#situations where you should learn German:

[hyperions-light]

Good riddance to that mess: Thank the Dread Wolf we’re done with the Mage-Templar conflict

(because magic in Thedas is more interesting this way)

Okay the people who love conflict have won and I am going to talk about this now lol

I've decided to stick within the framework of the world/story for this particular post, because I think you could talk about the issues with the mages/templars in connection with how they relate to real-life groups for an entire essay AT LEAST, and I want to focus on magic here, so I don't think it's that germane to the discussion. If you all want to talk about that later, I can put it on the pile.

It turns out that Jenny Nicholson was 100% right about the efficacy of numbered lists on the internet, so this essay will be hybridized into a list. Here are the reasons I'm glad the mage-templar conflict is gone and hope it never returns:

It limits storytelling avenues I understand how they arrived at this dichotomy as the logical extrapolation of a minority of people in Thedas being born with magic BUT it's very boring and it doesn't facilitate interesting stories. If you have this strict system and hierarchy that means that every mage has to live in the tower or they're a) a criminal or b) Dalish, that seriously limits the kind of characters you can make who are mages, which is dull as both a player and a writer.

Trying to make it nuanced is difficult Attempting to show that everyone has a point in a situation is difficult when one group has absolute power over the other and can kill them whenever they feel like it. Also, with the abuses the Templars regularly perpetuate against the mages established in DAO and DA2 any attempted justification reads as the story sanctioning an oppressive force. If they try to demonstrate the danger of magic, they end up with the 10,000 blood mage problem from DA2. It's a hard thing to do within the framework they set up, but they also haven't been particularly successful with it, imo, so abandoning it is a better choice.

It's the most reductive version of the conflict Reducing the entire discussion to whether magic is good or evil, whether mages should be free or confined is really boring. It's a false dichotomy that promotes extremism in characters on either side of the conflict who never interact with one another. "Is magic bad?" is a useless and uninteresting question. Who cares? What does it do?; Where did it come from?; What different ways can you use it? are all better questions.

Makes it difficult for the audience to learn more about magic If the only characters the audience ever meets are people who come from the Circle, Dalish mages, and apostates, the amount they're going to learn about different perspectives on magic and its various uses is limited. Part of the reason Jaws of Hakkon was such an interesting DLC for DAI is because the Avvar have a completely different philosophy about magic and spirits. It was refreshing after several games of having the same ideas about magic shoved down our throats to hear someone give a different perspective and ACTUALLY NEW information. Everything I needed to know about the mage-templar conflict, I already knew by the end of DAO, but I had to sit through two more entire games while people discussed it at length.

Magic in the North is fascinating Now that we're finally rid of that conflict, look how many different kinds of magic we get to see in DATV! We get to meet a Rivaini Seer, a Mortalitasi (who can use magic to TALK TO REAL DEAD PEOPLE!!!), a non-Altus mage from the Tevinter Imperium; we get to see magic as it was utilized by the ancient elves and how it interfaces with technology. We got DWARF MAGIC!! Finally, an answer to what Sandal was doing! We found out you can use it to turn yourself into a LICH!!! All of that stuff is so cool, and we had never encountered it before this game! It brings up so many new questions about the nature of the Fade, the source of magic itself, the strength of magic in Thedas relative to other places in the world. And NONE of it could be discussed in the South because they are too busy arguing about fucking towers!!!

tl;dr: The mage-templar conflict was a boring and reductive lens through which to view magic in the DA universe, I'm glad it's gone, I hope they continue what they started in DATV and explore different ways magic can be used in the future.

[reconstructionbaby]

if there's one thing to learn from me. it's that it's a complete waste of time to learn german. please don't do it

[hungwy]

JLPT N3 is comparable to CEFR B1; JLPT N2 is equivalent to CEFR B2, and JLPT N1 basically requires the same skills as CEFR C1. but consider the fact that to get to JLPT N1, the highest level of fluency for the most popular Japanese proficiency test, you need, on average, starting from no knowledge of Japanese at all (including kanji), 3000–4800 hours. to get to CEFR C2 in German, that being the highest level of the most popular framework for measuring European-language proficiency, you should study around 750 hours, maybe more. mind you this is measured with monolingual native English speaker -> target language perspectives in mind, but still, like, what the hell man. look at the requirements:

CEFR C2 (750-900 hours in German): "[understanding] with ease virtually everything heard or read … [and expressing oneself] spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in the most complex situations."

JLPT N1 (3000-4800 hours): "able to read [various and profound] writings with [logical/abstract] complexity … [and] comprehend orally presented materials [in a wide variety of settings] … spoken at natural speed … [and] also able to understand the details … such as the relationships among the people involved, the logical structures, and the essential points."

if you study German well for 3 hours a day, every day, nonstop, until you hit the 750 hours of study for CEFR C2, you're more than fluent in 250 days. okay, the US State Department says you need 900 hours, so the time it takes to become fluent changes to... oh... 300 days.

if you study Japanese well for 3 hours a day, every day, nonstop, until you hit the 3000 hours of study for JLPT N1, you're more-or-less fluent (not even definitively!) in 2.7 years. for 4800 hours it takes 4.3 years.

and studying 3 hours a day every day is basically unreasonable for most people! not to mention "real language heads" study for 10 hours a day. a regular person would probably do about an hour or two a day, right? and probably have weekends where studying doesn't happen. so let's say 2 hours a day, monday-friday; 10 hours a week. with 52.14 weeks in a year, you get about 521.4 hours of studying in per year.

with this regimen you achieve considerable German fluency in about a year and a half of study, and are probably on the same level as university students. the same habits will get you high-school-level Japanese fluency in 8 years.

now obviously all this assumes a lot: consistent learning ability, consistently paced lessons, not skipping any days, not forgetting anything, etc etc etc. but i think these numbers more or less hold

[feathered-mushrooms]

Can we talk about the X-men comic “Magneto Testament”?

I had read this early on in my comic journey and I remembered my love and adoration for the story. I decided to pick it up again and I hits just as hard as when I first read it. 

The story itself is Magneto’s origin story, and you can tell the writers took care and did research, both within comics and the real world history of the holocaust to weave together this backstory. In fact the comic does not just end with the story being rapped up, but is followed up with additional comics about real people, specifically the story of Dina Gottliebova, as well as the in-depth page by page breakdown of the authors choices and links/book list of everything they researched for the story and everything they think we should read as well. 

You can tell that Greg Pak, the writer, and Carmine Di Giandomenico, the artist, truly care for the story they are telling and truly care for the recognition and remembrance of these events. And they do it with some of the most haunting  visuals and situations. At multiple points while reading I had to take a break and return to the story due to just how heavy it could be. 

Additionally they made the amazing choice to actually have Erik be virtually powerless during the story. They hint to his mutation multiple times but he has not fully manifested. Leading to another layer of tragedy regarding the fact that a lot of the situations he gets into, could have ended a lot better if he was aware of his mutation. 

They also make the choice to show the evolution of the nazi power in Germany and the story often takes breaks to show time has passed, while filling in the reader in on the historical events that happen during the time switch. It really doesn’t feel like a superhero comic book but more of an educational graphic novel. 

Lastly while the story obviously focuses on Erik, who’s birth name is Max, we learn more about his family and Magda, characters that are often glanced over in comics. And Pak does a really good job with this. While Max’s mom Edie, and sister, Ruth, get little time on the page, we learn of the interesting dynamic between Jackob, Max’s dad, and Erich, Max’s uncle(heavily implied to be Max’s inspiration for his later name). Jackob fought in World War 1 and believes in the good in the world, he believes things can’t truly get bad and that people will listen to the good in their hearts, best seen when he expects a man he saved in the war to help him out. Erich on the other hand can see that Germany is crumbling. It doesn’t help that he is public humiliated and beaten after sleeping with a German woman, but throughout the book he is seen to be the most likely to bend the rules, he becomes a smuggler and does other such things to keep his family alive. 

Sitting here and writing this it almost feels like an early version of Erik and Charles, but nonetheless it becomes evident where Erik got his inspiration from.

On the topic of Magda, I just want to know more about her now. She’s introduced as this girl who Erik has a crush on, and that’s that. But she becomes his reason to live, and proves herself to be capable of doing what she needs to to survive, including laying among dead bodies. Honestly I know we are a Cherik nation but it makes sense why she was his first love and mother to their children. 

Overall it is an amazing comic and I believe some of the most important and stunning stuff that Marvel has made. Please check it out if you can.

[reshinless]

may i ask (politely) for a chuuya x reader where his lover is just like- in the nicest way possible, a mix of a german shepard person and a calico cat. They are just the sweetest person, yet also can get upset if called out or someone insults those close to them (as in full on plotting a murder but is too sweet to actually go through with it) like just a normal day story pls- if they were also a pm member I'd love you to the moon-

─── my only one, moon and sun..

𝜗𝜚 synopsis. the sweetest ever!!!... plus chuuya i guess /j (chuuya x really nice reader

𝜗𝜚 pairings. chuuya x gn!reader

𝜗𝜚 director's notice. HIII I LOVE THIS IDEA SM. ty for sending this in. IM SO SORRY THAT I COULDN'T MAKE READER A PM MEMB I COULDN'T FIND A SILLY NICE CUTE WAY TO WRITE FOR THEM :( i wanted to do like a lil story b4 the actual thing so i'm sorry.. you can say i got a little carried away (i forgot the prompt) follow & rb to support ʚ(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )ɞ

pre-relationship!chuuya who was surprised by how undeniably sweet you were to him. didn't you know how dangerous he was?

pre-relationship!chuuya who had just helped you from a robber who tried to snatch your bag. you were just sweet enough to invite him out for dinner as a thank you

and boy was pre-relationship!chuuya all over the idea. although enamoured by the mere thought of being out with someone who was everything he ever looked for in someone, he kept refusing, not wanting to take up any of your precious time. but you were stubborn, and firmly insisted on taking him out. and god did he like that.

pre-relationship!chuuya who'd already forgotten the meeting he was supposed to attend at 7:00pm sharp. it's already 8 and he's still talking with you. but of course, he didn't wanna make the interest too obvious, but subtle enough to notice.

and finally when you two exit the restaurant, pre-relationship!chuuya's eyes can't help but broaden as you tell him 'thank you'. damn he hasn't heard that in forever. awkwardly had to look away, gosh this was the first- no it wasn't even a damn date! and his face was already dusted with pink.

"look it's fine.. really it is.. it's what any good person would've done seeing your situation." ( ˶°ㅁ°) !! "but i still want to say it. i still want to tell you thank you. not many people are good nowadays, you know." (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ )

although before pre-relationship!chuuya didn't wanna make it obvious, definitely wanted another dinner like this with you.

"...say how about i walk you home? the least i could do after dinner. wouldn't want your purse/bag to get stolen again do we?" (˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧ a brief chuckle from you, and a smile forms. damn is it just him or were you just smiling at him? "sure! chuuya right?" "y-yeah! yeah! yes!"

safe to say that wouldn't be the last time pre-relationship!chuuya walked you home. he'd make sure it wasn't at least.

boyfriend!chuuya who suddenly had the need to let you spend all his money. even if you refused. that's so honestly why he fell for you in the first place.

boyfriend!chuuya who followed you into any store you went to, card in hand, and suggested to buy anything you picked up.

boyfriend!chuuya who was minding his own business while accompanying you to the cute little fruit mugs over there 'till two rude girls who were suddenly arriving in the same aisle as you both were in

"oh my gosh.. no way that girl is going out with a man so small.." "yeah literally.. i would never have said yes. can't believe there are actually women that prefer men below 6ft!"

boyfriend!chuuya's whose eyes twitched hearing what they'd just said, but then decided not to mind them. if he'd learned anything from you, he wouldn't say anything back.

but you never said you wouldn't talk back.

"what do you mean? he's nicer than your deadbeat father for sure."

the two girls gave a look of disgust but quickly left. and your expression, well more like your demeanor changed as they did.

"we should get the banana and strawberry ones, right? let's match!" "huh? oh yeah sure."

boyfriend!chuuya is still stunned from what you said, but ended up just muttering an "yeah sure" before you both paid and left the store.

boyfriend!chuuya who asked why did you defend him, even when you weren't trashtalked about, after you both left and got ice cream.

"well we're partners now right? no one should talk about you like that. besides, you aren't that short." ٩(^ᗜ^ )و ´- "of course i am not!!" ୧(๑•̀ᗝ•́)૭

boyfriend!chuuya who loves it so much when you defend him after that interaction. you aren't afraid to assert yourself to others. you aren't afraid to tell them something bad in return. and damn was it hot to see how you looked confronting anyone who had insulted either of you two.

boyfriend!chuuya who's so in love with you what a silly little guy

GN ITS BEEN SO LONG SINCE I'VE WRITTEN FOR BSD..! i hope this was somewhat coordinated with the prompt dear anon

[ryus3i]

Prince Micheal Kaiser x fem Maid reader

How reader and Kaiser met

Crowned with Love Masterlist

Cw; reader is a maid, Kaiser is the prince of Germany, reader is not from Germany, she/ her pronouns, curse words, strangers to lovers??

A/n; sorry this took a bit to come out but here it is enjoy! Series master list will be out soon! @rroxii (Ty for feedback in the last fic, I hope you like this!)

The way you met your “prince charming” wasn’t something you would ever want to relive. Not everyone has the pleasure of meeting the heir to the throne and you certainly wish you hadn't. Let’s just say Kaiser wasn’t all lovey dovey with you like he is now.

“And just what do you think you’re doing?” a voice behind you says as you quickly shove the book in your hands back into its place on one of the hundreds of shelves in the castle's grand library. 

Turning around to meet the stranger who had interrupted you. It was none other than the crown prince himself, Micheal Kaiser. The same Micheal Kaiser who had built himself quite a reputation around the castle and the kingdom. Micheal Kaiser was the cold prince but to you he was just an insufferable prick, at least based what the other maids had told you. 

“Oh, I’m sorry your majesty, I finished my tasks for the day and figured I could spend some time in here you say, voice laced with nervousness, you were allowed to be in here right? 

The maid who had  shown you around the castle had told you that it was okay to visit the grand library if we had spare time. If all that was true, why was the prince staring daggers at you. 

“The grand library is no place for a commoner, a maid like you is not to set foot in this room. Enjoy all the free time you have in your quarters, get out” all this is said with a smirk on his face. Your face on the other hand felt like it was on fire, you were beyond embarrassed and humiliated. 

“I apologize, your majesty” you say bowing your head. The temptation to walk right through the doors who put you in this situation was getting harder to resist. You couldn’t just walk out the doors or you’d be in even more trouble with the prince. 

“Save the excuses, considering where you are now you must be new here? Isn’t that right?”

“Yes your majesty”. 

“My parents will hire anyone won’t they, even little maids who snoop around places they shouldn’t be. Anyone like you should know not to stick your nose in places where you could never  

You have had just about enough of the crown prince and now it was time for you to leave. 

“Forgive me your majesty but I will be taking my leave, I don’t find pleasure in being around arrogant assholes like you”.

“Oh the little maid has quite a bit of a tongue doesn’t she, do I need to remind you who I am?

“You don’t, I think i know well enough who you are now, you said I had no place to be here so allow me to leave”.

“Not so fast, it’s my turn to find out who you really are, care to tell me your name dear?” He says all this whilst blocking your way out.

“ l/n y/n” you say through gritted teeth, what exactly did he want from you now. You didn’t want anything to do with him, you should’ve known the rumors about him were true and 100% accurate at that. 

“Well y/n, pleasure to meet you” he says with a delish smirk, one you wanted to slap right off.

“You don’t seem to know much German, y/n, your accent and broken German gives it away. That book you picked up earlier was in German, I doubt you’d be able to read it.”. 

Kaiser moves to the shelf behind where you had put the book from before. Taking the book from off the shelf he brings it to the small desk to the side of you two, before taking a seat at the desk he reaches a hand out to yours.

“You know, I could teach you some German,” he says, nodding his head towards the green book that laid on the desk waiting to be read. 

“No thank you, I don’t learn from assholes” you cross your arms, if he could be annoying so could you.

“Now, don’t be like that, I'm being so generous right now, just give me a chance”. Just to make him shut up for the first and only time you would take a German lesson from Prince Micheal Kaiser. 

As he takes your hand in his he brings you to the table and pulls out two chairs, one for him and one for you. Taking a seat you pull your hand away from his and open the book. 

It would turn out that it was in fact not your only German lesson with Kaiser, every other day or so the two of you would chip away at the book. Spending more time with the prince made you realize he was only an arrogant prince on the outside and not on the inside where he was a soft prince with a love for reading and for you. 

[whitestopper]

Bisexual media

Note: This should not be taken as a declaration of quality or my personal likings - I haven’t consumed all the media below. Not all of the shows focus on a bi protagonist but all do have at least one bi main character; a summary of main initial plot is provided. I will edit this post with updates intermittently.

TV Series

The Bisexual (2018) - Leila explores her attraction to men after identifying as a lesbian alongside her girlfriend and friends for the past decade, while her new roommate tries to get a grip on his relationship with a younger woman.

Black Mirror’s San Junipero - Yorkie meets Kelly in the strange setting of San Junipero. What’s the deal with this place, and what can make them stay?

Bob and Rose - Bob is gay. Rose has a boyfriend. Can I make it any more obvious? (I can - they find that they’re attracted to each other and deal with the implications and expectations of that.)

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend - Rebecca pursues her ex-boyfriend in the hopes of finding happiness. With a drastic move to West Covina, will she learn what happy feels like?

Cucumber - Henry’s life is upturned in one evening, then another, and then some more, while boyfriend Lance and new acquaintance Freddie come to terms with the present and the past.

Everything Now - Newly out of recovery from anorexia, Y11 student Mia is determined to complete her bucket list and be seen as normal.

Feel Good - Mae and Charlotte navigate a relationship challenged by Mae's drug addiction and Charlotte's new sexual discovery.

High Fidelity - Young record store owner Rob revisits her past relationships in order to sort out her singledom.

Kieta Hatsukoi - Aoki lies about having feelings for classmate Ida to protect the feelings of his crush Hashimoto. But misunderstandings and revelations cause a hullabaloo.

Torchwood - this Doctor Who spin-off features a collection of characters solving alien crimes.

Movies

Appropriate Behaviour - Brooklyn dweller Shirin deals with her ex-girlfriend, family expectations, job struggles and more.

The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant - in one of the few films with an all-female cast, the titular fashion designer navigates her relationships with her family, her live-in servant, and her cousin's attractive acquaintance.

City of Lost Souls - a German musical exploring the experiences of LGBT people, black people, Jewish people and immigrants in post-WW2 Berlin.

Disobedience - Ronit returns to her old Orthodox Jewish community after her father passes away, having been shunned for not adhering to cultural expectations.

Je, Tu, Il, Elle - A woman struggles in dealing with her break-up.

Shiva Baby - While at a Jewish funeral service with her family and community, college student Danielle navigates an awkward situation with her sugar daddy and her ex-girlfriend.

Books (Admittedly, I do not read nearly enough so in addition to my own suggestions, I'd like to recommend @the-bi-library!)

Fiction

You Could Be So Pretty (Holly Bourne) - In a world not too unlike our own, where girls and women can be Pretties or Objectionables, what will schoolgirls Belle and Joni make of their lives under the Doctrine after an incident brings them together?

Your Driver Is Waiting (Priya Guns) - Damani, a RideShare driver, falls hard for a white upper-class girl, but she's been grieving her father, caring for her mother and dealing with the ever-growing tension from protesters across the city. When Jolene acts with massive consequences, what will Damani be pushed to do for herself and her community?

Non-fiction

In The Dream House (Carmen Maria Machado) - Machado goes through her volatile relationship with The Woman From The Dreamhouse, intercut with musings on pop culture and history.

Strong Female Character (Fern Brady) - famous in British comedy circles, this autobiography follows Brady's life growing up in Scotland as an autistic woman.

You're Embarrassing Yourself (Desiree Akhavan) - from the Creator of The Bisexual and Appropriate Behaviour, this autobiography covers Akhavan's life as a bisexual Iranian in America.

Bisexuality research/history/essays

Bi Any Other Name: Bisexual People Speak Out

Bi: Notes for a Bisexual Revolution

Bi: The Hidden Culture, History and Science of Bisexuality

The Bi-ble Volumes 1 and 2

Claiming the B in LGBT - Illuminating the Bisexual Narrative

Go the Way Your Blood Beats - On Truth, Bisexuality and Desire

A History of Bisexuality

Purple Prose - Bisexuality in Britain

Music (This is for songs which are outright bisexual, not just songs inspired by bi experiences or by bi artists. Also, no Sweater Weather.)

Alicia Champion - Bi

Amber Fornoles - A Very Bisexual Song

Ana Carolina - Homens e Mulheres

Ani DiFranco- In or Out

Anne Marie - Perfect to Me

Bali Bandits - Girls & Boys

Book Of Love - Pretty Boys and Pretty Girls

Cariño - Bisexual

Chappell Roan - After Midnight

Christina Aguilera - Not Myself Tonight

Delli Boe - Bisexual Problems, Bisexual Problems 2

Demi Lovato - The Kind Of Lover I Am

dodie - In The Middle

Domo Wilson - Becoming Myself, Bi Pride, Bisexual Anthem

Halsey - Alanis' Interlude, Bad At Love

HOUSE OF SAY - Boys Girls

Janet Jackson - Tonight's The Night

Jão - Meninos e Meninas

Jesse - Girls & Boys

Jessie Paege, Lucy & La Mer - Not a Phase

King Kitty - Bisexual

Mad Tsai - Boy Bi

Megan Thee Stallion - Captain Hook

MIKA - Billy Brown, Blame It On The Girls

Miley Cyrus - Midnight Sky, She's Not Him

Missy Higgins - Scar

Mitski - Cop Car

Peaches - I U She

Peter Allen - Bi-Coastal

Poppy - Girls In Bikinis

Torrey Mercer - Boys / Girls

The Veronicas - Take Me On The Floor

will.i.am, Pia Mia - Boys & Girls

Ysa Ferrer - To bi or not to bi

[juanabaloo]

HC for Faith in 3x14 Bad Girls: i don't have any real quibbles with Faith's spiral / reaction to accidentally killing Finch the Mayor's aide. i think it is logical. but i think it adds a delicious layer (JUICY ANGST) to her reaction if it reminds her of a previous death.

pre Sunnydale back in Boston maybe she doesn't know her own strength, esp if she recently got her powers. maybe she accidentally kills some guy she just means to shove, bc Slayer strength and all that. like she meant for him to take a step back and instead he goes back like 20 feet and gets accidentally impaled. later she figures it out (maybe Diana helps, maybe not) - and she says "i didn't know."

or perhaps it's a truly similar situation, Diana (her watcher) is keeping an eye as she patrols but these vamps come out of a club into the alley and there's vamps and regular people running around and she accidentally stakes a human.

Diana assures her it was just an accident and calms down a very upset Faith. Diana disposes of the body, telling Faith after how she did it. they talk about it at length afterwards, back in the safety of Diana's place (where Faith is living). says all the same stuff Giles does about how this has happened before. "how many people do you think a Slayer saves? it is terrible and regrettable but sometimes there are casualties" etc.

"you should not pretend it didn't happen but you cannot think about it while you are out on patrol. you have to move past it Faith. a moment's hesitation is all a vampire needs to kill you. you have to stay focused, this is your work, it is not meant to be carefree fun."

[really this works either way, the "don't know my own strength" version or the "vamps and people running around" version. bc Diana can help her process and learn from both.]

and Diana's reaction - calm and reasonable and supportive - really shakes Faith. she is NOT used to this. Diana did not assume the worst of her, didn't ignore her mistake but also assumed Faith would be better next time. Diana trusts her, doesn't limit her patrolling at all, and Faith gloms onto Diana even harder than before. (until ofc Diana dies, when Faith couldn't save her from Kakistos)

and then she and Buffy are in the groove and it's so much fun and then Bad Girls Finch happens and it immediately guts Faith. it reminds her of how alone she is, bc Diana is not there to help her, even just talking to her. it reminds her what a failure she is bc this is now THE SECOND time it happened. that she should have learned from before and she did not. it reminds her how she will never be as good of a Slayer as Buffy, bc ofc Faith doesn't know about how Buffy killed humans* before bc the show pretends it never happened and oh yeah CEO of repression Buffy never talks about it.

( * ) for the fact checkers: i believe the list is Ted (before she knew he was a robot), the zookeeper in The Pack, the coach in Go Fish, the germans in Homecoming, and a Knight of Byzantium. sure some of these are more passive and all IMO deserved but Ted is the biggest one for me.

Faith still blames herself for Diana dying bc she couldn't stop Kakistos. AND NOW it doesn't even matter that her and Buffy killed Kakistos and she "avenged" Diana (her words, not Diana's). bc the best things that Faith learned from Diana don't matter anymore. they aren't true anymore. Diana believed in Faith, believed Faith could become a better Slayer, that Faith could learn from her mistakes. Faith let Diana down (again) when she accidentally kills Finch. Faith now believes Diana was wrong to believe in her, and Faith loses all faith in herself. (sorry there really isn't a better word)

[ifwebefriends]

My Child Lebensborn review/thoughts/rambles

So the other day, I played a game called My Child Lebensborn and I just have a lot of thoughts and feelings about it. It’s kinda intense with its themes and story (TW below) so if you’re in a good headspace right now, I really think that you should play it or watch a let’s play on YouTube. It’s like 4-5 hours long. The game is on most consoles as well as android and iOS. It costs $3 and a part of that goes to the Children Born of War Project so while I’m usually pro-piracy, this is one game that I really think you should not pirate. I played the iOS version which you can download here.

The game is described as a “dark tamagotchi” where you play a struggling single parent in 1951-1952 Norway and care for your young adoptive child (either the male Klaus or female Karin, you choose). Klaus/Karin is a “Lebensborn,” an Aryan child born out of wedlock of a German soldier and a Norwegian woman during the occupation of Norway in WWII. You have to balance caring for the child both mentally and physically, work, investigating the child’s origins, and keeping up with local news. A lot happens to the child over the course of the game that you can’t do anything to prevent, you can only impact how the child sees the situation and how they may react to it. It’s a really good and educational game about an aspect of war that I wasn’t really familiar with until now and while it’s not really the most “fun,” it’s a very fulfilling and engaging experience.

The story is basically entirely told through text and mostly happens to the child outside of the home so most of the disturbing stuff happens off-screen but it’s still heavily referred to and feels like a punch to the gut.

If you have a hard stomach and think you can handle it, stop reading this post now and go play it as I’m about to give trigger warnings that could spoil the game and then go into my personal thoughts about it.

Trigger warning for: references to war, bullying, assault, poverty, abandonment, references to Nazism, attempted murder, being forcibly tied up, being urinated on, ethnic discrimination, cruel family members, cruel teachers, and child sexual assault.

Direct Spoilers below

So I don’t think I ever want kids IRL but the way that Karin had MY WHOLE HEART and I wanted to be the best parent ever for her 🥺 like that is my DAUGHTER and you WILL NOT TOUCH HER

Karin baby you deserved so much better I’m sorry I could only do so much for you 🥺🥺🥺

AHHH I DIDN’T BUY THE FOX TOY IN TIME IT WAS GONE BEFORE I HAD THE MONEY FOR IT FUCK

I wish I had chewed out the grandparents more during that visit with them fuck them

The bullying was so fucking cruel like what the hell that’s a child who didn’t ask to be born under these circumstances have some compassion!!!!!!

The way that I clocked almost IMMEDIATELY that Karin was sexually assaulted since she didn’t want to be touched (I don’t know where I learned the warning signs but I did)

I wish there was an option to fucking murder Mr. Solheim

I choose to believe that Karin and the parent ended up somewhere good where people were more tolerant, I have to believe that

I chose to investigate the parents as much as possible, be as honest with Karin as I could, and tried to keep some hope and cautious optimism alive in Karin while still being sensitive to her feelings and not forcing her when she didn’t feel like doing something and I was very satisfied with how things turned out, she trusted me fully by the end

I wish that Karin was more trusting of others by the end but I don’t know how much control I had over that

Here are my chapter complete endcards to further describe the choices I made:

Image ID in ALT Text

[acslytherpuff]

Get to know my MC:

Alvin Hayoung

Name: Alvin Hayoung

Birth date: october 6

Pronouns: he/him

Age: 16 (in game) = 17 (real age)

Sexuality: straight

Blood status: pure blood

Ethnicity: German - Korean

House: Hufflepuff

Birthplace: Mainz (Germany)

Languages: german, korean, english, french, japanese

patronus: dragon

amortentia: sweets, jasmine, leather, almond

personal color: grey - black

APPEARANCE

Alvin has a mixed appearance. His hair is really fluffy and a bit long. His eyes are his top feature (they‘re showing his a bit of korean side which he is really proud of). He has a little stub nose. He is really tall and you can see the quidditch player in his build. He is mostly smiling.

hair color: dark brown to black.

skin: pale / beige

eye color: brown

build: normal, sporty

height: 6‘3

features: Moles on his Face, little dimples when he smiles

Clothes: he really likes to wear a plain shirt with his House Tie or his Quidditch Uniform.

PERSONALITY

Alvin is a really cute, friendly and calm soul. He is called „Hufflepuff sunshine“ not without a reason. He is everybodys darling because he is really capable with everyone. He likes to help people and making everyone happy. He also has a good sense of Humor and can be a very good class clown. He has very good manners. He will never judge anyone! He is very open minded and likes to interact with other people/ students. He is also very emotional and empathic. The only situation where he is really really really serious is while playing quidditch. When someone is attacking his friends he can get serious to and *protector mode on*.

Positive Traits: Funny, Caring, Loving, Sweet, very very Friendly, walking green flag , passionate

Negative Traits: sometimes to open to people, naive

Likes: his friends, baking, pets, quidditch, winter, physical and verbal affection, travelling, sweets, dinosaurs, music, family time

Dislikes: Negativity, mean people, lies, betraying

Fears: being alone, nightmares, fire (not including spells which he‘s casting)

QUICK BACKSTORY

Alvin was born and raised in Germany in a wealthy household full of love. When he was 10 he, his brothers and his parents moved to Korea because his Mother found a job there and he should learn more about his other culture. One night he had a Nightmare in which he saw really strong fire and a lot of dead people. Later that night his parents got alarmed that his Grandma died in a House fire. He had a really strong bond to his Grandma so he didn‘t slept for a long time after that tragic accident because he thought it was his fault. He also had a lot of strange dreams before it which got all true. His Parents believed he could see the future or like predict the future in his dreams. One night he dreamed that he got spelled with a unforgiveable. His parents got worried so they did teach him the Imperius Curse to protect himself, but nothing happened. When he reached that age he got invited to Hogwarts and moved back to Europe with his Parents and siblings. Even with his Trauma alvin always stays positive and has the best Time in Hogwarts. Also learning more about his ability in combination with Magic. He keeps his ability a secret to protect people. (Only a few does know about it)

RELATIONSHIPS

Matty Ambrose - THIS IS HIS GIRL and only his ! Matty is his Girlfriend and he is madly deeply in love with her. 🥹 he would do anything for her. They‘ve known eachother from classes but he fell in love with her while playing quidditch.

Valentine Black (ex girlfriend) - he was baking at night when he saw her sneaking into the kitchen and it was like love at first sight. He tries to bond with her. They got together but broke up on good terms.

His Brothers and Parents - alvin has a really really close relationship to his family and does everything for them. His brothers are his best friends. His older brother is one year above him (but has to re-do 7th year) while his little brother is studying abroad.

Cassie Luna - Alvin and Cassie are really close. Besties. She is one of the few who know about his Dreams and she comforts him when he is anxious or had such dreams. He loves her like a sister and his parents are also hers. She‘s precious family to him.

Other Students - alvin has love for everyone and so do everyone for him. He is quite popular and not without a reason. He does everything for everyone and doesn‘t want to have anything for that only a smile :) he is good with everyone!

close friends: tori, alyn, ellie, jamie, florence, damien, val, theo, ale, cal, Phillip

> RANDOM FACTS < (… more incoming)

- alvin has a Maltese dog as his Pet which is called „Minky“

- He is the Hufflepuffs quidditch Seeker, he started as a seeker because he was already so good.

- He can sing and play the guitar

- He has a Korean accent when he‘s talking in german but a German accent when he‘s talking english

- his laugh is very LOUD

- he smells very good (cassie says he‘s the best smelling boy at hogwarts)

- he uses a lot of korean slang words

- he‘s in „the rizzies“ along with theo and jamie

[pommunist]

past anon who talked about the alex's first priority being money/funds and who is apparently based to you (hola :D👋)

after reading back my ask i realize that i may have come off as a little bit harsh (not as harsh as you french fans, you guys are BRUTAL) i wrote most of it in a burst of frustration at the whole admin thing lol.

i don't think alex is some disney villian who is twirling his mustache as he watches on his past workers cry out of frustration because of the lack of communication. he just isn't as experienced when it comes to these kinds of things.

he's doing what he thinks is best from his lawyer studies, don't gave out any info that isn't 100% guaranteed, anything that comes with money is a huge legal problem and must be fixed as first, those type of things.

everyone that has known alex personally has said that he's a genuinely sweet guy (well, except his some of his workers but doesn't even have a relationship with them because of the lack of communication LMAO /coping) i don't think any of his current actions are done out of malicious intent or whatever.

all of his recent streams are probably a way to earn money and the whole egg merch is probably for even more money (the bio of the acc literally says that it is ''the best way to fund qsmp'') (i've already talked about my opinions on that)

the whole not communicating is so ''he doesn't make false promises'' and also, so he doesn't get sued. (understand where he is coming from but huge disagree)

the not having ways of contacting him via twt isn't done as a result of this situation, he deleted twt some time ago (very unfortunate timing, like, 2 days before lea's statements. he should've reinstalled it, but he doesn't need to anymore since he now has an email for when he needs to be contacted)

the events that are currently happening have been planned for months in advance (still think he should put them back a bit. i guess the german streamer is kinda understandable since he has apparently been waiting for like, 10 months?? still think he should've put it back)

i think what he wants is for when pomme's admin comes back for the work environment to be perfect but i still heavily disagree with his ways. the way he's going about it now is only going to lead to burnout from the workers :( none of what i said justifies the lack of communication btw. his actions come off as kinda tone-deaf right now.

although with the whole (understandable) anger from people about the twt admins + the union + jose's statements + the french's statements, i do think he will start actually communicating with his workers (he kinda has to with the whole jose thing, unless he wants all of qstudios garbage out in the public, which is like, a really bad thing for him)

unfortunately, i'm only based when i'm angry <3 so this is probably dogshit. but the problems in qstudios ARE fixable. (this is either gonna end up aging like milk or like fine wine. i hope it's the fine wine since i love qsmp and i'll probably completely give up on learning french/spanish if it doesn't)

holà again !

I personally didn’t think you were too harsh on your last ask, you had genuine concern about the course of his actions and it didn’t feel like you were attacking him or anything !

I don’t know Q personally obviously so I won’t speculate too much on what he’s thinking through this, but I agree with you that he probably isnt an evil guy and doesn’t have bad intentions with it.

However I still stand with the fact that he was at least negligent towards what was happening behind the scenes of his passion project and should’ve been more aware of the inner workings of the QSMP.

This isn’t an easy situation, especially with all the legal aspects (which should’ve been thought of beforehand btw) but I think everyone or at least most people who criticise what is going on are doing in first because they want the admins to be treated well but also because they want to trust that Q will do the right thing.

Admins and fans alike wouldn’t spend so much time getting updated on the situation and writing their thoughts if they didnt have at least some hope that things can be fixed.

Now it’s up to Qstudios to prove those who believe right and to prove those who lost trust (can’t blame them) wrong !

[cherriebbyyyy]

Scent of love

First things first an apology in advance for my mind and what it made me do. Second the tags of what is below the line Nico Rosberg X Jeremy Fragrance fic , their 1K worded meet-cute if you will non explicit. Third here is the ao3 link X Happy Reading xoxo.

Nico was on a much needed vacation as he felt the salt in the air, the dew of the morning sea breeze on his face as he walked down the pavement by the beach in Santa Monica. The feeling of the grainy sand under his shoes that got dragged from the beach a few steps away, the smell of the ocean it was perfect, he had chosen California for this reason and also the fact that F1 wasn’t as big here and he had such a small chance of anyone recognizing him.He bought a mango cup from one of the vendors on the side enjoying the contrasting flavors  of the sweetness of the mango and the tanginess of the lime and salt that was added like the do here. 

“Fuck” Nico said as bumped into him causing some of the mango cup to spill on his white linen shirt, he thanked God he didn’t add chamoy or his shirt would have been stained as well as sticky as he felt the mango juice seep through the shirt and on his skin. He didn’t even get a chance to look and see who bumped into him when he heard “What is that scent?” as he felts a nose inhaling at his pulse point. 

“What the hell get off of me!” 

“You smell really good, what is that?” 

Nico had enough and pushed the sweaty shirtless freak away from him, and it seemed like he didn’t want to go until Nico gripped the gelled hair and pulled the man’s head away from his neck. Finally taking a look and it was a little shocking this guy looked like a long lost brother, a doppelganger. 

“So?” the strange man questioned Nico

Nico looked at the man confused what was wrong with him, what weird scent fetish did this guy have. Why was he sniffing Nico like a truffle pig in the forest desperate to catch the scent and why was he just staring at Nico waiting for an answer like any of this was a normal situation.

“Nothing I’m not wearing anything” Nico spat out.

“No after shave? That’s not Gucci Memoir? It’s a bit musky like it must have been your pheromones calling to me, also sorry by the way about your shirt, but mango does not stain so you should be fine. Are you German by the way?” 

What the hell is Nico’s life, he was getting whiplash and for once it wasn’t from driving.

“Yes I’m German” 

“Ah I could tell the accent, the blue eyes and blonde hair. You are almost as handsome as me. My Name is Jeremy” Jeremy said as he extended his hand. 

“Nico” He responded as he shook Jeremy’s hand 

“Ah, where are my manors? Nico, my compatriot, would you like a new shirt?”

“Are you going to buy me one?” 

“No my home is right there” Jeremy said as he pointed to a pink house on the other side of the pavement a few meters down the pavement. 

‘Fuck it’ Nico thought this day couldn’t get any weirder and a new shirt would beat having to walk 30 mins back to his Air-bnb in a sticky shirt. He’d also be close enough to a public space if this guy tried anything. 

“Ok” 

“Amazing, follow me, I was just about to start my jog as well, I usually head towards Venice to work out instead of the pier but fate wanted me to meet you instead” Jemery said as he walked towards his house. 

Everything Nico learned about Jeremy made less sense because now that he took a good look trailing behind him, this guy was way too sweaty for the distance he had jogged and also the man was wearing white skinny jeans and a pair of white trainers that looked to be more for basketball than running. As they entered the house Nico was a bit in shock to look over at the kitchen table and see half of it covered in cologne bottles. This guy did have a scent fetish.

“Quite the collection you have” Nico comments breaking the silence 

“Ah yes, actually review them online it is a passion of mine, I actually go by Jeremy Fragrance, it is funny people often ask me to smell them and guess their scent like I did to you.”

He comes closer to Nico again standing where Nico has to gaze up and meet Jeremy’s eyes as the man is slightly taller than him by a few inches, Nico now close enough to feel his warmth and catch a whiff of this man's cologne which he couldn’t identify if he tried probably a mix of something that is on the table. 

“Nico let me say I am straight and currently looking for a God fearing woman to be my wife, but you are so beautiful and your scent has called me like no one else's not even a man made one---” he pauses to lean into Nico’s neck once more and take a deep breath. 

“-like I said earlier it seems like fate a man like you almost in my image, I think we must explore” Jeremy says with conviction as he stares into Nico’s confused eyes hoping Nico gets his message.

This man is crazy but what a pitch Nico thinks, he also hasn’t kissed a man in months as it is hard to vet someone for something casual, he usually sticks to women as it doesn’t really matter if that gets out as it is something people assume about him anyways. Maybe it is fate he thinks as he looks up to Jeremy and closes the gap between their lips. 

Jeremy is shocked for a moment before he melts into the kiss grinning as pitch had worked on sweet Nico. He slides a hand into Nico’s blonde locks noting that they are softer than his own then dipping Nico to gain control of the kiss as he slips his tongue in. He brings Nico back up and breaks the kiss. 

“Now what we came here for” Jeremey grins as he strips Nico of his shirt. 

For half a second Nico wonders if this was all a ploy but after that kiss he didn’t really care.

[fellow-travelers-fic-recs]

Fellow Travelers Fic Recs | Current WIPs: April 2024

Active WIPs with most recent updates posted in the past month featuring awkward hospital room conversations, a hospital room meet-cranky, and hospital whump... I'm sensing a theme, here. More fake-ish dating, Mama Fuller wisdom, Professor Hawk, a couple road trips, some time travel and a few modern AU's. There really is something for everyone!

Happy reading!

✨ Be sure to show the authors some love and appreciation with kudos and comments on the fics you enjoyed!

🌺 Remember Our Love - Remember Me by Larnee💠[G, 638] Tim Laughlin - the love of Hawkins life is gone. Hawk struggles to move forward until someone unexpected shows up at his doorstep. Tim has never left Hawk, not now, not ever.

🌼 Chances Are by @bluebellsinburbank | ConsumingLove [G, 3K] After a family Thanksgiving, Estelle and Hawk talk. Then she meets Tim.

🌺 I Know I’ve Never Lived Before by @bluebellsinburbank | ConsumingLove [G, 3K] Wherein Hawk completely accidentally and through no fault of his own intentionally ends up dating the man he's sleeping with.

🌼 Within The Heart of Me by drabbleswabbles💠 [NR, 3K] Lucy goes to the hospital to talk to Tim. When she arrives, Hawk is already there.

Otherwise known as, a prompt fill that wanders a bit off the mark, but is close enough in spirit to give credit where credit is due as far as inspiration goes.

🌺 Darkness Before the Dawn by @beyondxmeasure | Cyantific [NR, 350] It’s June 1944, following the US offensive against the German-led Caesar line that tore through a small squad of the 141st Regiment, killing two men and wounding others, along with Sergeant Hawkins Fuller. Following the blast of the Nazi’s K5 railway gun, he underwent surgery to repair sustained shrapnel damage and is now recovering in the Army’s 32nd Evac Hospital. In the bed next to him lies Corporal Marcus Gaines from the 85th Infantry Division, also wounded in action.

Or, the story of how Hawk and Marcus met.

🌼 A Disaster Beyond Measure by drabbleswabbles💠 [NR, 23K] Hawkins Fuller is a campaign manager with a PR disaster on his hands. The solution involves pretending to date none other than Timothy Laughlin.

Featuring: unrealistic portrayals of the life and job of a campaign manager for the sake of the fake dating trope.

🌺 Who Are You (who am I?) by Anonymous [G, 2K] AU- Hawk fails his security clearance after Tim goes to the army and Senator Smith locks him in a mental hospital where he is lobotomised

Or, Tim receives a letter from Mary saying Hawk needs him.

🌼Too old to play (and too young to mess around) by @bejeweledmp3 | ninav [M, 61K] Kimberly Fuller goes on a two-week vacation to San Francisco, in which she: drinks excessive amounts of tea, gets betrayed, cries more than she should, eats donuts, and seeks out truth with the help of a man she only knows from a presentation card; not necessarily in that order.

But mostly, she finds her father in every least expected place. And learns to make her peace with what that means.

🌺Sands of Time (Turn Backwards) by @brouill3r | brouiller [NR, 22K] 1987 Hawkins Fuller is full of regrets for the life he's lived, though Tim once told him he regrets nothing. Hawk so wishes he could say the same.

In the still night air of a hotel room, clutching a cracked paperweight to his chest like it's carved of the finest gold, Hawk gets his wish.

Or, a time-travel fix-it fic that nobody asked for.

🌼 Is it over now? by @satelarry | satelarry [M, 43K] Seeing the love of your life walk away without being able to tell him that you love him has to be one of the worst situations a person can go through. But Hawk decided to fulfill Tim's request, knowing it will be the last. What happens when he wakes up, 18 years before, with the knowledge of what's going to happen if he makes the same decisions? Does the ending always stay the same?

Or, the Time Travel AU in which the only thing ruining Hawk's plan is Tim's stubbornness.

🌺 Again, only better by @madsmeetsmisha | madsmeetsmisha [M, 17K] Hawk had no idea what was really going on here. All he knew was that he was back in 1954 and a completely distraught Tim was standing outside his door. And he also knew that he certainly wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

🌼 🪴His great consuming lovage* 🪴 by @carnivalrow | nightfall_in_winter [T, 2K] Tim's potted plant has a story to tell...

🌺 We'll be on the road like Jack Kerouac by @jesterlesbian | captainquint [M, 4K] He tried to think of what Tim would do or say. The man who had only spoken to his son a handful of times over one weekend in 1968, but had seemed to understand him far better than Hawk ever had.

The business card felt like it was burning a hole in his pocket.

An idea burst to life in Hawk’s mind. This was an emergency if he’d ever seen one.

“What would you say to coming with me to San Francisco?”

Or, Hawk and Jackson go on a cross-country road trip to San Francisco.

🌼 Educate Me by @fullerthanskippy | fullerthanskippy [E, 13K]  A Hawk x Tim AU in which the timelines jump from 2012-2014 to present day 2024. When present day Tim receives an invitation to the 10-year reunion of his Georgetown graduating class, he is filled with both hope and dread that he will run into one particular professor.

One man who was the through-line of his two years in grad school. The man who taught him more than he could have ever learned in the classroom.

When Tim is re-acquainted with Professor Hawkins Fuller, he immediately flashes back to 12 years prior, when he first encountered the man that he had no idea would be the greatest love and loss of his life.

Or, tons of garbage filthy smut sprinkled in between pining, angst, and fluff. Contains explicit material including but not limited to the likes of top!hawk, bottom!tim, top!tim, bottom!hawk, dom!hawk, sub!tim, bratty!tim, and much, much more. Enjoy!

🌺 I Sing the Body Electric by telescape8💠 [M, 28K] Modern AU. It all starts on Election Night 2016. Tim falls hard. Hawk falls harder.

💠Authors: if your tumblr (or other socials) isn’t linked, and you'd like it to be, let me know and I'll be happy to add it! Or, if you’re linked already and would prefer not to be, please contact me to remove it.

[lameravigliadoro]

I'm a English native and I'm learning French I can have a short conversation in French but I'm really slow and takes time to understand some words. I used to be in French classes in highschool (I'm going to be a senior in highschool when it starts up) what would you recommend for me to use to help learn more? I'm currently using droplets and Duolingo for studying (Droplets for vocabulary and Duolingo for grammar, reading things like that) what would you recommend for me to use thats free or doesn't cost that much? It would help a lot thank you

Hi!

Duolingo and Droplets are good resources for starters.

there are several things you can do if you want to go further.

Check out RFI (Radio France International) : You'll find free listening and reading resources abt French speaking news. I highly recommend you listen and then read the podcast episodes of LES MOTS D'ACTUALITÉ (words that are the news - they will explain the origin and meanings of 1 word that is relevant these days in France). but be curious and check out the rest, they have lots of good stuff.

Read news articles for free on official news website France Info, RTBF (Belgium). you'll find some free articles on Le Monde, Libération, Le Parisien, etc.

find lessons and exercises on Francaisfacile.com to get a better understanding of grammar, conjugations, tenses, etc.

Read 19th Guy de Maupassanant's (King of French fantastique genre) short stories on Wikisource. Highly recommend "La Main" ("The Hand", kinda horror, but really famous)

-> when you're more confident abt reading novels in French, just search for any 19th writer + Wikisource and you should be able to find their works in full for free. My favs are Zola, Balzac, Victor Hugo (Les Misérables' writer !), Flaubert, Dumas (Les Trois Mousquetaires' writer !), George Sand, Stendhal (esp La Chartreuse de Parme) etc.

if you have doubts about how to say something like a native, ask someone on HiNative you'll always have some French speaking ppl to help you.

- Familiarise yourself with spoken French with youtube/podcasts/etc (anything that's material for listening skills). If you're on youtube you can check channels like

Vogue France and their street style, with subtitles and lots of fashion and slang vocab! I used it in my French lesson and it worked quite well.

Yes Vous Aime was a comedy skits channel, with French subtitles. They did parodies, you can check it out!

Paul Taylor is a British stand up comedian. He's doing skits and specials in both French and English, and he's honestly perfect at grasping and vulgarising French oddities either in the language or the french society.

Clément Viktorovitch and his weekly analysis on French politics/news on Franceinfo. As you may already know, we're very passionate about our political life in France. so you can get used to the vocab have a gist of it with these chroniques radio.

Karambolage - it's a bilingual channel (German & French - l'amitié franco-allemande is a big thing! 🙂) that explains social, cultural differences between the two countries. You can find illustrated explanations of Le Verlan, expressions like "Monter à Paris" etc etc. It worked so well with my students! they found it easier to understand.

Damon Dominique is a language American youtuber and he's good at explaining and vulgarising French grammar and slang. Sometimes you gotta look at a foreign point of view :)

Konbini (especially their Club Lecture, Vidéo Club where famous authors/film directors show their favourite works, their inspirations and talk abt it, you probably won't find any subtitles tho)

and ofc you have dozen of french youtubers like Squeezie, Seb, Lena Situation, Aurélien Prévaux, Zen (talkshow) etc.

And when you're more confident, you can pick a day when you'll try to think only in French, another day when you'll translate what's written on your food package/friends convos/emails etc etc

put your phone settings in french, follow vocab accounts on Instagram, follow French ppl on social media so that you get accustomed to read in French on a daily basis.

and find a book to read in french, or fanfics if you're into it, anything that'll make you read in French :)

I hope that answers your questions! and sorry if it looks like too much, I'm getting back at a language I used to learn in high school too, it's not easy and it takes time. so take your time with French, I just put everything I thought might help in the first months/first year!

good luck! bonne chance !

[peerbear]

Saint Catherines THE SHOOT

The shoot for Saint Catherines was a very heartwarming experience.

We started out checking the equipment at Craglockhart Kit Stores where I colour-coded every character's lavalier microphone so that I could quickly and easily differentiate between transmitters and receivers on set and also know immediately whose was whose and thus where to connect it on my MixPre 10 on which I gave each character a channel each. The boom was 1, Phoebe 2, Harry 3, Jo 4 and Sara 5. The colour choices were Phoebe blue, Harry red, Jo yellow and Sara green. I also in a previous session where I had booked out the MixPre 10 to go over settings, learned how to use the WingMan App's reports (using a Youtube video), which is a log of the notes you make on each take on set, which is super helpful for post-production. This was the first time I used the MixPre 10 on set with so many channels and the first time I recorded a 4 people simultaneous setup.

We had also been introduced to the Tenacle Sync which syncs the timecode for camera and sound and saves time in the edit. I took it upon myself to set this up every day and coordinate with camera because they had so many other things to worry about. We had had a brief previous session going over how to use it and I messed up because I had put a cable in the wrong port of the MixPre I did not realise this until the last day, so the tentacles were synced but the MixPre was not receiving the timecode, but the camera was. So we only had the last day synced automatically, which took away time from our editor, Alyssa, but she had factored this into her edit window anyway. I still felt guilty and this was a massive learning curve for me. It will never happen again!

Here is a photo from the session of how it should have been and I forgot to double-check the photo, rookie mistake:

Back to Craiglockhart Campus, after checking all of the equipment, Katie, Eva and I helped Orla load up a van with the equipment and once we had done this she drove off to Saint Catherines. I then drove myself and some of our crew (Katie, Eva, Alex and Sophie, our continuity supervisor) to Saint Catherines.

From here I won't go entirely in chronological order because so many things happened, so I will just give some key highlights and summaries of what happened. Every day we would shoot from about 9 to 5 and in the evenings we would relax and play werewolf which became a proper daily ritual.

Before the shoot, I had been quite nervous about being in charge of sound mixing and recording because I usually find this very hard and run into many issues. After all, there are always issues when recording sound that in some instances are out of your control. But on the shoot, I fell in love with sound recording and found myself getting into the groove and getting more and more comfortable with it. Something I have to say is that when I listen back to my recordings and see photos of me on set I hear and see how serious I am! I think this will be my nerves coming out and me wanting to do my best, it must be the German in me or something because I am never so to the point and sharp. With the expressions, I am not as worried because I know I have a bit of a resting bitch face.

As we were recording both inside and outside I found the struggles for these were very different. Inside the mics were more sensitive in the smaller space and the lighting setups created lots of whirring sounds. Outside cars were extremely loud as we were situated right next to a main road, something I had been aware of on the location recce, but it had seemed like a much quieter road at the time. There was also a construction site where someone was building a house, but somehow this did not interfere with dialogue too much.

Something I learned about dialogue was to do with recording overlapping dialogue. When so many people are on set it is very hard to avoid having actors not interrupt each other during takes. Usually, they will and this will be what is used in the final picture edit because it is a natural performance and what is required of them but in sound, this means the different character's dialogue are not separable from each other which means it is less manipulatable and hard to get rid of. Usually, dialogue is separated into each character but when there are interruptions this is harder. However, overall my dialogue was mostly very clear and I had fewer problems with it than I expected. While on set I was most nervous about scenes 8 and 11, which are the confrontation scene and the support and reconciliation with a friend scene. These are arguably the two most important scenes of the film. Sadly when I got to the sound design I found these were the hardest to work on and contained the most affected dialogue due to loud wind, waves, and traffic.

On this project I learned a lot about micing up the cast, I looked into it and found that placing the mic between the dip in their chest proved to provide the best and smoothest audio. For women, this dip is in between their breasts and I found this was a very new situation for me to navigate. I was told by friends that on their sets women had to lav themselves up, but the actresses had no idea how to do this and I did not find it fair to ask this of them, nor did I want to risk having bad dialogue. But we were lucky, who knew being gay can pay off in the workplace. I would lav up the actresses while my boom op George would lav up the only actor. I would navigate this by ensuring actresses felt comfortable and most of this involved them moving the microphone through their clothes themselves and even holding it in place in the necessary dip. My main point of contact was applying the mic to their chest with medical tape that I had procured before the shoot. What I also had to take into consideration was costume. Different costumes required different lav positioning and these also required different housings made out of tape, something that I learned from Tom in the test shoot and then adapted to fit my own needs. These housings lessened contact between the lav and the costume. Laving up the actresses would get quicker each day and we quickly found our rhythm and a way to make this work for each of them. From the second day after having a noisy necklace on our lead I would speak to costume and as much as possible ask for changes if they were detrimental to sound. This of course did not always happen, but I found solutions along the way.

I was absolutely blessed with Orla, I feel we worked really well together and she always left space for sound. This was something we had spoken about previously and I had requested extra room for not only time for room tone but also wildtrack sound takes of actions and sometimes even dialogue, especially where there had been interruptions previously. This meant I had many options in the design for when things had gone wrong in the actual takes. As Orla is a sound person as well as a director this is something she pushed for so I got nearly every sound recorded in the space where we shot it. They would call wrap for camera and then me, George and the actors would record whatever was on my sound shopping list for that scene. Every afternoon after shooting George and I would go over what we were shooting the next day to make sure we had everything on the shopping list that was needed. Overall I was super happy with clear dialogue and production sound. I know the actors had also never taken part in wildtracks before and I am aware I was in a very lucky position and I am very thankful for it, I think it really paid off in the sound design edit.

I felt we worked incredibly well as a team and built some close working relationships and friendships. Everyone put in so much and without each and every person we would not have been able to make the film that we made. Katie and her camera department were incredible, I have described them as a well-oiled machine and they were just that. Also working with Katie has been a creative experience that I really enjoyed because I feel we connected really well and worked hard together. Having Eva on set was such a relief, she is so near and dear to my heart and it was nice to see her excel and be such a strong support for the camera team. She was also a big support for me as sets can be stressful and having her presence around meant I had something and someone from home and it was nice to also work on a grad film together. George as my boom op was my saviour coming on board very last minute and being an incredible boom op, he has his own separate post coming up. One day as a treat I let him sound record because I was going to do on set folley footsteps to the water's edge to replicate Phoebe's steps towards the water. He again excelled. Orla was an incredible director and made an incredible space for everyone on set, she looked after all of us so well and kept us on the right path. We all felt we were in safe hands and we definitely were. The cast was really well picked and as the days went on they fell deeper into their characters and we all very quickly believed who they were. The whole crew was great to work with and helped provide a positive atmosphere on set.

My one issue on set was the bathroom and shower issues that we had, but this was unavoidable as we were so many people and our lodgings were not used to this. As an IBS girlie, I had multiple evenings and mornings where I would run to the car drive from the lodge to the caravan carefully to then barge in and use the toilet. Cold showers were not an issue as this is something I do regularly. I was a bit cheeky and had these every day as I am unbearable to be around when I am unshowered so it was best for everyone that I broke this rule. Or at least that's what I am telling myself, but I know I get insufferably grumpy when I feel unclean.

I did find I had to manage my stress and my resting bitch face, but with time both eased and by the end I felt completely in my element as if this was something I had been doing for a long time.

So at the end of the shoot, I found myself as a happy sound girl, as we say, I fell in love with sound recording and felt comfortable and in my element. We all made it back to Edinburgh in one piece and so did our equipment, which myself Orla and the camera department helped unload.

Here are some shots and even a little video from all of our days on set, as you can see we had a blast:

[bedbellyandbeyond]

You’re A Dad Now

(Story Post)

“Gods, what have I gotten myself into…” Asger had been living at the German APID facility for a few days now. They accommodated him with his own single room while Tand and kids were in a separate quad room. Korsy was working on paperwork to move them to the Canadian APID branch, but in the meantime, he and Dusty had other work to do, so Asger and the Dark Realmers would hang out here for some time. It was a big change for Tand and his kids. Living in the dim dark woods for so long, where the sun never rose, they were having a hard time adjusting to all the light in this realm. They constantly kept the overhead lights off in their room, with just the night stand lamps on, and barely left, so Asger made a point of bringing them their meals from the cafeteria to their door. Tand didn’t seem to like having him around but had accepted him as their Earth Realm guide, and the kids loved him, so he would hang out with them for a few hours each day. He would go out on occasion and buy them clothes and toys, and the kids had some fun learning how to do up buttons and zippers. Finding them shoes was difficult as their feet were different in that they were digitigrade and long, so he figured something more custom would have to be figured out later. Now a couple days in, Dr Vermeulen had the results of Tand’s blood test and speculations were confirmed.

Tand was pregnant. When they tried to do an ultrasound though, he became very uncomfortable, and it had to be postponed until later. His blood results, however, returned positive for anemia and several nutritional deficiencies. His health would need close monitoring for a while and more blood work soon to see if his new diet helped in these areas. For now, his pregnancy would be considered high risk until his health improved and an ultrasound could be properly done. “So, it’s like you’re a dad now,” Korsy commented. He and Dusty had come to check up on Asger’s situation and were having lunch with him out at a restaurant. “But I’m not their father, and Tand hates me, and I’m starting to think I should have never interfered with them at all,” Asger said. “I mean, yeah, probably,” Korsy admitted. “It wasn’t your place to tell them what’s best for them. Plus, you knew you weren’t allowed to take anything from the rift.” “Now hold on,” Dusty said puffing his chest. “I disagree. Sure, Tand and the children were surviving out there, but they weren’t living. And yes, he managed to get through three pregnancies on his own, but there’s always risk to it, and who knows if he would survive a fourth without medical assistance. If things went wrong, those children could be left all alone to fend for themselves. They’d never survive. You’re doing the right thing.” Asger lowered his head into his hands. “What do I do now?” “Well, do you want kids? ‘Cause it seems like you have kids,” Korsy said. “They’re Tand’s kids, though,” Asger said. “I can’t just insert myself into their lives.” “You already did,” Korsy said. “And like, be honest with me. Would you really have done all this for them if you didn’t have a little crush?” Asger was taken aback. “What, on Tand?” “Of course, on Tand. Do you think we’re stupid?” Korsy shook his head. “Asger, you’re a prude. I know. But tell me you weren’t a little aroused when that cute guy tried to mate with you in the woods.” “I wasn’t! I mean, I suppose you could say he’s attractive… But I have decency,” Asger said. “I’ve heard enough lies. Dusty. Get a read.” Dusty shook his head. “I don’t need a read. He’s completely smitten.” Asger blushed and shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Also, I don’t appreciate my cousin making light of someone trying to force themselves on me.” Korsy sighed. “Okay, fair. Sorry about that. I’m sure it was scary.” “It was. I had it under control, but still…” Asger complained. “Anyway, they’re your responsibility now,” Korsy said. “Anything beyond the rift is the responsibility of the dark elves, and as a dark elf yourself, this family is your responsibility. Regardless of your exile.” “Jag vet… But what good can I do when I’ve betrayed Tand’s trust?” Asger asked. “Honestly, I think he understands what you’re trying to do for them, he’s just stubborn,” Dusty said. “And you can’t blame him for being cautious. He’s been alone a long time. Where are those kids’ other parents? And the doctor said he’s still young. Where are his parents, hm?” Asger felt sick to his stomach now, thinking once again about the young Tand, having kids all by himself. “I don’t even know if he wanted to have kids in the first place… He shows some signs of resentment towards them. He was even ready to let them go with us without him before.” “You said his species mates every time they meet up because they’re so few in number and live separately,” Korsy said. “But is that something he knew inherently, or was that something someone told him to justify taking advantage of him?” “I…don’t want to think about that right now. I’m losing my appetite,” Asger said. “Have you talked to your mother since all this?” Dusty asked. “Yes… I had a call with her yesterday,” Asger sighed. “She has…mixed feelings. I think she's proud of me for helping, but rather upset about my exile.” “That's your dad's fault, not yours,” Dusty said. “He's such an asshole…” “As strict as my father can be, I did break the rules at the end of the day,” Asger admitted. “Such rules are not made without reason. We know far too little about Mörkret. It is only reasonable to fear the other side.” “But Tand and the kids are dark elves, right? They deserve to be here,” Dusty said. “I still can't confirm that they are elves,” Asger said. “You haven't checked their mark?” Korsy asked. “The dark elf mark isn't in a very conspicuous place, you know,” Asger reminded. “It's not like I can go around dropping people's pants.” “Didn't you say Tand dropped his pants for you?” Korsy asked. “Should've seen it then.” “I'm sorry, but searching his inner thigh was the last thing I wanted to do in that moment!” Asger defended. “I mean, he literally wanted you to give him attention down there anyway…” Korsy retorted. “Not everyone's like you, Korsy,” Asger said. “I can't just lose my dignity for anyone who offers.” Korsy shrugged. “Your loss…” “You did the right thing,” Dusty assured. “And anyway, we don't know if Tand really wanted to sleep with you or if he was just doing it to get it over with.” Asger frowned. “Yeah…” Korsy raised an eyebrow at his cousin's reaction. “You dog, you.” Asger sat up straighter. “Excuse me?” “You really do have a crush on Tand.” Asger huffed. “Have some respect.” “You didn't say no.” Korsy curled his lips. “You don't want to just be another John, you wanted him to want you.” “Stop.” “You wanted him to find you handsome and charming. Heroic, even.” “You don't know what you're saying.” “You want to hold his hand. You want him to kiss you.” Asger suddenly flushed, remembering those gentle lips on his own. “…” Dusty’s eyes widened. “…Did you kiss him?” “No…” Asger shook his head. “He kissed me. But just to get me in the mood…” “Were you in the mood?” Korsy asked. “Definitely not,” Asger said. “We are not discussing this further.” “Okay, okay. Sheesh.” Korsy had mostly finished his food so he leaned back in his chair and stretched. He paused when he noticed a sly look on Dusty's face, his lips curling devilishly. “What?” “Nothing,” Dusty said, waving it off. “If you have something to say…” Asger lead. “Well…” Dusty propped his chin up. “I was just thinking it must run in the family.” “What?” Asger asked. Korsy rolled his eyes. “Don't encourage him…” Asger raised an eyebrow. “I'd like to know what your friend here has to say.” “It just seems you boys both have a knack for suppressing your feeling,” Dusty said. “You could benefit from being a bit more open.” “I am open,” Korsy said. “I’m an open book! I tell you a lot of things!” Dusty shrugged. “Your book might be open, but you have pages torn out.” “My pages are perfectly intact,” Korsy rebuked. “Alright. Tell me about your pregnancy scare,” Dusty said. Korsy faltered. “I… Well…” “Pregnancy scare?” Asger asked. “You got someone pregnant?” “No, a scare's a scare,” Korsy corrected. “No one got pregnant. And I don’t talk about it because it's not my place to talk about it, you know? It involves another person. People deserve privacy…” “Fine. What's your father's full name?” Dusty asked. “Uhh… Günther Larsen Korsgaard,” Korsy recalled. “Don't ever call him that. Only my mother and his mother could call him that.” “What was your mother's name?” Dusty asked. Korsy tensed a little. “Gesine.” “Tell me about her,” Dusty said. Korsy forced himself to relax. “She was lovely. Bravest person I ever met. She loved cinnamon and collecting animal skulls.” “How did she pass away?” Korsy immediately clammed up. “How did you lose your leg?” Dusty pressed. Korsy stayed silent. “That's enough,” Asger said. “My farster's accident is a sore spot for the entire family. We do not speak easily of it.” “So it was an accident?” Dusty picked out. “I said that's enough,” Asger ordered. “We get your point. Leave it alone.” Dusty waved his hands in front of him. “Sorry. I'll drop it. I can get carried away.” Asger sighed. “I should get back to Tand and the kids. I was going to show them their first movie.” “Ooh, what movie?” Dusty asked. “I'm not sure yet… I'm between Pippi and Moomins.” “Oh, hard decision,” Korsy said, suddenly all chatty again. “But you have to go with Pippi, right? Make your Swedish side proud.” “You're right, it has to be Pippi,” Asger said. “I can show them the Moomins later.” “Wait, Pippi? Like Pippi Longstockings?” Dusty asked. “Pippi Langstrumpf. You know the show?” Asger asked. Dusty nodded quickly. “I watched the show with Dante when I was a kid! She's Swedish?” “Of course! They showed her in Canada?” Asger asked, astounded. “The animated show was actually a Canadian/German/Swedish collab aired around the world,” Korsy informed, checking is phone. “I watched it as a kid in Canada too.” “And here I thought the rest of the world did not know her marvel. I'll be choosing one of the live action films, however,” Asger said. He pushed out his chair, and placed some cash on the table to cover his meal. “Still, I should get to it.” “I'm sure the kids are going to love it,” Dusty said. “Tand too! I can’t imagine he’s seen anything like that.” “I'd ask to come watch with you, but I got some work to do before bed,” Korsy said. “Work?” Dusty asked. “Aren't we off for today?” “You are. I have to do some rescheduling since our elven detour,” Korsy said. “We're gonna have to do some doubling back tomorrow…” “Boo…” Dusty pouted. “Well, it's not late enough to call Grey yet, so I'm gonna see if I can find him a souvenir.” “Sounds like a plan. So, I can get the waiter to bring you the bill?” Korsy said directly to Dusty. “Me?” Dusty frowned. “You were serious about that?” “Yep. I’ve bought every meal since we got here and you don’t need to eat,” Korsy said. “I should’ve never told you that…” Dusty said pouting. “Fine.” He started to pull out his wallet. Asger chuckled and put a couple more bills on the table. “I’ll get it this time. Don’t worry.” “Hey! No! You shouldn’t be paying for shit,” Korsy said. “He needs to learn.” “It’s fine, I have plenty of funds,” Asger said. “Yeah, but you’re out of the job now, so you should be saving,” Korsy said. Asger started backing away. “I’m leaving. What’s on the table is on the table.” “So chivalrous,” Dusty said, smiling coyly. “Korsy, you could learn something from your cousin.” “I’ve literally paid every bill until now!” “Okay, okay. Calm down, big boy.” “You’re all too much.”