#How to improve english speaking skills

[kenobihater]

you ever write up a combination of words you're really proud of at the time bc you think it's vivid but it's actually so atrocious that you remember it eight years later bc it's burned itself into your long-term memory? just me?

[digitallab007]

English Language Lab at School.

College and school students' language learning is enhanced by the use of English language lab software. The advantages and features that turn it into a vital tool for improving your spoken language abilities.

[intelligencevidyarthi]

To improve English and communication skills, you can follow these tips

Engage in Conversations: Have as many conversations in English as possible and surround yourself with English media.

Daily Practice: Practice five key things daily to enhance your English skills.

Take Courses: Consider enrolling in the "Improve Your English Communication Skills" Specialization on Coursera, which focuses on enhancing professional communication for successful business interactions.

Reduce Speaking Speed: Slow down your speaking speed to improve clarity.

Practice with Partners: Engage in conversations with a partner to enhance your communication skills.

Record Yourself: Record your conversations to identify areas for improvement.

Clear Communication: Communicating clearly is essential in various settings, whether at work or in personal interactions.

[susanhorak]

#spoken_english #تعلم #learn_english #تعلم_الانجليزية دورات اللغة الانجليزية - اتعلم تتكلم انجلش - تحدث اللغة الانجليزية مع اشخاص يسهم الأداء اللفظي الصحيح المتمثل تحدث اللغة الانجليزية مع اشخاص بطريقة صحيحة و في فهم اللغة من قبل متلقيها، وتختلف موسيقى اللغة من لغة إلى أخرى، ومن لهجة إلى أخرى، حيث يمكن تخمين اللغة المنطوقة دون سماع الصوت الصادر عن الناطق بها من خلال تعابير الوجه، والتي يمكن أن تشير إلى نوع اللغة التي يتم التحدث بها، بالإضافة إلى دور تحدث اللغة الانجليزية مع اشخاص بالنطق الصحيح في توحيد الطريقة إلى يتم من خلالها استخدام الألفاظ اللغوية لدى أهل اللغة الواحدة، حيث إن لكل لغة لحن خاص ومناسب للناطقين بها

لو عجبك الفيديو اعمل مشاركة من اللينك ده دورات اللغة الانجليزية - اتعلم تتكلم انجلش - تحدث اللغة الانجليزية مع اشخاص https://youtu.be/jjmFC080Bs8

ليصلك كل جديد اشترك بالقناه http://bit.ly/2HQGd4q

يمكنك الاستفادة من الدروس التالية دورات اللغة الانجليزية - اتعلم تتكلم انجلش - تحدث اللغة الانجليزية مع اشخاص https://youtu.be/jjmFC080Bs8

كيف اتعلم انجليزي - verb to be شرح - قاعدة verb to be https://youtu.be/-VYDYN-IMVs

كيف اتعلم انجليزي - اخبار الطقس - درجة الحرارة غدا https://youtu.be/VZA5JLMgiZg

تدريب اللغة الانجليزية - اللواحق فى اللغة الانجليزية - البداية والنهاية فى الانجليزية https://youtu.be/N_CVwMLRjb4

تدريب اللغة الانجليزية - أخطاء النطق - تحليل الاخطاء في اللغه الانجليزيه https://youtu.be/skWK65mAsXg

تعليم انجليزي - الحديث عن الاصدقاء بالانجليزية - افضل اصدقاء بالانجليزي https://youtu.be/4WqjWSUMxiU

تعليم انجليزي - زمن المضارع البسيط - شرح المضارع البسيط https://youtu.be/QldeX6XQ7E0

#مواقع_تعليم_انجليزي #برامج_تعليم_انجليزي #تعلم_اللغة_الانجليزية #تعلم #spoken_english #english_speaking_course_online #spoken_english_in_telugu #نهي_طلبة , Noha Tolba

[ditigitalgyanu]

How to improve English ?

Do you wish to enhance your English language abilities? You are in the appropriate location if so. We'll look at some practical advice in this article that will help you become more fluent in English. The advice we offer will be helpful whether you are a student getting ready for your board exams or an adult looking to improve your language skills.

Let's start by discussing Nogozo, a website where you may rent, purchase, or sell both new and used books. Nogozo offers a simple platform for buying and selling books, including used books at reasonable costs. In addition, Nogozo provides free home delivery services, making it simpler for you to obtain the books you require, wherever you are.

Let's get started with the advice that will help you become more fluent in English.

Read books: One of the finest ways to improve your English language abilities is by reading. When you read books, you come across fresh vocabulary that can help you learn new words and phrases. Additionally, you can learn more about sentence construction, grammar, and punctuation.

There are many different books available on Nogozo that you may rent, buy, or sell. Whether you are looking for science books for class 12 or class 10, board exam preparation books, or notes, you can find them all at Nogozo.

Practice Speaking: Speaking practice is essential if you want to enhance your spoken English. Especially if you don't have somebody to practice with, this can be difficult. However, there are a number of things you can do to hone your speaking abilities, including taking online language courses, recording yourself speaking, and listening to your own voice.

Watching films and television programs in English can help you get better at the language. You may broaden your vocabulary, grasp how to pronounce English, and learn new words and phrases.

Utilize Online Resources: You can enhance your English language abilities by using a variety of online resources. You can practice using different language learning apps, for instance, on your phone anytime you have some free time.

Engage yourself in the Language: You can advance your abilities more quickly by engaging yourself in the language. You can accomplish this by thinking in English, reading English newspapers, or listening to English music.

In conclusion, it takes time and work to improve your English, but it is well rewarding. You can access a variety of books, notes, and other study materials that will help you advance your language abilities with the aid of Nogozo. You will quickly notice a considerable improvement in your English language abilities if you remember to practice frequently, engage yourself in the language, and apply the advice we provided.

 Nogozo will provide you all types of books whether fictional, non fictional, biography, or any book that help you to gain knowledge. Nogozo is the best online book store you can visit. Nogozo let you buy the books according to your needs. Nogozo has a good number of customers from various cities in India.

Please visit Nogozo at - https://nogozo.in/

[magicalmanhattanproject]

the really interesting thing about the only multilingual alliance in hunt and run is that like. basically no one expects it to work.

the battle lines have basically been drawn between english and spanish streamers and the spanish streamers had to be told specifically by the admins that htey aren't allowed to pull a massive crossteam against the english speakers because most of the english speakers are just really good players so they're scary.

at the start of the event, soarinng was fretting so much about if badboyhalo would betray him for his more skilled english friends (soarinng is Very Very Good at pvp by the way he is Absolutely underselling himself) but he reassured himself that bad is a qsmp guy and qsmp guys are honest

at the end of the event, aquino – another member of the alliance – had decided that bad was completely trustworthy but was worried that bad would think they would betray him and was fretting about how to tell him that he wouldn't since aquino doesn't speak much english

everyone seems to think that the alliance is held on by a thread and due to fall apart at any moment just from the weight of the language barrier. also the spanish speakers on the team have officially declared bad their gringo and are telling their friends not to target him. also bad fully trusts his team and won't shut up about how much fun he's having playing with them

communicating with the language barrier was weird and difficult and there was a lot that bad straight up missed and a lot of times where it took several attempts to communicate things to bad or for bad to communicate things to them. also they launched multiple well coordinated attacks, almost killed spreen, did kill someone else, and stayed alive and improving their gear all the way to the end

working with someone who speaks a different language than you is so intimidating and scary that i fully understand why almost no one tried it. but for the people who had already ripped the bandaid off and actually tried it (bad and soarinng), it still works! it's working great! and i think they honeslty have a real chance to make it to the end since they're a team of four strong players but not so well known that people will target them for swarms or third partying the way people will be trying to murder shadoune or sapnap or spreen's teams

[moonshynecybin]

Hey! Just wanted to say I’m in awe of how your writing it’s just so GOOD and FUN and TORUROUS. It’s rly hard to nail the voices and dialogue of characters (especially when writing them speaking in english!) but you always make it so believable. Ur Vale especially is sooo charismatic which like hats off bc a more mercurial man has not been made. 

Re ur charged-airport-conversation fic, I’m intrigued to find out how Marc will handle his sexuality crisis. Will he be in denial? does he very seriously study gay culture like telemetry data? is he getting Grindr? is he seeing it as something to incorporate into his PT routine & somehow translate this to a competitive edge? how did he feel about the pope saying frociaggine????

Also I loved the goofy brother shenanigans, Alex strongest most patient and silliest man alive truly. Extremely funny to think of Alex “please get a girlfriend you’re 30 and annoying me” Marquez having to cope with Marc coming back like “I found one! :3” holding hands with Cervera’s enemy #1 undisputed champ 2015-2024

Anyways, would love to hear any thoughts u had but no pressure! I just wanted to thank u for ur brilliant mind & forget about whatever fresh hell that sprint was 

this one. is one that i plan to maybe actually and fr write out so i shant answer in full because i hope that you'll find out eventually. um. i CAN give you chapter two! of THIS fic where Marc and Vale get stuck in an airport and have a somewhat fraught little bonding session. i have not proofread this OR reread the original so if there's inconsistencies just chill out. theres also a lot of liberties taken with the amount of privacy these guys have on a given race weekend again just chill out. please. they live in different countries and are bitter rivals its hard to get them alone into fictional scenarios. its about 1.4k.

(Part ONE !)

The next time he sees Vale is in the paddock.

It's not unusual to see him— the paddock is small and Vale is always a presence, felt even when he’s gone, indelible—but it’s on the television more often than not these days. Maybe a glimpse of him zooming around on his scooter, ignoring the swing of the camera phones tracking him in his wake. But it’s not like this, never this close up. Vale maintains distance, and Marc has adapted to take his cues from that same distance. He’s not going to be the first to engage, not anymore. 

All that being said, Marc is trying to grab some alone time in between sessions, communing with his lunch and contemplating ways to improve his breaking into Turn 11. He’s tucked into a shady place out of the way, generally out of the range of any stray cameras, when Vale catches him, sliding next to him on the table and leaning forwards on his elbows.

He starts picking at Marc’s food.

Marc reacts reflexively, not even processing that it's Vale who’s at his elbow who is reaching over to snag a bit of his chicken. He lifts his bowl out of reach like he would with Alex. “Hey— that's mine,”

Vale’s game, apparently, shooting him one of those dangerous grins, eyes crinkling at the sides towards Marc like he hasn’t seen in years. He’s brimming with the confidence of someone used to getting away with breaking rules. Marc puts down his food. Lifts a hand, adjusts the cap at the top of his head, and tucks his hair behind his ear. 

This means something. He doesn’t know what.

“Allora, you were not eating it.”

And Marc has always been easy for it—the simple skill he has in spinning a situation into the brightest version of itself, mood turning on a dime. Even when he was destroying Marc, he would do it with a smile. 

It’s that same silverbright thread that makes Marc laugh, disbelieving, a shock of delight. He shoves at the edge of Vale’s arm, jockeying with his elbow. He bites his lip, shakes his head. Would you look at that?

“Presumptuous,” Marc scolds, and tucks back into his lunch, forking another bite into his mouth. Vale grins and leans closer, conspiratorial. That same hot, embarrassed feeling from the airport rears its head, giddy. Marc glances around. There’s no one here. He feels like there is. LIke there’s eyes on them, even though he’d chosen a place where there shouldn't be.

It feels like crossing a line, teetering on the edge of some cliff, one toe over the edge. Hot and anticipatory in the pit of his stomach. There’s a breeze going, and he shivers. Vale leans closer.

He likes it. 

He also knows that he shouldn't like it. He’s gone through this song and dance before. This feeling, this hero worship that he has with Vale never leads him down any good road. He thought– six premier class titles and nearly ten years of vitriol had been an effective cure. Not so, he’s finding out.

Vale corrects, “I see what I see. This I cannot help.”

“Oh yeah? You’ve been watching me?

Vale shrugs, steals another bite. “You do manage to put on a good, ah, show.” He finds the words in Spanish. Marc can’t remember the last time they spoke in Spanish.

Marc takes a breath in. Settles himself. He doesn’t know what the end goal is here. Curiosity wins out— it’s better than wondering why Vale’s here in the first place. What game he’s trying to play. What he thinks he’ll get out of being nice to Marc, aside from that shivery feeling clawing its way up the base of his spine. He should really at least find out if he’s doing this because he plans on not being nice to Marc. 

“How did you find me?” Is what he goes with. Neutral enough. 

“You are not hard to find.” The answer is vague, but frank. Vale loves to speak around things.

Marc raises an eyebrow, decides to just keep looking at him. They both know he’s bullshitting. Vale breaks, and makes a face, shrugging.

“I have been racing here longer than you. I know the hiding spots.”

Marc gives him a minute roll of the eyes. It's still not an answer. “You know, they remodeled not too long ago. The entire layout changed.” Vale would’ve had to work to find him. 

“Not too much!” Vale spreads his palms cheerfully, seizing on a diversion. “The bones are still the same. The stands are over there,” he juts a thumb, “The pits are here. The bathrooms change, but bah. It’s a facelift.”

Marc wrangles down a smile. Vale’s not being serious— he’s being fun. Maybe he’s trying to get him comfortable for some reason. “A lot changes, I think.” He says frankly, and he means it. 

Vale’s eyes flash. He sees Marc’s conviction, catches the double meaning. Another one of their conversations centering around two different issues on the surface, but coming back to their history all the same. The elephant in the room butting into other topics. History, division, and rivalry, all sneaking its way into the cracks in their words. 

Vale keeps going, the lead in their little play.

“Maybe. But it’s not— like, aerodynamics, new regulations, new tires— all that changes. Small stuff.  Opinions, riders. But it is still a paddock. I’ve been in paddocks my entire life. You can’t change much.”

Things change a lot, in Marc’s experience. People. Teams. Bodies. 

Friendships.

And Marc is brave usually, has made a career out of it, so he feels like he has to ask. No use avoiding it and feeling half out of his skin for the rest of the day. Vale’s knee bumps into his own and he closes his eyes briefly. When he opens them Vale is already looking at him

“Why are you here?” He levels.

Vale throws him a soft smile. It comforts exactly no part of Marc.

“Maybe I was looking for a hiding place.”

Marc hesitates, choosing his words carefully. It’s always a spar with Valentino; even when they were friendly, they were still competing.

“Am I the hiding place?”

“Well, I am still more famous than you, is true. Less photographers on you than me. It’s peaceful.”

“What do you want from me?”

“Now there’s a good question.” Vale says, stealing something else off of Marc’s plate. “Today? I was hungry. I thought I’d stop by and eat with an old friend.” The words jolt through Marc like a highside. He’s in the air— lost, flying, falling. 

Vale stands, towering. He claps Marc on the shoulder. It burns white hot. Marc keeps his eyes on him, trying to catch a hint, a clue as to how this all happened. 

An old friend.

“Is that what we are?” He asks, more earnest than he should be. Vale can be such a bastard.

“Well, what would you call it?” He responds, turning the question on Marc, voice quiet. Serious, like he knows whatever hangs between them is as thin as a spiderweb. Marc swallows.

“I don’t know,” Marc answers. still too honest, even now. Something flickers on Vale’s face, too quick and complex for him to read. 

“Think about it.” Vale prompts, and walks away.

Marc finds out that they weren’t alone, in that section of the paddock the next day. The pictures hit the news after the race, headlines rolling in thankfully after Marc has left for home. Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez sharing lunch, alone on a race weekend ten years after their falling out. What could it mean? 

But Marc’s eyes look at the photo and just catch on Vale’s shoulders, leaning towards Marc, the palm of his hand, arcing through the air as he gestures, frozen on the screen of his phone, and himself, eyes crinkled at the corners. He was wrong. He didn’t manage to reign in that smile after all. 

FRIENDS AGAIN?, the headline asks, and Marc wonders.

[gilbertscurls]

Classroom Competition ➵ Matt Sturniolo

synopsis: two rival English teachers, you and Matt, challenge each other to an end-of-year competition to see whose class will come out on top.

You stood at the front of your classroom, flipping through the stack of essays your students had turned in earlier that week. The air was thick with the smell of freshly sharpened pencils and the quiet hum of focused minds. Your students were finishing a timed writing exercise, and you could already tell from the intensity in their eyes that they were giving it their all.

A small smile tugged at the corner of your lips. Your class was doing great this semester. They were engaged, improving their writing skills daily, and, most importantly, they were enjoying the material. You had spent weeks perfecting your lesson plans, making sure they were creative and challenging. But in the back of your mind, there was always one nagging thought.

Matthew.

Your fellow English teacher—and academic rival.

Victoria had been teaching at Somerville High for two years now, and ever since you and Matt had both started in the same semester, a silent, unspoken competition had brewed between you. You both taught sophomore English, and though you never directly confronted each other about it, there was a clear rivalry between you to see who could get the highest test scores, who could make reading Shakespeare fun, and who could inspire their students the most.

It wasn’t that Matt was a bad teacher. Quite the opposite, in fact. He was too good. Charismatic, engaging, and with an ability to make even the most mundane literature seem exciting, he was loved by students and teachers alike. His reputation for getting the highest standardized test scores among his classes wasn’t lost on you either.

But you weren’t about to let him overshadow you.

The bell rang, and your students handed in their essays on the way out. You were just gathering your things when the door to your classroom swung open. Speak of the devil.

“Y/N,” Matt greeted you with a casual smirk, leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed. “You busy?”

You looked up, narrowing your eyes. “What do you want, Matt?”

“I just thought I’d swing by and see how your class is doing,” he said, his voice smooth. “You know, make sure everything’s running smoothly on this side of the English department.”

You rolled your eyes, picking up the stack of essays. “My class is doing just fine, thank you.”

“Of course they are,” he said, pushing off the doorframe and stepping into the room. He glanced around, taking in your meticulously organized classroom. “I’m sure you’re drilling those essays into them like always.”

You bristled at the jab but kept your tone light. “Maybe, but at least my students know how to structure an argument properly. I’ve heard yours are still struggling with thesis statements.”

Matt chuckled, clearly not offended. “Oh, they’ve got it down. But I prefer to focus on more… Creative approaches to writing. You know, things that get students to think outside the box.”

“Right,” you said, leaning back against your desk. “And that’s why your students are always scrambling the day before exams, right?”

He shot you a look, but his smile never wavered. “Hey, it works for them.”

You had this same back-and-forth at least once a week. It wasn’t mean-spirited, but there was definitely an underlying tension in your conversations. And today, you were determined to win this round.

“Speaking of exams,” you said casually, “did you see the test scores from last week’s assessment?”

Matt raised an eyebrow. “I did. Pretty solid across the board. How about yours?”

You grinned. “Best in the department.”

For the first time, Matt’s smirk faltered just slightly, and it was all the satisfaction you needed.

“Congrats,” he said, a little less cocky now. “Guess I’ll have to step up my game.”

“Guess so,” you said sweetly.

He crossed his arms, clearly not ready to back down entirely. “Well, if we’re being competitive, how about we up the stakes?”

You eyed him warily. “What kind of stakes?”

“An end-of-year competition,” he suggested, leaning against one of the student desks. “Your class versus mine. Whoever gets the highest overall grade average wins.”

You raised an eyebrow. “And what exactly does the winner get?”

Matt thought for a moment, then his grin returned. “Bragging rights. For the whole summer. And…” he paused for dramatic effect, “the loser has to buy the winner coffee every morning for a week.”

You crossed your arms, biting your lip as you considered the offer. It was a ridiculous bet, but there was something thrilling about it. And if you were being honest with yourself, you liked the competition with Matt. It kept you on your toes, made you push yourself harder. Plus, the thought of beating him, once and for all, was too tempting to resist.

“Deal,” you said, stepping forward and offering your hand.

Matt’s smile widened as he took it. “Deal.”

The rest of the semester flew by, and true to your word, both you and Matt ramped up your efforts to make your classes the best they could be. You spent countless hours refining your lesson plans, coming up with creative writing prompts, and working one-on-one with students who needed extra help. You weren’t just teaching to win the bet—you genuinely cared about your students’ success—but knowing that you had a competition with Matt made you push even harder.

On the other side of the hallway, Matt was doing the same. He organized debate competitions, hosted creative writing workshops, and even incorporated poetry slams into his curriculum. His students adored him, and he had a way of making literature come alive in a way that was different from your more structured approach.

By the time the end of the year rolled around, both teachers were anxiously awaiting the results. Final grades were submitted, and the last week of classes was a blur of goodbyes and final projects.

You were standing in the teacher’s lounge, tapping your foot impatiently as you waited for the principal to post the final grade averages. Matt stood beside you, leaning casually against the wall, looking far too relaxed for your liking.

“Nervous?” he asked, glancing over at you.

“Not at all,” you lied, crossing your arms. “Just ready to win.”

Matt chuckled. “We’ll see about that.”

The principal finally walked in, holding the final grade reports. She posted the averages for each class on the board, and you felt your heart race as you scanned the numbers. Your class had done incredibly well, but so had Matt’s.

It was close. Really close.

In the end, Matt’s class edged yours out by a mere half a percentage point.

You let out a frustrated sigh, crossing your arms as Matt grinned triumphantly beside you.

“Looks like I’ll be expecting that coffee next week,” he said, his tone dripping with smugness.

You rolled your eyes but couldn’t help the small smile tugging at your lips. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t let it go to your head.”

Matt chuckled, stepping closer, his voice softening just a little. “You know, this whole rivalry thing—it’s fun.”

You glanced up at him, your heart doing an unexpected little flip. “Yeah. It is.”

For a moment, you stood there, the usual tension between you shifting into something else—something that felt less like competition and more like connection.

“So, what’s next?” you asked, raising an eyebrow.

Matt grinned. “Oh, I’m sure we’ll think of something.”

And as you walked away, you couldn’t help but wonder if this competition of yours was just beginning—only now, the stakes felt a little higher.

tag list: @stuwniolo, @sturnobsessedwh0re, @matts-myloverboy, @imjusthereforthesturniolosmut, @lizzymacdonald06, @asherrisrandom

[codecicle]

The QSMP is looking for smaller English-speaking streamers, so I figured I'd take the time to introduce qsmpblr to none other than Eric "Condi" Condifiction!!

// this will contain (very minor) spoilers for jrwi riptide, apotheosis, bitb, some prime defenders, and the SCU //

Condi is an English-speaking Canadian who's a part of Just Roll With It (JRWI), the absurdly powerful dnd podcast he runs with his friends Bizly, Grizzly, and Slimecicle!! He plays several characters across their multiple campaigns, along with DM'ing his own campaign of Apotheosis. He plays/played Jay Ferin for Riptide, Rolan Deep for Blood in the Bayou, Sylnan Vengolor for Fated, Flynn Gustwind for Convergence, and Vyncent Sol for Prime Defenders. (plus something im probably forgetting whoops anyway)

He is insanely talented at rp and improv, with some of the more infamous and my favorite examples being episodes 53, 100, and 101 in JRWI: Riptide. The way he plays Jay Ferin is emotionally devastating and incredible, and she's genuinely brought me to tears multiple times. Though he plays his absolute heart out with every character he makes, she's just a neat example of his range and talent. Looking at the differences between Jay, the Navy's daughter, and someone like Rolan Deep, a lawyer returning to his hometown of Galloway to experience The Horrors™ is just wild man. Not to even mention everything he does with Vyncent and his multiple different characters inside him; along with everything he made for his own campaign of Apotheosis.

Something something charlie slimecicle calls him "God Gamer Condifiction." He's really good at video games dude I have no way to talk about this he just is its really scary honestly. On one of his more recent streams he went live playing Only Up! and he beat it in one go without any major setbacks, fast enough to refund the game and get all the money he spent on it back. Just for context.

He also has a background in minecraft roleplay specifically!! He was part of the SCU (Slimecicle Cinematic Universe) where he roleplayed several different characters. God!Condi and 100Days!Condi being the more defined ones. Everything he did in the SCU was nearly pure unscripted improv and incredibly impressive, and I highly recommend you go through and watch it!! (I go into detail on how to get into it on this post)

He doesn't just have background in the roleplay aspects of minecraft though, he was also briefly on SMPEarth and is skilled at regular minecraft too. He mainly strives at the roleplay aspects, but again the whole God Gamer Condifiction thing so ^_^

^ Here's a good example of his regular PVE skills in this video where his chat tortures him through a crowd control mod as he tries to build a cottage core lesbian house

^ Along with a link to of one of my all time favorite videos of his, which I think shows his humor and style of jokes off in a cool way :]

Overall I just really need my dnd guy to be in my favorite minecraft server so he can make so many SCU references with Charlie Slimecicle, then emotionally devastate us through the roleplay aspect. I really hope he manages to get in so everyone gets a taste of his amazing roleplay and gaming (i guess thats how im phrasing it) abilities :DD

Condifiction 👍

[liillyliilly]

Lost In Yesterday

ushijima wakatoshi x reader words; 1446 synopsis; Ushijima wished that things would always stay like they were when it was yesterday. When Y/n moves out of his yesterday, will he be able to keep up?

[Eventually, terrible memories turn into great ones]

Ushijima Wakatoshi doesn’t know what it means to be subtle. Even as a second year in middle school, when he first saw Y/n he knew he needed to say something about the way she looked or else it would just kill him.

“You are very pretty.”

Y/n just gave a small smile and said something in what he could only recognize as English. When she walked off to her desk in the second row, Ushijima knew he was in for a challenge. Being quiet himself, he realized this wasn’t a good match to try and win. His confidence was at an all-time low, as he looked on at her trying to find ways to fit in at school. She would try and use her hands to talk, or resort to drawing what she was talking about. But when people would just shrug and walk off, he felt like seething because Y/n honestly didn’t deserve that.

The one time he tried to get her to play volleyball with him was when he saw her sitting under a tree flipping through a book. But when she just shook her head and pointed at a group of other kids, Ushijima set the ball down and sat next to her. He felt like he was going to burn himself from how much heat was rushing to his face. When she tried to talk to him using small phrases, he felt endeared to her because even though she could only talk like a small child she had tried her hardest. And he could commend her on that.

He thought he would try and pick up on his English when he got home that day. As he laid on the floor, looking through an English dictionary, his eyes wandered to the volleyball sitting right by the door. But he refocused and lasered his eyes onto the pages of words.

“You can do this. Do it for L/n.”

The next day at school, he swallowed thickly before going up to Y/n and making conversation.

“You and I are friends.” He meant it to be more of a question but the reaction Y/n gave was enough of motivator to keep him learning English.

As he went through Middle school and eventually was in his first and second years of High School, Ushijima kept learning English. And while Y/n improved her Japanese and Kanji writing skills, she was still lacking in a lot of descriptive words and could only make out simple sentences. Which gave Ushijima the opportunity to say whatever he was thinking without getting too flustered, knowing that she wouldn’t understand unless he repeated the words.

“Your eyes remind me of the passion I have for volleyball. Deep and pure.” He mustered out as Y/n was resting her head on her hands reading the same magazine as him. They were sitting across from each other at his kitchen table. And if he lowered his gaze, he could see the colors of the magazine running across her eyes.

“What was that?” She set a hand on the magazine page, lifting her head and straightening her back so that she could be semi-eye level with him.

“Nothing to worry about.”

The days he spent trying to keeping growing as friends with her turned into weeks, that turned into months, that turned into a strong bond going into third year.

[Does it help to get lost in yesterday?]

Ushijima Wakatoshi feels like the only time he ever experienced true jealously was when Y/n started going on dates with the boys on the volleyball team. Even as a blunt person, he just couldn’t ever bring up the fact that he also wanted to take her out on a date. At least once. He could deal with meeting and challenging other volleyball players, but the idea of facing Y/n left a sickly-sweet taste in his mouth.

He didn’t notice just how much she had changed from his second year in middle school, until she started to speak to him in near perfect Japanese. Or how she made friends easier than he did. Or the way she laughed at the jokes his team members uttered. He figured the best way to approach this was to talk to Tendou.

“Satori, how do I make a joke?” Ushijima was laying on his dorm bed, his volleyball resting on his chest.

“Oh, is this mayhaps about the foreign girl?” Tendou kicked the desk he was sitting at and slid across the dorm floor with his office chair, only stopping when his chair hit the edge of Ushijima’s bed.

“There are millions of foreign girls Satori.”

“But there’s only one L/n.” Tendou sang, as he wiggled his fingers in the same way he used to taunt their opponents.

“That is true.”

['Cause it might've been somethin', who's to say?]

Ushijima Wakatoshi was never one to regret things. But he regretted ever letting his heart become Y/n’s, if only for an hour. Recently Y/n had been going on and on about some boy in her math class. And it itched at Ushijima. Every time she said his name in that very specific tone of voice, it scratched at him. She would talk about what it would be like if she ever did confess, saying something about it ‘being something, but really who’s to say’.

“And he lent me a pencil when mine ran out of lead. Can you believe that?” She sighed dreamily, and put her hands to her face and held back a smile.

“I can give you a pencil.” Ushijima handed her a pencil.

“Thanks, Ushi, but it was different when he did it.” She twirled the pencil around her hand. Toying not only with the writing tool, but also toying with Ushijima’s heart. It was some sort of game where she continued to just give him hope then steal it away at the last moment.

“Different how?”

“I don’t know. It just felt,” She muttered in English for minute before getting her light bulb moment. “It felt like some sort of made for TV movie about teenage romance.”

“Real romance is not the same as it is in the movies L/n.” Ushijima clarified. He didn’t want Y/n to mix her reality with the incessant daydreams she wandered through.

Real romance wasn’t just a love at first sight thing. Real romance is knowing and understanding a person on such a deep level where you could probably be more conscious of them than your own self.

“I know.” Y/n huffed, and handed the pencil back to him. But he just closed her fingers over her palm so she kept gripping the pencil.

“So why are you fawning over it?” Ushijima was stuck. He wanted to stay in his yesterday of simply talking to Y/n about her books, or school work, or even just listening to her blabber in an incomprehensible jumble of English and Japanese.

“Ushi, you sound angry.” Y/n set the pencil down on the nearest table in his room.

He didn’t want to be angry. He just had had enough of the waiting around for yesterday to happen again.

“I am.”

“Why?” Y/n tilted her head.

“Because I like you.” He confessed.

“I like you too Ushi, but I don’t know what that has to do with this.”

Ushijima wanted to pull his hair out. Ushijima wanted to grab her shoulders and shake any form of sense into her head. Ushijima wanted to stare at her eyes and watch as the vivid colors swirled around with her emotions. Ushijima wanted something so simple, but why wasn’t he getting any sort of response.

“No, you do not understand. I like you.”

“I like you too! But why are you being mean?” Y/n huffed and turned around so that she wasn’t facing him anymore. It seemed so childish and immature. But it was the only way to protect herself from having to directly look at him.

“Can I show you?” Ushijima walked around Y/n so that they were facing each other again.

“Sure.” Y/n still wasn’t meeting his eyes

He leaned in and pressed his lips onto of hers. He didn’t try to go further by moving his lips. He was content with just having his lips touch hers. But when she pressed back and her hands moved up to run through his olive colored hair, he was no longer lost in his yesterday. The yesterday of staying still and watching everything from a defensive stance. Because, it isn’t yesterday any longer. It’s today.

[copperbadge]

[ID: A screengrab of my Duolingo end-of-year congratulation banner, which informs me I am a World Champion in the top 1% of learners. It also, ominously, shows Duo the owl, curled up to resemble a planet, colliding with another smaller planet in a starry night sky. Which is certainly a choice to show to the app's power users.]

I don't think "Top 1%" is entirely earned on my account; I suspect that tier's easier to get into when you're a paid user like I am. Plus, while I tested into the beginner level, I did study Spanish for a decade and Latin for three years, so I had a leg up.

Still, I'm willing to show it off. And it is true that I'm becoming more capable of reading written Italian, and I'm starting to be able to follow spoken Italian. I can at least discern words even if I can't always translate them on the fly, and I can tell when I'm watching an Italian speaker subtitled in English where the English translation is inelegant or not strictly accurate.

It's actually a great way to improve, I think -- I watch all the pregame and postgame interviews for AS Roma, which are mainly conducted in Italian (at a variety of skill levels based on the player) but subbed in English. I was charmed to be able to follow the other day when Mourinho -- who is fluent but not a native speaker -- had a little conversational aside with one of the journalists. He was talking about how "a coach isn't supposed to be in heaven or hell" but he wasn't sure of the word for hell (and you a devout Catholic, Mou!) so he said "nè in paradiso, nè in, ah...inferno se dice, no?" I actually understood without consciously translating that he was saying "not heaven, not, uh...'inferno' is how you say it, no?" to which the journalist replied yes. It's been cool to learn a language where for once I wasn't just being whipped through conjugations and declensions endlessly, where I'm getting to watch actual humans speak the language in non-didactic ways.

Gonna be a while before I understand Edo Bove, though. I don't know if he's got a thick Roman accent or if that's just how he talks but boy doesn't seem to say the endings of any given word. I guess you don't need to when you're that good at footie, though.

[three--rings]

Immortal Life

Hey guys, here to recommend a video game. This one was recced to me by....someone on here. Sorry I can't remember who it was, but it's been a solid month or so and that post wasn't tagged (cause I was complaining about another game.)

Immortal Life is a Steam game in early access currently. It's a farming sim set in a cultivation sect. Yeah, that's right, it's Stardew Valley but Xianxia!

There's my little farm (all photos in this post are from my game).

The premise is that you are restoring a cultivation sect that was destroyed in a tragedy. So in addition to farming to provide food and to sell for $, you are gathering resources to rebuild the sect building by building.

As it goes on, you are trying to attract lecturers to improve your cultivation and "level up" your skills.

As you can see, the art is really pretty, and when combined with incredibly soothing traditional music, it's so freaking relaxing.

The setting is equally aesthetic, with a variety of shops and NPCs. All dialogue is in Chinese with well done English subtitles. I've only found a couple of typos so far in the game.

In addition to standard farming, fishing (more Animal Crossing style than SDV), and dungeon crawling, there's also crafting with wood and bamboo, and a pretty fun cooking minigame.

The dungeon crawling is fun, with cultivation based ranged and spell attacks rather than simple sword slashing.

So far it's pretty well-developed. I've been playing a LOT of early access games in the last year and this one is pretty polished and has a lot of content already. (I haven't run into any end of content yet after 15 hours.) It's a lot more complete than say Coral Island is so far, for example.

Anyway, I'm having an absolute blast with this game. I recommend it to any fans of this genre of game, but it's ESPECIALLY nice to experience being in danmei fandom and having a lot of familiarity with the setting and cultural touchstones.

It's a Chinese-made game, so it's made for an audience who understand what cultivation is. It's not explained or dumbed down for an English audience. I don't know if it would be really confusing for someone totally unfamiliar with the Xianxia genre, but the game is clear enough in walking you through the actual game tasks.

I haven't gotten far enough to really be able to speak to how the relationships develop or any romance options. So far, just getting tiny bits of approval is a little bit of a chore. But that's how it goes.

So I think it's very worth checking out. Full price is $19.99, I got it in the recent Steam sale for a little less.

[elysiansparadise]

hi!!! I'm in love with your posts, they are so interesting, informative and nice to read, also beautifully written!! <33

can you please describe mercury in the first house? i couldn't find it, so decided to send ask. thank you so much 💓

sorry if i have mistakes, english is not my first language

Hello, my love! Thanks for your sweet comments, it's nice to see you around. And of course I can talk about it. 🤎

Mercury in the 1st house

You can notice that sparkle of curiosity that adorns their beautiful and inquisitive gaze, one that holds a soul ready and willing to learn a wide variety of things and that seeks to know and explore as much as possible. These people are very adaptable to all kinds of circumstances and things, they may have experienced many changes since they were children, so it is easy for them to adapt to all kinds of rhythms. They stand out for their intelligence and it is very likely that they are people who express a certain part of their identity through the hobbies they practice or their skills. They can be very restless people, either mentally, physically or both. They are interested in knowing how things work around them, the people who accompany them and, above all, themselves, since they have a preference for topics that help them get to know themselves better. Something very common with this placement can be a nervous or anxious nature, as well as the tendency to overthink things. If you make tense aspects to Saturn or Pluto, they can have a somewhat fatalistic way of thinking about life. 

They are people who are easy to talk to, you can talk about any type of topic with them and it is very likely that they know a little about various different topics, which makes them interesting people and the conversations are long and pleasant. Although they have a wonderful and often outstanding mind, they can frequently become distracted or dissociate. They can also jump from one topic to another and speak with great passion and joy when they like something, which can quickly catch the attention of others. They are quick thinkers and can find solutions to problems very easily. They say what they think and are very authentic when it comes to expressing themselves. They prefer to be frank and honest when expressing themselves. These people may prefer one-on-one conversations to speaking in a large group. Likewise, they are more interested in deep conversations than small talk, although they are not bad at it, they prefer meaningful topics. They are very observant people with themselves and others, they quickly perceive changes no matter how small they may be. They always look for a reason for things, both for events and the actions of others [and even themselves]. They self-reflect very frequently and seek to deeply know the person behind the mirror, they want to improve and decipher every part of themselves. 

Initially they do not seem to be very talkative, since the Mercury energy makes them spend a lot of time wandering in their heads, however, once they gain confidence and feel comfy with you, they will not stop talking and asking questions that allow them to get to know each other well. They are people who captivate you when they speak, make you smile unconsciously, motivate you and encourage you. They speak with passion and purpose, they listen carefully and are interested in what makes your heart race. Their favorite topics of conversation are personal ones, hobbies, interests, goals, aspirations or dreams, or significant experiences. They may enjoy reading or watching videos in their free time, as they have a need to keep their mind active and entertained, as they are prone to getting bored easily. They can work in the communication area or even the creative area, as they may have manual skills such as drawing, sculpture, painting, cooking, construction, among others of the style.

[esmedelacroix]

Coffee Shop Love Pt.7

pairing: miguel o'hara x f!reader

summary: He's as stern and cold as the snow falling from the sky blanketing the bustling streets of Nueva York, Miguel O'Hara stumbles upon a hidden gem of a coffee shop just around the corner from Alchemax. Only problem is the annoying-as-shit smiley-ass barista.

contents: slow burn, no use of y/n, fluffy, not proofread,

author's note: Hey lovies, I've had so much fun writing this series. I'm very happy that so many people like my writing. I'm trying to improve always in my English skills so I hope they are good. I hope you love this finale as much as I do, enjoy...

word count: 1.1k

Pt.1, Pt.2, Pt.3, Pt.4, Pt. 5, Pt.6, Pt.7, Sequel: Sweet Tooth

There he was standing at the entrance not even willing to listen to what you had to say. Miguel holding up his hand for you to stop taking was like a smack in the face. You had basically confessed to him, confirming the verity of the contents of your voicemail, and his response was for you to stop?

"Come here Baby," he muttered in a low tone. You slowly and cautiously walked up to him. You faced him where he stood right in front of the entrance.

"Look up," he commanded gently.

Then you saw it. The reason for him running back into the store. The reason why he wouldn't even walk all the way into the store to speak to you about your confession. Those bright green leaves with the red ribbon. He had planned it all. Of course he did, you were both standing under the mistletoe. The very mistletoe hat had gotten his hair caught in all the time. The very mistletoe you had both stood under together staring at each other once; before awkwardly dispersing. Only this time Miguel had brought you here.

"Someone told me once, that they were a great kisser, but I lacked the holiday cheer to get a smooch," he started causing you to giggle at the reference. He held intimate eye contact with you while pulling you closer by your waist. "Kiss me, Baby," he muttered.

And so you did. You got on your tippy toes and kissed him. It was short and sweet. But too prompt for Miguel's liking; he had been waiting far too long to kiss you. So he cupped your cheeks with his hands and pressed his lips to yours.

His kiss was like a mix of want and need, and you could practically taste the craving. Your heart was doing a marathon, keeping up with the rhythm of his passionate kiss, like a beat that had a mind of its own. His hands, calloused and warm, traced the contours of your face, leaving a trail of sensation that burned like the touch of a summer sun. In that stolen moment, it was like the world outside had just disappeared, and you were caught up in this whirlwind of feelings where the line between you and him was blurred. The scent of his cologne mingled with the raw scent of shared breaths, creating a symphony that encapsulated the intensity of the connection. The world outside ceased to exist, and in that fervent embrace, you were enveloped in the sweet frenzy of a kiss that transcended the ordinary into the realm of the extraordinary.

The two of you pulled away to catch your breath. Your face immediately heated up thinking about what had just conspired between the two of you. "That was—" Miguel started.

"—magical" you sighed as you turned into putty in his arms.

"I'm really happy you chose to send that voicemail. I was thinking the same thing as you. I just didn't know how to tell you without scaring you away. I'd rather live with my feelings for you haunting me than lose you as a friend," he confessed.

You suddenly wrapped your arms around him resting your head against his chest. He hugged you back rubbing your back with his big hand. You both pulled away to look at each other with the comfortable silence embracing the two of you. "It's already so late, would you like to stay over?" you asked as you fidgeted with your hair.

"Yes I would love to," he replied.

The two of you went straight to bed that night. After taking your shower you sat up on your bed waiting for him to come out, while processing everything that had happened. You were fatigued but you wanted to wait for him to hold you like he had before. Your eyes were practically shut but were trying your hardest to stay awake.

The bathroom door finally swung open and Miguel walked into your bedroom to see you struggling to stay awake. "Were you waiting for me?" he asked as he walked over to the bed. You nodded your head and spread your arms out waiting for him to come and cuddle. He cuddled at your cute action. Just then you felt part of the bed sink in, compelling you to mile softly.

You could feel his presence even when he wasn't touching you yet. He finally took you in his arms and laid you down against him. You rested your head against his chest, you could hear his heartbeat. It was slow and relaxing.

There was something different about the night. Miguel was running his hand through your hair and patting your head. All you could feel was an incredible sense of warmth. For once you didn't feel cold in bed. Maybe all you needed to cure your sensitivity to the cold was someone to hold you at night.

For the first time in forever, you slept in complete peace. Wholly protected from the cold by Miguel.

The next morning Miguel left for work with a hot black coffee, a muffin, and a kiss. Even the neighbors picked up on how upbeat you were feeling that day.

The following night while you sat at your shop waiting for Miguel to walk through the doors you couldn't help but fantasize about your blooming relationship with him. Your love life was finally blooming into something beautiful and—JINGLE! JINGLE! You looked up to see Miguel walking in with a grin.

"Welcome to Mug & Muffin, what can I make you tonight?" you asked looking up at him with a sweet smile.

"Could I get a kiss from a smokin' hot barista?" he quipped.

You ran around the counter and wrapped your arms around his neck to give him a kiss. You kissed him like you hadn't seen him in years. He suddenly lifted you up onto the counter and trapped you between his arms. You squealed and giggled hitting his shoulder playfully. He rubbed circles in his hips slowly and kissed you sweet and slow. He kissed you sweet and slow and you felt the world around you melt away. "Alright that's enough, I made you a drink," you said.

You hopped off the counter, got your own drink, and sat at his favorite table with him. You couldn't help but feel the warmth of the love that had blossomed between you and Miguel inside the warm confines of your coffee shop as you both sat there, enjoying your Christmas brews.

Next Sequel: Sweet Tooth...

taglist:

@iite-cool@jewelz-teehe@br0-please@thesilenthill@d1lf-loverrr@corpsebridenightamare@laysmt@bitchystrawberrystudent@lotionlamp@local-mr-frog@scaleniusrm@migueloharastruelove@thedevax@veyveys @amber-content@3zae-zae3@simmerarmy

[sassypantsjaxon]

Hizashi Yamada is too powerful to be anything other than a side character

5/5 intelligence stat - this one's from the Ultra Archive book but I don't have anything to prove it, so you just have to take my word for it sorry but it's not hard to believe considering we know he speaks english well enough to teach it, has multiple high intensity jobs, and has some pretty good instincts too.

Highly intuitive - We see this first in chapter 83, after the training camp invasion, when Mic suggests a student could have betrayed them. And then again in chapter 254 with the Kurogiri reveal, where Mic questions the reason for it (really this is more of a grief fueled rambling, but I'm counting it anyway). In both cases, he's quickly dismissed, only to later be proven right.

Excels at all parts of heroism - Even as a teenager in the flashbacks in chapter 60 of Vigilantes, we can see that Mic is naturally skilled at being a hero. Obviously, he's now had 15 years to grow and improve, so it would be safe to assume he's even stronger and more skilled now.

Powerful quirk since birth - I think chapter 66 is the first time we get an idea of what he's really capable of. Plenty of other people have posted about just how destructive his quirk probably is, so I'm not going to rehash that here. What I am going to say is that we're told most people get their quirks around the age of 4, and we've seen that even as teenagers, they're still growing and strengthening their quirks. Whereas Mic's had literally his entire life to hone a quirk that was powerful enough to cause damage from the start.

Near All Might in terms of strength/power among UA teachers - Then in chapter 67, while Izuku's discussing his classmates exams with Recovery Girl, she states that Mic's one of the strongest teachers at UA. What interests me about this is that they're actually discussing Midnight, and Mic's already been beaten by this point. There's no need to bring him up really. Except that it's true and Izuku wants to learn everything he can about the pros. It's just a little throwaway line that actually reveals a lot.

And he does all of this while managing three very different jobs. Same, Izuku, same.

[directdogman]

Just wanna say that I'm a HUGE fan of Dialtown and DSaF. I absolutely LOVE the storytelling and the balance you have with the plot! The absurdity mixed with logic and realism that paints something that could very well happen is absolutely stunning! I truly admire you and your teams' (assuming it isn't just you but I'm not sure) skills.

I do have a question though! At some point I saw an ask that you answered regarding writing dialogue and the differentiation of writing characteristics in different characters! I have to ask, what does the process look like for dialogue writing? How the hell do you stay in the mindset of the character? It's something that I struggle with way too much in my own writing (with way too many Google searches on synonyms for different words) so I'm wondering what your process is. Especially when it comes to a character lole Oliver, who has a theatrical way of speaking. It feels like there's too little words in the English language but you have this guy that's using all of them in one sentence!

Anyways, hope you're having an awesome day. If not, I hope things improve! I hope this wasn't too lengthy of an ask, haha.

Hey, don't think I'm necessarily a master at this! Hell, you should see how much I have to google word synonyms! Seriously, every time I sit down to write, I do the very same! Even if you become familiar with every word in the English language, you can never really store them all in your head at once! There's people out there who kinda can, but that's the thing, you don't HAVE to be insanely skilled in that way to write compelling character dialogue because I sure as hell am not!

DW, you're on the right track! It gets easier, the more you do it, but there's no real secret to writing really good dialogue (at least, that I know of) other than just writing a lot and when possible, studying writing that you really like and trying to deconstruct what others do (and it sounds like you're already on the right track, in the regard!)

One thing that helps me is being able to think like the character. Understanding how they think, how they feel about the world, what makes them tick, etc. It's easy for me since I write characters that I tend to share some common experiences with (or characters that share traits with people I know intimately), but even I don't delve as deeply into character-psychology while I write as I could. But. I feel I know enough about my characters to understand their 'vibe' pretty well! TBH, sometimes I have to go and replay existing DT scenes just to ensure it all 'sounds' correct. If you get good at this, you can pretty much hear your characters speaking in your head! That makes what you're asking about a hell of a lot easier.

I'm really more of a student than a teacher in the grand scheme of things (I have a lot to learn, myself!) and honestly, just having an interest in writing and wanting to deconstruct the stuff that inspires you is a big plus in becoming a really good writer! As cliché as it sounds, I really am just one dude standing on the shoulders of giants. Never forget that writers who inspire you are in the exact same spot you are. Hope this helps!