Chapter 16: BC [bonus chapter]

Failed Heroʼs Second Chance in a Magicless World is set (mostly) in Singapore, the year 2018. Here are nine details featured in the chapters so far that people unfamiliar with Singapore may have missed!

1. “Sohai, what’s your problem?” [Chapter 2]

Every now and then, I'm sure you will have noticed characters using words that stray from English to refer to other charas, like “sohai”, “chibai” etc. These are actually vulgar slangs that if you try to translate to English, gives you quite the creative insults. Just for example, “sohai” literally means ‘stupid vagina’ in Cantonese.

2. “No smoking in HDB carparks.” [Chapter 2]

Not only is this an actual law enforced in Singapore by the National Environmental Agency, it also comes with a fine of $200! (precisely why Singapore is called a ‘fine’ city) I guess Avery was saving the guy his money by taking away his cigarettes? 

Also, HDB here refers to public apartments/flats built by the government. Usually the low to middle classes live in HDB flats (this is dependent on many factors, like location,value and age of the apartment).

Sembawang Estate. Averyʼs home is set in this humble lower-middle class town in the North of Singapore.

 

Canberra Estate. Terasia’s home is in this upscale middle-class neighbourhood located just beside Sembawang.

3. “On your way home, remember to buy your ten year series” [Chapter 2]

“Ten year series”, also known as TYS, are the mandatory assessment books used in all Singapore schools. They feature past exam papers from the last ten years, hence their name. 

4. “I look like an ang moh now” [Chapter 2]

Another phrase that strays from English, “ang moh” is Singlish for Westerners. Fun fact: it is officially recognised by the Oxford English Dictionary as acceptable English since 2016!

5. “We’re stopping by Gong Cha first” [Chapter 3]

Established in Taiwan in 2006, Gong Cha is one of many bubble tea brands that has established themselves in Singapore and around the world. Not sponsored btw, I just love Gong Cha.

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6. “She showed us her ticket, which had ‘NS12 Canberra’ as the destination” [Chapter 3]

Each train station in Singapore has its own unique station code. For Canberra station, its station code is NS12, which means it is the 12^th station on the North-South line. Fun fact: Canberra station was actually still under construction at the time this story is set in (May 2018), but...let’s just say this is a goof that managed to go undetected until my final draft, and I’m too lazy to fix it now.

You can see the station codes for the other stations here too!

7. Class 19S07G [Chapter 4]

Ever wondered what’s with the confusing name for Avery’s class? ‘19’ refers to the 19^th batch of students to enter Kancil Junior College since it was founded, while ‘S07G’ is the identifier for the specific class. Incidentally, Seraphine’s class, 19A01A, uses the letter A instead of S because Seraphine is in the Arts stream, ie she doesn not take any science subjects (Chemistry, Biology or Physics).

8. Kancil Junior College [Chapter 4]

Speaking of Class 19S07G, Kancil Junior College (and the town it is located at, Bukit Kancil) does not actually exist in reality. ‘Kancil’ means mouse deer in Malay; it is also the name for a famous car in Malaysia and Singapore, the Perodua Kancil.

9. Terasia Luk Mo Wong [Chapter 4]

The name that Terasia uses as her human name actually contains two easter eggs! ‘Terasia Luk’ is derived from her real name Lukterasia, and ‘Mo Wong’ is Cantonese for ‘Demon Lord’.

And that is all for this short bonus chapter, see you in the next chapter! 

-killwrites

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