#sounds like a subtitle for a documentary

[cosmogyros]

language-learning advice from a pro

(I started writing this post just now as a message to a friend who asked for language-learning advice. But I’m a GIANT NERD when it comes to language learning, so it got wayyy too long to be a message. So I’m posting it here in the hopes that it might help others as well. I have not edited this or even read through it all yet – it just poured straight out of my fingers – so please let me know if you spot any typos!)

Okay, first of all, there are two parts to language learning: active learning and passive exposure. You can choose to do only one or the other, but you’ll have the most success if you do both.

ACTIVE LEARNING

Active learning is pretty much what it sounds like: actively focusing on the language, learning new words, sounds, phrases, idioms, etc. It’s often centered around a textbook, sometimes with accompanying audio, but you can do active learning in other ways too. For example, you can read a news article online and check a dictionary for every word you don’t know. Or do the same thing with a foreign film – when you hear a word you don’t know (or see it in the subtitles), pause the movie and look it up.

Active learning makes you progress fast, but it also tires out your brain and overwhelms it with new information, making it easier to forget things you’ve already learned. That’s why it’s best to space out your active learning sessions and fill the gaps with passive exposure.

PASSIVE EXPOSURE

The goal of passive exposure is for your brain to randomly encounter words and phrases it learned recently and go “Hey! I recognize that!” This is SO important not only for reviewing and consolidating your memory, but also keeping up your motivation! If the only place you ever encounter your TL (target language) is in your textbook, on some subconscious level your brain will think it’s not that important… because after all, you never encounter it out there in the real world, do you?

Passive exposure can include any of the following and much more: listening to music in your TL; watching a movie in your TL (either with English subs, or with no subs at all and just don’t worry if you don’t understand everything that’s going on); skim-reading a book or a short story or a news article or a blog post in your TL and looking for words you recognize, even if you can’t 100% remember what they mean; finding speakers of your TL in real life and eavesdropping on them; watching instructional YouTube videos or short documentaries in your TL (the visuals ought to help you understand some of what’s going on, even if there are no subtitles); etc.

The idea is to let your TL wash over you without straining your brain at all. Zero effort, just relaxation and fun. You will inevitably notice and understand a few words or phrases, and that percentage will increase as time goes on, but you’re not actively studying when you’re doing passive exposure. Remember the two things you’re trying to achieve with passive exposure: 1) effortless review/practice, by inevitably re-encountering some stuff you’ve already learned; 2) reminding your brain that this language is a real cool thing out there in the world, not just a boring chore located in a textbook.

But there are also two more extremely important benefits to passive exposure that are drastically neglected by most language-learners: 3) picking up the correct pronunciation and accent; 4) gaining an instinct for natural, native-sounding language.

These are two things you will not learn in a language class or from a textbook. You can’t learn them except by doing a LOT of listening and reading in your TL. But the good news is that it doesn’t need to be the “Active Learning” kind of reading and listening; it can absolutely be the “Passive Exposure” kind, and you will still pick this stuff up.

The most important thing, above all else, is to figure out a method of passive exposure that works for YOU personally. This means: do NOT force yourself to repeatedly do something that you don’t enjoy, because you won’t benefit from it. To pick the right method, think of your interests and the things you like to do in your free time: watching movies? reading books? listening to music? writing in your journal? surfing the internet? You can do any of this in your TL, too. Yes, you will encounter a lot of stuff you don’t understand at the beginning. But A) that’s good for you, it helps you learn patience, which every language-learner needs, and B) the internet has free translation tools everywhere you look.

COMBINING BOTH

Personally, I like to pick a well-respected textbook with accompanying audio (Assimil is my favorite; Teach Yourself and Colloquial can also be very good, especially the older editions; Linguaphone used to be fantastic but I’m not sure if it’s still around) and work my way through it, doing one lesson per day if possible. That takes only about 10 to 20 minutes, so that leaves a lot of time for passive exposure. My preferred method is listening to music (I learned a good 50% of my German from just obsessively listening to German pop music in high school), but here are some other things I like to do:

find an internet talk radio station in my TL and put it on in the background

same deal with a podcast

translate a few keywords related to my favorite hobbies/interests into the TL and then paste that text into YouTube and watch random videos in my TL

read a news article in English, and then find a news website in my TL and see if I can find an article about the same topic in that language

watch bad reality TV or soaps in my TL with no subtitles, just trying to guess what’s going on from context

etc.

No Duolingo. No Rosetta Stone. (I’ve written a whole post about the latter here.) You don’t need to spend any money at all, though if you e.g. use a pirated resource to learn and find that it really helps you, I strongly suggest buying it from the original producer after the fact, to say thank you.

MEMORIZATION

This is very much a “YMMV” piece of advice, but: if you’re having trouble memorizing stuff, just don’t. Don’t bother trying to remember anything. Remember that “passive exposure” bit? It does a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of memory. If you keep bumping into the same word or phrase over and over again, you will incorporate it into your body of knowledge almost effortlessly. Of course this is easier with more common words that turn up again and again – but you’d be surprised how well you can get by, especially at the lower levels, with only the more common words!

Intentionally memorizing vocabulary can of course be very beneficial, so there’s nothing wrong with it. But I notice that it’s often one of the biggest pain points for language learners, and I believe language learning should be pain-free.

FROM INPUT TO OUTPUT

Once you’ve gotten a good grasp of the basics of the language, a really effective way to consolidate the knowledge you’ve gained is to use it actively and creatively yourself, in speech or writing (or ideally both!). For speaking practice, besides simply making friends who are native speakers of the language, you can search for a physical or virtual tandem. This is when you meet up with someone who’s a native speaker of your TL and is trying to learn your own language. You can meet for, say, an hour, and chat together for half an hour in your native language, and then half an hour in their native language. So both of you benefit!

Don’t underestimate talking to yourself, too. Whether it’s narrating your actions, complaining to your pet (okay, I guess that’s not technically “talking to yourself”), or simply having an imaginary conversation with someone else, it’s actually a good way to practice.

I also really enjoy writing in my journal in my target languages. The act of hand-writing a word does a lot to help me remember it. If you like writing, of course, you could also look up penpals who speak your TL.

And that’s about it. As always, I am more than willing to answer specific questions on language learning, as this is something of a specialty of mine and I absolutely love to help other folks get started on their own language-learning journeys. Please feel free to drop me a line if you need any concrete advice or are struggling with some aspect of your current language-learning efforts!

[astrolook]

Retrograde Mercury in the Houses

First of all, Mercury Rx in your birth chart isn't a glitch, it's a feature.

✨ Mercury Rx in Fire Signs (Aries, Leo, Sag) – The Bluetooth connection that works only when they’re standing on one leg, facing north, at precisely 3:33 AM. Loud, passionate, but often misunderstood because they speak before the signal stabilizes.

✨ Mercury Rx in Earth Signs (Taurus, Virgo, Cap) – The software update that takes forever to install, but when it does, it’s flawless. They think before they speak, but people still misinterpret them because they communicate in a slow, calculated way.

✨ Mercury Rx in Air Signs (Gemini, Libra, Aqua) – The Wi-Fi that should be fast but keeps glitching. Their thoughts are rapid, but their words come out jumbled. They rewrite messages a hundred times before sending, yet somehow, they still get left on read.

✨ Mercury Rx in Water Signs (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces) – The deep web browser that sees things no one else does. Their words are drenched in emotion, layered with hidden meanings. They communicate telepathically (because honestly, explaining themselves in words is exhausting).

Mercury Rx in 1st house - These natives words tumble out of their mouth like a badly loaded webpage. Your brain is fast, but your mouth is buffering and you mispronounce words a lot. This placement natives watches movies with subtitles on even for their own language. Rewatches things just to "get it". Have their own slang. When they type, their autocorrect betrays them. Loves music that feels like a personal soundtrack and listen to songs on repeat. A misunderstood protagonist really.

Mercury Rx in 2nd house - These natives are the slow but steady thinker. Like they pause a lot before speaking, people think they're deep, but they're just trying to remember the word for "fork". Loves slow-burn dramas and hates overly complex sci-fi plots. Listens to the same five artists forever. Loves classic rock, R&B, or jazz—something timeless. Hates overproduced music.

Mercury Rx in 3rd house - Talks fast, stumbles over words, or randomly loses their train of thought. In some cases, they sound sarcastic even if they're serious and don't mean to. Loves multitasking like watches TV while texting, scrolling and half-listening to a podcast. This placement learns vocabulary and phrases through memes, twitter slang, or duolingo threats. Their music taste is genre-fluid. Listens to rap, hyperpop, EDM, and podcasts at the same time. Will pause a song midway to send a text.

Mercury Rx in 4th house - Have an "old soul' way of speaking. Probably sound exactly like their parents/grandparents without even realizing it and some people around them could have told them about it. Writes handwritten letters and doodle in their free time or while in class. Rewatches childhood favorites for comfort. Prefers old movies and refuses to watch a bad remake. Makes a lot of spelling mistakes in their own language. Probably still keep their old notebook and drawings. Obsessed with childhood favs. Loves soft acoustic, old-school pop, or the one song their parents always played.

Mercury Rx in 5th house - The way these natives describe basic things involves cinematic screenplay. Probably wrote a overly detailed fanfic or an unpublished novel. Loves over-the-top dramas, reality TV, or anything with messy plot twists. Probably memorized a whole anime/movie opening before knowing what it meant. If these natives wanna learn a language, it's mostly through songs and movies. Also their inner monologue could be dramatic and sounds like Shakespeare. In music, listens to anything that makes the natives feel like the main character.

Mercury Rx in 6th house - Damn. Don't ask these natives "How are you?". They will give you a full detailed report. Talks and writes in bullet points. These natives watches informative or detailed YouTube videos like restoration videos, primitive survival, science documentaries "for relaxation". Lo-fi beats, instrumental music, or podcasts instead of songs. Prefers music that helps them focus.

Mercury Rx in 7th house - These natives adapts their way of speaking based on who they’re talking to. Also could convince anyone they have the same interests. Into arts and crafts. Loves romcoms and dialogue-heavy movies. Also psychoanalyze people a bit too much. Loves duets, soft indie, or romantic sad songs. Will make a playlist for every relationship they’ve ever had.

Mercury Rx in 8th house - These natives are cryptic texters and speakers. They speak in riddles. This placement makes the native to hide their true opinions and make them say things they don't really want to due to fear of criticism or being labeled a misogynist. Sometimes convey their true opinions in the most cryptic way possible. Watches crime documentaries and loves dark, psychological themes. Listens to dark, moody, or hauntingly beautiful. Think Lana Del Rey, The Weeknd, retro songs or anything with eerie instrumentals.

Mercury Rx in 9th house - These natives are really good at giving TED talks and for writing long-winded essays, even in casual texts. Uses "however", "anyways" in DMs. Loves to watch travel vlogs, historical dramas, other language movies and likes philosophical anime/movies. Loves music with deep lyrics and listens to songs in different languages.

Mercury Rx in 10th house - These natives have a sense of professionalism even when they order food. A level of sophistication. These people uses proper punctuation in texts and draft emails for hours before sending. Loves business dramas. Watches TED talks and political speeches. These people probably has a certification related to their career. Listens to motivational rap or music that makes them feel productive.

Mercury Rx in 11th house - Their speech is 50% memes and 50% conspiracy theories. Writes in lower case letters. Uses 'lmao' and 'lol' to soften every message. Watches niche web series, obscure YouTube channels, and indie films. Their vocabulary comes from internet slang and discord convos. Not into mainstream pop.

Mercury Rx in 12th house - These people say something vague, a week later, it would turn out to be weirdly accurate. Their journal entries would look like prophecies, their vivid dreams and psychic visions. Loves watching horror, surreal, experimental films. Loves songs that makes them forget their own life and dream about themselves in that song.

✨🔮DM me for a complete astrology reading & check out my pinned post for pricing! ✨🔮

[profilerclra]

All these little things pt.1 | Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader

fluff <3 The little actions that made Spencer fall in love with you

Warnings: None!

Content: Reader helping Spencer with migraine, friends to lovers but not yet

You joined the team only one year after Spencer, you and him were the youngest on the team and ended up growing really close over time. You two not only bonded over being the same age and sharing experiences, but both of you we're also the biggest nerds to ever walk on the face of the earth.��

It all started when Spencer came to work with a ‘doctor who’ mug that was shaped like TARDIS, it immediately caught your eye, as you were a fan of the show for a really long time and, it only being your third week on the job, you were really looking for a reason to become friends with the team. 

“Spencer, is that a doctor who mug?” You say, approaching his desk and leaning against it to face him 

“Yeah, are you a fan?” He says, looking up at you 

“Of course! I've been watching it since I was a child, i'm obsessed with it. Actually, i am going to need the name of the place where you bought that mug” You smile as you remember the afternoons spent in your childhood home, watching doctor who and eating a mountain of chocolate 

Spencer smiles at you, happy to have someone who shared the same interests as him, maybe, he thought to himself, he would finally have someone to listen to his nerdy rants. 

A month later, you two were already acting as if you've known each other for your entire lives, discovering other shared interests, similar humor and life experiences, you two were perfect for each other. You had gotten close to the rest of the team, but what you and Spencer had was something else, and everybody noticed. 

“Hey, do you want to marathon some documentaries with me? I've been meaning to watch them, but I would love some companion” Spencer says to you, as you both got ready to leave the bullpen 

You're caught by surprise by his invite, you've been meaning to invite him but never gathered the courage to do so, scared that your friendship wasn't at that point yet, you were glad he had asked. 

“Yeah, of course” You smile at him, “What are they about though?” 

His face lit up at the question, clearly excited to tell you about them, you loved how passionate he was about his interests, and you loved to be the one who heard all his rants. 

“Alright, so there's this one, which I think you'll love, that is about the history of music and music genres” 

“Oh, I will love that. Let's go?” You say, holding onto his arm as you two walk to the elevator 

“Ohh and there's also this one about unknown facts of the French Revolution, it's in French and might not have subtitles yet, but I can whisper the translation for you while we watch” 

“Sounds fun, Spence” You giggle at his enthusiasm as you two head to his house 

You two spent the whole night watching the docs and then talked until late at night, he didn't let you grab a taxi that late, so you ended up sleeping at his couch (after arguing a lot, because he wanted to leave his bed for you).  The next morning, he woke up early to make you coffee and breakfast. You spent the rest of the morning together, laughing and talking about random topics. For you that was it, he was now your best friend, and you knew he saw you as such too. 

Now, 5 years later you and Spencer are the closest you've ever been, the sleepovers at each other's houses are basically routine, you two will go on road trips when off of work, share hotel rooms while away on cases, do everything together. With time, both of you started blurring the lines between friendship and something else. It was clear to everyone else that you two felt something for each other, it was even clear to both of you, but neither would ever risk confessing. 

Until, Spencer started noticing these things, little things that you did, and they made him fall so deeply in love with you. Then, there was the moment he knew he had t have you. 

He had been complaining to you about his migraines, the next day you appeared with two drinks in your hand and a bag full of stuff 

“Good morning to you” He told you, smiling at you as you put all the stuff you were holding on his desk

“Good morning spence, I spent like, 3 hours searching stuff to ease migraines and I might have the solution to your problems” You say, pulling out all the things you bought him. 

“You didn't have to do that” 

“Of course I had, you're my best friend and there's no way I'm letting that beautiful brain of yours keep hurting” You smile at him, you really hated to see him in pain, and you knew that migraines had a big effect on his mental health, he always seemed more irritable and sad when he had those. “Alright so, according to my researches' caffeine can help, so this is a black coffee, with very little sugar which I know you hate, but it's for your health so drink it” You hand him the coffee and watch him take a sip and make a frown

“Alright doctor, what else” He's laughing at your serious tone that really makes you sound like you're his doctor, but also his heart couldn't help but flutter at how much thought you had put into helping him get better, how much you cared about him 

“The article also said ginger helps, so I made you ginger tea, which has sugar so that's a win for you, and also a sleep mask because they said that dark helps. Also, you need to start sleeping earlier, you can't keep going to sleep at 4 a.m and expect to be fine” You finished helping – and lecturing – him, with a smile on your face, Spencer tended to close himself off to being helped and taken care of, and you knew how hard that could be so you were happy to help him. 

“Thank you honey” He says, smiling at you 

“You're very welcome spence” You smile back at him and start making way to your way to your desk “... oh, I forgot” you say turning in your heels “Get up” 

“What, why?” His face is confused as he gets up from his seat 

“For this” You hug him deeply, not letting go until a couple seconds have passed “my grandma always says love heals everything”, Spencer's face softens, and he hugs you back. 

He pulls away, still smiling, and says “Thank you”. You both hug again before separating. 

This was it, there was no way he could hide it anymore. Even if it ruined everything, he had to tell you how much he loved you. 

For the rest of the day, Spencer did what you told him to do, even clocking out earlier to try and sleep better. But, throughout the whole day all he could think about was how much you cared for him, how you inadvertently told him you loved him. The next day, his migraine really had gotten better, and he would choose to believe it was you who made it all better and not the ibuprofen he had taken before sleeping. 

[arminthada]

brb. currently screaming at the DETAILS of gelboys ep 1

(SOURCE © @virtualtadpole)

text version under the cut for readers' accessibility

I'll leave the raving about Boss and his team's meticulous craftsmanship to u/ThoughtsAllDay and others, but man, there's so much detail packed in here, I had to take notes. Which wasn't easy while watching on iQiyi without VIP, as each time you inadvertently scroll back past an ad insertion point it forces you to sit through another minute of unskippable ads that just ended five seconds ago. Anyway, some thoughts:

The biggest question I had from the series reveal was whether it's going to be one of those works that could generate endless discussions of "Is this a BL?" And so far it sure looks like one of those works. This first episode is the sliciest a slice-of-life teen drama could conceivably be. Or maybe it just feels that way because it's so different, due to the fact that...

The entire series being shot on iPhone (though they just say "phone" because Apple isn't paying them) gives the whole thing such an indie guerrilla film vibe, which is interesting to say the least. The unrestrained depth of field, the sound design picking up on every little jingling of the charms and chains the boys have on their bags, result in this raw, artsy feel that is almost jarring compared to conventional production values.

The open environment alone sounds like a continuity nightmare, though not having paid much attention to the people and cars in the background, I didn't noticed anything egregious.

The opening toilet shot was... a choice.

The song Fourmod's mother plays in the beginning is เด็กมีปัญหา (Dek Mi Panha) by, of course, Four-Mod. It's one of the biggest early hits from the Kamikaze teen-oriented record label. Faye Fang Kaew is another of the label's first groups. You can tell their mother is a huge fan. (By the way, the iQiyi subtitles spelling Fourmod's name after his Instagram handle is really annoying. Hope they drop it soon.)

Fourmod said "this term" when asking to take the BTS, so it's probably the start of the second semester, i.e. November. Senanikhom Station opened in December 2019, while the entire northern extension opened in December 2020. Either Fourmod was referring to starting his P.6 and M.1 years after the station and line opened respectively, or the series is set in 2023.

I laughed at how they needed a disclaimer warning not to run up the escalators and to hold the handrail - clearly mandated by BTS the series sponsor. If you're wondering about the sponsorship, by the way, it probably just involved them making special arrangements for location access and not any cash - this was the case for the 2009 movie Bangkok Traffic (Love) Story, which revolved almost entirely around the BTS. Here, the lack of crowds during the morning rush hour points to most of the people probably being hired extras.

The BTS got plenty of indirect advertising in exchange, of course. Fourmod buying the monthly pass seemed almost forced at first, but was soon leveraged to explain why he didn't know how to tap out of the system, since he'd presumably only used single tickets before. (Like Thoughts said, the attention to detail is incredible, with things like these that you have to zoom in to even notice.)

The depictions of locations are so super specific to reality, almost as if this were a documentary. The school is fictional, of course, but it's slotted into the exact location of Watpathumwanaram School in real life, and everything around it, including the path of the students' commute, is real. Don't know why they'd take a tuk-tuk instead of walking 400 metres to Siam Square, though, as the traffic is totally impossible.

I have no idea how much creative liberty they're taking with the school's flexibility with body accessories, electronics, and transgender students. I'm sure the creators based it on what's possible at some actual schools nowadays, but I can't tell how realistic it is for the setting at all. Very much appreciate the variability in the lengths of the students' shorts as a reflection of their personality, though, as it's rarely seen on screen anymore.

I raised an eyebrow at Fourmod asking for extra MSG in his fruit dip. (The subtitles mistranslate it as "chili salt".) Didn't even know it was a thing - usually it's just sugar, salt, and chilli - but apparently recipes that also add MSG aren't uncommon.

I'm about curious about the passage of time. Their painted nails almost growing out suggests probably two months passing during each of the time jumps, but that would be almost the entire school term already.

It's funny to imagine how they got Yuedpao as a main sponsor. Their shop is actually opposite Kantima Salon, one wonders whether it's a coincidence or they found the location first, then got the sponsorship later.

The Kluay Kluay banana dessert shop was clearly included to keep older viewers connected - it's probably the only Siam Square location in the entire episode that's recognizable to someone who knew the place from the 2000s. Heck, the neighbourhood has changed so much recently, few of the scene locations would have looked like shown even five years ago.

Which brings me to my final point and main impression from the episode: Everything in it feels so deliberate in its depiction of today's youth culture. Which is of course what the creators set out to do. But the thing is, I (and probably most Millennial and older viewers) can't quite tell how accurate it is. I trust that the team did their research well, and on the whole it feels real enough, but the script's particular references, slang and vernacular might as well be a foreign language. It feels rather eerily uncanny how changed some things have become in the space of a generation, and yet how familiar some things remain.

[xetlynn]

zaun high school- a viktor fic.

season one, episode one- pilot

[episodes][audio&subtitles][next episode]

“So. Who are you? Let’s start with that.” An unknown voice speaks behind the scenes. A prestigious and kind looking woman sits in front of the camera. “My name is Mel Medarda, Principal M. Ms. Mel. Whatever you’d like to call me is fine.” She smiles, her eyes crinkling softly. Her hands folded and sat in her crossed legs. 

“And why are we here, today?” The cameraman asks and Mel clears her throat. Lifting her torso. “Well, I got an email from a… friend who told me you guys were looking for a school to make a documentary on and I think my school is extraordinary and deserves this.” She exclaims proudly. 

The camera pans out to show parts of her office walls slightly falling apart. She redirects them to look back to her. “I know it may seem like not much but trust me when I say Zaun High School will become one of the best schools this district– no, this country has ever seen.” Mel sounded sincere, like she truly believed what she was saying. 

“And you guys already signed the contract for this to become something and you can’t take that back.” She beams, standing from her spot and heading to the closed door. “Follow me and I’ll introduce you to my excellent staff.” She motions and the cameraman lets out a small huff but follows the principal nonetheless. 

“I have recently been hired as a principal but over the summer I spent my time getting to know my staff. Getting to know the school and last year I was even able to get to know some of the students.” Mel clasps her hands, her heels clicking on the tile floor of the school’s hall. 

“Uh, who are you?” A blue-haired girl speaks as she carries in safety goggles in a clear box. “I’m Mel Medarda, your new school principal. You are?” Mel sticks her hand out politely and the girl glances down then back up. “Powder, Ms. J. You’re in for a hell of a ride here.” She snickers, taking the woman’s hand with a firm grip. “Thank you?” 

“Not a good thing, you’ll be clawing your own hair out the first week.” She laughs loudly, strutting down the hall to her class. Mel swallows sharply, muttering out an “okay” to herself. 

“Don’t listen to her, you’ll do great, love.” A man snakes his arm around her waist and she smiles weakly up to him. “You think so?” Her eyebrows knit together, her face filled with worry. “Of course, but you do need to know the students here are quite… something.” He pouts out his lips. She sighs, leaning into his touch. “I remember from when I came as a district worker, Jayce.”

She cringes at the memory as she knocks on her fiance’s door first. “Come in!” He shouts from the other end. Mel peers back to the cameraman with a smile, opening the door. Jayce is up on a desk putting up decorations. Mel rushes over to him, her hand grabbing onto his thigh. “What are you doing? That's not safe!” She exclaims. 

“I’m almost done, just give me three more seconds.” He waves it off, continuing his unsafe action, quickly taping a string onto the stone wool ceiling. She awkwardly laughs it off in front of the unnamed man beside her that is currently recording this entire thing. “And done!” He jumps off the desk, almost tripping but catching himself on the counter beside it. Mel flinches at the sound but carries on. 

“This is Jayce Talis. The social studies teacher, and my fiance!” She introduces him to the “audience,” he wraps an arm around her. “Isn’t that against some sort of… HR regulation?” The cameraman questions quietly, both Mel and Jayce’s faces drop but then quickly pick back up. “It was but I have a vice president who you’ll meet later on. He gives all the orders to Jayce instead of me so we’re safe to work together. I can’t make any decisions on Jayce’s work life.” Mel sweetly explains, patting her partner's side before letting go. 

“Let’s go meet the others.” She swiftly says, wanting to get out of this situation. She leads the way to the neighbor class. The door was open so she didn't knock this time. Only doing a small “hii.” This time the teacher was sitting at his desk writing something down on his desk. “Hello, Miss Medarda. What can I help you with?” He speaks with an accent, sounding incredibly formal. He looks up to the woman, also noticing the cameraman but decides to ignore it since he already knew about the whole documentary thing. 

“I’m introducing some of the staff!” She does jazz hands, then faces the camera. “This is Viktor. Or Mr. V. He is our lovely chemistry teacher.” The camera pans out to show the room. It was the opposite of the last one. Very bland, only having two posters that were “memes” about science. Everything was neat except for his desk that was pretty cluttered which is surprising because he still has a week before school even starts. 

“Hello, I guess.” He waves to the device boredly with a straight face. “Oh, also. There’s a new staff member coming and when she comes in can you please come grab me.” Mel whispers to him and he nods his head. “Sure.” 

“Thank you!” She then leads back to the hallway. Continuing on with the tour and introductions to the staff. 

Viktor goes back to writing in his notebook that held his planning information for the school year. He was behind on creating the binder due to… his procrastination. Filling his summer with projects he had been wanting to do during the school year but never had the time for them. 

A little stupid on his part but he enjoyed his break so that’s all he can truly think about. His writing is cut short… once again as he sees a girl wander in the hall, looking around with an extremely nervous expression. He lets out a small huff of annoyance before standing up, using his cane to do so. Pushing himself toward the door. 

“Ahem,” He coughs, startling her. Her eyes widen as she looks over to him. “Sorry, didn’t mean to frighten you. I’m Viktor.” He extends out a hand and she takes it automatically. She seemed extremely flimsy? Very all over the place. He observed the girl before him. Taking in her appearance. 

She wears a pink satin button up and a long skirt with a piano design with pink boots and silver jewelry, all representing something to do with instruments. School hadn’t started and she already was wearing teacher-like outfits. He mentally judged it. She seemed to be quite a character already. 

“I’m [Name], I- Are you- Sorry.” She takes her hand back, wiping it at her side since she started to feel sweat building up in her palm. “Sweaty, a bit nervous.” She lifts her hand to explain something he hadn’t even asked about. It was a sweet gesture though. “Are you giving me a tour or… is Mel?” She asked, averting eye contact with the man before her. His eyes slightly squinted which made him even more intimidating to her. 

“Mel, I'm pretty sure. She’s giving a tour to the… another cameraman.” He comments, glancing at the man that is recording their current interaction. “Right.” She presses her lips in a line tightly, puffing out her cheeks with air. Not knowing what else to respond with. “I’m sure we can find her, let’s go.” He motions with his head for her to come with. 

She fixes the bag on her shoulder, stepping after the accented man. 

“So, what do you teach?” [Name] tries to strike up a conversation with him. He wanted to sigh, give out a rude response only because he’s upset that he’s away from his work but instead answers in a monotone way. “Chemistry.” She hums, fidgeting with her hands. “That’s cool, I was so bad at science.” She chuckles. 

“Mm, it’s not for everyone.” He shrugs, turning the corner. It grows silent between the two of them. Her, figuring that it was better off to keep her mouth shut since he didn’t seem to be in the mood to talk. He, feeling that exact way that she’s thinking. Appreciating that she figured it out too. For some reason though it felt wrong, a tug in his chest that causes him to bow his head for a moment before he speaks up. “What do you teach?”

Her eyes brighten, gazing over at him as she answers. “I’m a music teacher. Band and Orchestra.” She then gesticulates to her clothes and now it makes sense. Viktor doesn’t pay attention to most of the staff in the school so he had no idea that they needed a replacement for the music area. “That’s interesting, your clothes make sense now.” He dryly jokes and she snickers. “Mhm. 

“There she is. Ms. Medarda!” He suddenly shouts down the hall, both the cameraman and the principal look in your direction. Mel’s face lights up and she excuses herself. Heading toward the both of them. “Ah, [Name] [Last Name]! You’re here.” She announces the obvious and [Name] grins. Feeling a much more comfortable aura from her than with Viktor’s greeting. “You’re even more beautiful in person!” She compliments and she lets out a shy laugh. 

“Oh, you’re one to talk!” She tells her earnestly. “I was doing a small tour for our documentary but we can restart!” She informs the girl. “Okay!” [Name] sticks a thumb up, Mel looks over to Viktor who is leaning against his cane with a patient look. “Thank you, Viktor. You’re excused.” Mel nods and he does the same. Saying a minuscule goodbye. 

“Sorry about him, he was in the middle of something.” Mel apologizes for the boy but [Name] just shakes her head. “He was extremely kind, no worries!” She says, partly lying but no one needed to know that. 

“Am I nervous for the new girl… Yes. Extremely. The last one left for a good reason.” Mel talks face to face with the camera, standing in front of one of the many brick walls in the school. 

The class was filled with students messing around with one another. Playing wrong notes and crumpling up the music sheets to throw them at one another. The teacher at the front of the class who just sat at the piano on their phone. Defeated, and ready for the end of the school year. Done with teaching these bad ass kids. 

Mel sighs. “But she comes from the top of her university and even taught elementary kids. I’m pretty confident in her abilities to handle the students this year.” She attempts to smile but it just comes out as if she was gritting her teeth together. 

“And this is your room, you have full power over everything in here. We got new instruments and equipment so check it out! If you have any worries I’ll be in my office. Any questions for now?” Mel inquires, standing in the doorway of [Name]’s new classroom that was ten times bigger than the one she used to teach in. “No, I don’t think so.” The new girl steps into the room, scanning it over. Shocked by what she’s seeing. “Awesome! Come see me before you leave, alright? I’d love to hear what you think about everything.” She places a hand on the girl’s shoulder before taking her leave. Whispering to the cameraman to stay with [Name] as she heads to her office. 

“Uh, how do I think about Zaun High School? It… is definitely a school.” [Name]’s eyes drop to the ground. “The people are nice. For the most part.” She scratches the back of her neck. 

“This is Sevika, she’s the lunch lady. The lady to go to for the food and sometimes even advice surprisingly.” Mel murmurs the last part and Sevika snaps her head towards the both of the girls. “I don’t need to hear your problems. Don’t tell people that.” She snaps. “I get enough of that with the sisters.” She grumbles in irritation. Mel chuckles. [Name] furrows her brows. “The sisters are Powder and Violet. Miss J and Mrs. Kiramman.” Mel tells her and her mouth goes into the shape of an ‘o’ but then she’s confused again. 

“I thought Kiramman goes by Dr?” [Name] questions. “I haven’t introduced you to her Mrs.” Mel says and Sevika begins to glare at the both of them. “Are you going to stay here and be useless or do I have to kick you out?” She grunts and Mel takes that as her cue. Leading [Name] out before she has to witness Sevika’s tantrum on her first day here. 

“I think it’ll grow on me though.” She smiles. “At least I hope so.” She deadpans. 

Sorry for this being so much later than I wanted it to be. I've been so busy and unmotivated :(

taglist: if you want to be added lmk!

@night-fall-moon @donnie-is-here @pxszels @ashuwhat @theuntoldlullaby @urfavlarry

[lenalenouilleisblogging]

2024 feminist movie retrospective ~ day 9

It's RAPID FIRE REVIEWS TIME !! ROUND 2

I don't have enough to say about these next films to write full reviews, but i still want to mention them, these are some of the ones i watched in theaters in April of 2024. (i wanted to do 1 post per trimester initially, but i saw a LOT of movies last summer and the posts are already long enough lol)

AUTISTIC VAMPIRE FLICK YESSSS!!!!! 🦇 An incredible first feature from Ariane Louis-Seize, I'll definitely keep an eye on her work. Thank glob the movie was shown with subtitles 😵‍💫 I already have comprehension issues when people with the same accent as me are mumbling, I would not have understood the Quebec accent in this film at ALL.

The two main leads give great performances, all the character dynamics are super entertaining and watchable. Great pace, great dialogues. Mostly takes place at night and there's some great photography and lighting. A bit predictable, but also really sweet and funny, will put you in a good mood.

trailer

My favourite thing ever is when I get to see SSA characters outside of "gay cinema". I want to see characters who happen to be gay go on the same adventures as straight characters. I want to see them have fun. But I'm.... Not sure about this one?

It's purposefully vulgar and over the top, it's absurd, it's "unserious" as the kids say. And it works. It's fun and engaging, and the film-making is very good. The editing in particular is really original and fun. But there's just something about this film that reeks of "a straight man directed this". Too phallic centric for my liking for a film that was originally titled Drive-Away Dykes. It tries to be an ironic B-Movie but it has the most celebrity cameos I've seen all year. It tries to be """sex-positive""" but it ends up feeling fetishistic.

While the film is directed by Ethan Cohen, it's a dual effort from him and his wife Tricia Cooke. They both wrote and produced this. Cooke "identifies as queer" and has said their marriage, I quote: "is a very non-traditional marriage. I have a partner, Ethan has another partner." Which is the lamest and most heterosexual thing I have ever heard lmao

Make your own mind up on this one. If you like juvenile comedies and absurdly horny characters you might enjoy it. I would be lying if I said that I didn't. Texan lesbian Margaret Qualley I am free on friday please call me.

trailer

One of my absolute favourites of the year. It's interesting to watch from France, holy shit the USA medical system is truly broken on every level. The film is brutal, shocking, unrelenting, and that's the point. All the technical aspects work in tandem to create a truly harrowing experience. It's well shot, it has great fucking sound, and the performances are stellar all around. Michael Pitt from Hannibal is still fucking crazy lol.

This movie does a better job at putting you in the main character's shoes than anything else I've seen this year. When it finally ends you'll feel like you can breathe again. The director worked as an ambulance driver for 1 year in preparation for this and you can tell he cares. The film feels very raw, a lot of sequences have a documentary feel to it and the acting is so good it looks like an unscripted mess (yes this is a compliment). Very real and flawed characters. Very atmospheric. A bit sloppy in how it handles drama in the second half. But overall I loved it.

trailer

Undoubtedly my biggest ❓❓❓of the year lol. I absolutely loved the two first thirds. The dialogues, the pacing, the movie is absolutely beautiful to look at with some amazing locations that are filmed beautifully. The characters have great dynamics and it's engaging. Then the film COMPLETELY lost me in the last third. I don't even know what to say. I'm often told that I have artsy fartsy intellectual tastes but even I have my limits. What the hell? Don't get me wrong, I love cryptic endings. But it didn't feel earned at all. It felt like 30min of film were missing? I love every part of this film individually. I actually think the last third is great. I just don't understand how it's related to the rest of the film AT ALL. What... What the fuck

trailer

Low-budget documentary about a french nurse. That's it. Very simple, very sweet, loved watching it with my nurse mom. It's sooo french lol. It's about life, it's about healing, it's about incredible women. A fun watch. French hospitals need urgent help that our government isn't providing. But the fucking heroes who work in them are still clocking in and making the world a better place.

trailer (no subtitles sorry)

This kind of drama is not what I go for usually, but undoubtedly powerful. A grim look at reality. A film about how little the law cares about victims of rape. The fact that the movie ends up "proving" (not graphically) that the crime did happen feels like a betrayal of its concept. We didn't need to see it, we just believe victims. But i guess it's needed for the general audience... All the performances are terrific. Very female-centric with a hopeful ending. Loved the end credits 🥹 let's go women

trailer

I'm a huge, HUGE fan of Alex Garland's previous film, Men. I was hyped as fuck for this. And, uuuuuuuhhhhhh. It's not that it's badly made. It's great in fact. Amazing camera work, editing, soundtrack. Wonderful acting. But it's all in service of NOTHING... How frustrating... This is a film about war journalism. And journalism in general. And if you wanna see that, then go see it! The problem is that it's not at all what the movie advertises itself as! (watch the trailer below if you doubt my words lol) It establishes this really surprising story of a massive, violent civil war tearing the US apart and then it simply uses it as a background to talk about journalism. Now DON'T TWIST MY WORDS, journalism is important. Some war journalists are fucking heroes. (see : day 5 of my retrospective)

But it all just ends up feeling super phoney. What was the point? What's the message? There is none. Why did this civil war start? Don't know! What does every side want? Don't know!

Civil War is a very good film. As i said before, my philosophy is to judge movies based on what they are trying to achieve. And i think this film meets all its goals. It's a weirdly apolitical movie about the way violent conflicts affect people's personal lives and what role war journalists play in all this. BUT i think the decision to choose the context of a civil war is a bad one. The title is bad, the trailer is bad. It muddles up what the film is trying to achieve. It makes you expect answers the movie will never deliver, and it ends up feeling empty and boring. I recommend that you watch it and make your own opinion on it. I broadly agree with what Adum from YMS said about it.

trailer

I was told this was the Indian John Wick but I liked it a lot more than John Wick! A great, fun watch. It truly is a perfect mix of Hollywood codes and Bollywood codes. The film has a great style complimented by its visuals and music, it's well edited, it has a great use of color. A great directorial debut for Patel! The story will feel very tropey if you don't like bollywood's codes but i thought it was very engaging from beginning to end! It has interesting characters and a very satisfying conclusion. I like that the film takes its time, and the action scenes are great. Sometimes you just wanna see people beat each other to a pulp 🩵 This is a great one if you want that.

An important note : i like that the film includes hijras characters, it's very interesting and it truly links the narrative to specific cultural phenomenons. HOWEVER. At some point there's a journalist on TV who refers to hijras as the "trans community" and at first i thought it was a mistake from the french subtitles but no it's actually in the film. And that sucks. It's already bad enough that this kind of oversimplification/misiformation thrives online, but it's dangerous to put it in mainstream big budget films. Like what the fuck.

I don't know... Maybe i'm too woke but i don't think it's good to refer to a caste of men who were castrated as minors because they were effeminate/SSA, and who are legally considered a third sex that is heavily discriminated against, as "transwomen". Am i the only one who's bothered by that? 💀 I guess i am considering the most popular reviews. (I just looked it up and most big NGOs consider them to fall under the trans umbrella... We're doomed.😐)

trailer

That's it for April ! I also watched Godzilla × Kong but I have nothing to say about it lol

[fwoopersongs]

光亮 - Silver Linings; Let Your Light Shine

Note: Turn on the closed captions by clicking in the rectangle [cc]! You can drag and drop to put them wherever you like.

These are words both about the song and expressing her support for Zhou Shen by the lyricist, 苟璘 Gou Lin, on her Weibo:

This is a song of praise dedicated to tiny lives amidst the vast sweep of history. In the face of the grandeur of the Forbidden City’s six hundred years, there are far too many individual lives that can feel so very insignificant. However, the most crushing kind of smallness doesn’t come just from time or space, it comes from that deep and helpless frustration we’ve all felt at some point when the world overlooks or scorns us. And yet, even throughout all of time and the infinite vastness of the universe, even if our utmost effort only amounted to a brief spark in the end—here for a moment, then gone without a trace, what matters is that in that moment, we saw our own passion. We heard the voice in our heart. Maybe this is what it truly means to have lived? You are an angel sent to this world with the power to heal. So, keep blissfully singing. Keep shining with your purity and warmth. Keep lighting the way for those who need your light @Kabu_Zhou Shen. Tonight, the Forbidden City shines for you.

/I love this song so so so much. Ahhhhhhhhh. Started translating this on the 29th of January 2022 (I know bc all my translation project file titles start with the initiation date xD) and even TLed Su Shi’s poem, 定风波·莫听穿林打叶声 to prepare! But in the end, I had to put it on indefinite hiatus partially because I couldn’t decide what ‘光亮你自己’ vibed like to me, but also because I wanted to watch the show it was made for. Posting now because I finally did get around to watching it, and also because inspiration struck*! \o/

*Cough. Technically halfway through one night in 2023 if memory serves… Yes, it took me two years to write it down…

Background

This is one of twelve theme songs for 紫禁城 Forbidden City, the 12 episode 2021 documentary jointly produced by Beijing Radio & Television Station (BRTV) and The Palace Museum, which, as its name suggests, is centered on the history of and history that unfolded around the Forbidden Palace in Beijing, built in the Ming Dynasty and that still stands today. 

Every episode had its own ending song. Zhou Shen’s 光亮 / Silver Linings was the ending song for Episode 6 余晖 | Afterglow.

(Rockster929 has subtitled a short interview with the director of this documentary from China Documentary Festival here where he talks a bit about the background of the song, and some words from Zhou Shen about it and what he wants to convey with it.)

The ‘afterglow’ here refers to the meteorological phenomenon in which an arc of light can still be seen on the horizon after sunset or twilight. It’s the perfect word for this episode, which mainly covers the late Ming Dynasty in broad strokes, from the reign period of the Wanli Emperor, Emperor Shenzhong of Ming, to the fall of the dynasty with its last Emperor Chongzhen. If that sounds cliched to you, I thought so too… and boy was I happy to be wrong!

紫禁城 Forbidden City, Episode 6 余晖 | Afterglow and its theme, 光亮 Silver Linings

Some rambles about it (and a link to the show) for you all because I couldn’t find an English subbed version. If you can understand Chinese though, I highly recommend watching it because the MV version feels SO different when you have that context, and it’s no longer just a collection of pretty backgrounds, antiques and strangers that don’t mean anything to you.

In this episode, late Ming history is presented as one of fading grandeur and deepening shadow, with moments of inspiring resilience and tragic but admirable brilliance. 

It opens with an ominous rare winter thunderstorm in 1610, on the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month, marking the birth of Zhu Youjian, the future Emperor Chongzhen. With hindsight from what we know now, it seems almost symbolic (or so the documentary narration went xD). His life, like the dynasty he would one day inherit and then lose, would be similarly marked by turbulence and tragedy.

Use this: Handy list of Ming Dynasty Emperors.

We then jumped back a little ways in time (there was a lot of jumping back and forth… I had to consult the wikipedia timeline of Ming emperors) to the reign of the Longqing Emperor, Zhu Zaiji (1537 to 1572), who, upon ascending the throne in 1567, lifted a longstanding maritime ban and reopened Ming’s doors to overseas trade. This short lived yet forward-looking policy that later became known as the Longqing Opening was what brought new vitality into a flagging economy and rule. It also laid the economic foundation for the comprehensive reforms of the ‘light in the darkness’, Zhang Juzheng (1525 to 1582), initially Grand Secretary and basically prime minister under Emperor Wanli (1563 to 1620)—which turned things for the better in terms of both economy and efficient governance.

(If you love political cdramas PLEASE come check out Zhang Juzheng’s wiki page. He also wrote child!Emperor Wanli the illustrated book, 帝鉴图说 Illustrated Study of Emperors, which was featured in the documentary.)

Possibly due in part to the way his hand was forced over the investiture of a less favoured son as Crown Prince, in the later part of his rule, Emperor Wanli withdrew from court life citing illness, and state machinery began to grind down. Beneath the appearance of upheld rituals and grandeur, Ming had begun to hollow out. Factional infighting, court intrigue, and rigid, inefficient bureaucracy weakened the dynasty from within, even as natural disasters (and bad management of them), rebellions, and global shifts pressed in from without.

There was more about Emperor Taichang, Zhu Changluo (1582 to 1620) and Emperor Tainqi, Zhu Youjiao (1605 to 1627) before circling back to Emperor Chongzhen whom we started off with, and their ultimately futile attempts to turn back the tide (of the gradual decline of Ming). But beyond emperors, ministers and the suffering people, what stood out and became clear as I watched this episode was how very human they all were. The quiet heroism and tragic flaws of those who tried in their own ways to hold the center together. Sometimes the same ones who accelerated its end. The nobility and the failures, the integrity and short-sightedness, the earnest reformers and bitter rivals—sometimes all in one messy tangled ball. History, shaped by people in all their fragility and complexity, against forces they could not control.

Ah, I may have made it all sound very bleak! But really the heart of 余晖 is not a story of collapse and things falling apart, but of endurance and resilience. Of little matches keeping a glimmer of light in the darkness.

Which then leads us seamlessly to the next section ~

This Song and How I See it

(But in the meantime, lemme plug a couple of the versions I’ve enjoyed as well. Here (Illumination) from tumblr user six-sticks with awesome word effects that add to the vibe, and this 2023 CCTV New Year’s Gala version (The Light), which is not as literal and probably had to conform to some sort of word count guideline, but still the interpretation is so clear!)

Upon the sea, a gust of wind begins to blow, white clouds roll toward the land [1]. the monsoon carrying away grains of sand. Four seasons: Cycles of cold and warmth. Look, it’s the effervescence of life, and here again, traces of decay [2]. Be it the sudden wind and rain in your face as you race, or the illuminating light of a single burning match against the darkness [3], perhaps you will never guess where ineffable fate leads you [4] like the shooting stars that fly without knowing where they go [5]. But ah, and yet I… I am willing believe in the smallest, the weakest, the gentlest and bravest of all, you. Reaching out with all your strength and all you have [6]. No matter how fathomless, endless, unsolvable, always, there’s a sliver of hope [7]. Be your own light [8a]. Heed not the sound cutting through the forest, battering leaves; straw-draped, weathering a lifetime's storms unchecked by fog or rain [9]. At Changyin Hall in the end, we are all just stories taking the stage [10]; a grain of sand to six hundred years, and all that once was, a dream [11]. But oh, and yet I…I am willing to believe in the smallest, the weakest, the gentlest and bravest of all, you. Reaching out with all your strength and all you have. No matter how fathomless, endless, unsolvable, always, there’s a sliver of hope. Let your light shine [8b]. Heed not the sound cutting through the forest, battering leaves. Straw-draped, weathering a lifetime's storms unchecked by fog or rain. At Changyin Hall in the end, we are all just stories taking the stage; a grain of sand to six hundred years, and all that once was, a dream. Unwavering despite the outcome [12a]. Being your bravest self. Undeterred by fate [12b]. The bravest you can be.

Notes

[1] 一阵风吹起 / 白云涌向陆地 / 季风带走沙粒 a gust of wind begins to blow / white clouds roll toward the land / the monsoon carrying away grains of sand.

Honestly, translating this line was like all my secondary school physical geography nonsense coming back to haunt my soul. Monsoon winds are regional wind patterns that reverse direction seasonally due to the Coriolis Effect produced by the rotation of the earth etc. etc. xD It's a very lively and lovely way to set the scene for this song because it calls ocean and sunlight dappled beach imagery to mind immediately, tying in to the natural cycles of nature, the storm and the sea that are mentioned later on in the song. 

I had great fun choosing a word for 涌 because it’s like a rising, surging sort of motion right? But the vibes are a smidge gentler in this sentence because of the descriptions that sandwich it. Since rolling clouds are a stunning thing and since these seem to herald a storm, that’s what I went with!

[2]  多鲜活的生命 / 又枯萎的痕迹 Look, it’s the effervescence of life / and here again, traces of decay

The 多 in this sentence is of ‘多么’ (duō me) | how, frequently shortened to just 多 alone. And then ‘effervescence’ was the first word that popped into my head at 鲜活 - vivid and vibrant and bursting with vitality, and I am fond enough to keep it so, even if a closer match to the sentence might have been ‘how effervescent life is!’ xD I think one of the versions I recced earlier uses 'a vivid life with marks from withering', which is also super valid.

With 枯萎’s association with plant life, perfectly tying in to the previous line about the interchanging of seasons, perhaps wither might have been a more suitable choice than decay? But I couldn’t figure out a sentence that sounded right with ‘wither’ in it, so… oh well!

[3] 是奔跑中突然袭来的风雨 / 是黑暗中一根火柴燃烧的光明 Be it the sudden wind and rain in your face as you race / or the illuminating light of a single burning match against the darkness

This structure of ‘Be it the / or the’ comes from my perceiving the lines as ‘是 / (还)是’ and these two with the next two lines conveying this: Whether it’s the storm that hits you unexpectedly, or being the fragile strength-giving light in the darkness, maybe you can’t tell what your purpose is or if your effort will even make a difference at the end of it all… 

Like, omg I really love the sudden rain in your face here, because this is what sets up for the opening of the opera singing later on! Will explain in [9].

[4] 也许你猜不透未知的宿命 perhaps you will never guess where ineffable fate leads you

Predestined is the typical translation of 宿命, which is also literally [movement of the constellations] [determined by command]. Meanwhile, typically, we hear ‘fate written in the stars’ in english. So… fate it is!

[5] 像流星飞翔着它却不知目的 like the shooting stars that fly without knowing where they go

‘Where they go’ is because 目的 can also be direction as well as purpose. When we add a 地 at the end, it becomes 目的地 (mù dì dì) destination. I went with a slightly anthropomorphic rendition here to reflect the tone that’s implied about the shooting stars* that don’t 不知 *know* their purpose. 

The way it is phrased in the Chinese, the pronoun 它 is for non-human beings and objects similar to ‘it’. However when pronounced, 它 (tā) is indistinguishable from what you use for a human, 他 (tā). Combining that with the image in the MV that has the magnificent time-exposure shot of the trajectory of stars above 太和殿 (tài hé diàn) | Hall of Supreme Harmony, I used ‘shooting stars’—plural and ‘they’ for this line.

If I were prepping for a lyric video without the context of the MV, I’d probably change it to something along the lines of ‘like a shooting star that flies without knowing where to go’.

[6] 用尽了全力 努力地回应 Reaching out with all your strength and all you have 

Hmmmmmm I let go of 回应’s responding / replying shade of meaning in favour of reaching because I couldn’t tease out the unwieldy sentence if all remained. xD 

[7] 总有一线生机 always, there’s a sliver of hope

But another aspect of that creative decision (other than laziness) is that I wanted to capture that grasping for the ‘一线生机 single thread of chance at survival’ image.

[8] 光亮你自己 (a) Be your own light / (b) Let your light shine

This line was what had me conflicted and idly racking my brains for literal months xD

Where conventionally 光亮 is shining, bright or light, none of that really fitted in with 你自己. Light yourself, as in illuminate yourself? Make yourself shine? It’s not the same as ‘setting yourself alight’ in the sense of the burning match from the earlier line, but a sort of illuminating quality. The image here is that *you* are giving off the light.

(Also no I didn't see any of the interviews/pre-performance words where he talked about it, or I wouldn't have been stuck for so long!)

And what you see is my conclusion! The first one comes after the verse that is encouragement for ones feeling adrift, out of their depth or purposeless and lost. So the call to ‘be your own light’ feels like something I would say.

The light comes from within yourself.

The second one comes after the opera style verse… well… so maybe let’s leap right into that first!

[9] 莫听穿林打叶声 / 一蓑烟雨任平生 Heed not the sound cutting through the forest, battering leaves / straw-draped, weathering a lifetime's storms unchecked by fog or rain

This sentence is actually made up of two separate lines from the same poem by Su Shi (better known as Su Dongpo - btw it’s not his name but Su of the Eastern Slope xD I’ve explained about how he got it here). The poem is 定风波·莫听穿林打叶声 | To the tune of ‘Still the Wind and Waves’ • (first line) heed not the sound of rain in the forest.

A prominent Song dynasty poet and official, Su Shi wrote this poem during his relegation to Huangzhou around 1080. He had been falsely accused of criticizing government policies in his poetry and was imprisoned before being demoted to a minor post in farway and destitute land. It was a major MAJOR fall, and I don’t have the words to describe what he (and others) went through, but there is an ENTIRE wikipedia page for the whole case. So if interested, here you go: Crow Terrace Poetry Trial. The link is to the conclusion of the case and his sentencing because that’s what directly led to the circumstances under which he wrote the poem we’re interested in, but feel free to scroll up and read from the top.

Su Shi's fall from political favor and relegation deeply impacted him (keep in mind that he was 43 when this happened, remained in Huangzhou for 4 years and passed about 16 years later in 1101), but rather than grow bitter or defeated, his writings from this period show a shift toward embracing reclusion, simplicity, and freedom from official burdens. One day, returning and getting caught in the rain, Su Shi found himself walking calmly while others were flustered. This real-life episode inspired the poem, where the last line reveals his secret to remaining at ease in spite of his circumstances. That same theme is reflected in 光亮’s ending lines.

Something cute (Zhou Shen related) that I came across recently: Since the line was derived from two different parts of this poem which also happens to be a classroom and exam staple, in his concerts, Zhou Shen has tested fans on singing the song 光亮 vs. reciting the poem 顶风波. Here’s one from 811 Nanjing in 2024 (I adore that outfit!!!!!)

Anyway! Can’t say all that without showing you what we’ve been talking about, so here it is:

三月七日，沙湖道中遇雨。雨具先去，同行皆狼狈，余独不觉，已而遂晴，故作此词。 On the seventh day of the third month, midway on Sandylake Road, we met with rain. Those bearing rain gear went on ahead. My traveling companions were all miserable and disheveled, only I did not feel discomfited; shortly after, the skies cleared when the rain ended. This is why I pen these words. 莫听穿林打叶声，何妨吟啸且徐行。竹杖芒鞋轻胜马，谁怕？一蓑烟雨任平生。 Heed not the sound cutting through the forest, battering leaves. Why not keep singing along as you tread? On bamboo staff and wicker sandals light and swift, better suited than a steed. Who’s afraid? Straw-draped, weathering a lifetime's storms unchecked by fog or rain.  料峭春风吹酒醒，微冷，山头斜照却相迎。回首向来萧瑟处，归去，也无风雨也无晴。 A sharp Spring breeze dissipates my drunken haze. It is a little chilly. Yet, welcoming me on the mountaintop are the setting sun’s slanting rays. I look toward the way we came, where leaves rustled in the cold. Toward a return where there is neither storm nor clear skies.

Is he really talking about just the rain in that first line, or does it also apply to the storms in life too? Keep walking forward, unafraid, just as you had before and sing in its face!!!! The secret to being at ease is in finding the silver lining in every dark day and appreciating it. And whether you’re met with storms or clear skies, take them with equanimity and a neutral heart. 

[10] 畅音阁里终一叙 At Changyin Hall in the end, we are all just stories taking the stage

The phrase ‘历史的舞台 history’s stage’ was used a couple of times throughout the documentary which I took inspiration from for the reading of the line. To support this interpretation, I also took 叙 xù in 终一叙 as that of 叙述 which is to record or to narrate. 

Hearing this song for the first time (and every time before actually looking it up xD) though, I did wonder about 畅音阁 (chàng yīn gé), which sounds like a building, a place of music, and why are we recounting stories there. Now, I think it’s sort of meta to use opera style singing to cue a place where opera is performed, while practically saying ‘all the world's a stage‘ xD

For the song, 畅音阁 | Pavilion of Pleasant Sounds is translated as Changyin Hall, transliterating its name as Changyin and the type of building, a ge, as ‘Hall’ for the sake of catchiness. (Hey we call it Langya HALL not Langya Pavillion xD) But for the sake of clarity in the notes because the official name for a 殿 is Hall, let’s call this place Changyin Pavilion.

In Episode 10 of 紫禁城 Forbidden City, in a small segment depicting Empress Cixi’s 60th birthday amidst a tumultus time for Qing, we learn that Changyin Hall is located near to her 宁寿宫 | Ningshou Palace / Palace of Tranquil Longevity, and that it hosts the largest performance stage in all of the Forbidden Palace. 

Here is a map where you can try hunting for it!

I went to look up the page for Changyin Pavilion in The Palace Museum’s website and here it is. You can even go in and click the 360 view to explore it.

Here’s a translation of the short writeup about it on the page.

(Post Translation Draft Edit: 😵 SUPER regret setting out to do this LMAO *coughs blood*. Please take all of it with a pinch of salt!!!!! I’ll leave the Chinese text alongside for people who can read themselves.)

畅音阁位于宁寿宫后区东路南端，座南面北，为清宫内廷演戏楼。乾隆三十七年（1772年）始建，四十一年建成。嘉庆七年（1802年）曾维修，二十二年于阁后（南）接盖卷棚顶扮戏楼。光绪十七年（1891年）维修。现存建筑为嘉庆年间改建后的规制。

Changyin Pavilion sits in the area behind Ningshou Palace at the Southmost end of the East road. North facing with its back to the south, it served as an opera performance stage in the palace during the Qing Dynasty. Construction began in the 37th year of Emperor Qianlong's reign (1772) and was completed in his 41st year (1776). It once had to be maintained and repaired in the 7th year of Emperor Jiaqing’s reign (1802), and in the 22nd year (1817), an annex with a curved-roof, a juanpeng ding, was added to the south of the pavilion as a dressing area. Another round of maintenance took place in the 17th year of Emperor Guangxu's reign (1891). The architecture that remains today reflects the style and modifications made during the Jiaqing period.

畅音阁三重檐，通高20.71m，卷棚歇山式顶，覆绿琉璃瓦黄琉璃瓦剪边，一、二层檐覆黄琉璃瓦。阁面阔3间，进深3间，与南边5开间扮戏楼相接，平面呈凸字形。

Changyin Pavilion has three-tiered eaves with an overall height of 20.71 meters. Its roof features a combination of xieshan (hip-and-gable) and curved eaves, covered with green glazed tiles edged with yellow glazed tiles. The first and second levels are roofed entirely with yellow glazed tiles. Three jians wide and three jians deep (sorry, but I can’t figure out what they mean by ‘jian’, so uhhhhh here’s an entire article for you about it xD), and it connects to the five jian annex dressing area to the south, forming a T-shaped layout.

上层檐下悬“畅音阁”匾，中层檐下悬“导和怡泰”匾，下层檐下悬“壶天宣豫”匾。内有上中下三层戏台，上层称福台，中层称禄台，下层称寿台。寿台面积210㎡，台内不设立柱，采用抹角梁。

Under the eaves of the uppermost level hangs a plaque that reads ‘畅音阁 Changyin Pavilion’, the one on the middle level reads ‘导和怡泰 Guided Harmony and Pleasant Peace’, and the lowest level has ‘壶天宣豫 Spreading Heavenly Joy’ (Chinese blog post explaining the names). Within the building, there are three vertically stacked stages. The upper stage is called 福台 Fortune Stage, the middle one is called 禄台 Prosperity Stage, and the lower one Longevity Stage. The 寿台 Longevity Stage, with an area of 210 square meters is designed without interior columns, using corner-braced beams (video explaining this architectural building technique in Chinese) instead. 

台面后部设有4座楼梯，接平台，上楼梯可抵达禄台。寿台北、东、西三面明间的两柱上方装饰鬼脸卷草纹木雕彩绘匾，惟正（北）面挂联：

At the rear of the stage, there are four staircases leading to a platform that provides access to the Prosperity Stage above. Installed upon the upper part of two front pillars of the open jeans (in this case probably meaning open air area) on the north, east, and west sides of the Longevity Stage are ornately painted wooden plaques with ghostly masks and curly grass patterns. A couplet is hung on the Northern face:

动静叶清音 知水仁山随所会 春秋富佳日 凤歌鸾舞适其机

In motion or stillness, pure melodies resonate; the wise are drawn to flowing waters, the virtuous to steadfast mountains — each finds joy in their own way. Spring and autumn brim with gentle, golden days; the phoenix sings, the luan bird dances, each in harmony with the moment.

台面中部设地井，盖板可开合。台下地面四角各有窨井一眼，南边中间有一眼水井，可为戏中表演喷水提供水源。

A trapdoor above a well in the ground is set in the center of the stage floor, with a cover that can be opened or closed. Each corner beneath the stage has a drainage point, with a freshwater well located at the center of the south side, providing a source of water for stage effects such as spraying fountains of water during performances.

禄台、福台均将前沿（北侧）做为台面，使观戏者抬头便可看到。三层台设天井上下贯通，禄台、福台井口安设辘轳，下边直对寿台地井，根据剧情需要，天井、地井可升降演员、道具等。使用三层台的剧目不多，绝大多数只在寿台上表演。

The northernmost side of both the Prosperity and Fortune stages are used as the downstage, allowing the audience to look upward and enjoy the show. A vertical airwell runs through all three levels, and the Fortune and Prosperity Stage have a winch system installed at the edge of this airwell, with the bottom reaching to the Longevity stage. This setup allowed actors, props, and set pieces to be raised or lowered as needed for dramatic effects. However, few operas required use of all three stages and most performances took place solely on the Longevity Stage.

畅音阁建筑宏丽，京西颐和园内德和园大戏楼即仿畅音阁规制建造。Changyin Pavilion is known for its grand and splendid architecture. The 德和园 dé hé yuán | Garden of Virtue and Harmony at the Summer Palace in western Beijing was modeled after Changyin Pavilion.

[11] 六百年一粟 沧海一梦 a grain of sand to six hundred years, and all that once was, a dream

This line is a… I guess you could say, a crossover of two sayings? They’ve used it to great effect too!

One is an idiom, 沧海一粟 (cāng hǎi yī sù) | a grain of sand in the vast ocean, that originates from another piece of writing by Su Shi, called 《赤壁赋》 On the Red Cliff (maybe this is why they kept his name in as a lyricist too? This whole song has been very thematically resonant with his poem LOL), where 赋 (fù) is a type of poetic exposition, often translated as ‘rhapsody’. 

The other is 浮生一梦 (fú shēng yī mèng) | life, full of its vicissitudes, is like a (brief) dream. And instead of keeping it in as it is exactly, they swapped 浮生 [floating life] for 六百年 [six hundred years], because this song is written for a documentary about the Forbidden City and its six hundred years of history.

(Do you remember the wind that blew over the sea? The monsoon that carried away grains of sand?)

I feel like swapping them over has this amazing effect of enhancing how they feel.

Also! Because I'm just like this about rabbit holes (tragically), I went to read Su Shi's Red Cliff essay, and you know what? It's also very relevant to the topics in this song. Have casually translated it below with randomly interspersed commentary.

On the Red Cliff by Su Shi

In the autumn of the year Renxu, on the sixteenth day of the seventh lunar month, Master (as in Mr… also he’s self referencing in third person to my modern Chinese reading self, so I shall continue in this vein) Su and his companion set out by boat to tour the area at the foot of Red Cliff.

A gentle breeze stirred, and the river lay still and calm. He raised his cup to his companion, reciting poems of the bright moon, singing the verse ‘Moonrise’ from the Book of Songs. Not long after, the moon rose above the mountain to the East and lingered between the constellations of the Dipper and the Ox. White fog rolled across the river, and the light across the water seemed one with the sky. Their tiny reed boat floated wherever the current wished, carried across the boundless mist. It felt as though they were riding the wind through the void, not knowing where they might stop—light and free, as if they had shed the world behind them, transformed and ascending into the Immortal Realm.

And so at the height of his delight at the wine and the night’s beauty, he struck the edge of the boat and began to sing. “Oars of osmanthus wood, paddles of orchid, cutting through rippling light, chasing the glitter of the flowing river. My thoughts adrift toward the one I long for, I look beyond heaven’s edge where the beauty lies.” His companion played their hollowed flute in harmony. The sound was soft and haunting, like bitterness, like longing, like quiet weeping or a lament. And the ending notes were sorrowful, moving and lingering, like strands of a thread that would not break. It could have stirred a jiaolong from its hidden ravine into a dance, or moved the widows drifting alone in their boats into tears.

Master Su sobered and sat up straight at once, asking his companion seriously, “Why is there such sorrow in your music?”

He answered, “‘The moon rises amongst scattered stars and magpies fly south.’ Isn’t that the song of Cao Mengde? Looking westward from here toward Xiakou, eastward toward Wuchang, the rivers and mountains entwined are verdant. Was it not here that Cao Mengde was trapped by Zhou Yu? He who once conquered Jingzhou, took Jiangling, and sailed with the current downriver. His warships stretched for a thousand miles, his banners covered the sky. He poured wine on the river banks, held his spear across his lap and composed poetry, truly a hero in his time. But… what remains of him and his now?

“And you and me, fishing and gathering wood on the river’s edge. With the fish and shrimp keeping us company, the deer and elk our friends, riding in our leaf of a boat, toasting each other with liquor in our cups. We are like mayflies in the vastness of the universe, a grain of sand in sea’s depths. I mourn the fleeting nature of our lives, and I envy the endless flow of the Long River.

“Ah, to fly with the immortals, to hold the moon and never part—though I know such things cannot be attained, so all I can do is to entrust this lingering tune to the sorrowful wind.”

(Oh it’s a mid-life crisis from being in a historic location. RELATABLE my dude.)

Master Su replied, “Do you know of the nature of water and the moon? The river flows on and on, yet it never truly leaves us. The moon waxes and wanes, but it never truly changes or grows lesser. From these, we can observe a pattern—one perspective on this is how easily things change, even Heaven and Earth do not remain unchanged for a single moment. But if we look for what *does not* change, then all things, ourselves included, are endless. What, then, is there to envy?

“Between heaven and earth, all things have their own place. We ought not to desire even a speck that is not ours. And yet, the clear breeze over the river, the bright moon between the mountains—our ears hear them as sound, our eyes see them as light and colour. Nothing forbids us from taking them in, and they are limitless and inexhaustible. These are the boundless treasures of nature, and they belong to both you and me.”

His companion smiled then. They rinsed the cups and filled them again. The dishes were emptied and stood in an awfully messy state. Together they lay side by side in the boat, not realizing that dawn was already breaking in the east.

So, once again from the top! :D

莫听穿林打叶声 一蓑烟雨任平生 畅音阁里终一叙 六百年一粟 沧海一梦 Heed not the sound cutting through the forest, battering leaves. Straw-draped, weathering a lifetime's storms unchecked by fog or rain. At Changyin Hall in the end, we are all just stories taking the stage; a grain of sand to six hundred years, and all that once was, a dream.

How do you feel about these lines now?

(NGL, hearing '畅音阁里终一叙' makes me cry every time.)

The first opera style read of these lines coming in after the first 光亮你自己 / be your own light / illuminate yourself / you'll light up your life is just OOF. Layering it with the background music to make it sound distant just gives it this timeless effect—like it's both about and addressed to all these people, be it 11th century's Su Shi in the midst of his relegations to ever more rural and perilous lands, others in worse straits whose voices we shall never know, or even that person who lost something vaster and heavier than we can ever imagine (it may not be a comfort, but the nature of humanity and history is such that you are not alone in being in that position). The way it twists my heart is just T_T

And then the next verse cutting in with his voice in focus again !!!!!

可是啊 我却 却愿意去相信 最渺小最微弱最柔软最无畏的你 用尽了全力 努力地去回应 再无边再无尽再无解总有一线生机 But oh, and yet I…I am willing to believe in the smallest, the weakest, the gentlest and bravest of all, you. Reaching out with all your strength and all you have. No matter how fathomless, endless, unsolvable, always, there’s a sliver of hope.

光亮你自己 Let your light shine.

It just hits SO different.

[12] (a) 无论目的 / (b) 不问宿命 (a) Unwavering despite the outcome / (b) Undeterred by fate

Literally 无论目的 (wú lùn mù dì) is [no matter] (the) [destination/purpose/goal]. However, it is also a callback to the earlier line about the shooting star that does not know the way. So I’ve extended the metaphor a little bit. If 目的 is the ‘place you mean to reach’ literally/figuratively, then whether you know it or not and whether you reach it or not is the outcome. And if no matter what happens, you’re unaffected by the outcome, then you’re…? Unwavering!

Same idea for 不问宿命 (bù wèn sù mìng). There was a film a few years back called 无问西东 (wú wèn xī dōng) - I translated a maobuyi song for it and had to check it out xD, and there was a line that went roughly like: May you remember how precious you are and resist malice when you are struck down, may you have faith in your worth when you feel lost; love what you love, do what you want to do. Follow your heart, and don’t be distracted by doubts. 

It’s the same idea here. Don’t be pulled back by the thought of what’s ‘fated’.

Let yourself shine, and you'll light up your life.

[gemsofgreece]

Hey sorry if this is a weird question but I'm learning Greek rn (mostly through Duolingo and self-study) and I was wondering if you had any suggestions of where to watch tv and movies in Greek? I don't have an ear for the language yet and would like to change that. (If you have any suggestions of what to watch I'd appreciate that too!) Ευχαριστώ!

Hello! It's not a weird question at all, there have actually been several people asking this!

What I have recommended in all these cases is ERTFLIX, the ott streaming and on demand platform of the Greek state tv. It is totally for free. The only requirement for people abroad is to make an account, also for free.

ERTFLIX streams the following channels: ERTNEWS, ERT1 (the major of the state channels), ERT2, ERT3, ERTSPORTS-1, -2, -3, ERTkids, ERTMUSIC, ERTWORLD (the international satellite Greek channel), ΒΟΥΛΗTV (the tv channel of the Hellenic parliament), RIK SAT (the international satellite tv channel of Cyprus) and the Greek broadcasting of the European channel Euronews. It also has the foreign TV channels DW and TV5 MONDE. It also has eleven radio stations (for all music tastes and sports).

Their On Demand service is even better. ERTFLIX features a large number of original ERT Greek series and old and newer Greek movies. It also has a wide selection of famous and less known foreign movies which have Greek subtitles (we don't do dubbing in live action movies in Greece, we hate it). Totally stuff you would pay for in other OTT platforms. There are also numerous documentaries, both Greek and foreign ones with Greek subtitles. ERTFLIX also broadcasts for free Greek history documentaries made by COSMOTE History Channel which is from a subscription Greek OTT platform. Honestly, ERTFLIX rocks.

ERTFLIX also keeps a large archive of the state media's old documentaries, shows, interviews, recorded concerts, movies etc, some going decades back.

My personal recs from ERT Greek series are: Έρημη Χώρα, Καρτ Ποστάλ and Αγάπη Παράνομη (the last one has some very heavy themes, don't watch if you want something more lighthearted).

The platform's menu is available in both Greek and English.

Here's where you can find ERTFLIX:

I am aware I always sound like I am the creator of ERTFLIX or something XD but I am sorry I just love it and it provides for free stuff others would charge for. Given that it is the state's channels, they also incline towards what you'd call "quality content" and I think this is particularly helpful for one who seeks to improve in the language through the consumption of this content. But it also has some more mainstream options like thrillers and blockbusters, just not as many as the wordy dramas, so to speak.)

I think this is where you should start. Why go to paid platforms when the free one is just as good, if not better, actually? I could also...ehm... make you aware of the existence of the site Greek-Movies, which has every single Greek movie, series, show, theater and documentary under the sun but it's all in Greek and like it happens with most... you know.. sailors of the Caribbean sites... you have to know what you're looking for otherwise you'll get lost. Check it out though.

Also, watch on youtube the show Eisai to tairi mou (You're My Soulmate). It's a fantastic rom-com series and the person who uploaded it, George, has added perfect English subtitles. He has done a very professional work. George has also his own website, where he offers subscriptions for watching famous Greek shows and some movies with his added English subtitles. If you are willing to pay a fee for it but are unsure of the quality, I can guarantee for the accuracy of his subtitles and for the fact that he has chosen the best of the best Greek series there are. Below I add the first episode of the series that is available for free in its entirety (30 episodes) on YouTube. In George's youtube page you will find more information about how to access his other projects.

My recommendation is to start with ERTFLIX and this free show on YouTube and when you see you develop an ear for it and liking it you can move on to paid content or the more targeted searches in the sailor site! Have fun!

*If you are interested in it, check out for Greek Radio apps, Greek audiobooks and podcasts (I always recommend the LIFO podcasts), you can find them in all the places where you find your podcasts. But maybe those are for when you get a little more advanced in the language.

[glycerineclown]

BEFORE DINNER: HOW DID SIMON GET SO FUCKED UP?

Great art takes risks, and 2020’s cult hit Dinner In America took a huge one by making its male lead incredibly off-putting. Kyle Gallner’s Simon has off-the-charts anger issues, commits arson, sells drugs at an arcade, lies easily, curses loudly in public, has little to no respect for other people (“my dad’s allergic” “fuck your dad”), makes creepy sexual remarks and then acts like it was a joke, goes through cigarettes like he needs them to live—but by the end, you root for him. He defends Patty when no one else will, stands by his convictions, and is without a doubt an incredible musician.

He's a punk with just one patch on his jacket: an Eagle Scout badge over his heart. It’s the highest honor that a Boy Scout can earn, requiring demonstration of leadership, good citizenship, 21 merit badges, and the final piece: an extensive individual service project benefiting the scout’s local community.

Eagle Scouts are overrepresented in politics, clergy, the military, and NASA’s career astronauts. Even if it's technically secular, the Boy Scouts of America is an intensely Christian organization—very often troops are organized by churches, not schools.

Scout Law dictates that scouts be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent (to God). All things that, you know, totally sound like Simon, the guy with a grown-out mohawk and an upside-down American flag hanging in his bedroom. He’s so clearly against conformity that it’s hard to imagine him ever being interested in wearing a uniform and building rope bridges. PSYOPS lyrics are blatantly anti-Christian, too (“fanatical religious right, pray with you because you’re white” based on the subtitles on Hulu).

The hypothesis I am proposing is that Simon earned the rank of Eagle Scout because doing so would allow him to receive his parents’ permission to do something else he really wanted to do—start a band. Maybe for his Eagle Project, he turned a storage closet into a recording studio for the high school music department. Simon goes big. Fuck building benches.

I was in Brownies through my elementary school for three years in the late 90s. We went camping, sold Trefoils, milked goats, and made gak. Our troop leader was the mom of one of the other girls, and when needed, additional chaperones were always more moms. I had a great time. Across the United States, most Boy Scouts are similarly unharmed as they get out of the house and learn basic survival skills.

Youth organizations have a problem, though—they attract people who want access to kids. I watched a documentary on Netflix last year, Scout’s Honor: The Secret Files of the Boy Scouts of America, illustrating how for decades the BSA protected child molesters on a level that rivals even the Catholic Church. Simple background checks for scoutmasters were considered inconvenient and too expensive for an organization largely run by volunteers, and the BSA refused to risk their Norman Rockwell reputation by acknowledging the issue. Men who were red-flagged as abusers could easily pop up again with another troop, since no database of “ineligible volunteers” was available to the public, and the BSA did not report crimes to the police. Deep shame and rampant homophobia meant survivors very often did not reveal the abuse they suffered until well into adulthood.

I have been thinking about this a lot with regard to Simon—maybe you saw my other, much more informal text post—but I am not qualified to (and really, really don’t want to) write fic exploring what the fuck could have happened to make him the way he is. Instead, I’m writing this essay about it. Proceed if you like to be sad!

[content warnings, obviously: discussion of CSA by an authority figure, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse]

HYPOTHESIS: Becoming an Eagle Scout was the only way that Simon’s parents would let him pursue music.

Abuse in adolescence can affect how people learn to control their emotions later in life. Anger problems are especially prevalent with PTSD when the victim has been betrayed by others or exploited.

In the film, Simon has a pretty acrimonious relationship with everyone in his family apart from Danny. I don’t really buy that he was abused at home, though. It’s more likely that his family loves him but he’s out of control, and he is. Simon’s basement bedroom is full of instruments—it’s even more “fuckin’ tits” than Kevin’s bunk bed and guinea pigs. He used to be someone they trusted with a key.

So let’s assume that Simon was being molested by his scoutmaster as a teenager. If quitting the BSA meant he wouldn’t get to start a band, he’d be completely trapped.

Telling his parents would result in one of two options: they’d either assume he was making it up to get out of doing the work (do nothing but start a fight), or believe him and pull him out entirely, get the police involved, risk everyone at school finding out. And telling wouldn’t guarantee that he’d get to focus on music—surely Simon’s parents would rather he go off to college and get a degree in something reliable, as his siblings did. Becoming an Eagle Scout was the compromise because his parents figured it was an impossible task.

There’s no question that if that scoutmaster knew about the deal with his parents, it would have been used against him. If you don’t let me do this, you won’t get that merit badge you need, and if you don’t get that merit badge you need, you can kiss your dreams goodbye...

In the beginning, back in Cub Scouts, Simon could very well have bought what the organization was selling. Maybe he wasn’t jaded yet, wasn’t disillusioned, wasn’t quite old enough to think for himself. But if the man teaching Simon to respect the flag, do what he’s told, help others, set a good example, believe in God, and be a responsible, contributing member of society was also the one pulling his pants down, convincing him he had no power or worth, Simon might well have ended up doing a complete 180 against those ideals.

Maybe that piece of shit eyed him all the time, made him feel unsafe even from the other side of a room, and now he blows up at people staring at him in restaurants.

This experience could also, perhaps, motivate Simon to use his newfound power as an adult to protect other vulnerable people from bullying, like Patty.

The church angle works too. Simon knew immediately how to manipulate Patty’s dad. He fabricated the story about Tanzania and the prayer like it was nothing, and it would have been easy for him to do if he was steeped in that environment for years.

And then, of course, there’s the drugs—classic self-medication. A way to stop constantly thinking about stuff he doesn’t want to think about. Research has shown that traumatic experiences in childhood often lead to substance use disorders. Even if Simon’s not doing dope while he’s hanging out with Patty, he certainly has been addicted in the past. His parents have likely paid for him to go to rehab, maybe more than once. Substance abuse does make people lie to and steal from their families. Simon’s sister is an asshole at dinner, but her suspicion is probably not unfounded.

That wouldn’t have been where the lying started, though. He’d have been holding back the secret of his abuse since it began, giving poor excuses for injuries, and lashing out. Traumatic experiences, especially at a young age, can rewire your brain and change your personality. Addictive drugs can, too. He’s not the same person anymore.

Simon needed help, and he never got it.

More than 82,000 former boy scouts have come forward about sexual abuse that they experienced as children in the BSA. Criminal background checks only became mandatory for all scoutmasters and volunteers in 2008.

Maybe for Simon, wearing the badge is his way of saying, “You didn’t beat me. I deserve to be here. I earned the right to start a band.”

-

SOURCES: Boy Scouts of America (Wikipedia) Eagle Scouts (Wikipedia) Scout’s Honor: The Secret Files of the Boy Scouts of America (Netflix) Anger and Trauma (National Center for PTSD) Trauma and Stress (National Institute on Drug Abuse)

Support for survivors of abuse in the BSA is available here.

[riddle-me-fear]

My dear Riddler and Scarecrow

Scarecrow's accent reminds me of Swiss German; people that speak German usually don't understand it and get annoyed. That being said.

Verstoht öpert do schwiizerdütsch? Gschriibe isch s eifacher als gsprocha, aber es isch anschiinend schwer für Lüt wo nur dütsch chönd das z verstoh. Wenn du Riddler das verstohsch frog Scarecrow was er dänkt das dä satz heisst: "ich bii de meister vo dä angscht"

Edward Nygma | The Riddler

Oh dear lord. Well, I do love a challenge, so I'll humor you for a moment. Can't be harder than code...

"Do you understand Swiss German? Written is simpler than spoken, but apparently it's hard for people..." uhm... "people who are only able to speak German. If you as the Riddler understand this, ask Scarecrow what he thinks this sentence means--"

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow

No. Nope. Absolutely not.

Edward Nygma | The Riddler

"Ich bii de Meister vo dä Angscht." I do hope I didn't butcher the pronunciation.

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow

...

Edward Nygma | The Riddler

Come oooon Joooon, just give it a try. Doesn't have to be correct, I mean, I highly doubt you're going to guess what it actually means--

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow

Fer fuck's sake, will you shut up? I'm tryin' ta think...

Edward Nygma | The Riddler

Alriiight, alriiight, take your time.

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow

... Uuuh... can you say tha line again?

Edward Nygma | The Riddler

"Ich bii de Meister vo dä Angscht."

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow

Oouf ok... I dunno German at all, or Swiss German, fo' that madda. But uhm... There wus this wanna-be Rogue, a while back, think that was befo' yer time, Ed.

Edward Nygma | The Riddler

Oooh, gather 'round, children! It's storytime with grandpa Crane!

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow

You shut that mouth o' grampa Crane's gonna get his gramma's old sewing kit, and sew it shut. ... That's whut I thought. Nah where wus I? Right, tha guy. He wus German an' I heard that bats actually talked German back at'im. Think it wus uuh... "Eekh bin da fluttermousemann" or somethin' like that, "I am the Batman", right. So I think tha first two words mean "I am" ...and then "the" ...uhm... that's gotta mean "master", right? Or is that too obvious...? I can see ya fuckin' grinnin', Ed.

Edward Nygma | The Riddler

Nono, please, you're doing great, do continue.

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow

Ffffhh... "fo da"... "for the"? And "angsht"... Well it's pretty close ta "angst", so maybe somethin' along tha lines of "unease" or "anxiety"...

Edward Nygma | The Riddler

And now put it all togetheeeer.

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow

Hhh right, whut did I say? "I am the master for the..." nah that's gotta be wrong... "I am the master OF the..." Oh, it's fear, isn't it. Is it s'pposed ta be I'm tha master of fear?

Edward slowly claps in the background, returning to his spot next to Jonathan, after he's been pacing around the room while Jon was trying to translate the sentence.

"Braaavo, Jon, well dooone. You know, I have to take that one back; you're in fact NOT as dumb as you look!

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow

Up yours, Nygma.

Edward Nygma | The Riddler

Oh-hoh! Is that an offer? My "Meister vo dä Angscht"?

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow

Ya really have ta take every single oppartunity ta flirt with me, dont'cha.

Jon grins upward at Edward, who has crawled onto the sofa and on top of Jonathan's lap, smiling cheekily down at him.

Edward Nygma | The Riddler

Would it be me, if I didn't?

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow

S'ppose it wouldn't...

You see both of them leaning in for a kiss, and inches before their lips meet, Ed eyes the camera through which you had been watching them. He smiles, and his hand closes in on the lens, covering the view until the screen fades to black.

-----

✨ V's comments below✨

I used to watch a lot of documentaries in swiizerdütsch with german subtitles a while back. Love the way the language sounds, some austrian accents sound similar, actually. I like to watch things in various different languages from foreign countries in general, because what we have in Austria is uuuhm... Let's just say it's not it. Especially because I'm trans and there's ZERO pro-trans anything in our mainstream media, everyone is antagonizing queer people generally (like on TV, in the news and stuff, the shit that the older generations consumes). So I had to get some positivity elsewhere. Now I'm more connected and found some small communities, luckily. I specifically remember a documentary about mental health in Switzerland, and it showed some people living in a psychiatric hospital, and it was sooo damn wholesome. One of them was a trans teenager who gave insight on their situation and how they cope and everything. Was really cool and uplifting for me to see, with all the negativity and misinformation about the lgbtq+ community here.

Also, the "Ich bin der Fledermausmann" thing actually happened in an old batman tv show I watched some time ago. I tried to find the episode again, but I can't even remember which series it was ��� I lost my absolute shit though when I heard bats say that, it was so funny to me.

[tanynova69]

CHARLES LECLERC : SUPERSONIQUE

Hey, I decided to lock myself in and spend couple of days on making subtitles for Charles' latest documentary with Canal+ where he flies in Rafale and *actually* controls it for a moment too! Not going to spoil it all, but if you can't watch it due to Canal+ being an arse, here it is: https://disk.yandex.com.tr/d/_rhkZRO3Qaweuw Ignore .sh files, I used them to help a bit with the translation, .srt files is what you need, these are subtitles in French, English and Russian, whichever one fits best. NB! My French is fine, but not perfect, so sometimes translations might be off, to top that I couldn't discern the speech through their radio line clearly, so, yeah, not all of it is perfectly correct. Plus I haven't edited the translations too much, they could've been more natural sounding, but the whole proofreading was already time-consuming. However, if you'd like to improve the subs, feel free to download the folder and edit them, you'd make us all a great service :)))

Anyways... Hope you like it!

[sixohsixoheightfourtwo]

inspired by your desert fury gif set tags, do you have any other movies on archive.org you'd suggest?

haha a LOT. Genuinely surprises me how many presumably-in-copyright films are just .. there.... although they do in fact get taken down when/if the rights holders notice. If it's an older US-American film, or a classic non-english-language film, the chances of finding it are pretty good.

here's a few to check out that are notable in some way. Can't vouch for subtitles on everything sorry.

absolutely crazy selection of film noir here - click through to 'show all' and there's probably hundreds to browse through (not all in the best quality ... and with rather a loose definition of noir that encompasses some sports dramas and 1930s gangster films) including some of the great classics - The Lost Weekend, Sunset Boulevard, Sweet Smell of Success, The Maltese Falcon, The Night of the Hunter (choose the second one on the list for better quality), Night and the City, Gilda, Key Largo, Leave Her To Heaven, Mildred Pierce, Kid Galahad, Angels with Dirty Faces, etc. etc alongside lesser-known films like Desert Fury. If you are looking for some ~subtext then Sweet Smell of Success, Gilda, The Maltese Falcon and Desert Fury are a good place to start.

Agnes Varda's documentary Les glaneurs et la glaneuse / The Gleaners & I and her follow-up two years later, following different types of 'gleaners' who gather things for different reasons, whether artistic or by necessity

Agnes Varda's Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962), considered one of the greatest films ever made (number 14 on the 2022 sight & sound critics' poll)

Agnes Varda's Jane B par Agnes V (1988) (are you noticing a theme. i love agnes varda) - a wacky collaborative essay/portrait - Jane Birkin, ambivalent about turning 40, plays different characters in vignettes that Agnes Varda wants to see her play, interspersed with interviews about her life

Ousmane Sembene's La noire de.... / Black Girl (1966) following a Senegalese girl who travels to France to work, one of the great classics of world cinema

Gillo Pontecorvo's The Battle of Algiers (1966) - hugely influential extraordinary film... everyone imitated this. Documentary-style account of the Algerian war for independence.

Gillo Pontecorvo's Burn! aka Queimada (1969) - not the best quality but i wanted to include it bc I saw it recently (currently on amazon prime in the UK) and it made me Crazzzyyyy. Marlon Brando plays an English agent provocateur sent to provoke a revolt in a Caribbean sugar colony in the mid 19th century. Ohhh it;'s good stuff.

Louis Malle's Zazie dans le Metro (1960) - precocious child visits her drag queen uncle in Paris, only wants to ride the Metro. Thwarted by a strike they go on a wild journey through the city.

Robert Bresson is another of my favourite filmmakers, a very still, austere, minimal style, mostly using non-professional actors - on archive.org you can find Le Diable Probablement/ The Devil Probably (1977), Un Condamné À Mort S'est Échappé / A Man Escaped (1956), Au Hasard Balthazar (1966)

I've never seen it but Kurosawa's Seven Samurai one of the best known films of all time is up there like. is anyone paying attention to this webbed site...

Jacques Tati's Jour de Fete and Mon Oncle, classic comedy in a silent film-ish, Buster Keaton-ish style

Jacques Demy's Les Demoiselles de Rochfort/ The Young Girls of Rochfort

Thom Anderson's classic Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003), documentary / essay film on how the city has been portrayed in film

Werner Herzog's documentaries seem often available - eg Little Dieter Needs To Fly, Lessons of Darkness. (On youtube you can also find Encounters at the End of the world, Wings of Hope, Bells from the Deep, and Fata Morgana.)

John Berger's Ways of Seeing - better quality on youtube rather than archive.org though, iconic & influential art documentary

Jason and the Argonauts (1963) dir. Don Chaffey but really Thee Ray Harryhausen film of all Ray Harryhausen films. legendary stop motion creatures! the og skeleton war!

Hud (1963) dir. Martin Ritt, kind of a revisionist western with Paul Newman and Patricia Neal. super famous film!

Hard Times (1975) dir. Walter Hill - just ur classic great depression illegal bare-knuckle boxing movie with Charles Bronson & James Coburn!

haven't watched them but the classic Toho Godzilla movies are there!

there are several Letterboxd lists that list films available on the Internet Archive however ... since these lists are very long and may not be up to date I find them hard to use and not very useful.

[santapau]

have you run into the video game South Scrimshaw? the multimedia format & documentary-style, subtitled voiceover reminds me very much of The Secret Knots (But Make It Video)! also, the gameplay/narrative keeps opening up absurd little worldbuilding detours in ways that ring very fmiliar to me as a long-time fan of your work. I went into this game basically blind -- it's a treat to find out it's in the same "key" as this other cool body of work I admire! (check it out if you think you'd like it!)

That sounds very intriguing, I'll check it out. I'm sure this recommendation might be of interest for others around here too. Thanks!

[astonishinglegends]

Ep 308: The Max Headroom Pirate TV Incident Part 1

"That does it. He’s a frickin’ nerd! I think I’m better than Chuck Swirsky…Frickin’ liberal… Oh, Jesus…"  -- Unknown prankster wearing a "Max Headroom" mask who hijacked WTTW Chicago's TV signal on the evening of November 22, 1987

Description:

Before streaming and scrolling there was broadcast television—shared signals sent through the air for anyone with an antenna to catch. But when something’s that open, it’s also open to hijacking. In part one of our two-part series, we dig into one of the most bizarre and legendary cases of broadcast piracy: the Max Headroom Incident. On November 22, 1987, two Chicago TV stations were interrupted by a strange figure in a Max Headroom mask, delivering surreal, unsettling messages in an approximately 90-second broadcast that has baffled and fascinated for nearly four decades. Who did it, why, and how did they pull it off? We explore the theories, the tech, and the legend that refuses to fade.

Reference Links:

Max Headroom signal hijacking on Wikipedia

“Max headroom incident With Subtitles (1987)” on Kenny Triton’s YouTube channel

Max Headroom on Wikipedia

“The Freakiest TV Hack of the 1980s: Max Headroom” on Atlas Obscura

“THE MAX HEADROOM HIJACKING INCIDENT - Full Documentary - THE BIZARRE” YouTube channel by Matthew and Andrew Reyna

“I believe I know who was behind the "Max Headroom Incident" that occurred on Chicago TV in 1987. A bunch of people have been asking me about this lately, so, I figured i'd do a coredump AM(almost)A.” on the r/IAmA subreddit

“Clutch Cargo | The Big X” on the 8thManDVD.com™ Cartoon Channel on YouTube

Clutch Cargo on Wikipedia

“Syncro-Vox” limited animation technique

Broadcast Signal Intrusion

The “capture effect” in broadcast signals

The Oddity Archive website theoddityarchive.com

The “Pat n’ Patti’s Backpack Shack” sketch on Saturday Night Live

“Space Battleship Yamato” animated Japanese anime series

“Shaye Saint John” performance art character

Dirndl

“Did Formula 1 CGI a Giant Vulture Shadow Into the U.S. Grand Prix Live Feed?” on TheDrive.com

Dr. Who serial “Horror of Fang Rock”

“1988 McDONALDs "Mack the Knife" ad for $.99 BIG MACs” on the MotionDevotion YouTube channel

The motion picture, Virtuosity

From the Astonishing Legends Network:

Find us on YouTube!

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Click HERE or go to patreon.com/astonishinglegends to become one of our Patreon members and receive exclusive offerings, like our bonus Astonishing Junk Drawer episodes (posted every weekend the main show is dark) commercial-free episodes, and more!

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CREDITS:

Episode 308: The Max Headroom Pirate TV Incident Part 1. Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess. Audio Editing by Sarah Vorhees Wendel of VW Sound. Music and Sound Design by Allen Carrescia. Tess Pfeifle, Producer and Lead Researcher. Ed Voccola, Technical Producer. Research Support from The Astonishing Research Corps, or "A.R.C." for short. Copyright 2025 Astonishing Legends Productions, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

[jeannereames]

There is this question/idea that has always kinda fascinated me and I wanted an opinion of a historian on this.

Imagine someone wanted to makes a tv series/movie about a historical person/event/time period/..., and they wanted to make it as historically accurate as possible while still keeping it interesting and captivating enough for modern, non-historian audiances. I feel like getting the costumes, events and characters 99% historically correct can be possible. However one thing might be a lot more difficult: choosing what language(s) to use.

Do you go for

A) The actual historical languages that were used (but nobody speaks anymore today). Which would be both the hardest to implement and to reach modern audiences.

B) The modern versions of the historical languages. Which would be easier and more accessible but still a bit limiting.

C) Just do it in English. Which is the least accurate but might reach the widest audience.

Which one would you recommend and which one would you personally prefer (if these are not the same)?

Several issues face anybody writing historical novels, or making films. I’ve talked about some of these in the following posts:

Writing Historical Fiction (Well): a 5-part series that discusses the challenges and pitfalls of historical fiction. This link takes you to part 1 with subsequent parts linked within.

A shorter post on common ways to approach historicals in film (or narration).

What (I think) needs to be shown about Alexander in an documentary and/or historical film to approach realism. I talk here about some of the attendant issues especially for making a film.

 Now, to your comment about costumes and events 99% accurate…you’d face two very real hurdles:

Funding…that was possibly the #1 problem for the Netflix docudrama. They didn’t have anywhere near the funding they really needed. Just because Netflix funded it, that didn’t make it “big budget.”

Not confusing your audience with a lot of unfamiliar names and seemingly repeating events. It would require judicious “weeding.”

Oliver Stone’s Alexander did quite well, for the most part, on costuming and sets. Yet it failed for two big reasons. First, he couldn’t resist throwing in too much, and a repetitive script, even while skipping material necessary to help an audience understand why the army followed Alexander to the ends of the earth. Second, he didn’t understand the basic mindset of the ancient world, and so imposed a bunch of modern ideas and attitudes. I wrote a fairly in-depth review not long after it came out. It’s still up on my website.

As for languages…

It would be an enormous mistake to try to use ancient Greek, or rather Attic and Doric Greek, Old Persian, Aramaic, Demotic Coptic, Prakrit, eastern Akkadian … etc., etc. That’s what you’re looking at. First, finding somebody able to write a script in all those languages is impossible. No single person reads them all, even among historians. We specialize for a reason. You’d be paying multiple experts to write a script that nobody living could understand—and would take a lot of coaching for the actors even to pronounce properly. Additionally, you’d narrow your audience to those willing to put up with subtitles.

The founding-of-Rome Italian TV series Romulus used Latin. This worked only because it was one language and was marketed originally to an Italian audience. Latin isn’t Italian by a long shot, but it wasn’t wholly unfamiliar in sound. That said, it was more of an “art film” type. I (an ancient historian) quit watching it after the second episode because it was too much work, tbh. (It was also a lot bloodier than I was in the mood for, in the midst of Covid.)

But if you want to see a (good) example of what you’re suggesting, that’s one. Another, similar, is The Fast Runner, which is entirely written and performed in Inuktitut, an Alaskan language (albeit not ancient), and set in the mythical past. Despite its awards, it’s virtually unknown outside indigenous and art-film circles. I did watch all of that one (and liked it), but it was a single movie, not a series.

(Yes, I’m aware of Apocalypto, but I consider that more an example of why you don’t make a film in a language people can’t understand. It’s in Yacatec Mayan, which is actually modern. In that, it’s not unlike the Inuktitut in The Fast Runner, but the latter works better, imo.)

If you want to make a movie that will be watched and understood by non-specialist, non-art-house audiences, you will have to use English (or whatever language of the country it’s being marketed to). And you’ll need to think some about dialogue. How “archaic” do you want to get? Too much authenticity can send viewers into fits of giggles…probably not the approach one is going for. 😊

That’s why, in Dancing with the Lion, I opted to utilize fairly modern dialogue, then pepper it with a bit of Greek here and there. 1) Words easy to figure out. (“Idou!” = “Look!” as in, “Look, I know you think I’m…”.) OR 2) words difficult to render into English without it sounding silly or overly Christianized. (“Oimoi!” = “Woe!” but equivalent to “Damn!” which evokes Christian ideas.) Not every reader liked my choice, mind, but that’s why I made it.

Other writers, such as several in the newly popular “modern takes on Greek myths” employ something more akin to Mary Renault’s slightly archaizing approach. It’s also been used by Judy Tarr and Jo Graham in their historical fantasies. I like that option too, it’s just not mine.

But I wouldn’t get too complicated, or you’ll confuse (and thus lose) your audience.

But coming back to the number one hurdle to film authenticity in costumes, sets, quality actors, and crew … MONEY. To do it especially well, it doesn’t just take a commitment to authenticity, but an enormous budget. Oliver Stone’s Alexander cost 155 million dollars. I expect you could to it for less than that, but everything from good costumes to rentals of multiple sets used once (like a theatre for Philip’s murder), to horses and stunt actors, to quality CGI…to decent (if not A-list) actors, writers, historical consultants (more than just one as none of us can do it ALL)—that costs. You’ve got to be the likes of Stone to get investors to pony up for that. He started talking about making it way back in the early ‘90s, and it took him to the early 2000s to get the money.

Unfortunately, absolute authenticity is expensive in a story as far-flung as Alexander’s. It’s what a lot of the critique of the Netflix show really doesn’t get. There are still issues with it that doesn’t owe to money, but multiple compromises were made due to a lack of funds.

If you wanted to do Alexander, it might make more sense NOT to try to do it all. Do a portion of his life. See how that sells, then investors might be willing to kick in more money. Inevitably, I think showrunners want to do too much at once.

[therewithinthestars]

one thing about the hbomber video and about plagiarism in general is that,,, honestly, i probably wouldn't mind if someone was "just reading book quotes at me"? i love research, but i also have adhd and i really really struggle with reading books or watching longer videos (i keep watching the hbomb vid in segments with breaks, i haven't even finished it yet)

so to have someone compile a bounch of different sources, and then reading or showing parts from them - as long as everything is properly credited, and consented for that kind of usage, obviously !!! - sounds great, i think. obviously it would be even better if you had your own thoughts throughout, linking the topics together, but even just,, taking the time to take bits and pieces from different books, documentaries, articles, and compiling them into this collage of information, with proper credit, maybe nice graphics, subtitles - doing the work for me, making it more accessible - that sounds amazing to me, like there is a market for that i believe, no need to lie and plagiarise