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rigelmejo · 4 years

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some comprehensible input links

language learning forums can be so toxic sometimes...

so many people love to push that “one method” is phenomenal and works when others just WON’T, meanwhile another will say the opposite. And then its like... where is the room to acknowledge maybe parts of each method have merit for different individuals, since they might help or click in different ways.

just today i saw someone arguing about stephen krashen’s language theories and how they’re all disproven bullshit that are completely unusable. I don’t know a huge amount about his theories. But I do know the emphasis he brought up on “providing students comprehensible input and lessons to learn from” is a concept that also is in stuff like the modern Teach Languages Through Storytelling lessons and Comprehensible Input Lessons. Which if you’ve ever used them? They’re Amazing. They are lessons where teachers purposefully use the target language as much as possible, and use visuals to help make what they say as comprehensible as possible to students so they can learn. This is how when I volunteered, we were supposed to tutor ESL speakers - because we could not reliably teach with english translation since their english levels varied, and we did not have speakers of every learners native language present to help teach them. Our program coordinator showed an example of how to do it by teaching us some Thai, his native language, in this method. And it was extremely easy to follow and understand. Textbooks/grammar guides/flashcards certainly will help speed up the process - aka allow students to use Graded Reader books, learner podcasts, then target language native materials like shows and novels to learn quicker. But lessons in the target language as soon as possible, emphazising getting students to comprehend, is valuable. Just as its valuable later on when students can handle more complex lessons in the target language.

Examples of teachers teaching through comprehensible input (I am thrilled to notice there’s a lot more than last time I looked these sorts of channels up):

Hit Chinese: https://youtu.be/xG3w2i1OBfc

Unconventional Chinese with Keren: https://youtu.be/9N-nNvnAYTs

French Comprehensible Input: https://youtu.be/c2SUQVjklVA

Alice Ayel (french): https://youtu.be/DcuVNAnsWZM

Dreaming Spanish (a fantastic example): https://youtu.be/ObO1CGY_NHI

Comprehensible Russian: https://youtu.be/gHCvEKxeXvk

Comprehensible Japanese: https://youtu.be/gHCvEKxeXvk

Japanese Immersion with Asami: https://youtu.be/pr_yRUVQQt0

Learn Korean in Korean*: https://youtu.be/zUulbCruiMs

I just found the Learn Korean in Korean channel a few weeks ago, notable in that he also teaches hangul before the other lessons. I think he maybe uses too few pictures to make it as easy on students. But having said that, I know zero korean whatsoever and am watching his Lesson 1 and finding it completely easy to follow. So I’d say yes his teaching style probably falls under “engage student in the target language and make it comprehensible so they can learn it.” I’m really impressed with his channel tbh because it teaches totally in Korean so any language learner from any native language could use it.

Just found Japanese Immersion with Asami today while looking up “japanese comprehensible input” and its an amazing example of how these kinds of lessons work. In a classroom setting (or with a tutor), generally the idea is to provide learners with lots of comprehensible input of the language they’re learning and perhaps some help to keep things comprehensible (in a classroom that would be word definitions on the board maybe for reference, or in these examples subtitles to aid learners for reference - although first priority a teacher is aiming to use pictures/gestures/visuals to make as much as possible comprehensible).

Examples of textbooks that teach through comprehensible input (these were made before Krashen, so i merely bring up Krashen because Today’s Language Forum Arguement was ‘all krashen’s ideas are bullshit ALL of them even comprehensible input ideas so you shouldn’t even bother using even a little of something related to his ideas):

French: https://archive.org/details/jensen-arthur-le-francais-par-la-methode-nature

Italian: https://archive.org/details/LitalianoSecondoIlMetodoNatura

Latin: lingva latina per se illustrata

English: https://archive.org/details/english-by-the-nature-method

(I’ve personally used that textbook for french and absolutely loved its teaching style, it works Really Well for me).

Graded readers, if they teach new vocabulary in context, may also fall into this section (depending on learner’s starting level compared to a graded reader).

my only point here is just. i hate seeing valuable learning methods completely thrown away, just because someone’s decided to equate one person’s specific method as bad - to decide every single thing related to it must be useless. In this particular case - before Krashen was old enough to have any theories, Arthur Jensen was making some of those books listed above! (Back then it was called ‘the nature method’ - although plenty of books using the term ‘the nature method’ do not teach as comprehensibly as what I’ve listed above, there’s definitely a range from ‘these are just vocab lists’ to ‘these are actually slowly teaching me new words in context’ lol). and all those youtube channels for comprehensible input? There are learners who do find them useful! I’ve found them useful!

oh man just today... sometimes people will be like “you MUST use flashcards to learn a language” and hello no you absolutely don’t have to i never did with French. Some people say “you MUST use textbooks” and yet there’s examples of people who did fine without them, vice versa people say “you must NOT use textbooks if you want to sound natural’ or whatever which? Me using grammar guides has always been immensely useful for me personally - though again some people found success with Much more textbook use, and with none. So can we please accept different methods work for different people?! And beyond that - maybe some Pieces of methods are useful to someone EVEN if the ‘whole thing’ isn’t.

Mass Immersion Method/Refold - its not ‘all’ for me. I’m never ever going to sentence mine. I rarely use flashcards and I never plant to MAKE any myself lol. Have I still found some useful pieces of Refold that have benefited me? YES I have. (Notably the parts about ‘comprehensible input’ since we’re on the topic). What I took from what little i have heard from Krashen - in particular a lecture he gave on improving reading ability in students - is reading for pleasure, exposing yourself to a lot of material even if its not perfectly at your level, will help you improve. Students who learned word lists, and students encouraged to extensively read, both made vocabulary and reading level improvements. Which - we’ve been in elementary school and had ‘free reading time’ to help us learn to read better! By reading something we liked for a period of time! Besides just the books assigned in class the teacher had us do vocab lists for! Well, in my french studies I very much saw that apply to my own second language learning too - sometimes I looked up words as I read, and learned words that way. Sometimes I simply read french for pleasure and just guessed at unknown words I Could guess at and moved past others - and also improved my reading ability and picked up some new words. Both ways helped my french improve, my reading improve, my vocab improve. And so that is what I took from it - that there is some merit in engaging with something you can understand Somewhat at least. That if you have some comprehension of a material, you may be able to learn Some More from it whether you just learn from context OR conciously look up everything unfamiliar. (And I do think looking things up speeds up the process sometimes). My point though is like... we’re really gonna throw out some good pieces because we don’t like one person who’s managed to touch on them? When so many before and after, their own levels of correct and useless parts, have found some usefulness in some parts?

I just do not get language forum drama lol... the issue is. These people were arguing because they find krashen ‘useless’ then all comprehensible input study is ‘useless’. Ok then. But pushing to all learners to use only a textbook, and avoid engaging with actual language (even when it may be comprehensible and therefore useful to them like the links above, for some learners), then they may slow their progress if it doesn’t suit them well. And it always depends on the individual, everyone’s a bit different.

#reference #resources #comprehensible input #rant #half of this is a rant at how all or ntohing some learner forums can be feel free to ignore it #i just. so many ppl shoot themselves in the foot #cause theyd rather shit on other things and say their own plan is perfect #than consider maybe. people have different unique needs/ways of doing things #ive never found a method that 100% worked for me?#but i found lots of Pieces of mutliplte ones that did!

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10kiaoi · 5 years

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Tactical gear appreciation post lol.

CW: canon typical violence, issues related to death. Notes: Very much unbetaed and written with increasing desperation. Please go easy on me?

----

The first time Bond sees the boy, it’s in the busy shopping streets of Bangkok.

It’s midday and sweltering but the Pratunam district is buzzing with activity.

Bond idles along the street side vendors, ambling through the makeshift tents and racks. The crowd is thick enough that he brushes shoulders with others every few steps or so. He keeps half an eye on the lovely trinkets - little wooden carvings of various local fauna. The other half is firmly fixed on a man rumoured to be delving into the international arms trade.

He inspects a figurine of an elephant, tuning out the shopkeeper’s enthusiastic pitch in broken english.

A scream pierces the air- a high pitched shriek that sends the crowd careening backwards. As Bond is shoved backwards by the masses, he spots a man toppled over on the ground, motionless. Around him, there are yells in Thai, in English, in various other languages of the disturbed tourists.

He quickly scans the panicked crowd but catches nothing more than a flash of deep brunette melting away into the throngs.

It’s an unexpected sudden end to his current mission.

----

Berlin is a mess.

The woman Bond is tasked with assessing is KGB- turncoat and now looking for a new master. Bond strides into a small chain cafe on a quiet street. The cafe isn’t too busy- the few customers present are already seated and distracted. Anya Pavlova is seated in the far corner up against the wall, engaged in her book and a cup of coffee.

Bond heads to the counter, places his order. It arrives in short order and he chooses a seat by the window. The occasional autumn breeze is refreshing in the stuffy cafe, after sunny, tropical Bangkok.

Out of the corner of his eye, Pavlova slips into the washroom.

Bond tucks into his meal.

She slips back out after a brief pause, prim and proper, returns to her softback.

No one else gets up. Bond slides into the washroom. The note is exactly where Bond expects it to be. He glances quickly at the series of numbers- a phone number, tucks it into a secure little pocket in the lining of his jacket. He flushes the toilet, washes his hands and steps back out.

Pavlova waits for him to sit back down at his table before putting away her possessions into the little handbag at her side.

The waitress comes over smiling, a tray with a single cup. Bond frowns, ready to reject the clearly mistaken order. “With compliments, it’s already paid for!” the waitress chirps. Bond pauses, then graciously thanks the waitress as she transfers the cup to his table. He resolutely does not turn to look at Pavlova who is making for the door.

It’s a lovely rich black, no cream or sugar.

The napkin is folded neatly under the cup.

Bond looks down to check his phone. Pavlova steps out from under the shelter of the awning. The cashier’s cheerful “come again!” switches to a screech of horror, followed by several others both in and outside of the cafe.

Bond whips up with his heart pounding, only training preventing him from dropping his phone on the way. There’s a telltale metallic glint from a far off high rise, no more than a shimmer off what most would assume is reflective glass. It lasts no longer than a flash.

Pavlova is dead before she hits the ground.

----

M is understandably spitting mad.

One doesn’t come by an enemy agent offering their services everyday and Pavlova could have been a terrific addition to MI6’s arsenal of covert long term operatives what with already being in the KGB and all.

The morbid hilarity of the entire situation - Bond hasn’t done anything to influence such an outcome. A textbook execution practically.

And yet it has gone all tits up.

A fuming M marches him down to Q Branch with carte blanche to use all resources to find the leak. “Something we should have done since Bangkok!” M rages in a rare moment of self reproach as Bond bears her fury with silence.

A forensics team is sent to the building the sniper is suspected to have worked from. They find nothing. Q Branch fares no better, the few low res security cameras of little help when it turns out they have all gone down simultaneously around the time of the incident.

He’s grilled on what he remembers. Every tiny detail dragged out to be examined on all fronts to determine if he has missed anything.

There’s little else they can do with no other leads.

----

In Mexico City, Bond destroys an entire warehouse’s worth of hard drugs before it ever reaches his country’s shores.

The explosion is magnificent- a great blooming flameball and a sound blast that blows out every window in a one kilometer radius.

It’s almost makes up for being whacked hard enough atop the head that he blacks out instantly.

----

Miguel Garcia is a terrible host.

Bond watches as the man drops the unfortunate minion into a pit of crocs. The screams still ring in his ears when Garcia starts in on him. His earwig is long gone. For once, he misses having Q Branch in his ear.

Standard villain interrogation routine- a couple of hits here and there, a good deal of verbal threats, a few electrocutions to top it off. Nothing a double oh hasn’t been trained to take.

Bond laughs and screams through the entire facade, a savage grin splitting his face apart. He shoves the desperate need to know that someone is coming into a tiny box and pushes it into a dusty corner of his mind where a stone mansion lies.

Garcia is coming apart at the seams and for good reason. Between the two of them, Bond would garner Garcia’s in deeper shit and he gleefully tells Garcia so.

The lacerations with a dull knife are worth the brief terror turned rage across Garcia’s face.

----

Bond is thrown into a dark room and left to rot without food or water.

His body is a mass of bruises and pain - there isn’t a part of him that feels like he could sleep forever. The relative silence is a much cherished balm against the earlier violence. He’s just drifting off into a light doze- all the better for maintaining his energy reserves when the single shot echoes around the facility.

It’s loud and forbidding.

Bond jerks awake, adrenaline rushing through his veins.

There’s yelling and panic, a desperate attempt to mount some kind of defence but a great deal more bellows that cut off in the middle.

Bond’s heart pounds painfully in his chest. He staggers up, ignoring the painful pull at all his wounds.

Somewhere in the distance, there’s a bang of a grenade.

Outside his prison, there’s a crack. The door swings open. Bond squints at the sudden brightness. A familiar silhouette appears in the light of the doorway.

“Heard you needed backup, brother!”

Bond could just kiss him.

--------

What the hospital staff doesn’t know won't hurt them.

Bond makes it a point to share a drink with Felix whenever he’s in town. Langley isn’t too far from DC and it’s been a while since they have had the opportunity to catch up.

Well, that and the man rescued him from the clutches of Garcia. Bond owes Felix more than a round of drinks.

Bond steadily ignores the disapproving looks Felix aims at his shots. More than for the company, it’s an informal exchange of information- information locked behind red tape and bureaucracy in other circumstances. It’s efficient and lays bare the minute details Bond has to work to hunt down otherwise.

Felix tells him about an operation in Alaska of all places. Bond tells him about Bangkok. They both down a stiff drink.

Felix pauses, a momentary lapse that blares like an alarm to Bond’s trained eye.

Bond narrows his eyes. “What is it?”

Felix grimaces. Something like suspicion and dread creeps over Bond.

“About that, we found the warehouse because of a tipoff. Garcia was already dead when we got there.”

----

Felix doesn’t quite let him in to the CIA secure archives but it’s a pretty close thing.

He leaves Bond waiting in one of the meeting rooms, blinds drawn. When he returns, it’s with a thin folder. There’s also a ziplock with tiny metal pieces no bigger than pennies. Bond turns a skeptical gaze at Felix.

Felix waves the reports like a carrot on a stick. “All our agents’ reports of suspected encounters we have had with our man. Maybe you’ll see something our profilers haven’t.”

Bond’s gaze at the file turns covetous. Felix smirks.

The cases weren’t unlike his own experiences- clean kills, in and out before anyone is aware enough to act. Security cameras were as good as useless with how the feed has clearly been tampered with. Nothing he hasn’t already deduced from his own encounters. It’s entirely frustrating and Bond feels the prickle under his skin, a clawing need to know.

“Paranoid, that one,” Felix declares, settling into an empty chair. Bond snorts.

“He knows he’s being hunted,” Bond corrects.

“No one’s actually seen him, you’d be the first,” Felix admits, leaning backwards.

No traces left behind, no witnesses. Professional to the extreme.

Bond hisses in displeasure.

----

Felix insists on sending him to the airport despite his protests. Dulles International Airport comes into sight like a hulking grey beast, ugly and utilitarian.

“Take care, brother,” Felix wishes over their hug, leaving with several commiserating pats to Bond’s back, carefully avoiding the still healing areas.

A call comes over the speakers as Bond heads through the express security lane: boarding for flight SQ2522 has begun. There’s a flash of brunette curls in the distance- Bond’s heart lurches, mind flashing back to Bangkok. But no, it’s a lady, petite but tall.

For one irrational moment he thinks that it’s Vesper. Brilliant, gorgeous, traitorous Vesper with her wit and charm and lovely red lips.

But the woman moves out of sight towards her gate and the moment’s over and Bond is drawn back into the monochrome present.

----

It’s a random thought- one driven more by instinct from years in the field rather than any rational explanation.

He boards his plane- a direct flight back to London. It is after the stewardess has come round offering champagne that Bond pulls the memory of the little slip of paper Pavlova left behind for him in that Berlin cafe.

Pressing send feels akin to stirring a hornet’s nest.

----

“Thank you for the coffee. It was most delightful. See you soon.”

----

There isn’t much in Pavlova’s handbag- her phone, a softcover likely plucked from a discount bin, a half used tube of lipstick, a writing pad and a fountain pen.

It is the pen Bond focuses his attention on.

Q Branch excels in the technical fields. They’ve done their bit and gone through the cell. As expected of someone like Pavlova. The phone is clean - clearly a burner phone. It is a dead end.

Bond’s expertise is in people and their sentiments.

The fountain pen’s barrel glints, polished despite the corners where the gold has gone dull with age. The nib is uneven, as though grounded down by constant pressure on one side. There’s a ring around the feed and the section, perhaps originally gold like the decorative edgings and on the clip but the gold’s almost completely faded. Bond twists the ring.

A blade springs out from under the nib.

----

Taipei is unfinished business.

The cheap street food is an utter delight. Jiufen is beyond crowded on a weekend and going through the long narrow streets is a slow shuffle sandwiched between local hikers and curious tourists. Bond finds himself with a stick of some grilled meat in one hand,

Several meters ahead, a man walks on oblivious, arms laden down by souvenirs.

There’s a flash of brunette in the corner of Bond’s eye. His snack falls to the ground, abandoned as he slices through the crowd. Outraged yells go up behind him but his concentration has locked onto the scene before him.

It is deja vu.

He barrels through the horde, grasps the slender wrist in an iron grip.

He’s pinned by a wide eyed stare, brilliant green eyes shocked and surprised behind glasses.

Then the blade in the pen is abruptly twisted towards him.

The crowd topples backwards, shrill screaming accompanying the wave of people attempting to flee the altercation. It’s utter pandemonium.

Bond leaps backwards to dodge the blade, but the assailant follows, a dogged determination in his eyes. They grapple in the narrow stone street, amidst the fleeing crowd. The boy shoves him into a display counter of traditional snacks. He lashes out with a kick to the sternum, sending the boy into the corner of a wall and knocking the breath out of him.

They clamber to their feet and circle each other, bruised and all the more vicious for it.

The boy hisses under his breath, like a cat with its tail stepped on. Bond answers with a snarl of his own, blood dripping from the laceration on his cheek.

The streets have emptied by now, the target having slipped away in the commotion.

There’s a momentary flash of indecision, of uncertainty. Inexplicably, the boy turns and darts down an adjourning alleyway.

Bond curses, bolts after the flash of military green parka around the tight corners. He leaps five steps at a time down a steep stairway carved into the street, charging past the backs of residential houses.

He skids to a halt in the middle of a crossroad, utterly alone. There’s a familiar looking pen on the ground, its owner nowhere to be found. In the distance, there are sirens.

Bond sends a fist into the ground, knuckles white beneath the bruises.

----

Wang Guo Pei is a pale faced man, still green from the attempt on his life.

He is also the younger brother of the man killed in Bangkok, whose death has and still is sending ripples across the networks. The interrogation room is bleak and bare. The cold lights enhance the man’s sickly look, hallowed by fear and anxiety over the threat of death even through the filter of the camera.

The Underworld really doesn’t care if one is just a foot soldier, not when one is relation and have access to the inner workings of the organization. MI6 has no such qualms either.

Bond has lost track of how many lesser devils MI6 has had to make a deal with to nail bigger fish.

He watches as the interrogation is repeated, fiddling with his own souvenir. Unlike Pavlova’s, this model sports a two barrel converter on top of the hidden blade. One is filled with regular ink. The other… Bond replaces the cap firmly, slips it back into an inner pocket.

He doesn’t put much stock in working with an entire team with how often they just slow him down instead of being helpful. But M’s made up her mind and the powers that be agree. He’s on his way towards the waiting ops team and Wang three hours later.

----

“Now pay attention, 007, this is a bulletproof suit-”

“Yes, thank you Major, I know what a bulletproof suit does.”

“Not this one, you don’t, now pay attention! I don’t want to have to repeat myself. Now see this here, this little bag, it’s been engineered to be filled with blood- ”

“Isn’t that just a water balloon?”

----

Hours later, Bond lands in Changi Airport, Singapore with new orders and new purpose.

----

Q slips into the office tower easily, waiting for the last few stragglers making their way out to pass by before continuing on his way to the lifts. The night patrol is swiftly dealt with, a quick prick of a gel coated dart with fast acting amnesiac properties.

The ride up is silent, no cheery elevator music to soften the adrenaline. He uses the time to check on his systems briefly. A flick on his phone brings up the app that mirrors the processes his laptop is carrying out while tucked away safely in his hotel suite. It’s a particular test of his abilities, this city, with all its zealousness in adhering to security measures. His laptop has been running nonstop since the moment he stepped foot on this island.

The security cameras remain silent in their judgement. His finger twitches, feeling the weight of his missing pen acutely.

The accomplishment of successful missions has long since worn off. The thrill of travel, of seeing the world and all it offers has dulled with the gravity of the situation he finds himself in. Pavlova’s death is still a fresh wound, the condolences offered by the organization doing nothing to stem the loss and grief that accompanies losing the only maternal figure he has in his life.

Last one, and then you’re out.

The rifle is cold and heavy in his arms.

A robotic female voice announces the level they’ve arrived at and Q steps out.

Wang is immediately visible in the building across the road, in his office.

Q runs a last check of the cameras. They come back clear so he drops to a knee, setting up his equipment. The thick glass of the skyscraper is easily dealt with, a perfect circle being cut out and lifted away to reveal a small hole through which the rifle can be fired through.

It takes no more than a few seconds.

Wang goes down in his office, blood painting the walls.

Q starts packing up.

----

Several muffled shots are followed by a heavy thump.

The man stepping out of the shadows with his Walther primed and ready in his hand is a familiar face. Q can’t tear his eyes away, entranced when the MI6 agent unceremoniously drops the body to the ground.

Q’s stomach drops, visibly blanching.

He recognizes the corpse’s issue of equipment- he’s helped design some of it in fact.

He knows for a fact, that particular section never comes alone.

“Seems like you’ve pissed off your employer,” the man he fought in Taiwan drawls.

Q’s hand goes for his rifle, only to flinch away when the man fires a warning shot. Q freezes. The man motions with his Walter. Q obeys, sliding the rifle away out of reach. He’s mentally flashing through all his equipment, looking for a way to buy time and find an exit, recalling all the areas where he landed hits just days ago.

“Bond,” the man pauses significantly, “James Bond. 007.”

Q blinks. Then slowly, “Am I supposed to curse your name as you kill me then?”

Bond stares, confusion then exasperation. “Oh for Christ’s sake, the one time I try to be civil,” Bond grumbles mutinously.

Q has to hastily stifle a laugh at Bond’s disgruntlement. There’s a moment of acknowledgement of the ludicrousness, yet it somehow lightens the atmosphere between him and and his would be executioner. It’s jarring, how that one line manages to bring a little humour back to his life. It’s simply another indicator of how much the state of things has deteriorated around him without him noticing.

It’s almost regretful it isn’t likely to last.

Q tenses as Bond’s hand creeps to one of his pockets.

It’s cruel irony, if Bond does indeed intend to use that object as an instrument of Q’s death.

Q turns distraught eyes upon the agent- a double oh, if he’s to be believed.

“I gave her that,” Q whispers, eyes locked onto Pavlova’s pen in Bond’s fingers.

“She gave it to me,” Bond states.

Q’s face falls.

“Is what I was ordered to tell you,” Bond continues, voice dropping to a murmur, “But I think you’ve been lied to enough, wouldn’t you say.”

The full force of grief knocks the breath from his chest once again.

Q watches with detached fascination as Bond winces, reaching up to remove the earpiece and drop it in a pocket.

Bond turns back to him in all seriousness, and the dread rises again.

“I couldn’t do this for someone else,” Bond murmurs, catching him around the waist. And oh, how Q can see the same loss and anguish in the other as if they are kindred spirits. “Someone important to me,” Bond chokes out, “but you have a choice now. You wanted out, this is your chance.”

How Q wants to believe him.

He leans in, breathes two words into Bond’s ear.

Bond breaks out in a small, relieved grin.

----

Bond cups Q’s face, pressing their foreheads together in reassurance.

Q takes a steadying breath. His death is now fully in MI6’s- in James’ hands.

“Now darling, do be a good boy and put this on for me,” James whispers conspiratorially.

#00q #quartermaster #james bond #007 #art by op #fanfics #not sure if i'd be able to crank out anything next week #this is prolly the last art for this year??#and decade #just wants to art tactical gear #ends up ficcing 3k words #if you don't count the deleted versions #i did not expect to spend an entire day just for this 3k of words #WHEEZE #hms 00q

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innovativelanguagelearning · 4 years

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Benefits (& risks) of dating in a foreign language! + tips to make it work

Being able to speak freely with native speakers is an amazing ability in itself, but being able to speak freely to a whole new group of people opens you up to possible new relationships.

Most people don’t realize that spending the time to build relationships in a foreign language can actually help you improve your language skills dramatically.

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1. Benefits of dating in a foreign language

First, It’s motivational

One of the greatest struggles for anyone learning a second language is motivation. Nine times out of ten, learners start out their language learning journey with loads of enthusiasm; only to see it gradually wane over time. Try as they may it’s difficult to maintain the spark they once shared with their new language.

So why not borrow energy from a different part of your life?

When you make relationships with people in your target language all the excitement of a new relationship carries directly over into your learning.

Second, It makes language learning practical

Studying vocabulary and grammar is a vital part of language learning whether you use a podcast, textbook, app, or find yourself in a classroom. However, as great as studying is, a language really only starts to come alive once you start using it in everyday life.

Building relationships with native speakers will give you the chance to talk in your target language often. Furthermore it will be in a way that feels natural. You’ll learn words in the context, which is hugely important.

Third, It's fun.

One of the greatest benefits is that it allows you practice without having it feel like practice.

Often times you’ll find yourself so wrapped up in the conversation that you forget you’re using a foreign language. This takes a lot of the pressure off, and helps you focus on communication over trying to speak absolutely perfectly.

You also get to learn about a whole new culture from your partner or friends so you are not only learning language skills but also about the cultures that surround your target language.

2. The risks of dating in a foreign language

First, It’s easy to miscommunicate

When it comes to relationships, people can easily misunderstand each other. So it can be hard when building relationships in your target language when you or your partner's lack of ability in each other’s respective native tongue can lead to miscommunications that would otherwise be avoidable.

Second, Your language skills could suffer if your relationships don't work out

If all your language practice is wrapped in one person, and your relationship with that person doesn’t work out, then your language learning could take a huge hit. So it's best not to put all your hopes for language growth on one area, relationship or otherwise. You don't want to risk losing motivation, so try to find it in many different areas.

3. An idea for building relationships in a foreign language

Make Games out of getting to know one another

Sometimes opening up in any relationship can be hard. Add in the added struggle of a new language and it can feel impossible to share your true feelings with others.

So instead of trying to take first interactions so seriously and talking about the usual things like the weather or work, try to ask new interesting questions.

Try to figure out what the other person's hobbies are without asking directly. Or what kind of job they have. This will give you a chance to stretch your language skills in a new way and you will probably get some funny answers out of it too. Being comfortable being silly or making language mistakes is a great way to bond with someone even if you have just met.

Relationships in a foreign language have a lot more benefits to offer than it does drawbacks. Don't be scared to open up to people and make mistakes.

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meichenxi · 4 years

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For the ask game! 9, 12, and 22?

Yay more askies :D this is going to be likewise long!

9) What does a week in your language learning routine look like?

- I’m not particularly disciplined in the way that I study, though I do tend to study most days. I’m very good at making plans but less at following them consistently, so this is a more realistic depiction of what I do!

- Because I’m currently studying with HSK Online and they have two classes a week which cover about 3 chapters, I have a lot of vocabulary and grammar that I need to cover in the app before attending those classes, so most of my studies at the moment are focused on getting that done. So:

Vocabulary and grammar:

(I do this all most days, depending on what exactly I need to do for the next lesson, but I try to do Quizlet every day)

1) I go through the vocabulary and grammar lessons, and write down the vocab and any example sentences.

2) When I input this into Quizlet, I use Baidu Translate to look at example sentences to get a better feel for how the word is used. I also write a couple of sentences / say a couple of sentences with each word. Baidu Translate is a fantastic tool, much better for Chinese than Google Translate, and it has an example sentences section where you can get the pinyin if you hover over the characters.

3) After I feel I vaguely know the words for that day, I will go back and actively study them on Quizlet. For any words I forget I’ll write more sentences, or look at more examples. If there are any grammar points, I look them up on Chinese grammar wiki.

Input and reading

(I don’t do these at any specific time, but luckily I quite enjoy this section so am very happy to Consume Media)

1) Try to read something every day. It doesn’t matter exactly what this is - often it’s Bilibili comments! I also like to skim through my graded reader and try to practice scan-reading.

2) I do dedicated HSK-style reading practice a few times a week as well. Again, I use the HSK Online app for this. It’s terrifying but necessary. This one I do have to motivate myself to do.

3) I watch a lot of Chinese shows. Some with English subs, some with Chinese subs. My favourites include The Untamed (obviously), Nirvana in Fire (will always need the subs for this rip), Tian Guan Ci Fu (a donghua on Bilibili) and Street Dance of China. I probably watch a good 5-10 hours of TV a week.

4) I learn other things through Chinese. So I watch lectures or courses on Bilibili or do workout videos. I especially like watching videos teaching beginners Cantonese and Japanese, two languages I am interested in learning, as well as Literary Chinese.

5) I listen to podcasts in Chinese when I’m walking around. My favourites include 聊聊东西, 听故事学中文 and 面包吐司. They are all in Chinese, but all specifically designed for foreigners, though the first and last are not learning podcasts, just podcasts of fairly accessible content where people chat about things like smoking, health, dating and so on. The second one is a podcast where stories are read in Chinese, and then explained sentence-by-sentence in Chinese, so it’s more ‘learning’.

12 - What tips would you give to people that want to study the language/s you’re studying?

1) It’s an uphill slog, but you’re at the hardest place right now. So if you feel discouraged, if you feel overwhelmed, nobody else got it after one month either! It will take time, but is there anything worthwhile that doesn’t?

2) Invest in good pronunciation training right from the beginning. If you can’t take classes, watch videos (YoYo Chinese, Outlier Chinese, Mandarin Blueprint etc have good tone series). Practice tone pairs. Tone pairs are your saviours. Practice repeating what the speaker actually says, not what you think they say. Learn a little bit about phonetics.

3) Listen to Chinese right from the get go, as much as you can. Listening is many people’s weakest area, especially if they are learning it in a non-Chinese speaking environment. Play podcasts all the time. Differentiate between ‘learning’ podcasts (which will mostly be in English at the beginning), and podcasts that just train your ear to the sounds of Chinese. Have Chinese podcasts on all the time, regardless of whether you understand them or not.

4) Invest in a structured course. I don’t necessarily mean classes with a teacher, though if you can I would recommend italki (feel free to contact me to see which teachers I’d recommend). But consider something like Chinese Zero to Hero, where they have videos explaining HSK1 through to HSK6. It’s about 100 dollars, but even if you have to save up for a few months to get that, I’d recommend it. Why? Because Chinese is overwhelming and there’s so much to learn. Having someone to tell you what you need to learn next is an absolute god-send. Plus, they know more than you what beginners need to tackle. They also have beginner-appropriate audio, which is absolutely crucial to learning to speak. I really would recommend this course.

5) Learn properly about how characters work from the get go. Learn about phonetic and semantic components. Learn what types of characters there are, learn the most common components, and learn to hand-write them too.

6) Record yourself speaking as much as you can. Play it back. How does it sound? Record it again.

7) Practice reading from the moment you have around 150 characters. There are excellent physical graded readers as well as apps like The Chairman’s Bao and Du Chinese. THIS IS SO IMPORTANT, PLEASE DON’T LEAVE IT OUT. It takes time for you to get used to reading in a second language, especially one with unfamiliar characters.

8) Decide whether you’re going for traditional or simplified, and stick with it. Do not learn both unless you have a very good reason. If you think you might go to Hong Kong or Taiwan, have family there, want to read literary Chinese, or even understand ‘deeper’ how certain characters have developed, you can learn traditional, but if you’re less than 100% sure, go with simplified. It’s easier for beginners, and if you have a good level of simplified Chinese, traditional isn’t that hard to pick up later down the line - some common characters are completely different, but many are different in very predictable ways. If you are not absolutely sure you are going to need traditional, I’d recommend simplified.

9) Really, really consider your motivation. Why are you learning? Do you just think it would be cool? It is cool, but that’s not enough of a reason to embark on any language, much less one with extra difficulties like Chinese. In an ideal situation, you’d be intrinsically motivated all the time: but that’s not always going to happen. Do you have Chinese family you’d like to communicate with better? Do you want to travel to a Chinese speaking country? Do you want to read Chinese poetry? Do you just really love Xiao Zhan?? If you’re doing it ‘for your career’, please bear in mind that you won’t get any points for learning half a language. If you’re not willing to engage with the culture and the people, you’re just not going to be successful long term.

10) Find things you like watching / listening to / reading in Chinese as soon as you can. Bored? Unmotivated? Stick a favourite episode of your favourite drama on. It still technically counts as immersion, and when your language skills are better, you’ll be able to use that as your textbook!! Try and find something that will make you want to read or listen in Chinese, and then it won’t feel like a chore. It’ll also become a motivation, because inevitably the more you explore the Chinese language internet, the more you’ll find things you can’t interact with in translation and need your language skills for.

22 - How has learning about the culture of the country impacted your language learning?

Hmm, this is a really interesting question!! I'll have to answer in a few ways.

1) I'm interested in a lot of things about Chinese culture, which fuelled my interest for learning Chinese, and also let me learn in a more fun way. I’m a huge tea nerd, I enjoy listening to Chinese traditional music though I know very little about it, and I enjoy calligraphy. I think that some hanfu is just objectively the most gorgeous clothing on the planet and I enjoy Chinese water-and-mountain style landscape art. I also love the karst landscapes of some parts of southern China (OH MY GOD LIMESTONE MY FAVOURITE ROCK) and I’ve had a faded picture of Zhangjiajie on my wall since I was about nine. This is very different from my experience with German: I love the German language, and I have a lot of great friends from German-speaking countries, but I’m not intrinsically interested in the culture the same way I am Chinese-speaking countries. Because there’s so much I want to learn, it gives me a) huge motivation for continuing studying, b) makes it a more holistic, rounded experience, and c) provides me with wonderful study materials. At the intermediate level, I can avoid textbooks if I really want to and just learn about tea. Isn't that just the dream. Also, realistically, if I want to be able to read poetry in literary Chinese, my modern Chinese has to be a lot better. So I’m very motivated because of this.

2) My interest in martial arts! I originally started learning Chinese because I had gotten interested in Chinese culture via wuxia and martial arts. My dad is a huge martial arts nerd. By that I don’t mean someone who sits on his sofa all day with a nunchuck collection and Bruce Lee pictures, I mean he gets up at 6 every day and trains for about 2-3 hours. He can run a 5:30 minute mile aged 56. I have so much respect for this man, seriously. He used to practice karate, taekwondo and Muay Thai, but after he got sick he started with taiji. He’s practiced taiji and qigong now every day for about twenty years. So I was brought up on a diet of Hong Kong and mainland Chinese martial arts cinema - my dad would regularly show me clips of films because I couldn’t watch the whole ones until I was older, and get into trouble when my mum came back! We spent hours learning forms together and doing push-hands in the kitchen. Even now when we go home our form of affection is trying to kick each other without being kicked back lmao. I discovered the Jin Yong books in English about 15 and was just entranced by the names of the movements, by the action, the galloping across the plains, the sweeping scenery. I have inherited this interest, and am also a huge martial arts nerd and so a large motivation for me learning Chinese is that a) I love the genre of wuxia and want to know more about it, and b) I’d like to spend a few years training at an academy in Wudang and want to be able to understand as much as possible and for that, I obviously need the language to a high level!!! I started jiu jitsu when I was 8, started a southern style of Kung Fu when I was fifteen, studied for a few months in China in an academy, and it’s been my dream to go back since.

3) Different cultural attitudes, the outside park culture, and how people talk to each other. I’m from the UK, alright - we don’t do things in public and we certainly don’t approach strangers!! So when I was in China this was one of the weirdest things to get used to, next to just the sheer amount of people (I grew up in a village of 2000). But though it was tiring at times, I liked it so much. It was so refreshing to have people ask me questions because they were curious, and start talking to me. One of the reasons that I think my accidental immersion-only approach to learning Chinese the first time I was in China worked was because I just couldn’t stay away from the parks. People practicing taiji, playing badminton, chilling with kids, doing calisthenics: isn’t that just so so cool??? And naturally if I was in the parks, people would chat to me. This patience and friendliness (because my Chinese truly was awful) combined with many people’s lack of ability / confidence in English meant that I was able to improve in a way which would have been impossible in, say, Germany or Finland. Can you imagine?? Once an old guy came up to me, peered over my shoulder at my (English) book, then announced loudly, ‘I can’t read it.’ I was like - can you read English?? He shook his head, and then pointed to a small boy: ‘This is my grandson. He’s learning English.’ That kind of interaction repeated daily, as well as being in a second-tier city where I had to speak Chinese, did so much for my language skills. It also made me very motivated to improve. Also, training and exercise is just a great way to meet people: no matter your language skills, if you are dedicated people are going to respect that, and if you’re both there every day, you’re going to get chatting eventually.

Phew, that got long again (what a surprise). But thank you very much for your questions!! :D

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fuckyeahjeanyvesmoreau · 4 years

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tips for learning a language all by yourself

I am assuming you want to learn a new language by yourself and you want some tips? Well, read on then!

Hi! If you’ve read my previous post (check it here; it’s about my Italian resources) you’ll probably know that I started learning Italian by myself and it’s going great! So, I am writing this article to let you know why exactly it’s going great.

A.k.a, what do I do and how in order to learn successfully the language I want.

Step one; Choosing a Language

First of all, like this article says, there’s a list, created by the Foreign Service Institute (F.S.I) in which they have sorted out languages into five categories; from the easiest to the most difficult to learn.

And here’s the list, in case you are interested;

First Category (23-24 weeks or 575-600 hours to learn); Afrikaans, Danish, Dutch, French, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Swedish

Second Category (30 weeks or 750 hours to learn); German

Third Category (36 weeks or 900 hours to learn); Indonesian, Malaysian, Swahili

Fourth Category (44 weeks or 1100 hours to learn); Albanian, Amharic, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Bengali, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Burmese, Croatian, Czech, Estonian, Finnish, Georgian, Greek (that’s me!), Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Khmer, Lao, Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Mongolian, Nepali, Pashto, Persian (Dari, Farsi, Tajik), Polish, Russian, Serbian, Sinhala, Slovak, Slovenian, Tagalog, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Uzbek, Vietnamese, Xhosa, Zulu

Fifth Category (88 weeks or 2200 hours to learn); Arabic, Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean

Note; keep in mind that this list sorts out the language difficulty for a native English speaker!

Fortunately for me, Italian is in the first category:)

Anyhow, let’s move on.

Have you decided on a language you want to learn? If so, think to yourself, why? Why did you choose this particular language? Your goal must be strong enough to encourage you to learn and to stop procrastination. If you haven’t choose a language yet, now’s the right time! Please consider, not only the “why” question above, but also the difficulty of the languages! Again, I recommend Italian. It’s such a beautiful language with an amazing pronunciation and it’s super easy.

Step two; Finding Resources

Resources are so very important. But, be careful. It’s the quality that matters; not the quantity. In other words, it doesn’t matter how many books you bought or how many videos you’ve seen; if they are not helpful enough then you won’t be able to learn the language.

Like I mentioned in my previous post, I rely a lot on textbooks. They are pretty useful and also have exercises and quizzes that help me a lot. I download them from a site called pdfdrive. Just type “the language you want + for beginners “ in the search engine (feel free to erase the “for beginners” part for more results) and find the textbook that suits you! Keep in mind that this site has also textbooks for school subjects and other cool books that I haven’t check out yet.

Important; don’t download only one textbook! You might face a problem or have a question while reading it! I have downloaded around five textbooks for Italian and, even though I am learning the language from only on of them, I usually read the other ones too, in case they have more information on something.

Next, Quizlet. If you learn better through flashcards make Quizlet your best friend. It’s a site (and app!) where you can make your own flashcards for free (it also has a premium offer but I use the free version and it’s epic).

However, don’t use it if you are not a-flashcard-learner. Here’s a test I have found where you can find with only 20 questions your learning style AND things to do to learn better.

So yeah, find some textbooks and your learning type and you are done, right?

Nope.

I mentioned above that you need to make Quizlet your best friend. Well, I am correcting this.

Make Google Translate your soulmate.

Seriously.

And I don’t mean using it to translate articles e.t.c, we all know that it low-key sucks when it comes to translating long texts. You can use it, however, for hearing the pronunciation for words that may confuse you; after all the textbooks are books, they don’t have audios.

Also, you can use Youtube. Even though I don’t use it (I prefer the other resources I’ve mentioned), there are many playlists and channels with tips for the language you want.

Now, go and buy a notebook, or find an empty one from the school.

Step 3; Begin

Now you are ready.

Open your textbook in a new tab, Google Translate in another and Quizlet (or whatever site you use) in another. Also, open your notebook.

However, you should be careful! Time management is very, very, very important.

Here’s my schedule when it comes to learning Italian;

The textbook I use has 20 chapter; each chapter has around 5-7 sections. Thus, my goal is to finish one chapter week which means one section per day. That’s super easy for me; I have the free time to do that. Also, each chapter has a quiz at the end, which I usually take on Sundays. I also repeatedly take these quizzes every time I finish a new chapter. For example, when I finished chapter 2, I made sure to not only take the quiz of that chapter but also the chapter 1 quiz to review what I’ve learnt.

And that’s it. I take notes, review them after I finish a section and the morning before I start a new section. In general, I try to review a lot my past notes and flashcards; it helps me a lot and makes me more confident and proud for my achievements.

Also, try not to take too many breaks! I personally don’t take any breaks because I don’t really need them; it takes me around 15 to 25 minutes to finish a section. But, if you want to finish more than a section per day, make sure to take small but often breaks. And, remember; don’t use your break on the internet! That will distract you and from 5 minutes the break will expand to hours and hours!

Anyhow, I really hope I helped you! I tried to be as specific as possible but if you have any questions, my dm’s are always open! Also, feel free to reblog this post with your tips on how you learn a language!

Ciao, Marina♥

#dark academia #dark acadamia #aesthetic #edits #language learning #language #school #school tips #tips #advice #study motivation #studyblr #study tips #study #studying

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gunsatthaphan · 5 years

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Do you have any tips for learning thai? Like how did you do it because I wanna start but boy its a struggle

hi anon! 😊

this is an interesting question thank you! :)

well thai is not an extremely popular language to learn so the main struggle for me when I started learning was to find good and enough learning material. I ended up taking online classes and additionally wrote my own textbook with notes about grammar and vocabulary etc. The key for me though was definitely to talk to native speakers. Luckily I have some amazing friends who helped me a lot in my learning process. I ended up getting some learning material through them too. And of course the best way to practice listening and understanding is to watch lots of things without subs 😉

If you want you can check out my language tag where I wrote some more about my learning process and tips for learning languages in general. And in case you need study material, I’d be happy to share and exchange some of mine! 😊

#Anonymous #feel free to hit me up!! :)#thai #languages #learning languages #language tag #anon #ask #answered #doreen answers stuff #ask me things!

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shibanatsuo · 4 years

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Thai language resources

Okay, so I was asked to share resources I use to study Thai. I’ve just recently started to self-learn it myself and by no means I’m a person you can ask for something helpful and my English sucks but anyway, feel free to use it!

Sadly, there are not a lot of resources that can help you in your Thai studying. Especially compared with other languages, like Japanese one, for example. But there are still some resources you can use.

Personally I started learning it with “Learn ALL Thai Alphabet in 50 minutes/hour - How to Write and Read Thai” video on youtube. The title is actually misleading and they don’t teach you all Thai alphabet (I guess if you subscribe you can learn all alphabet from them, but I didn’t want to pay for the subscription) but still you can learn for about half of it? (maybe less, I don’t really remember). They also teach you how to write and some tones rules. Can’t say it’s a perfect resource to learn alphabet, but they did give me some general knowledge about it and well I was motivated to continue.

Then I’ve used Pocket Thai Master on App Store. You can also download it on Google Play. There are 38 lessons in total and you need to purchase it, if you want to go through all of them. But you can try the first 5 lessons for free and see if you like it. Personally I liked it. This app teaches you all Thai alphabet, tone rules, pronunciation, grammar and so on. After each lesson you can take a quiz to test your understanding of material.

Then I recommend the Thai for Beginners by Benjawan Poomsan Becker. I bought a paper version. But I’m pretty sure you can download it for free. It’s a Thai language textbook that you can use for self-studying. I started it after I already learned alphabet, so I didn’t rely on romanization and mostly used it for learning new vocabulary, reading some sentences and practicing dialogues. Also, if you are going to use it, do use the audio materials for this textbook as well to practice your listening skills and pronunciation. I actually downloaded the audio course from some torrent website, so I didn’t pay for the actual CD. After you finish Thai for Beginners you can use Thai for Intermediate Learners and Thai for Advanced Readers. I myself still haven’t started on them but I plan to do so in near future.

Also I do recommend listening to podcasts. There is a really good one on Apple podcast (you also can find it on Spotify)- You too can learn Thai. There are for about 30 lessons and it’s still being updated pretty regularly. It was created by a native Thai speaker and PhD graduate in linguistics. This podcast for someone who already has some basic knowledge of Thai language. But personally I started it when I barely finished alphabet and it worked for me just fine. I listen to one lesson for about 15-20 times, write it down and learn new vocabulary and then, when I completely got it, I move on to the next one.

Thai-English dictionary. This one helps me a lot and it’s my to go app when I need to look up for a new word. I think it’s only on Apple store though, but if you have iPhone do download it.

Drops. Also available on Google Play. This one is absolutely amazing in helping you to expand your vocabulary and I use it every single day. But it allows you to study only for five minutes and then you need to wait for about 10 hours to be able to study more. I guess you can pay to use it anytime you want, but 5 minutes in the morning and 5 minutes in the evening works perfectly fine for me.

And lastly, I recommend Thai2English website. It saves me a lot of trouble when I want to translate a sentence but struggle with how to do it. You can just copy-past it there and this wonderful website makes all work for you!

Well, I guess it summons up the English resources that I use.

There are also some Japanese ones, but they are even more scarcely than English ones lol.

Hope it can be helpful!

สู้ๆนะ

#thai language resources #thai language #learn thai #of course this post became one of these mysterious ones that don’t show up anywhere else #まぁ、仕方がない #タイ語

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tsuraiwrites · 5 years

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wishing I had money to travel

I miss japan bc my host sister contacted me and we talked about the new international school she’s founding, and damn the longing that slammed into me. my year studying in tokyo while living in saitama was a wild fucking ride. I was the second-worst japanese speaker out of 20 people in my program, and the gal with worse japanese than mine hadn’t studied the language at all. the nakama textbooks are trash, btw. my host mother and sister are thankfully fluent in english (and korean) but the rest of my family spoke only japanese.

naturally, I scored low in the japanese assessment pre-school entry. my writing has always been far better than my reading, bc it was easier to study ahead for. I shit you not, in the 2 years I studied with my US sensei, she got us through fewer kanji characters than a japanese first grader would learn.

it’s fine, my hostfam was freaking awesome; I got closest to my host mother and oldest sister (the one now starting a school), and we laugh together bc I used the word 父上 instead of ちち for my dad. my host sister told me i sounded like a samurai.

over all awesome shit: the prevalence of new experiences, how often I got to do things I’d never even thought of before. the winter is a lot gentler on my EDS-fibromyalgic body. honestly, for the innumerable ups and downs, it was an overall positive experience. thailand, on the other hand....

between study abroad and a fulbright, I’ve lived in thailand for a total of one year and four months. besides being about 30 baht to 1 us dollar, I could get a whole meal for 30 baht, and the food was amazing. I often had to beg older ladies to downgrade me from five chilies in my somtam to one, but I learned to like things I’d never would try before: fried morning glories, frog laab, bull-penis soup (you read that right), goat bbq, and a soup containing unnamed pig organs™.

downside: rural thailand, just over 100k people with intermingled farmland. 740 students divided over 18 classes a week, I have to have my own curriculum, and no one tells me over a third of them have learning disabilities and/or adhd until 3 months in. I live in a studio apartment where I can’t get into my kitchen without being eaten by mosquitoes bc thai people don’t believe in window screens. I make a few friends from my program but never feel quite like I belong there. there’s a slight creeping misery of being made to wear a skirt everyday, before I realized I was genderqueer on top of being upset by the sexism. my thai does improve, but not as much as I want it to bc I have no energy after teaching classes. I am often invited out by coworkers at my school but especially one who is very misleading about what these outings will entail. among other things, this leads to me attending not one, but two funerals for people I’d never met. struggling with self-image issues bc it’s part of thai culture to comment a lot on appearance and weight.

for all that, it was the same thing as japan where I always had more to learn. I loved talking to my students and learning about their lives. the thai approach to timekeeping is quite relaxed, which helped a lot with my anxiety about being late anywhere. I had the absolute time of my life for the internship month followed by a month of vacation in chiang mai, the old northern capital. I wrote articles and took photos for an english language magazine, assisting the thai-english translator in editing her translations. if I could do that kind of work for the rest of my life I would.

damn but I want to retire there at least

#yelling into the void #sorry not sorry I was feeling nostalgic #japan #thailand #i'm one of those boring people who yells about being abroad years later

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alleycat97 · 5 years

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No Place I’d Rather Be

Pairings: Mona x MC(Evelyn)

Rating: General

Disclaimer: Not my Characters

4 years...4 years sitting locked away in prison, again. Mona knew all too well what happens when you get attached to someone. This is the second time she has been snake bit by a lover. To be fair her second time around was nothing like her first.

This girl was different. This girl meant something to her and never backed away. Maybe it was the letters. Mona recieved a letter atleast once a month from her young lover. Some were shorter than others but thay always repeated the same thing, her undying love for Mona.

Mona wouldn’t admit it, but she knew damn well that Evelyn wasn’t going to go away quietly and that thought kept her going. She secretly adored knowing that she had someone waiting for her. The woman she risked her own life to save, the woman who in return, saved her life.

Maybe spending another part of her life in prison served her well. She finally had time to think about her life again and figured if she was willing to die for another woman, and that very woman was so hard headed to run while she still could, then maybe this girl was worth throwing everything she ever knew away and settling down.

Mona’s sentence was up and she was released back into everyday life. Once again with nowhere to go and nothing but the clothes on her back and a sack full of letters, she took her own advice and started walking to wherever her feet took her. So that’s why Mona found herself standing outside of a very familiar home in Mar Vista, about to have a uncomfortable conversation with someone who she didn’t know, but knew they hated her guts. But it was vital to her plan and she wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

One week later...

“Hello?” You speak into the phone as you balance your textbooks while trying to get situated onto the bed.

“Hello darling! How are things?” Your father spoke happily.

“Hey dad, I guess things are going fine. I’ve got one more final tomorrow and I’m officially going to be a College Grad.”

“I’m so proud of you sweetie! I can’t wait to see you graduate. That reminds me. Did my graduation present make it there?”

“I haven’t been to the student center to check. What is it?” You ask in suspense.

“Oh I can’t go and ruin the fun now darling. But let’s just say, you’ll love this.” Dad said in a cheerful voice you longed to hear.

“How do you know I will.” You mock laugh into the speaker.

“Because you already do. Listen honey I have to go, I got a case, love you and lookout for your present. It should be there any second.”

With that, your father hangs up the phone and you’re left pondering his strange final words. “I already love it? Be here any second?” A knock at the door shakes you from your thoughts and you rush to answer it.

You throw the door open and completely lose all ability to function. Losing all control of your body and find yourself collapsing into the strong arms of Mona, taking in her scent before you finally slip into darkness...

#playchoices #mona x mc #ride or die: a bad boy romance #rod mona

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hellevator-mp3 · 6 years

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of chaos and calamities || Part 2

Pairing(s): Johnten, Norenmin, Chenji/Chensung, Markhyuck

Genre: Fluff

Word Count: 3000+

Warnings: None!

Author Note: just a quick heads up as i start posting more for this universe: the beginning will probably be from johnny’s pov, but i’ll figure out some way to signal that it’s moved on to the ‘main’ ship for that chapter, so!! yeah!! and the ‘main’ ship will always be listed second under the pairings thing, so you can always know who’s gonna be like, featured, ig??

renjun just wants to go home and cuddle with his boyfriends, but they just have to be responsible (aka renjun is a pouty baby when his boyfriends actually go to class)

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johnny liked to call himself a lucky man. not only did he and ten have classes at the same time on the same days (which was a feat in and of itself that he never bothered to ask ten about), they managed to have classes at the same time as other parts of their friend group, which the two of them called groups a, b, and c. group a was made up of the babies of the group, aka renjun, jaemin, jeno, donghyuck, and mark (who was coincidentally a part of the other groups as well). group b was called the ‘foreigners’, meaning everyone who was born outside of korea - including johnny himself, ten, sicheng, yuta, yukhei, renjun, chenle and mark, but they were also joined by yoonoh. speaking of the younger boy, whenever someone would question his place at the foreigner’s table, he would spout off something about how he ‘lived in america for four years, that’s why he’s here’. of course, the non-english speakers had to have it explained to them the first time, meanwhile mark, johnny, ten, and yukhei all cracked up laughing at the boy. group c was made up of pretty much everyone else. mark always led the way for the rest of the group, although he was the youngest - jungwoo, taeyong, taeil and doyoung were all older than him, but allowed him to play leader for a brief bit before taeyong took his role back. while johnny and ten had classes on mondays, tuesdays, wednesdays, and fridays, their friend group left them alone on tuesdays, since none of the others had schedules that matched up. johnny loved those days, since it meant that ten would shed his witty persona and don the much softer version that johnny saw much of at home, the two sitting side by side with his hand on ten’s thigh, tracing gentle shapes into his jeans as the two ate. those days were filled with quiet chatter and occasionally the scratch of a pen on paper as one of them finished an assignment, which was a very rare occurrence.

the day that johnny woke up and realized it was monday, he was tempted to skip classes. monday was their day with the babies, which usually ended with half hearted insults being tossed across the table between chenle and jisung, the gross sound of mark and donghyuck occasionally making out, and jeno, renjun, and jaemin arguing over something stupid that wouldn’t matter to them in ten minutes. while johnny loved the six of them, he could only take them in very, very small doses. he nuzzled closer to ten, feeling the smaller boy shift in his hold before he got out of bed. johnny let out a whine at the sudden absence of heat, but instead watched his beloved fiance shuffle across the room with a swollen face, pouty lips, and his figure obscured by the gigantic sweater he had donned when he proposed the week before. rolling over onto his back, johnny sprawled out on the bed and hummed in decision as he weighed his options - going to class meant that he could spend part of the day with ten, but skipping class meant that he could spend the whole day with ten, preferably cuddled up under the covers. however, when he heard the shower turn on and the toilet flush, he knew that ten had no plans of staying home. johnny sighed in defeat, even though there was no competition. he grabbed clothes for both him and ten, knowing that the younger wouldn’t want to walk into their bedroom bare, because he would just complain that it was cold. johnny slipped in behind the thai boy after dropping their clothes on the counter, and the two enjoyed a few mid-morning kisses before getting cleaned up. standing side by side, johnny watched through the mirror as ten went through his morning routine, spreading different things over his face to control the breakouts that he occasionally had. it wasn’t long before ten was skipping out of the bathroom in his bare glory, retrieving his phone from the nightstand where it was charging, and turning on music for the two of them to get ready to. even though they had been together for nearly four years, he still found himself amazed with all the little things about ten - the smoothness to his movements, the fact that he had to have music to function, the witty retorts that he couldn’t hold back, and the way his eyes sparkled in mischief when he was planning something. johnny still was amazed by the way he focused on the task at hand, whether it was his facial routine or cooking, and couldn’t stop himself from swooning when he watched ten dance or sing.

ten glanced back at johnny through the mirror, raising a hand and splashing water onto his face, causing the elder to jump in surprise and flinch at the sudden attack, leaving ten to sink to his knees and cackle at the response he received. it didn’t take long before johnny was retaliating, until ten finally pushed him away and reminded him that they had to get ready.

after another hour and a half of getting ready to leave, the two boys left their shared apartment with clean bodies and full stomachs, thanks to johnny. the two swung their intertwined hands in between them as they trudged through the thick snow, johnny tightening his grip whenever ten’s feet would begin to slide from under him. whenever johnny would look over to check and make sure the other was okay, he was entranced by the sight of the younger, who had a beanie pulled low over his ears and a scarf pulled over his mouth, leaving only his eyes and nose to face the cold. johnny wasn’t dressed any differently, although his scarf hung loosely around his neck and a mask covered the lower half of his face. they walked in silence, ten occasionally leaning on the elder when they would stop at crosswalks to wait for traffic to pass before they could cross.

not much later, they were greeting the babies on their way to classes. it was no surprise to see donghyuck caging mark against a group of lockers, peppering little kids over his face, the canadian boy’s eyes wide until he spotted johnny and ten, breaking free to join them. donghyuck trailed behind him, pouting slightly as he wrapped mittened hands around mark’s bicep, drawing the older boy closer - for warmth, he claimed. soon enough, they were joined by jeno, jaemin, and renjun, who all sported red cheeks and noses, except for jeno. the latter had a mask covering his face much like johnny, and he pulled it down to reveal a perfectly warm face. his boyfriends whined at the display, momentarily pausing the conversation that was already in progress. from across the courtyard, they heard a familiar shriek and the dull thud of skin on a thick jacket. peering out, jaemin announced that ‘chenji’ had arrived. when confronted about it, he explained that it was the first parts of their names - ‘chen’ for chenle, and ‘ji’ for jisung. this caused an argument to break out over whether it should be chenji, jichen, or - as donghyuck so bravely put it - chensung. the bell rang before they could decide, the group splitting up to their respective classrooms. jeno, jaemin, renjun, mark, and donghyuck all headed in the same direction, considering that they were taking the same class for that morning. johnny and chenle headed the opposite direction as ten and jisung, since they had classes in the same hall.

johnny spent his first class and part of his second idly doodling in the margins of his notebook, brain elsewhere when the professor was done with notes. when the bells rang and released him from his classes, his feet automatically took him to the canteen without another thought from him. he knew that ten would be waiting there for him with a hot lunch, most likely from some overrated fast food place that sat on the edge of the university walls. sure enough, ten sat at their normal table, already picking at a container of fries. johnny made his way to his fiance, but not before a set of three unfamiliar figures had walked up, making conversation with the small boy. johnny’s eyebrows furrowed as he took in the sight of the four boys conversing easily, a smile lighting up ten’s face as he forgot about the fries he was eating just moments before.

when johnny walked up, it seemed as though ten had forgotten about the others and all his focus was on johnny again. the shorter of the two lept to his feet, hurrying forward and planting a small kiss on johnny’s lips - leaving the elder stunned. it wasn’t that ten wasn’t touchy in public, it was just that he was never this forward about his affection. ten’s affection came in small touches and sticky notes left in textbooks, sometimes reading with cute messages, other times quotes from a book, and other times...messages like ‘i wanna have xxx with you, fatass. love you forever, darling’ that johnny sighed, blushed at, and promptly hid away before the young ones could see it.

ten linked their hands together, and dragged johnny back to the table, urging him to sit down so ten could take his place on johnny's lap. johnny eyed ten suspiciously, before looking up at the three in front of them - who were all insanely attractive, all in totally different ways. “john, this is yang yang, felix, and minhyuk from the studio that i dance at.” ten introduced the three, pointing at each one in turn. johnny nodded at the three, taking note of their faces just in case they ever met again. felix and yang yang were definitely foreign, if their names were any indicator, and both of them began to introduce themselves more in depth (johnny learned felix was australian and yang yang was chinese) while minhyuk looked off to the side. a moment later, a tall boy bounded up and had his arms wrapped around minhyuk’s waist, his puppy face and soft pink hair giving him the illusion of a toddler - even though he was easily johnny’s height. ten laughed at the younger boy’s antics, introducing him as sanha, and suddenly pointing out another person walking towards them. donning all black was seo changbin, one of mark’s rapper friends - at least johnny knew that much. he watched as the boy came up and stood next to felix, yang yang edging out of the way to make room. it really was a sight to see - minhyuk in his ripped jeans and graphic tee with a tall puppy hanging over him, fingers laced loosely over minhyuk’s midsection; changbin playing with felix’s fingers as well, the two looking like polar opposites next to one another - felix’s oversized sweater and loose jeans screaming ‘soft’, whereas changbin’s ripped black skinnies, white shirt, and black leather jacket screamed ‘danger’; and yang yang, poor yang yang, standing all by himself, at least for the time being. soon, he was surrounded by two other boys, who introduced themselves quickly as xiao jun and hendery, before tugging the small boy away with them.

the other two couples dispersed as well, and johnny swore he caught myungjun and jinwoo - who were part of taeil and jungwoo’s friend groups, respectively - staring at them as they interrogated the younger boys. sanha merely grinned, while minhyuk presumably explained why they had stopped to talk to ten. johnny turned his attention back to ten, who had since curled up against his chest, heaving a sigh of exhaustion. a laugh bubbled up in johnny’s chest, before he looped his arms under the smaller boys legs and his back, standing up and turning both of them around to find chenle and jisung sitting behind them, sharing what was assumed to be johnny’s fries. the sight didn’t scare either of the elders, already used to the young ones and their quiet coming and going. when they sat back down, ten resumed munching on his now-cold fries, while johnny picked at his meal. renjun, jaemin, and jeno came from one door, meeting up with mark and donghyuck, who came in through the other door. one from each couple was holding a bag of food, presumably for the rest of them to share, which was promptly tossed on the table and divvied out. mark and donghyuck shared a milkshake as well - but mark complained the whole time about how expensive it was, even though everyone could see that he was happy that the sweet treat made donghyuck happy.

the nine of them ate in relative silence, and revelled in the time that they had when they were done, before they had to go to class. that is, until renjun announced his plan to skip his last lecture and instead, go on a date with his two wonderful, beautiful, perfect boyfriends. both boys shared a look, before glancing back at him and replying with a firm ‘no’. renjun pouted, and he didn’t speak until word until the bell rang. then, he planted a quick kiss on each of their foreheads, and walked out of the canteen silently. jeno and jaemin shared another glance, sighing, before getting to their feet and walking to their shared next class hand in hand. johnny and ten both looked after renjun, not even noticing the other two couples in their presence slipping away, leaving the two elders to clean up the trash on their way out, grumbling all the while.

meanwhile, renjun trudged through the snow with his face covered by the mask that he stole from jeno, fingers tucked into the pocket of his jacket as he considered his next move. he could stop in a corner store and stock up on junk food, and have a movie marathon by himself. however, he shot that idea down quickly, instead deciding to stock up on junk food, take a shower and a nap when he got home, and wait for the other two before having a movie marathon. they had no classes the next day, which meant a night of crappy entertainment, lots of cuddling, and a few pints of ice cream.

satisfied with that, he stopped in the corner store that was just a block away from their shared apartment, wandering the aisles until he had gathered a sizable pile. he was thanking every god he knew that his small business was taking off, giving him the extra money to spend on his beautiful boys. the thought of them made him smile, even though nobody could see it under the mask. he thanked the cashier before wandering back out in the cold, hurrying down the sidewalk to the apartment building, desperate to get in and away from the cold. not much later, he was hiding away the goods, stripping in their bedroom, and jumping in the shower with the water almost as hot as it would go.

after washing off and drying his hair, he slipped back into the bedroom and threw on a pair of sweatpants that cinched tight at the waist, and one of jeno’s muscle shirts. once he began to feel the cold of the room take over, he padded over to the thermostat and fiddled with it, listening to the hiss of hot air as it began to warm the room. satisfied, he nearly jumped into bed and tossed the covers over himself, snuggling up to the pillow that jaemin had been using that morning. with a small, content noise, renjun drifted off to sleep with the scent of his boyfriends to gently lull him to sleep.

the loud banging of a door and a quiet cursing is what ultimately woke him up. he knew that it was more than likely that jaemin let the door slam, and jeno was reprimanding him for it. he could hear the two of them talking quietly as they snuck past him into the bathroom, showering together quickly before getting dressed and joining him in bed. jeno unceremoniously rolled him over when he saw renjun was awake, sliding under the covers and letting jaemin snuggle up to renjun's other side. the three of them lay in silence for a minute, before jaemin apologizes for not skipping with him. renjun's fake pout was broken in an instant, and soon he had dislodged a half-asleep jeno in order to attack jaemin and pepper his face with kisses, somehow ending up in his lap as the cute kiss attack turned into a slightly heavy make out session that jeno ignored. when the two only got louder, jeno huffed and yelled that 'some people are trying to sleep, you monsters’, causing the other two to smother him in kisses as well, leaving the boy to giggle under their advances.

soon enough, the three were curled up on the couch, jeno laying over jaemin and renjun's legs as he munched on some popcorn that renjun had popped, while the other two dug into pints of ice cream. a dumb movie that none of them had seen was playing in the background, but renjun found himself looking more at the two boys he loved than the movie. when the main character did something completely stupid, jeno would make a sarcastic remark (“oh yeah, just walk into that abandoned house, that's a great idea”) that left renjun in stitches. jaemin was quieter, still huffing out laughter at jeno's comments, while his hand played aimlessly with the hair on the nape of renjun's neck. that's how the three of them spent the night, eventually falling asleep on the couch together, and deciding upon waking up that they were going to have a breakfast date. as renjun watched the boys get ready, he felt a warmth swell up in his chest that even the snow outside couldn't quench. and as he stood in the middle of the two to brush his teeth, and helped jeno knot his scarf properly, and even readjusting jaemin's jacket buttons, he found that there was no where else he'd rather be.

except for at their local dinner, challenging the others to a competition of 'how many pancakes can we eat before we throw up from sugar overdose’, but that doesn't count.

#nct fic #johnten #johnny seo #chittaphon leechaiyapornkul #norenmin #huang renjun #lee jeno #na jaemin #markhyuck #mark lee #lee donghyuck #nct

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denouement-rants · 2 years

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The rediscovery of the past and everything that came from it

After the slow eons of continental shift, society was rebuilding. The past had been forgotten, the standing ruins that exist far and few. Technology had regressed to a medieval level, and the world had been divided into kingdoms to reflect that.

In one kingdom, the king had set forth scholars to do archeological work in the known ruins they could find.

To study the past and what the old world was like, how to reverse engineer the technology they had, and what caused the world's end.

They were able to uncover a few things. The nature of electricity. How to operate and use a computer, although not how to build one. A high school textbook on chemistry. A dictionary for several world languages.

Guns and how to use one, not how to make one.

Guns were far and few between and most were destroyed.

One team of archeologists headed out, headed by a man named Viktor.

An upstanding gentleman, bright and hopeful for the future. He was young and in about his mid-30s.

He wore a long hooded brown cloak that buttoned up with large pockets on the inside and out, and a white lace-up shirt, and brown trousers and a belt.

He had a side of himself he repressed, a sadistic side. Secretly enjoying the suffering of others but too guilty to admit it, and there were no therapists in his time to give him help.

They ventured out to an ancient decaying city which turned out to be Columbus, Ohio, after finding a few sign posts and inspecting the ID of a wallet in the glovebox of a nearly totaled car.

In the statehouse, they uncovered a crucial piece of the puzzle they had been missing for decades. They found a spellbook. They were missing the magic.

Shortly thereafter, they ran into a golem.

A golem was the highest degree of punishment for any criminal in the old society. It goes beyond death.

The soul is bound by gold, and there are 0.2 miligrams of gold in the human body.

To free oneself from their body momentarily, they may cast a dark spell for astral projection. Your soul may phase through anything and you can choose at will what you interact with. However, you will always be unable to phase through gold. It blocks you.

When your soul is out, you appear as a dark transparent being completely covered in what appears to be space itself. Looking into a spirit appears like looking deep into the universe itself.

Kill the body of the astral projector and the soul has nowhere to go. It will vanish and slowly wander beyond the confines of the universe and into the infinite void between worlds.

On the other hand

If you properly destroy the body while encasing the spirit in gold, they cannot do this. They are forced to remain.

This is done through incineration. To completely disrupt the bonds of the gold.

The process of making a golem is as follows:

Your body has a golden cage built around it engraved with many many runes, all designed for control over the being that inhabits it.

Your body has astral projection runes carved into your flesh.

You are forced into an incinerator. You are burned to death at temperatures so hot that there is only ash left behind, not even a skeleton remains.

The gold cage is then removed and fitted with electronic sensors and batteries, and grey steel metal plating is fitted onto the cage. The cage has a head bur no neck. It is also three times the size of the person in it.

The plates are engraved with many runes thay the golems can activate at will and they are fitted with computers.

They are given flashlight eyes and a speaker mouth.

Guns may be fitted into the arms or the shoulders.

Golems perform a servant role in society. They act as law enforcement and guard important areas, willing to use lethal force to accomplish their goal. If an area is in disrepair, they will inform the nearest person possible. Otherwise, they will repair it themselves. Golems are set to detect unauthorized people. If someone unauthorized is spotted they will act accordingly.

Sometimes there was a surplus in golems and they would be given out to the public. Most often to corporations to perform special tasks.

A golem cannot move without their plating.

Golems are fully conscious and aware of their situation unable to do anything about it, their very soul manipulated to act against their own will.

They were stuck like this for millions of years, serving a society long dead.

And now they've run into Viktor and his team.

Decaying, their flashlights flickering, their speakers warped. Their guns, barely functional. But they retained one element above all. Their capacity for brute force.

They go home.

The golems are just barely put down and some were injured so everyone has to go home.

Viktor studies the spellbook some more in the meantime, and learns more of how magic works and it's role it played in society.

After finding some locations listed in the book and piecing together where they would be now after the continental shift, he travels to them alone through some very desolate places, encountering bandits, dangerous wild animals, and golems along the way

Forced more and more to use dark magic to simply survive, the corruption causes him to slip more and more on his repressed sadism; which causes a considerable dent to his conscience when he acts on it.

Eventually he winds up at the bunker, ancient and forgotten. He discovers the portal and the technology that was behind it.

Here, he discovers some truths that had been previously unmentioned anywhere else before.

He learns what happened that led to the apocalypse, and something else.

The universe was created 13.8 billion years ago by an ancient entity, a being larger than entire galaxies.

Imagine taking a dead tree and removing it from the ground and taking all the gunk off the roots.

Now imagine the tree is wriggly and writing, and likes to coil, meaning "branches" and "roots" move too.

Now imagine it has a looooooooong horizontal mouth with a frightening assortment of teeth, with a single golden yellow eye on both ends.

This being created the universe via big bang, and has complete control over the fabric of reality. It proceeded to create a "firmament" around the universe. It is a physical realm that encases the universe. It is as big as the universe itself and expands as the universe does.

It is a great white void with an ambient brightness as intense as the sun itself. Space warps in the firmament in a way that it curves in on itself where while the firmament encases the universe one cannot enter the universe from within it. If you go in a straight line indefinitely you'll simply end back where you started without entering the universe. In addition, the universe warps space the same way. You cannot enter the firmament from the universe.

Just as mass generates a field of gravity, the firmament generates a field of reality. The Firmament was not a place meant for anyone, as things are more "real" here than they should be in the rest of the universe. This field of reality is what allows the universe to exist.

If you were to be within the Firmament, it would constantly sound like this no matter where you go:

youtube

The Firmament has a stasis effect on that which is in it, something that is hot will forever remain hot, something that is cold will forever remain cold

If something breaks, it will freeze into place and hover in it's broken state.

Aging within the firmament is impossible.

If someone is in the firmament it is possible to walk across it. It is also equally possible to fall instead of walk, and they will fall forever. The firmament can shatter, creating many shards, although the firmament is simultaneously undamaged and there is no space left empty by the creation of a shard. It is as if it broke out of thin air.

Within the Firmament, the entity gave birth to three gods, whom oversee the universe within it. They maintain the very laws of physics in the universe and prevent it from breaking down. They cannot interact with the universe, they have no power beyond the Firmament unless an outside sources opens a way for them.

The gods sit upon three golden thrones and they are the size of skyscrapers, they are tall and humanoid and have no face, hair, or even ears.

Yet they can see

They are composed of a white concrete-like material, smooth to the touch, with cracks at the joints.

The entity is waiting for the universe to become "ripe", and one day it will return to the universe. Then, it will consume it, everything from the Firmament and what lies beyond.

At humanity's darkest hour the scientists used rune magic to breach the Firmament and make contact with the gods for them to send them to the future. They learned many things they did not want to know. And now, sitting in the dark in front of an old computer, Viktor has too.

This information destroys him. The world is going to end, and everything he ever loved and known is going to be destroyed. Humanity at large will go extinct. And he doesn't even know when it will happen. It could be tomorrow. It could be a hundred or thousands of years from now.

It's already been millions of years, how much time does he have left?

What is he supposed to do?

In the midst of a mental breakdown, he flips through his spellbook looking for a solution, any solution. He finds it.

There is a spell to create a new universe. However it costs more energy to cast than he has to give. Not only is there not enough and the spell will fail, it will kill him instantly.

How can he get more energy?

He finds another spell. It allows him to absorb the energy from another person. It will absorb as much chemical energy from every individual cell possible.

This process will obviously kill the subject. But there is no other spell. This is a dark magic spell.

If he wants to save humanity, he must take the lives of others. Many others. Trillions of people, if not more.

He sobs. There is no other way. He can't go home and propose this to his king. He will be declared insane and jailed. Worse, executed. He could not do this at any kingdom, any nation. No one in their right mind will sign off on the systemic execution of millions and more. It's abhorrent. Even if they did, there would be resistance. No one wants to die, and if they find out that swathes of people are dying, they may be next. They want to live, and they'll fight for their right to live and the lives of others. But it has to be done. He has to do this if he wishes to save humanity. He will be ostracized. But he can give others in the future a life that won't be snuffed out without warning.

He decides to make the sacrifice of his own social standing, and sets out to return home with this new knowledge at hand.

He starts out small, kidnapping people from a village and taking them to a cavern deep in the mountains to perform his magic. Eventually, he turns to another subset of dark magic. Necromancy. With spells and some runes he can raise dead that will obey him. He starts out simple and creates zombies. This way, he can defend himself against a crowd.

He eventually finds another dark magic spell. It unravels the flesh.

When it is cast upon you, every single layer of cells in your body unravels, every layer of skin, every organ, every bone, even the brain, it all unfurls like a scroll into a flat sheet. From there, he can absorb ten times as much energy. This becomes what he does, and eventually people start to take notice and rise against him.

He knows that the world will resist him. But if he can control the world, nothing will resist him, and he can save humanity more efficiently.

And so, he sets out against the world with his undead, as he practices more he becomes more adept at necromancer and is able to raise sentient undead as smart as they were in life but forced to obey him. He forms proper soldiers and a military.

He becomes so through and tired with the emotional and mental pain that his work has given him that he gives in, and fully embraces his sadism. He is unfettered in his goals and even when his own family that he loves rises against him, he cuts them down, as much as it pains him to do so.

The war he wages against the world lasts 30,000 years.

In that time, he turns himself into an undead as well, and studies everything he could uncover from the old world to gather as much knowledge as possible to use against his enemy.

He advances technology over the years, although humanity advances in return; with every loss Viktor suffers they reverse engineer new technology they get their hands on.

He studies martial arts as well so if he ever gets into another combat situation personally it will be easy to come out on top.

At the end of the war technology is at a modern level and the last nation standing is nigh impenetrable for him, even after having taken over the rest of the world. They're taking territory back and they've given him a run for his money.

In a last and final bid, he turns to the gods and makes contact with them. They will temporarily grant him enough power to squash the opposition, which in itself is half as much energy he needs to make a new universe.

He is to open a rift into the void between worlds at the capital of the enemy's country.

From there, he is to build a machine that creates angels for the gods to build an army of their own, to fight and destroy the entity when it returns.

And so, it is done. And after 500 years, technology progresses to a cyberpunk level. Viktor, the necromancer, has grown past the highest level of technology that the old society had and has expanded upon it with his own advancements, a scientist in his own right.

The world has been taken over and humanity suffers hell on earth because of it, in the name of their own salvation.

By this point, Viktor's appearance has changed drastically, but he had always kept the same clothing.

He has rotted so much his skin has become brown like he was mummified.

On the right side of his face, it is partially rotten but on the left is fully exposed skull.

On the left side he has no eye but rather a small yellow pinprick where the eye should be.

The right side is enhanced cybernetically, where there would be an eye is a glowing red bulb that acts as an eye and is secured into place with metal plating surrounding the eye.

The right arm is bionic but the left is rotted and partially skeletal.

By this point, his personality is drastically changed.

He is cold and distant. He prioritizes efficiency above everything else and unlike most villains he does not stop to monologue. He acts swiftly and with haste.

He is incredibly sadistic and malicious but will never be so in a way that would backfire on him or otherwise be useless.

In a conversation with him, he speaks eloquently but saying as few words as possible while conveying as much information as possible, with respect to grammar.

He is traumatized from everything he's done and learned, and has a constant neutral expression, stone faced.

Due to the decomposition of his body he speaks in a constant low monotone, to avoid damaging his vocal cords, no matter how he feels emotionally. If he must raise his voice, he has a megaphone installed in his throat that he may turn on at will at the press of a button on his neck. At the press of another button, he may also connect to intercoms and PA speakers to broadcast his voice wirelessly, while maintaining that low monotone.

During the war, over the centuries, Viktor stopped caring to use his name. It wasn't necessary, it was known who he was. His name and who he used to be would be lost to history, as he slowly only became known as "The necromancer".

Credit to Em331

#viktor #the necromancer #the old society #dark magic #corruption #art #the gods #the entity #the firmament #undead #the 30000 year war #cyberpunk #horror #cyberpunk horror #Youtube #denouement

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tamboradventure · 5 years

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The Ultimate Guide to Teaching English in Thailand

Posted: 2/15/2020 / February 15th, 2020

Thailand is an English teacher’s dream. With a low cost of living, incredible food, rich culture, plenty of partying, and a mai pen rai (no worries) attitude, the Land of Smiles is a very popular country for English teachers.

For Thais, English is considered a necessity to work in the global market, so there is always a need for teachers. With language schools, primary schools, universities, and other locations offering English classes, there are numerous avenues for employment.

So, how do you get a job teaching English in Thailand?

In order to do so, you need to be a native speaker from an English-speaking country (defined as the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand) or prove your fluency, and have a bachelor’s degree.

Because of the popularity of teaching English in Thailand, I’d recommend also having a 120-hour TEFL, TESOL, or CELTA certificate to make you more competitive.

With all teaching opportunities in Thailand, salaries vary greatly depending on the location and employer. In hot tourist destinations like Koh Samui, Phuket, and other spots, expect to earn less than what you would make in less exotic locales, because people will accept a lower salary in exchange for the beach lifestyle.

You will earn the most in Bangkok, followed by Chiang Mai.

Here’s a breakdown of the various ways to teach in the country and what to expect with each position:

Public Schools

Public schools are free from preschool through high school. The school year begins in May and ends in March and includes a three-week break in October.

As a public school teacher in Thailand, expect to work full-time, even if you’re not teaching every moment of the day. Responsibilities range from creating lesson plans and exams to grading papers (none of which you are compensated for if it’s on your own time), as well as keeping office hours at school.

Students range in their knowledge and understanding of English, and often there is little guidance in terms of the curriculum you need to create. You’re basically on your own here! Many teachers incorporate games, television shows, and movies into their classes.

In public schools, the student-to-teacher ratio is high, so expect large class sizes.

Salaries range from 25,000 to 40,000 THB ($827–1,317 USD) a month. Teaching in the cities will earn you the most money. You can expect lower salaries in the countryside, but cost of living is so cheap there, you’ll still end up having plenty of extra money!

Private and International Schools

There are very few differences between public schools and private and international schools, other than the lower student-to-teacher ratio and the fact that salaries are significantly higher since they are not free to attend.

International schools have the most coveted positions, but you’ll need to be an actual certified teacher to get one of them, as the curriculum follows the West’s. Private schools are a little less strict, but you’ll still want to have some experience. You’ll need to have not only a degree but also a TEFL, TESOL, or CELTA certificate and prior teaching experience, and be a native English speaker.

If you’ve never taught English before or have only a little experience, you’re unlikely to get a job at one of these schools.

Whereas the public schools follow the Thai system and come with little support, these institutions tend to be more like Western schools, so if you’re wondering what teaching is like there, just think back to what it was like when you went to school!

International schools pay the most, roughly 80,000–170,000 THB ($2,633–5,596 USD) a month (which is well above the typical Thai salary and allows for your lifestyle to be more lavish); private schools pay 60,000–80,000 THB ($1,975–2,633 USD).

These positions also come with a lot of perks: contract bonuses, lots of vacation days, health insurance, and sometimes airfare to and from Thailand.

Universities

Teaching at a university in Thailand can help give you an edge over the competition for other English teaching jobs in the country. But teaching at a university means teaching part-time and earning only 30,000–60,000 THB ($987–1,975 USD) a month.

The upside is that you can also teach at another school part-time, you get a few months of paid vacation, and you are compensated generously should you have to work overtime (about 1,000–1,500 THB, or $33–49 USD, an hour).

Depending on where you teach, your responsibilities will be different. All teachers must come up with lesson plans, but some may also have to teach faculty or have additional sessions outside of the classroom, among other duties.

You may or may not have textbooks to use for your curriculum. Class sizes at universities are notoriously large, about 50 students.

Language Schools

Teaching English at a language school in Thailand is different than at a public or private school. Classes are normally held in the morning before the workday starts to accommodate businesspeople, then again in the afternoon and into the evening for children and adults.

The workweek at language schools extends into the weekend.

At language schools, classes are small and range from four to ten students. As a teacher, it’s your responsibility to come up with lesson plans and activities.

There’s also the option at language schools to work full- or part-time. Full-time teachers make anywhere from 30,000 to 40,000 THB ($987-1,316 USD) per month; part-time teachers make 350–500 THB ($11.50–16.50 UD) per hour.

There are lots and lots of language schools in the country, and jobs are fairly easy to get. They don’t really care about previous experience or even if you have a TEFL certificate (though having both makes it easier to get a job).

You’ll also get very little support from the schools and will basically have to set up everything on your own. You’ll only get paid for actual classroom time.

I didn’t really love teaching at the language schools, but the work was easy even if it was not well paid.

Corporate Training Programs

As a corporate teacher, you teach from a company’s office, giving lessons to their staff. Classes tend to be large, so many employees can attend. Because these programs are quite expensive, the positions are only filled by teachers with experience.

Expect to work during the morning or late at night, as you have to teach people outside business hours.

Corporate teachers make anywhere from 45,000 to 60,000 THB ($1,481–1,974 USD) a month, and it’s normal for the school to cover travel expenses to the company.

Test Preparation

Test preparation in Thailand is different than in other English positions. You must be knowledgeable in a variety of English tests, including SAT or GRE prep (and have finished in the 95th percentile or above), as well as IELTS and TOEIC, both of which are used to test students before they work or study abroad.

As a test prep teacher, classes are either groups or private and take place on both weekdays and weekends. It’s your job to not only teach the courses but also design and develop the course curriculum.

Test prep teachers average about 600 THB ($20 USD) an hour.

Best Job Resources for Teaching in Thailand

There are numerous sites to find jobs teaching English in Thailand. The best one for jobs is ajarn.com as it simply has the most listings and is specific to Thailand. It’s the oldest teaching in Thailand website too.

Other sites with job postings include the following:

Go Overseas

Teach Away

Teaching in Thailand

How to Apply for a Visa

It isn’t hard to apply for the Non-Immigrant B visa necessary to teach English in Thailand and your school will help you do, but there are quite a few steps to getting it and then starting teaching.

First, make sure your passport has validity beyond six months and have passport photos for applications, as well as your original bachelor’s degree, transcripts, and a certified criminal background check.

Next, you’ll need to apply for a visa from outside of Thailand and include a letter from your employer with the job offer. Once you have your visa, your employer steps in and handles the paperwork, completing the remainder of the application on your behalf.

After the visa is complete, you’ll need to have a physical exam and a medical certificate from a Thai doctor and then get your work permit. From there, it’s on to the Immigration Department in order to extend your visa in your passport for 12 months.

The last two steps are to get your tax card from the Tax Department and then your teaching license. Your employer should be able to assist you in all aspects of the process.

It’s important to note that if you choose to teach without these necessary items, you run the risk of getting kicked out of the country and fined.

***

Teaching English in Thailand is one of the best teaching opportunities in the world, thanks to the country’s cost of living, tropical environment, and laid-back lifestyle.

With so many options for teaching and the ease of getting a visa, it’s a perfect spot to start your English teaching career abroad.

P.S. – Want to meet other travelers in real life? This year we launched The Nomadic Network, a platform created to help travelers connect, learn, and get inspired in real life! Here are our upcoming events if you want to take part: Seattle (2/17), Austin (2/18), Fort Lauderdale (2/19), Portland (2/19), San Francisco (2/20), Los Angeles (2/23), Detroit (2/24), Boston (2/24), Dublin (2/24), San Diego (2/24), London (2/25), Chicago (2/25), and NYC (3/10).

Ready to Teach Overseas? Get My Comprehensive Guide

This digital guide will put you ahead of your competition, help you land a high-paying job with a reputable company, and give you first-hand knowledge from real teachers! Get started today with this downloadable PDF (for your computer, e-reader, or mobile device) with the book PLUS 12 interviews about life as a teacher, plus job advice from one of the industry’s top recruiters!

Book Your Trip to Thailand: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned.

Book Your Accommodation You can book your hostel with Hostelworld. If you want to stay elsewhere, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels.

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

World Nomads (for everyone below 70)

Insure My Trip (for those over 70)

Looking for the best companies to save money with? Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel! I list all the ones I use to save money when I travel – and I think will help you too!

Looking for more information on visiting Thailand? Check out my in-depth destination guide to Thailand with more tips on what to see, do, costs, ways to save, and much, much more!

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