
I totally failed when answering this lol. I didn't notice it was asking for 3 things...I answered with like 7! But you've summed up nicely all the things I'd want

I almost made the same mistake until I re-read the question. It was 1am...

'En seri: C/C/G

I got the "Making an informed guess", but am confused as to how C and G are answers for a Ngay/Tsleng. (Maybe because it's midnight?)

['Oma Tirea]

C = Cleg = Tsleng = false
G = Gay = Ngay = true

[Swoka Ikran]

C = Cleg = Tsleng = false
G = Gay = Ngay = true

Hm...what language is that?

['Oma Tirea]

C = Cleg = Tsleng = false
G = Gay = Ngay = true

Hm...what language is that?

The language of the scientists, alu, the one we all came here to learn

[Swoka Ikran]

The language of the scientists, alu, the one we all came here to learn

I must be missing something...

The letters C and G aren't even in the Na'vi alphabet. Are they just abbreviations? (e.g. C=Ts, G=Ng)

['Oma Tirea]

The language of the scientists, alu, the one we all came here to learn

I must be missing something...

The letters C and G aren't even in the Na'vi alphabet. Are they just abbreviations? (e.g. C=Ts, G=Ng)

Correct (hìtxoa for not explaining that part earlier).

[Swoka Ikran]

Correct (hìtxoa for not explaining that part earlier).

Irayo for the clarification.