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waru-chan8 · 2 years ago

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Your breakdown of who speaks Catalan is very interesting. What was shocking to me was how you said how Rinsy speaks Catalan. He was born in Barcelona so I would’ve imagined it’s the other way around with favoring Catalan more. But I can understand why Spanish is more favored. Also with Dani, I feel like he knows so many languages(as far as I know it’s Catalan, Spanish, Italian, English, and I know there’s at least one clip of him speaking French), he picks one for the day like picking out a shirt

I know you listed several regions that speak Catalan, but how common is it that Catalan is taught as a secondary language in Spain?? You said that some can hear it, but respond in Spanish or they respond in a more Spanish way. I don’t know much about Catalan, but it’s been fun learning a bit about it via MotoGP

Nope Rins speak the way he speaks Catalan because HE IS from Barcelona. Basically the "pure" Catalan comes from outside the big cities.

During the 60s and 70s, there was a massive moviment of people from different parts of Spain towards Basque Country, Madrid (city) and Catalonia, that was the places where the industry was building and expanding, so basically they moved to the big cities. In the case of Barcelona and the surroundings, the was a lot of people coming from Andalusia and Extremadura (South areas of Spain) that, plus the prohibition of speaking Catalan during the dictatorship (1939-1975) made that a whole generation didn't speak Catalan at all. (Fun fact! From a class of 20-24 students only 1 classmate had 4 grandparents born and raised in Catalonia back in early 2000 and I was the only one that had none). Places that weren't so affected by that influx of people kept the Catalan "pure", but not Barcelona. Another factor for Barcelona not having the "purest" Catalan is because it has become and international city, so having to choose between Catalan or Spanish, people will tend to use Spanish because there are more people who learn it.

Rins will end to favour the Spanish-like words and the Spanish sounds of the words when possible or straight up answering in Spanish. I do know that his family is from a close town to the Aragón circuit (Alcañiz) so I imagine he does speak Spanish at home rather than Catalan, which is fine I do the same. Favouring Catalan or Spanish just comes from your surroundings. If all your friends/family/teachers speak Catalan, you will speak with them in Catalan. Altought there's something funny going on, people do not call names in Catalan because how the language has been treated over the years, it's becoming kind of a "cult" language, which make it difficult to joke and make fun of your friends when you have to use words like "Calçasses" instead of an cabrón (asshole).

Yeah, Dani speaks a lot of languages, and most of the time is self-taught (or at least I remember he said that some time ago). I have hear him in Catalan, Spanish, English and Italian. I think there a video of him speaking French and I think he lives in a French speaking area in Switzerland, so he can choose and jump between several languages. But I think it ultimately comes to whom is he speaking. I think he spoke Catalan with Marc and Italian with Vale or any other Italian rider. I think with Pol is depending if there's a third party involved to choose between one or another.

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Here Dani speaking some Japanese.

I only mentioned the areas where is spoken in Spain. Catalan is also spoken outside, in Andorra (where is the official language and the only country that has Catalan as an official language), Northern Catalonia (which is the South of France) and Alghero in Italy. Or at least that is what I have been taught since I was a child.

In Spain, school starts at age 3-4 years old (we go by all the students born in the same year go t the same grade and school starts in September) until 15-16 years old. I can only speak from my experience in Catalonia, but we where taught most of the subjects in Catalan with the exception of Spanish (Grammar, vocabulary and literature) and English. We also had a classes to learn Catalan grammar, vocabulary and literature). There could be some wild teacher who decided to do their classes in Spanish for some reason, but it was not the norm. Even at University, most of my professors did classes in Catalan, although they could choose the language.

At university I had classmates from Menorca and from Valencia and they both spoke Catalan as their first language, so at least I know they had Catalan as a subject, what I don't know it's it the rest of the schooling was done in Catalan or Spanish.

Catalan has 2 big "dialects" (Western and Easter) and several smaller ones. You can actually know who is from where they are or where they have been taught by the way the speak their vowels, and some consonats. Like for example, Maverick who is from Gerona (another area from Catalonia) speaks much more softer than Pol or Dani (who again has one of the most amazing Central dialects I hear). And they speak different than Marc, who is more harsher due to the lack of a neutral vowel sound (it's in between a and e sound because he speaks a complet different big dialect).

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Rins speaks Barceloní, which is the dialect spoken in Barcelona and the area and surroundings and one of the characteristics s actually the influence of the Spanish in the way the pronounce it. He also uses Spanish terms because he thinks in Spanish and then he translates, so sometimes his word choice is not the correct one, but it's okay, we understand it.

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One of the reason why people would no answer in Catalan when asked something in Catalan is because they don't feel confident when speaking it. As I said, Catalan is becoming a "cult" language, reserved only for some spaces and kids are not using as much as before. It doesn't help that over the years it has been persecuted, banned and discredited.

In the case of Jorge Lorenzo, who actually say he learnt it, but doesn't speak it, it's due to his chaotic education he had. He missed a lot of school to go racing, at some point he moved from Mallorca to Barcelona (which are 2 different dialects) and I remember he say his dad made him choose between school and racing at some point. I think Jorge doesn't feel confident enough to talk it, so journalist just ask in Catalan because Jorge is okay with that (because the polite thing would be to switch to Spanish, which is done with other people).

I hope you can see all the videos. I know you won't understand them,, but at least you can see some differences in the way they talk.

If you want to know more about Catalan, I recommend the blog @useless-catalanfacts they know more about the differences and how is taught in different parts of Spain. There are also resources to learn Catalan too

#Ask #Victoria's tag #Languages #Catalan #Long Post

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ptolomeia · 2 years ago

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can you share more about being/becoming an elevator mechanic? i've been idly daydreaming of working in a manual trade for years now and your response to the "i don't want a career, i want to do crafts" post just kind of... snagged a hook in me and won't let go.

Ooooo! Welcome to the wonderful world of elevator mechanicking! Though I should warn you, it has its ups and downs :P

Okay, now that that obligatory pun is out of the way, first thing you need to know is that it depends on where you are. If you are anywhere else in North America than Quebec, what you're gonna wanna do is contact your local International Union of Elevator Constructors chapter and ask them how to go about it in your area. If you do live in Quebec, the two routes are through the Labour Pools (check out the CCQ website for more info on that) or getting a DEP at the only trade school to offer it in all of North America, which is located in Montreal. Though, the program is only offered in french, so you'd have to speak French.

If you live in one of the very many places outside of North America, unfortunately, I have no idea.

Okay, onto what it's actually like doing the work.

So far, I don't have any actual work experience, just class experience, though I am hoping to get a job soon. Just taking a bit of a break during the summer.

So, what's it like? Challenging, eye opening, empowering, incredible, fascinating, and so much more.

I've gone from thinking +/- 1/16th of an inch was an impossible tolerance to meet, to regularly meeting +/- 1/64th of an inch tolerances. I've learned an insane and empowering amount. Whereas before, electricity and mechanical work were something of a mystery, because I'd been denied opportunities to explore, I've now changed all the light switches in my apartment to dimmer switches, and I'm currently working on building a trellis cage I designed for my plants.

My physical health and mental health are both WAY up. It can be hard and exhausting, and you need to eat so much food to keep yourself fueled (seriously, I need to eat 4 meals a day and it irks me because I have to remember to eat 4 meals a day, anyway), but also incredibly rewarding. Because I'm exercising much and meeting clear and concrete goals every single day, my mental health has improved spectacularly. I spent 6+ years of my life pushing through intense depression and elevator mechanic school was the first time in all those years where I would wake up and want to take on whatever the day offered.

In terms of physical health, I'm in better shape than I've ever been. It's easier to move in my body than it's been in years, and my body is much more capable of doing more tasks. It's wonderful to experience.

There's definitely discrimination. If you are a woman, or if people will think you are, be prepared for that. It's definitely gotten better over the years. It's also definitely still an issue. For me, the benefits far outweigh the idiots, but I can't promise it'll be the same for you.

Honestly though? I'd been daydreaming about being in the trades since I was 14. It took me 12 years to finally get my ducks in the correct rows to allow me to take that step, and my only regret is that it took me that long.

If you've been day dreaming about it for years, go and give it a chance. The worst that will happen is you'll find out it isn't for you, and you'll have more information to find something that is. If you are looking for permission or a sign from the universe, this is it. Go go go. You might find yourself happier than you ever dreamed possible.

Feel free to send another ask if you have more questions, or to update us if you take the leap! We wish you all the luck in the world on your journey!

#trades #we answer asks #trade work

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thepermanentrainpress · 2 years ago

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THE PERMANENT RAIN PRESS INTERVIEW WITH THÉO AUGIER BONAVENTURE

Théo Augier Bonaventure has been immersed in film for much of his life, with his career taking stride over the past five years after a move to Paris to pursue cinema studies. He is passionate about his work and the characters he plays, including his role as Florian Simon in Netflix’s new series, XO, Kitty. The highly anticipated spinoff to Jenny Han’s beloved young adult To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before franchise introduces some fresh faces into the fold, adding layers to the story, while having their own to tell.

We spoke with Augier Bonaventure about his eager pursuit of the arts, connecting with Florian on a personal level, experience and knowledge gained from XO, Kitty, and feeling like himself in his fashion.

The following interview contains spoilers for XO, Kitty.

I have known I would become an actor since I was 4 years old. I haven’t really thought much about it, I just always knew this is what I would be doing with my life. Then, at 13, I discovered a French indie film called Pieds nus sur les limaces. I fell deeply in love with it, and made the conscious decision that I’d be making movies for as long as I’ll be alive.

Did you have a creative upbringing and family, and were they supportive of your move to Paris to pursue acting?

My family isn’t in the arts. They were supportive of my move to Paris as long as I’d also go to college. So I went to university to study cinema. When I moved to Paris at 18, I was very busy : acting school, university, and I was also a waiter because Paris is a very expensive city compared to Athens.

Did you have any nerves making the move? What factors went into your decision?

I had absolutely no nerves because I wanted to live in Paris so much that I didn’t think it through. It wasn’t easy the first two years, to be honest.

I wanted to live in Paris because I really believe in living an artistic life. I want my life to be filled with exciting projects, artistic friends and long talks about movies and ideas. I felt that I could live that here in Paris, and I do.

Tell me about your studies in Paris; what did you major in, and what valuable lessons did you take away from your classes?

I went to college to study cinema, but I was consciously keeping a distance between what I was taught and what I decided to make of it. I think there can be a danger into over-intellectualizing films and ideas, and I didn’t want to start thinking in any way that was not mine.

On the other hand, I had the time of my life at my acting school Laboratoire de l’acteur. My teacher, Hélène Zidi, really strengthened my passion for acting and taught me a lot, and I intend to make her proud. She is very important to me.

You wrote and directed your short film Haut et Fort in 2017. What did that experience and project teach you about yourself and your capabilities as a filmmaker?

I self-produced and directed Haut et Fort before having set a foot on any set as an actor. I just wanted to tell that story and didn’t want to wait. In English, the title translates to Loud and Strong. I did it for myself. I used to be very shy, and I wanted to get loud. It taught me that I am absolutely capable of leading a project, and that I have so, so, so much to learn, both as an actor and filmmaker.

Are you still writing, and do you have that desire to do more work behind the scenes?

Acting is what I love doing most in life. It’s what I’m born to do. But there are some stories I want to tell myself. I intend on continuing to write because it keeps me grounded. I’m very focused on acting right now, but I will, for sure, do more work behind the scenes.

You star as Florian Simon in XO, Kitty. What can you share about your audition and casting process?

I love auditioning. This is the only project I’ve done having not met anyone in real life before filming started. Since I live in Paris and the producers were in Los Angeles, all auditions were done either through self-taping or Zoom. It was pretty funny because, due to the time difference, I would have auditions at midnight. The audition process lasted 3 months, so that was nerve wracking. But good things take time, right?

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How familiar were you with Jenny Han and the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before franchise?

I had of course heard of To All The Boys franchise because who hasn’t? But I hadn’t watched the films. Before taping for the first time, I watched all three movies with a friend and we had such a great time.

What conversations did you have with Jenny and Sascha Rothchild about Florian, and how were they as resources and leaders?

I really think my characters through. So, before flying to Seoul for filming, I had prepared an extensive list of questions and suggestions I wanted to talk about with Jenny and Sascha. And they were so open and interested in what I had to say that it made me feel very confident. They are amazing, honestly. They clearly know what they’re doing and they want you to feel as free as possible. And that’s the best thing that you could ask for as an actor.

Florian is French and Greek. Was this incorporated into your character before or after you were cast?

When Jenny Han learned I was half Greek, she told me she was interested in adding that layer to Florian. I was thrilled. I’ve never had the opportunity to act in Greek before. I’m just putting it out there for Greek filmmakers : I want to make Greek movies.

What backstory were you either told, or created yourself for Florian in terms of his upbringing? What are his goals, values and major personality traits?

One of my favorite parts about being an actor is when I’m preparing the role and creating the character in my mind. I consider this my secret, the little things I keep to myself. In a lot of ways, my job is to play secrets. And secrets aren’t supposed to be told. So I’ll keep his backstory for myself. But I can share that he’s not as confident as he wants to appear.

What major similarities or differences do you see between yourself and Florian?

I think we both dress pretty well. We’ve both been through our parent’s divorce, though I was younger than him when it happened. And I’m (kinda) ashamed to admit, I used to cheat too in high school. A lot. I also think that’s why I wanted to become an artist. You can’t cheat if you want to be an artist.

His parents are going through a divorce, and Florian faces a lot of pressure with his grades and a possible custody battle for him. What emotions did you draw upon?

I too am a child of a messy divorce, and I do know how it can play with your head. And make you feel guilty of things that are absolutely not your responsibility. I tried to reconnect with that wounded part of me. And I think I did. Acting can be pretty healing in that way.

What was your favourite scene to be a part of, and why?

The one where I’m arguing with both my parents over the phone. There is a lot going on in this scene : Florian’s trauma from the divorce, his fear of being abandoned, his shame over his own sexuality that comes from his family, his fear of losing Q and the life he has created for himself, his anxiety over his grades slipping. Being French and Greek, it was interesting for me to be able to act in both languages. It is also the scene that really crystalizes Florian’s and Q’s love story and need for each other. I love this scene.

What was your favourite scene that you were not in, and why?

One of my favorite scenes is when Yuri is arguing with Jina in episode 9. It feels really sincere and Gia and Yunjin are heartbreaking in it. Gia really is brilliant when she officially comes out to her mother and says : “I’m gay. Full stop. End of discussion.” She really is a great actress.

It’s revealed that Florian cheated on his finals, and he doesn’t feel much shame or embarrassment as he’s “not hurting anybody.” Do you think there’s any redemption on his part, or is he happy with the decisions he made? What factored into his decision?

I think he does feel embarrassed about what he did. He just doesn’t show it. I wanted Florian to be somebody that was very uncomfortable being vulnerable. Also, when he finds out he took Dae’s spot, he really feels bad for his decisions, because that was not his intention at all. He just wanted to stay at KISS. His wrong action was therefore created out of his love for Q. And I personally can forgive a lot of mistakes that are made out of love.

A large part of Florian’s storyline is his relationship with Q. How long do you imagine he’s known Q for? What do you think intrigued him about, or attracted him to, Q?

Florian is quite new to KISS, so I don’t think he’s known Q for more than a year. I think that what attracted Florian to Q is the fact that he’s a really chill guy, something that Florian really isn’t. I think Q grounds Florian in a lot of ways.

Off-camera, they begin to build their relationship before Florian “proposes” and they become official boyfriends. What do you think strengthened their bond and connection?

Honestly, in my mind, a lot of it was making out in secret places at school, like in the library scenes. I also think they got pretty good at watching scary movies as a way to end up cuddling. I’ve also imagined that Florian would show artistic French movies to Q, not realizing Q was falling asleep every time.

What was it like having Anthony Keyvan as a scene partner, and did you discuss your characters’ relationship?

Anthony’s been in the business for a while so I was very admirative of his confidence on set. He was a great partner for me, always fun. We did discuss Florian’s and Q’s relationship, but the most important part was just hanging out and getting to know each other as people.

Did you work with an intimacy coordinator for your scenes with Anthony, and if so, what can you say about the importance of these positions in a production?

We worked with a wonderful intimacy coordinator, Kristina Arjona. In France, we are only just starting to have intimacy coordinators, so it was a first for me. As a young actor, you want to do your job really well and you want to be very professional. So, I have had times in the past where I did things I wasn’t very comfortable with, but didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to sound annoying.

I had a conversation with Kristina about this and she reassured me that this is exactly why she was there. So that we never feel uncomfortable. It gives you a lot of confidence and a sense of safety to know that you have the right to say “no” to anything you don’t feel aligned with. And that you won’t be judged for it. Considering all that we have heard in the last years about this industry, I believe intimacy coordinators to be extremely important. I learned a lot thanks to Kristina.

What are Florian’s first impressions of Kitty, and how does that perception of her change through the season?

The story I told myself was that Florian viewed Kitty, in a way, as his little sister. I really loved our dynamic in the party scenes, when Florian and Q are helping her hunt for boys. I think Florian actually becomes prouder and prouder of Kitty the more she goes after what she wants.

What can you say about Anna Cathcart, and how she led the show as Kitty?

I’m going to quote Lady Gaga to answer this question : Talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before…

Seriously, Anna is as amazing as you can imagine her to be. Kind, professional, always on time, deeply interested in her character, aware of what’s going on. She cares about how other actors feel on set. That doesn’t always happen. She’s a brilliant person. And you just have to watch the show to see for yourself how brilliant she is as an actress.

If renewed for a Season 2, what might you be interested in exploring with Florian’s story?

I think Florian is dying for Q to understand and forgive him. So, I’m interested in seeing if they can work it out and try to find common ground despite their different values. Also, reading the many messages I’ve received since the show was released, I realize that a lot of people are connecting with Florian’s struggle with his parent’s divorce and how he feels like doesn’t belong in his own family. I think we should dig into that.

Are there any other specific storylines you’d be excited to see expanded upon?

Like many of us, I want to know what’s going to happen between Kitty and Min Ho!!!

You filmed the series in Seoul, South Korea. Describe your time in Seoul and their culture. What are some of your favourite memories, and how did you build a connection with your castmates?

Seoul was wonderful. The people were so kind. I’m a fan of iced coffee and you can buy it anywhere in Seoul. The food was absolutely amazing. A lot of the bonding with my castmates was literally done through eating tons of food together. I can’t even remember how many Korean barbecues we went to.

You also have a love for fashion and modelling; how did this originate, and how would you describe your personal style?

I love fashion but I am not a model. Fashion is a very recent interest. I think it started when I started asking myself some questions about artists I admire. Like : Would David Bowie had been David Bowie if he didn’t wear what he was wearing? I believe that the clothes you choose to wear can have a profound impact on your life. I would describe my personal style as a current ongoing experiment.

We know you love CELINE. What do you admire about this brand and why does it align with you and your fashion sense?

I think [CELINE creative director] Hedi Slimane is absolutely brilliant. I would love to work with him in the future. I think he is an artist and that he understands artists. I feel like myself when I’m wearing CELINE. And I want to feel like myself for the rest of my life.

Are there any specific designers or brands you’d love to work with?

I’m also working with Paul Smith. They are extremely talented and kind people. CELINE and Paul Smith are good for me. Also, if Valentino wants to give me a call, I will answer!

Do you have aspirations to walk a runway at a fashion show or during fashion week?

No. Though I would love to play a very troubled model in a film. Have you seen the film Gia with Angelina Jolie? She’s brilliant.

You have the young adult fantasy film Silver, upcoming. What can you share about this project and your character, Grayson?

I think this film is going to be really good. Helena Hufnagel, our director, is amazing. She’s beyond talented. That goes for Jana McKinnon too, our leading actress. I am proud of my work on that film, and I can’t wait for the world to see it.

If you could be any ice cream flavour, which would you be and why?

I’d be cookies and cream. With huge pieces of cookie dough. Melted chocolate on it. And if possible, a warm brownie under the whole thing.

Thank you to Théo Augier Bonaventure for taking the time to answer our questions! The future is bright for all facets of the arts, in film and fashion, and we look forward to what’s to come.

To keep updated with the artist, follow him on Instagram. Watch Season 1 of XO, Kitty on Netflix.

Photo credit to: India Lange (clothing provided by Paul Smith), Netflix, and Guillaume Plas (clothing provided by Hier Vintage)

#Théo Augier Bonaventure #interview #entertainment #XO Kitty #xo kitty cast #xo kitty interview #xokittyedit #xokittydaily #xokitty #xo kitty florian #xo kitty netflix #feature #actor #Netflix

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vanstrow · 2 years ago

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70: No

69: No

68: One of my best friends but only via WhatsApp

67: The guy I’m dating atm I think?

66: Felix maybe (gay)

65: I don’t have straight male best friends (sadly).

64: No, I want more.

63: No, would maybe add a 2nd one tho.

62: Love

61: Ya

60: YEEES please I’m crying.

59: Yes

58: Sun & occasional light breeze

57: A bit

56: Zero I think

55: No

54: No, never

53: Masturbating & coming

52: Yes… I think you have to, otherwise you’re gonna crumble inside.

51: Sushi, pasta, pizza, a dish my grandpa used to make but don’t know how to translate

40: No but now I really wanna do that some time.

39: 13 or 14 I think, with my first crush ever actually (while playing ‘spin the bottle’)

38: Hahaha nope, not at all but things can/will change I think.

37: Ofc it’s much easier to forgive but I cannot forget…

36: Yea I think so but I myself received many second chances also.

35: I believe two of my best friends when my last boyfriend broke up with me

34: This was actually horrible; I dreamt about a dance performance with the dancers wearing very weird costumes and masks and one of the dancers couldn’t breathe properly underneath her weird mask and collapsed and actually died. The performance got shut down and she was carried off the stage and to the ER but literally died right there onstage. Shortly afterwards I woke up.

33: Oh yes. Sadly yes. They came along with the many bad experiences I made during the last couple of years.

32: Red. It has always been red actually.

31: I hope so, at least my family and friends.

30: The fucking dating life

29: Yes I sadly have, not my last one though, he just made ME cry haha.

28: So far nope, fingers crossed…

27: Yes I have :(

26: Um… many things… mostly love, intimacy, comfort food, chocolate, juicy pizza… yea… fresh coconut water…

25: Yea, sometimes I wonder what happened to my two best friends from early childhood (Jacqueline & Kim).

24: Art, PE, English and French

23: Besides normal earrings (probably doesn’t count) only one belly button piercing because it was cool back in 2012.

22: A thousand times YES. I want at least two and ideally three (only if I will be able to afford them financially).

21: Date and fuck… maybe hang with a good friend of mine

20: Does “snog” mean like kissing/making out? Well I guess the last guy I dated doesn’t count then cause it was just a veeery innocent kiss… I think the last one… fuck I don’t remember rn… maybe it was F. So then it must’ve been at his place on his sofa in his living-room.

19: Yes of course I would, that would be damn interesting.

18: Not really, only if they’re really big/hairy etc. but I don’t mind the average ones.

17: Of course, several times; shower sex can be so fucking hot.

16: I feel very content right now actually. I’m happy.

15: I used to have a v cute bunny but not anymore, no.

14: Yes, I actually miss my ex, the good, long lasting one. Only now do I realise how valuable our love and relationship was.

13: Initially I wanted to name the last guy I dated but I don’t hate him (anymore?). So now… I hate my mother a lot but it’s a love/hate relationship. So yea no, I don’t HATE anyone.

12: I actually don’t really know. I don’t think so.

11: Yes haha. Right now I like the guy in my class who’s sitting just across from me. He’s very cute. He’s a blonde surfer type (normally not my go-to type).

10: Sadly just two weeks ago

9: No

8: Many, no team sports though…

7: Yesterday evening: bread with butter and other stuff on it

6: Peacefully and happy

5: Fucking Single

4: Yes. Often. It has improved a LOT though.

3: No, nothing.

2: Does “love you too” count? Then it was my mom.

1: Definitely not (anymore)

70 horrible questions ... Fuck it

01: Do you have a good relationship with your parents? 02: Who did you last say “I love you” to? 03: Do you regret anything? 04: Are you insecure? 05: What is your relationship status? 06: How do you want to die? 07: What did you last eat? 08: Played any sports? 09: Do you bite your nails? 10: When was your last physical fight? 11: Do you like someone? 12: Have you ever stayed up 48 hours? 13: Do you hate anyone at the moment? 14: Do you miss someone? 15: Have any pets? 16: How exactly are you feeling at the moment? 17: Ever made out in the bathroom? 18: Are you scared of spiders? 19: Would you go back in time if you were given the chance? 20: Where was the last place you snogged someone? 21: What are your plans for this weekend? 22: Do you want to have kids? How many? 23: Do you have piercings? How many? 24: What is/are/were your best subject(s)? 25: Do you miss anyone from your past? 26: What are you craving right now? 27: Have you ever broken someone’s heart? 28: Have you ever been cheated on? 29: Have you made a boyfriend/girlfriend cry? 30: What’s irritating you right now? 31: Does somebody love you? 32: What is your favourite color? 33: Do you have trust issues? 34: Who/what was your last dream about? 35: Who was the last person you cried in front of? 36: Do you give out second chances too easily? 37: Is it easier to forgive or forget? 38: Is this year the best year of your life? 39: How old were you when you had your first kiss? 40: Have you ever walked outside completely naked? 51: Favourite food? 52: Do you believe everything happens for a reason? 53: What is the last thing you did before you went to bed last night? 54: Is cheating ever okay? 55: Are you mean? 56: How many people have you fist fought? 57: Do you believe in true love? 58: Favourite weather? 59: Do you like the snow? 60: Do you wanna get married? 61: Is it cute when a boy/girl calls you baby? 62: What makes you happy? 63: Would you change your name? 64: Would it be hard to kiss the last person you kissed? 65: Your best friend of the opposite sex likes you, what do you do? 66: Do you have a friend of the opposite sex who you can act your complete self around? 67: Who was the last person of the opposite sex you talked to? 68: Who’s the last person you had a deep conversation with? 69: Do you believe in soulmates? 70: Is there anyone you would die for?

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mygainyear2024 · 8 months ago

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Day 35 on the move north to Vila Nova de Milfontes

After a final cycling class at the gym I raced back to the apartment to squeeze some more stuff into my suitcases, shower and meet up to farewell Rosie. It is only au revoir as we have plans LOL!

My host was gracious enough to let me check out at 2pm and Catia met me to return my €200 deposit, and Uber me to the bus station. There was confusion about the €200 so we needed to swing past Susana's place to collect it. It was handed to me in an envelope and for a split second I thought about opening it in the car, but I decided not to. Lesson to self, next time open it, as it was short €20. I messaged Susana from the bus, and she did highlight the obvious. I fully expected to wear the consequence of my inaction, but she immediately deposited €20 into my Wise account.

It was a little confusing at the bus station, there was no ticket office or information, just a roof topped parking lot with several bus company signs. I asked a very disinterested driver of a Rede Expressos bus if he was going to Vila Nova de Milfontes "line 7, 15 minutes" was his response. The next two buses came to line 5, luckily I asked the driver of the second one, because there was no bus no. 80 (as printed on my ticket) and the destination was Sines. This was the bus! I hopped on and went for a nauseating ride through the country side, windy roads, too narrow to have cars pass (at one point a car had to reverse on a bridge and it was a little spectacle!).

We arrived at my destination 20 minutes late and I was busting to pee! Luckily the walk was only 6 minutes but I had two suitcases, a bagpack, and a shopping bag with my laptop in it as it didn't fit anywhere else, a water bottle and my iphone to navigate. I was then quite the spectacle. I had to use the road as the cobblestone footpaths were an impossible proposition. Ana, the owner of the place I'm staying heard me coming half way down her street and raced out to help me!

So this is my base for 3 nights. It is part of the Fisherman's Trail. The original plan of Eva's (Upwork) was that I would hike it for 4 days on my own, have transport for my luggage and a different village to stay in each night. Well the more I thought about my need to regularly pee, drink water, have coffee, and my general inaptitude at directions and a quick chat to Shan at work who asked me "are you a hiker?", well no, but I could be....I thought "nuh, I have enough challenge on this trip". Eva thought I could just walk from here to Porto Covo instead and catch the bus back. I did some research, 20kms and difficult! I saw pictures of the sand and read stories about it being past hikers ankles, and blisters. That's a hard no too. I have posted on Facebook pages looking for others to join, looked at meet ups, airbnb experiences etc but nothing as yet. Ana was so helpful. She's French and has lived here for 25 years. I am going to follow her path, to a restaurant, Porto das Barcas 😂 She walks this in her normal gym shoes. I am also looking at the Komoot app for options. Stay tuned.

Ana also told me about "all the Indians and Pakistanis in town!" She said the locals are really put out by the number of migrants that have arrived, I think to work in agriculture. Someone else told me the previous vice President made his own policies in regards to migration. Ana said "what do the locals want agriculture or tourism?" It's interesting, couldn't there be both???? Ana told me that the locals feel unsafe, but she said not to worry as there's usually trouble within those cultures, not towards the Portuguese.

I spent the next couple of hours grabbing some supplies from three of the many supermarkets here. There was no fresh milk at the first one and a lovely American woman in the queue told me which supermarket to go to, only one in town. I then walked through old town, to the river and then the lighthouse. The castle in the photos below is privately owned. My guess is the same owner as the one in Ferragudo and the estate I saw on the Arade River to Silves. He owns about 70% of the gas stations in Portugal and he only helicopters in to his castle in Ferragudo. Seriously, how many castles does one family need!

Best of the Algarve:

Number one - Meeting Rosie

Top experiences - kayaking with Felipe to the Benagil Caves, tile painting with Carla in Ferragudo, building confidence driving a manual, and learning some Portuguese with Rebecca and the crew of friendly expats.

Best food - hmm, to be honest, no absolute stand outs, the experience of eating cataplana twice and the BBQ fish in Olhão

Best coffee - Al-Gharb Coffee Roasters, Albufeira

Best gelato - Gelateria Sorbetto, Praia da Rocha

Best pastel de nata - Pastelaria The Trolls' in Praia da Rocha and the pastelaria near Luís de Camões and the church in Ferragudo.

Tip - stay a few nights near Faro and explore the eastern Algarve.

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addierose444 · 2 years ago

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Interterm 2023 Courses

Per usual, I returned to campus for interterm (Smith’s J-Term) as early as possible! During interterm, Smith offers a number of one-to-two credit courses most of which are inter/extradepartmental. In past years I’ve taken courses on entrepreneurship and computer-aided drafting. I also took a 4-credit French course my sophomore year, but that was an unusual year in which interterm was extended from three to six weeks. If you are interested, you can also check out all of my past courses.

While I’d typically take two one-credit classes, this year I just took one called introduction to design thinking (IDP 116). Over the course of 5-days, the central question we sought to solve was “How might we support a closet-cleaning experience that finds new life for old clothes?.” We started out by conducting user interviews from which we framed our design challenges and began brainstorming solutions. My team ultimately worked to design an app (and corresponding paper prototype) that helps people manage their clothes with a digital closet and an outfit-logging feature.

Speaking of app design, much of my interterm thus far has been spent designing and developing a Flutter app for my Design Clinic (senior engineering capstone) project. Most recently, I’ve been working on sending data from the app to a Bluetooth module. Overall, it’s been lots of fun to finally be getting into this more technical work. As long-time readers of the blog will know, I do have some prior app development experience from both personal projects (my task management app Tascal) and an intern project. While we aren’t 100% required to work during interterm, Design Clinic is the main reason why I decided to only take one for-credit interterm class. In addition to project work, my team and I will be visiting our sponsoring company’s headquarters early next week (which conflicting with the other interterm course I was interested in).

A key benefit of not taking another for-credit course is that it freed up my schedule to participate in a lead climbing clinic last week! This non-credit clinic was offered through the Smith Outdoor Adventure Program and taught us basics and key safety components of lead belaying, climbing strategy, clipping, and cleaning routes and anchors. Overall, it was a very fun and beneficial experience!

#college #Smith College #courses #Interterm #rock climbing #design clinic #design thinking

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bumblesimagines · 4 years ago

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Double Trouble

Request: Yes or No

Couldn't think of a better title lmao. This is gonna be real shitty but the intro to series are either amazing or pure shit. Gonna give (Y/N)'s mom and fam a name cause I don't wanna keep writing (M/N) or (L/N). (Y/N) isn't related to any of the characters fyi. Spot the very obvious accidental reference

"Why California? Out of all the places in America, California was choice you went with? Not Washington, Oregon, or fuck, I don't know, North Dakota?" (Y/N) rested his head against the window, watching the houses pass by. His mother, Tanya, glanced at him with a small frown.

"Baby, aren't you tired of Alaska? Same old cold weather?" Tanya asked, staring forward at the empty road. (Y/N) scoffed, sitting up and looking at her with a raised brow.

"You can escape the cold. You can't escape the heat." (Y/N) pointed out, leaning back and picking up his phone with a frown. He looked at the texts from his friend, sighing softly.

Yaya

U already in cali??

(Y/N)

It sucks

Yaya

New school new u bby

Daniel

Whats the time difference?

(Y/N)

It's 4 here

(Y/N)

Wbu?

Yaya

"Baby, could you look at me?" Tanya asked, pulling into the school parking lot and parking the car. (Y/N) turned his head to look at her.

"I'm sorry I suddenly dragged us out of Alaska. I just felt like we could use a change. Alaska feels suffocating as an adult. I want you to have new experiences." Tanya explained softly. (Y/N) nodded, glancing at the students walking into school.

"Listen, if you get anxious or feel sick, text me, okay?" Tanya gave him a comforting smile, running a hand through his hair. (Y/N) nodded, opening the car door. He unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car.

"Have a good day, sweetie!"

"You too." (Y/N) closed the door, walking towards the school. He had lived in Seward his whole life. He was used to the cold, the sound of boats, the cold immediately hitting his face the moment he stepped outside. (Y/N) knew it wasn't about experiences. His mom just didn't want him to have the same boring life she did. (Y/N) looked at his phone, opening the group chat again. He looked through the texts, smiling at the pictures his friend sent him. (Y/N) looked at his email, sighing as he searched for his locker. He found it, opening it and glancing at the guy beside him.

"Uh, hey, I'm Ethan. You're new, right?" Ethan gave an awkward smile, clearing his throat. (Y/N) licked his lips, nodding. Ethan seemed like the typical nerdy loner.

"Yeah, I'm (Y/N)."

"Cool, cool. Where are you coming from?" Ethan tilted his head, closing his locker and leaning against it. (Y/N) didn't feel like making friends but Ethan could probably help him get familiar with everyone and everything.

"Alaska." (Y/N) replied, closing his locker and giving him a tight smile. Ethan's brows raised, letting out a small chuckle.

"Really? That's cool, I've never really left California. What's it like?"

"Cold." (Y/N) chuckled softly. Ethan laughed and nodded, licking his lips as he stuck his hands in his pockets. (Y/N) looked him over. He was small, skinny, seemed nervous and awkward. Probably a good guy.

"So, are you a junior?" Ethan asked. (Y/N) nodded, going into his phone gallery and pressing on the saved picture of his schedule. He showed him the screen, watching him lean in and smile.

"We have 1st, 3rd, and 6th together." Ethan said, motioning down the hall. "Come on, I'll show you around."

"Thanks." (Y/N) gave him a small smile, following him. His gaze flickered from student to student. Some glanced at him, knowing he was new. (Y/N) didn't like attention. He didn't like the spotlight. He hated when people stared or payed too much attention to him. He hated the way a pit formed in his stomach and he became nauseous when he was called on and people stared at him in class. (Y/N) entered the class, taking a seat beside Ethan and sighing softly.

"Thanks, by the way. I didn't expect to make a friend until like my second week here."

"No problem. I know it can feel shitty to be the new kid." (Y/N) gave Ethan a small smile, looking forward.

(Y/N) set down his lunch tray, sitting down across from Ethan. He glanced around the courtyard, picking up a french fry. Ethan finished drinking his water, humming softly.

"By the way, whatever you do, don't mess with Maddy Perez." Ethan said, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. (Y/N) furrowed his brows.

"Right, you don't know them." Ethan chuckled, turning his head. He looked around, searching for the girls.

"There, the girl with black hair besides the blonde and the girl in a jeresy." Ethan motioned towards them. Maddy seemed like your typical popular. Makeup done perfectly, perfect body, her hair was done perfectly.

"She's a cheerleader and probably the most popular girl in school. She's been with Nate Jacobs for a while. Nate is a football player and his dad has a lot of power. He's.. Terrifying. The girls beside her are her best friends. Cassie and Barbara." Ethan picked up his burger. "There's Kat too and Kat is.."

"Your crush?" (Y/N) cocked a brow, chuckling. Ethan's tone had changed the moment this 'Kat' girl had been mentioned. His eyes had softened and a smile had appeared on his face.

"U-Uhm, n-no. She's a friend, like, just a friend." Ethan gave a nervous fake smile. (Y/N) hummed, shaking his head as he chuckled softly. He looked down at his tray, poking at the wrapped burger.

"Anyways, Cassie's nudes and some videos of her got leaked by her exes. It was real shitty." Ethan told him, finishing his burger. "There's Rue and Jules. Rue overdosed over the summer and Jules is new here."

"What?" (Y/N) furrowed his brows, staring at Ethan. The biggest thing that ever happened at his school was two teachers fighting. Drugs were an issue everywhere. He just didn't expect a teenger to OD and everyone to know. Ethan looked back at him.

"Do you wanna.. Hang out?"

"I have to unpack." (Y/N) replied, picking up his phone and scrolling through his instagram.

"Oh, shit, that's the new kid." Barbara pointed out, pulling her hair back into a ponytail. Cassie and Maddy turned to look.

"Oh.. Where's he from?" Cassie asked as she twirled a strand of her blonde hair around her finger. She wanted to forget all about McKay after their argument and breakup. The new boy seemed like a good distraction.

"He seems sweet." Cassie said with a small smile. Maddy scoffed, rolling her eyes as she looked at her.

"That's what you say about every guy, Cassie." Maddy opened her backpack, taking out her makeup bag. She took out some gloss, turning when she spotted Nate. She scowled when Nate very obviously flirted with some girl. Maddy took in a deep breath, turning toward her friends.

"Is there a party tonight? I need to fuck with Nate. He's such a dick." Maddy tapped her nails against her phone case. Cassie gave her a comforting smile, shaking her head.

"You can come over and we'll have a photo shoot. You can post it and make him regret everything." Cassie grinned as Maddy's eyes lit up, nodding.

"This is why I love you, Cass." The two giggled as Maddy wrapped her arms around her.

"But, back to that new guy.. If he hangs with Ethan, he's probably a loser." Barbara said, watching the two boys. Cassie gasped softly, shooting her a look.

"BB! Ethan's actually a really sweet guy. We did a project together last year." Cassie said. Maddy nodded, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Yeah, BB, don't be a bitch. You do got a point though. He gives major school shooter vibes." Maddy said, leaning forward to look around Cassie. She watched as the two stood and threw away their trash.

"Hey, they're staring at you." Ethan said, nudging (Y/N). (Y/N) turned towards the girls, catching their eyes before he shrugged and turned away.

"Let's go to History."

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motsimages · 11 months ago

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I have studied French and Russian abroad, and I had similar levels when I went on those two separate exchange programs.

For French, it was an erasmus. I was very young and it was my first time abroad. I had studied French in high school and another year of uni (in a full bilingual study). I remember vividly that I turned around the bus station (I went there by bus!) three times because I didn't fully understand what people very helpful explained to me about how to get to the bus I needed outside of it.

The first week for sure, I moved around in vibes, having to ask everything several times to more or less get a general idea. I also remember that the first day I decided to befriend my neighbour because I was hearing her and her friends next door and couldn't sleep. She was very kind and spoke slowly for me but her friends were high and spoke their usual normal French. It involved a southern accent I wasn't used to. I couldn't understand anything at all. One of my last days there, I went to say goodbye, the same situation repeated itself but this time I fully followed the conversation. Better than any standardised test.

I learnt how to write dissertations the French way (we had some classes for erasmus that taught us what teachers expected from us in essays and things like that). This, in turn, helped me better write in Spanish even if each language has its ways. For years after that, I sometimes would write something in French first and then redo it in Spanish because French helped me organise my ideas. I had and maybe still have better professional writing in French than in Spanish.

Overall, the university and the university residence helped a lot. There were social workers who helped us apply for certain things, and teachers were overall very helpful. I do remember though that someone told us that it was almost impossible to get a 20 (the highest grade) in any subject, 18 was already as good as anyone could get. We had a subject in Spanish. It was Spanish for the French students but it was part of a 4-subject pack and we needed the translation subject (so 2 of them), so we had to pass that exam as well. Obviously we didn't prepare it. Only one of the native Spanish speakers got a 19, the rest of us was at 17 or so. It was matching words and definitions and some words we hadn't even seen, they were rare.

Bureaucracy was more nightmarish when I went to France for work but student life was quite easy to manage, even with a low level of French (mine wasn't very low, I just had a lot of passive knowledge and no real experience with colloquial French).

For Russia, I had less knowledge. I had studied 3 years of almost bilingual education too (the studies of translation in Spain and my faculty were like that, very intense), but it took 3 months or so to really be able to communicate easily. However, this University where I went had students who volunteered to accompany us in our paperwork the first month or so, so it was easier. But I remember very clearly the first day because everything was different and I didn't understand a word.

Classes in Russia were overall very small, in some of them there was just 5 of us. The first couple of weeks we spent them going to different classes in different faculties to see which were more fitting to our studies in Spain. We also had a program to prepare for the B1 or B2 level. I didn't understand what was I signing up for the first day, so I was put in B1 but I feel with little effort i could have passed the B2 in the end. The classes we had for Russian for foreigners were excellent. Many of the pedagogical foreign language teaching things I learned come from this. We were taught grammar, culture, idioms... in a very deep and accessible way.

The most difficult part I think is letting aside your own language and culture, even if for short periods of time (like classes or paperwork). That is your reference frame and, particularly for paperwork, it can be so different and difficult that you can only be frustrated because it doesn't fit your previous knowledge.

I would LOVE to hear from anyone who went through university studies in a language that isn't their native one! Share your experiences! How did you manage ? What was the most difficult part ? What language learning level were you at before you started the course ? I am so curious about all of the details !!

#Thanks for tagging me!#I don't know if I make much sense #I am using some insomnia moment to type this lol

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daarleann · 2 years ago

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ENG 112

Originally, I had come into this English class with a bad attitude. I was upset that I had to start this semester fully knowing I was suspended from my last college due to poor grades and needed the credit to be allowed back into said college. I was on a self loathing train once I started. I didn't join the class late because of my poor attitude, I was just not in it mentally and got lucky with registrations since I started the whole process late.

Apart from the start being extremely rocky, I did retain newer writing skills. I learned how to skim wordy texts better. Learned that not every line deserves to be highlighted and one thing I constantly struggled with that I got a better grasp on, was staying on topic with my papers. I get in my head over giving in perfect work that I wind up giving in mediocre work that's all over the place with one or two solid paragraphs. I gained more confidence in my writing thanks to you as well. I came from the New York School of Interior Design, where the only form of writing assigned were detailed 500 word papers about a 300 year old Egyptian or French Rococo room or piece of furniture we viewed at the Met museum. I quickly forgot the process of writing and for once felt “Wow, this is a fun paper to write!” instead of losing my mind because I’m 30 words short on my paper and can’t be bothered to stare at the piece of furniture any longer.

If I were to take this class over from the beginning I’d start with a better attitude. I looked at English as a drag because I’m used to sitting in a 3 hour class and doodling varieties of rooms and furniture to create a 3D model of. I kept thinking “I can’t sit here and just think and write for two hours, this is so boring!” But Julia had her ways of keeping me interested in a text that at first glance I’d look at and assume it was going to be a snooze fest, but the second Julia started to take apart the text I’d be hooked. My one and only complaint would be Julias very detailed instructions. I’m used to bullet point instructions that are straight to the point so seeing that she was very detailed on the majority of assignments had left me feeling overwhelmed. Then I’d feel overwhelmed with everything down to my own notes and it leads me to procrastinate.

The skills I’ll continue to work on is staying on topic with papers. I’ll start to write down all my ideas on a different sheet instead of forcing it to fit into my paragraph, I’ll train myself to read the whole text and annotate the parts I feel are important instead of working based off of my bare memory. I regained my interest in literature after taking this course so I will continue to read books like I used to. I was a huge bookworm back then but I guess after 4 years of interior design college I had lost the love I had for reading because any form of reading I ever had to do was about furniture, so you can see why I got bored of reading so easily. I am glad I chose Julia’s english class because it did feel refreshing to finally have a professor that cared and showed it. I will forever be grateful to her for that. The feeling of being seen and to be known by my name and not be misgendered or called just “Miss Barreras” was a new experience in an academic setting. Thank you Julia, thank you for your kindness, care and patience. It will not be forgotten!

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goshikitsutomusmommy · 4 years ago

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“Incorrect Quotes with Haikyuu Boys„

Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3 , Part 4 , Part 5 , Part 6 , Part 7 , Part 8 , Part 9 , Part 10

Synopsis : Different Quotes From Brooklyn-Nine-Nine as Haikyuu Characters

Genre : Comedy

Pairing(s) : Goshiki x reader , Atsumu x reader , Tsukishima x reader , Lev x reader

Word Count : 1.07k

Warning(s) : She/her pronouns used , slight violence , slight timeskip spoiler

Masterlist Link : Here

*Shiratorizawa manager in this*

[Name] : Mm. All right. Haha, C’est la vie (“It’s life.” in French). Let me grab your student ID numbers ‘cause I will be filing an official student complaint with Coach Washijou.

[Name] , Semi , Shirabu : *All laugh the joke off waveringly whilst Semi and Shirabu side glancing each other*.

Coach Washijou : Why did a just receive a student complaint about ya two?

Shirabu : I can answer this. Because our manager is a goblin.

*Shiratorizawa manager in this*

Coach Washijou : Ye’ll stay after school hours at the gym for extra practice today.

Goshiki : Darn it. I had a belly dancing class today! Today is Egyptian undulation.

[Name] : Ooh!~ Show us some moves!

Goshiki : Sure! *Tries to get on top of the bench*.

Coach Washijou : Dismissed!

Kyoutani : It’s my birthday. I hate birthdays. If you wish me a happy birthday, I will punch you.

Oikawa : You’re a funny little bird, Mad Dog-Chan. Happy birthday!

*Gets punched in the guts*

*Inarizaki manager in this*

[Name] : *Holds up two pictures* Here are two pictures. One is your gym locker and the other is a garbage dump in the Philippines. Can you tell which is which?

Atsumu : *Points to the right one*, That one is the dump?

[Name] : They’re both your locker!

Atsumu : Gah! A should’ve guessed that, that’s good!

*Inarizaki manager in this*

Part 1/3

Atsumu : A can see that yer upset, but let’s just sit down and talk about it.

[Name] : Done talking! *Throws boxing gloves*, Time to dance.

Atsumu : Fine. But a should warn ya. A took three years of tap.

*Inarizaki manager in this*

Part 2/3

Atsumu : Again, [Name], it’s so good to see ya. Just outta curiosity, how did ye find out about this?

[Name] : I’m the club manager at Inarizaki High... Kita-San told me. I know you’re trying to set me up with some guy in class 7 as a joke!

Atsumu : What? That’s crazy! ‘Samu, come in ‘ere and stand in front of ma body and tell ‘er that’s crazy!

*Atsumu gets punched by the manager*

Atsumu : Ow! My lucky face!

[Name] : You gonna talk to me now?

Atsumu : Sure. If ya could be any vacation—

*Gets punched again*

Atsumu : Ow!

*Inarizaki manager in this*

Part 3/3

Atsumu : So we good?

[Name] : We good. And for the record... If I can be any kind of vacation... I’d be lake trip.

Atsumu : Classic!

*Karasuno manager in this*

Nishinoya : Come on. You’re not even moving. Let’s go.

Asahi : Get your hands off me! I’ve heard about this in the news! You’re cyber-bullying me!

Nishinoya : Shh!

Asahi : I’m getting [Name]! Get the hell away from me!

Nishinoya : No, you’re very misinformed. Please don’t get [Name]—

*Slight timeskip spoiler*

*Karsuno manager in this*

[Name] : Here’s the plan: We’re gonna go to nationals, you’re gonna enjoy and fall in love with volleyball, you’re gonna want to pursue being a volleyball player as a career. And that’s a [Surname] guarantee.

Tsukishima : Your last [Surname] guarantee you made was that you could dunk a basketball.

*Flashback*

[Name] : *In a ladder with a basketball in hand*, I never said I couldn’t use a ladder. [Surname] guarantee achieved! *Tries dunking the basketball but falls off the ladder and misses the shot*.

*Nekoma manager in this*

Part 1/3

Kuroo : Now, I have been taking notes on points of friction in this gym for three years. *Pulls out a poster that is highly detailed with work flow strategies for Nekoma*, The red areas are places where no work gets done. If we can fix these problems without anyone knowing what we’re doing, we will make progress.

Coach Nekomata : Are you saying you want to secretly perform scientific experiments on your friends and colleagues to increase efficiency?

Kuroo : Yes.

Coach Nekomata : Sounds fun, let’s do it.

*Nekoma manager in this*

Part 2/3

Coach Nekomata : Tell me about the Haiba-[Surname] reaction...

Kuroo : Lev gets cold a lot because of what he calls his—

*Flashback*

Lev : Medically diagnosed thin skin.

*Flashback over*

Kuroo : So he goes to the lost and found, and he grabs something that’s usually unflattering... That’s when [Name] usually gets involved.

*Flashback*

*Lev walking past [Name] wearing an oddly knitted sweater*

[Name] : *Condescending laughter* Sweet sweater, Lev! You look like you’re starting in an Albanian remake of The Cosby Show.

Lev : ...

[Name] : Dr. Huxtable! Dr. Huxtable!

*Flashback over*

Kuroo : [Name] is completely useless when Lev is wearing lost and found clothes.

Coach Nekomata : Well, I can’t really blame her on this one. Maybe we should just uh... empty lost and found.

Kuroo : Already done, sir.

*Lev walking past them in a white cowboy fringed jacket*

Kuroo : Don’t worry! I had a backup plan. I distracted [Name] with a mirror. She’s like a cockatiel, sir— Fascinated by her own reflection...

*[Name] staring at her reflection*

[Name] : Muah! Hello, sexy!~ How are you?

Lev : *Not glancing up* Right back at ya!

Coach Nekomata : Well done...

*Nekoma manager in this*

Part 3/3

Kuroo : Sir, I’m begging you, please, we have to stop!

Coach Nekomata : The problem is, we didn’t take Yaku into accounts. In our next trial—

*[Name] clears her throat whilst dramatically turning around on the office chair*

[Name] : Hello, boys. Welcome to your own office!~ I hear you’re trying to make the precinct most efficient.

Kuroo : [Name], what are you doing in the coach’s chair?

[Name] : I’ve narrowed the problem down to one location: The Coach-Kuroo vortex. Things would go a lot faster if the two of you did less experimenting and more working... And I’m not the only one who thinks that.

*Double clapping and the whole Nekoma team enters the office*.

Coach Nekomata : Well, I suppose it’s possible we may have been a tad enthusiastic in our pursuit of efficiency—

Kuroo : Really? A tad, Icarus?

Coach Nekomata : Fine, message received. Kuroo and I will get right to work.

[Name] : *Still in Coach’s chair*, Great, that will be all. Thank you.

Coach Nekomata : Get the hell out of my chair.

[Name] : Yeah, All right, I pushed it a little bit on that one. Okay~ Bye!

Kuroo : Today we face the worst Tokyo has to offer— Fukurodani Academy.

*Kuroo and Bokuto walking in slow motion towards each*

Kuroo : Fukurodani captain, Bokuto, we meet again.

Bokuto : Nekoma captain, Kuroo, your fly’s down— I made you look!

Kuroo : I didn’t look. And I’m wearing shorts, so there is no fly.

Bokuto : That’s not what your mom said.

Kuroo : You make no sense.

Bokuto : And now I’m inside your head.

{Pretend this is a divider pls}

Author’s Note : GAHHAHSA THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 90 NOTES, I can make this a series if you’d like, they’re really fun to make and think of as characters and I just have to write them down as soon as I see them LMAOO

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shimmer-shadow · 3 years ago

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february update: academics and books

Finals season had me in its grip but I've emerged to see another day!

Sports network

- mostly maintained ballet and climbing; my climbing instructor called my progress impressive, yay!, the meet-ups haven't happened yet - tennis: went to every lesson, bought a tennis racket, getting along superbly with my fellow tennis students and learning their stories, improving my eye-hand-coordination and stamina, my God

- kept texting my two climbing acquaintances and got invited by both of them (the man's invitation kind of sounded like a date and was preceded by flirting, my february goal) but declined because I was stressed, time-pressed and also broke. Not ideal but it's practice?

Volunteering/extra-curricular network

- attended two volunteer meetings - attended a digital book club meeting of a literary salon that I joined this year Uni network

- proud member of two solid, small but mighty friend groups (woo!) - passed my French final and am now proudly A1-certified - talked to/texted four new course mates and got curved by two of them; oh well, let's see if I can befriend them when lectures start again - went out with friend group A and strengthened my association with the upper class kid (no longer insecure and able to converse enjoyably without a third person buffer, that's so much inner progress) - had lunch with my social butterfly course mate and invested in that friendship (lovely guy!) - chatted with an unknown student in the library and exchanged numbers and promise to connect sometime Conclusion: I can talk to single people and very small groups quite easily at this point, indeed, my social skills are now level 2! The next level is improving follow-up and engineering reconnection.

Self-improvement

- finals season: 5 exams in the last two weeks and I feel great about 4 of them! my study habits improved, social media use decreased but measured, self-controlled browsing is still a struggle - intense research into and conversation about the role of humanism in the upper-class habitus, will compose a post on it The preview: The German 20th century is mostly non-existent when it comes to laudable ideals (that weren't resistance-related) and much of its elite fled national socialism. Therefore, Germans often look to the 19th century and specifically, the humanist, education reformer Wilhelm von Humboldt, a noble renaissance man who believed in the value of the classic education. Since the financial elite is comparatively unsuccessful (or just invisible to me as a pleb), conspicuous consumption is derided and overt luxury often viewed unfavourably, intellectual, educational markers became a way to distinguish oneself through: the humanist education of the bildungsbürgertum (historically, the intellectual elite).

[Note from the editor: This is the perspective of someone outside of the club, so to speak, and as such consists mostly of research, second-hand anecdotes, hypotheses and/or conjectures. My theory is sadly incomplete until I have the experience to prove it.] I read an engrossing sociology book on how schooling in Latin and ancient Greek lessons vs. English and French have been employed as distinguishing mechanisms (now that a degree has become standard) with further notes on the relevant lifestyles/habitus' and their strategies. Since language and 'knowledge' courses are free at uni and I am, in fact, a broke student, I am strategizing on how I can best adopt this background as my own with the available resources. The scope is overwhelming but I remain fascinated. - finished or currently reading: Dostoevsky "The Player", Kafka "The Burrow", Volckmer "The Appointment", bell hooks "All About Love", Auchincloss "Her Infinite Variety", Wittenborn "The Social Climber's Bible" (tumblr recommendation)

- my diet suffered because I made the choice to ignore my diet while studying. I don't regret but now it's a priority again so back to basics I wanted to flirt and I did! I think someone asked me out. Unfortunately, I had zero interest in him and the date he was proposing.

Reflection: I accomplished less this month and made my peace with that. Trying to maintain separate schedules concurrently during finals drove me insane which means that I'm just not there yet and that's okay. I'll get there.

My focus in March is - GETTING HOTTER, i.e. going jogging and doing pilates at least once weekly, getting my diet back on track and creating my spring look, - having a bouldering meet with friend group A, charming my sports courses after this period of distraction, possibly meeting with friend group B, - doing further sociology research, practicing french, doing business-related research, figuring out my humanist education crash course, - reading Meier's "Modern Etiquette Made Easy", Byron's "The Old Money Book", Griffin's "Book of the Courtesans", White's "Simply Irresistable" (tumblr recommendations) and applying them, - maintaining this study schedule and increasing my work capacity, studying ahead in two upcoming subject courses, finishing strong in my last two exams! With everyone enjoying their holidays, regular meetings have greatly diminished which makes this "hibernation" an ideal opportunity to revamp my look and rejoin as my new and improved self. Updates will also be more regular from now on. :)

#shimmer #social climbing #social skills #this post is so long #even the minutiae is important #I was also lucky to support my best friend who's currently stuck in a depressive episode #being there for my loved one in need: that's the kind of person I want to be and I'm proud of becoming more reliable #my mother will also lean on me in March and it's important I be there for her as well #repairing and nurturing our relationship slowly and non-linearly #we'll make it happen eventually #the love is there and I'm grateful #gratitude perspective and a lack of expectation: the recipe

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mingain · 3 years ago

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Shifter in the Classroom! Chapter 3

Pairing: Angel/David (Redacted ASMR) Characters: Angel, David Shaw, Alora Gold, Milo Greer, Christian Words: 878 CW: None Additional Notes: Mx. Shaw in reference to Angel, music theory talk, use of an ocs.

Shifter in the Classroom! Masterlist

“Welcome home, Angel.” They heard him before they saw him, and then he rounded the corner. They knew he could see their exhaustion, so they didn’t bother hiding it. “What happened?”

“Tank was right.” The pack’s spitfire had forewarned Angel of Alora’s inevitable breakdown - having spoken from experience. But, however prepared Angel had been to deal with it, they still ached to see one of their students in such a state.

David crossed the distance between him and his mate and brought them over to sit on the sofa. He remembered how hard Tank had found it to adjust to being in a pack, and knew how his father had been there when they broke down. He’d wanted to be there for Alora, but he was happy that if he couldn’t have been the one to help, it was his mate. His mate, who Alora knew and trusted. His mate, who was strong so others didn’t have to be.

They laid there for a while, wrapped in each other's arms. Angel was the type to internalise things, and David knew it. “You know, even in the middle of a panic attack, she has some guts. She literally barged into one of my lessons - the kids I was teaching were, like, 3 years older than her!”

“I’m glad Alora knew she could go to you.” Neither of their voices were raised above a whisper. They didn’t need to be. In reality, neither of them needed to speak, but they did. They always did. It was a small comfort for them.

——————————

The next pack meeting, David could visibly see Alora’s improvement. Before, she had been quiet, only spoke when spoken to and curled in on herself. Now, she was actively contributing to the discussion. She looked confident. He was glad.

He could see Angel’s delight at that fact as well. Anything that could make both one of his pack and his mate happy was definitely something for the better.

He was also enjoying getting to watch Alora rip Christian to pieces after he gave Asher a backhanded compliment, though he would never admit it.

“I have people with a more mature sense of humour in my French class, and they literally joke about shit. They only joke about shit.”

“Well, clearly you didn’t understand that I was actually giving him a compliment.”

“And then you laughed at it like it was a joke. Doesn’t seem genuine to me. The guy from my music class that Mx. Shaw had to give an after school detention to is less irritating than you.”

And then Angel broke into hysterical laughter. “Alora, that may be going a bit far.”

“With all due respect, Mx, I’ve known both Alex and Christian for the same amount of time - I think I can make the comparison.” Much to Christians annoyance, both Alora’s smile grew and Angel’s laughter got louder.

“Angel, what did the guy do to get an after school detention?” David’s interest was peaked. Angel only gave out detentions when necessary - to the point where they’d only given 4 in their 3 years teaching at the school.

“He kept trying to get me to talk about my personal life and when he got it out of me that I had a boyfriend, he continuously made kissing noises. He continued to do it after 2 warnings, so I had to start sanctioning him.” Angel’s giggles began to calm down, until Milo decided to weigh into the argument.

“So you actually have to deal with a mini version of Christian? My condolences.” And then they were laughing again - this time joined by various other pack members. David just stared at his mate. He was so happy that they felt comfortable in the pack - enough so to help a new pack member feel like they belonged.

——————————

“Given what we’ve just learned about the Circle of Fifths, can anyone tell me what key signature has one more sharp than A major?” Various hands went up.

“Sorry Mx, this is kind of unrelated but does the opposite of the Circle of Fifths have a name? I mean, it’s as useful as the Circle of Fifths.” A sigh was heard from the middle of the classroom.

“That’s a great question which I don’t have the answer to. I’ve been asking since I learned about the Circle of Fifths what… a decade ago now?” Angel continued to ramble - something they did frequently and one of the reasons they were liked by students so much.

Alora decided to intervene. “Mx. Shaw, what about intervals? Are there any intervals that you think should have different names or are they all fine as they are?” Oh, did you think that Alora was trying to stop Angels rambling? No! As much as she loves music, getting her teacher to ramble was a great way of making background noise to her thoughts and wasting away a lesson.

It wasn’t until 5 minutes before the lesson ended that Angel realised what Alora had done. Well, jokes on her, Alora had to put up with Angel for an hour after school at a pack meeting.

Safe to say, Angel’s favourite part of teaching members of the pack was the fact that they could terrorise their students outside of school.

#redacted asmr #redacted angel #redacted davey #redacted milo #redacted christian #redacted oc #redacted ocs #shifter in the classroom

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n00dl3gal · 3 years ago

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Like Old Times (Father-Son Bonding AU)

A direct sequel to the “Expiration Date” fic, which I’ll link in a reblog. I’ve also posted all my fics in this AU to AO3!! Thanks again to @thetriggeredhappy for their help and just generally being a cool dude, and the Scoutsune Discord server for indulging my brainrot

No warnings beyond family schmoop!

Less than an hour after the bread monster incident, the Administrator called for a ceasefire. “Only while your base is repaired,” she said over the TV screen. “BLU is quite disappointed in this negligence- as am I. Regardless, you may use these three days as you see fit. Go home, stay here- whatever you do, no more bread monsters.” The screen turned off with a click.

Scout exhaled through his nose. He was thankful there was no mention of him or Miss Pauling’s woodchipper.

Spy decloaked behind him. “Less time than I wanted, but c’est la vie.” Scout looked at him over his shoulder. “I’m meeting with an old contact during our break,” Spy said in Italian. “Would you like to come along? It’ll be like old times.”

Scout’s brow furrowed, but he nodded. At least this way, he’d get out of helping Engie and Heavy with repairs. And possibly meeting Miss Pauling’s woodchipper.

“Excellent. Our flight is at 7 AM tomorrow.”

“We’re flying commercial?” Scout asked, also in (more hesitant) Italian.

“Our destination is continental. We’ll leave the base by 5:30.” Scout groaned as Spy started to leave. But- wait, he hadn’t-

“Oi, where are we going, anyway?” he called back in English.

Spy paused to look at him and smile. “Boston.”

“Why do we always get the ass-crack-of-dawn flights?” Jeremy asked groggily, reclining his seat.

“They are the ones with first-class seats available,” Raphael replied. He took a sip from his mimosa.

“Yeah, cuz God forbid you fly coach for once.” Jeremy shifted, trying to get comfortable. “Hey. Have I ever been to Boston before?”

Raphael didn’t answer immediately. His lip sucked in, as if in thought. “Yes. When you were very, very young. You wouldn’t remember.”

Jeremy nodded. He wanted to ask more, there was something Raphael wasn’t saying but… well, he was never a morning person. He fell asleep before the plane even took off.

. . .

It was mid-afternoon by the time they landed in Boston. Jeremy was never fond of long flights; having his legs cramped like that for extended periods of time was murder. He was half tempted to take a jog around Logan International. Raphael, on the other hand, was ushering them both to the car rental. “Can’t even get a stretch in, huh?”

“Unfortunately, we are expected by 4, and I would hate to keep my contact waiting,” Raphael explained in French, accepting the keys from the girl at the counter. “She’s not a very patient woman, in some regards.”

Jeremy huffed but didn’t argue. He just followed his father to the rental, tossing his suitcase in the backseat. “Y’know, the girl at the counter-”

“We will not have time for you to go out on a date, Jeremy.”

“No! No, it was- her accent’s kinda like mine, it’s weird,” Jeremy said. Raphael started the car. “Cuz I’ve only been here as a baby, and I got mine from TV and shit. It’s just… really strange, is all.”

Raphael made a quiet noise of agreement. “Some of the shows you watched as a child were filmed here. It’s not as complex as you think it is.”

“Yeah, probably not…”

The pair lapsed into silence as Raphael drove. Storefronts and high rises morphed into houses. It had been a while since they were in a residential area. RED, for understandable reasons, kept away from civilians.

Raphael took the roads with practiced experience. Sure, it had been implied he knew the area. If he had a contact here- one with a house, presumably- he must’ve spent time here. But this- this was far too familiar. A bit suspicious, actually.

Eventually, Raphael slowed in front of a more rundown Brownstone. Still quite nice, just needed a little work. It felt… welcoming, in a way Jeremy couldn’t name.

“Lotta cars,” he observed as Raphael parallel parked. “Must be a party going on somewhere.”

“Hmm, perhaps,” Raphael said, turning the car off. “Would you mind ringing the doorbell for me? I need to grab something from the trunk. Ask for Sara Jane.”

OK, now Jeremy knew something was up. He was never the one to make the first contact, that was always Dad’s job. Jeremy might be a full-grown adult, but there were some things that didn’t change. This was one of them.

Still, he nodded. He climbed up the front steps and ringed the doorbell. He heard- multiple voices from inside, predominantly male, but they quickly silenced themselves. A TV, perhaps? They really ought to get that flower box on the second story window fixed-

The woman who opened the door was a bit shorter than him, though not by much. She was wearing a simple dress, hoop earrings, and flats. Her hair was dark, curved to her chin. But her nose and earlobes felt… achingly familiar. Like Jeremy saw them all the time.

“Um, hi, I’m looking for Sara Jane? My name’s-” The rest of his speech was knocked out of him as the woman launched herself at him. Jeremy braced for an attack, but quickly realized she was… hugging him.

She was hugging him, sobbing, and choked out the word “Jeremy.”

Wait. He knew that voice. He had only heard it a few times in his life, few enough he could count them on one hand, but he knew it. “M-Ma?” he whispered.

The woman- Sara Jane- Ma looked up at him, still crying. Her hands found his face as she observed him. “Y-yeah, sweetie, it’s me, it’s-it’s your ma,” she said.

“Ma!” he laughed, tears of his own dancing down his cheeks. He hugged her back, practically lifting her off her feet. “Oh my God, Ma! I-I never thought I’d-”

“Oh Jeremy, sweetie, look how tall you’ve gotten! Last I saw you, you fit in my arms! My baby, my handsome baby,” she spoke over him. She rubbed circles into his back as they embraced. It felt so, so right.

Jeremy laughed even harder. “Are you kiddin’? I got it from you, you’re beautiful, Ma!” He stared at her, trying to commit every mole and wrinkle and perfect flaw to memory. “I can’t believe- oh my God, I’m actually meeting you!”

“It was long overdue,” another voice said, as Raphael joined them on the front stoop. “I had put it off for safety reasons, but considering our current, ah, situation… I felt it was worth the risk.”

Sara Jane squealed, pulling Raphael into the hug as well. “You’ve been taking good care of my boy, you promise me, Raphael?”

“Don’t worry Ma, he’s the best dad I could ask for, considering,” Jeremy teased.

“Oh, don’t I know it. Called me up last night and told me to get the whole motley crew together. Even managed to get Melvin to bring his twin daughters, bless his wife’s heart,” she explained.

Jeremy blinked. “Uh- Melvin? Daughters?”

Sara Jane laughed. It sounded so much like Jeremy’s it practically hurt. This was his mother. Lord, he’s finally seeing her. “Melvin’s your older brother, sweetie. Eh, sixth oldest. Bobby’s the oldest.”

“I have a brother?”

“Oh honey, you’re the youngest of eight,” Sara Jane said plainly.

“...fuck,” Jeremy whispered.

. . .

He didn’t just have seven brothers. He had seven brothers, four of which brought their wives, one who brought his boyfriend, and three who brought their kids. And the kids totaled to an additional six, counting the babies.

It was… an admittedly tight squeeze in the living room.

Sara Jane introduced Jeremy. Jeremy had been expecting to be treated like a stranger. He had vanished when he was a baby, after all, and his younger-older brothers probably wouldn’t remember him at all.

And yet, it was like he knew them all his life.

They teased him and punched him playfully and acted so friendly, so familial it nearly made Jeremy break down. He was still crying from meeting Ma, but being dogpiled with so much affection was suffocating. In a good way. He had seen on sitcoms the intrinsic bond between family, and while he felt it with Dad, they also risked their lives nearly daily. But it was real, it was here, and it was wrapping him in a warm blanket.

Despite the chaos and the sheer number of people, Jeremy didn’t feel overwhelmed. He laughed and played along with their jokes, cracking some back when he could get a word in. Scott ragged on his dog tags, he countered by pointing out the hole in his pants. Michael told him he was still a shortass, he replied with “it takes one to know one.” Elliot and Ricky were the closest to actually getting hurt, and that was only because Jeremy elbowed them both so hard they nearly fell over.

For the first time in 25 years, Jeremy understood what “home” meant.

The kids were especially curious, eager to meet their uncle and step-grandfather. Within seconds, young Rebecca- only four years old- was challenging Jeremy to a race around the house. “I’m the fastest kid in the world,” she bragged, puffing out her chest.

“Oh yeah?” Jeremy asked. “That a fact?”

“You wanna test me? I beat Johnny Three-Legs at running, and he’s got three legs!” Jeremy laughed and stood from the couch, letting her lead him outside. “On the count of three, OK?”

“You’re on, pipsqueak,” Jeremy teased.

“Onetwothree GO!” Rebecca yelled, taking off in a sprint. Jeremy knew that, by all accounts, he should beat her. His legs were longer, she didn’t have the proper running stance, and it was his job to be fast. That’s what he got paid to do. But some small voice was telling him to let her win, so he did. “Ha! I told ya!”

“Ya sure did,” he replied, mock panting. “Look at you, a freaking blur on the green. You’re goin’ to the Olympics, kid.”

Rebecca beamed and hugged his leg. “Promise, Uncle Jeremy?” He nodded because, after that display, there was no way he could speak without squeaking like a chew toy.

Rebecca skipped back inside, past Raphael, who was watching on the stoop. “You’re a natural with children,” he observed. “I used to do the same thing when you were that age.”

“Wait- wait, really? You sure fooled me,” Jeremy said.

Raphael rolled his eyes. “What’s my job again, mon lapin?”

“Yeah, yeah…” Jeremy leaned against the railing, watching Raphael’s cigarette smoke in the wind. “Hey. Uh… thanks for arranging all of this. You really didn’t need to.”

“But I did. I meant it when I said this was overdue. I’ve been wanting to introduce you to the rest of the family for a while, but have been unable. Then that whole ordeal with the supposed tumors, and-” Raphael exhaled slowly. “It wouldn’t have been fair to you if you died without knowing them. I would’ve never forgiven myself.”

Jeremy punched his shoulder lightly. “Don’t be so hard on yourself, pops. It all worked out, we’re still kicking, and that roast chicken Ma’s making smells incredible. Everything’s perfect.”

Raphael finished his cigarette and smiled. “Oui. It is.”

. . .

While Sara Jane had been able to get the rest of the family here, it was a school night. Kids needed to be tucked in by 9:30, so most of Jeremy’s brothers were gone by 8. Elliot was staying overnight, as was his boyfriend. Otherwise, the house quickly went from bustling to barren.

It gave Jeremy a chance to explore his would-be childhood home.

He made his way upstairs, pushing open one of the doors. It led- to little surprise- to a bedroom. It was set up like a nursery, with a crib in one corner and a toddler bed in the other. Toys were scattered about across the floor.

He heard Sara Jane sigh behind him. “This was your room, you know.” Jeremy turned to look at her as she flipped the light switch. “That crib… I had put you to bed the night your father planned to fake his death. I was in on the whole plan, naturally. He wanted to hold you one last time, so I said OK. When I woke up the next morning… you were both gone.” She exhaled slowly, grabbing onto his shoulder. “I wrote both of you off as dead, but I knew what had happened. Honestly, should’ve figured it out before then. You hadn’t woken me up crying,” she joked. Her eyes were watering.

Jeremy hugged her, pulling her close. “You never took the crib down?”

“By the time I was ready, Bobby’s wife was pregnant, so I kept it up for my grandbabies. I knew- I knew you were out there, sweetie. Both of you.” She kissed his cheek, squeezing him.

“I-I never got to be a normal kid, really,” he confessed. “I mean, Dad did his best, gave me comic books and board games and stuff, but-but I never went to school or made friends or anything like that. I-I didn’t even know I had a family. It took me forever to even realize I had a Ma. An-and everything I did-” The tears were flowing again, more freely than earlier. “Ya missed me losing my first tooth, and potty trainin’, and all that stuff parents should know about. I-I’m sorry,” he whispered.

Sara Jane wiped his cheek dry. “Don’t apologize for what your father did, Jeremy. And definitely don’t apologize for me not potty training another kid. Besides… hold on, I’ll be right back.” She made her way down the hallway. Jeremy didn’t follow, instead deciding to examine the crib. This was where he grew up. It was a simple crib, obviously well-used. Not worn-down, mind, just… used. It had a history. A history that Jeremy wanted to decode, but unlike his dad’s ciphers, he didn’t have the key.

“Took me a second to find it,” Sara Jane said. She handed him what appeared to be a scrapbook. “Raphael- he wrote when he can. Taught me some basic codes, would send out letters whenever you’d leave a town. Never left a return address, but…” Jeremy flipped through the pages, moving to sit on the small bed. The letters were all coded but appeared to be about how much Raphael missed Sara Jane. Updates on Jeremy’s growth. Letters from a father to his lover and son’s mother.

One page jumped out to him, though. “I remember this,” he said, running his fingers against the paper. It was a simple drawing of a young boy, holding a catcher’s mitt, and a taller man next to him. “I drew this after Dad took me to my first baseball game, for my eighth birthday. I thought I lost the drawing after we skipped town, but- he sent them to you?”

Sara Jane nodded. “And I kept them all. Oh, honey, the day I first heard your voice on the phone- Mikey can tell you, I damn near fell over. You sounded so happy, and even if I couldn’t see you, that’s all a mother wants.” Jeremy leaned against her and she shut the book. “That’s all a mother wants, sweetie. To see her kids be safe and happy.”

“I am, Ma,” he assured her. “I promise.”

They sat like that for a while, with Sara Jane commenting on various letters and drawings in the scrapbook. Apparently, Raphael sent her money when he could- more frequently now that Mann Co. paid so well. She also had a rough idea of their current occupations. “I figure, if you and your father are working for the same company- with his skills, there’s gotta be a whole lot of nonsense going on out in that desert.” Jeremy laughed at that because she wasn’t wrong. “But I also figure since he raised you right, he’ll keep the both of you safe.”

“I keep him safe too, don’t worry,” Jeremy added. “Uh- listen, it’s touching and all you kept the crib, but I don’t have to sleep in it, right?”

They both had a good chuckle over that. Their laughs were in perfect harmony.

. . .

The next two days were a mix of learning the family history and exploring Boston. It was the offseason, so there weren’t any games going on at Fenway, but Jeremy still got a picture in front of the park. Sara Jane took the pair to a restaurant that served “the best damn clam chowder in the contiguous United States.” Which, incidentally, led them to discover Jeremy was allergic to clams. Thankfully they didn’t have to go to the hospital- he just sort of immediately got sick before it passed- but it did suck.

It was damn good chowder, though.

They went down to the harbor where the Boston Tea Party happened. It was crowded with people, resulting in them not staying long. Jeremy was a bit better with crowds than Raphael, but neither was great with them. Came with the job. Getting overpriced memorabilia from a nearby gift shop, though, went over much more smoothly.

When not out on the town, Sara Jane dug out more scrapbooks and photo albums, catching Raphael up on what his stepsons had been up to. She showed Jeremy pictures from Ricky’s first school play to Scott opening up his butcher shop. Graduation pictures, wedding pictures, baby pictures- it was all there, and Jeremy devoured it. He wanted to know these people. He wanted to know his family. And he did. He learned about Michael’s stint in the Navy, Melvin meeting his wife, how Bobby’s son could dribble a basketball for twenty minutes straight. He learned about how his parents met. How Raphael loved each of Sara Jane’s children, even if they weren’t biologically his. How Jeremy wasn’t planned- few of the kids were - but they were both so, so happy to realize he was coming.

He also learned that, while diner food would remain the undisputed king, homemade meatloaf came pretty close.

. . .

The only problem came when it was time to leave. It wasn’t that Jeremy didn’t want to return to work, or leave his Ma behind. Sara Jane wasn’t even torn up over losing her son and lover again. It just felt like there was so much left to say, to do. There was uncertainty as to when they’d be able to return. “We get time off for Smissmas, I know that’s months away but I’ll be here, I promise,” Jeremy swore, hugging Sara Jane for the eighth time.

“You better,” she said, squeezing him tightly. “You have 25 years worth of gifts to catch up on, not to mention birthday gifts-”

“Ma, you don’t have to go that far,” he whined. He was touched, sure, but the thought of that much luggage was truly frightening. Oh God, he was going to have to get gifts for everybody, wasn’t he? What do kids even want for Smissmas?

“Hush, let me spoil my baby,” Sara Jane told him, kissing his cheek. “Oh, Jeremy…”

Jeremy nodded. “I know, but I’ll call. I’ll write, too. Send pictures if I can.”

“I’ll make sure he does,” Raphael assured her. Sara Jane stood to kiss his lips, with Jeremy looking away pointedly. “You have my word, ma petite chou-fleur.”

“Alright, alright- now get going, I don’t want you two missing your flight. That boss of yours sounds like she’ll tear you both a new one if you’re late,” Sara Jane said, shooing them away. “Love you boys!”

“I love you too, Ma!” Jeremy shouted back, for the very first time.

The drive back to the airport was quiet. Jeremy stared out the window, watching his hometown- he had a hometown- pass by. “Hey, dad?” he asked, still looking outside. Raphael grunted to acknowledge he was listening. “One of these days, our contracts with Mann Co. are gonna expire. We’re gonna have to find new jobs.”

“Yes, that’s correct,” Raphael said. He tapped a rhythm against the steering wheel.

“And-and I was thinking when that time comes… maybe we could come back to Boston. Find some gigs out here,” Jeremy suggested.

Raphael sighed. “Unfortunately, being a spy means that you don’t have the option of retiring, Jeremy. Not until you’re unable to complete your job. At that point, though, you’ve probably died a dozen times over,” he explained. “Even if I could retire, settling down somewhere so close to people I care about- I would still have enemies.”

“Right. ‘Course,” Jeremy said. “It’s OK.”

“That being said,” Raphael continued, “you have the luxury of youth and not being tied down to such a career. If you want to find a job in Boston after we finish with RED, there’s nothing stopping you.”

“But people will still be after me, since I’m your son. And you wouldn’t be around.”

“Every child leaves their parents someday. And you’re strong, Jeremy. You can protect yourself and your family.” Raphael smiled. “I don’t believe Sara Jane needs much protecting, but I do worry.”

Jeremy laughed. “I mean, did ya see the muscles on Scott and Michael? Guys can probably bench press a tractor!”

They both chuckled before settling into quietude. Eventually, though, Jeremy had to break the silence. His voice was barely above a whisper. “I love you.”

“I love you too, mon lapin.”

“...so your nickname for Ma is fucking ‘little cauliflower?’ What the hell, Dad?”

#father-son bonding au #Team Fortress 2 #team fortress 2 au #tf2 #tf2 fanfiction #tf2 scout #tf2 spy #tf2 scout's mom #dad spy #thetriggeredhappy #spy x scout's ma #noodle writes

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batsandbugs · 4 years ago

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The Great IKEA Game

Chapter 1 - Meet the Players

Marinette originally came to the IKEA an hour outside of Gotham to buy twinkle lights for her new living room. She eventually extended her trip into obtaining new dishes since all she had right now was empty takeout containers she kept rewashing. She would have been very content getting what she needed and being on her way, (no, she wasn't lonely Plagg, she had two dozen mini-gods to keep her company, shut up) but halfway between the bedding and lights sections, Marinette’s life changed forever.

For the better, if she was being honest.

She never would have realized it if she hadn’t ducked into a showroom to test out a couch. She settled against the fluffy folds, knowing it would be destroyed within minutes if she ever brought it home when she noticed him. A boy, no man, about her age, hiding behind a desk looking for all the world as if he were plotting world domination or someone’s demise.

They looked at each other in shock for a moment.

“Are… are you ok-”

“Shhh!” his green eyes narrowed, and boy, Marinette had been on the receiving end of death glares before, but this one had to take the cake.

“Sorry,” she whispered.

He rolled his eyes. “Do you see a group of dark-haired obnoxious idiots out there?” he asked.

The request was an odd one, but Marinette rose from the couch and glanced around outside of the showroom. She didn’t see anyone fitting his description. She shook her head.

He smirked. “My idiot older brothers dragged me along for a “family bonding experience”." He made the little quotation marks, and Marinette never thought anyone could look cool doing that, but somehow this person nailed it. "Tt. I’ve successfully avoided them for an hour. Didn’t know when the coast would be clear though.” He rose gracefully from the ground, looking all the more like a prince, rather than a crazy person hiding from his family.

It was absurd.

Marinette found herself instantly amused.

“I have friends exactly like that, I totally get it,” she said, thinking how Adrian would be beside himself when she told him the story later. The pang of loneliness that had been present since she’d left her friends in Paris, for college in America re-emerged. She shook her head of the maudlin thoughts.

The Kwamis would have had a field day with this idea too, thankfully she had left them in her severely under-furnished apartment for the day in order to avoid the squabbling that came with only taking a few of them out of the house.

Marinette looked back out at the hallway again, wondering if the man's brothers would soon appear, finding herself invested in what would happen. “What are you going to do now?”

“Well, Drake has the keys, and those idiots will be at their shenanigans till the store closes, so…” he shrugged.

“Are they like… furnishing a whole house?” Marinette didn’t know how you could spend an entire day here. Sure, it was big, but…

“No. We’re engaged in a no holds barred game of hide-and-seek.” Marinette’s mouth dropped open. “If one of them catches me I become the seeker.”

“Why?”

He smirked, “Because I’ve held out the longest.”

"No, I mean, why are you playing hide-and-seek?" It seemed an odd choice for a bunch of adults. Well, Marinette and her friends would do it. But they also willing became superheroes at the age of fourteen so their judgment was already in question.

He shrugged. "My oldest brother thought it would be fun, and our father is... out of town at the moment," he said with a bit of hesitation.

“So, you’re just going to hide in this showroom till the store closes?”

A devious smile spread across the man’s handsome features. “No. I intend to troll them. If Grayson wants my participation, I'm going to make him regret it.”

It was at that moment she crossed the point of no return, not that Marinette knew it yet.

Throwing away any idea of finishing her shopping today she returned his smirk. “Any chance I could join you in your crusade?”

The guy looked her over suspiciously. “Why should I allow a stranger to join me and potentially ruin my chances at victory?”

Marinette thought for a moment. “Well, your brothers know you well?” He nodded. “Then they likely know what you’ll do to avoid and troll them. You need a fresh perspective. Plus, I can operate out in the open, I’m not officially a part of the game.”

“Hmm...” his face was impassive; Marinette couldn’t tell what he was thinking. “You make some good points, but I’m not fully convinced.”

Marinette huffed, “I also grew up in Paris without being akumatized.”

He looked at her oddly. “What the hell does that mean?”

“Paris had a terrorist for five years that turned people into monsterized versions of themselves if they felt negative feelings. They were called Akuamas. Everyone in my class had it happen to them at least once. More for some particularly loose cannons.”

The guy looked bewildered. “Why didn’t anyone hear about this?”

Marinette shrugged, trying to play off her knowledge as what a normal civilian would know. “Combination of corrupt politicians, social media blackouts, and magic. People died during these attacks, but everything was put to rights at the end of every fight due to the superheroes powers.”

His mouth dropped, but he recovered quickly looking contemplative. “I want to know more about this at a later time, but if what you say is true you can control yourself better than the average peon. But my brothers and I are a combination of street orphans, circus brats, gymnastics freaks, and geniuses - are you sure you can keep up?”

Marinette nearly laughed at his description but managed to keep a straight face. “Positive.”

“Alright, I'll do whatever it takes to win.” He offered her his hand. “I’m Damian.”

She took it, feeling a slight shock as her fingers touched his. “I’m Marinette, nice to meet you, Damian.”

“You won’t be saying that soon enough,” he said with a slight smirk. He looked over her shoulder. “Shit.” He dove beneath the desk he’d been hiding behind earlier. “Tall guy with the white streak in his hair.” Marinette turned to look. “Don’t make it too obvious,” he hissed.

Marinette grabbed her phone and leaned against the desk. With small side glances, she saw a man probably mid to late twenties with two-toned hair. He wore a leather jacket and seemed to be searching for something, or someone.

“Who’s that?” she asked quietly.

“Second oldest brother, Jason Todd - arguably the most and least dangerous.”

“Why both?”

“He did not want to participate initially, so he’s reluctant, but at the same time, he hates losing. He’ll hang on to the bitter end. More resourceful than the other two, and more violent, although less sophisticated.”

Jason moved closer to their showroom.

“Hush, he’s headed this way,” she whispered. Damian remained quiet and Marinette tried to make herself look busy.

“Quick question miss?” Marinette glanced up from her phone. Jason stood at the entrance to the showroom.

“Oh, uh, oui? Non, non, I mean yes?” Marinette said in an exaggerated accent, playing into the oblivious tourist stereotype always came in handy.

“Oh French, shit, haven’t spoken that in a while,” he muttered. “Um...”

“Non, it iz okay, I speak English well. Can I help you?” She batted her eyes just a bit. Marinette had long since grown from the days of not using all her advantages - courtesy of forced confidence from Chole. A friendship no one had seen coming but had grown quick and strong once they reached an understanding.

“Oh, I’m looking for my little brother, about yay high, black hair, green eyes, permanent scowl. Have you seen him?”

Marinette pretended to think for a second. “Non... I do not theenk so, perhaps help desk at zee front?”

“Yeah, maybe,” Jason said, Marinette could see he had already written her off as useless. “Thanks, anyway.” He walked away quickly.

There was a minute of silence. “Coast is clear,” said Marinette once Jason was out of sight.

Damian popped up, a gleam in his eyes. “Your lying skills are adequate; we may just win this yet.”

“I’m glad to meet such high approval, monsieur. Let’s get going.”

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

#damian x marinette #maribat #maridami #ml x dc #mlb crossover #damimari #damianette #marinnette dupain cheng x damian wayne

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intjpersephone · 4 years ago

Text

🧠Since memorizing everything is some hard shit, allow me... 🧠

Science has my entire back on this one...

Now, I'm gonna be talking about three techniques, two of them are gonna help if you have a test really soon the other one is in for a long run.

"The Generation Effect"

being tested is supposed to help others evaluate your progress, but it turns out that testing isn't a very good evaluation tool.

It actually functions better as a learning tool but only if used properly. This may seem Counter-Intuitive but first, you should test yourself before you even know the material. For example, start with the practice test even before you started studying it. You'll get answers wrong, But your brain is forced to generate answers, you'll be creative, panicked and end up priming your neurology to learn the correct new answers. This technique works on "The Hypercorrection Effect": when you make a mistake on some type of general information and later find out you're wrong, you're much more likely to remember the correct answer. For example, you're certain the capital city of India is Mumbai but later find out it is in fact New Delhi, you are much more likely to remember that forever compared to somebody who was just simply told the answer New Delhi.

Your brain Hypercorrects. One theory behind this states that surprise and embarrassment play a role, That's why you probably remember everything embarrassing thing that happened to you so far 😂(😥)

Now My Personal Experience: On this one, in April, I had a 20 marks test every week and so my teachers would ask us questions related to the test during classes and I used to get most of them wrong, and after the embarrassment, the test came I actually did better than my classmates.

🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿

"Spacing"

This one is the one for the long run now...

For spacing, you're gonna wanna practice and then almost forget the material and then practice again.

One particular study had students learning Spanish, each group had eight hours to study. The first group studied intensively for eight hours in one day while the second group studied for four hours one day and then one month later studied for another four hours and an entire month later.

So both groups had the same amount of study time just distributed differently. After only getting 8 hours of practice they tested them 8 years later.

Both groups were tested on their Spanish vocabulary and by now you probably guessed the group that spaced their studying over a month gap performed 250% better. Remember this is 8 years later that they're being tested.

My Personal Experience On This: So, in 4/5th grade, I used to jump from learning greek to french to Spanish and so on, so last year staying inside I picked french again, remember this is 4/5 years later, and remembered all the basics very well! I was surprised but now it makes sense!

🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿

"Interleaving"

So, what studies have found is that instead of studying the same thing over and over again, if you mix up or vary the challenge the benefits are huge. At the moment this process might be a lot more frustrating and you may even think that you are learning more slowly but that's why it's so counterintuitive.

Let's take a look at some examples that could apply to your life. All of which have come from a wonderful book called "Range" by David Epison. if you have any interest in high performance and improving skills, this books will change your perspective so I highly recommend it.

First, we are gonna talk about motor skills like piano, so a particularly tricky thing to do is jump "A", big inter violin-piano really quickly so say starting at "C" and then jumping 20 keys really quickly, it takes a lot of coordination and muscle memories to do that quickly without thinking about it without accidentally hitting other keys along the way.

So this study had one group practised the 20 keys jump over and over and they have gone relatively good at it pretty quickly. But the second group had practised not only the 20 key jumps but also mixing a 15 key jump and 10 key jumps

So, ultimately they had to practise but the 20 key jumps but had interleaved or mixed practised by using a bunch of different intervals obviously it would have been a lot more frustrating to be learning multiple intervals at once the 20 key, the 15 key, the 10 key but when they brought the groups back what they found was that the group that practised interleaved or mixed practised was better every single interval including the 20 key jumps. Even though they technically had less practice with it the same has been shown in mathematics. Rather than practising one type of problem over and over, mixing different kinds of problems in between makes the process harder but develops stronger skills.

It's very shocking how bigger difference this type of interleaving makes.

Looked at math skills in grade 7 students. Those that used interleaving or mixed practice saw an effect size of approving someone's from the 50% of skill to the 80%, that is like being an average student to being someone who is definitely something brown parents will dig, which is an ultimate math god.

If you're using cue cards makes sure you're mixing up different themes within those cue cards.

My Personal Experience On This: Now, I have never really tried this before, so that's why I tried my best to elaborate on it as much as I could. But while researching on this, so far this one deeply impressed me, and my mom was a mathematics teacher before my brother was born (she also taught commerce but that's irrelevant) so, she was a middle and high school teacher and she ALWAYS keeps suggesting me, but hey, there's a reason I say relatable to a meme which is about being a disappointment 😐, anyway, I do really look forward to trying this one.

🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿

All this research is incredibly significant because of evidence-based solutions especially in space like education.

And the idea for today's post was suggested by my wonderful girl, @agents-of-shield-fan

and if you want me to make my next post on something you have in my mind, tell me!

Now go ahead and ✨ S H I N E ✨ babe 🤗🌿💕

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