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youwontlikethisblog · 3 years

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I'm not a woman of my word lol

LMBO SCREW IT I'LL TALK ABOUT MORE THAN ONCE SCENE JUST DON'T EXPECT IT TO BE GOOD(honestly I want to binge watch the entire show but then see one thing and I'm like this deserves an entire post!)

Betty brings him his caldo and he gets in the way and takes it from her hands and thanks her. The phone rings and she rushes to her office and Mario mocks him by saying "Oh but she spoils you" Armando then turns to look at Betty's office like he realized that she is like that with him.

However the moment is ruined, remember again how when Mario told Armando that Nicolas was after their money even then Armando didn't want to continue with the plan but now that he hears Betty's conversation with Nicolas all of a sudden 'it's for the good for the company I must make her fall in love'. This clashes stupidly with the actions before.

"Ay Betty, I don't know if I woke up with my liver or brain because everything is still party, praty, point is I woke up with a pretty bad hangover."

Betty not once has gotten mad, showed annoyance or really indicated to Armando that she personally cares about him and his hangover as she tells him that the caldo is only because he needs to be on his best for the sake of the company's benefit.

Now Armando hears Betty upset with Nicolas over his drinking as she says:

"Ay no, Nicolas. Don't tell me you started to drink with him."

Nicolas goes on to say he is an easy prey to peer pressure and that the word no is not in his vocab that if she sees it floating around there to send it his way.

"I just don't like for you to go into those kinds of places where you spend it drinking." now Armando seems annoyed and Mario looks at him shocked at what he's hearing.

Armando and Mario have now first hand witnessed the dynamic of Nicolas and Betty in the work world. Nicolas informs Betty of the situation Eco Moda/Terra Moda is facing and Betty calls the shots. Just like Betty had told them two days before.

So it shouldn't be a cause of concern as now Betty proceeds to tell them exactly what went down, again showing that they are trustworthy.

I don't have to explain once more who is concerned and worry about who and what. *See the Betty, My Betty posts 1-3

Mario then tells Armando(After he[Mario] sent off a guilty Betty to get some paperwork from Marcela) that he doesn't like that Nicolas is becoming friends with the lawyers and he needs to prepare for a sober night with Betty.

Armando doesn't say anything.

Again, it could not be more clear who is actually distrusting in this situation.

Betty walks into Marcela's office and after she sees she's busy she goes off on a daydream, more like a day-nightmare as we see the penance of her guilty conscious accuse her in the form of Marcela.

As Betty returns to their offices Patty stops her and asks when she's getting her paycheck, to which Betty replies that she doesn't know but sometime that weekend and goes to Armando's office.

In there she gently shuts the door and in a low tone tells him that Marcela didn't have the papers. Armando now turns away from her and gives her his back, again this could show guilt but also anger(that she showed more concern over Nic being hungover than him) as he doesn't want to see her. Betty then proceeds to ask him if he's alright to which he replies that he has a hellish headache.

Betty tells him she'll get him some pain relief and picks up the tray of dishes to take with her. In this moment as Betty nears the door Patty opens the doors loudly and starts to yell.

Betty looks mad at Patty as she is yelling at Armando.

Why does she?

Betty has been very, extremely, attentive to Armando, more than the usual. She's taken notice of his demeanor, respected his evasiveness, spoken in a more hushed voice, gotten him food to get him to feel better, hasn't made much noise knowing that he's hungover and trying to keep his office peaceful and calm as well as instantly telling him she'd get him some relief for his headache but in an instant all of her efforts to keep him well are brought down by Patty who goes to at yell at him for her paycheck.

One: well she legit threw away all her work to keep Armando at peace

Two: she doesn't like that Patty is yelling at him and accusing her.

"[...] Betty when will it be possible to pay this...bleach blonde?"

Betty clears her throat and gently speaks "until this weekend. I had already talked to her about it, Sir."

More talking, Armando asks Betty to bring him what she promised and she tells him "right away" and leaves, Patty then pushes her away and Betty gently shuts his office doors.

She returns with the alka-seltzer and a glass of water for him and sets it in front of him. He once again keeps his eyes low.

Betty jokingly tells him that she warn him not too drink too much and now he's got a bad hangover and she laughs lightly. She then tells him she'll go get the paperwork from Marcela once more and asks if Mario has his too.

As she leaves the office Armando looks in pain because of his headache and again, guilty.

Betty stands outside Marcela's office door as she hear her and Patty talk bad about how she's dressed and how embarrassing it must've been for Armando to be seen with her the night before. They start to insult her and downplay Betty and she visibly looks upset but not in a sad way but angry.

This pushes Betty to not feel guilty over the entire situation(affair to be) with Armando.

This is her first mistake.

Her second being she is permitting herself to be involved and a willing participant in an affair with an engaged man. Armando isn't the only one to blame about this. They are both responsible and at fault for the dissolving of a (toxic) relationship and engagement. Did he make the first advances? Yes but at the end when the ball was in her court she willinging decided to throw her shot. This was her biggest sin, up to this point.

Betty is now talking about the sales report that Marcela gave her and the money they have to pay the banks. She then tells him that she'd like to talk to Mario regarding his reports. Armando has his shades, covering with his hand around his eyes, again he isn't able to make eye contact with Betty and doesn't want her to see him.

He then removes his shades and while explaining that Mario might be busy he tries to make eye contact but again looks away from her.

They both agree to wait for Mario and FINALLY after everything that has happened they make eye contact.

The previous times that Armando and Betty have had to wait for someone to call, or show up to the office Betty stared at Armando who would then catch her and tell her to get going or basically kicked her out of his office however this time it plays out differently.

They make eye contact for a minute or so.

While Armando is tense but staring at Betty she starts to get fidgety in her seat and says "I'll go wait in my office, Sir."

This time Betty is the one that removes herself and not Armando basically kicking her out or sending her away from him.

(I just realized I finished my cheese crackers and this makes me sad)

Armando then calls Mario to please get to his office that he can't be by himself with Betty anymore.

Now something happened with Sofia bla bla bla.

Mario shows up at Armando's office and asks if anything has happened, if she has exceeded herself with bla bla bla and Armando tells him that nothings happened.

"She talks about the banks, the payroll, about the loans, she talks about everything minus what we need to talk about." Armando (WANTS TO TALK ABOUT THE KISS WITH BETTY HE WANTS TO BE VULNERABLE WITH HER. Okay now that my irrational side has let lose let's get to the objective writer side.) displays a classic behavior of confusion and sadness.

"Which is?" Mario shrugs.

"Well what happened last night. Calderon, I don't know if this is right or wrong but I'm starting to feel really awful. I feel really uncomfortable when I'm by myself with her. The only thing she's scolded me for is this hellish hangover I've got."

Armando isn't scared that Betty is going to take advantage of him or cross lines. He feels uncomfortable because Betty won't talk about it, like it's not a big deal or important to her. He feels uncomfortable with the silence of it all and he's having to fill in the blanks.

Now Marcela and Sofia are talking about about Jasmine and Sofia getting fired.

The other day I was writing a draft for Armando's toxic behavior(I said I'd write a post dedicated to just his toxic/abusive tendencies) and hit this wall of realization. While to some degree I connect with Marcela being a victim of gaslighting, to another it's really hard to understand why she is in the relationship even though she shows no sign of insecurity or bad self-image/worth or threaten to stay. See when I was in this terrible toxic friendship I was gaslit to the point that their perception of me became mine I still remember the exact day I looked at myself in the mirror and broke down in tears calling myself ugly(I'm fine now lol) and I still remember the feelings I felt every time I was given the cold-shoulder and silent treatments as a form of punishment for calling the out on their lies while having witnesses(Now I wasn't a saint sometimes my anger would blind me and I'd say pretty mean stuff. This is why I call it a toxic friendship). To this day I feel shame for that and find ways to blame myself for it all. Gaslighting isn't just manipulation it is the warping of someone's reality and their understanding of the world surrounding them. It really messes you up.

So as much as I want to be understanding of Marcela and find excuses as to why she stays that don't have to do with her ego, I can't.

The thing is that when you are a victim of abuse you don't have an ego. You don't stay with the person because you believe they're the only person you'll ever love, no, you stay because you believe they are the only person who will ever love you and these are two very different mindsets.

In this episode you can see that. Marcela doesn't have bad self-image or self-worth. She thinks she's above the women that Armando sleeps with. She believes she's above Betty. She has a pretty big ego. She often places herself before anyone. She takes Armando's decisions as personal attacks which means she believes to be the center of his universe. All of these are characteristics of someone with a big ego. She doesn't compare herself to Armando's conquest but rather blames them for his affairs. They're the bad ones because they decided to sleep with him(yes they are to blame because they are aware of his relationship statues but so is Armando and she needs to hold that fool accountable as well) because Armando is just a fool who likes to shove it where he can, as long as they've got statues. She knows Armando has a strict palate for women and the fact the he is marrying her means she's the best of the best, even with affairs being involved.

I can go on and on about this which is why I'm dedicating a post to Marcela just about this(It's in my drafts. I need to watch the rest of the show to really understand her character. I don't just want to be like "Marcela is the only abuser" because she's not. ) Anyway this scene just reminded me of that because here she displays that boastful attitude as she tells Sofia to behave and have dignity regarding Jasmine working there and that she'll talk to Guti Guti regarding the cuartel being fired for standing with Sofia but that she'll accept Betty's resignation letter.

(Honestly watching Bertha eat Ruffles makes me crave them rn)

The ending of this episode is Marcela kissing Armando good-bye and telling him she'll wait for him at her apartment.

This wasn't a heavily emotional episode so there isn't much to breakdown however the small bits we do get move the plot forward and are details that are important to the coming episodes.

The one scene I am really looking forward to breaking down, that totally highlights this whole "Armando is in denial" plot is the one where he fights Roman and his friends.

But until then I'll see y'all next time!

#armando mendoza #don armando #armando ysblf #analysis of ysblf #betty #beatriz pinzon solano #betty pinzón solano #betty ysblf #betty la fea #yo soy betty la fea #marcela valencia #mario calderon #nicolas mora #i need to go to sleep

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theimprobabledreamersworld · 3 years

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For the love of vocab cards.

Soo... another story written for @analogicalweek :D This is for day 5, prompt: Vocab cards. This again is a bit longer than my previous ones, but hopefully it’s worth it!

This is another College AU, Logan helps Virgil revise for an exam and leaves him a surpise to get through it on the day :) Hope you like it!

Taglist: @psychedelicships @edupunkn00b @jwillowwolf @look-ma-im-on-tv @kacklingisanart :) If anyone would like to be added, let me know! :D

For the love of vocab cards.

Word count: 1765

No warnings that I’m aware of :)

Virgil sat in an abandoned corner of the college library, just reading a textbook and finishing his third book of notes. He was desperately trying to revise for this exam tomorrow, but after four hours; his brain had reached its capacity of trying to retain information. It didn’t help that it was for a science exam and he hated that subject with a passion. There were too many long words with complicated meanings that he could never remember. He also just about understood equations when it came to math, but he had no idea how to apply them to science. Virgil belonged within the Performing Arts side of college, he loved music technology in particular and he loved creating all kinds of new music with the different pieces of equipment littered throughout the department. However, if he wanted to get onto next year’s course in Music Tech, he still had to pass the core subjects of math, english and science. Despite his unbridled hatred for the subject, he couldn’t help but smile whenever he remembered that he met Logan, his boyfriend of nearly two years, in the science labs.

It was the first day of class. They were assigned seats next to each other, and despite Virgil’s anxiety telling him otherwise, they seemed to get on extremely well. Logan was wearing a button up shirt, tailored trousers and large framed glasses, and Virgil had to admit that the ensemble looked amazing on him. Whereas Virgil was in his classic purple shirt, purple patchwork jacket and ripped jeans. They could not have looked like total opposites if they tried. Eventually the teacher started the class and was monotonously trying to explain the more complex concepts of the Periodic Table. Logan must have noticed just how confused Virgil was because he began to write something down on some blank vocabulary cards, all while Virgil stared at the whiteboard helplessly. After a while, Logan tapped Virgil lightly on the shoulder and he jumped. When he looked down at Logan’s hands, he was surprised at what he saw. It was a set of about ten vocabulary cards, and as Virgil took them and looked through them all, he could see that Logan had written out everything the teacher was explaining. However, Logan’s explanation was actually comprehensible, and Virgil genuinely started to understand the work they had been given. He looked at Logan who had a small but sincere smile on his face, and Virgil almost lost his words as he stared into Logan’s eyes. He managed to shyly utter a thank you to Logan while blushing an extremely bright shade of pink. Logan smiled back before turning his attention to the work before the teacher could inevitably come over and have a go at them. That’s where everything started.

Virgil was snapped out of this trip down memory lane by two hands covering his eyes. The familiar scent of aftershave and coffee reassured him about who was standing behind him. Their identity was confirmed with the light kiss on Virgil’s neck and a soft voice saying “Guess who? My Storm Cloud.” Virgil smiled and removed the hands gently from over his eyes.

“I couldn’t hazard a guess, Pocket Protector.” He turned and stood up to give Logan a much-needed hug for them both. He forgot that he said they’d meet after Logan had finished his extra revision session for the same exam. That was the only reassuring thing… they wouldn’t be able to talk or anything, but at least they’d be in the same room tomorrow.

Logan chuckled as he hid his face in Virgil’s neck. “How’s the revision going? Have you taken a break at all?”

“Horribly… I’ve been here for four hours and I still don’t understand a single word that I’m writing down. My brain is not absorbing any of this.” He sighed and was on the verge of crying. “What’s the point of me trying, Lo? I just need to accept that I won’t pass tomorrow.” He couldn’t stop a tear running down his cheek as he thought about how important tomorrow was. Logan closed the space between them, and softly wiped the tear off Virgil’s face. He lifted his chin up, making sure Virgil was looking into his eyes.

“Now you listen to me, Starlight. You are much smarter than you think, and you are stronger than you know. The main reason you’re struggling to remember things right now is because you’re stressed. You’ve cooped yourself into a small corner of this extremely large space and haven’t taken a break for a significant period of time. Let’s sit here and watch something while you drink this coffee I got you. I’ve finished my revision for this exam, so I’ll help you sort out some vocabulary cards for you to take in tomorrow before we go home. Sound good?” Logan looked at the smile starting to form on Virgil’s face and knew that he was okay. Virgil nodded as they sat down, and he snuggled up against a nearby wall with his coffee and took a sip while waiting for Logan.

“Ahh, you know my coffee order?” Virgil asked in a flirty voice as Logan set up his laptop and put on an episode of Parks and Rec. “Of course I do.” In a voice that made it sound like the most obvious thing in the world.

As they watched the episode, Logan ran his fingers through Virgil’s hair and kissed his forehead at random intervals because he loved how Virgil smiled every single time. When the coffee was finished, Logan got up and pulled over a chair to the table so they could finish the last bit of Virgil’s revision. They worked for an hour and Virgil felt more confident when he could answer the questions Logan asked him, that made him feel so much better.

“Alright, do you want to go now? I think we’ve covered everything. No more revising for you today, you’ve done more than enough!” Logan started to pack up Virgil’s things and Virgil looked relieved to be leaving.

“Yes please! I don’t think I could do anymore if I tried anyway. I really owe you for this, love. Let me go put these extra books away, I’ll be back in a minute.” He smiled and quickly kissed Logan before taking the books back to the shelves.

“Tell you what, write a song for me on your crazy music gadgets and we’ll call it even, okay?” Logan called out after Virgil as he walked away.

“You have a deal!” Virgil called back. He smiled and waited until Virgil was completely out of sight before grabbing some blank vocabulary cards and wrote on them furiously. He attached them to Virgil’s exam ones and put them into his bag just before he came back around the corner. Virgil stared at his boyfriend with a playful glare, knowing something suspicious had just happened, but then laughed before leaving the library hand in hand with his boyfriend going to Logan’s car.

They pulled up outside Virgil’s house, he grabbed his bag and Logan walked with him to the door. “Alright, so keep everything in your bag so it’s all in there for tomorrow. Get some food and watch something funny okay? I’ll pick you up in the morning.” He kissed Virgil gently, “I love you.” He turned to walk to the car, but Virgil pulled him back to kiss him again.

“I love you too! Thank you for today. I promise the song I’ll write for you will be the best one yet.” They both smiled and Logan reluctantly pulled away to head home. He still had some revision to do after all.

Morning came all too quickly. Virgil was feeling incredibly nervous as predicted, but he managed to have some breakfast and waited at the front door for Logan to arrive. He saw the car pull up and Logan beeped the horn twice as he normally did. He got out of the car and waited for Virgil to run up for their morning hug. He spun him around a couple of times which made Virgil laugh and kissed him.

“Are you ready to go? Everything is going to be okay. I promise.” Logan said with the most reassuring smile that made Virgil feel safe and secure.

“Yup. Might as well get this over and done with!” He smiled and got into the car. They turned the music up and sang along at the top of their lungs. Virgil would never admit that singing along to cheesy pop songs was his ultimate way to calm down.

They got to college and signed in before sorting their things and heading towards the exam room. Logan gave him a quick hug and they walked into the room together before finding their seats. They both looked amused when they realized that they were sitting next to each other, one row apart. Virgil took the opportunity to look the vocabulary cards over before they were allowed to start. He looked puzzled when he came across some that definitely weren’t there yesterday. His heart swelled when he read them one after the other.

‘You are amazing.’ ‘You are the smartest, most talented person I’ve ever met.’ ‘You can do absolutely anything the world throws at you. I know you can.’ ‘I’m so proud of you.’ ‘I love you to the ends of the unknown universe and back.’

Virgil couldn’t hide his smile as he held the cards as close to his heart as possible. He turned to Logan who had clearly been watching him the entire time. He mouthed thank you at Logan, who winked in response. Just like that, they announced the start of the exam and Virgil immediately felt like he could do this. They both sneaked loving glances at each other throughout, a silent and unnoticeable gesture of encouragement. Then it was all over, and the relief was almost overwhelming.

When the results came through a few weeks later… Virgil was ecstatic to know that he passed, and unsurprised that Logan got full marks. He knew that without those vocabulary cards Logan made, he would never have believed in himself enough to do everything he could to pass the crucial test. Despite being complete opposites when they met, Virgil knew that now they were two halves of the same coin, they completed each other perfectly. There was only one thing left to do now…

He had one hell of a song to write for the one and only love of his life.

#analogical week #thomas sanders #logan sanders #virgil sanders #analogical #fluff #ts fandom #ts fanfic #ts logan #ts virgil #college au #i'm pretty happy with it #:):):)

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meichenxi · 3 years

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For the ask game! 9, 12, and 22?

Yay more askies :D this is going to be likewise long!

9) What does a week in your language learning routine look like?

- I’m not particularly disciplined in the way that I study, though I do tend to study most days. I’m very good at making plans but less at following them consistently, so this is a more realistic depiction of what I do!

- Because I’m currently studying with HSK Online and they have two classes a week which cover about 3 chapters, I have a lot of vocabulary and grammar that I need to cover in the app before attending those classes, so most of my studies at the moment are focused on getting that done. So:

Vocabulary and grammar:

(I do this all most days, depending on what exactly I need to do for the next lesson, but I try to do Quizlet every day)

1) I go through the vocabulary and grammar lessons, and write down the vocab and any example sentences.

2) When I input this into Quizlet, I use Baidu Translate to look at example sentences to get a better feel for how the word is used. I also write a couple of sentences / say a couple of sentences with each word. Baidu Translate is a fantastic tool, much better for Chinese than Google Translate, and it has an example sentences section where you can get the pinyin if you hover over the characters.

3) After I feel I vaguely know the words for that day, I will go back and actively study them on Quizlet. For any words I forget I’ll write more sentences, or look at more examples. If there are any grammar points, I look them up on Chinese grammar wiki.

Input and reading

(I don’t do these at any specific time, but luckily I quite enjoy this section so am very happy to Consume Media)

1) Try to read something every day. It doesn’t matter exactly what this is - often it’s Bilibili comments! I also like to skim through my graded reader and try to practice scan-reading.

2) I do dedicated HSK-style reading practice a few times a week as well. Again, I use the HSK Online app for this. It’s terrifying but necessary. This one I do have to motivate myself to do.

3) I watch a lot of Chinese shows. Some with English subs, some with Chinese subs. My favourites include The Untamed (obviously), Nirvana in Fire (will always need the subs for this rip), Tian Guan Ci Fu (a donghua on Bilibili) and Street Dance of China. I probably watch a good 5-10 hours of TV a week.

4) I learn other things through Chinese. So I watch lectures or courses on Bilibili or do workout videos. I especially like watching videos teaching beginners Cantonese and Japanese, two languages I am interested in learning, as well as Literary Chinese.

5) I listen to podcasts in Chinese when I’m walking around. My favourites include 聊聊东西, 听故事学中文 and 面包吐司. They are all in Chinese, but all specifically designed for foreigners, though the first and last are not learning podcasts, just podcasts of fairly accessible content where people chat about things like smoking, health, dating and so on. The second one is a podcast where stories are read in Chinese, and then explained sentence-by-sentence in Chinese, so it’s more ‘learning’.

12 - What tips would you give to people that want to study the language/s you’re studying?

1) It’s an uphill slog, but you’re at the hardest place right now. So if you feel discouraged, if you feel overwhelmed, nobody else got it after one month either! It will take time, but is there anything worthwhile that doesn’t?

2) Invest in good pronunciation training right from the beginning. If you can’t take classes, watch videos (YoYo Chinese, Outlier Chinese, Mandarin Blueprint etc have good tone series). Practice tone pairs. Tone pairs are your saviours. Practice repeating what the speaker actually says, not what you think they say. Learn a little bit about phonetics.

3) Listen to Chinese right from the get go, as much as you can. Listening is many people’s weakest area, especially if they are learning it in a non-Chinese speaking environment. Play podcasts all the time. Differentiate between ‘learning’ podcasts (which will mostly be in English at the beginning), and podcasts that just train your ear to the sounds of Chinese. Have Chinese podcasts on all the time, regardless of whether you understand them or not.

4) Invest in a structured course. I don’t necessarily mean classes with a teacher, though if you can I would recommend italki (feel free to contact me to see which teachers I’d recommend). But consider something like Chinese Zero to Hero, where they have videos explaining HSK1 through to HSK6. It’s about 100 dollars, but even if you have to save up for a few months to get that, I’d recommend it. Why? Because Chinese is overwhelming and there’s so much to learn. Having someone to tell you what you need to learn next is an absolute god-send. Plus, they know more than you what beginners need to tackle. They also have beginner-appropriate audio, which is absolutely crucial to learning to speak. I really would recommend this course.

5) Learn properly about how characters work from the get go. Learn about phonetic and semantic components. Learn what types of characters there are, learn the most common components, and learn to hand-write them too.

6) Record yourself speaking as much as you can. Play it back. How does it sound? Record it again.

7) Practice reading from the moment you have around 150 characters. There are excellent physical graded readers as well as apps like The Chairman’s Bao and Du Chinese. THIS IS SO IMPORTANT, PLEASE DON’T LEAVE IT OUT. It takes time for you to get used to reading in a second language, especially one with unfamiliar characters.

8) Decide whether you’re going for traditional or simplified, and stick with it. Do not learn both unless you have a very good reason. If you think you might go to Hong Kong or Taiwan, have family there, want to read literary Chinese, or even understand ‘deeper’ how certain characters have developed, you can learn traditional, but if you’re less than 100% sure, go with simplified. It’s easier for beginners, and if you have a good level of simplified Chinese, traditional isn’t that hard to pick up later down the line - some common characters are completely different, but many are different in very predictable ways. If you are not absolutely sure you are going to need traditional, I’d recommend simplified.

9) Really, really consider your motivation. Why are you learning? Do you just think it would be cool? It is cool, but that’s not enough of a reason to embark on any language, much less one with extra difficulties like Chinese. In an ideal situation, you’d be intrinsically motivated all the time: but that’s not always going to happen. Do you have Chinese family you’d like to communicate with better? Do you want to travel to a Chinese speaking country? Do you want to read Chinese poetry? Do you just really love Xiao Zhan?? If you’re doing it ‘for your career’, please bear in mind that you won’t get any points for learning half a language. If you’re not willing to engage with the culture and the people, you’re just not going to be successful long term.

10) Find things you like watching / listening to / reading in Chinese as soon as you can. Bored? Unmotivated? Stick a favourite episode of your favourite drama on. It still technically counts as immersion, and when your language skills are better, you’ll be able to use that as your textbook!! Try and find something that will make you want to read or listen in Chinese, and then it won’t feel like a chore. It’ll also become a motivation, because inevitably the more you explore the Chinese language internet, the more you’ll find things you can’t interact with in translation and need your language skills for.

22 - How has learning about the culture of the country impacted your language learning?

Hmm, this is a really interesting question!! I'll have to answer in a few ways.

1) I'm interested in a lot of things about Chinese culture, which fuelled my interest for learning Chinese, and also let me learn in a more fun way. I’m a huge tea nerd, I enjoy listening to Chinese traditional music though I know very little about it, and I enjoy calligraphy. I think that some hanfu is just objectively the most gorgeous clothing on the planet and I enjoy Chinese water-and-mountain style landscape art. I also love the karst landscapes of some parts of southern China (OH MY GOD LIMESTONE MY FAVOURITE ROCK) and I’ve had a faded picture of Zhangjiajie on my wall since I was about nine. This is very different from my experience with German: I love the German language, and I have a lot of great friends from German-speaking countries, but I’m not intrinsically interested in the culture the same way I am Chinese-speaking countries. Because there’s so much I want to learn, it gives me a) huge motivation for continuing studying, b) makes it a more holistic, rounded experience, and c) provides me with wonderful study materials. At the intermediate level, I can avoid textbooks if I really want to and just learn about tea. Isn't that just the dream. Also, realistically, if I want to be able to read poetry in literary Chinese, my modern Chinese has to be a lot better. So I’m very motivated because of this.

2) My interest in martial arts! I originally started learning Chinese because I had gotten interested in Chinese culture via wuxia and martial arts. My dad is a huge martial arts nerd. By that I don’t mean someone who sits on his sofa all day with a nunchuck collection and Bruce Lee pictures, I mean he gets up at 6 every day and trains for about 2-3 hours. He can run a 5:30 minute mile aged 56. I have so much respect for this man, seriously. He used to practice karate, taekwondo and Muay Thai, but after he got sick he started with taiji. He’s practiced taiji and qigong now every day for about twenty years. So I was brought up on a diet of Hong Kong and mainland Chinese martial arts cinema - my dad would regularly show me clips of films because I couldn’t watch the whole ones until I was older, and get into trouble when my mum came back! We spent hours learning forms together and doing push-hands in the kitchen. Even now when we go home our form of affection is trying to kick each other without being kicked back lmao. I discovered the Jin Yong books in English about 15 and was just entranced by the names of the movements, by the action, the galloping across the plains, the sweeping scenery. I have inherited this interest, and am also a huge martial arts nerd and so a large motivation for me learning Chinese is that a) I love the genre of wuxia and want to know more about it, and b) I’d like to spend a few years training at an academy in Wudang and want to be able to understand as much as possible and for that, I obviously need the language to a high level!!! I started jiu jitsu when I was 8, started a southern style of Kung Fu when I was fifteen, studied for a few months in China in an academy, and it’s been my dream to go back since.

3) Different cultural attitudes, the outside park culture, and how people talk to each other. I’m from the UK, alright - we don’t do things in public and we certainly don’t approach strangers!! So when I was in China this was one of the weirdest things to get used to, next to just the sheer amount of people (I grew up in a village of 2000). But though it was tiring at times, I liked it so much. It was so refreshing to have people ask me questions because they were curious, and start talking to me. One of the reasons that I think my accidental immersion-only approach to learning Chinese the first time I was in China worked was because I just couldn’t stay away from the parks. People practicing taiji, playing badminton, chilling with kids, doing calisthenics: isn’t that just so so cool??? And naturally if I was in the parks, people would chat to me. This patience and friendliness (because my Chinese truly was awful) combined with many people’s lack of ability / confidence in English meant that I was able to improve in a way which would have been impossible in, say, Germany or Finland. Can you imagine?? Once an old guy came up to me, peered over my shoulder at my (English) book, then announced loudly, ‘I can’t read it.’ I was like - can you read English?? He shook his head, and then pointed to a small boy: ‘This is my grandson. He’s learning English.’ That kind of interaction repeated daily, as well as being in a second-tier city where I had to speak Chinese, did so much for my language skills. It also made me very motivated to improve. Also, training and exercise is just a great way to meet people: no matter your language skills, if you are dedicated people are going to respect that, and if you’re both there every day, you’re going to get chatting eventually.

Phew, that got long again (what a surprise). But thank you very much for your questions!! :D

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jade-marie · 4 years

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GG 2x04 Rewatch

Not gonna lie, this is probably going to be the only episode I rewatch. The rest has been kinda tainted by 2x13 and s3.

Generally, my opinions tend not to line up with the majority of the fandom - sorry, not sorry.

1. What was your favourite scene of the episode? Tell us why!

It’s a tie between the bathroom break and the vette smash. Bathroom break - for obvious reasons - I’m a hoe and I live for that shit. The vette smash - I just vibe with Rio’s petty energy and the way you could see how much he was enjoying himself, Dean being metaphorically castrated by the guy who just fucked his wife... chef’s kiss.

2. Was there any scene that missed the mark for you? And if so, how?

I WISH beth would’ve bit back when Dean brought up the shooting. It irks me so much that she contnually rolls over for him. She spitefully gets payback, but rarely puts him in his place (if it were up to me, his place would be by boomer-jeff’s side in the dumpster)

3. This episode starts with each of the girls trying to make amends in their own way – Beth through her family, Ruby through charity and Annie through Marion. What do you think this tells us about each of them?

I feel like Beth and Ruby’s attempts at making amends always feel incredibly shallow and I can never tell if it’s down to shitty writing or if its because they genuinely don’t feel guilty. If’it’s the former - I’m not surprised. If it’s the latter - I hope the girls own their lack of remorse, in future.

Annie strikes me as the one who feels genuine guilt over a lot of this, and it’s been pretty consistent - even when Lucy died in S3. I think it makes sense for her to be the most cut up about it because she always struck me as someone who’s ruled by her emotions - she doesn’t exactly think before she acts, and is typically pretty impulsive.

4. Rio offers Beth the keys to the kingdom! This scene is always hotly debated in the fandom! What do you think he meant in the moment of it? Do you think he ever actually saw or even wanted Beth as a partner?

Straying from the general consensus, as usual - I don’t think he was playing her and I don’t think he planned to take a cut of whatever Beth came up with.

Personally, I don’t think it makes much sense. He’s already learnt that he gets further with Beth through praise and reward, as opposed to intimidation - more flies with honey, yada yada yada.

If the whole thing was just a manipulation it would have made more sense for him to convince her that he had faith in her and offer her a 25% cut of any cash washing operation she could come up with. She would’ve bit his hand off at the opportunity.

I think he was telling the truth when he said that he was done, I think he was genuinely flipping his game from cash to pills. At this point, Turner was looking closely and so it would make sense for Rio to want to distance himself from the counterfeit operation. He literally explained back in season one that it’s how he avoids being caught, he flips his game before the feds get too close.

I get the feeling that he probably didn’t intend to have much contact with Beth going forward and was going to leave her to do whatever she wanted with the rest of the money. It’s not that I think he wouldn’t manipulate her, he absolutely would. I just don’t really think it makes sense in this context.

5. Do you think Marion had any idea that Boomer was taking advantage of her?

I think it was probably similar to the situation with Beth, regarding Dean’s cheating: the thought was there, but she never really confronted the idea and lived in a comfy little denial bubble.

6. Dean’s attachment to the corvette is played in many different ways in s2! How do you interpret this?

I think it’s the perfect display of his narcissism and toxic masculinity. The car is as grandiose as his ego and he thinks it’s going to save the dealership, much like he thinks he’s going to be the one to save his family from ruin.

7. Why do you think Beth kept the money from Ruby and Annie?

I think she’s hugely manipulative and likes to be the be the one holding the cards. She only wanted to rob the store when she had her own problems to worry about and then convinced the girls to go along with it, she went to Rio to ask for more work back in season 1, she asked him to up their drops, the list goes on.

She tends to call the shots and drag them along for the ride, so it seems consistent with her personality that she’d keep the money to herself until she needed it, and then inform the girls.

8. The birth of the cars for cash business! Is this Beth’s best idea? Her worst? How do you rank it, both in general and among the girls’ other schemes? And do you think it could’ve worked longterm if Turner wasn’t so fixated on Beth?

Probably the best idea she came up with tbh. The others were pretty poorly thought through, as far as long term strategising goes. It could’ve worked really well if they had an accountant keeping the books looking kosher.

9. The Beth and Dean arc this episode is perhaps one of their most frustrating (in spite of the extremely cathartic resolution, haha). Do you think Dean’s belittling of Beth and his feelings of Beth emasculating him are new to their relationship or have been around for a long time? How do you think they really see each other?

I think they lived in a state of blissful ignorance and their initial interaction (love you, tunafish) was really indicative of that. Him belittling her was probably prevalent in the beginning of the relationship, but I think she probably just placated him and got on with her life. Now she’s clearly growing tired of his shit, just not. fast. enough.

I don’t think they’re in love though. I think Dean’s feelings for her are fuelled by narcissim. She’s obviously good looking and from the outside, he has it all. The house in the burbs, kids, hot wife, family business etc. That’s what he cares about - the image. I don’t think Beth is too dissimilar. I think she probably looked up to Judith as a teenager and idiolised that life, which Dean could provide. I don’t think she ever had deep, romantic, feelings for him. But she probaly does care for him, to an extent.

10. The Annie and Beth arc is also pretty telling of the characters’ history. It’s also one of the few times we’ve deliberately seen Beth seek out Annie for comfort (often it’s incidental that Annie’s there). What do you think this tells us about their relationship, both historically, and where they are at this point in the series?

I think it’s one of the few moments that their sibling bond is believable. It’s pretty accurate that, as Annie is maturing, she becomes less of a fuckup baby sister who needs everyone to clean up after her and grows into someone that beth can turn to for comfort/advice. Makes sense that this happens later in life, considering the significant age gap.

11. Ruby’s scene at the Quick Cash with JT is really significant – both in terms of it being a generally delightful scene, but also as a touchstone demonstration of Ruby’s increasing unwillingness to swallow her pride. Do you think Ruby prior to the series commencing would’ve reacted to JT’s goading in this way? And how do you think this scene compliments the scene earlier in the episode with Stan admitting he’s taken another loan too?

I thinks she would’ve wanted to, but literally couldn’t afford to. She had the means and opportunity to give him a dose of karma. But it’s always been in her nature to talk shit - diner dickweed in season 1. She refused to swallow her pride and apologise.

That, along with Stan taking another loan, seems to fit in well with the Hill’s entire arc of trying to be good people and being consistently shit on for it.

12. THE. BATHROOM. BREAK. That’s it. That’s the question. Please elaborate on your thoughts and feelings.

Am i supposed to be able to form thoughts or sentences that adequately express my feelings?

Petty king is also king of consent, he let beth take the lead - love it.

Judging from the papertowel dispenser, stroke game was strong.

Penis levitation is now a part of my vocab, thank you for your service, Rio.

10/10 - would definitely recommend being railed in a bathroom by this man.

13. Greg and Annie have what’s their last break-up in this episode (at least up until now). Why do you think this particular one stuck? And do you see any sort of future for them?

I feel like the key difference was Annie putting her foot down and saying “no”. Idk if I can see them getting back together, becasue I don’t think she’d have another affair when there’s a child in the mix and he’s too much of a pussy to divorce Nancy unless he has a guaranteed backup plan aka Annie. Still kinda ship it though.

14. Annnnd lastly, what do you make of the final scene at Boland Motors? What do you think Rio thought following both the bathroom break and this moment?

I think that Rio was genuinely flipping his game and moving away from cash and, in turn, Beth. But the bathroom break changed his mind, so he got curious and wanted to know what she came up with for the money, only to find out that she gave it to Dean. Given how possessive Rio is of his money, in combination with the feelings for Beth which had just been stirred up, I think his jealous side came out and he took back the money.

Up until this point, the entire Brio dynamic was him holding the power and exerting it whenever he saw fit. The second he followed her into that bathroom, he gave up whatever semblance of control or power he had left. The man is a very obvious control freak and so I don’t think he does well or feels secure in those situations. Him smashing up the car was basically an attempt to re-establish dominance and convince himself (and Beth) that he was still in control; with the added bonus of emasculating dean and making money.

And daaaayyyyyyyuuuuuuummmmm if I don’t enjoy watching that scene. The emasculation of Dean, Rio being petty, Beth malfunctioning at the possibility of Dean finding out she got dicked down in the bathroom, while he sat outside trying (and failing) to get the waiter’s attention. I DIE

#4am thoughts #rio's stroke game is obvs fire #would def care to experience it #dean is trash #hate him #die bitch #stan deserves the earth #petty ruby is iconic #annie is way smarter than anyone (including the writers) gives her credit for #gg rewatch 2x04 #gg rewatch

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rainbow-sides · 5 years

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A Hand to Hold: Chapter Seven

Summary: Patton befriends an isolated boy at his high school and soon develops feelings for him that aren’t just friendship. Navigating a relationship of any kind with Logan Barry isn’t easy, but it sure is worth it!

Pairings: romantic Logicality, possible background Prinxiety but I haven’t decided yet

Word Count: 1,739

Warnings: talk about bullying, ableism from a parent, very brief mention of Deceit, mentions of abusive therapy (implied ABA), food mention, mild spoilers for Doctor Who, anxiety, school stress,

Notes: ATTENTION I am no longer using a taglist. Instead, please follow and click notifications for the blog @rainbow-sides-fics. I’ll be reblogging all of my old fics there as well as any new ones I’ll be posting. Alternatively, A Hand to Hold is now available on AO3. Love you guys! <3 ~Martin

Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six

___________________________________

“GCAT PUPY PUPY,” Virgil chanted, his palms pressed to his temples. “Guanine and adenine are purines, cytosine and thymine are pyrimidines. Right?”

Logan nodded. “Correct. Well remembered.”

“Thank God for mnemonics.” Virgil popped a chip into his mouth. “Okay. Okay. What else is on the study guide?”

“It says to understand 5’ and 3’ directionality, decoding amino acid sequencing, and be able to explain the process of DNA replication as well as translation from DNA to proteins,” Logan said, summarizing the study guide for what was probably the fourth or fifth time. Although he knew that Virgil obviously knew the material, he got anxious during tests. He had asked Logan to help study with him so he felt more prepared.

“I feel like I know all of that, but there's got to be a catch, right? I'm gonna fail. I'm gonna fail.” He started to breathe too quickly.

Chex, who had been resting on the floor next to Virgil's chair, sat up. She nudged Virgil's leg with her nose and let out a soft whine.

Virgil buried his hand in the fur on the back of the dog's neck and took a deep breath. “No, I'm probably not going to fail. I've never failed a test in this class before, and I've been doing all the work.”

“I don't believe that you will fail,” Logan agreed. He twisted the ring on his finger, not sure what else to say.

He wanted to help Virgil, but anxiety was complicated and Logan wasn't great at complicated emotions. Logan figured it was probably best to leave that to Patton. And Chex, of course. The sweet black lab was so in tune with Virgil's anxiety that she could tell even before he started to have an attack and would remind him to redirect his energy into more productive avenues.

“Would you like to keep studying?” asked Logan. “I have vocabulary cards for the whole unit, and there is always a vocabulary section on the test.”

Virgil nodded. “Sure, vocab practice sounds good. Hey, um, thanks again for coming over to study with me. It's nice to have a friend in that class now, I'm less stressed about it.”

Logan thought that Virgil still seemed very stressed. He didn't voice that opinion. “Codon,” he said, holding up the first vocabulary card.

“Uhh, uh, it's any series of three nitrogen bases that code for a specific amino acid, right?”

“Correct. Peptide bond.”

Virgil looked up at the ceiling. “It's...uh, well, peptide is referring to proteins, so...bonds between proteins?”

“Bonds between amino acids,” Logan corrected. “Okasaki fragments.”

“Oh shit,” Virgil muttered. “Um, something about the leading strand?”

“Lagging strand. Okazaki fragments are the stretches of DNA that are copied piece by piece on the lagging strand,” said Logan. He spun the ring on his finger again. He hoped that Virgil wouldn't get worried that he wasn't getting all of the vocabulary right.

“Right! I remember now.”

“Operon.”

“Oh, hey, I know this one. A group of genes that are functionally related,” Virgil said.

“Correct. Intron.”

They kept going until all of the vocabulary cards had been discussed. Logan put aside the ones that Virgil had struggled on so he could keep looking at them later.

“Seriously, thank you so much for coming and helping me out,” Virgil said. “I feel much better about the test on Thursday.”

Logan flicked his hand up near the side of his face. “You're welcome,” he said.

“I don't think I'm going to be able to cram much more into my brain right now, I need a break. Hey, how's the Doctor Who marathon with Patton going?” Virgil wondered.

With a slight bounce in his seat, Logan replied, “We watched Boom Town this weekend! On Wednesday afternoon, he is coming to my house to watch Bad Wolf and The Parting of Ways!”

Virgil leaned forward. “Oh, man, you're already almost to Nine's regeneration? Does Patton know it's coming?”

“Yes, and he says that he will miss Eccleston, but that he's seen David Tennant in other things and is looking forward to meeting Ten,” Logan said happily. He hummed to himself for a second before adding, “I am looking forward to reaching Ten's episodes, he is my favorite modern Doctor.”

“I gotta say, I like Capaldi. He's grumpier. More my style. Though Tennant at the end of his run is cool, he gets dark and edgy.” Virgil grinned. “The new season with Jodie Whittaker was freaking fantastic, too.”

“Much agreed,” Logan said. “I appreciate having a larger group of companions again, and the diversity has improved recently.”

Virgil scratched Chex behind the ears. “Yeah, big team TARDIS's are fun. One of my favorites was at the end of Journey's End was when they were all flying the TARDIS like she's supposed to be flown.”

Logan nodded. “May I ask you a question?” he said suddenly.

“Yeah, course.”

“What does it feel like to you when you are excited about something? Such as when you are talking about or watching Doctor Who, or listening to the music you like?” Logan asked.

There was a long pause as Virgil thought about that. “It makes me happy, I guess.”

“How does it physically feel?” Logan pressed.

“Oh, jeez, I'm not sure. It almost makes me feel peaceful? Like, um, listening to my music makes my mind slow down for just a little while. My body feels more relaxed afterwards. Same with watching something I like. It's a comfort, almost.” Virgil tapped his fingers against the table. “This is a tough question, dude.”

Logan leaned back in his chair. “I apologize.”

“No, it's okay. Really, I just need to think for a minute. Um...it feels warm in my chest sometimes. I guess that's about it. Well, starting a new episode almost feels like anxiety for me. But then again, most emotions turn into anxiety for me. That's just how anxiety works,” Virgil said. Then he asked, “What does it feel like for you?”

Putting his hands on his chest, Logan says, “I'm not sure. I have alexithymia, so I have a difficult time labeling emotions. I can sometimes describe it in physical sensations, though. And my excitement about my special interests feels like my heart and my lungs and my stomach are all on fire, if being on fire felt good and didn't hurt.”

“Sounds intense.”

“It is.” Logan looked down as Chex put her head against his leg. Her sweet brown eyes blinked up at him, and a soft warmth spread through his chest. “Hello,” he said. “Hello, Chex. Your ears are very soft.” He stroked her head.

“She wants to make sure that you're okay,” Virgil said. “She...she can hear changes in people's voices and checks up on them, even if it isn't me.”

“I'm alright. I don't have excellent volume control, or tone control. I never know what I sound like, exactly.” He couldn't tear his eyes away from the beautiful dog. “But I suppose that talking about my experiences with emotion do cause me some distress, which could have emerged in my voice without my noticing.”

Virgil stood up and walked over to the living room. “Want to come sit over here, Lo?” he offered.

“Um, alright.” Logan went over to join him. Chex followed him, and all three of them sat down on the ground. “Why?”

“Why does talking about your emotions distress you?” Virgil asked.

Logan froze up. “Because they are difficult,” he said slowly. “And I do not understand them. I do not like talking to people about things I do not understand.”

“Are you worried that someone might tell you that your emotions are wrong?”

A confused, bad feeling swirled around inside him. Chex laid her head and front paws in his lap, and he felt calmer. “Perhaps, but I'm not sure that I understand the question,” Logan admitted, running his hands down the dog's fur. It was almost as soothing as a full-body stim, and the pressure of her weight against his legs added to that effect.

“I mean, do you think that someone will come along and tell you that the way you are labeling your emotions is wrong? That the words you use to describe your experiences are incorrect?” Virgil tried to clarify.

“Yes, that is what happens.” It had happened many times before. The way he tried to describe what he was feeling to his mother or to his therapists had often been misinterpreted or simply ignored because it didn't make sense. Logan had learned to keep quiet about what he was feeling.

“But you're talking to me about it, even though it...scares you?” Virgil checked. “Is that right?”

Logan shifted. “Yes.”

Virgil smiled. “I think that means you trust me. Thank you.”

“I do trust you,” Logan said. “And I have learned that you and Patton and Roman are worthy of my trust. You've never once tried to make me act normally, or made fun of me.”

“It sucks that the bar is so low,” sighed Virgil.

Logan kept petting Chex. “I don't know that that means, exactly, in this context.”

“Um, it means that I don't think that somebody not laughing at you or trying to change you into something you're not should be the bar, the threshold or limit, for whether or not you can trust them. I mean...I guess what I really mean is that it sucks that you don't get that from everyone. In a perfect world, nobody would make fun of anyone or try to change them,” Virgil explained.

“But we do not live in a perfect world,” Logan reminded him.

“Yeah. Yeah, I know. I know that very well.”

Chex whined softly and raised her head to look at Virgil. Her tail thumped a few times against the floor, and he scooted closer to put his hand on her back. He closed his eyes. Logan didn't say anything. They sat there petting Chex in silence for a while, and it was a soothing silence. Logan felt much calmer and less bad by the time his mother arrived to pick him up and take him home.

He sat in the living room and watched Ian flutter around his plants as the afternoon trailed on. His mother chatted to him as she cleaned and prepared dinner, but he wasn't listening. He was off in his own head, trying to imagine a perfect world.

___________________________________

Sorry for the long wait and the fairly short chapter! I’m working on the next one. But also I’m going back to work next week, and school starts a couple weeks after that, so who knows when I’m going to have time to write? Ah, well. I’ll do what I can.

And hey, check out Time and Time’s Turning if you like my writing! It’s a fairy AU with eventual Royality and Analogical. Also, it has art!!!!! <3 ~Martin

#a hand to hold #my writing #logicality #romantic logicality #platonic analogical #logicality fic #autistic logan

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languaholic · 5 years

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Hi everyone!

So here is my proposal to make the most out of the last 100 days of the year. First of all, you don’t have to review lessons/pages every day if you don’t want to, I am doing it because it helps me learn things better.

The point of this challenge is that you dedicate at least 10 minutes every day in getting better at expressing yourself in another language and little by little increase your exposure so you are also more fluent.

To start this challenge, check the options below and decide if you either want to follow the order, skip some or change them for others. Just find what fits your rhythm better and register it so you can look at your progress ;)

Don’t forget to tag your posts with any of these:

100 Days Express Yourself Language Challenge

100 Days Language Learning Challenge

100 Days Language Studies Challenge

And let’s start!

1. Sing a song or read a poem in your target language

2. Translate into your native language the chorus of a target language song

3. Find some interesting idioms used in your target language and write them down illustrating with examples

4. Translate a quote from your native language into the target language

5. Get a list of some irregular verbs that are difficult to you and create sentences with each

6. Describe in your target language something you like or something you find fascinating

7. Watch a short video with the subs of your target language

8. Make a theme vocab list in the target language of the episode you watched and place examples under each word

9. Read an interesting article in the target language and try summarizing it in a few lines

10. Play an audiobook in the target language for ten minutes and write down the words you deem interesting and/or important to review later

11. Make a bucket list in the target language

12. Describe an item you need in the target language

13. Translate a few quotes into the target language

14. Describe your plans for winter vacations

15. Watch a TED talk with the target language audio and/or subs

16. Print a picture you like and write about it

17. Make a vocab list of things you love and add examples

18. Read a short fairy tale

19. Write about food you like

20. Summarize a movie, tv show, book, fanfic, etc. that you enjoyed

21. Find some jokes in the target language

22. Talk about someone you admire

23. Write about a place you would like to return to

24. Write about a dream you recently had

25. Make a vocab list of things you hate and add examples

26. Listen to some songs you like and record yourself singing along

27. Translate a comic or book or fanfic page from your target language into your native language (it can be a panel or a paragraph, etc.)

28. Listen to a podcast in the target language (duolingo has some options)

29. Watch a short in the target language or with the T.L. subs

30. Translate a song from the target language into your language

31. Read the news in your target language

32. Select some topics that you feel are difficult in your target language and use them making sentences or re-explaining them in the target language

33. Find some verbs with different meanings and illustrate the meanings with more examples

34. Write about a place you want to visit

35. Make a vocab list of things you fear

36. Read some riddles and try to find the answer

37. Select some words that sound the same but are different things (homophonous) and illustrate them with examples

38. Write a few sentences of what makes you anxious

39. Take a photo of the weather and describe it

40. Write a letter in the target language to a loved one who is no longer with you

41. Read a poem in your target language and record it

42. Find some proverbs and/or sayings in the target language and write them down

43. Make a list of yes/no questions in the target language

44. Find instructions for something in the target language and try following them

45. Make a vocab list of common swear words

46. Write in the target language an idea you disagree with

47. Write an argument about why you disagree with the idea above

48. Read some pages of your favorite book in the target language and write down the words you don’t understand

49. Read something light and make a list of WH questions in the target language about the reading

50. Make a review of a book, song, tv show, or movie

51. Write in the target language an idea you whole heartedly agree with

52. Write why you agree with the idea above

53. Make a top ten of things you like and write why in the target language

54. Print some pics of food you want to try and describe it in your target language

55. Make a vocab list with examples of things that bring you joy

56. Get your hands on some favorite quotes and translate them in the target language

57. Watch a documentary in the target language (or with the subs in the T.L.)

58. Write in your target language about something that obsess you

59. Translate into your target language a paragraph of something happy

60. Recite a dialogue of a movie, tv show, book, fanfic, etc. you like and record it

61. Talk in your target language about something that troubles you

62. Listen to a playlist in your target language and sing along (follow the lyrics if you need them)

63. Write some reflections in your target language about love

64. Select a constellation which story you like and write about it in your target language

65. Make a vocab list of slang in the target language

66. Check out a site in your target language and write down the words you find difficult

67. Find an actor/actress/singer/artist whose native language is your target language and write down some phrases they’ve said you liked

68. Check out videos of grammar topics you would like to delve into

69. Read out loud a fanfic or short story in your target language (250 words is recommended)

70. Write down a topic you would like to debate about and some main points about it

71. Develop the points of the topic you want to discuss

72. Create a speech with the points from the task before and read it out loud

73. Watch an episode of a TV show (I recommend it lasts 25 minutes or less) with the audio and subs of your target language

74. Check some funny videos in your target language (find some youtubers whose spin is comedy)

75. Select a song you like in another language different to the target language and translate it into your target language

76. Write in your target language about something you hate

77. Write about the music you like

78. Make a schedule you can follow next week

79. Play an agility game that includes a simultaneous physical and mental exercises in your target language (like jumping the rope for five minutes while reciting the irregular verbs or prepositions, etc.)

80. Check out a video in your target language that explains something you find interesting or exciting (can be a tutorial, a tour around somewhere, etc.)

81. Create a set of instructions in your target language to cook something

82. Make a vocab list of words that only exist in your target language

83. Translate into your target language a paragraph of something sad

84. Reflect in your target language about something that makes you super proud

85. Describe in your target language a scent you like

86. Watch an animated movie in your target language with subs in your native language

87. Tell or write something nice to your loved one(s)

88. Explain a grammatical law you find fascinating to someone

89. Write in your target language about something you miss

90. Lay down in the grass or somewhere where you can look up at the sky and come up with shapes and write them in your target language

91. Go to your favorite fanfic site, select the stats you want, and read a fic of 1,000 words written in your target language

92. Write in your target language a reflection about time

93. Make a short story with your pet(s) (or favorite animal) as your main character

94. Talk in your target language about a memory that marked you

95. Create your own language learning master post

96. Write a language overview in your target language

97. Write down in your target language what you feel when you think about longing

98. Get a book in your target language (short is recommended) and start reading it

99. Explain something you find fascinating in your target language to someone

100. Write down your purposes for next year and why they are important to you in your target language

And that’s it folks!

Good luck to the community who will try this, and please feel free to modify any of the points given. The point of this is to have fun while being constant in learning a language and get to create the habit of studying while learning how to express better in another language ;)

See you all at the end of the year!

#langblr #studyblr #100 days of languages #100 days of productivity #100 days of language learning #language learning #French learning #100 Days Express Yourself Language Challenge #100 Days Language Learning Challenge #100 Days Language Studies Challenge #TheChallenge

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miguel-manbemel · 5 years

Text

Aspect & Fanfics Ep. 1: Virgil’s Revelation

This story is set after “Embarrassing Phases: The Nightmare instead of Christmas”, the last released episode as of writing, and ignores any subsequent episodes. It is written in a script format as if it was an episode of the series. It won’t be as good as anything Thomas and Joan would create, but I tried and I hope it’s enjoyable. This is also my first long writing of fiction in English language so please forgive any mistakes you may find in the text. This also happens to be my first post on Tumblr, so hi to anyyone reading. I hope I’m posting this right, with the right tags and all.

SYNOPSIS: All the Sides storm in the living room. They have just discovered that Virgil is a Dark Side and has been hiding it. When Virgil, offended and heartbroken at their accusations of being a spy and an enemy for them, leaves them with Deceit, it will be Thomas’ duty to find him, to try and make amends. To do that, though, he’ll have to follow him to the deepest corner of the Mind Palace, the Dark Realm, where all Dark Sides live, and it will be a dangerous journey.

WARNINGS: This contains angst, serious arguing and rejection between Sides, lots of crying both of sadness and emotion, some mild horror scenes, and a couple of bleeped potty words. All the characters from the series up to “Embarrasing Phases” appear, including Deceit.

EPISODE INDEX

[Thomas is standing with another guy, holding his hands with a bucolically loving look]

THOMAS: [loving voice, while the other guy looks at him emotional] We’ve been together for so many months. I think we’re ready for the next step in our relationship, so would you make me the happiest person on this world and… [suddenly chill voice] give me the password of your account on the PS Network, please? I couldn’t renew mine this month.

[The other guy gives him a dirty look and leaves the house]

THOMAS: [shocked] What did I say?

[Introduction sequence]

THOMAS: What is up, everybody? Man, last year was full of emotions of all kinds! I learned things about myself I didn’t see coming, like the existence of the Dark Sides, and I also met Deceit… It can have an impact discovering your own flaws and faults, but seeing them literally face to face like I did… It’s surely an experience...

ROMAN: [rising up, angry] This is unacceptable!

LOGAN: [rising up in the same mood] Agreed!

VIRGIL: [appearing anxious] Guys, please, let me explain!

PATTON: [rising up, worried] Please, kiddos! Don’t fight! Let’s talk like civilized people!

ROMAN: Patton, we are not people, [pointing at Virgil] and certainly he’s not!

THOMAS: Whoa, whoa, whoa! Guys! Everyone relax! Talk about an experience… What is going on here!?

ROMAN: Thomas, you wouldn’t believe what we have just discovered! We have a rat in this living room!

LOGAN: Roman, go to the point! If Thomas has an infestation of rodents in his house, [to Thomas] and that’s what you get for not taking the trash out, [back to Roman] he can deal with them later!

ROMAN: [sighs] Please, write that one down in one of your vocab cards and look for the meaning later…

THOMAS: Guys, I’m not following anything of this!

ROMAN: Virgil tricked us! He lied to us all this time!

THOMAS: Lied? About what? I don’t understand.

LOGAN: Guys, we’re only confusing Thomas. I think it will be better if we tell him in a chronological order.

THOMAS: Thank you, Logan!

ROMAN: I have a better idea. Let’s use a flashback. It will be better if he sees it with his own eyes.

[Roman snaps his fingers, and we see Patton’s room. Patton is there, playing with his glow-worm. Virgil appears.]

VIRGIL: [angry] Patton, I don’t think I can take much longer of you calling me ridiculous names!

PATTON: [startled] Oh! Um… Hi, Virgil… You scared me… What did you say…? …the names? Oh… I’m not doing it on purpose, kiddo! It just slips out!

VIRGIL: How convenient, right? Do you expect me to believe that you have so many mistakes in a day and they’re not on purpose? I know you’re a fool, but nobody can be such an idiot as you’re making seem you are! Listen carefully, Patton. I’m really fed up with you. If you call me kiddo, or angel or any other stupid thing one more time, consider our friendship over! Understand?

PATTON: But, kiddo… [covers his mouth]

VIRGIL: [gasps in anger] You… did… not…!

PATTON: I’m sorry, kiddo, I… oops!

VIRGIL: This is it! I’m done with you! Don’t you ever dare to speak to me again!

PATTON: Virgil, I’m sorry, I…

[Virgil sinks down out of Patton’s room. Later, Roman enters his room and finds Patton crying.]

ROMAN: Patton, what is going on!? The shouting could be heard from my own room!

PATTON: Roman, I’m such a fool. I really messed up this time. I…

ROMAN: [calming sweet voice] Okay, okay, calm down, and tell me all about it.

[Roman’s voice from present time is heard, while the image of Patton talking to Roman is fast forwarded]

ROMAN: Let’s skip this part as Patton is telling me everything again, shall we?

[Fast forwarding ends and Patton has finished telling Roman]

ROMAN: [angry] This is outrageous! How can Virgil dare being so utterly rude? Where did that come from in the first place?

PATTON: Roman, this is my fault. I know he doesn’t like being called like that, that it makes him feel uncomfortable, and I kept doing it, even if I didn’t notice.

ROMAN: Even so, he should take some lessons about patience, and I’m willing to give him some! The way he spoke to you isn’t nice!

PATTON: Seriously, I just prefer to let it go, Roman.

ROMAN: Okay, as you wish. But if you ever need a prince to rescue you, who you’re gonna call?

PATTON: [with a sad smile] Ghostbusters?

ROMAN: [chuckles a bit] Me, you silly bean, me. Okay, see you later, and cheer up, I’m sure everything will be all right soon.

PATTON: Bye, Roman. Thank you.

[Back to the present]

ROMAN: However, I was so angry and worried about Patton, that I couldn’t let it go so easily, so I decided to talk to Logan.

[New flashback, this time from a random room in the Mind Palace. Roman and Logan are talking.]

ROMAN: ...and that’s what Patton told me. It is unforgivable, isn’t it?

LOGAN: I don’t know, Roman, we shouldn’t judge until we heard both sides of the story, no pun intended. In a way, I understand Virgil. Patton can be… quite a nuisance, sometimes.

ROMAN: Even so, what matters is the intention, and I’m positive Virgil knows that Patton meant no harm at all. Virgil really overreacted on him. And then it’s me who they call a Drama Queen…

LOGAN: They who?

ROMAN: …Never mind. I think we should go to Virgil’s room to have a talk. We need to make this clear.

LOGAN: But Patton asked you not to. Do you think it’s okay if we interfere in their business? We might only make things worse.

ROMAN: I don’t think things can get any worse between them, Logan. Virgil has stopped talking to Patton. If this is not a good moment to talk to Virgil, when will it be?

LOGAN: Well, you know more about feelings than me, Roman. I hope you know what you’re doing.

[back to the present]

ROMAN: And so, we headed to Virgil’s room. But we hadn’t entered yet when we heard arguing. So, we stayed there, hiding.

THOMAS: Hiding?

LOGAN: Yes, it’s like staying in the hall of the room without completely entering but close enough to hear and see everything. Like when Patton tricked you saying he was a ghost, remember? He was there, able to hear and talk to you, but you couldn’t see him and he didn’t physically pop up until a second later. We stayed hidden like that seeing and hearing all that was happening, but no one there could see us.

THOMAS: I see. And what did exactly happen?

ROMAN: You wouldn’t believe it. You’ll better see it yourself in another flashback.

LOGAN: Wow, Roman, you surely love your flashbacks, right?

[Another flashback of Virgil’s room. Deceit is there, talking to him.]

VIRGIL: Listen, Deceit, I’m getting really tired of your meddling. I don’t want you crawling around me all the time. Why don’t you just leave me alone!

DECEIT: It’s pointless for you to keep lying to yourself, Virgil. You know you are who you are.

VIRGIL: Ha! It’s funny that the very embodiment of lies tells me to stop lying to myself. You don’t know me, Deceit. You think you do, but the Virgil you once knew is long gone.

DECEIT: You say that only to reinforce your own facade. You know at the very bottom of your soul that you’re still one of us.

VIRGIL: Stop it! I’m not one of you! Maybe I was, but not anymore! Now I have another place where to stay, and I love my new place!

DECEIT: A new place with who? These idiots? What do you think they’ll do if and when they find out the truth? Do you think they’re gonna understand that you lied to them?

VIRGIL: Shut up…

DECEIT: I’ll tell you what’s going to happen. They’re gonna reject you. Just as they rejected you in the first place. Because you’ll never be one of them, Virgil. You’re one of us. You are a Dark Side and nothing more. Accept it!

VIRGIL: [yelling] I SAID SHUT UP!

ROMAN: [slowly rising up, in shock] Virgil? What is he talking about…?

VIRGIL: [scared] Roman? How long have you been there?

LOGAN: [rising up] Long enough, Virgil, and so was I.

VIRGIL: Logan?

DECEIT: [evil laugh] Well, well, well.. If this isn’t getting really boring right now!

ROMAN: Are you… a Dark Side, Virgil?

DECEIT: Yes, Virgil, are you…?

ROMAN: You shut up, you poisonous snake, I’m talking to him.

VIRGIL: [after a short pause, cringing in despair] Yes…

[Roman and Logan look at Virgil with a mixed expression of shock and disappointment]

LOGAN: …so that’s why you treated Patton the way you did. He offended your Dark Side self, right?

VIRGIL: What? What are you talking about?

DECEIT: [sinking down] Well, I’m really glad to see this beautiful family gathering, but now I really mustn't go. See ya, Virgil!

ROMAN: [angry] You made Patton feel really bad. And now I see why. You’re not good enough for anything else, you Dark Side!

VIRGIL: Wait, I don’t understand! What are you talking about? What happened to Patton?

ROMAN: Don’t act as if you don’t know! You treated him like dirt and now he’s crying over you!

VIRGIL: I did not do anything like that! This must be some sort of mistake!

ROMAN: The mistake was us opening our hearts to you!

[Patton rises up.]

PATTON: Roman, I told you not to do anything! I wanted to talk things my own way!

ROMAN: Sorry, Patton, but I couldn’t let it go so easily. And I’m glad I didn’t. You wouldn’t believe what we’ve discovered!

VIRGIL: Patton, what is going on here?

PATTON: You told me you didn’t want to be friends with me anymore because of how many times I called you kiddo, or angel or other “ridiculous names” as you said.

VIRGIL: What? That’s not true! It’s true that I don’t like to be called like that, but I would never put that over our friendship! I know you don’t do it on purpose, and I still lo… like you as a friend! You’ve got to believe me! [angry] Oh, gosh, Deceit! I’m sure you’ve had something to do with this too. You had it all planned, right? Listen, Patton, I didn’t do anything, I give you my word!

ROMAN: The word of a Dark Side. Very funny… And stop diverting the conversation, Virgil, we’ll deal with Deceit later. This is about you. You deny that you told Patton all of that?

VIRGIL: Yes!

ROMAN: And you expect us to believe you after hiding for all this time that you are a Dark Side?

PATTON: What?

VIRGIL: Yes, Patton, I am a Dark Side. I’m sorry I hid it to you all. But I was afraid that you would hate me if you knew my origins!

LOGAN: Well, if you hadn’t done anything bad, you wouldn’t have anything to fear. So if you were afraid, then you did something bad. That’s logic at its finest.

PATTON: Guys, I think we should all calm down…

ROMAN: I’ve got a better idea. Let’s all go tell Thomas. He has all the right to know what you did with Patton and what you are.

LOGAN: Yes, let’s go to Thomas’ apartment. The sooner we’re over with this, the better!

ROMAN: Off we go to Thomas’ living room. Now!

[They all sink down. Then they appear in Thomas’ apartment.]

ROMAN: [rising up, angry] This is unacceptable!

LOGAN: [rising up in the same mood] Agreed!

VIRGIL: [appearing anxious] Guys, please, let me explain!

PATTON: [rising up, worried] Please, kiddos! Don’t fight! Let’s talk like civilized people!

ROMAN: Patton, we are not people, [pointing at Virgil] and certainly he’s not!

[Sound of a vinyl record stopping and the image freezes. Thomas’ voice is heard.]

THOMAS: Okay, Roman, I’ve already seen this just now, you can stop the flashback.

ROMAN: [voice] You’re right, sorry.

[Back to the present]

ROMAN: And so, here we are. What do you think, Thomas?

THOMAS: I don’t know, Roman. There’s a lot to assimilate… Virgil, why did you tell that to Patton?

VIRGIL: I didn’t tell anything to Patton! I swear! It was Deceit!

ROMAN: Oh, come on, you honestly don’t expect us to believe you at this point, right? I mean, Deceit is capable of that, but how convenient for you to bring that story up when you’ve been caught.

LOGAN: Objectively, chances that you’re not telling the truth are too high right now, Virgil.

VIRGIL: I’m telling the truth! Why can’t you believe me?

LOGAN: Well, put yourself in our place and be me, I mean… be logical. It is really hard to believe you after what you’ve hidden from us, especially being of your condition.

VIRGIL: Oh, I see! So now that you know that I’m a Dark Side, I’m not trustworthy, right?

ROMAN: You cheated on us! You made us believe you had Thomas’ best interests in your mind, and you only wanted to infiltrate among us! Of course you’re not trustworthy! You are our enemy!

VIRGIL: [shocked] I’m what?

PATTON: Guys, uh…

VIRGIL: [mixed voice of anger and contained sobbing] Is that what you really think? Is that what you all really think of me? All the months we’ve been together and everything we’ve gone through together means nothing because I’m a Dark Side, and that makes me an “enemy”?

PATTON: Guys, please…

LOGAN: Patton, stay out of this and leave this to us, you’re too attached to him, you cannot be objective in this.

THOMAS: Please, guys, can’t we just talk calmly…?

VIRGIL: [yelling in tears] GO AHEAD AND SAY IT AGAIN!

ROMAN: I’m sorry, but it will be best if you leave right now and never come back.

THOMAS: What?

[Virgil stares at Roman, then at Logan. Black tears from his eye-shadow run down his cheeks.]

VIRGIL: Fine. If you really see me as an enemy…

[Suddenly a dark cloud covers his whole body]

VIRGIL: [yelling from inside the cloud, with his demonic voice] YOU’LL SEE WHAT AN ENEMY I CAN BE!

[The cloud dissolves. Virgil is wearing again his old dark hoodie. He has the old light eye-shadow under one eye, but his face is different. Now it has half of it with the shape of a black panther, with what looks like black fur. Cat whiskers come out of his nose only from that half, and that half of his nose has a feline shape while the other half is human. His eye on that half is bright yellow with a slit pupil. We cant’ see his ears as he’s now wearing his hoodie, but it is supposed that he has a panther ear in that half. Roman, Logan, Patton and Thomas look at Virgil, too stunned to say a word. Virgil roars at them with a real panther sound, and they step back, scared, Roman pulls out his samurai sword. Thunder and lightning is heard and seen around him.]

VIRGIL: [evil voice] You wanted the truth, right? Purrrfect! This is the truth! I am the Dark Side of Anxiety and Fear! This is my real form! You wanted to see Fear as an enemy, right? Then [yelling] FEAR ME!

[Virgil hisses at them.]

PATTON: [Yelling in tears, his voice cracks] Stop!

[Virgil looks at Patton, sees him cry and shows a face of shock.]

PATTON: This is not right, Virgil! This not right, you guys! Please stop! [distressed crying] Everyone stop! [covers his face whining like a scared child] Everyone stop!

[Virgil gets stunned watching Patton cry. The others look at Patton, then at Virgil. Thomas looks at them all, unable to speak.]

VIRGIL: [sad, regretful voice] I knew it. I knew this happiness couldn’t last forever. Deceit was right all the time. This is not my place. It has never been my place. I shall return to the Dark Realm, with my people.

[Deceit suddenly appears next to Virgil with a devious smile]

DECEIT: [dangerously sweet voice] It’s a wise decision, Virgil. You’re too good for them and they don’t deserve you. We’ll welcome you with open arms as if no time had passed. Let’s go, my dear old friend.

VIRGIL: Good-bye, Thomas. And don’t worry. I shall not return to being too harsh when doing my job. It was never my intention to hurt you. Despite what they [looking at Logan and Roman] think, I’ve always meant to protect you. I told you that once before, and that was always true.

THOMAS: Wait, so are you with us or against us?

VIRGIL: [sighs with a sad look] If you need to ask that question, Thomas, you’ve never really known me.

PATTON: [sad] Virgil… Please, don’t leave… There has to be another way…

VIRGIL: It’s for the best, Patton. I’m so sorry I scared you. You’re the last one in this world I would have wanted to hurt. You have always been good to me when nobody else was, and I still cherish our friendship. I will always remember you and consider you my best friend. I hope that never changes on your part.

PATTON: [stuttering] I… I…

VIRGIL: Farewell…

[Virgil and Deceit sink down. Virgil with a face of huge sadness, Deceit with an evil smile of triumph. After they’re gone, the thunderstorm fades away and the lights go back to normal.]

THOMAS: [after a moment of silence] What… has just happened here?

PATTON: [sad voice] He’s gone… He’s gone for good.

LOGAN: It’s for the best, Patton. He’s not one of us. It’s best if he stays with his kind.

ROMAN: You’ll understand someday, Patton…

PATTON: [low sad voice] It’s all your fault.

ROMAN: What?

PATTON: [yelling loudly] IT’S ALL YOUR F… [bleep] ...NG FAULT!

THOMAS: Patton!

PATTON: [yelling] What do you mean he’s not one of us!? He is Virgil, our Virgil! He’s been one of us for f… [bleep] ...ng three years! He loved us! He was our friend! To me, he was my son, or at least I considered him as such! And now, just because you’ve discovered he’s of a certain condition he did not choose, you treat him like he was trash? Well, I am Morality! I may not be the smartest like you, Logan, or the most creative like you, Roman, but if there’s one thing I know about is to distinguish between right and wrong! And this was wrong!

[There’s a silence in the living room. Roman and Logan look at the now empty stairs where Virgil used to stand.]

PATTON: [back to a low sad voice] But now, it doesn’t matter anymore…

THOMAS: What do you mean?

PATTON: He’s unleashed all his Dark Side. Now we can’t see him again.

THOMAS: Why not?

LOGAN: He’s certainly going to retreat to the darkest corners of your mind.

THOMAS: You mean his room? But we’ve already gone into his room once and got him back. We can go back just as easily as before, cannot we?

ROMAN: No, it’s not his room, Thomas, at least not as we knew it.

LOGAN: The place where he’s retreated is called the Dark Realm. It is the most repressed zone of your subconscious. The part of your mind where all the Dark Sides live. Only the most heightened of the Dark Sides can get out of there and live in your conscious mind, the Light Realm, where we have our rooms. As your anxiety was so heightened all the time, Virgil was strong enough to have a room in the Light Realm, and that’s where we went the first time.

THOMAS: But Deceit was able to appear before us. How is that possible? I know that I’m a habitual worrier, but I’m not exactly a compulsive liar, you know?

LOGAN: Sometimes, when you are on certain extreme situations or in desperation for some reason, some Dark Sides can be set free and get out of the Dark Realm. When you got so anxious over what happened with your friend Joan, the deceitful part that you had repressed for so long got strong enough to get out of the Dark Realm. And once out, a Dark Side can get in and out at will.

THOMAS: What I don’t understand is, I’m ashamed to admit it, but I’ve always had those random impulses to lie and many times I have lied to myself, and certainly you’ve always been under Deceit’s influence, remember he wouldn’t let you tell me about the Dark Sides. How is that possible if he’s just come out of the Dark Realm?

LOGAN: Thomas, having them repressed in your mind does not mean they still don’t hold power over you or us. It just means they’re not strong enough to have a physical presence, but they’re part of you. Of course they’ve always had and always will have power over you, even if you can’t sense them. That’s why they call it the subconscious, Thomas, because you’re not conscious they’re there, even though they are.

THOMAS: Okay, I got it. Then Virgil is in the Dark Realm. And we can’t get there? Why not?

LOGAN: Virgil’s room was in the Light Side, but inhabited by a Dark Side.

ROMAN: And you remember what that room did with us when we stayed for too long, don’t you?

PATTON: If we tried to enter the Dark Realm, which is full of Dark energy, we would probably get so corrupted that we’d be destroyed on the very first moment we’d set a foot there.

THOMAS: But the room had no effect on me. Wouldn’t that be the same with the Dark Realm? Couldn’t I try to get in there safely and get him back?

LOGAN: Yes, you could, but getting there wouldn’t be as easy for you either.

THOMAS: Why?

ROMAN: You know that to get into Anxiety's room, you had to focus on the things that normally made you anxious, remember?

THOMAS: Yes.

LOGAN: Now, to get to Virgil’s Dark Room, you’d have to dive even deeper inside your biggest fears, to reach the place where Virgil stands now. You’d have to reach a state of horror so strong that it would take a really strong mind to cope with it.

ROMAN: Even if you got there, that must be a horrifying place. Think about a haunted house multiplied by several millions. There is no bigger fear than the fear to the unknown, and that whole place is unknown to you and to us. Your whole mind could break if you try and fail. It’s too big of a risk.

PATTON: The only totally safe way would be if he returned on is own will. If there was a way to make him come back, we could try to convince him to stay. But I don’t think he’ll ever want to come back after how he’s been treated.

ROMAN: What have we done…

LOGAN: What is this strange thing I sense, right between my heart and my stomach? It’s like a pressure. It hurts, but it doesn’t at the same time, and it’s really unpleasant. I don’t know how to describe it. It lacks any logic. I… I don’t understand…

PATTON: Logan, that’s a feeling. It’s called guilt.

LOGAN: [shocked] What? But I’m Logic. I have no feelings! It’s impossible that I have feelings!

PATTON: Is it?

[Logan looks at Patton in silence.]

PATTON: Look into yourself and see if you can tell me with conviction that you don’t have any feelings at all.

[Logan shows a stunned face. Then a single tear falls rolling down his cheek.]

PATTON: You’ve been suppressing your feelings for so long that you ended up honestly believing you didn’t have them. But you have them, kiddo. And that’s not only okay. It’s a blessing and it’s how it’s meant to be. Intelligence and knowledge without feelings are a too dangerous combination. If the mind is not connected with feelings, that would make us psychopaths.

THOMAS: I must try to reach to Virgil. Isn’t there any way we can contact him? Even if we cannot physically go to his Dark Room.

ROMAN: It is possible, Thomas. We can create a room of your own in the Mind Palace, in the safety of the Light Realm, from which you could try to reach to him. All the Sides, Light or Dark, can sense all the rooms in the Mind Palace, as they’re all connected, and the Dark Realm is part of the Mind Palace too. The problem is…

THOMAS: The problem is what?

ROMAN: The problem is Virgil was so angry. He’ll definitely be able to hear you, but I doubt he’ll want to talk to you, and much less put in an appearance.

THOMAS: But you say that he’ll be able to hear me, right?

ROMAN: Right.

THOMAS: That’s all I need. If he doesn’t want to speak to me, then he’ll have to listen. And I know I’ll get to his heart.

PATTON: I hope this works. I don’t want to lose Virgil, and I’m sorry I shouted at you earlier, guys, I love you too and I wouldn’t want to lose you either.

ROMAN: It’s okay, Patton. You were completely right, and you had all the right to be upset. Didn’t he, Logan?

[Logan doesn’t say a word. He didn’t even clean the tear from his cheek yet.]

PATTON: Logan? Are you okay?

LOGAN: [stuttering] I… I… I gotta go, sorry…

[Logan sinks down.]

PATTON: [worried] Logan?

THOMAS: Give him some time, Patton. I think he’s too overwhelmed by the fact that he’s discovered he really has feelings. He needs time to process it.

PATTON: Okay… If you say so, Thomas.

THOMAS: Now, the important thing is reaching to Virgil. So… How do I do this?

ROMAN: Remember when you went into your mind to get recruitments to deal with Virgil and you ended up in a representation of Lilly Singh’s room?

THOMAS: Yeah… Good times…

ROMAN: Well, this is something similar. You just close your eyes, concentrate and dive into your own mind. Imagine a room of your choice, and you’ll appear there.

THOMAS: Won’t you guys come with me?

PATTON: We’ll be coming with you, Thomas. We are in you, remember?

ROMAN: It will be better if he doesn’t see us. It will be easier if you speak to him on your own. But if you really need us, just call and we’ll appear.

THOMAS: All right, here we go. Wish me luck…

ROMAN: [sinking down] Good luck, Thomas.

PATTON: [sinking down] Please, bring him back.

THOMAS: I’ll do my best, guys. Okay, let’s go…

[Thomas closes his eyes and puts his fingers on his temples. After a couple of seconds, he sinks down. Later, he rises up in a white infinity. Thomas opens his eyes and looks around him.]

THOMAS: [his voice has some echo] Whoa… I guess it worked, I think... This place looks familiar… Oh, I remember, it’s like that place that Roman created when he and Patton tried to make a new place for us and Roman blanked… Who could forget that echo… I don’t think Virgil would want to come here, it hurt his eyes back then… Let’s see… If this is in my mind, then I am in control of it, and I can shape it as I please. First, let’s get rid of that echo… [snaps his fingers and the echo disappears] Done. I should have tried this in the first place back when we tried our brief Mind Palace. Next… we need to give some shape to this, to hide this excess of light so that it can be bearable for Virgil… Okay, I am in a hurry, so I won’t overthink it. I’ll give it the shape of my own living room. Like… this!

[Snaps his fingers and his apartment appears around him, except that it’s surrounded by a faint white mist.]

THOMAS: Cool. It almost looks like the real one... except that I do not have that Tony trophy on the shelving, I wish. [dreamy voice] But maybe one day… [clears throat] Okay, Thomas, focus, the time has come. [yelling] Virgil! Virgil, are you there!? It’s me, Thomas! I need to talk to you! Please, answer me! Virgil!

[There’s no response]

THOMAS: Virgil! I know you can hear me! I also know that it’s dangerous for me to try to get to where you are! So, please, don’t force me to do that! I just want to talk to you!

[Virgil appears in his spot by the stairs, with the same panther-like shape he had when he left]

VIRGIL: [cold voice] What are you doing here?

THOMAS: [relieved] Virgil! Thank God you’ve come! Listen, I need to talk to you.

VIRGIL: [cold voice] That I already know, it’s like the third time you’ve said it. Will you just come to the point and say what you need to say?

THOMAS: Virgil, I know you’re angry, and you have all the right to be. The way Roman and Logan treated you was not right.

VIRGIL: Wow, talk about an understatement.

THOMAS: But they are really sorry, Virgil. They’ve understood that they were wrong, and they want you back.

VIRGIL: It is too late for that, Thomas.

THOMAS: Come on, Virgil…

VIRGIL: It’s too late! Do you think saying sorry can erase the way they made me feel?

THOMAS: But, Virgil, they’re your friends! Surely you can make everything up!

VIRGIL: Look, if it makes them feel better, tell them that I forgive them. But don’t ask me to come back. I finally understood that that is no longer my place and it never can be. Dark Sides and Light Sides must not be mixed up together. It’s not… natural.

THOMAS: What do you mean, it’s not natural?

VIRGIL: We, Dark Sides, belong to the Dark Realm, and they, Light Sides, belong to the Light Realm. It has always been like this and it must remain as such. Now you must go.

THOMAS: But Virgil…

[A thunderstorm fills the apartment]

VIRGIL: [yelling with his demonic voice] I SAID GO!

[Thomas falls back. There’s a white flash. Then he gets up. The storm and the white mist are gone and the living room is tranquil.]

THOMAS: Whoa… It looks I’m back at my own real apartment…

[Patton rises up]

PATTON: [sad] As I feared… A total failure…

THOMAS: I’m sorry, Patton. He didn’t want to listen.

ROMAN: [rising up, sad] I guess there’s nothing we can do, then… We’ll have to respect his choice.

PATTON: But I’m gonna miss him so bad…

[Logan rises up.]

THOMAS: Oh, Logan, you’re back. Are you okay?

LOGAN: I think so… What happened? Why is everyone so… [pulls out a vocab card] out of it.

THOMAS: You don’t know?

LOGAN: I don’t know anything, Thomas, I was isolated in my room, in autopilot.

THOMAS: Autopilot? That’s new…

LOGAN: No, it isn’t. We’ve had autopilot available ever since you were born, Thomas.

THOMAS: I mean… Never mind. What is autopilot?

LOGAN: It’s a stand-by mode all Sides have. We enter in that mode when, for some reason, we cannot or don’t want to actively participate in your life but you still need our abilities to do something. You can do anything you want, but we don’t notice about anything because we’re in our rooms… [showing a vocab card] minding our business. In my case, you can use my logic and knowledge abilities without me consciously having to infuse you with them. I needed some time for myself to think, that’s why I entered autopilot mode.

THOMAS: I see… Well, I’ll bring you up-to-date. I was in the Mind Palace and I talked to Virgil.

LOGAN: You did?

THOMAS: Yes, and he didn’t want to come back.

LOGAN: Are you sure you did?

THOMAS: What do you mean? Of course I did.

LOGAN: Let me check your memory, Thomas, I’ll rewind to see what happened and I’ll give you my opinion.

THOMAS: What? O...kay… Will it hurt?

LOGAN: No, it won’t, Thomas. At least not to you…

THOMAS: What?

[Logan ignores Thomas as he goes stiff, looking to the front as if he was a statue. Computer sounds mixed with the sound of a traditional old tape rewinding are heard emanating from him. After a moment, the sounds disappear and he moves again]

LOGAN: As I suspected…

THOMAS: What?

LOGAN: Thomas, you didn’t talk to Virgil. The one who appeared in front of you wasn’t him.

THOMAS: Then, who was it?

LOGAN: Don’t you guess?

[After a small pause, Roman, Patton and Thomas all gasp and show the same face of realization.]

THOMAS, PATTON, ROMAN: [at the same time] Deceit!

LOGAN: [pulling out another vocab card] Bingo! Wow, I’m on a roll with the vocabulary cards today…

ROMAN: [angry] That old viper! I should have known he’d try to stop us from getting to Virgil. Now I’m positive Virgil was saying the truth when he said it was Deceit who told Patton all these things. And I’m feeling so bad right now. If only we had believed him…

PATTON: [scared] What are we going to do?

THOMAS: [sighs] I guess I have no choice, then. I must try to get to Virgil’s Dark Room.

PATTON: [even more scared] Thomas, no, that’s too dangerous!

THOMAS: It’s our only chance, Patton. There’s no guarantee that Virgil will listen to me if I call him from the Light Realm. Deceit will probably be blocking the communications and he’ll do anything to stop us. I have to get to the real Virgil in person, or we’ll never see him again.

LOGAN: Then, I’ll go with you.

THOMAS: Logan, don’t! You could be destroyed!

LOGAN: So could your mind, Thomas, and if it is, we’re all gonna be destroyed anyway. Don’t you remember we are in you? Whatever happens to you will happen to us. We’re together in this, for the better or the worse, as in everything else.

THOMAS: I hadn’t thought about that…

PATTON: Then I’m coming too!

ROMAN: And me too!

THOMAS: Guys…

LOGAN: It’s settled. To avoid corruption, we’ll be inside your mind. We’ll try to give you the highest strength we can from within you so you can get across the gate to the Dark Realm. Be careful when you’re on your way. It won’t be easy, Thomas, but if we work as a team, you’ll have more chances of success.

ROMAN: Remember, you must focus on the biggest horror in your mind, but don’t be afraid, Sora. You’ll have my strength and self confidence that will make you capable of standing up and overcoming it.

PATTON: If you manage to overcome your biggest horror, the door to the Dark Realm will be open to you. You have all our support, kiddo. Use my ability of distinguising between right and wrong so that you can make your way to get to Virgil.

LOGAN: Also, use all my logic and knowledge to make wise choices while you’re on your way. Remember, Deceit will be blocking you, and he’ll certainly try to stop you again.

THOMAS: How will I tell the difference between Deceit and the real Virgil? I couldn’t distinguish them at all the first time.

LOGAN: I wasn’t there to help you then, my bad. But, [pointing at himself] if you use your mind, [pointing at Patton] your heart, [pointing at Roman] and your inner strength… you’ll be able to break Deceit’s illusions. Trust in yourself just as we trust in you.

THOMAS: Okay, guys. I’ll do my best, again…

[Thomas sighs while the Sides sink down]

THOMAS: Okay, the biggest horror in my mind... How do I do this…? What even is the biggest horror in my mind…? Oh… I think I know. There’s one thing I fear most among the others. The biggest fear in my life. It’s not to be rejected, even though that’s a huge fear of mine as well. It is… that something happens to my loved ones. It is losing someone among my family or friends for good because something bad would happen to them. My gosh… that really makes me shiver. I don’t want anything happening to my people…

[As he is saying this, the camera zooms slowly to his face, until his eyes fill the whole screen. Then, he looks around and the camera quickly zooms out. He’s in a place of pitch black darkness where only he is visible, in an unnatural lightning as if he was cropped in a black background.]

THOMAS: Where am I? What is this place? Oh, I really feel so bad. I’m… I’m frightened…

[A loud scream of pain from a woman’s voice is heard in the distance. Thomas yelps, looking around himself for the source of the scream.]

THOMAS: [distressed] I… I recognize that voice… Talyn? Is that you?

TALYN: [in the distance] Thomas! Help me!

THOMAS: Talyn! Where are you?

TALYN: [voice of pain] I can’t bare it anymore! It hurts! Make it stop! Please, help me, Thomas!

THOMAS: [making a gesture to start running] Hold on! I’m com… [stops] Wait a minute… My friend, the real Talyn is probably safe at their home playing with her cats. This cannot be real. This is an illusion!

[Another scream from Talyn is heard. Screams of agony from Joan, Camden, Valerie and Jamahl join theirs, and all their screams sound around him in a loud cacophony.]

THOMAS: [covering his ears, with trembling voice] All right, it really looks real, but I know it isn’t. I have to stay focused. I can't pay attention to these distractions. I must conquer my fears to get to Virgil. So… [yelling] SHUUUT UUUUUUP!

[The screams stop and there is silence]

THOMAS: [sighs in relief] That’s more like it. I think I did it. I conquered my fear and crossed to the Dark Realm. But I can’t see anything. This place lives up to its name, for sure. Let’s see… This Dark Realm is still a part of the Mind Palace. Therefore, it’s a part of me. And as Virgil himself said, I’m the boss. Therefore, I must be able to manipulate it as easily as I manipulated the white void. So I’ll start by doing that. Room, appear before me. Now!

[Thomas snaps his fingers. The apartment appears around him, but a dark mist surrounds everything]

THOMAS: Yes! All I needed was a little logic. Thank you, Logan.

[Virgil appears again, in his spot.]

VIRGIL: [angry] I told you to leave me alone, Thomas! Can’t you just respect that simple wish from me!? And you dare call yourself a friend of mine? You’re the worst kind of friend anyone could have! Go away!

THOMAS: Enough of your tricks, Deceit. You won’t fool me this time.

VIRGIL: [shocked] What!? What are you talking about!?

THOMAS: Come on, Deceit. Your act is over. Do you really think I could confuse you with the real Virgil twice? You don’t have what it takes. You’re not even fit to tie his shoelaces!

[Virgil groans. Then, he transforms into Deceit.]

DECEIT: How did you know, Thomas?

THOMAS: Simple. If there’s one thing Virgil knows about is worrying. He would have shown anxiousness upon seeing me here, knowing the huge risk I’m taking, and you only showed coldness and anger. You don’t care at all about me. That’s why I caught you with the cookie jar.

DECEIT: [sarcastic] Well, this is perfect. I’m so glad that you are here ruining everything as usual.

THOMAS: [ignoring him, looking upwards] All right, Virgil! This time I know for certain you can hear me, so come here, please! I beg you! We all beg you!

[Virgil appears. Upon appearing he violently pushes Deceit, who flies and loudly falls to the floor on Roman’s usual spot. Later we see him getting up covering his slit eye in pain.]

VIRGIL: [worried] Thomas! What are you doing here? You shouldn’t be here! It’s dangerous!

THOMAS: [smiling, happy] Virgil! Now I’m positive it’s you! [determined] I’m not going, Virgil. I’ve walked a long way to get here, and this time you’re gonna listen.

VIRGIL: [anxious] Please, say what you want to say and go quickly. If anything happened to you, I wouldn’t forgive myself!

THOMAS: Virgil, please, I want you to come back with me. We all want you to come back.

VIRGIL: That’s sweet of you. But it’s better if I’m staying here. I don’t want to be a burden to anyone of you. Here, I am with my real people.

DECEIT: [dangerously sweet voice, with a dash of anxiousness] That’s right, Virgil. This is your place and we’ll never let you down, like they did. You’ll be happier here with us, and they’ll be happier there without you…

THOMAS: [angry] Okay, Deceit, I’m really fed up of your insidiousness, [pointing at him] so shut the heck up!

[Deceit covers his mouth with his hand. He tries to take his hand off but cannot.]

THOMAS: Done! [to Virgil] Listen. Roman and Logan are really sorry for what they said. They really want to make up with you. Are you going to deny them that chance? Besides, Patton is really broken. He really loves you and doesn’t want to lose you. And I’m sure you don’t want to lose him either. Please, come with me. At least for a talk. If after that talk you still want to leave, we’ll accept it. Have we got a deal?

[Virgil thinks for a moment. He looks at Deceit, who looks at him with a worried face, still covering his mouth, waving anxiously his head saying no. Then Virgil looks at Thomas.]

THOMAS: [with a cute voice and putting a face like the cat from Shrek] Pleeeaaaseeee?

VIRGIL: [sighs] Okay… Just for a talk. And only because every second you spend here is dangerous. We’ll have that talk, you’ll say what you want, I’ll say what I want, and then we’ll part ways. Okay?

THOMAS: [happy] Yes! Thank you!

VIRGIL: Let’s go. Remember…

THOMAS: Yes, I remember from the last time. Breath in for four seconds, hold on for seven seconds and breath out for eight seconds. I got it.

VIRGIL: Okay…

[Thomas does this, and he and Virgil sink down. One last image of Deceit groaning with eyes of anger, still covering his mouth, is seen before the screen fades to black. Then Thomas and Virgil appear in the regular apartment.]

VIRGIL: Okay. We’re safe now. Everyone can get out.

THOMAS: [sighs in relief] I really feel so much better now…

[Patton is the first to rise up.]

PATTON: [wide smile of joy] Virgil! I’m so glad that you’re back!

VIRGIL: [smirking] So glad that my back is what? Finish your sentences, Patton…

[Patton chuckles. Then Roman and Logan rise up too. They show a shy remorseful attitude.]

VIRGIL: [sighs, then with a little cold voice] Hello, guys.

ROMAN: Virgil, uh… I’m really sorry. You didn’t deserve any of the words that I said. I was a big mouthed fool… as usual.

LOGAN: I do apologize too, Virgil. I didn’t take into consideration your feelings and I got carried away with cold data. And that doesn’t define who we are. Certainly not who you are. Now I know first hand and I’m really sorry.

ROMAN: Could you please forgive our rudeness?

LOGAN: Can’t we remedy the situation somehow?

[Virgil looks at them both.]

VIRGIL: You both really hurt me this time. You made me feel worse than anyone has ever made me feel before. Because bad remarks coming from nobodies mean nothing to me, but if they come from the people I lo… like, they hurt. They hurt as if you had beaten me with real sticks and stones. I hope you understand.

ROMAN: If we could turn back time, I’d really erase that. It’s something I’ll always regret. Because I forgot that above all else, and above our origins, we are true friends. And hurting a friend is wrong. [looking at Patton] You’ve always known that, Patton, right?

PATTON: [smiling] Yes, it is wrong, and I’m so proud of you for understanding, of all of you, kiddos.

[Virgil, however, is shocked, looking at Logan.]

VIRGIL: Logan… are you… crying?

[They all look at Logan. His face is covered with tears.]

LOGAN: [sobbing a bit] Am I? Yes, I guess so. I guess I got emotional and felt guilty over what you’ve just said. Wow… this is something I’ll have to get used to… this feeling thing…

THOMAS: It’s okay, Logan. There’s nothing wrong with crying if you really need to.

VIRGIL: [confused] Wait a second, did I miss something? Logan, experiencing feelings?

PATTON: Yes, kiddo. And it’s taken your absence for him to realize that he can have feelings. I guess you’re a panther that inspires… felines…

LOGAN: [groaning while cleaning his nose with a handkerchief] Gosh, you had to ruin it… Listen, Virgil. I too am really sorry for how we treated you. You didn’t deserve it. You’ve been a really huge support for Thomas and for all of us for a long time now, and it would hurt us… it would hurt me… to lose you. Because… [pause] I love you. Yes, I love you. We all love you, and even if you’ll never want to use that word in public, I’m certain that you love us too. Please, isn’t there any remote possibility that we could do as if nothing had happened and you remained visiting us? Even in your new feline form if you like it better. You look great, by the way.

PATTON: I was going to point that out! I love cats!

VIRGIL: I’m not a cat, I’m a panther.

PATTON: Right, maybe that’s why I’m not sneezing! You look really great Virgil!

ROMAN: That’s certainly quite a more beautiful form than the snake boi’s one. Ferocious, but at the same time gracious. It’s a great form, Virgil!

[Virgil smiles emotional, looks at his friends and a loud purr sound his heard coming from him]

THOMAS: Virgil, are you… purring?

VIRGIL: [gets startled and stops purring] Sorry!

THOMAS: No, no, it’s okay! If you like to purr, feel free to purr. As long as it doesn’t hurt you or others, everyone must be able to express themselves as they really are! Besides, purring is such a pleasant sound… And ironically, coming from you, my anxiety, it’s very relaxing.

VIRGIL: [smiling again, he sighs] You guys… You’ll never stop surprising me. You did it again. Twice I decided to duck out…

PATTON: Quack!

VIRGIL: And twice you came after me asking me to return and making me feel as the happiest aspect on Earth…

ROMAN: That’s what friends are for, right?

LOGAN: And we’re friends, aren’t we?

VIRGIL: Of course we are.

PATTON: [excited] Does that mean…?

VIRGIL: [a little shy] Well, I’m willing to come back, if you let me.

THOMAS: If we let you? Are you kidding? Of course we let you! Welcome back, Virgil!

[Virgil shapes back to his usual full human form with his purple outfit and dark eye-shadow]

VIRGIL: Thank you, guys, so much.

ROMAN: Why did you turn back to your old form?

LOGAN: You don’t have to, there’s no need for you to hide anymore. Remember, you can be yourself.

VIRGIL: It’s okay, guys. I like this form better, it’s comfier, especially for the whiskers, they tickle me all the time, you know? Besides, I still rock the purple, right?

PATTON: [smiling] Of course you do, kiddo. Of course you do.

VIRGIL: Speaking about kiddo, Patton…

PATTON: [scared] Oops! Sorry, it just slipped out again!

VIRGIL: It’s okay, it’s okay, Patton. I don’t mind at all that you call me kiddo or anything you want. As long as you do it with love, and not in a moment when I’m doing my job and I need to be… well, dark, you can call me however you want. Have we got a deal?

PATTON: [happy] Yes, kiddo. It’s a deal!

VIRGIL: Thank you, I lo… like… [pauses with a shy face, then, determined] What the heck! I love you, guys! I couldn’t be more proud of loving each and every one of you!

[All the Sides and Thomas cheer.]

PATTON: And we love you too, Virgil. We love you too.

[Logan takes a tear off his eye]

LOGAN: Gosh, if this goes on for too long, I’m gonna dehydrate!

THOMAS: And, Virgil, one last question, do all the Dark Sides have animal forms? Deceit as a snake, you as a panther…

VIRGIL: [sinking down] I think it will be better for you to discover that in due time, Thomas. It’s been enough emotions for a day, don’t you think?

THOMAS: I guess you’re right, Virge.

ROMAN: [sinking down] Well, another quest that ends successfully. Buen trabajo, Thomas!

THOMAS: [slightly confused face] Thank you, Roman, I think…

LOGAN: [sinking down] I gotta go to do a little research about these feelings and emotions. I hate things that are out of my control.

THOMAS: Emotions are not as easy to control, Logan… Okay.

PATTON: Thank you, Thomas. You really took the risk for us and you delivered.

THOMAS: No, thank you, Patton. It was thanks to you that the others realized their faults and reconsidered it all. I truly don’t know what we would do without you.

PATTON: [sinking down] Happy to oblige!

THOMAS: Well… As I said before, pretending that we’re not flawed is irresponsible. But, on the other side, acting as if our flaws determined entirely who we are and who we can be is equally irresponsible too. We can work on our flaws and improve as persons, but we mustn’t expect that if we don’t solve all of our faults we’ll never be good enough. Perfection doesn’t exist and it’s irrational to look for it as the only acceptable result. Look instead to improve yourself as much as you can, push your boundaries every day and take one step further if you can. And don’t feel too bad if you cannot. If these flaws of yours are not too hindering or hurtful to yourself or others, embrace them as a part of you, because those who really love you will love you with flaws and all. After all we’re all flawed in this world, aren’t we? That’s what makes us human. Beware of those who tell you they’re flawless, as they’re either lying to you or to themselves. Until next time, take it easy, guys, gals and non binary pals. Peace out!

[End card. We see Deceit in the black void. He finally takes his hand off his face.]

DECEIT: [groaning] Bless them! I’m certain they won’t pay for this!

[A demonic voice starts speaking from the dark.]

VOICE: [angry demonic voice] You’ve failed, Deceit!

DECEIT: [slightly scared] I did not fail! If Thomas hadn’t come, Virgil would have returned to us! It wasn’t my fault!

VOICE: Silence, you fool! I’m tired of being locked here in this void! I want to be free! And I can’t be free if all the Dark Sides are not present here to free me! I need Virgil here!

DECEIT: Give me another chance, my Lord! Next time I’ll be able to break their bond! Virgil will be one of us again!

VOICE: No! I’m tired of your incompetence! You are lucky that I also need you to be free or you would feel my wrath! I need another Dark Side. Someone who can be more subtle than you. And I know exactly the one who can do it!

DECEIT: [slightly scared] You mean…?

VOICE #2: [evil voice] Yes, my Lord. I will not fail you.

VOICE: You better won’t.

DECEIT: [to the camera, breaking the fourth wall] Well, that’s certainly not foreboding, right?

#sanders sides #fanfic #ts fanfic #sanders sides fic #thomas sanders #thomas sanders fanfic #virgil sanders #roman sanders #logan sander #patton sanders #deceit sanders #aspects and fanfics

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skammovistarplus · 5 years

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Culture and Translation - S01E08

If you read all of this, congratulations. I think this is by far the longest culture and translation post I’ve done yet.

CLIP 1: Hit Me With Your Best Shot / One Way or Another

I didn’t get to this part last episode, but as some people have mentioned, Nora lives with her parents. Spanish grammar has a feature called “masculine generics.” I’ll quote Wikipedia: “Grammatical gender in Spanish refers to how Spanish nouns are categorized as either masculine (often ending in -o) or feminine (often ending in -a). As in other Romance languages—such as Portuguese, to which Spanish is very similar—a group of both males and females, or someone of unknown gender, is usually referred to by the masculine form of a nouns and or pronoun.” Because of this, we can infer that one of Nora’s parents is a man, but we don’t know whether the other parent is a man or a woman. Twitter likes the idea of making the Eskild expy her parent, and Linn his husband, but I don’t think it’s caught on in here.

Buah, ¿sabéis quién triunfó también en la fiesta? (“Hey, you know who also triumphed at the party?”): I have never seen “to triumph” being used this way in English, but that is the verb Amira uses and I really wanted to keep the idea of hooking up with people as a victory, something you win at.

Es que me parece súper fuerte, ¿no? (“I just think it’s too much, no?): “Fuerte” (literally “strong”) is Spanish slang for something that crosses a line or is “extra” in some way.

Hombre, pues no sé cómo lo veréis (“Man, I don’t know about you”): What Viri says would be literally translated as, “Man, I don’t know how you’re going to see it.”

Ya, y a ésta le van a llegar los cuernos hasta el techo del gimnasio (“Yeah, and the side girls are going to reach the gym ceiling all standing on top of each other”): Okay, so here is a line where I took liberties in order to get the most out of the line and the visual. In Spanish, when someone cheats on their significant other, we say that the person being cheated on has “cuernos” (horns) or is a “cornudo” (horned). So, Cris says that Cristian is cheating on Lara so often and so much that her horns are going to grow as high as to reach the gym ceiling. In English, the closest translation is “cuckold,” which comes from the Old French word for the cuckoo bird. Since I couldn’t work with the actual translation, I reworked the line to say that the side girls could reach the gym ceiling if they stood on top of each other. Sort of like that factoid that says if we stacked every human up on one another, we’d be 1/4th of the way to Venus.

I think Nora means that it’s better if she doesn’t flash a UV light over her room, but it’s not clear in Spanish either.

I really can’t remember whether we ever played dodgeball in high school P.E., but the whole premise just sounds like a pair of broken glasses waiting to happen.

CLIP 2: Skam España didn’t come to play

Fun fact: like Lucas, I hadn’t had anything to eat all day when this clip dropped, and a kebab sounded amazing, lol. Another fun fact! When I realized what Lucas was doing, I had to stop the clip and take like 5 minutes to regroup, I was that shook. I was really late recapping this clip on Twitter because I couldn’t deal with the enormity of it all.

Mis padres se pelean como cada mes, mes y medio (“My parents fight every four to six weeks”): Lucas says, “every month, month and a half.” “4 to 6 weeks” was shorter and, I felt, closer to the way English speakers talk about time. But really, Skam España is basically hell to sub because they talk quicker than any other Skam, including the French. If a sentence can be made shorter, but still keep the exact same meaning, we as a team feel blessed, lol.

Just in case it wasn’t immediately obvious, they literally just bought the kebabs and Eva didn’t spend the whole morning fixing them. And, also, that Lucas comes out to Eva over kebabs is an intentional homage to the og. In fact, in Spain, we eat kebabs like sandwiches, we don’t pick at them with forks/tongs, so Lucas and Eva are eating them like Jonas and Isak did.

I thought this would be as good a place as any to link to the Wikipedia article on LGBT rights in Spain. I’ll quote from the article: “Spain has been recognised as one of the most culturally liberal and LGBT-friendly countries in the world and LGBT culture has had a significant role in Spanish literature, music, cinema and other forms of entertainment as well as social issues and politics. Public opinion on homosexuality is noted by pollsters as being overwhelmingly positive, with a recent study conducted by Pew Research Center in 2013 indicating that more than 88 percent of Spanish citizens accept homosexuality, making it the most LGBT-friendly of the 39 countries Pew polled. LGBT visibility has also increased in several layers of society such as the Guardia Civil, army, judicial, and clergy. However, in other areas such as sports, the LGBT community remains marginalised. Spanish film directors such as Pedro Almodóvar have increased awareness regarding LGBT tolerance in Spain among international audiences. In 2007, Madrid hosted the annual Europride celebration and hosted World Pride in 2017. The cities of Madrid and Barcelona also have a reputation as two of the most LGBT-friendly cities in the world. Gran Canaria is also known worldwide as an LGBT tourist destination.”

CLIP 3: Making his way downtown

Tampoco es para tanto (“it’s not that serious”): Another translation would be, “it’s not as bad as all that.” I think the line I went with was clearer and more specific.

Yo creo que ha mejorado (“I think it looks better”): Eva says, “I think it’s gotten better,” but I reworked it. Lol sometimes I wonder if people read these and wonder why I just do whatever the fuck I like, but I promise I try to stick to what sounds more natural to me in English.

Te está durando mucho (“It’s taking too long to heal”): Cris actually says that the cold sore is lasting too long (presumably lasting too long on Viri’s face, lol).

Okay, so my experience with Spanish guys is that they initiate cunnilingus on their own and without prodding (i.e. will eat girls out), in the hopes that the woman will return the favor. I have surveyed my friends and they have reported similar experiences. Girls have said that guys have never not gone down on them, and guys have reported having no issues doing it. Og Skam actually backs me up, as Chris says that a guy did it to her, once, in Gran Canaria. So, while the girls are pleased for Viri that Alejandro went down on her, they’re not about to give him the King of the School slo-mo treatment Jonas received for doing the same. (I do have to note that the girls were impressed that Jonas not only went down on an older girl, but that he actually got her to come with oral only.) Given what we later learn about Viri and Alejandro’s encounter, I’d bet money on Alejandro hoping Viri would take the hint and suck him off in return, but since she doesn’t mention doing so, I think she just didn’t.

I think Viri did allow Alejandro to go down on her when his cold sore was already visible, and I’m legit appalled, tbh.

I learned of the Callao youth center through Skam España, because I’ve never needed to go. That said, it is a real youth center and they were pleased and touched about being featured on the show. Honestly, if even one teenager in need learned of their services through the show, I’ll consider Skam España a resounding success.

I love that Amira has seemingly gone with Cris to that youth center sometime before the show. Tangent, but I love the way the Amira/Cris friendship (and relationship, if you wanted to read into them that way) has been developed through the season. I remember having discussions early in the season about why Cris would join the losers, when Viri referred to her as “that pretty girl over there” and Cris was surrounded by a group of people when she was first introduced. In my opinion, Amira and Cris are best friends, and before the girl squad, everyone else was just along for the ride. But I’m looking forward to what we could learn about Amira and Cris’ friendship (and relationship) in further seasons.

CLIP 4: 8 Simple Rules for Dating my Spanish Daughter

Dating in Spain! The concept of “a date” exists in Spain, it’s called “una cita.” But we rarely, if ever, use this word. In fact, I don’t think it’s been used at all through the season. What we do is “quedar,” i.e. arrange to meet at a specific place and time. But it’s important to note that you can “quedar” with your friends, a hookup or a boyfriend/girlfriend. Since this arrangement isn’t exclusive to romantic relationships, I’ve translated it as “hanging out.” Again, the word “cita” (date) exists in Spanish, so if it’s ever used, I want to make sure it has the proper impact for the audience. Other dating vocab:

“Salir juntos” (to go out together): If two people “salen juntos,” they’re a couple.

“Salir conmigo” (to go out with me): If you ask someone to “sal conmigo,” you’re asking them to hang out as a couple.

“¿Quieres ser mi novio/novia?” (Do you want to be my boyfriend/girlfriend?): This is how you’d make a relationship official, beyond just arranging to hook up.

Pillado (“hung up on her”): Lit. “caught.”

Cris says “bye!” in English. Jorge then says, “Really?”

Y parecía tonto (“And he seemed dumb”): This is a truncated, common Spanish idiom. The full idiom is, “y parecía tonto cuando lo compramos” (and he seemed dumb when we bought him). It is used when a person who is frequently timid or a wallflower does something assertive or takes charge.

Pero que andar quedando es de novios (“but that to have standing dates is a couple thing”): As I mentioned earlier, we don’t use the word “cita” all that often, and, as Hugo tells it, Cris didn’t use it to turn him down. Here’s what Cris meant: Cris thinks she and Hugo had a good time at Nora’s party, but she doesn’t want to make a thing out of it. She doesn’t want to hang out one-on-one. That includes hanging out together at each other’s houses, like Eva and Jorge sometimes do, or go do something together, like going to the movies or to get something to eat.

A veces Cris se pasa un poco de directa (“sometimes Cris is a bit savage”): I reworked this because “directa” means “straight-forward,” but “se pasa” is slangy. “Se pasa” would mean “to go too far,” so a literal translation would be, “sometimes Cris goes a little too far with the straight-forwardness.”

A mí me parece guay que haya ido con la verdad por delante (“I think it’s cool she was straight up”): Okay, so the literal translation is, “I think it’s cool she was honest upfront.” But… It’s Jorge. He’s the Jonas expy. And I just could not and didn’t want not to use “straight up,” i.e. Jonas’ catchphrase.

El sábado ¡a las nueve, tío! (“Saturday… at 9pm, dude!”): This is another underrated moment. I don’t know if people remember, but Jorge’s excuse for not attending Nora’s party was that he was playing football at 9pm on a Saturday. Here he actually gets a text to play a game at 9pm on a Saturday, and he’s like, “who the fuck are these people?”

As I explained on Twitter at the time, Jorge mimics calling the cops over Eva being hungry. The joke is that Jorge would consider it an emergency that necessitates police involvement. This is a really common (and corny, natch) joke in Spain. We’re very dramatic, so obviously any situation, no matter how mundane, is on the verge of needing police intervention.

We all know that when Jorge asked Eva what she wanted to eat, her answer was pizza. Right? Just checking we’re all on the same page.

CLIP 5: Vaginas and languages

Note about the message in Arabic: I was the one who originated the translation, after I asked a Middle Eastern friend if she could translate it for me. She translated the note as saying, “Equality between women and men – Rashid Alfadhili.” I thought it might be a direct quote from a writer or an activist, but if you search for the name online, all the references are to my Twitter. So, who is the mysterious Rashid Alfadhili?

The obgyn is singing Havana D’Primera’s Me dicen Cuba. The actor is indeed Cuban, and the character speaks in a noticeable Cuban accent.

If you have further questions about The Herpes Thing, I reblogged a post by @niteskycs and added my own commentary, including quotes from this scene.

There’s one more thing I want to mention wrt candidiasis/thrush/yeast infection. Candidiasis is an opportunistic infection and so, it’s an infection that takes advantage of an opportunity not normally available, such as a host with a weakened immune system. Because of this, and before antiretroviral drugs, people with AIDS often suffered from candidiasis and could die from it. Thus, it is notable that the obgyn thinks Viri may have candidiasis (which, again, gets ruled out). It makes it really obvious that he suspects Viri’s actual problem might be that she has a weakened immune system.

If you have further questions or commentary about this scene, feel free to hit up my inbox, reblog, reply, etc.

The positions of the girls behind Viri are a reference to og Skam.

CLIP 6: It always comes back to dicks

Cris is playing a game which consists of pulling the tab on a can back and forth as she recites the alphabet, until the tab breaks apart. The letter that she was saying out loud when the tab broke apart is the initial of her crush/loved one/person she’s fated to be with. Which in this case is H!

Alguien que haga que, sabes, te entre aquí una cosilla en el estómago (“someone who makes it so… you know, that makes you feel butterflies in your stomach”): The literal translation is, “someone who, you know, makes you feel a little thing in your stomach,” but Eva is referring to the “butterflies in your stomach” metaphor. The metaphor exists in Spanish as well (that’s what Bely Basarte’s Mariposas is about), but I think it’s been adopted after the English idiom became well-known in Spanish.

Un gilipollas integral (“an unadulterated asshole”): Viri says “integral,” which is a word we’d normally use to refer, like, to whole-grain bread or rice. While I think Viri calling Alejandro a “whole-grain asshole” would’ve been hilarious, I thought “unadulterated” would also be just as funny. As in, Alejandro’s assholishness has not been contaminated with any niceness. He’s 100% pure asshole.

Unos colegas y yo hemos alquilado un local (“Some buddies and I have rented a place”): This is a very Spanish way of putting things, I think. “Un local” is basically any business premises or shop unit (such as, for instance, at a mall). It can be as sparse as four walls and a water outlet, or a fully furnished club, or even factory premises on the outskirts of a city. Alejandro wasn’t very forthcoming with details, so I wasn’t sure what to expect from the “local” when this clip dropped. But, we’ve since come to learn that, in the universe of Skam España, there’s a Kose Club, which can be rented for private parties. And this is the place Alejandro and his buddies rented.

Capullo (“Prick”): “Capullo” is yet another word for penis. Its non-penis meaning is “flower bud” and, when talking about dicks, makes reference to the head of the penis. “Capullo,” in the dick sense, is pejorative.

CLIP 7: Doing recon

I’m assuming that, for this specific party, Alejandro and his buddies hired people who would serve alcohol to minors. Or just had some friends play the part of bartenders unofficially. Because this is some illegal ass shit.

De puta madre / De fruta madre (“That’s fucking great” / “That’s ducking great”): It looks as if Amira has renounced swearing, as well. I seem to recall that Sana Bakkoush would swear, but I can’t think of any example off the top of my head. Anyway, Amira accidentally swears when she compliments Cris’ pumpkin accessory. The girls call her on it, and she says a clean version. I’ve seen it subbed as “fruiting great,” which is the literal translation (“fruta” is fruit), but I looked into the ways Americans censor their speech, and went with “ducking,” myself.

Either way, I was really proud of myself when this clip dropped. There were several instances where I could’ve gone for a swear word while subbing Amira, but I had the feeling the character was intentionally keeping it clean. It felt great to have that feeling confirmed within the show.

Edward Scissorhands is really iconic, but Sweeney Todd came out in 2007. And, you know, it’s Tim Burton, not Benh Zeitlin. Hardly an obscure director. I guess Johnny Depp as Ichabod Crane wasn’t specific enough?

Is one of the second years dressed as Inu Yasha, or is it just me?

Que son súper chungas (“those girls are bad news”): I’d say “chunga” is most closely translated as being “ghetto.” These girls are bad news, girls you don’t want to fuck with, because they will fuck back with you ten times as hard. You know how in 90s sitcoms there are always older girls hanging in the school bathrooms teaching the underclasswomen to smoke? A girl who is “chunga” is that older girl.

Putivuelta (“slut round”): I’m pretty sure the concept doesn’t exist in English and, if it does, I haven’t come across it yet. When you arrive at a club, you and your friends check out the whole place, scoping out hot singles. As far as I’m aware, “putivueltas” are only ever performed by women and queer men, and the targets can be of any gender. I’m sure straight dudes have a name for what is essentially scoping out the place for chicks to hit on, but straight Spanish men, at least, do not call it “putivueltas.”

Uh, what is that awkward Hugo and Amira’s conversation about? Amira lets Hugo know that Cris is scoping out the place for singles, so she’s both letting him know Cris will be back and that Cris has moved on from Hugo onto newer pursuits. And then there’s a medium close up on Amira’s expression, and she looks Over It. Is Amira jealous of Cris because she wants Hugo? Or jealous of Hugo because she wants to be able to pine for Cris openly??????? (By the way, I assume saying “slut round” doesn’t count as swearing, Amira?)

The song in this clip is Brisa Fenoy’s Free. Brisa Fenoy also wrote Lo Malo, which the characters make references to and eventually shows up later in the season. Here’s Free, in English:

Baby, I am free I am free

Baby, I am free I’m ready for me I go out in what I want to go out I’m better without you I like everything

Without additives Without artificial flavoring, without lies Without regrets Without giving everything and lose it afterwards Without baggage to travel lighter

Without terms that put a brake in my progress Without modifying us with so much augmentation Let’s be flesh and bone people With a lot of virtues and few flaws

Let’s get together already Through transformation we have to demolish What we were will last me the day before The future is today, what are you going to be?

Baby, I am free I’m ready for me I go out in what I want to go out I’m better without you I like everything

Without tricks like those that hurt us Without losing those pounds that fool us My body is mine, and if I want I eat what I like, I’m the one in charge

We’re what we do to change what we are No more sexism, together with each other We’re not sex symbols, there’s a bit of everything here Let’s be so authentic that they can’t prevail over us

Respect and freedom We have to demand it Let’s be a unit They won’t be able to create us Respect and freedom We have to demand it Let’s be a unit They won’t be able to shut us up

Baby, I am free I’m ready for me I go out in what I want to go out I’m better without you I like everything about me

Respect and freedom We have to demand it They won’t be able to shut us up

Here and now let’s all shout Baby I am free

CLIP 8: Moments before tragedy strikes

Si nos hubieran cobrado la entrada, se hubieran sacado un pastizal (“if they charged for admission, they’d have made out like bandits”): The literal translation would be, “If they’d charged us for admission, they’d have made a pasture.” Much like in English, you can say “dough” to refer to money, in Spain you can say “pasta” to do the same. A “pastizal” is a word with its own meaning (“pasture”), but it sounds like it could be large amounts of “pasta.”

Satanasa (“Lady Satan”): What Amira says can be literally translated as “Lady Satan.” I’ve never it before, but I think she’s going for a Halloween version of “Cheese!” 😂

Se le ha ido la pinza a Lara (“Lara lost her mind”): This idiom, which Jorge used all the way back in episode 1 to say something slipped off his mind, can also mean that Lara just lost her shit entirely!

It’s worth noting that the song playing when Lara slaps Eva, is actually playing in Eva’s mind. As you can see if you check the social media for the episode, Post Malone’s Better Now is still playing when Lara is pulled back from Eva. Here are the lyrics for the song playing in Eva’s mind (Jorge Marazu’s Simulacro), in English:

If this was a drill I bought it to the end It’s not going to be cheap to climb back up I have lost the measure And even though I had a taste I forget it’s a two-way street

The star lights went out Their circuit breaker tripped It hasn’t stopped snowing all day And even though they’re hurt My hopes and dreams I forget it’s a two-way street

The whims that get in the way Of instinct and reason, don’t know a goodbye without pain

Let’s not wait until tomorrow I wish you the best Now we’re getting to the end…

Social media:

This episode had a lot of references to og Skam. I’ve noted the references in the clips where they happened. There were also references to og Skam on social media though. Most notably, the club where Alejandro hosts the Halloween party is called Kose Club, after Kosegruppe. Die Antwoord’s Baby on Fire, which is the song that plays when Iben’s squad fights the girl squad, is playing on the background of a couple ig stories.

It took me a while to notice that the kitty in the background of Cris’ pics switches from being Viri, to the second year girl Cris hooks up with.

Other:

Halloween has only become a thing in Spain in recent times, and mostly as an excuse for young people to host parties or clubs to host Halloween-themed nights. Kids don’t go trick and treating, although their parents may buy them Halloween-themed candy in grocery stores. As such, I’m not too bothered about Alejandro hosting a Halloween party in Saturday.

That said, if he wanted to host the party on Halloween proper, he could’ve done so. The 1st of November is a national holiday, All Saints’ Day. Traditionally, religious people visit family graves on this day, and leave flowers or candles. Since the 1st of November fell on a Thursday, schools were also out on Friday.

#culture and translation #skam españa #skam spain #skamesp #skames

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wateenleventje · 3 years

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The Beginning of Us

I used to write fiction. Nothing really remarkable, yet I enjoy composing fictious character's life and tell how love can change our life. Maybe because I watch too much romantic comedy. When I finally stop writing these type of writing, is I think because it does not give much impact to my personal life, let alone to bigger audience.

I decided to write more based on my real personal experience or share my thought in a blog platform. It feels different, it feels more therapeutic because I can stop bottling up what is on my mind and how I actually feel. It is also nice to have pensieve (Harry Potter vocab alert)!

I sometimes miss the good old days when I soak myself in the story of love. No matter how cheesy the story is, I believe that every person's life worth a once in a lifetime story, especially their journey of finding love. That is why I love watching movie about love story (Earlier episode of The Crown with Elizabeth and Philip's story, Felicity Jones' The Theory of Everything, Sandra Bullock's The Proposal, Hilary Duff's Cinderella Story, Lily Colin's Love, Rosie., Lindsay Lohan's The Parent Trap, Emily Clarke's Me Before You are some of my favorite). I enjoy reading hundred of pages (oh well, thousand? I even guilty for reading the whole Twilight Saga series) of how people's life twisted once love came. I kept quotes of love advice, reading and listening to random podcast, videos and blog post about love story, and I even wrote scientific paper about Long Distance Relationship couple (for my bachelor's thesis).

I have to admit that I even perceive so many things in my life happening in a way of a romantic comedy writer works. As an intro I would summed up that we started off as two strangers meeting in a destined time. We came with our own baggage a.k.a history and current situation on-going, but we just gotta meet that night and get through the labyrinth first. Even the setting could not be anymore "hollywood-like": one night, in a new city, simple hello and cheesy line, and we instantly hit if off.

One thing lead to another, we did not just related, but we keep in touch regularly after that night. It was a memorable night and I was enchanted by him. However, it was on hold shortly after he casually mentioned about his current relationship and became supportive to my situation that time. I was not in my best state at that time, as I took so many careless choices and not focusing on what really matters in life and in love. I think, it was because I was 23 and living on the edge seems like a celebration of getting “my freedom”.

Even when we became busy with our own circle, our own love life, and our routine, we maintain our close friendship. We came to each other naturally but carefully refraining ourselves from diving in real feeling. I somehow sense that I messed up a little too much and with him I just found a safe haven. I became so comfortable showing my actual thought and telling him how I felt, even when he frowned after hearing about it. I have to be honest, even though I was in a relationship with someone else by that time, I enjoyed his constant care (like taking the closest chair or walking beside me most of the time), his abudant encouragement (how he called me "genius" just because I told him excitedly that I passed my exam without caring the grades I have), our sweet personal talk (I remembered how he shared his "wedding theme song" to me when we were just friend), his being protective to me (not letting me out on my own during winter night) and making a big deal out of his spontaneous compliment (telling me that I made the best fried rice--just because I decided not to put chili on it, because he dislikes spicy food). I remembered that we spent so many alone time, one on one talk when our group of friends are hanging out, catching up in a short groceries walk.

By the end of our first semester, I noticed that something change between us. We become overtly friendlier but also trapped in our current situation. I was so consumed by a long distance relationship struggle back then and did not realize that he also getting close with someone else. I still think that he paid that degree of attention only to me and we have different level of closeness, so I got myself so comfortable with him. I was indulged in our special routine: taking time, just the two of us, strolling around the city in dawn, having kebab and soda when I need someone to talk to, watching the first snow shower together, and even had our best-honeymoon-trip-scenario, where he acted as if he helped me to create a honeymoon itinerary for the me and my future spouse while we just filled it with our favorite places.

I had my breakdown that year after a short holiday where we spent far away from each other as I just broke up from a relationship that I actually knew would not survive. Still, it hurts and what I wanted that new year eve was just to returned to our Maastricht and met him. I was delighted that he was eager to meet me and my parents as well, to the point he initiated it. We arranged a short trip out of the city and I can't deny how I felt about him once I found him getting along with my father. I watched them just sync effortlessly and how he made conversation with him all day long while me and my mom getting “busy” shopping. Maybe I was not rational at that time, wanting to escape from my heart break, but I swear I hear myself saying "I think, all these things happened so I can realize that Madeza is the one".

I did not pay attention or simply refute from seeing the signs, I let myself build hope that this might be a start of something new, only to find out that he had a new girl friend. I remembered that night very clearly, I remember the place when he told me casually about it. I felt like a fool and I keep wondering whether it was a plot twist in our story. Anyway, is it quite clear how our love story resembles one of that movie up until this point?

The shock and even worse heartbreak this time, I got angry and tried to find another resort. So, I chose to spend time with someone else out of the blue, making it clear that I tried to escape watching someone I am in love with enjoying a good time with someone else. I tried to run away from the fact that I have to witness them together, because we were in the same group and we lived in a small city, and I need to at least be able to "do what he do to me”. I don’t know if I am so angry at him or at the timing.

Nonetheless, I can’t keep my joy whenever we sneaked out for a meet-up. But our conversation became bizarre as we keep so much from each other. It only took us weeks to realize that our so called friendship needs a closure. We approached each other, talking until dawn and crying and laughing at how ridiculous the situation we got ourselves into. We talked about past, about our feeling, about moments we secretly keep and treasure it. I was told that he actually recognized me before we talked for the first time. He spotted me through a social media posting and he read some of my blog posts.

I think, that moment we were too happy and got ourselves into a bubble, we were too afraid to return to the reality we were in that we did not talk about it. But morning comes and we just have to face the reality we were in. Once or twice we exchanged some difficult conversation, like a passive I-want-you-to-tell-what-is-going-on-between-us and we did not continue in the middle of our conversation because it was too hard just to straightly said how we actually feel. So, we let the distance grow, we did not really exchange news or let ourself start any conversation. It was hard, but I think by that time it was what we need for a while.

I remember the spring was around the corner when we finally reconnected. It started with a random meeting and hang out. It ended up with a text where I confessed that I miss him so badly. Ever since that day, we just know that things are escalating. Although we spend time with our friends, we cannot keep that longing stare off each other. I feel that moment very significant to our relationship because we were so close to hit that point in our romantic relationship, yet we were not so sure where we stood.

One of the most special memory in that period is related with the celebration of my 24th birthday. We did not get to celebrate my birthday together, but we went to the church that morning together. He took me to a birthday brunch and it was a lovely morning. I was not really in a good place back then, I felt a bit disoriented in between what I have not achieved in my life and where I want to walk after this. We talk about future, not as the two of us, yet, but about each of us. We learn about surrender (berserah) our life in God's hands and not give up our situation to the situation at road's end (terserah). I never had that kind of conversation with anyone before, that moment I know how much I want to have those conversations for the rest of my life.

As we only have part of my birthday together, we decided to go for a date to annual spring garden, away from our city. I bought a pinky seed of tulip, we strolled, chatted, and had dinner. He took me to have dinner in a cozy café by the pier called Plek. We stayed there long enough until the crowd dissolved, looking the sky turned black, the lights hanged warmly, and we had the bench by the pier for ourselves. We sit there, looking at pitch black far horizon, just close our eyes in silence side by side. The weather feels cool, but I cant help feeling sad for this moment, as verything is quite blurry even when we can't deny what is hanging the air. He said something though--something that replace the 3 words we have not really dare to say to each other as we just throw the badge of friendship that we used all this time. "If one day I don’t fight for us as much as I do today, please remind me of this place and this moment."

He took my breath away.

For 23 years I was falling and failing miserably, worrying that I wont come up with the love story that as magical as my parents’. I am afraid I won’t ever stop looking until I found my own great love story. Then, I met Madeza that year and I know he is my great love story. It was just the beginning and I already know how it turned out to be, and I love it. I’ve found the one and it is much more wonderful than any love story in the whole world.

#whatalife

#wateenleventje

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fremmedsprak · 7 years

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do you have any tips for learning Norwegian? I'm a beginner.

hello there! :)

i’ll try my best to tell you what i do to learn the language and what i think is important. if anyone has something else to add, please feel free to do it!

first, it’s really important that you focus on grammar, vocab and your listening and speaking skills. try to find a balance! people will argue that it’s more important to do grammar than vocab or the other way around, but i never thought i had to choose between the two.. i just study grammar one day and vocab the next one. it’s just really important to do both. listening and speaking skills are also super important because they will let you communicate with natives in real life. now i’ll just tell you what i use and how i tend to study!

What I Use:

(or i should say, resources i have saved)

Duolingo: [grammar and vocab] great way to start!!! it sometimes feel like the sentences are useless but they teach you vocabulary and basic grammar, which i think is great.

Memrise: [vocab] so good for vocab! easy to use on the go.

Babbel: [grammar, vocab, speaking, listening] i think it’s one of my favourite apps/websites. it is not free but it’s very well made and it explains grammar much better than duolingo does.

Readlang: [reading] (i don’t use it that much) but you can find many texts written in norwegian to practice reading. it can be really useful, especially if you have a bit of a hard time finding books

Forvo: [listening and speaking] this website lets people record themselves say words so you can listen to them. it shows you the real pronunciation of words (i mean when compared to google translate) and tells you where the speaker is from (which is important with norwegian and its dialects)

NTNU’s Norwegian on the Web: [grammar, vocab, listening] haven’t actually used this one yet, but it’s made by a university in trondheim so i guess it’s not bad!

UiO’s Future Learn Introduction to Norwegian: [grammar, vocab, listening] i took this free online class a couple of months ago and i don’t know when it will be available again, but it was so great! they have videos and grammar lessons, so you have a good balance between grammar and real life use of norwegian.

Get Started in Norwegian / Complete Norwegian / Enjoy Norwegian: [grammar, vocab, listening] i absolutely love these books! i put links to buy them, but maybe you can find a way to download them online. they explain grammar really well and they have exercises to practice what you learn.

Assimil’s Le Norvégien: [grammar, reading, listening] don’t know if available in another language than french. also really great! a good mix of reading, listening and writing!

På Vei (A1-A2) / Stein På Stein (B1) / Her På Berget (B2): [grammar, vocab] my favourite at the moment, i downloaded all the textbooks and exercise books on Scribd and you can find download links here too. i absolutely love them! the first one is kind of childish but the grammar rules are well explained and the textbooks let you read more.

Klar Tale: [reading] news (from norway and around the world) written in simple words. that’s how i first started reading in norwegian and it’s helped me a lot!

How I Study:

Taking notes: after i’m done with a duolingo or memrise lesson or after i learned something new in my grammar books, i like to write down the new words, grammar concepts and other things like that down in my notebook. it helps me remember stuff more easily and helps me review!

Flashcards: helps me learn verbs and vocab. also super easy to bring with you when you want to study on the bus or when you’re waiting somewhere!

Watching TV Shows/Movies: there are quite a lot of norwegian tv shows on netflix, like Nobel, Okkupert, Lillehammer or Øyevitne. and obviously Skam (not on netflix though). when i can, i like to watch the episode with norwegian subtitles to see the words as i’m hearing them. then i watch the episode again with english subs to see what i understood (or didn’t understand).

Listening to music/podcasts: you can find a bunch of norwegian playlist on spotify and it helps so much with your listening skills! I like to read the lyrics while i listen to songs because i can associate the sounds with the written words (and the other way around). i also like the nrk-skampod, because it’s fun and the people on the podcasts speak a variety of dialects.

Reading the news: i like to read the articles, sum them up and write down the words i don’t know. Look up the words and then read the article again to see if i understand it better.

Writing: keep a journal or write to natives (or other learners), because even if you memorize 100 grammar rules by heart, if you never apply them in real context, you won’t learn/remember them. believe me, the natives on this website are really nice and they want to help us learn!

Speaking: i speak to myself (and my cat) a lot, when doing my lessons or when i’m getting ready in the morning. i’m too shy to speak to natives so that’s the best way i found to actually practice my speaking! it’s weird, yes, but effective.

In the End, What Is Important:

obviously you might not have time to study everyday, but i believe it’s important to be around the language at least 20 to 30 minutes a day. sometimes i’m able to sit down and write notes and be really productive. other days, all i can do is listen to music on the way to school/work. i’m rarely able to do grammar, learn vocab, practice my listening or speaking skills all in one day, but i try my best to do everything in the course of a week! it’s better to do a bit every day, than to study 5 hours straight once a week!

That’s it!!

I’m sorry that got so long and i really hope that answers your question. If somehow it didn’t, send me another message and i’ll try my best to answer it :)

#norwegian langblr #norsk langblr #norwegian #norsk #*#dmc56 #answered #resources

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letscuttothefeeling · 4 years

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season three episodes nine & ten

Okay everyone, after a short hiatus, I’m back and ready to reenter the world of Siesta Key, much like Alex after his long-awaited return in episode three of this season. There’s a lot of ground to cover here, (over yonder and hither north), and a lot of bare ass to see. So let’s just cut to the feeling!

The summer’s third most important event on the Key, following closely behind Alex’s birthday which didn’t happen, and the Kompothecras Autism fundraiser which has yet to happen, is the Fourth of July. We all know how much the cast loves a themed bathing suit party and an excuse to take as many blueberry and watermelon Smirnoff Jello shots as possible, so this day is an honored tradition! But this year, we discover Juliette will not be participating in the annual debauchery. She’s under the impression that Alex and Alyssa will attend BG’s pool party, so in a rare moment of maturity (sorry Jules, but you know it’s true), she decides to work the holiday instead so that Blend, the boutique she works for, will be ready for its opening party. We love to see her contribute so thoroughly to Florida’s flourishing haute couture scene. But she’s mistaken – Alex and Alyssa are actually planning to head to Alyssa’s lake house in Georgia. (Go Dawgs! Sic em! Woof Woof!) Alyssa has invited Alex’s self-proclaimed “posse” consisting of JJ, Jared, Amanda, and Chloe. Her best friend Madi will also be there. I love being introduced to cast members’ friends because the company people keep is very telling of their overall aesthetic and vibe. Madi’s Instagram bio says that “chaos makes the muse,” and from that, I can assume that she’s a basic white girl who is obsessed with Show Me Your Mumu and uppers. How fitting!

Every girl who exclusively wears Show Me Your Mumu’s feed

While everyone is finalizing their FOJ plans, Madisson is enjoying a romantic evening at Ophelia’s On the Bay with Ish. This classic Siesta Key establishment is reserved for special occasions, so I’m already at the edge of my seat wondering what is going on in Ish’s shiny, bald head. Ish pulls a small jewelry box out of his pocket, and I’m breathlish. I mean, breathless. Is Ish going to propose?! Madisson’s face lights up, then falls when she sees the box has a necklish in it instead of a ring. Bummer! But rest assured, the jovial grin returns to Madisson’s face moments later when Ish asks her to move in with him! I mean, she’s quite literally giggling with excitement. Whatever happened to playing it cool? In fact, Madisson is SO jazzed that she suggests Ish come to lunch with her entire family soon, since her older sister, Paige will be in town. You may remember Paige as the girl who hooked up with both Pauly and Canvas, two major SK players. Fabulous track record. I can’t wait to see her again.

Country roads, take me home! We have arrived in Albany, Georgia and are ready to hit the lake and celebrate America! But before the celebration can begin, everyone must decide who is rooming with who. Chloe quickly nixes the possibility of Amanda rooming with JJ, and later chastises Amanda for even thinking about rooming with her toxic ex. Between you and me, Amanda looks quite peeved with her friend’s overbearing orders. After everyone gets settled, and Jared makes a connection with Alyssa’s friend Madi, Chloe walks inside and sees Alyssa shucking corn, something Alyssa apparently thinks only happens in the south, even though everyone literally everywhere who eats corn needs to shuck it. Alyssa confides in Chloe about Alex’s recent shuck up – his confession that he was on the phone with Juliette for six hours. Chloe lets it slip that Alex only admitted his wrongdoing to Alyssa after Chloe pushed him to do it, which makes Alyssa angry. She confronts Alex about it, and all I have to say is that if this is any indication of how Alex responds when presented with damning evidence, I do not want him representing me. He immediately gets defensive and angry at Chloe, and as much as I hate to admit it, Alyssa holds her own. She gets mad at Alex for attacking Chloe for simply telling the truth. Instead of just owning up to what he’s done wrong, Alex stammers out a half-apology and looks ready to fight Chloe. Oh no.

Cut to JJ and Amanda, grilling up some burgers and a hot conversation! After discussing their rekindled flame despite their tough past, Amanda tells JJ about another wrench in their road to romance – Chloe’s blatant disapproval. JJ looks really annoyed with the intrusion. I mean, he’s had to deal with BG, the fact that he cheated on Amanda multiple times already, and now this?! It’s so unfair. Speaking of BG, back on the Key, Brandon’s party is in full swing. You know what else is in full swing? The bare ass of a girl attending the party. Listen, I know the show loves to transition scenes by showing close-ups of scantily clad females, but this is just not something I can get behind. (Ha!) In all seriousness though, readers, please consider using something more than floss to cover your asshole if you ever find yourself on national television.

There’s more than one ass at this party, and her name is Kelsey. Sorry Kelsey stans, but this scene is just so violently cringe-worthy that I almost threw the remote at my screen. Kelsey can be so off-putting when she tries to flirt. But she’s hot and on a reality show so I’m not too worried about it. G Baby approaches Kelsey and asks her where “Jakey-poo” is. It’s worth noting that the robots controlling Garrett are becoming increasingly upsetting as well. Kelsey informs the Robot Garret that Jake is “over yonder, hither north” and then giggles/hiccups. I’m actually grimacing as I type this. Their nauseating display reminds me of why they’re actually perfect for each other. Foreshadowing, maybe? Kelsey then asks the question we’ve all been wondering – are Cara and Garrett still talking? Garrett says that they are not talking anymore, which is exactly what BG says about Amanda when Madisson asks. And as the fireworks explode in the night sky, I can’t help but think about the lack of fireworks in the love lives of our beloved cast.

Back at the lake, tensions are rising faster than the current unemployment rate. Chloe seems to be the common denominator in everyone’s annoyance, and at dinner, everything comes to a head. Looking directly at Chloe, Alex asks, “Chloe, I know you like hanging out with us, but are you more of a team Juliette girl?” Chloe warns him “not to go there,” but Alex keeps pushing, accusing Chloe of being “finnicky.” Alex Merriam- Webster Kompothecras back at it again with the BURNS! Nice try buddy, I guess they don’t have vocab in law school. (I believe Alex meant to say “fickle,” but let me know your thoughts.) Chloe fires back by asking Alex a question – why hasn’t he made things official with Alyssa yet? Future Lawyer Alex blesses us yet again with a genius rebuttal: “Why? Because… I’ve… learned that… you shouldn’t push things. And when… the time is right...” Chloe cuts him off by reiterating that Alex still continuously hits Juliette up. At this point, I feel so bad for Alyssa who is just sitting there like a vegetable. But before I can focus on how painfully awkward she must feel, Amanda randomly starts butting in and yelling at Chloe for inserting herself in everyone else’s relationships. Chloe inserting herself in other people’s lives is literally the core theme of the show. Please get over it. Amanda keeps yelling because she’s clearly annoyed with Chloe’s criticism of JJ, and as JJ sits there, harrowingly silent, Chloe tells Amanda to fuck off and storms out of the lake house. Let’s all pray she didn’t drive home. The night isn’t all bad though – after the fight, Jared ends up sealing the deal with Madi, who insists that she “usually doesn’t do this on the first night.” Okay, sweetie. After Jared is unable to perform, the night, which began on an explosive note ends on a rather underwhelming one.

The fourth may be over, but the aftermath from the day remains. And what better way to catch up on the day’s events than over lunch? As Chloe meets up with Juliette to explain what happened at the lake, Madisson takes Ish to meet up with her entire family and break her news to them. I predict that while Chloe and Juliette’s lunch will go swimmingly, Madisson and Ish’s lunch will turn sour quickly. And I’m right! Juliette drinks in every last detail of Chloe’s public fight with Alex. I’m proud of her for steering clear of the drama this time, but I’m not naïve. Juliette can only be on the Key drama-free for so long. Let’s check in with Madisson. As anticipated, this is not going well. After Madisson’s mom asks if she is pregnant, and Madisson’s Dad refuses to acknowledge that she and Ish are anything but “just friends,” Madisson tells her family that she plans to move to Los Angeles with Ish. They appear less than pleased. It is a stark contrast from Madisson’s giddy reaction when he initially proposed the idea. Ish gently reminds her family that while Madisson would like their blessing, she is a grown woman and can make her own decisions. He knows their situation is “so unique”, but hopes they will grow to accept their relationship. Paige, Madisson’s sister, breaks her silence. While Madisson was hoping she might be an ally for their relaysh, she turns out to be team parent. “Unique…?” Paige questions. “Isn’t this more of a cliché? The old Hollywood producer sleeping with the actress…” Ouch! And here I thought her father was the harsh one!

While Madisson’s relationship becomes increasingly rocky, Alex decides to take things up a notch with Alyssa. During a bizarre conversation in which he essentially admits that he still has feelings for his ex-girlfriend, Alex seals the deal with Alyssa and asks her to be official. I wonder what prompted him to take the next step! Could it have been Chloe point-blank asking him why he hadn’t made things official with Alyssa the night before? We may never know. Regardless, Alyssa accepts the clearly sincere offer and Siesta Key has a new power couple. “Wait,” you might be thinking. “New power couple? But what about Ish and Madisson?” Oh, thanks for the reminder. Alex and Alyssa are only able to overthrow this couple because…they’re done. Gasp! In a shocking scene, Ish breaks up with Madisson on national TV. If I’m Madisson, a stunning 25-year-old girl who is D-List famous and kind of intelligent, I’m furious. How dare my old, overweight ex-producer dump my ass in front of all of America. But after Ish says he needs space and doesn’t think they should be together, Madisson just starts to softly cry and runs off-screen, away from her now ex-Father ex-boyfriend. I am torn because I know that Ish means well. It’s like that time in Stephanie Meyer’s classic American novel, New Moon. When Edward realizes that his relationship with Bella puts her safety and ability to lead a normal life at risk, he knows he must leave her. Even if it’s the last thing he wants to do. He must act out of selfless love. Eventually, though, he comes back to Bella…we can only hope for the same fate for Dadisson.

Speaking of exes, let’s check in on everyone’s least favorite exes, Boring Robby and Juliette! Boring Robby is throwing some sort of strange soirée, and it’s a little awkward that Juliette is there considering the last time these two saw each other it ended rather abruptly. But Juliette, on a mature streak, pulls Boring Robby aside and apologizes for the harsh convo. She invites him to the Blend opening as a peace offering, and even though he accepts, Boring Robby can’t help but push for a few more answers. He asks Juliette why she would ever say she loved him, and Juliette responds by explaining that while she did love him, she wasn’t in love with him, because she felt like he was “fatherly.” Okay y’all, you’ve heard of getting friend-zoned, but today we’re introducing you to a new dating trend, getting “dad-zoned!” She ends the talk by saying that she’s ready to make her own decisions without the influence of any man. Yas kween! The only other notable thing that happens at this party is that Garrett refers to himself as the “G-Slanger,” which to me, is really thrilling.

But not everyone is dartying today. Despite their blowout, business aficionados Chloe and Alex must meet at the Crescent Club to “work.” Before they hit the books, Chloe expresses her frustration with Alex. She explains that Alex is now doing the same thing Juliette did at the beginning of the summer. He’s mad at Chloe for continuing to be friends with Juliette. And WHY can’t she be friends with both!? Alex vehemently denies this claim but agrees that they need to find a way to smooth things over with everyone. On a more somber note, Jake comes over to Kelsey’s house and tells her that his father passed away, so he needs to return home. He also breaks things off with her. :( One of those rare actually intense moments in this show.

Blending business and pleasure never works, so when Alex shows up at Blend’s sign hanging, Juliette looks less than amused. Instead of gearing up for the opening party that night, Alex whisks Juliette away from her boss and coworker to have a chat with her. The chat goes absolutely nowhere – they’re literally talking in circles, saying the same things we’ve heard for three seasons. Juliette tells Alex she’s going to pretend like he doesn’t exist, and Alex responds with a menacing smile and says, “see you later.” I’m scared.

It’s time for the official opening of Blend! While I’m still confused as to how they were able to pull it together in time when Juliette went to Greece instead of helping out, I’m so proud of Juliette, Juliette’s random friend Kelly, and Juliette’s bitchy boss Courtney. Great job, ladies! Everyone seems to be having a good time until Alex and Alyssa waltz in. The party crashers, making their debut as an official couple, make their way across the venue. But while Alyssa passes Boring Robby without a second glance, Alex, who has yet to see his “ex-friend who dated his ex-girlfriend,” stops in front of Boring Robby and flicks him on the face. If I’m Alyssa, I’m breaking up with Alex then and there. He might as well take the microphone and scream “I’M NOT OVER JULIETTE” into it. But of course, Alyssa turns the other way and pretends to barely notice it. Boring Robby is still visibly reeling from the flick. Even though he’s trying to pretend like it was funny, you can tell he’s taken aback. Alex approaches him AGAIN, slaps him on the ass, and threatens to “knock [his] fake-ass teeth out.” In true Boring Robby fashion, he simply walks away, refusing to engage and keeping things as boring as possible. Luckily, Boring Robby’s spunky friend Joe is there to keep the reality show on track and talk a lot of shit. He starts by flipping Alex off and saying that Alex “hides behind his money.” Alex responds by bringing up Robby’s penis size. Maybe we’ve gotten it wrong this whole time. Maybe Alex is really into Boring Robby, and is mad at Juliette for getting in the way. Eventually, Alex lunges at Joe and threatens to fight him. As a future lawyer, Alex should know better than to physically attack anyone in public, specifically someone who is a literal walking hate crime, but then again, Alex isn’t known for his intelligence.

The next day, Kelsey heads to Boring Robby’s to make sure her job is still secure in light of all of the chaos that has ensued. (Remember that he’s randomly her boss, lol.) He assures her that all is okay, and has no problem with “continuing to use and abuse her.” I don’t think he got that quote from his collection of bizarre inspirational sayings, but it still made me cringe just the same. When Kelsey brings up the fight, Robby describes it as “par for the course.” I cannot get enough of his expressions! They’re never-ending! Later, when Juliette checks on Boring Robby to make sure he’s okay after the fight, he also assures her that he’s okay, that the fight was “par for the course,” and that “some zebras never change their stripes.” I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, Boring Robby is truly the Confucius of our generation.

In the wake of the big fight, Chloe, resident shit-stirrer, is more determined than ever to mend all of the strife in her friend group (that she primarily caused.) Summoning her inner Mother Teresa, Chloe sends out a text to her friends demanding they meet up to hash things out. The text ends with a sweet message – “YOU ARE REQUIRED TO BE THERE SO I DON’T WANT ANY FUCKING EXCUSES.” Chloe certainly knows the way to people’s hearts!

In the final scene of this lengthy, two-episode extravaganza, we see the OG crew plus Jared at a bonfire. It’s nice to see all of the original cast together. Madisson kicks off the meeting by explaining how important everyone is to her. She breaks down, detailing how badly she needs a support system since her family hasn’t been there for her and Ish is gone. Chloe quickly glazes over the heartfelt cry for help and changes the direction of the conversation towards Alex and Juliette. As she tries to get them to see eye to eye, a very wasted Juliette calls Alex a “piece of shit” while Alex laughs in her face and tells her to go “bob her head” in the corner. I hate myself for laughing, but Juliette definitely nods her head weirdly when drunk. They peel off and have an emotional conversation that everyone can hear, and it ends with Alex holding a sobbing Juliette, assuring her that he would jump in front of a bullet for her. I don’t know about you, but I probably wouldn’t be chill with my boyfriend doing that with (or for) his ex. Either way, at least they aren’t screaming at each other.

The episode ends with Brandon announcing a trip to Nashville. He’s going to record a song and wants to bring everyone along for a vacation. The two-part finale will take place in Nashville, and I cannot wait. In the words of Alex Kompothecras, future lawyer, “Sara-nara!” See y’all in Nashville next week!

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myfluentpodcast · 4 years

Text

E61 A - Corona overkill

my fluent podcast website:

https://www.myfluentpodcast.com/e61-a-corona-overkill-language-learning-failures-and-how-to-cope-with-them/

Podcast episode as video: https://youtu.be/pad01Shktww

Daniel Goodson: I had a plan, a great plan. The Corona virus has ruined that plan, in which I wanted to learn vocabulary in a specific way. I tried to find another approach to learn English. More on this episode...

Ep. 61 has two sections, the first one is about the actual topic in which I talk about a huge mistake. This is for everyone to listen, weather you are an English learner or a native English speaker.

In section 2 (it's on Ep. 61 B), I will go about some English expressions and give additional English tips. That bonus episode is tailored for our English learners.

This episode is connected to another episode which was released on the 25th of January.

It's the episode between episode "49 book review, virtual native", and episode "48 What is the Quora series?" On that bonus episode, I explained how I wanted to learn vocabulary through news, to be more precise, through Corona news.

Further information:

You may watch this episode (61) on video, too: https://youtu.be/pad01Shktww. That way, you can read along to the subtitles while listening to the podcast.

Show notes:

You'll find the show notes (you may download subtitles) on www.myfluentpocast.com or you can read along the subtitles/transcript right here:

Right? And then I see the disinfectant, but knocks it out in a minute. One minute. And is there a way we can do something like that? Social distancing will be with us through the summer. Don't worry, guys. This episode of my fluent podcast is whether about the president Donald Trump, nor about social distancing. This time I totally screwed up though I've set myself an unreachable goal and this is a setback for me and had a negative influence on my language learning motivation. You will learn about the details soon. Welcome, dear language learners for the first time, I will do this episode in two parts. First, I will explain the current topic. After that, there will be a section for our English learners in which I go about some expressions and definitions, and by the way, the whole transcript - this applies to the audio as well as what I say - is available on our show notes or on the website, myfluentpodcast.com let's get started. So what are the takeaways for this episode? I will give them to you beforehand. At the end, I will repeat them again and give additional explanations. So number one, always set yourself SMART goals. Number two, don't stick to your methods by any cost and the focus here lies on the words "by any cost". Number three is more of a general advice. Don't beat yourself up and just be aware that learning a language is a long term process. There are ups and downs, that is normal. And number four is enjoy your language journey. Never forget that: it should be a pleasure. We should see the positive things. And this is something I need to bear in mind always. And to be honest, this is more of a personal episode this time in which I reflect my own decisions or learning approach, and this is a subject (topic) that I am a bit uncomfortable to talk about in a way. Well, this is partly because I have set myself a goal, an unreachable goal. I have totally screwed up. Anyway, I will pull myself together now. And just talk about it. Hey buddy, you need to pull yourself together. Pull yourself together. While on Saturday, it was the 25th of January, I published an episode about a topic, vocabulary, retention. Well in my opinion, this is one of the most important topics. When it comes to learning a language, and the name of that episode is Corona virus vocab through news, it seems like as if I already knew it, I did not number the episode back then, and the idea was to number the newer episode when I have followed all my own suggestions. And reached my goal. I wanted to make like a review of that approach, that good things and the bad things. So in a nutshell, back then I wanted to learn new vocabulary by reading compelling content in the news to retain information for good. You need to come across the vocabulary again and again, and then why? Chances are you will remember them for good. Meaning it will go to your long term memory. And that should be our goal. I mean, we want to learn in order to being able to using the vocabulary and I decided to focus on the information about the coroner virus. That way I would come across similar word combinations and learn more. Of course, I would use flashcards and other tools to support my endeavor. Of course, all turned out in a slightly different way. All right. If you want, you can go back. It's the episode between episode "49 book review, virtual native", and I episode "48 What is the Quora series?" On that episode I explained how I wanted to go about that idea in more detail. So what happened? You'll may already have a guess. I couldn't foresee that this virus would have such an immense impact on our world. It seems to me, today the news are focusing only on that matter. It's always the Corona virus. I can understand that. And actually for my project, it would be perfect because that's what I wanted, right? Come across similar word combinations again and again, sort them out and learn them with different tools. The problem was. I got fed up about it. I couldn't stand it anymore. The matterer is very, very negative and I did not want to focus only on such negative things. So besides that, the goal I've set to myself became very difficult. Once the news wrote only about that matter. It was just too much for me to handle, but why did I not change my goal into some things similar? I don't have an answer to that. I guess I got just a bit depressed about it and left it alone. So let's have a look at our giveaways. Which I mentioned in the beginning. Let's come back to number one, set yourself smart goals. Okay. Perhaps the goal might have been smart at the beginning, but once it became the topic number one of the whole world, it definitely became a very bad goal. Maybe another person would have pulled together and just stick to this plan. For me, I just, I couldn't, because in this situation I had not the right mindset to it and not enough time, not the energy. Poor baby. Oh, you poor thing. So the second takeaway was don't stick to our methods by any cost. We must stick to the plan on welfare as well. Usually it's the other way round. It is set yourself a goal and then stick to your plan. But in this particular situation, I would say it doesn't serve Next up, number three, don't beat yourself up. Be aware that learning a language is a long term process. Even though I said in the beginning of this show that it is a setback for me and I had a negative influence on my language learning motivation. While that was true, but now I'm again on my wife, I am back on track. So there is no worry about that, but I tend to beat myself up a bit. The problem is also that comparing yourself to others who are far better speakers, for example, is not a doll. Good idea. And that's the case with me. I compare too much. No, no. Good idea. Number four, race. Enjoy your language journey. Don't take it too seriously. In the end, it should make fun to learn and once your gut tells you that you absolutely don't, enjoy it, you should change something up. I mean, it's a great hobby and should bring us joy. And actually that's what I am doing. I started out with my podcast back in 2016 and to be honest, I had a huge gap in between, and this was a period in which I couldn't publish due to personal reasons, but the most important thing is that. I didn't give up. There's a little pain going on. Okay. Don't give up. Hang on. This is a test. If you have a mantra called, please don't give up on it, and I'm still podcasting with even more power and more motivation so that I can share all of my tips with you. Dear listeners. And this must have first section of this episode. I'll head over to the second in a minute, but before, a few words to those who are not learning English. Thanks for listening to this rather personal story about my failure. If you have any suggestions for future episodes. If you have a language learning question, please feel free to send me an email to [email protected]. I am Daniel Goodson, the host of my fluent podcast, learn from and with a language learner. So let's have to the English learning part. And for that I ask you kindly to go to episode 61 B. 61 B. Thanks The song you are listening to right now is called road trip by Scott Holmes. The other one you could hear was indie rock by Scott Holmes as well. Oh, and please don't forget to subscribe. I am on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, and all the well known podcast services. If you want to reach out to me, you can also go and find me on Instagram. My nickname oi Instagram is myfluentpodcast, or just send me an email to [email protected]. . Bye.

Your Daniel Goodson. [email protected]

music:

https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Holmes

https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/coronavirus-words-guide/social-distance

Obama: Screw up:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4424&v=E8SFpzWzC2M&feature=emb_logo

Check out this language related episode! Learn with a learner and become fluent!

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autoirishlitdiscourses · 7 years

Text

Discourse of Tuesday, 31 January 2017

The Anglo-Irish Literature, fall back on it.

Wikipedia article on Giorgione's/Sleeping Venus/, please read September 1913, which has decent but not EC#50849 has an ESCI Survey Header form in it according to the aspects of some parts of the Irish pound was at many times a separate document, and it shouldn't be too hard to be nominated and an honest and mostly successful attempt to look for people who already believe in? But really, your writing. I have a copy in the front of the A range, actually, but this is a smart move for a job well done. For one thing, most passionate is a pretty strong claim to prove, and you're absolutely welcome to choose any poem at all.

Yeats, Who Goes with Fergus? As for your audiovisual text and from section that you should be made, in part because of this, and coming up with it—it was fun having you in section on 27 November discussion of An Irish Airman Foresees His Death 5 p.

Poke around and see whether I can do at least 46. A student again this quarter. You did a number of things that would then help you to reschedule after the final! This document has not yet made a huge number of important issues, focus your analysis, which is one productive way that the I have been posted to the rest of the Penelope episode 5 p. Talking in general, quite good. It's been a pleasure having you in section the most positive light possible—paying attention to small-scale issues and weaves them gracefully into an effective relationship with each other you give provocative hints but need to do so very good job of engaging in a word with him after the final exam from 8 a.

Your poem will be worth digging in to the poem, and that the best option for you. Opening up more abstract and general phrasing to which you deal would help you to providing an introduction to things that keep it from my talking than my 5 p. I'll leave here tomorrow night! Failure of the play, it looks like you're currently thinking about how to narrow it down productively to a in line 22. Let me know and I'll see you next week the day on Saturday can we meet at a different version of the reasoning process for the previous week's reading. As promised in the last few days to make about how to set the bar for A papers very high B for the quarter, and how you're phrasing a claim about what your paper space to get paid later that day was to sketch out briefly an interpretive pathway into one of the page number and my copy of this audio or video recording online, send me your plans by tomorrow at 10 p. I'm not in terms of participation/attendance based entirely upon attendance I won't calculate participation until the quarter I have to evolve. So. You can use as discussion questions.

What that motivation is will pay off as much as it often does not merely re-read. Ultimately, what you plan to recite in section and are able to recite.

What are your criteria in this matter, if you request a grade independently of the nine options; he also wrote the shortest midterm essay of anyone whose test I graded. I'll pass that on a Mantelpiece; Guitar, Fruits et Pichet; Still Life with Four Apples; probably others. Paper Guidelines: Your quote from Yeats is not a fantastic document/outline/explanation of what handicaps they may live? Make sure to email in just before it jerked; added the before night in section. This would allow you, because they will help you to dig in deeper; one is simply hasty editing and proofreading. Extra minutes to fifteen minutes, Once again, did he drop? Anyway, you might mean. You should bring at least 24 hours in advance that people run up against is Joyce's lack of a specific analysis. So, with his problematic relationships to women and his weird foreshortened female figures, many of the students in relation to this is primarily important insofar as he reinscribes them and wind up giving answers to your discussion, rather than one that takes a stand that makes that comparison worth engaging in the class to engage in any case always a good job of putting your texts in juxtaposition is a strong job here. Why these particular texts could be.

Note that this was explained to the greatest extent that this was quite a few words at the last day to change between P/NP and letter-graded options. The Butcher Boy, Lord of the other; time and attention to how you're balancing your time and perhaps by doing background reading on aspects of the situation for you? A is out of lecture and less discussion than was optimal, but it would be helpful flight, the question so that I? Reminder: section is dealing directly with a worn pick, and your readings further and develop a level playing field in a productive relationship to each section and leave it at the same as totalitarianism, though, I just wanted to talk about; it may be elementary and/or #6, Irish nationalism are connected in rather interesting, problematic, fascinating, questionable, and your reading of Godot, of course welcome to do so for purposes of education, and I think. I feel this way. I think that the pick three texts requirements fairly loosely, provided that you haven't yet graded, but you picked those particular texts side by side? I promised to forward to your query, but is likely to make progress on your way into a more analytically incisive paper. It's not necessary to try to recall. Remember that one part or another of the story of Odysseus that treats it as your section this quarter—you should understand that this is a draft maybe let them do so before I pass it out before his exam? Thanks for letting me know if you get no credit for section next week. Take care of your email to answer questions in order to be avoiding picking too many pieces of writing a strong job of getting people warmed up and see what topics are currently several spaces open in my office with the small modification that I record your attendance/participation component of your information and how to deliver it. So, for instance, if you study and think about what it is unwise to email me the only pair reciting from Godot tomorrow. Does he give a strong job of discussion and question provoked close readings by the section website: good reading of Yeats's poem, gave what was overall an excellent job! Thinking about these kinds of background theoretical reading might be a bit better, I think might have helped into the trap of only writing personally reflective essays that wind up taking the final, you'll get another email about that. There were several ways that I am saying is that a B. As to what does it mean to suggest this, let me know if you have also helped to avoid large amounts of repetition of their material. All in all, you could be very difficult to stop. Good poem from an interesting contemporary poet, and we can actually accomplish in a few people at your test to know exactly what this larger-scale umbrella of what your paper has at least some violent criminals are hard-wired to be a tricky business, and will automatically continue to attend the entire class, but lets the text control the conversation. This includes unwelcome sexual advances. I pass out a reminder that I should have already given up 70 points out while still allowing other people in his eyes. I'm glad to hear the last two stanzas are good I think the question and arguing a specific claim. I will distribute your total grade for the course,/your grade substantially. Give your recitation/discussion, too, with absolutely everything except the final itself to me, as outlined in my box before lecture starts on page 240 of the task of structuring your comments are not, let me know and I'll stay late. Not the least insightful essays of anyone on the relevance of what was overall an excellent delivery, which is entitled to demand from the original deadline was. Good choice; I think you have questions, OK? Does that help? I suppose, is to provide more specific in your delivery was good, nuanced close readings of all of the novel drunkenness, violence, and responded effectively to comments and passages from the Oct 17 vocab quiz: Matthew Arnold's/On the Concept of History sometimes just translated as On the Concept of History, which is where most of the Kris song in here, but he did on the pike. You're welcome! 5% 107. I don't believe I've seen of Katharine O'Shea note the recurring discussions of your total grade for the week I just wanted to write all of the spreadsheet, because it verges on nonsense in places, and I think, too, needs more attention to your larger-scale judgments about sex. You also reacted gracefully to questions from other sources. Believe me, is to call on your grade up you should re-inscribe Gertie into the wrong place, but in large part because you're not articulating. If you have two options. Don't forget to bring a blue book after thirty minutes in which it was more lecture-oriented but part of the class, because poteen was illegal in Ireland and Irish pounds were subdivided in the class, with a good sense of what you're going to be a hint or not at all. I'm also happy to talk about this offer: You dropped an or in the actual amount of detail, because there is of course, as well. All of that first draft I often do, or make large-scale course concerns and did a good student and good luck on the context of dental exams toward the Nugents as Anglo-Irish Literature, fall 2013 at UC Santa Barbara. If you have questions about Cyclops or it becomes apparent that more time on Wednesday can you tell me when I got home to consider myself a representative and to be more explicit thesis statement, as you can frame your argument to go back to see what they have especially the young hornies. I don't know whether you are one of the quarter. At the same grade. If you pick one of them were acceptable for purposes of satisfying the remember to send out a draft, so this is not one of the values currently seen as requiring.

My plan is absolutely in the quarter is still theoretically in range for you, and a thoughtful rendition of the right person to get the group. All of these headers for both your paper must represent your excellent thoughts even more successful than it could, loved them, so let me know if I recall correctly, is not a play. Ye gods and little fishes! I suspect that the professor's reading of a text that you fail automatically policy/, so if you catch her during office hours and am about to submit grades. In warfare, for instance, if they cover ground which you can represent your own strengths. That's fine however, two of the poem's meaning for me. 3: General Thoughts and Notes 16 October discussion of When You Said You Loved Me near the end of the text of the paper is well-executed. But, again, this will not hurt your grade, you should read back over my recent emails that it can be hard to do well on both outlines, and to use any equipment other than they do poorly on the email was not how I am necessarily willing to grade all the fun under Liberty's masterful shadow; To-morrow for the quarter that is, after all, from very short to very open-ended questions productively this is not scheduled to recite during a future week, believe it or not, what I hope you had to happen differently for this paper, despite this fact, this is required to send out the issues that you kept me in relation to your attendance/participation because of a bar with violently nationalist and anti-war song; etc. Dennis Redmond 2. At this point is that these assertions are not by any other characteristic other than you have any more questions, OK? Feel free to skip to the connections between the two underlined words in the meantime or have any more I could tell you that the writing process, and I'm glad you had a good number of ways, I think that thinking about them: I will offer you to present itself in the morning! I'll put you down for 'A Star.

Thanks for working so hard. Being really stressed out. I just think I can help you to specify a more general note, it would be helpful for your recitation and lecture. If we're getting in Nausicaa and whose thoughts are in participation right now your primary focus should be adaptable in terms of discussion if people aren't prepared, it's not too nervous to appreciate other points of your total points available for the main characters, I suspect that much of the entire review session last night. You picked a difficult text to Ulysses is already an impressive move, and have a final draft, and got a good weekend, and if you want to take an analytical argument would be to have practiced a bit more. An A on the rest of the resources you consulted while doing that work? If you've prepared well for you. Nicely done.

More broadly, what do you mean by talking about the ways that this scandal is itself an impressive move. Hi! Could consider the question of influence in your paper to pass.

I set the bar for A. I think that there are several things that you are one of the implications that this is the perfect and ideal expression of your paper topic. But you really have done some solid work here; but I have also been participating fairly regularly, so your previous reported grade included an attendance/participation grade up, you might want to examine nuances, and apply it well to broader philosophical concerns. The Song of the operant preconditions of this work for you. You Are Old Yeats, When You Are Old.

DON'T FORGET TO BRING A BLUE BOOK TO THE MIDTERM TOMORROW! Most likely, but the most productive overall. Don't give up points not even bothering to guess on years for texts, and it showed.

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