#basic norwegian word lists

[noactofcharitygoesunresented]

Fairy names in different languages part 1: movie fairies

(Disclaimer: I’m not fluent in all of these languages (not even proficient in some), so a native speaker may be able to correct my translations. Also I did find the voice cast lists in Chinese, Japanese and Korean but sadly because I have pretty much zero experience with the characters I don’t feel confident enough to put that up here. Feel free to add on any language you’re missing/correct me on the ones you speak!)

I got this information from reading/watching/playing the books, movies, video games, magazines, colouring books etc. in different languages. For some languages I have more resources than others, which is why some languages may be featured more prominently here.

Brazilian Portuguese, English, Latin American Spanish, Turkish: Tinker Bell (I know in the movie logo her name is stylised as TinkerBell, which I personally prefer. But the official spelling from the books and J.M. Barrie is with a space in between, so I’ll keep that here.)

Czech: Zvonilka

Danish: Klokkeblomst

Dutch: Rinkelbel, Tinkelbel or Tinkerbel. Both mean something like jingly bell, so it’s not too far from the English name. In the Peter Pan-era Tink was called Rinkelbel, which was later changed to Tinkelbel when Disney Fairies became a thing and even later to Tinkerbel, likely to minimise the difference between her Dutch name and the original English one.

Finnish: Helinä-keiju

French: Clochette. Translates to little bell (cloche = bell; the suffix -ette makes it little).

German: Tinkerbell. Note the lack of space and capitalisation of the Bell.

Italian: Trilli

Hungarian: Csingeling

Norwegian, Swedish: Tingeling

Portuguese: Sininho

Romanian: Clopoțica

Slovakian: Cililing

Spanish: Campanilla

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Brazilian Portuguese, English, Finnish, Portuguese, Latin American Spanish, Turkish: Fawn

Czech, Romanian: Fauna

Danish, Slovakian: Faunia

Dutch: Fauntje or sometimes Faun. Could be derived from either faun or fauna, both words meaning the same in Dutch as in English -- so the latter seems the most logical option. The suffix -tje means little (rather like -ette in French), and is not uncommon in names, especially in the North.

German: Emily, a name originally derived from the Latin Aemilius, meaning rival.

French: Noa, a name originally derived from the Hebrew נֹעָה (Noah), meaning motion.

Hungarian: Gida

Italian: Daina

Norwegian: Fie

Polish: Jelonka

Swedish: Vinka

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Brazilian Portuguese, English, Latin American Spanish, Turkish: Silvermist

Czech: Mlženka

Danish: Silvia

Dutch: Zilverdauw, meaning Silver dew. I don’t really know why she couldn’t just have been named Zilvermist, as the word mist has basically the same meaning in Dutch as it has in English, but well. At least it’s close and makes sense.

German: Silberhauch, meaning something like Silver breath or Silver breeze. Still logical. At least here I understand why they couldn’t name her Silbermist: in German the word mist roughly translates to shit.

Finnish: Silver

French: Ondine, meaning wave.

Hungarian: Ezüstcsepp

Italian: Argentea

Norwegian: Sølvdugg

Polish: Mgielła

Portuguese: Neblina de Prata

Slovakian: Strieborná hmla

Swedish: Silverdagg

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Brazilian Portuguese, Danish, Dutch, English, German, Finnish, Italian, Latin American Spanish, Norwegian, Romanian, Slovakian, Swedish, Turkish: Rosetta

Czech: Rozeta

French: Rosélia, a name which is derived from the Latin rosa (rose), just like her original name.

Hungarian: Rozetta

Polish: Różyckzka

Portuguese: Roseta

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Brazilian Portuguese, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovakian, Latin American Spanish, Swedish, Turkish: Iridessa

Czech: Iris

German: Klara, a name derived from the Latin name Clarus, meaning bright.

Hungarian: Szivárványlány

Polish: Iskierka

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Brazilian Portuguese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Finnish, Italian, Latin American Spanish, Norwegian, Romanian, Slovakian, Swedish, Turkish: Vidia

Hungarian, Portuguese: Vídia

Polish: Widia. The standard 32-letter Polish alphabet does not have the V.

[nordic-language-love]

Hello! I hope you’re doing well! I was wondering if you could give me some advice when it comes to furthering my language learning. I’ve been learning Norwegian on Duolingo for almost 5 years now but I feel like I’ve barely made any progress into actually learning the language. I’ve seen you mention that Duolingo isn’t the best way to learn a language, just on its own. What more can I be doing to actually learn Norwegian? I appreciate any insight you might be able to give. Thank you!

Hi there!

I actually think Norwegian Duo's not that bad, especially compared to other courses. It got me to A2 level without my really using any other resources! But of course, A2 is still only the top of beginner level, and from thereon out it's pretty ineffective on its own (although I still used it even at B2 level as a way to refresh vocab I'd forgotten or just do a little practice every day when I didn't have the time or energy to do anything else).

There are a lot of different ways you can study Norwegian. Here are some things I did (it's an essay lmao I'm so sorry):

1) Listen to Norwegian radio. You'll probably think I'm mad when you first try it because you'll probably understand very little other than the odd word here and there, but I promise it gets easier and you'll get used to the rhythm of the language in a way Duolingo doesn't prepare you for. Try to shadow the speakers (repeat what they say just after they say it. You don't have to know the words they're actually saying; just approximate the phonemes and the melody and the stress patterns. I promise you your pronunciation is gonna get SO good)

2) Take to Youtube. Check my resources list here for some links to channels that teach Norwegian.

3) Norwegian podcasts! I made a list of some beginner/intermediate-friendly ones (check the link in point 2). The plus with podcasts is you can slow the speed down to half-speed too. Again, don't be discouraged if it's difficult at first; just focus on the rhythm and stress of the language

4) Norwegian TV. You're gonna struggle at first but you need to struggle to improve, so don't be discouraged even if several months pass without you feeling like there's any improvement. Intermediate level sucks I'm afraid. Some shows I like that don't require a VPN (as of the time I'm posting this) are Fra bølle til bestevenn (it's got dogs in it), Hva feiler det deg (game show where normal people with internet compete against doctors to guess a patient's diagnosis), 113 (documentary following paramedics in Trondheim - try not to cry at the dialects), Klassequizen (quiz show with 10th graders, pretty A2/B1-friendly), Side Om Side (popular sitcom, sometimes the second-hand embarrassment kills me but mostly it's pretty funny) and Superkrim (did you know that crime stories around Easter time are a Thing in Norway? They make a new season of this one every year but it's accessible year-round, and the language is a lot simpler than a lot of shows, and it's pretty fun and a bit silly)

Note: subtitles are in Norwegian only, and half the time they match the nuance but not the actual words being said. I recommend trying to listen without them first, then listen with them, then listen without them again and see if you can catch a few more words.

5) Textbooks, if that's your jam. I recommend The Mystery Of Nils (you can jump straight to book 2: Mysteriet om Nils if you think you're ready. It's a bit of a jump but no point wasting money/time on something that you won't enjoy) and Norwegian Tutor (from the Teach Yourself series. The first few chapters will seem pretty basic but it's great at explaining nuances and prepositions in later chapters).

6) Read things in Norwegian. You can get short stories for beginner/intermediate level online, as well as read news articles (even if you can't read the whole article, just try the first paragraph). When I was about A2 level I would print things out and go through them just translating them, highlighting new words, words I'd encountered before but couldn't remember, words I could work out from context, particular grammar patterns and words I couldn't figure out and needed the help of a native speaker to work out.

7) Follow Norwegian accounts on social media. Here's a list I made earlier.

8) If you have some extra cash, investing in an italki tutor can be helpful. I've had lessons with a number of tutors so feel free to send me a message if you want help deciding which one to go with.

9) Keep a journal in Norwegian. Look up words you don't know and write them in a different colour. Maybe try to use words you learned that day and write them in a different colour too (even if by using them you're literally just writing "jeg lærte ordet «______» i dag. Det betyr ______")

10) You can also try creative writing. I started out by writing fiction largely in English but with Norwegian dialogue. I then moved on to writing short articles and then essays, then short stories and fan fiction.

11) You can try apps like HiNative and HelloTalk to find native speakers for language exchange. If you only know English though it might be difficult to find people because Norwegians typically speak really good English and aren't looking to learn/practice.

12) Listen to Norwegian music. Get on spotify and search "norsk (music genre of your choice)" and find some songs you like. Listen to them and pay attention to the lyrics. Then find the lyrics online and listen with the lyrics. Then try to translate the lyrics on your own. Finally, look up someone else's translation and see how close they are. Then try to learn the song and visualise meaning it with your whole heart as you sing along.

13) Practise speaking to yourself. It feels super awkward when you first start, but I always manage to get into the flow pretty quickly. You can have GT in front of you so you can look up things if you need to, or you can just write down words you don't know/couldn't think of as you go along, then look them up once you're done (I prefer this method; having GT in front of you encourages your brain to be lazy and not try to actively recall the information you need). Not sure what to write? Try my Speaking In 20 Challenge prompts.

14) Flashcards. I put this one last because really flashcards are only useful as a supplement to learning through other methods. They help to keep vocab fresh in your mind until you see it in context again (and it's the seeing words in context that's gonna cement the meaning in your brain. I've never heard anyone say "oh, I know that word because it was in my flashcard deck that I reviewed every night before bed", but I hear people say things like "oh, I know that obscure word because I watched cooking shows in my TL and the host said it aaaall the time" or "it's in a line from one of my favourite songs" a LOT).

Okay, that's it, essay over 😅 Hope I gave you some ideas! Best of luck with your Norwegian-learning journey!

[bogkeep]

QUEST OBJECTIVE obtain 1 (one) bottle of White Wine for Cooking Purposes

ADVENTURE LOG i don't know if it's all of scandinavia or just norway + sweden, but there are very specific laws around the sale of alcohol here. you can get a regular beer at a grocery store (but only until 18:00), but anything with an alcohol level above 4,5% can only be purchased in The Special Liquor Store (the norwegian chain is literally named 'the wine monopoly'). it is infamous for it's bank-like opening times and the rush before weekends/holidays when it closes. as someone with basically zero interest in consuming alcohol i don't mind this, it makes it so easy and convenient for me to not care about this at all, with Two Situational Exceptions: 1) what if i want to give an adult in my life a Gift Wine 2) what if i want to peruse a wine for Cooking and that is when i am thrust into the vast and confusing world of the Liquor Store, a forty minute walk away. my first thought as i enter is that i Do Not Belong Here, this is not my world. i can feel sweat roll down the back of my neck as i try to navigate the labyrinthine aisles, hoping to find a nice sign that says COOKING WINES. however, i do not. the best i can do is frantically google "WHAT ARE DRY WINES FOR COOKING" as i seek refuge between rows upon rows of white wines. i should understand this, i think, remembering all the weekend dinners with my parents who have an academic interest in wines and would comment upon and review every bottle from their cellar, remembering my swiss relatives who run a wine farm. unfortunately, i do not understand this. it's all just bottles to me. google lists some words to look for, such as sauvignon blanc, but there are So Many sauvignon blanc... in addition to the overwhelming pool of knowledge i am not privy to, i am also intimately aware of how suspicious i might seem, kneeling at the floor of the liquor store. i know that despite getting close to 30 years old, i will definitely have to show my ID to prove it, because i have the height and the look of a teen. i'm not even going to drink the wine, i think, but it doesn't matter. people are in this store for one thing and one thing only: liquor. i am here to purchase liquor. and i don't even know which. i am lost. RESULT i purchased the most affordable bottle i could find that had pretty pictures of fish on the label

[studyscrasic]

Langblr Reactivation Challenge 2.4

Record yourself reading an article, short story, or passage (basically anything written in your target language). Listen to it and see if you can point out any areas you can improve with your speaking and any areas that you’re doing well. You can post your recording if you wish.

I read this article in Norwegian, which was very fun because I didn't know the Norwegian word for butterfly is "sommerfugl" (literally, "summer birds!")

I think my pronunciation is decent, but I definitely need to work on not getting tripped up by numbers and long words. I also want to work on having a more natural speaking rhythm when I read aloud.

It wasn't a part of the challenge, but I also made a vocabulary list of words I didn't know or remember from the article, since there were definitely some unfamiliar ones:

art (n, m/f) - character, nature, kind, species stadig (adv) - constantly, steadily synlig (adj) - visible bevis (n, neu) - evidence, proof å styre (v) - to guide, to control, to govern å blafre (v) - to flutter å kartlegge (v) - to map, to identify, to survey langvarig (adj) - prolonged forekomst (n, masc) - an occurrence prikk (n, masc) - dot, spot, polka dot iøynefallende (adj) - eye-catching, conspicuous, striking skadedyr (n, neu) - pest, vermin å fungere (v) - to function å forutsi (v) - to forecast, to predict, to prophesy

[malumxsubest]

|| THE BASICS ||

NAME: Void ALIAS(S): Amelia Kieran Hart, Ameplias, Bliss, Lia, Nothingness, Devourer, Abyss, Beginning and the End. AGE: Limitless and Unknown; However, harbouring a vessel and roaming Earth, she is approximately 56,000 + years old. SPECIES: Primordial Void Deity, “ Vampire “

|| PERSONAL ||

MORALITY: lawful / neutral / chaotic ||| good / gray / evil RELIGIOUS BELIEF: n/a VIRTUES: chastity / charity/ diligence / humility / kindness / patience / justice PRIMARY GOALS IN LIFE: corrupt and devour any living thing; resurrect her deceased children and finding a dagger that is meant her end aka eternal sleep. BE A GOTHY MOMMY... 👀 LANGUAGES KNOWN: Latin, Greek {Ancient & Modern}, Old Norse {or Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic and Faroese} and other languages known and unknown to man. Omnilingual. SECRETS: classified. QUIRKS: she cracks her fingers a lot as well as constantly stretching them, always have a tiny smile on her lips, tilts her head A LOT, and combs through her hair with her nails. SAVVIES:  she has lived for so long, she'd considers herself quite perceptive, manipulative, charismatic, combative, survivalist, strategist, TORTURIST ( :D ). ( these are some that are popping in my head rn. )

|| PHYSICAL ||

BUILD: slender / scrawny / bony / fit / athletic / herculean / babyfat / pudgy / obese / other HEIGHT: 5′0 SCARS/BIRTHMARKS: has two scar lines across the bridge of her nose; one connecting from one apple of the cheek to the other whereas the second (2nd) one is a bit shorter (1/4" - 1/2" shorter in length); the scar fairly raised on the skin -- seemed self-inflicted. one large scar on her chest; right between her breasts; and one on her back --- she was stabbed. and it refuses to go away completely. freckles & beauty marks sporadic across her body. ABILITIES/POWERS: too many to list properly. refer to this page. RESTRICTIONS: she's a loner. she despises life even more so when her children had passed.

|| FAVOURITES ||

FAVOURITE FOOD: blood; something that has meat in it. FAVORITE DRINK: something hella strong like 90 proof alcohol; or cherry coke. FAVOURITE PIZZA TOPPING: sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, green bell peppers, black olives. FAVOURITE COLOR: black/red or shades of dark green and gold. FAVOURITE MUSIC GENRE: goth/dark clubbing music/metal/dark sythns. FAVOURITE BOOK GENRE: horror/dark fantasy/poems. FAVOURITE MOVIE GENRE: monster horror/slasher horror/fantasy. FAVOURITE SEASON: autumn/winter. FAVOURITE BUTT TYPE: juicy ass. FAVOURITE CURSE WORD: doesn't curse much, but ima say FUCK or you fuckin' knob. FAVOURITE SCENT: mahogany with lavender and cherries. FAVOURITE QUOTE:   i may be heartless, but you're naive.

|| FUN STUFF ||

BOTTOM OR TOP: top but can switch.   LOUD BURPER OR SOFT BURPER: NEITHER. SINGS IN THE SHOWER: sometimes. LIKES BAD PUNS: depending who says it. so, sort of. THEIR OPINION ON THE MUN: she's sensitive & an overthinker.

tagged by <3: @caracarnn tagging: @daevilhorns @luposcainus @hevoyeurs @grcccvy @wolfkiiller @merchantofwhispers ( mina <3 ) & youuuuuu <3.

[gaypleasantview]

✓❀☮✌

thanks!!

✓ : funniest word in your language

i think one is бараболя (bahrahbólya) which is one of the words that mean potato, we have at least like 10 different ways to say potato across the country (and according to wikipedia there are sooooo many different versions). im not from one of the regions that typically use this word but i think its fun :) and i love potatoes

❀ : which language(s) would you like to speak fluently?

german, im begging. bc i live in germany and its pure hell not to speak it well 😭 i would also love to learn spanish, korean, dutch, and/or norwegian at least a bit more because i know some of the most basic things about these languages but like not even nearly enough for it to mean something. and not to speak of the other languages that im interested in but know nothing about!! its so exciting to me i love languages (but rn german is more than enough stress for me tbh)

☮ : translate the first lines of your favourite song in your language

this question and the next one on the list confused me a bit bc i don't know what the difference is supposed to be, like should i translate eng -> ukr or the other way? i figured the second option would be a bit more interesting so here goes: one of the songs i really like is "Де ти є" by The Hardkiss, the first verse goes something like "i left my pass to you at home, now i'm unknown with only the sky left that you and i wanted to get drunk with. i'm gonna remain myself whatever it takes, i will forget the route where you and i used to get lost and share kisses" idkkk this entire song has so many interesting choices from both lyrical and phonetic standpoint, when i first heard it i was amazed 🥹

✌ : favourite proverb/saying from your language

i still dont know about these bc i dont use them but i tried to think of just like any phrases at all and the first one that came to mind is дати драпака (dáty drahpahká) which basically means to run away in a non-serious way (usually negative) and its so funny to me idk 😭

[cherry-casino]

1! quite a few, actually. therian, copinglink, fictionkin, fictionhearted, fictionheir (do those count?), and a possible kin (not sure if its kin or therian yet)

2! (in no specific order)

brown tabby american shorthair cat (therian)

orange tabby norwegian forest cat (therian)

white lily cookie (fictionkin)

angel (copinglink)

the list of fictionheirs is far too long, but the main ones are tails and affogato cookie (weird combo, ik)

possible snow leopard kin/therian

3! i get shifts quite often! not like, lots, but a decent amount. my main shifts are sensory shifts and phantom shifts, but mental shifts arent that uncommon for me either :)

an i think the weirdest cameo shift ive ever had was this one weird (and rare for me) dream shift. which is already weird considering i hardly dream, much less dream shift, but i was a lizard. just some. random garden lizard. like the ones you see outside on the playground. idk what i was doing

4! the wording of this is. kinda hard for me to wrap my head around. but uh. i guess one of the things ive done is ive decorated bits of my room to correspond with my alterhumanity! ive got a little feather on a string i hung near my bed, and i have this vase of fake lilies :) stuff like that to remind me of who i am! i also tend to go and interact with the other cats we have quite often. just uh. the little things.

5! my outlook on the community changes depending on what PART of the community we're talking about.

like i think the tumblr therian community is pretty good. probably one of the best ive seen so far.

tiktok is horrid. but not everyone there sucks. ive noticed that a lot of the therians/other alterhumans there just find themselves misinformed, or led down the wrong paths. with a bit of enlightenment i think it could be fixed.

youtube is decent imo. theres a lot of misinformation there as well, but if you can find the right creators with the right mindsets, you can find a safe place. also a lot of the quadrobists and mask makers on there are super sweet!!!

twitter. i have no comment. i dont fw twitter i dont touch twitter everrrrrr nuhuh.

discord is pretty good as well tho!!!! ive found lots of therian friends through discord and they r all AMAZING shoutout 2 them <3

6! oh. ohhhhhhhhh listen. this might some weird but one of the things that makes me just. soooo euphoric. ohh. when i meow at another cat and it meows back. like yes!!!!!! you understand me!!!!!!!!!!!!! also for some reason chewing on wood is a close second. my other cats like to do it and its actually like. super fun i love it. the only bad thing is ive gotten so many splinters from like chewing on popsicle sticks and stuff :(

7! yeah. far too often. and the body dysphoria stacked on top of it doesnt help :( where are my pawsssssssss :((((

8! take it slow. and dont push yourself to do anything. please. ive been a therian for about a year now (not very long, i know, but this is just for comparison) and i still dont know everything about my theriotypes and my kintypes. im still working really hard to try and learn quads, and itll take me a very long time to master even the basics. dont be afraid to take your time. alterhumanity isn't something that comes quickly to all, or any, for that matter. dont be ashamed to take it slow.

9! i would LOVE to get my paws on a few masks or tails but due to my parents i don't think thatll be happening anytime soon :( i do have a cardboard mask i started tho! it should be done in a few days, and as long as they dont find it i think we'll be okay

10! a lot of mine stemmed from trauma i think. it seems like the most legitimate answer for me as of now, but im still looking into it :)

11! uhhhh uhm m not quite sure who id tag for this so uh... anyone and everyone is welcome t answer this!!! :D

If you are a alterhuman, reblog and answer these questions!

(don't be afraid to write a lot, do what you want ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯)

1/ Which category of alterhumanity do you belong to?

2/ What/who is/are your type(s)? (if you have any)

3/ Do you experience shifts? If so, can you tell us your most common shifts and your strangest cameo shift (if you've ever had a cameo shift)?

4/ How do you experience your alterhumanity in everyday life?

5/ What do you think of the community?

6/ What are the things that make you most comfortable and euphoric in your alterhumanity?

7/ Are you experiencing species dysphoria?

8/ What advice would you like to say to a young alterhuman who has just awakened?

9/ Do you have/want to have gears?

10/ Do you know/have any theories about the origin of your alterhumanity? If so, tell us! (all beliefs are legitimate)

11/ Tag someone/a creature to answer these questions!ㅤᵕ̈

[hortusdea]

"Flowers grow back, even after they are stepped on. So have I and I'll keep doing so until I find my path. One day flowers will get to grow in peace again."

◇ Threads ◇─◇ About ◇─◇ Connections ◇ ◇ Headcanon ◇─◇ Mirror ◇─◇ Musings ◇

BASIC INFORMATION

FULL NAME: Gwyneth Diane Wilkes

ALIAS/NICKNAME: Gwen, G, Diane (her mother), Ducky, Wilkes

AGE: Twenty One

BIRTH DATE: April 13th, 1958

BLOOD STATUS: Pureblood

AFFILIATION: Neutral

GENDER/PRONOUNS: Cis-Female. She/her

CURRENT LIVING CONDITIONS: Hogwarts, Gryffindor Dormitory

OTHER: Borgin Estate

OCCUPATION: Student at Hogwarts, Majoring in Herbology

PETS: Beatrice (scottish fold cat)

WAND: Cherry wood, Unicorn hair core, 12 ¼, quite flexible

PATRONUS: Unicorn

BOGGART: Her loved ones as ghosts, lost and without hope

RELATIONSHIPS

PARENTS: Alcaria Borgin nee. Greengrass & Hamlet Borgin

SIBLINGS: Laurent Borgin (twin).

SIGNIFICANT OTHER: None.

OTHER FAMILY: None known to her.

CHILDREN: None.

EDUCTATION:

SCHOOL: Hogwarts

HOUSE: Gryffindor

YEAR: Tenth

MAJOR: Herbology

EXTRA CLASSES: Potions, Charms, Care of Magical Creatures formerly, Defense against the Dark Arts

EXTRACURRICULAR: Gryffindor Quidditch team as seeker, President and Member of the Herbology Club, Astronomy Club, Ancient Runes, Potions Club

SPOKEN LANGUAGES: English, French, Norwegian, Latin, BSL

PHYSICAL TRAITS

EYE COLOR: Hazel

HAIR COLOR: Brunette

HEIGHT: 5′5

SCARS: None.

PERSONALITY

INTELLIGENCE: High. Adaptive. Chaotic.

SKILLS: Wandless magic (basic, practicing), Herbology Knowledge (advanced), Flying (decent), Dueling (practicing, decent), Potions (decent), Ballroom dancing (skilled), Languages (skilled)

POSITIVE TRAITS: Loyal, Kind, Patient, Brave

NEGATIVE TRAITS: Naive, Too trusting, Stubborn, Controlled by emotions

MBTI: ENFP

Before Hogwarts

✦ Rumor says that on the day the twins were born, half the garden was covered in sunshine while the other was doused by a downpour of spring rain. ✦ Growing up as a pureblood, not part yet around the sacred 28 meant going through the very same lessons they all had to go through; studying languages, dance lessons, etiquette classes and other things even though Penelope always preferred running around the garden to look at the flowers. ✦ Much of her childhood was spent attending pureblood parties with the other children and her brother, never quite understanding the fuss and at times feeling rather odd. She liked some of them, considered them her friends but the world outside their world was too vast for her to consider entirely impure. ✦ Her magic first showed around age nine when she got stuck under her covers after refusing to get up one morning. Somehow she'd stuck the blanket to the bed below. ✦ It was shortly after that, that she ventured beyond the gates of estate to find herself in a small muggle village. Nothing of their culture made sense to her and once she was found by her parents, she was scolded for hours. Penelope never went back but it left her wondering further about how different muggles were from them. There was no knowledge, just a curiosity driven question no one would answer. ✦ In order to please her parents she focused only on her studies until the letter from Hogwarts arrived.

During Hogwarts

✦ Penelope was absolute static and excited beyond words to receive the letter, wondering just where she would belong. To her parents there was only one option and it was Slytherin ✦ The girl was beyond happy to see her twin being sorted, pleasantly surprised to see him being sent toward the Ravenclaw table. One could only describe her face as shining with pride, always having known that Laurent was beyond clever. Perhaps too clever for his own good. ✦ When her turn came the hat pondered, seeing much of a Hufflepuff in her but also very much seeing potential for a Gryffindor. It confused her more than anything ever had. Those houses were definitely not on her parents list of acceptable houses. In an effort to pick the one she felt more drawn toward, but very much hoped would not cause as much trouble, Penelope deciced that Gryffindor would be her new home. ✦ What followed a few days later was the first and only Howler the girl had ever received, followed by her apologizing but claiming that she would show them they could be as proud of her achievements in Gryffindor as any other house. And she lived up to it for the most part, joining the quidditch team and eventually becoming the president of the Herbology club while keeping up with her studies. ✦ It was in those early days that she encountered resistance from some of the other purebloods that found the whole Gryffindor ordeal more than pathetic and made no secret out of it, teasing her, pushing her about and generally making things rather tough for the girl. During those days she made a friend and from then on it all became just so much easier, nicer, finally having someone that helped fight her demons. ✦ When time to pick a major came about, it was no surprise that Penelope decided to opt for Herbology ✦ After the events with her twin, her parents have taken a much more urgent, bigger interest in finding someone to match her with. Since they are now forced to put Penelope into the position of heiress but would prefer to have an heir, they are hoping a good match will set up with said heir. ✦ Ever since her brother's curse, she's found herself struggling with the idea of no longer having her twin with her but she keeps going because there really isn't another way. The very same time she's trying hard to keep up with studies in order to take over the business eventually. All the things Laurent was prepared for all their lives, she now has to catch up on in the shortest of time.

Future Plans

Originally, Penelope was hoping to help out at Dogweed and Deathcap, having spent some time during the summer break over the last few years helping out at the shop. Eventually, so she thought, she'd be able to have her own perhaps even take over from the previous owner. After the events of Laurent's accident, the curse that now rests upon him she's had to step up and take the place meant for her brother. One day Borgin & Burkes will be something she'll inherit and honestly, Penelope isn't quite sure whether or not she's ready for it.

Headcanons (more here)

✦ While sharing a dorm with the other Gryffindors, Penelope has still managed to decorate her part of the dorm with as many plants as possible. If there isn't a plant, there is likely something quidditch related or a bunch of books about herbology mixed in with beloved Gryffindor scarf. ✦ Penelope hates having to wake up early and the only thing that will motivate her to do so are her plants. Or quidditch. ✦ Amos was someone she's admired since the very first moment she met him and that's never changed. While she's developed feelings over the years, that's not something she's ever considered letting get in the way of her friendship. To her Amos is her absolute very best friend. ✦ If Penelope was able to, she'd love to live in a little cottage on the outskirt of Hogsmeade. Something nice and cozy without much fuss about it. ✦ Very few people know that the hat considered her for Hufflepuff as it's not something she makes known to others, especially after the reaction she got in her first two years. Despite that she's certainly gotten more fiery, brave. With time she's truly grown and become more confident than she's ever thought she could be, very outgoing.

[loserinchrist-amen]

In your reblog about how easy it is for English people to use gender neutral language, what do you suppose the solution is? /gen

What can English-speaking people do to aid French and Spanish speakers in creating a more gender-neutral world? Definitely its harder for languages with gendered nouns to adopt gender neutral language, but I don't think anyone's suggesting that Spanish and French get rid of gendered nouns. The article listed was talking about getting rid of masculine language in US laws: "For example, rather than using “he,” the law should use “the Secretary” when referring to the head of a federal agency, or rather than a “fireman,” laws should reference a “firefighter.”"

So I guess I'm wondering: should English-speakers not use more gender-inclusive language while they wait for French and Spanish speakers to catch up or find a solution? Should they not change it because a large portion of the rest of the world supposedly can't?

Basically I'm hoping for some more constructive thought on this, bc why are we talking about it like it's an impasse. it's definitely hard for languages that use masculine and feminine nouns etc. to eradicate gendered language altogether, but doesn't the gender-neutral focus only have to be centered around people who choose not to use gendered language for themselves?

Other languages have done it. Swedish uses gender neutral pronouns, and some Spanish speakers have introduced e as a gender neutral alternative. They didn't get rid of the masculine and feminine in their language altogether, just around nonbinary or gnc people.

I just don't know what the alternative might be.

Yeah well Germanic languages like English, Dutch, Norwegian, and other are easier to come up or adopt gender-neutral vocabulary. Latin languages, however, (French, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese) aren't as simple since Latin was a gendered language. I can only really speak for French since it's the only other language I speak so here we go.

Here's the conjugation for the verb talk

Je parle (I talk)

Tu parles (you talk, singular)

Il/elle parle (he/she talks)

Nous parlons (we talk)

Vous parlez (you talk, plural)

Ils/elles parlent (they talk)

Notice how even though I added an S to il and elle to make it plural, it still means "they". "Ils" means "they" unless you're referring to a 100% female subject, then you would use "elles", even if you're talking about 99 guys and 1 girl, it's still "ils". So by the French rules, ils is technically gender neutral. A lot of French rules only become feminine is you add an E at the end. Example; UN directEUR (a school principal, masc), UNE directRICE. It only takes a few letters at the end of the word to switch it from masculine to feminine. I don't know if there's anything we can do for Latin languages or at least French since they're really specific and picky.

[norwegiatlas]

basic norwegian vocab lists: the head & face

hode (n) - head

(hode)skalle (m) - (head) skull

hår (n) - hair

fjes (n) - face

ansikt (n) - face

panne (m/f) - forehead

øye (n) - eye

øyebryn/øyenbryn (n) - eyebrow

øyelokk/øyenlokk (n) - eyelid

øyevipp/øyenvipp/øyevippe/øyenvippe (m) - eyelash

regnbuehinne (m/f) - iris

iris (m) - iris

pupill (m) - pupil

øre (n) - ear

øreflipp (m) - earlobe

ørevoks (m) - earwax

nese (m/f) - nose

neserygg (m) - nasal bridge

nesetipp (m) - nose tip

nesebor (n) - nostril

snørr (n) - snot

busemann (m) - booger

munn (m) - mouth

leppe (m/f) - lip

tann (m/f) - tooth

tannkjøtt (n) - gum (in mouth)

tunge (m/f) - tongue

kinn (n) - cheek

hake (m/f) - chin

kjeve (m) - jaw

bart (m) - mustache

skjegg (n) - beard

kvise/kveise (m/f) - pimple

[airenyah]

HYE WHAT ON EARTH?? HOW MANY LANGUAGES??? DO YOU KNOW??????? IM SO ENVIOUS!!! but GOOD FOR YOU, IM VV HAPPY FOR YOU. BUT WTF

ahahahahahahhahaha thanks anon! :D

tell you what, i actually only feel 100% comfortable speaking in only two (2) out of all them, the two being my native language as well as english, obviously

all in all i would probably say that i know 4 languages in total because with italian, while i can’t have any deep discussions (yet), i do know it on a casual everyday basis and can easily get around in italy without any major problems. 

and being fluent in german and english makes learning and understanding norwegian very easy, my only problem with it is that i haven’t really had the chance to practice talking so far... (i think i’d get the hang of it quickly if i’ll get the chance to do so some day, which is why i’m counting with the ones i know)

korean and thai may be on that list but make no mistake - i definitely don’t know them (yet). whenever i hear any of those two languages i may be able to catch a few random words and phrases but it’s definitely not enough to make any sense of what is being said. with these two languages i mainly learned how to read them and took a look at basic grammar such as sentence structure, forming questions or negative sentences,and maybe one or the other tense... (which really doesn’t help when you don’t understand any of the words that are being used 😅)

whoops, this got longer than planned haha

[nordic-language-love]

i was curious if you could recommend any books/resources for learning Norwegian? (or just your favorite language resources in general) thank you!

Hi there!

In terms of books like textbooks:

The Mystery of Nils (A1/A2) and Mysteriet om Nils (B1/B2) are pretty great imo.

Norwegian Tutor from Teach Yourself has been an absolute life-saver for grammar

Also from Teach Yourself is Norwegian Short Stories, which has vocab lists for each story

Enjoy Norwegian is good for higher intermediate (although I've never really clicked with it)

Another one I never clicked with but is used in a lot of language schools is På Vei (A1/A2 level)

Some other resources:

Lesnorsk norskkurs - texts from A1-B2 level

I do actually think the Duolingo course is okay tbh (the audio's sometimes a bit strange, but as far as free resources go it's really good imo!)

Memrise is also a popular resource: here's a link to the first of their Norwegian courses (never clicked with it myself, but a lot of people like it)

Lingohut is also pretty good!

CALST is awesome for helping you learn to speak specific dialects

I’ve not tried using it, but Bnorsk seems to be a website where you can learn Norwegian for free

I also take classes on italki (if you're interested in giving it a go then lmk so I can give you a referral code and get you a few dollars off your first lesson. I've also taken lessons from a number of tutors and can maybe help you find the best one for you)

Here's a bunch of Norwegian instagram accounts you can follow

This is a website with set expressions and idioms in Norwegian

Bildetema is good for vocabulary - you see pictures with the Norwegian words next to them, and you can click on them to see how they’re pronounced. There are lots of different topics too!

ung.forskning.no is quite good if you're like B1 level and interested in science because the articles are quite short and basically made for younger readers so the language isn't so difficult (a number of them also have corresponding podcast episodes, so you can read the article to learn a bit about the topic and then listen to the podcast)

Drops and uTalk (both apps) also have Norwegian available to learn (I’m not a huge fan of them, but you might be!)

I also use the Anki app on my phone to create flashcards (there’s a free knock-off version and a legit version that costs like £20+. I use the free one and it’s fine).

Podcasts:

Norskpodden is a good podcast for learners as they also have a transcript

Lær Norsk Nå! is also aimed at learners

Norsklærer Karense has her own podcast too (A2+)

I quite like Smartere på 10 minutter as well because it's interesting and it's short and the presenter speaks in clear Oslo dialect. If you're still not used to listening in Norwegian, you can slow it down to half speed. (B1+)

Oppdatert is also not too long, the presenters speak quite clearly and it’s about current affairs (B1+)

E-books

While I absolutely do not endorse the author's awful transphobic views, I know a lot of people are interested in reading the Harry Potter books as a way to expand their vocabulary, and it sure would be a shame if you could find all the PDFs free online and not have to give money to that aforementioned author. (Side note: the translator uses "omforladels" as a translation for "sorry" which like no actual Norwegian person apart from maybe in some dialects uses ever. Also remember it’s a translation, and the translator has tried to maintain a sense of “Britishness”, so some of the language isn’t entirely natural)

You can also search ebooks by language (including Norwegian) and download them for free from here (definitely 100% not illegal in any way shape or form *shifty glance*)

If you prefer to buy Norwegian ebooks actually legally, you can do so here.

Youtube channels:

Special shoutout to Norwegian Done Easy because Markus is my italki tutor and he's awesome (plus I'm featured! So you can see my silly little face Norwegianing as hard as it can!)

Norsklærer Karense (I'm uhh not actually a fan BUT she has lots of useful videos for like A1-B2 level. There's also a lot of useful information about culture and moving to Norway and integration and test-taking)

Preben's Norwegian Academy (he's from Nord-Norge, so you get some dialect exposure too)

Norskkurset (it's not updated for a little while but there are some good videos there!)

Norwegian Teacher Karin (another one that's not updated for a while but still has some good videos)

Norwegian With Tor (for a little Tromsø dialect)

Hope that's enough to get you started/keep you going! Let me know if you have any questions :)

[mediocrelanguagelearner]

Okay so listen to this.

I've been talking to a guy on tandem (as usual). He's learning Czech, we exchanged about 10 messages in Czech, I ask him why he's learning it. This morning I wake up to two voice messages from him, SEVEN (7) and ELEVEN (11) minutes long. 😭😭😭 Now I said, okay, I'll listen to a bit to see what he's saying. He speaks English (almost) the whole time 😭😭😭 Why does it bother me you ask? I don't have English listed on my profile as either speaking or learning it, there's not a word in English on my profile. And this guy assumes I speak it or want to speak it.

In those longass voice messages he:

comments on the streets he's driving through (as if I care or know what he's talking about)

comments music on the radio he has on about 10 times (he's listening to "smooth smooth jazz")

talks about his coworkers, tells me their names (absolutely no idea why and also, I don't care??)

tells me "it's not that hard to learn czech because it's similar to other slavic languages", which like yeah, seems he speaks a bit of russian, but my dude, your czech is not good and saying it's not that hard to learn is just funny to me

says a couple of basic phrases in czech, pronounces them very poorly (also not to shit on anybody's accent while speaking foreign languages but I really don't like his american accent while speaking czech)

explains to me that German is related to other languages like Norwegian (wow thank you my dude for explaining this)

complains that he doesn't like people in Germany because they aren't friendly, you know, like people are in the US and says it's way better in the slavic countries (boy you're in for a surprise if you think Czechs are friendly)

kindly explains me that there's this radio station called Sveriges Radio I could listen to (as if I haven't been learning Swedish for many years)

realises, after about 10 minutes of talking in English, that it indeed is not on my profile and says he assumes I speak it, because "who the hell doesn't speak English"

talks about how he works in the fanciest restaurant in the fanciest district of his city for like five minutes

says he wants to live in Europe and how much he likes cold (good for him, I, freezing my ass off at work in September, feel differently)

says he thinks living in the Czech Republic would be awesome and it'd be cool to be a Czech citizen (again, boy, you're in for a surprise)

All in all, listening to these messages has been a wild ride for me, from being irritated to amused to just amazed at the absurdity.

[loveletter2you]

Hello! So, I want to start learning a language, but I'm generally clueless in terms of studying (I've never studied a language before ahh). I hear it's good to study in a journal, but I'm not sure how that will work and what I'd write down/how I'd plan it. Do you know of any in detail step by step guides?

hi!! im gonna put this under a cut bc it will probs be long :)

language self-study is one of those things that's easier and more effective when you get used to it and know what works for you, there's so many different methods and you're gonna have to try several of them out to see what works for you!!! here is a really nice video by lýdia machová where she discusses some study methods by successful polyglots for some #inspo

i do think a language journal is a very good idea!! it can track your progress & also writing stuff down helps you memorize it & you can review the material later! the thing is, there's not like one way you're supposed to do a language journal, it's very much dependent on your preferences, and also tbh it's going to look different for any language you do (e.g., if you're learning a language with a different writing system vs. with a writing system you already knew; also it's going to depend on level e.g. if you're starting from the basics or not)

i really recommend searching up youtube videos where people talk about their language journals! some people like to do habit trackers where they have a page at the beginning of the journal tracking what days they studied, personally i don't do that... i usually write down lessons (e.g. vocab lists, grammar rules) like stuff that i could refer back to later in order to study (alternately: if im trying to practice handwriting of another writing system i won't do it in my language journal bc i don't want to look back on that, i'll use like a loose sheet of paper) bc i want to be able to use my journal mostly as a reference rather than to practice (whereas some people like to write journal entries etc., personally i do that digitally when i want to do that bc i don't really need to look back and remember me being like the weather was good today. or whatever) also some people like to make their journals pretty whereas some don't care (tbh i am also one of those people who want their journal entries to look pretty HOWEVER they should be more functional than anything else like im not trying to make a pinterest bullet journal spread but i do like when it looks neat)

ALSO i typically take lessons from textbooks (tbh textbooks are really thoroughly planned so you don't have to worry about what order you're supposed to learn stuff in, though also sometimes i'll want to look up something specific so i'll just google like "german pronoun cases" or whatever if i want to learn that rather than following the textbook religiously), like i don't write everything from the textbook verbatim but like the main takeaways & examples, also another thing i do is i'll read something (this is more for elementary/intermediate level) and write down all the words i don't know & look up the translation and then sometimes write down the context they occurred in (like so: example from my norwegian notebook (which tbh i mostly use for vocab lists bc im pretty solid on grammar at this point) (like i said entries are going to vary depending on level))

(also let's ignore how i just said i prefer my entries to be neat but this looks like shit lmao) if it's not clear: i put the norwegian term first, then the english translation, then the context from the reading w/ the new term underlined - so that would be an example of a vocab entry

but then for new vocab i find that writing them down is not enough to remember them forever obviously, so making flashcards is good (like with anki or quizlet, or else physical flashcards if that's what you prefer) like i think generally at least for me language notebooks are so helpful but not the only thing you need to do, like you also need to review a lot and practice writing and speaking and reading and listening so you're going to need to have several methods but i usually do this to keep track of lessons bc otherwise i can just read a few pages of textbook and be like ok. and not do anything about it, so i like taking notes

i think the main thing: get inspiration from a variety of sources (language learning youtube is wonderful, there's also blogs and instagram accounts that talk about all this) and try out stuff until you find what works for you!!! my methods might not be helpful for you and you might do totally different stuff bc the main thing is to do what feels most effective for you. it can be hard when you're just starting out bc you're like idk what to do!! which is why it's great to hear from a variety of people what their methods are!!! also tbh the more self study i do & especially with a variety of different languages, i am always figuring out new stuff & new methods so like even tho im used to it, my methods change still. so like nothing is always the same & also my approaches change based on the language!

i hope this was helpful at all!! <3

[krixwell]

This is going to be a bit long-winded, but hopefully it'll be enlightening for anyone interested in Norwegian.

So I've been thinking about Norwegian sentence structure, and I've come to the conclusion that Norwegian is actually much better described as a kind of VSO language than as an SVO language or even a V2 language. Except there's a twist to it that is responsible for 90% of the confusion new learners have about the order of words in Norwegian.

Let's start on the confusing end.

== THE BLATANT LIES OF SVO ==

Many sources will list Norwegian as an SVO language, which is to say that the core elements of a sentence come in the order subject (who does), verb (what is done), object (who is it done to).

This is true for most basic sentences, but it breaks down very quickly the moment you add something as simple as an adverbial phrase (something about the manner, time, reason, etc).

Example 1:

EN: I eat breakfast in the morning.

NO: Jeg spiser frokost om morgenen.

Breakdown: Subject, verb, object, time adverbial.

This seems reasonable enough. That's a basic SVO sentence with an adverbial phrase at the end, SVO(A). But sometimes you want to put the adverbial phrase at the beginning of the sentence. Look what happens:

Example 2:

EN: In the morning, I eat breakfast.

NO: Om morgenen spiser jeg frokost.

Breakdown: Time adverbial, verb, subject, object.

The subject and verb switched places with each other, just because something was added before them. This (A)VSO sentence makes very little sense as SVO and looks like a strange exception, but this happens any time you put something at the beginning of the sentence besides the subject.

To make matters worse, this is still a correct sentence:

Example 3:

EN literal: Breakfast eat I in the morning.

NO: Frokost spiser jeg om morgenen.

Breakdown: Object, verb, subject, time adverbial.

What?? This is OVS(A), the exact opposite of SVO. The fact I'm using "jeg" and not "meg" still makes it unambiguous that I'm the one eating the breakfast rather than the other way around, but you can do this with plain nouns, which don't mark whether they're subject or object, too.

Example 4:

EN literal: The cat feeds my sister.

NO: Katten mater søsteren min.

Breakdown: Object, verb, subject.

The only things marking whether this is SVO or OVS are context, common sense and sometimes intonation. Both readings are grammatically correct, though the sister is probably feeding the cat.

== THE LINGUISTIC SHRUG ==

Because of all of these apparent "exceptions", more advanced sources will tell you Norwegian is a "V2 language". This is a fancy way of saying the verb goes second, no matter how everything else around it is arranged. (A)VSO? The verb is second after the adverbial. SVO, OVS? The verb is second so it doesn't matter.

That still has a couple significant flaws, though. For one thing, V2 is essentially throwing your hands up and saying "I don't know how this works, so here's the one thing that seems consistent." It doesn't explain how anything else in the sentence works, such as why (A)VSO is allowed but not (A)VOS.

And for another, there are plenty of times where the verb does not come second. A particularly frequent example is yes/no questions, where the word order (and tone) is the main thing setting it apart from a basic statement.

Example 5:

EN: Does your sister feed the cat?

EN literal: Feeds your sister the cat?

NO: Mater søsteren din katten?

Breakdown: Verb, subject, object.

Orders are also given with the verb first:

Example 6:

EN: Feed the cat!

NO: Mat katten!

Breakdown: Verb, object.

Subclauses tend to be SVO, but the specific type called relative clauses can be SV or VO. Admittedly the logic behind this one is tangential to my overall point in this post, but it does put the verb in a non-second position within the subclause:

Example 7:

EN: My sister, who feeds the cat, eats breakfast.

NO: Søsteren min, som mater katten, spiser frokost.

Breakdown: Main subject, relative clause marker, subclause verb, subclause object, main verb, main object.

(interpreting "som" as a stand-in for the subject of this kind of relative clause causes more trouble than it's worth)

The third flaw of V2 is it doesn't explain WHY we sometimes flip our sentences into forms like OVS.

== SO WHAT THEN? ==

So I've established that SVO is no good beyond basic sentences, and V2 is better but flawed. It's time I propose what I think is a better solution.

I think Norwegian sentence structure is best analyzed as "TVSO".

The T stands for "topic" and is essentially the main focus of the sentence. It can be the subject, the object, an adverbial phrase, or even the verb. This element is moved to the beginning of the sentence to mark it as the topic.

In most basic sentences, the topic is the subject. The subject moves to the beginning of the sentence and we get the familiar SVO.

Remember in example 2 how the subject moved behind the verb when we put something before it? That's because the subject stopped being the topic and jumped back to its default position. The adverbial phrase became the topic, changing the nuance of what the sentence is about:

Example 1 (SVOA) is about you and what you do (eat breakfast in the morning).

Example 2 (AVSO) is about the morning and what happens then (you eat breakfast).

Example 3 (OVSA) is about breakfast and what is done with it (you eat it in the morning).

In a similar vein, example 4 (OVS) is about the cat and what is done with it. "Katten mater søsteren min" is the kind of sentence someone might say to explain how the cat is going to be handled when they're going away on vacation.

Example 5 (VSO) is what happens when the verb takes the topic role, because the sentence is about the verb and whether it actually happens. Similarly, in example 6 (VO), the sentence is about what needs to be done, and the subject is an implicit "you".

== CONCLUSION ==

Most Norwegian people don't consciously think of this "topic" marking as a feature we have in our language, but it's 100% a thing we do constantly, and in my opinion, recognizing that the default order is VSO (but with the option to pull any element to the front to make it the topic of the sentence) rather than SVO makes Norwegian word order make a whole lot more sense.

I really hope I'm not the only one who thinks that, and that this helped you understand the quirks of the language better. Hopefully I didn't just confuse you further by overcomplicating things.

[absinthe-and-abstinence]

An Unhealthy Obsession: Chapter 9

The Shocking Conversation

TW: Electrocution, swearing

Hi everyone! I'm back from vacation, which means that more content will be coming soon! Everyone's kudos and comments have been amazing, and I'm excited to hear your reactions. Thanks again, and see you soon. : )

Previous Chapter | Master List | Next Chapter

The next few days seemed more relaxed, and it felt as though Spencer was warming up to you more. After you launched yourself on him that first day, you reeled back a little bit more – not entertaining any impulses that came your way. Even as you caught him humming to himself while pouring coffee, you kept your distance.

You weren’t sure how many books he had finished since staying here, but he was found with a different one each morning and evening. It didn’t seem to matter if they were English either – he picked up a few in German, Dutch, and French. The one thing you learned that surprised you was:

“You don’t know Spanish?”

He shrugged, putting down a copy of El Laberinto de la Soledad. “I hadn’t really needed to learn it before. I figure I know French and some Italian, so I have some basic Latin understanding.” He looked towards you and smiled. “I assumed it’s enough to get me by.”

You crossed your arms and leaned against the wall of the study, seeing which novel he might choose instead. “Spanish is the easiest language to learn.”

“Not necessarily. Norwegian is actually simpler for most English learners to pick up. Because of its Germanic root, a lot of words are similar sounding with similar meanings, and there’s only one form of each verb per tense.” He walked over to you, putting his hands into his pockets. “Swedish can be picked up with ease since it and English share so many conjugates, grammar rules, and word order.”

He now stood only a few inches from you, hovering around the doorframe. “Check.”

“Si no te quiera - serías absolutamente molesta.”

He chuckled. “I’m guessing I should pick up Spanish, then?”

“Your memory isn’t echoic, is it?”

“No – just visual.”

You laughed. “Then maybe.”

He raised an eyebrow and leaned in further, making you sweat. You weren’t sure if he knew how uncomfortable he made you, but if he did – he was doing it very well.

---

Each day he seemed more comfortable in this space, and you wondered how much of it was a charade to stay afloat, or his genuine reaction. You had to remind yourself over again that he was an expert when it came to dealing with criminal masterminds and learned how to change his behavior to deal with them, and for him – at this point – you were what people might consider a criminal. Even if you hadn’t killed anyone, you had kidnapped a federal agent.

He hadn’t escaped yet, however. Or even tried to, as far as you could tell.

The collar remained around his neck and even though he passed by the front door often, he never made a move to turn the handle. As much as he told you that your behavior didn’t make sense, his behavior also confused you.

When you had originally planned on taking him home, you imagined dinner dates and many nights of tender love. Instead, you sat on the couch with him in the evenings, laughing at cartoon sponges and starfish. It had been a while since you had sat down and watched the episodes, and being with someone seeing it for the first time made you appreciate it more. Although, you couldn’t tell if you just had fun watching the show, or the quality time you were spending with him.

You had just sat down to dinner one night when Spencer decided to start the conversation.

“I think you’re at an unfair advantage here.”

Puzzled, you glanced towards him. He was resting his face on a bridge he made with his hands, staring back at you with the world’s best poker face.

“What are you talking about?”

He used one of his hands to gesture to the room.

“All of this.”

This didn’t ease your uncertainty, so he inhaled sharply and continued.

“You know…so much about me. It’s terrifying, actually, how much you know. You know about my team, the cases I’ve worked on, parts of my child, my favorite things—”

“Only some of your favorites; I don’t know them all yet,” you interrupted.

He continued, fixing the correct. “Most of my favorite things, the books I read…and yet, I’ve been thinking.” He brought his hand back under his chin and took a pause.

“I don’t know a single thing about you.”

You didn’t quite know how to react to this. It wasn’t the way you thought this conversation was leading towards, and you never really thought about it. You decided to wade a little deeper.

“I thought you were the behavioral expert – I’m sure you’ve profiled me already.”

He lowered his head and moved his hands down into his lap and licked his lips. “Yes.”

“…And?”

He paused, puzzled. “You want me to tell you your profile?”

“I think it’d be fun.”

He scoffed at that. “Fun…most unsubs don’t consider getting profiled ‘fun.’”

So. He still thought of you as an unsub. An attacker. You couldn’t quite blame him, but the words sunk into your chest. He didn’t seem to see this reaction from you and moved forward.

“Um…heh. I, uh, you’re what we call in the industry as an intimacy seeker. It’s a rarer form of stalking. Oftentimes, intimacy seekers,” he said, licking his lips once more, trying to steady his breath, “try to establish intimate relationships with their victim. They can believe the person of their obsession and them are ‘meant to be together’ and can act irrationally to make that happen.”

All you could do was listen.

“It’s usually associated with bipolar disorder, since symptoms like psychosis and mania are often co-morbidities. It can also stem from childhood neglect or isolation, so we tend to look for people who struggled socially or with making friends growing up. People who never got a real sense of being loved or admired, so their ideas of love and attachment manifest differently.

“I’ve also thought about erotomania – or the delusion feeling that someone is in love with you, often attached to being unattainable. Like being in a higher social class, being wealthier, being in an already existing relationship, or even being fictional.”

Your heart held still – your breath uneasy with apprehension.

“I’m not sure now how much I agree with the original profile.” He furrowed his brow and started fidgeting with his hands. “In most cases like these, the unsub tends to throw themselves onto the victim – usually with physical affection in some sense. They tend to care more about themselves and their experience of pleasure with the victim rather than the victim themselves. The first day here, I had a sense of that. But since then,”

He glanced over at you, the first time he had done so since explaining. The hairs on the back of your neck stood up and you had trouble keeping your hands from shaking. “You’ve not really done anything. I mean, you’ve ran your hand through my hair,” he said while mimicking the action, “or giving me a kiss or two, but nothing really passionate or sexual.” He rested his elbows on the table.

“It just doesn’t really make sense.”

You sat quietly, taking in the information he had just relayed to you. Biting the inside of your cheek, you ran your mind over the words isolation and struggling socially. That part was true, however, you didn’t want to admit that or get too deep yet. You tried to twist the conversation on a different path.

“Well, you did get a few things wrong.”

His eyes, which had stayed focused on you while you pondered, narrowed in. He rubbed his hands together, as if he was the one anxious now.

“I don’t have bipolar – I mean, of course, I do have issues,” you said, while tapping the side of your head, “just different ones in here.”

He crinkled his forehead as if that wasn’t the part of the profile he expected to dissect. You continued.

“Also: I don’t like you because you’re unattainable. It never had anything to do with class or wealth. And as we can both see; you are somewhat attainable.” You winked, and he glanced down, avoiding your gaze. He turned his head slightly, and you swore you could see the glimpse of a blush there.

“Besides, you don’t really fit the profile for a victim, either.”

That got his attention.

“What do you mean?”

“Well,” you replied, waving your hand in circles, “I thought that usually if there’s an unsub, there’s a victim. And in those cases, they usually try to call out for help, run away, escape, fight the unsub, or react in some way.”

“You,” you said, placing your elbows down on the table and leaning in, “haven’t done much escaping or reaching out for help.” You gestured to the front door. “You haven’t even tried the doorknob or seen if a window is unlocked.”

He cleared his throat and frowned.

“I, um, usually would. But I, uh, have another issue to worry about instead.” He brought down the collar of his shirt more to show the collar full of blinking electric lights that illuminated around his neck. “That, and these of course.” He brought up his hands, taking turns touching the cuffs that were attached to each one.

You asked him a question you weren’t sure you wanted to know the answer to.

“Have you tried breaking the code yet?”

He sighed, putting his hands back down. “I have, but since it’s a numerical code with a fair amount of digits, it’s taking me a while to go through them all. I started at 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 and I’m working my way up.” He shrugged. “It’s not the most time-efficient, but it's effective.”

You wondered what sequence he was up to now.

“By the way,” he asked, “what does happens if I try to leave here with these on?”

Shit.

“Umm…” you replied, pursing your lips.

The honest answer was that you didn’t really know at all. Was it stupid to place something around your own neck, and someone else’s, without knowing the consequences? Probably. You didn’t even know if something would happen at all. Odds on that there wouldn’t be a reaction at all. You debated back and forth between scaring them with a dramatic result of him leaving, or being honest. As much as it made you worry, you spoke again.

“I’m actually not sure. I’ve never used them on somebody before or tried them out for myself. You’re more than welcome to see what happens.”

His eyebrows raised and his eyes widened, surprised. “Really?”

You shrugged, getting this far anyway.

“What’s the worst that can happen?”

You walked over to the front door as he watched you curiously. You gestured the doorknob to him, and he got up slowly and walked over. Before opening the door, he asked:

“Are you sure?”

You gave a slight nod, and he took the doorknob in his hand and turned it. The door opened, naturally, but he still jumped a little. You let out a little laugh and he took a step outside.

“Ah, outdoors. How I’ve missed you.”

You walked over to the doorframe and leaned your body against it. “Did you?”

He looked back at you, still standing in front of the front door.

“There’s a big yard in the back. We could make it into a garden or something.”

He laughed. “I didn’t miss it that fucking much.”

His colloquialism caught you by surprise as he descended down the front stairs and towards the driveway. You never heard him swear before, and while it didn’t surprise you that he might, the action still took you off guard.

By the time you had absorbed his last statement, he had made it halfway up the driveway. He spun his body towards you and spread out his hands.

“So far so good!” he exclaimed.

He grinned as he continued to walk backward, stepping up further and further the driveway. You walked down from the front door down towards the front of the steps, wondering if he’d take the chance to run off or come back to you.

You didn’t have enough time to get very worried as a yelp of pain interrupted your thoughts. You focused back in to see Spencer had gotten past the driveway onto the main road, and you had just enough time to see him drop to the ground.

You ran as fast as you could over to him, his moans of pain striking you. He convulsed on the ground, making random rapid movements. As you got closer, you could see the veins on his neck and hands popping. He gritted his teeth but winces of pain made their way through.

You wrapped his hands underneath his back, careful to avoid his arm’s movement, and tried to hoist him up. He couldn’t stand or support himself at all, so you brought one of your hands up underneath his armpit to hoist him up more. His body shook intensely, and feeling his quivering body against yours filled you with worry and concern. You took one of his arms and placed it around his neck, holding onto his hand.

His lower body dragged a little on the driveway until he finally got enough motor function back to support himself little by little. By the time you reached the front door, he was able to walk again, albeit his body still shaking and his breathing heavy.

You brought him over to the couch, where you were able to support him as he laid down. He inhaled deeply and placed his hands over his face.

“Spencer, I am so, so sorry.”

The words weren’t enough to describe how horrible you felt and the guilt building inside of you. You had him here to take care of him and love him, and yet he had ended up in excruciating agony due to you.

The room was silent for a while as you watched his body relax and his breathing slow down. Finally, he spoke as he folded his arms around his stomach.

“You know the human body has an inherent high resistance to electric current, which means without sufficient voltage a dangerous amount of current cannot flow through the body and cause injury or death.” He turned to look at you with a painful smile.

“Whatever the current amount is on these restraints felt pretty sufficient.”

You opened your mouth to apologize again, but he shushed you, placing his index finger a few inches from your lips.

“Don’t say anything. I wanted to test it out.”

He took his eyes off you and brought back his arm. He outstretched both arms and stretched out his hands.

“I’m just not going to be leaving with these on at all.” He sighed, then remarked, “Back to the code again.”

You didn’t have any words to say to him. What could you say? What was there to say? You leaned over to place your hand on his shoulder, which promptly gave you a jolt of static electricity.

You shook your hand, and couldn’t help but laugh. “Every day you shock me.”

He sat up, smiling. “Was that a pun?”

You put your hands behind your back.

“Maybe.”

He ran his hands through his hair.

“You’re such a dork.”

“Are you positive about that?”

He turned his body to sit directly in front of you.

“You wanna know what being electrocuted feels like?” he asked.

You waited, and he leaned in closer to you. Only a few inches from your face, your heart began to beat loud and your hands started to clam up. Unaware if either of you could tell you were blushing, he grinned.

“It Hertz.”

You smiled back with a toothy grin.

“Now look who’s the dork.”

You both sat there, close to each other, unaware of what to do now. The space felt personal at first, but as the silence continued it became more awkward. You were the first to break away from contact.

“So, since you’ll be here for a while still, do you want to pick out a board game or a movie or anything?”

“That’s a very abrupt change of conversation.”

He really was such a dork.

“I’d suggest a video game, but I’m afraid you’ll fry any electronics around you right now.”

He chuckled at that.

“You can always read too, if you want.” You started to ramble. “The study is always open and if you’re running out of books I can go and pick up more. Or—"

“Actually, I’ve got a different idea,” he said, interrupting.

That got your attention.

“And what would that be?”

He patted the seat next to him on the couch, and you sat there, listening. As he continued, you scooted back a bit more, not wanting to be too close. He began to fidget with his hands, moving his head down to watch them instead of you.

“I’ve been here for a little while, and by the looks of it, I’ll be here longer still. I wanted to bring it up earlier today, but then we got into the whole ‘profile thing’ and that…detracted from there.”

You crinkled your brows as you leaned in and listened.

“I really don’t know anything about you. Maybe I’ve psycho-analyzed you to an extent,” he said with a shrug, “but even then, not all of the profile fit right either. So I’ve got a game for you.”

He turned and glanced at you. “It’s called ‘Q&A.’ I’ll ask you a question, and you answer it.”

“That’s not much of a game.”

“You asked me what I wanted to do, and I’m telling you what I wanted to do.”

“It’s not much of a name either.”

“I’m bad at naming.”

You contemplated for a minute, then answered.

“How about you ask me a question, I’ll answer, and then I get to ask you one too?”

“…Do I have to answer as well?”

You laughed. “That is the general idea.”

He fell back into the couch cushion and stared up at the ceiling.

“But you stalked me. You already know everything about me.”

You crossed your arms and folded your legs into criss-cross style. “Not everything, like I said earlier today. I know your career and childhood mostly,” you said, not noticing how creepy it was until it left your mouth. “I don’t know the more personal things about you.”

He didn’t take note of this and replied.

“Guess I just have a lot of catch-up to play, then.”

He took a moment and stated; “I do get the first question. Y’know, since it’s my game and I can come up with the rules.”

You laughed at that and he took his eyes off the ceiling towards you. There, in them, you saw that glimmer again.

“What’s your name?”

It was until this very moment you realized you hadn’t ever told him your name before. He might’ve seen it on an attendance sheet back at the lecture hall, but didn’t have a face to connect it to. Besides, why would have he cared then?

“It’s Y/N. My, um, name’s Y/N.”

He pursed his lips and echoed your name back slowly.

“Y/N.”

The way he said your name choked you. It felt warm and inviting, and as he mused over it, it felt like you were hearing it for the first time.

He licked his lips and repeated it again.

“Y/N. It suits you.”

You couldn’t care how many times he repeated it. It felt wonderful to hear. Almost too wonderful, that you almost forgot your turn.

“My turn for a question now.”

You thought for a while until you came up with one you had wondered about for a while.

“What’s your favorite color?”

He scoffed.

“You watched me for how long, and you don’t know my favorite color?”

You shook your head.

“Mmm….” He thought for a while. “White. White or a sage green, I think.”

“Just, pure white, or a shade of white?”

He grinned. “Nope. My turn – that still counts as a question.”

You frowned a little, although you weren’t that upset.

“How old are you?”

While that may not usually be a tough question, for the scenario, it was. You were living in 2009 here, even though your reality was in the 2020s. If you told him you were born in 1995, he’d think you were a teenager, and then you’d really be in over your head.

“I’m 27,” giving him your real age. “Now,” you continued, “plain white or a shade of it?”

“I didn’t realize we were the same age. Or at least until October, anyway.” He paused before deciding. “Alabaster.”

Alabaster. It was such a soft, cream color. He fit him perfectly.

You continued to ask questions back and forth, not realizing how late it would start to become as you laughed and talked together until the wee hours of the morn.