#hsk 2

[zhuzhudushu]

2 Year Langblr Anniversary!

That's right, folks. I have been here terrorizing the Chinese langblr community for TWO YEARS!!!

So I thought I would do a little recap of all the things I've accomplished in that time <3 Lately, I have felt like my Chinese study has been dwindling, and just in the past 2 weeks I've revamped my study habits! I'm diving in with HSK 5 level vocab study, and hope to be more active here as well.

Without further ado, here's some quick stats from these past two lovely years on tumblr~

Tumblr Stats

Established: August 8, 2021

Followers: 1395

Total original posts: 160

Total notes: 6.6k

Most popular post: Mandarin LGBT Vocabulary

Most popular recurring topic: 聊天的词

Discord Stats

Established: Sept 2021

Members: 41

Click here to join! Open for all levels of learning and all backgrounds <3

My Studies

Tracked using hsklevel.com

Started studying June 2020

September 2021: 1090 words, HSK 3, TOCFL Novice 2

Today, August 2023: 7500, HSK 5, TOCFL Band B.1

Yoyo Chinese: Completed Beginner and Intermediate Courses; currently on Upper Intermediate Level 4

Most Used App: Tandem

Other Apps: HelloChinese, TOFU, Drops, Du Chinese, Duolingo

[meiyuchinese01]

HSK Level 1 & 2 Test

Are you considering learning Mandarin Chinese? Whether you’re planning a trip to China, interested in the culture, or aiming to boost your career prospects, mastering the basics of Chinese can be incredibly beneficial. The HSK Level 1 & 2 test is an excellent starting point for beginners. In this blog post, we’ll explore the significance of the HSK Level 1 & 2 test, its components, and valuable tips for excelling in these entry-level language assessments.

What is HSK? The HSK is a standardized test that evaluates the Chinese language proficiency of non-native speakers. Developed by the Hanban (Confucius Institute Headquarters), the test is widely recognized worldwide and serves as a benchmark for language learners. The HSK is divided into six levels, with Level 1 and Level 2 being the beginner stages.

HSK Level 1 The HSK Level 1 test targets learners who have mastered the most fundamental elements of the Chinese language. It assesses their ability to comprehend and use simple phrases and expressions in everyday situations. At this HSK Level 1, learners are expected to grasp about 150 commonly used words.

HSK Level 2 The HSK Level 2 test is the next step for learners who wish to expand their Chinese language skills. This HSK Level 2 evaluates learners’ capacity to communicate in uncomplicated, routine tasks requiring a basic and direct exchange of information. It covers an extended vocabulary of approximately 300 words.

Components of HSK Level 1 & 2 Test Listening Comprehension: The listening section evaluates your ability to understand and respond to basic spoken Chinese. You will listen to simple conversations and answer questions based on the information provided.

Reading Comprehension: In this section, you will read short texts and answer questions related to the content. The texts are designed to assess your understanding of basic vocabulary and sentence structures.

Writing (HSK Level 2 Only): Level 2 includes a writing component where you will be required to write simple sentences or short passages. This assesses your ability to express ideas in written form.

Tips for Acing HSK Level 1 & 2 Master Basic Vocabulary: Focus on learning and memorizing the vocabulary specific to each level. Flashcards and spaced repetition techniques can be helpful in retaining new words.

Practice Listening Regularly: Immerse yourself in Chinese audio materials like podcasts, videos, and language learning apps. Regular listening practice will improve your understanding of spoken Chinese.

Read Simple Texts: Read beginner-level Chinese texts to familiarize yourself with sentence structures and common phrases. Step by step challenge yourself with more complex materials as you progress.

Engage in Conversations: Practice speaking with native speakers or language partners. Engaging in conversations will boost your confidence and help you apply what you’ve learned in real-life scenarios.

Mock Tests: Take mock HSK Level 1 & 2 tests to simulate the actual exam experience. Mock tests will highlight areas that require improvement and boost your test-taking confidence.

Conclusion Embarking on your journey to learn Mandarin Chinese through the HSK Level 1 & 2 test is an exciting and rewarding endeavor. These entry-level tests provide a solid foundation for your language learning journey, allowing you to communicate effectively in basic everyday situations. Remember to stay consistent in your practice and be patient with yourself as you progress.

With dedication and determination, you will soon find yourself confidently navigating the Chinese language. Best of luck on your HSK Level 1 & 2 test, and may your language-learning adventure be both enjoyable and successful!

[incineraryperiphery]

living the dream (unfettered access to all the xianxia novels i could ever want and more)

[mwydyn]

god we've been meaning to start studying hsk 2 since january and we were finally going to start tonight over discord to make it easier to organise but one of us has the flu so can't be up for long enough

It's fine it's fine but like I do actually want to learn this before the next set of courses start in october so we can move on to hsk 3 then

[hypnobeauty]

a chance encounter - a cho hyun-ju x reader fic (part 13)

summary: a story about how you and hyun-ju met and the following years of your relationship. masterlist cw: no use of y/n, reader is afab, squid games, blood, violence, gunshots, hurt/comfort, dtr. a/n: hello lovelies! don't have much to say today lol day 2/game 2, their silly little group getting together. i hope you like it! might be a loooong while before i post again. i’ve started teaching in a new school and im still getting the grip of how things work there, and also am preparing for a big exam - aiming for my mandarin hsk 2 certificate pls wish me luck—alsooo my inspiration has been running thin tbh—if you have any ideas or suggestions, do tell me. i fear the story might have gotten too long :B enjoy xx taglist: @strayteez3staner @dekiruxxx @jeongteen @sunnysurvives @3leni @etta-huracan @honeyhyunju @basoressia @antisocial-aina @googie-jeon @christinamadsen @deernat @vvlwvvy @psychobitchsthings @dikeu-yoiz

part 13. team up

the night had been a brutal, merciless torment, your mind trapped in an endless cycle of terror, the same nightmare replaying over and over again like a cruel loop from which you couldn't escape. no matter how many times your body twisted, no matter how much sweat broke out along your brow despite the cold air of the sleeping quarters, your subconscious refused to let go of the horrors you had witnessed. 

the first game had left its mark, burrowed deep into your bones, into your senses, into the fragile space between sleep and waking. the gunshots rang in your ears, the dull, wet thud of bodies collapsing onto the ground reverberated through your skull, the thick, metallic scent of blood suffocated you. the fear, the helplessness—it all clung to you, poisoning even your rest.

hyun-ju barely slept either. the weight of the situation alone was enough to keep her mind alert, her body poised for anything, but it was you who kept her from slipping into even a moment of true rest. every time she closed her eyes, your soft whimpers, the restless shifting of your body, the way your fingers clenched and unclenched in distress, pulled her from the edge of sleep. she had tried waking you gently at first, brushing the back of her hand against your cheek, whispering your name—but you were trapped, too deep inside the nightmare’s grip to hear her. and so, instead, she did what she could—watching over you, wiping the dampness from your forehead with careful fingers, whispering reassurances even though you couldn’t hear them. at some point, she had simply pulled you closer into her arms, holding you against her chest, hoping her presence alone could tether you back to safety.

but in your mind, there was no safety—only darkness at first, suffocating and endless, before the nightmare bled into clarity, forcing you back into the sandy field of the first game. it was exactly as it had happened. hyun-ju, breaking away from you, rushing back into danger to help 456 carry the injured man. your screams, the raw desperation in your voice as you tried to break free from the arms restraining you, the feeling of your own body betraying you, held back while she risked everything. then, the relief when they made it across, the frantic way you had scrambled to the ground, to her, pulling her close—just like before.

but this time, the nightmare twisted the memory into something worse, something unbearable.

the gunshot rang out, a sound that rattled through your very being, and you felt the warm splatter of blood against your face. but when you looked, it wasn’t the injured player who had been executed—it was hyun-ju. the breath in your lungs vanished, replaced by a piercing, soul-crushing scream as her body slumped against you, her weight suddenly unbearably heavy. her head lolled, eyes glassy and unfocused, and the hole in her temple wept crimson, the blood trickling down her cheek, pooling onto you. you shook her, screamed her name until your throat burned, but she was already gone.

and then, a voice—cold, detached, uncaring.

"yes. one less to compete for the money."

your mind shattered.

the world went black.

and then it started again.

over and over, an unrelenting cycle of horror, the moment replaying itself without mercy. each time, you tried to stop it, to change something, to move faster, scream louder, but the ending never changed. hyun-ju always died, and you were always left holding her lifeless body in your arms, drowning in grief, in rage, in helplessness. it could have lasted minutes, hours—you had no sense of time, only the suffocating repetition of loss.

and then, suddenly, you were ripped from its grip, gasping, a silent scream dying on your lips as your eyes flew open. the room was dark except for the dim yellow glow of the piggy bank overhead. your heart pounded violently against your ribs, your entire body rigid with the lingering echoes of the nightmare. for a brief, disorienting moment, you weren’t sure what was real—if you were still trapped in that hellscape or if you had finally broken free.

but then you felt her.

hyun-ju’s arms were wrapped securely around you, her steady breathing warm against your skin, her chest rising and falling in the rhythm of sleep. she was here. she was alive. the relief hit you so hard it nearly crushed you, and before you could stop them, silent tears slipped from your eyes, dampening the fabric of her shirt as you buried your face against her. you inhaled deeply, grounding yourself in her scent, her warmth, forcing yourself to believe it. she was okay. she was here. she was breathing.

everything would be fine.

at least, that’s what you tried to convince yourself of as sleep slowly pulled you under again, this time free from the nightmare’s grasp—though peace was still far from reach.

when morning came, hyun-ju stirred before the lights even turned on. even after everything, after the exhaustion weighing her limbs, her body remained tethered to its strict routine. her eyes opened at precisely 5:50 a.m., her mind instantly alert despite the haze of weariness still clinging to her. but as she turned slightly, what she saw made her pause.

at some point during the night, after she had finally drifted into sleep herself, you had shifted closer, curling into her warmth as if seeking safety in the unconscious state. the tension that had lingered between you since the vote seemed to have melted away, at least for now.

hyun-ju exhaled softly, adjusting her hold on you, her fingertips brushing lightly over your back. and though she didn’t say it out loud, she was grateful. grateful that, for the first time since this nightmare began, you had finally found even a sliver of rest.

you woke up the same way as before—blinding lights flashing on without warning, classical music swelling through the speakers, and the ominous glow of the enormous piggy bank above, now even heavier with stacks of money.

the only difference was that hyun-ju was beside you today.

she lay on her side, facing you, one arm draped protectively over your waist. her eyes were already open, alert. it was definitely past six—hyun-ju never slept past that. her internal clock was annoyingly precise, honed by years of routine. most mornings, she was up even earlier, quietly stretching beside the bed or watching you with that small, knowing smile as you clung to the last remnants of sleep.

you shifted slightly, intending to murmur a groggy good morning, but a yawn hijacked your sentence midway, stretching your mouth wide. hyun-ju chuckled at the familiar sight—this happened every morning. you were not a morning person.

“morning,” she murmured, her voice soft as she ran gentle fingers across your cheek. “how did you sleep?”

you let out a small, tired sigh. “as well as anyone can sleep in a goddamn death trap.”

she gave you a soft smile, though something in her expression tightened ever so slightly at your words. she shifted, propping herself up on one elbow as her fingers trailed absently along your arm. “i’m sorry about yesterday,” she said after a beat. “for the vote.”

there was a sincerity in her voice, a gentleness, but you only sighed, stretching your arms above your head. “there’s nothing to do about it now,” you said, keeping your tone neutral. then, attempting levity—albeit bitter—you added, “let’s just hope the next game isn’t russian roulette.”

it was meant to be a joke, dark humor to cope with the horror of it all, but the moment the words left your lips, you saw something in hyun-ju’s expression shift. it was brief, a flicker of something wounded in her eyes before she masked it, her lips parting slightly as if she wanted to respond but thought better of it. instead, she simply nodded, sitting up fully and stretching her arms over her head.

you almost said something—almost acknowledged that look, that pause—but instead, you shoved it aside, dismissing it as nothing. you were both on edge. it didn’t mean anything.

the sound of doors unlocking snapped you both out of it. pink guards marched in, their presence swift and efficient as they wheeled in carts filled with neatly arranged bento boxes and water bottles. “let’s grab some food,” hyun-ju said, standing and offering you a hand. you took it, squeezing briefly before letting go, and followed her down the stairs, standing in line among the other players.

as you made your way down the stairs, hyun-ju naturally fell into step behind you, assuming her usual “bodyguard” position. it wasn’t anything new—this was just how she was in crowded spaces. at concerts, city festivals, even at the grocery store on a busy weekend, she always positioned herself slightly behind you, her presence solid and reassuring, ready to shield you from a pushy crowd. you loved when she did that. it was dominant, protective, and entirely her. once, you had joked about it, singing a bit of "i will always love you," and it had been the funniest thing when the reference went right over her head.

you smiled faintly at the memory as you grabbed the food, hyun-ju picking up hers right after. together, you settled on the bottom stairs, bento boxes balanced on your laps. the food was surprisingly... fine. it wasn’t home, but it was edible. you hadn’t realized how thirsty you were until you downed the entire water bottle in one go, the cool liquid soothing the dryness in your throat.

you were halfway through your meal, idly scanning the room, when movement caught your eye—a small crowd was gathering around player 456.

you swallowed your last bite and stood, curiosity overriding caution. hyun-ju noticed immediately. “where are you going?” she asked, her voice low but firm.

you waved a hand behind your back dismissively. “just listening,” you murmured, weaving through the players toward the group.

“you know what’s next, don’t you?” player 001’s voice cut through the murmurs. his tone was almost… teasing. oh, you hated him. “oh, yeah. you won this whole thing before, so you must know what game two is.” murmurs of agreement rippled through the players. 

your gaze flickered to 001, taking him in—his presence, his unreadable expression. he had pressed o last, single-handedly making sure you all stayed. you hadn’t liked him since the moment you saw him. there was something off about him, something cold.

and yet, you found yourself staring. and as if he felt your eyes, he turned to look at you. his gaze was empty, unyielding. you tried to hold it, tried to match his stare for a few seconds, but it was too much—or maybe it was too little. he wasn’t challenging you, wasn’t engaging with you. he was simply watching.

it sent a shiver down your spine. you looked away first, back to 456 as he finally spoke.

“the second game last time,” he said carefully, “was dalgona.”

you didn’t waste another second. you spun on your heel and made a beeline back to hyun-ju, weaving through the crowd until you reached her side.

“the game,” you murmured under your breath. “it’s dalgona.”

hyun-ju, who had been watching you with a mixture of mild amusement and worry, immediately straightened. “are you sure?”

you nodded. “i heard it myself. and the easiest shape is the triangle.”

she exhaled through her nose, nodding slowly. you hesitated, glancing down at her. 

“are you any good at it?” you asked.

she hesitated for a fraction of a second before replying, “not really, but i’ll try my best.”

you exhaled, standing in front of her, your hands on your hips. “me neither,” you admitted. “i was never patient enough for it, always broke the candy.”

she listened carefully, her gaze unwavering, absorbing every word, then, without a word, she set her empty food box aside and gently tugged you forward by the hands, guiding you so that you stood between her legs as she sat. automatically, your arms came to rest on her shoulders.

her soft brown eyes gazed up at you, the remnants of her makeup from yesterday completely gone, leaving behind nothing but the bare, unfiltered warmth of her expression. she exhaled softly.

“i’m sorry,” she murmured.

you sighed, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “don’t start that again,” you warned, trying to keep your voice amused but the way she kept bringing it up was starting to make you feel annoyed. “otherwise, i’ll remember i’m supposed to be mad at you.”

she smiled—small, but genuine, then she rested her head against your stomach, letting out a deep, quiet breath as you ran your fingers through her hair. her shoulders relaxed slightly, some of the tension draining from her frame. she tilted her head up to look at you again.

“i love you.” the words came soft, steady. a quiet confession and your heart squeezed.

you bent down, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. “i love you too,” it was brief and tender.

you sat back down beside hyun-ju, the warmth of her lingering touch still humming against your skin. without a word, she reached for your hand again, lifting it to her lips, pressing a soft kiss to your palm, then another to your wrist. a quiet reassurance. you sighed, leaning into her shoulder, letting your body relax against hers. the room was still too cold, the air too heavy, the fluorescent lights too harsh—but in this moment, pressed against hyun-ju, it was bearable.

but… you needed to talk.

“yesterday,” you started, voice barely above a whisper. “when we played red light, green light… i—” you hesitated, exhaling shakily. hyun-ju didn’t rush you, simply shifted closer, thumb rubbing soothing circles over your knuckles.

“i was terrified,” you admitted. “not just because of the game, but because…” your throat tightened. “because i thought i was going to watch you die. i had nightmares through the night, i… i spent the whole night watching you die.”

hyun-ju tensed beside you, but she didn’t interrupt.

“i know you’ve seen worse,” you continued, voice raw. “you were in the military. you’ve held a gun, you’ve probably—” you stopped yourself, shaking your head. “but i haven’t. i don’t know what it’s like to see someone get shot right in front of me. i’ve only been to a handful of funerals in my life, and every single one felt unreal. like grief was something distant, something i could keep at arm’s length.”

hyun-ju remained still, though her grip on your hand tightened.

“but yesterday,” you murmured, “there was no distance. it was right in front of me. the blood, the bodies, the gunfire. the way people screamed.” you swallowed hard. “i’m afraid, hyun-ju. i don’t want to go through that again. i don’t want the next body to be yours.”

or maybe, it would be yours. the thought settled in your chest like a stone, heavy and suffocating. you turned your head, searching her expression. “does it even make sense? you winning all this money, only for me to—”

“stop.”

her voice was firm. she didn’t look at you, instead staring down at her hands, fingers curled into tight fists.

“hyun-ju—”

“i said stop,” she repeated, sharper, a little louder this time. “don’t say things like that.” her reaction was immediate, instinctual. a kind of raw, unfiltered denial.

you exhaled softly, reaching for her, placing your left hand over hers, your right gently cupping her cheek. “i’m not being pessimistic,” you whispered, coaxing her to look at you. “i’m being real.”

her gaze finally lifted, meeting yours. and for a moment, there was nothing but silence. a quiet, trembling kind of understanding. then, her jaw clenched, and her dark eyes hardened with something fierce. “i will protect you,” she said, voice unwavering. “we’re leaving this place together.”

you wanted to believe her. god, you wanted to believe her.

so, you nodded. “let’s hope so, but… you know you can’t guarantee that.”

she looked away, shaking her head slightly, and you two stayed like that for minutes, just looking ahead, in silence. after a while, hyun-ju spoke.

“you know,” she began, her voice steady, but with an edge of something careful beneath it, “i understand why you’re upset. and i understand that you’re scared. but…” she exhaled, shifting her body so she was turned slightly toward you. “the way you talk about it sometimes—it hurts.”

you froze, caught off guard. she hesitated for only a second before continuing. “i don’t want us to tear each other apart in here. i don’t want to hijack what we have so easily.” her brows furrowed slightly, voice dipping softer, more vulnerable. “i don’t want this place to do that to us.”

a wave of guilt coiled in your stomach. you hadn’t thought much of your words before, hadn’t considered how she might interpret them, how they might sound coming from you—the one person she had always relied on, just as much as she was your anchor. you had been so wrapped up in your fear, your exhaustion, your anger, that you hadn’t realized you were taking it out on her.

you turned to fully face her. you opened her mouth to reply, but she shook her head, offering you a small, tired smile.

“i get it,” she said. “i do. but just… don’t push me away while we’re here. please.”

she wasn’t looking at you. her eyes were on her hands, fingers wringing together in her lap, restless and anxious. "i don’t know how to say this without sounding selfish," she admitted, barely above a whisper, "but i need you. i need you to believe we’re going to make it. because if you stop believing, then i don’t know how i’m supposed to keep believing either."

your throat tightened, a sharp sting burning behind your eyes.

"hyun-ju..." you murmured, guilt swelling in your chest.

she gave a small, breathless laugh, one that didn’t hold any amusement. "i don’t want this place to take everything from us," she said, voice raw now, unguarded. "i don’t want it to turn us against each other. i don’t want to be scared of losing you and scared that you’re already slipping away from me."

your breath hitched and reached for her hands, stilling them with your own.

"i’m sorry," you whispered, and your voice cracked under the weight of it. "i didn’t realize… i didn’t mean to make you feel like that." you swallowed hard, gripping her fingers a little tighter. "i’m not giving up. i swear. i’m just... scared. and i know you are too, even if you don’t want to say it."

hyun-ju exhaled shakily, finally meeting your eyes.

"i am," she admitted. "but i can’t—" she broke off, shaking her head. "i won’t let this place take you from me. i can’t even think about that. and when you make those jokes, when you talk like it’s inevitable, like we won’t make it out together, it feels like you’ve already made peace with leaving me behind."

the words crushed you.

you reached up, cupping her face, feeling the warmth of her skin beneath your palm. "i could never make peace with that," you said, your voice firm even as your throat tightened. "i don’t know what’s going to happen, hyun-ju, but i do know that if something ever happened to you... i don’t think i could survive it."

hyun-ju's breath caught, her eyes shining with something unspeakably fragile.

"i need you too," you continued, thumb brushing over her cheekbone. "i need us. and i need you to know that even if i’m scared, even if i don’t always know how to handle this, i’m not giving up on us. i’m sorry for making you feel like i was."

hyun-ju let out a breath that sounded almost like a sob, her fingers trembling as they cupped your face. "i’m sorry," she whispered, her voice breaking. "i’m so, so sorry."

you shook your head, placing your hands over hers. "i know," you murmured, closing your eyes for a moment, letting yourself feel her. "i know." you exhaled, pressing a kiss to the inside of her wrist before looking at her again. "just… no more decisions without me. no more trying to carry this alone. we do this together, okay?"

she nodded, her thumb brushing over your cheek as if memorizing the feeling of you. "together," she promised, her voice trembling but sure.

you let out a breath you hadn’t realized you were holding, then pulled her into you, wrapping your arms tightly around her. she held you just as fiercely, her face buried against your shoulder, breathing you in.

for the first time since this nightmare began, you felt something close to peace settle over you. whatever came next—whatever horrors this place threw your way—you would face it together. and that was the only thing that mattered.

but before either of you could say anything else, the fragile moment shattered. a sudden commotion erupted from the center of the room, sharp and violent, the unmistakable sound of fists colliding, bodies hitting the ground.

you jerked your head up just in time to see two men throwing wild punches at another, their movements fast and aggressive. hyun-ju’s arm shot out in front of you instinctively, a barrier between you and the scene unfolding. it wasn’t necessary—the fight was contained, the men too caught up in their rage to pay anyone else any mind—but still, her protective instincts kicked in.

your eyes darted across the struggling bodies, catching a flash of bright purple hair. you recognized him instantly—player 069, the rapper thanos, as he called himself. you had always thought he looked like an asshole, and clearly, he was proving you right.

the scuffle intensified, the two men ganging up on the third, fists landing hard, breathless grunts filling the air. the violence of it made your stomach churn. but then, just as suddenly as it started, it stopped as player 001 stepped in.

one moment, the fight was wild, uncontrolled—the next, it was over. 001 moved with precision, stepping between them, intercepting blows, disarming the situation quickly. actually, he didn’t just step in. he moved like someone who had done this before, someone who had calculated the perfect moment to strike. his technique was sharp, efficient. he wasn’t just breaking up the fight—he was winning it.

you watched uneasy, however hyun-ju looked impressed. she had always been drawn to skill, to discipline, to technique, it was part of her nature. she murmured something under her breath, something about his form, speed or strength, but you weren’t paying attention anymore, because something about him unsettled you.

you didn’t like him, you never had. from the moment you saw him, from the moment he pressed the o button, keeping all of you trapped in this nightmare—you hadn’t trusted him. and now, watching him, seeing the ease with which he dismantled the fight, the way his gaze remained cold, empty, unaffected—a chill ran down your spine. you didn’t say any of this to hyun-ju.

*

the heavy main doors creaked open, and a flood of pink-clad guards entered the room in perfect formation. their faceless black masks made them look inhuman, mechanical, as they stood in eerie silence, waiting for the players to fall in line. a tense hush settled over the room as everyone understood what was coming next.

you felt hyun-ju’s fingers tighten around yours as she pulled you up with her, her grip firm but comforting. without a word, the two of you fell into step with the others, joining the slow-moving crowd heading toward the exit. the same winding staircase loomed ahead, leading you through a maze of pastel corridors—bright, almost playful, but suffocating in their endless turns.

when you finally emerged into the game area, it was different from before. the same sandy floor stretched beneath your feet, but this time, the center of the vast space held two circular, colorful tracks painted onto the ground. it almost looked like an oversized children’s play area. the tension in the air, however, was anything but playful.

a woman’s voice echoed through the space, cool and detached.

"welcome to your second game. this game will be played in teams. please divide into teams of five in the next ten minutes."

you turned to hyun-ju immediately, brow furrowing. “dalgona isn’t played in teams.”

she shook her head, her expression serious. “it’s not dalgona, then.”

hyun-ju straightened, her hand squeezing yours just briefly before she shifted into something more focused, more determined. “we need to find people,” she said firmly. “three more.”

you both turned toward the rest of the players, scanning the crowd, trying to find anyone who wasn’t already locked into an unspoken alliance. people were moving fast, pulling each other into small groups, securing their chances before time ran out.

but as you and hyun-ju approached different clusters, the reaction was the same. some people had already formed their teams and dismissed you quickly, barely sparing a glance. others looked you both up and down—eyes lingering too long on hyun-ju’s appearance, or your joined hands—and turned away without a word.

you gritted your teeth, frustration curling in your stomach. you weren’t surprised, but that didn’t make it any less infuriating. i hope you all fucking lose.

hyun-ju, ever composed, let out a slow breath beside you, the only sign of her own frustration being the tightening of her grip on your hand. “we’ll find someone,” she murmured, and you could tell she was saying it more for you than for herself.

you were about to turn to hyun-ju, to suggest splitting up just to form a team faster, when a small weight bumped into you, snapping you out of your thoughts. you turned, expecting to see someone pushing past in a hurry, but instead, you found yourself looking down at a girl.

petite, wiry, her frame smaller than yours—she looked no older than a teenager. she had wide, almost too-big eyes, framed by unruly curls of frizzy hair. her uniform bore the number 095, with a large x printed on the front.

she hesitated before speaking, her voice soft, almost hesitant. “excuse me…” she murmured, fidgeting slightly under your gaze. “would you like to team up with me?”

something in your chest eased.

you didn’t think twice before offering her a reassuring smile, the warmth genuine even in the middle of all this chaos. “of course,” you said, looping your arm through hers like it was the most natural thing in the world. the tension in her shoulders melted slightly, and you could tell that she hadn’t expected kindness here.

with her, now you were three.

"team selection will end momentarily." the pa voice jolted you into urgency. time was running out.

“we need two more,” hyun-ju reminded you, her voice low but firm.

“i know,” you murmured, scanning the dispersing players. most people had already formed their teams, clumping together in tight circles, talking in hushed voices, some sizing up their teammates with open skepticism. others had their backs turned, purposefully ignoring the stragglers still searching for a group.

hyun-ju was taller than you, giving her the advantage of a better view, so you turned to her. “aein, do you see anyone alone?”

she was already looking, eyes narrowing as she swept the field with practiced precision. “no… there’s no one i can s—oh wait, there.”

she lifted her chin, subtly gesturing toward two figures standing near the edge of the group. you followed her gaze, and the moment your eyes landed on them, your breath hitched.

your eyes followed her direction and landed on the old woman from the first day, the one whose voice had cut through the murmurs like a blade, asking why people like hyun-ju existed. standing next to her was her son, player 007. you had never told hyun-ju about what the woman had said. it hadn’t felt necessary; you had long since learned to bear the weight of ignorance in silence, sparing her when you could. if hyun-ju had heard it herself, she hadn't let it show. but now, faced with the decision of approaching them, your stomach twisted slightly.

for a split second, you hesitated, fingers twitching against 095’s arm. still, it wasn’t time for that. “do you think they’ll want to team up with us?” you asked, voice hushed.

“only one way to find out,” hyun-ju said, already moving toward them. you followed, with 095 close behind.

“excuse us,” hyun-ju said smoothly, her voice polite but firm as she stopped before them. “we need two more for our team. would you like to join us?”

007 barely hesitated before responding. “of course!” he said, a note of relief in his voice, as if he had been waiting for someone to extend a hand. he seemed eager, cooperative. you almost sighed with relief—it was done, your team was complete.

but you didn’t miss the way his mother’s brows furrowed, the way she exhaled sharply, her mouth barely parting as if she wanted to object but thought better of it. nor did you miss the way 007’s gaze lingered just a fraction too long on hyun-ju, his eyes flickering with something you couldn’t quite place. it made your spine straighten involuntarily. but right now, it didn’t matter. what mattered was that you had a team, a real chance at winning whatever this was.

you turned to hyun-ju and let out a slow breath, offering her a small, relieved smile which she returned without hesitation, just as the pa system came to life again, its impassive voice cutting through the last murmurs of team selection.

“team selection has ended. all players, please sit in a line inside the designated circles.”

with a final glance at each other, your newly-formed team made their way toward the marked area. you took a seat between hyun-ju and 095, your body still thrumming with leftover adrenaline. the others settled in around you, and silence fell as anticipation weighed heavy in the air.

“the game you will be playing is six-legged pentathlon,” the pa voice continued. “you will start with your legs tied together. each member will take turns playing a minigame at every ten-meter mark, and if you win, the team can move on to the next one. here are the minigames: number one, ddakji. number two, flying stone. number three, gonggi. number four, spinning top. number five, jjegi. your goal is to win all the minigames and cross the finish line in five minutes. please decide players for each minigame.”

a low murmur spread among the teams as everyone quickly assessed their skills.

“what are you good at?” 007 asked, eyes flicking between you all, his tone eager, as if he thrived on strategizing.

you exchanged glances.

“i’m good at jjegi,” hyun-ju offered. “i used to be able to kick more than twenty times.” there was a faint note of pride in her voice, but it was laced with humility.

“more than twenty?” 007 sounded impressed. “that’s solid. you should definitely take jjegi.”

you nodded in agreement. “then i can do ddakji,” you said. “i won more times than the man who recruited us. is that okay with everyone?”

095 nodded immediately, eyes shining slightly. she had been quiet so far, observing you closely, hanging onto your words like you knew more than you really did. there was something about the way she looked at you—not just trust, but admiration. it made your chest feel strangely tight.

the old woman, 149, spoke next, adjusting her posture. “i grew up playing gonggi,” she said with a quiet confidence, her voice carrying the wisdom of years. “i’m really good… though i haven’t played in a long time.”

“you’ll be great, mom,” 007 reassured her, placing a firm hand on her shoulder. his words were encouraging, but there was something else underneath them—something personal.

“i can do flying stone,” 007 added. he seemed sure of himself, and no one objected.

that left one game. you turned to 095, who had been sitting quietly beside you. “are you okay with spinning top?”

her big eyes flicked up to yours, hesitant. “…yes,” she said, though the lack of conviction in her tone didn’t go unnoticed.

you lowered your voice slightly. “we can switch if you want,” you offered.

she hesitated for a split second before shaking her head. “no, it’s fine,” she said, forcing a tight-lipped smile. “i can do it.”

you studied her for a moment, sensing the nerves beneath her resolve, but you decided to trust her. you nodded. “alright. then it’s settled.”

“let’s do this!” 007 pumped his fist in the air, grinning. you all gave a small but determined cheer, sealing your fates together.

the pa crackled again. “all players, remain seated as game instructions are finalized.”

you took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the moment settle over you. there was no turning back now.

*

shortly after, the game began. the first two teams had their legs strapped together, their bodies swaying slightly as they adjusted to the restraints before they found their rhythm. in unison, they started chanting, "one, two, one, two, one, two," their steps carefully synchronized, the sand beneath them shifting as they moved forward.

you watched intently, eyes locked on the team competing on your track. the first challenge—ddakji—was completed flawlessly, and they advanced to the flying stone segment. the player assigned to the task picked up the stone, throwing it towards the target. it missed. groaning in frustration, he hurried to retrieve it, but with every second lost, so was their hope of finishing in time. his second throw connected, but his foot was over the line, disqualifying the attempt. he hesitated, hands shaking, sweat glistening on his forehead under the artificial lighting. you leaned toward 007, voice low but urgent.

"you need to watch the line when you throw," you murmured, keeping your gaze on the struggling player.

007 nodded quickly, eyes wide with understanding. "got it," he whispered back, determination settling into his expression.

the man continued to try, each failed attempt making his movements more frantic, more desperate. and then—humiliation. his body trembled, his breath hitched, and you saw the dark stain bloom across his pants as he pissed himself, sheer terror taking hold. your stomach twisted. you could feel the team unraveling, frustration and panic taking over, sealing their fate.

the room buzzed with nervous energy. only ten seconds remained. in a last-ditch effort, the man hurled the stone with every ounce of strength left in him, and this time, it hit. his voice cracked as he stammered, "i did it, i did it!" the relief in his voice was unmistakable. but it wasn’t enough.

the buzzer sounded, and the tension in the room snapped, replaced with something much, much worse. you saw the pink-masked guards approaching before you fully registered what was about to happen. they moved with eerie precision, their guns cradled against their chests. dread pooled deep in your stomach. "oh no," you whispered, fingers digging into hyun-ju’s arm. "they're gonna shoot them."

hyun-ju said nothing, but the solemn nod she gave you confirmed the unspoken truth. you turned away before you could see it unfold, eyes snapping toward 095 instead. she looked paralyzed, her small frame shaking. instinctively, you reached for her, pulling her close, shielding her from the horror that neither of you could escape. and then, hyun-ju’s arm wrapped around both of you, solid and unwavering, her presence, as always, anchoring you in the storm.

but nothing could muffle the gunshots.

the sound ripped through the air, sharp and unrelenting. you squeezed your eyes shut, hands clamping over your ears, but it was useless. the echo rang inside your skull, each shot landing like a blow to your already frayed nerves. how many times did they fire? it felt endless, a merciless execution stretched into eternity.

when silence finally fell, you forced yourself to look.

bodies lay sprawled on the track, twisted together, their lifeless forms unnervingly still. blood seeped into the sand, staining it dark. the guards moved mechanically, untying the cuffs from the corpses with the same indifference they’d show clearing an obstacle on a course. and then, as if that wasn’t enough, a guard stepped forward, lifted his gun, and fired twice into one of the black coffins with a large pink bow.

each shot made you flinch violently.

a man nearby broke first. "we should have left!" he screamed, his voice raw with grief and fury. "now we're all gonna die! we're gonna die because half of you said you wanted to keep doing this!"

you agreed with him. oh, how you agreed with him. but it was too late for regrets. too late for rebellion. you could only move forward.

the voice on the pa rang out again, calm and unwavering. "will the next two teams please rise?"

you felt the weight of it settle over you, the moment sinking in as you stood up on unsteady legs. your hands moved automatically to help 007 pull his mother up, your fingers gripping the sleeve of her tracksuit as you steadied her. keep a clear head. no panic. no animosity. if you let emotions take over, you’d lose.

hyun-ju turned to 095, crouching slightly to meet her gaze. "hey, look at me." her voice was firm but gentle, a quiet command rather than a question. "my name’s cho hyun-ju." she motioned toward you. "this is my girlfriend."  you introduced yourself with a smile. then, softer, she asked, "what’s yours?"

095 hesitated for a fraction of a second before finally murmuring, "young-mi. kim young-mi." her voice was small, but it didn’t waver.

hyun-ju held onto young-mi’s hands, her grip steady and sure. "listen, from the moment you asked to play together, we believed in you. i could feel how brave you were, young-mi." her voice was warm, reassuring. "now i need you to believe in yourself the same way we do. can you do that?"

young-mi glanced at you, her eyes flickering with something vulnerable, searching. you nodded, rubbing a comforting hand up and down her arm.

"i’ll try," she finally whispered.

you smiled. "that’s good enough."

the old woman, 145, let out a breath that sounded close to a chuckle before straightening her spine, her voice cutting through the tension. “that’s right. i’m jang geum-ja, and i lived through the korean war. so i know a few playground games won’t kill me.” a wry smile followed before she turned to all of you, her dark eyes filled with an intensity that almost startled you. “all right, come on. let’s do this. together, we can win this.”

there was a quiet but unanimous nod from the group.

007, standing straighter now, adjusted his glasses with a little too much force, as if trying to anchor himself in the moment. “yeah,” he added quickly. “and i’m the son of jang geum-ja, who is a survivor. park yong-sik.” his voice carried a strange mix of pride and apprehension, as if he wasn’t sure whether to honor his mother’s strength or fear for her all the same.

hyun-ju took a deep breath, and just like that, her posture shifted. her shoulders squared, her chin lifted just a fraction higher. the transformation was subtle, but it was there—the sergeant in her stepping forward, taking command. “team, listen up.” her voice, rich and unwavering, drew all of you in immediately. was she like this in the military? the thought flickered through your mind as you instinctively leaned in, drawn by her certainty.

“we can get through this together. okay? let’s show all the other players here that these games are nothing to us. i know we can do it.”

she extended her hand into the center of the huddle, thumb pointed upward, and one by one, you all followed, gripping onto each other’s thumbs in a chain of silent agreement. a moment of quiet passed before, in unison, you all bounced once, raising your hands in a cheer—not loud, not overconfident, but filled with determination.

then, just as you were moving toward the track, assuming your places, young-mi’s voice cut through the air, sharp and unexpected.

“wait, wait! i need to change.”

you froze, turning to see her shifting nervously on her feet, her fingers twisting into the fabric of her sleeves.

“what?” hyun-ju frowned, concern flashing across her face.

young-mi swallowed hard. “i won’t do well at spinning top,” she admitted, her voice trembling as she turned to you. her eyes, wide and pleading, locked onto yours. “change with me, please.”

shit. shit. you pressed your lips together tightly, forcing yourself to suppress the immediate curse words threatening to escape. the weight of your team’s gazes burned into you, waiting for a response, for a decision.

you exhaled slowly through your mouth, your heart pounding against your ribs. “all right,” you finally said, nodding stiffly. “let’s change.”

it was the right call, the only call, but still, doubt curled at the edges of your mind. ddakji was supposed to be your game—the one you knew you could win. but now? now you were going into something uncertain. you have to be good at this. you can’t afford to fail.

the switch happened quickly, young-mi moving to the front while you took her place, wedged between geum-ja and hyun-ju. hyun-ju reached for your hand immediately, squeezing it tightly. “are you okay with this?” she asked, voice low, only for you to hear.

you hesitated, swallowing back the lump in your throat. “i—i have to be,” you admitted, the words barely above a whisper. her fingers tightened around yours for a brief second before letting go.

“i can do spinning top,” you continued, as if saying it aloud would make it more real. “yes. i can.” you breathed out slowly, steadying yourself.

the guards moved in then, their boots heavy against the ground as they began securing the cuffs around your legs, locking them into place. you flexed your fingers, willing yourself to stay calm. your left leg was tethered to hyun-ju’s right, your right leg bound to geum-ja’s left. it was real now. no more planning, no more adjusting. this was it.

a gunshot rang through the air—the signal to begin, and just like that, your team surged forward, a tangled collection of bodies and determination, pushing toward the only thing that mattered now: victory.

[quinngefail]

You can answer this privately if you want but I wanted to know your opinion on apprentice Lawrence? Very so valid if you don’t like it coz different strokes for different folks and also coming from a place of genuine curiosity :0

Coz I got my idea of the whole Saw universe but I defo LOVE to hear others on their thoughts and ideas of the universe 👀

Okay lmao time to be a little hater on main

Putting a cut coz this got to be a bit long HSKS

But yeah uhhh. I completely despise it, I've said it across scattered posts here but truly and genuinely there is nothing in this franchise that I dislike more. It just makes my eyes glaze over so fucking fast, man 😩

Like. Putting aside any attachments I have to the character, the concept in itself is just so forced to me. Like ermmm wouldn't it be freaking crazy if we brought Lawrence back, but he's like kinda fr*cked up and evil now 😱 regardless of if it makes sense for his character or not 😱 it'll go hard fr, coz like dude HE'S FROM THE FIRST MOVIE!! and now we're on The Final Chapter so we have to do something crazy, so GUY FROM THE FIRST MOVIE IS BACK and you won't see it coming but he's evil now 😱 that'd be crazy fr!!!

And I know I'm much more biased towards stories of redemption, + I'm not gonna act like my opinion is fact or anything. But to me, it's just so frustrating that he has this whole arc in the first movie only for it to be thrown away in favor of something that feels so fucking abrupt and jarring for him 😔

And people can call me 'Too Ship-Brained' all they want, or that I'm into 'sanitized' content, but it's just. 1) I would feel this way regardless of chainshipping 2) I'm just personally way more interested in seeing someone trying to recover from the situation he went through; trying to grapple with the trauma and his new reality, while also taking the initiative to become a better person.

And idk people may look at that and be like "Oh so you're validating John's methods, then" but I feel like the statements "yes this did help me wake up to my flaws and how my actions affect others, and now I want to work to become better" and "but no one else should go ever have to go through what I went through" can co-exist, and I personally just. Do not see Lawrence taking the route he does in canon

Obviously he's made some horrible decisions (as we very clearly see in the first movie), and no amount of personal inner turmoil should excuse that. I do feel like he is a good person at his core though, but he had lost sight of how to be that person. And I'm just way more interested in seeing his journey to becoming that person and living as happily as he can over whatever the fuck is happening in canon lmao 😩

And like I don't doubt that there is an interesting story to be told with his canon self, and I also don't want to make anyone feel bad or belittled for enjoying canon. I also know there are also people who have put a lot of thought and care into headcanons and characterizations based on his canon self, and I don't want to just dismiss all that effort,, it's just not my cup of tea at the end of the day. And I'm very fine with people feeling that way about the way I prefer to characterize him :]

Idk. I see the whole tragedy that canon presents, but I'm just way more interested in exploring a different kind of tragedy with these characters 😩

I do try to keep this to myself, coz it's like. I'd rather just focus on creating what makes me happy vs. stewing over shit that frustrates me and taking that out on other people in petty ass discourse, y’know-

I've said it before but ultimately I'm just here to have a fun time, and even if I don't fuck with Apprentice Lawrence at all, I will still fall asleep and wake up all the same. At the end of the day these are fictional characters and my life will go on lmao

But yeah uhhh. Don't expect to see any Apprentice Lawrence content around here, I truly just cannot fuckin stand it so I choose to look away 🙌

I'm also a diehard Luke Skywalker fan in a world where that fuck ass sequel trilogy exists so like ignoring canon + entire movies is nothing new for me HESKGRKGK

Those are my thoughts though, thank you for reading if you made it this far :]

[rigelmejo]

Why learning mandarin is not that hard, if you were considering studying it but scared (this post is partly joking, in that any language could be easier for you to learn than another, and it depends on the individual, so you may not find these aspects as easy or vice versa you might think another language's aspects i found hard were easier for you. Also, if you've studied or tried to study japanese then in particular these aspects compared are going to be more familiar)

1. You're scared to learn hanzi. There's 4000 you say. They look hard! Well some happy news: hanzi are made up of 214 radicals put together (like letters) to make 1 sound-meaning piece (so like how c a r are put together to mean CAR). The sound meaning piece is hanzi. Each hanzi usually has 1 pronunciation (compared to english which often pronounces syllables multiple ways). Each hanzi is like 1 syllable or word-part. Many hanzi are 1 radical that's related to it's pronunciation, and 1 radical roughly related to it's meaning. (With some exceptions, like with any language). Examples: 人 认 任 仁 仞 all have the person radical 人 "ren" (which looks like a diagonal line with a straight line down, when it's put on the side of hanzi), all of these hanzi are "ren" like the radical, with different meanings (which the other radical hints at). So 人 means person, since it's just the person radical. 认 means to know someone, and the meaning radical on the left is the smushed radical 言 that means speech. As you get used to seeing hanzi, you'll notice that you can often guess the rough pronunciation (at least enough to see 吧 ba and then later see 把 疤 靶 and guess that if you type "ba" you can look them up, since they all share 巴). You'll often be able to start guessing new words based on the meaning radical, and hanzi you already know. There's some hanzi which are just one radical, like 人 person, 女 woman. Many of these are like the 214 radicals, and the radicals are the main thing you'll need to memorize. I know 216 feels like a lot. But once you practice identifying those 214 radicals, new hanzi become much easier to remember because you can recognize how to make them and what information they might contain about meaning and pronunctiation. If you learn 手 shou is hand and it looks like 扌when it is a radical, then you can start figuring out 把 and 拉 may have something to do with hands or using them. Many verbs that people do, have the hand or foot radical. Here's a list of the radicals:

Most words are 2 hanzi put together (similar to english driveway, airport, steering wheel, cross walk, coffee cup, inter-nation-al, extra-terrest-rial) with the sound-meaning hanzi contributing to build a new word. There's some 1 hanzi words, like person 人. There's some 4 hanzi words and phrases. You'll learn hanzi and over time, that will result in learning or being able to guess MANY MORE WORDS beyond just the number of hanzi you've learned. If you learn 清 qing means clear, you'll see new words like 清晰(qingxi distinct, clear) 清楚 (qingchu be clear about/understand), 清除 (to clear away, eliminate), 清新 (pure and fresh, original), 清洁 (qingjie clean). If you guess "something to do literally or metaphorically with "clear" then you may figure out the words with 清 in a show or novel, if you know the other hanzi then you'll then learn to guess even more words.

Once you learn a few hanzi, it opens up the understanding of many words. Then as you learn more, the words you can guess expands a lot. You can rely on radicals in hanzi to help you guess what pinyin to type to look a hanzi up, and what general area a hanzi might relate to in its meaning (like the water radical 氵in 海 冰 池 indicating these hanzi may be related to water).

2. The grammar! Is it hard? Now this will depend on what you prefer. Mandarin has no conjugation. I hate conjugation. This means when you learn a word? You can recognize the word in all contexts. You don't need to learn several versions of "to run" in mandarin, it will always be pao 跑. There might be similar words, like in english dash/sprint/run etc. But you're not memorizing run/ran/running. You learn 跑, and you'll recognize it in the past, present, future, and with whoever is saying it. (Edit 3/3/2025: I have removed the bits mentioning Japanese because I do not know Japanese very well, and I already mentioned English conjugation). 明白 (understand mingbai) is the same whether its I understand 我明白, i understood 我明白了, 我会明白 (i will understand that... although id use liaojie or zhidao probably). In chinese you may use another word for tense, like english says "i will go/i have gone" and 会，要，了， 过 show up in those sentences. And there is 的 得 地 which have grammar functions. But there's no conjugation. The sentence order is also generally subject verb object, if you're an english speaker then the overall word order will be familiar and make it less of a hurdle to get used to other grammar differences. There are still significant grammar differences, and it'll depend on you on how quickly you can adjust to them. But all languages have grammar differences.

3. Tones! What can I say. There's a lot of good youtube videos that explain the 4 tones and neutral tone, tone sandhi (tone changes), and how tone pairs may be easier to study with. It is definitely new if you don't already know a tonal language. But it is also something you can practice listening to, and get better at hearing. It is something you can get used to recognizing in months, it may not take you years. There are hurdles with speaking, but people who learn english have to learn where to put the emphasis in pronuncing multi syllable words (along with learners of french and german and spanish). Practice, shadowing, and working on where you struggle, are part of it just like any language. I've found these pages very helpful: dong-chinese has a Pronunciation guide under Learn Pinyin, and if you go through it and do the practice tests it can help a lot with listening skills:

And this site Accent Lab has tone pair drills. I really like this exercise, as tone pair recognition helps a lot with recognizing words:

[2456788sworld]

DAILY CHECK-IN:Sun,2 March🫧🎀

Today's Priorities: Let's get it done ~

Complete 2 theorem + formula proof

Need to wash my pouch today

Spend some time learning HSK Standard Course

Take a refreshing shower

Skincare+spf

Face mask

Watch some Convo videos in Chinese

Write S part physics notes

Revise G+N

Plan a workout routine & stick to it

Take my Snoo for a walk

Today's Wins ~

Completed 2 theorems ( Will do the formula proof at night 🌃 )

Cold shower done~ feeling fresh

Skincare+spf

Washed my pouch and bag

Face mask

Read a short story in Chinese

Completed S part physics notes

Nails done

Took my Snoo for a walk

Recorded some clips🪟

[the-falconer]

So because language learning is an eternal struggle, here's some of my progress from this month and the things I've learned during the past 8 months

1. 70% listening, 30% vocab/grammar/writing

Studying a language is 70% listening practice and the other 30% is memorization. I picked up my Japanese studies this year after having watched anime for years, and I noticed that it's so much easier to make progress. I've internalized around 500-1 000 words and some basic grammar, so getting through N5/N4 was a breeze - in 2 weeks I achieved the same level that took me 3 months in Chinese. I can watch anime without subtitles and easily understand what they're saying (when did this happen? No idea!) because I understand the expressions and slang, all which would not be possible if I hadn't spent so much time with media.

I often have a hard time focusing on watching shows etc. because of how much of a critic I am, but it's the most important thing. Immerse yourself.

2. Reset your learning schedule if it gets too overwhelming

This is something I only learned this week, as I'd been stubbornly holding onto those 900+ word reviews waiting for me back in Ninchanese.

I've been at a standstill for the past 2-3 months after studying the radicals because of some personal responsibilities, and I never got around to learning any new vocab, I was just too busy trying to keep up with what I had learned previously.

But now I've reset my schedule, and I FINALLY feel like I'm making progress again. Sure, my memory might be hazy for the latter parts of HSK 4, but you know what to do about that? You immerse yourself with listening practice so that they will stick with you when you hear them be used IRL :)

[oensible]

cuda game day!

i thought that hsk would stay in 10th bc they have one less game in hand but i guess not! good for you, henderson!

pacific division games to keep an eye out for today:

cvf @ wranglers: cvf currently up 2 against calgary near the end of the 2nd! idk if theres a team that we would prefer to win here, i'd say we just don't want it to go to ot. however, notably, now that i check their latest win records, cvf hasn't won a game after kicking the wranglers' asses twice in the first week yet.... i'm not sure which team will be more feasible to catch by the end of the season! devin cooley is in net btw ^_^ hey wait i just saw some kid do the rizz face on the wranglers broadcast

reign @ iowa: i am partial towards the reign but the cuda ARE within striking distance of them right now.....

runners @ eagles: I Would Like The Gap To Be Bigger.

condors @ cuda: same as yesterday where if the condors win they'll be fighting the runners for the last spot but the cushion did get a little bigger since then; still it's only 7 points difference right now between the cuda and the runners and a whole 12 games left on the season, and the condors also have a game in hand over us—still very important to win this one for the cuda. hopefully in less terrifying fashion than last night but hey a W with a hatty and a hatty watch is a W!

[indigostudies]

a very incomplete list of cdramas (plus a few chinese films) i've watched and my rating for hsk proficiencies for them below the cut!

i've watched some shows that aren't included on this list, but i didn't watch enough of them to get a good sense for the level of challenge they pose, so they're omitted from the list. i've also included links to the mydramalist pages, if you want to get a sense of the plot.

i had to remove the list format, since tumblr decided i had too many characters per block of text, so i apologise for that. a number of these can be watched on youtube with english fansubs, but if you can't find something, you can always dm me and i'll get you a link!

沙海/tomb of the sea: this fits into the extended daomu biji/grave robbers' chronicles/lost tomb franchise, but you don't have to have seen the other shows or read the books to watch it, and the pov character is an outsider who also doesn't understand what's going on 90% of the time. this show is contemporary, and you could probably start watching it at a fairly low hsk level because it doesn't have a ton of complicated technical or genre-specific terms. the subbing in english decent, since it came out a while ago, but there are some errors that crop up with names and nicknames. if you wanted to watch it without subtitles, i'd say you could probably get the gist of what's being said at around an hsk 4 or hsk 5 level. it has 52 episodes, each around 45 minutes long. (mdl link)

双镜/couple of mirrors: set in the republican era, so some of the terms used are a bit outdated in terms of colloquialism, and it also has a mystery/detective element to it, so that could pose a bit of a struggle. that said, the show isn't actually too challenging in terms of vocab—i would say you could watch it without english subtitles at an hsk 3 level with some struggle, and with a fair amount of ease at hsk 4. 12 episodes, at 46 minutes each. (mdl link)

云泽传/legend of yunze: wuxia/xianxia, which makes the amount of unfamiliar terms higher if you aren't used to the genre, but the episodes are all very short, and the plot itself isn't overly complicated, which makes it easy to sit down and watch in one go. on a level of difficulty, as long as you're familiar with wuxia/xianxia terms, you could probably watch this at an hsk 2 level without too much issue, and the subbing in english is very thorough. has multiple seasons, but the first season is 12 episodes, between 3-7 minutes each. (mdl link)

神探/detective l: this is a procedural detective show, and it's set in the 1930s republican shanghai, so there's a combination of more formal/outdated language and specialised detective/case-related phrases. the english subs are decent, though, and the actors all enunciate clearly, which helps if you need to look up words. i would say this would probably be a bit of a struggle below the hsk 5 level, but you'll pick up a lot of new, crime-related phrases. 24 episodes, 40 minutes each. (mdl link)

不良执念清除师/oh no! here comes trouble!: i'll be honest, this one was a struggle for me because of the taiwanese accent. i can understand what they're saying, it just sounds like the auditory equivalent of someone coming into my house and moving everything a few centimetres to the left. this is also a procedural show, but contemporary, so not quite as challenging in terms of vocab to detective l, in my opinion..........but it's also got a heavy supernatural element, which does come with specific vocab. the subbing is good, but if you're going to watch it, this one probably requires a higher hsk level to keep up—hsk 5, at a minimum, in my opinion. 12 episodes, 52 minutes each. (mdl link)

s.c.i谜案集/sci mystery/sci: another contemporary procedural mystery show, but from the mainland, so there's no elements of supernatural. surprisingly simple vocabulary; you could watch this at an hsk 2 level and get the gist, and an hsk 3 or hsk 4 level would let you watch it just fine. has fairly good english subs, and i believe they set the show in hk, which accounts for the higher than usual amount of english usage, up to and including in dialogue. the only bit that might make it challenging is the heavy lean into the psychology, but it's all largely explained directly, since most of the characters aren't familiar with the terms either. 24 episodes, 45 minutes each. (mdl link)

成化十四年/sleuth of the ming dynasty: ming dynasty (mid 1400s, under the chenghua emperor) setting, but a fairly colloquial vocabulary. there are some specialised titles used, but those are fairly self-evident by the way the show is shot, and easy enough to look up. the english subs are good, and i would put this at an hsk 4 level—but even at an hsk 3 level you probably won't struggle too badly. my hangup here was, again, one of the leads being played by an actor with a taiwanese accent, though it's not too heavy. 48 episodes, 45 minutes each. (mdl link)

老九门/the mystic nine: dmbj prequel, set in the tail end of the republican era (1939, if i remember correctly?). has a lot of tomb- and tomb-robbing specific vocabulary, alongside the more dated modes of speech, so i would put this up at an hsk 5 or hsk 6 level, but there's decent subs, so you could watch it at lower levels, it would just be a bit of a challenge. 48 episodes, 42 minutes each. (mdl link)

猎罪图鉴/under the skin: contemporary procedural show; there's a lot of emotion- and motive-specific words used, and the fact that it's a procedural makes it a bit more challenging, in my opinion. i would recommend that don't start with this show, just because of the fact that it's pretty easy to get lost if you don't grasp some of the vocabulary. i'd put it at an hsk 6 level, but that said, the subs are good and you can watch it at an hsk 5 level with some effort, i think. 20 episodes, 45 minutes each. (mdl link)

春风沉醉的夜晚/spring fever: honestly not as challenging in terms of vocabulary as a lot of things on this list, and fairly contemporary (set in the 2000s). i would say if you're at an hsk 4 level, you will probably do alright with it. 116 minutes in total. (mdl link)

关于我和鬼变成家人的那件事/marry my dead body: another case of struggling to acclimate to the taiwanese accent; otherwise, not too complicated in terms of vocab, though there are some spirit/marriage-specific terms used. overall, though, i'd put this at an hsk 4 level as well. 130 minutes in total. (mdl link)

陈情令/the untamed: heavy on the wuxia/xianxia elements, so unless you're familiar with that, you might struggle a lot to get through it. this is a lot of peoples' entry into cdramas, though, so it's not utterly inaccessible, and has decent english subs. i would put this around an hsk 5, if you want to watch it without subs, though you'll probably still have to pause and look up some words here and there even then. 50 episodes, 45 minutes each, making it the longest on this list. (mdl link)

山河令/word of honour: arguably the hardest on this list, i would say, because it's so plot-heavy. i, as a native speaker, struggle to follow along with this for extended amounts of time because there's a combination of 1. a lot happening, 2. a lot of wuxia terms, and 3. a lot of references to literature/art/etc. i would put this up at an hsk 7 level, honestly. that said, the subs for this are very good. 36 official episodes with a 37th mini-episode, 45 minutes each for the regular ones. (mdl link)

天官赐福/heaven official's blessing: one of the easier shows on this list; i would put this at an hsk 3 or hsk 4 level; there's some words you probably won't know, but while it does fall under xianxia, it doesn't go into that as much in terms of vocabulary as cql/the untamed does. i believe both seasons have both official subbing and official dubbing into english available, but that's not how i watched it, and i've only seen the first season, which is 11 episodes and about 20 minutes per episode. (mal link)

致命游戏/the spirealm: not particularly challenging in terms of actual vocab, but as of yet, only the first few episodes are subbed, since it came out literally this month, and the other subs are all auto-generated and.............very lacking. that said, it's a contemporary setting, and i would put this at an hsk 5 level, give or take; there are some references to folklore, but the characters research and explain or deduce the explanations of what is happening as it occurs, and you aren't left to struggle to figure it out yourself. 78 episodes, but each one is a bit under 20 minutes long, so it actually isn't that much content in total. (mdl link)

[meiyuchinese01]

Best Online HSK Course in India

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[frafrax]

Опять бежала во сне.

Сперва это было больше похоже на то, чтобы оторваться от преследователя(?). Но все закончилось бегом.

Бежала по тёмному узкому коридору, как на чердаке. Знаете такие бывают у многоэтажек,где ещё по середине может лежать дощечка, чтобы легче было ходить.

Всех деталей не могу вспомнить. Помню только , что прыгнула куда-то, чтобы он не смог взять меня за запястье и остановить. И помню что во время всего этого "прекрасного" променада, я не чувствовала страха, у меня не было паники и спутанных мыслей в голове, была только одна фраза в голове "выжить, любой ценой!".

Была вчера у психотерапевта.

Могу сказать одно, стало легче.

Поговорили о многом:

1. Я очень критично отношусь к себе и своим ошибкам. Я уже писала, что готовлюсь к HSK. Мой результат скачет от 150 до 180, это проходные быллы,но меня не устраивает такой расклад. Когда я вижу какие ошибки совершаю в голове сразу мысли "Хаа...ты настолько тупая, что не могла услышать такие элементарные вещи ?!! Боже, да пятилетний ребенок справится с этими заданиями лучше тебя. Ты тупее пробки, у нее и то извилин больше, чем у тебя. Как можно быть такой тупой!!!". После такой "мотивационной" речи к самой себе, желание что-то делать нет, потому что "ну смысл стара��ься, результат то лучше не станет. Мозгов же не прибавится." Плюс, была истерика, потому что я не до конца понимала конструкцию "是。。。的". Была та же "мотивационная" речь, на что моя преподавательница сказала "Варенька ну мы же учимся. Совершать ошибки это нормально, мы на них учимся.". Я с ней согласна, но вот только в моей голове это распространяется на всех кроме меня.

Разобрали эту ситуацию с психотерапевтом, нет желания расписывать что обсуждали, итог стало полегче.

2. Моей маме проводили операцию и взяли цитологию. Результат цитологии не очень хороший. Понятное дело, что тут думаешь сперва о раке, потому что это самое странное. Честно, �� в своей жизни никогда настолько сильно не ощущала свою беспомощность и бесполезность. Я знаю, что такое рак, потому что у младшего брата моего дедушки он есть...это страшно... очень... Знаете, что самое ужасное, это видеть как глаза человека перестают гореть...я не хочу видеть тоже самое в маминых глазах.

Не буду спорить, что мы с матерью забегаем вперёд, тут скорее сработала фраза "готовься к худшему,надейся на лучшее". Результат цитологии может быть любой, как положительный так и отрицательный.

Конечно ещё тяжело, что я не обсудить и переварить эту ситуацию с кем-то. Я могу написать это сюда, так сказать снять весь этот эмоциональный стресс в текст. Честно хочется не услышать "все будет хорошо" или ненавистную мне фразу "надежда умирает последней", а хочется почувствовать простое человеческое тепло, именно физическую поддержку,чтобы кто-то подставил плечо и помог хотя бы физически пройти через это.

Огромное спасибо моему психотерапевту. Потому что я хоть кому-то высказалась и получила слова поддержки в ответ на свои речи.

Не знаю, что ещё добавить на эту тему, очень уж эмоционально тяжело все это для меня.

После вчерашней встречи, мне стало лучше, правда. Конечно не на все 100 процентов, но на 50 уж точно.

Закончу свою тираду чем-то лёгким.

Я повредила голеностоп, вот только не знаю как ..Я не могу наступать без боли на левую ногу. Я прикладывала и холодный компресс и старалась сильно не напрягать эту ногу, вот только никто прогулки с Луной не отменял))),но отек не сходит 3 де��ь и порой боль проходит, как молния по всему телу. К врачу не знаю идти или нет...если лучше не станет,то наверное схожу.

Как-то так прошла эта не очень веселая неделя.

[kkulbeolyeonghwa]

January language log

AINU - I started my second notebook and am already approaching its middle point (???) I love the language. I have been considering going on exchange just to study it for a while but I have no time

KOREAN - impeachment & martial law vocabulary boosted 100%

JAPANESE - I have been putting off learning Japanese for a while now as it's not as important as the other languages but I have been learning more through Okinawan

OKINAWAN - Oh my god. I have been so busy! I have been hating all the sources available so I made my own textbooks (two of them), learning as I go. I shared them with my friend who is also interested in the language. I love the verb types after years of being so confused!

R**SIAN - For my degree. It's not mandatory but I want to learn the language to have access to the amazing selection of literature from my field!

MANDARIN - I have been wanting to learn Mandarin a bit more actively for linguistic purposes. My HSK level is somewhere between 2 and 3 I think

NORTH SÁMI - I have been taking a break for a few weeks after my first exam. Now I need to pick it up again to take the second course in autumn!

[duskofastraeus]

Language Goals 2024

{Chinese (Mandarin)}

Go through the Peking University lectures from HSK1 to HSK4

Go through the HSK official textbooks from HSK2 to HSK4

Watch more Chinese dubs in order to better my listening comprehension

{French}

Go to France for a 2 week long French culture and language intensive course

Revise my B2 notes and start delving into C1 material

Read at least 5 books in French

{Spanish}

Revise my B1 and B2 material + exercises

Improve on my daily exposure to European Spanish

Read at least 5 books in Spanish

{Russian}

Recover my Russian by picking up B1 and B2 textbooks

Better my weekly exposure to Russian (audio and translations)

Read at least 2 books in Russian

{Italian}

Do my university exam and pass with a decent grade

Revision + exercises from B1-B2 level textbooks

Translate/read Italian everyday for 20 minutes

Improve my Italian exposure by listening to podcasts daily

{Latin}

Pick up Latin again (study on a weekly basis)

Finish the ‘Reading Latin: Grammar and exercises’ series

{Catalan}

Read ‘Complete Catalan’

Delve more into the history of the language

{Galician}

Read a Galician Grammar and Vocabulary textbook

Read ‘A companion to Galician Culture’

{Others…}

Read ‘Origen y Gramática del Romance Andalusí’ and delve more into the history of Mozarabic and dialects spoken during the Andalusian Period throughout different Iberian regions

Maybe start studying Greek or Ancient Greek… Highly depends on how my summer studying will be structured.

These are quite ambitious goals but I do hope to be able to at lest cover 70% of what is present within this list (depending upon my university’s workload…of course…).

[zhuzhudushu]

歌词 & 生词 - Lyrics Vocabulary

One of my favorite artists has a new single, and like most of his music the lyrics are quite simple so I thought I would do a vocab list.

持修 [chí xiū] Chih Siou is a singer from Taiwan who is known for his feminine appearance, pop ballads, and loving chicken nuggets. Click here for his instagram!

生词 Vocab：( HSK 4 / HSK 5 / HSK 6 )

到底 / dào dǐ / in the end, finally

为了（為-） / wèi le / for the purpose of, in order to

宇宙 / yǔ zhòu / universe, cosmos, world

欲望（慾-） / yù wàng / desire, longing

驱使（趨勢） / qū shǐ / to urge, to order someone, to spur on

时空（時-） / shí kōng / time and space

伤口（傷-） / shāng kǒu / injury, cut

烂（爛） / làn / to rot, decompose

值得 / zhí de / to be worth, to deserve

留下 / liú xià / to remain, to leave behind

撑（撐） / chēng / to push, to stay, to support

真心 / zhēn xīn / wholeheartedness, sincerity "true heart"

逃避 / táo bì / to escape, to avoid

Here is his newest single with the lyrics below, translated by me! (warning: the video and lyrics are very sad)

没有我的那个宇宙 / A World Without Me

[in brackets are color-coded direct translations]

Please point out any errors!

VERSE 1 到底是为了什么活着 / dào dǐ shì wèi le shén me huó zhe [in the end is for what purpose living] In the end, what are you living for? 为什么我一定要赢呢 / wèi shén me wǒ yī dìng yào yíng ne [why i must going to win (filler particle)] Why must I win? 笑人们被欲望驱使着 / xiào rén men bèi yù wàng qū shǐ zhe [laugh people by desire controlling/urging] Laughing at people who're urged on/controlled by desire 虽然其实我也一样呢 / suī rán qí shí wǒ yě yī yàng ne [even though actually i (emphasis) the same (filler particle)] Even though, actually, I'm the same

VERSE 2 时间又过去了多久 / shí jiān yòu guò qù le duō jiǔ [time again pass (change in state particle) how much] How much time has passed? 伤口都烂掉了 / shāng kǒu dōu làn diào le [wounds all rot (change in state particle)] The wounds are rotting away 还要骗自己会更好吗 / hái yào piàn zì jǐ huì gèng hǎo ma [would lie oneself will be better (question particle)] Would lying to yourself be better? 还有什么是值得留下 / hái yǒu shén me shì zhí dé liú xià [still (have/there is) what is worth/deserve leaving behind] What do you still have that's worth leaving behind? (or) What else is worth leaving behind?

CHORUS 在没有我的那个宇宙 / zai méi yǒu wǒ de nà gè yǔ zhòu [in without me (particle) that (measure word) world] In a world that doesn't have me (or) in a world without me 会不会，会不会 比较好 / huì bù huì, huì bù huì bǐ jiào hǎo [would it, would it, in comparison/comparatively good ] Would it be, would it be better? 在没有我的那个时空 / zài méi yǒu wǒ de nà gè shí kōng [in without me (particle) that (measure word) time and space] In a time and space that doesn't have me (or) without me 会不会你得到 真正的快乐 / huì bù huì nǐ dé dào zhēn zhèng de kuài lè [would it, you to obtain genuine (particle) happiness] Would it be that you're able to reach true happiness?

VERSE 3 到底是为了什么撑着 / dào dǐ shì wèi le shén me chēng zhe [in the end is for what purpose push/stay/support] In the end, what are you holding on for? 为什么我不能逃避呢 / wèi shén me wǒ bù néng táo bì ne [why i can't escape (filler particle)] Why can't I escape? 笑人们找不到真心 / xiào rén men zhǎo bù dào zhēn xīn le [laugh people can't find sincerity] Laughing at people who can't find sincerity 虽然其实我也一样呢 / suī rán qí shí wǒ yě yī yàng ne [even though actually i (emphasis) the same (filler particle)] Even though, actually, I'm the same

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