#trying to become bilingual

[littleghoulghost]

Trying to slowly work my way through asks since my brain is being slow and spicy. Also trying to get a 7 day streak on Duolingo learning German. I've gotten through quite a few lessons, but I don't have anyone to practice it with. I'd like to become, if not fluent, at least conversational.

I went to Germany my senior year of high school and I loved it. I loved being able to thank the locals and understand some of the things they were saying. I loved looking at the signs and knowing what it meant. It was so satisfying. I felt great. However, in my personal life I don't have anyone that wants to learn because they don't think they can do the sounds, because the only time most Americans hear German is when its aggressive and loud and in a war movie. To me German can be harsh, but it can also be really beautiful. Like, what other language is going to call a bat a flutter mouse?

[smokeys-house]

I get that it's not the job of every person who's fluent in their first language to teach it to new learners, but why is there such an attitude surrounding new learners? Why is there the idea that every person should be fluent before they dare speak aloud? You don't have to let people be wrong, but you do have to accept that there is a polite way to correct someone. If you're going to correct someone you should at least muster the effort to do it politely. You don't have to point out a mistake in a way that shames someone. That discourages learning, which in turn only causes even more of the situations that had you acting this way in the first place.

Idk why you'd feel the need to flex on someone who's showing you a vulnerable point. If someone trusts you enough to fail around you that's not something you should scorn. Is it not in poor taste to break a child's wrist when they challenge an adult to arm wrestling? Why are you trying to gain a feeble sense of power over someone who is still learning? I don't get it.

[thesodasploder]

i gotta find more japanese splatoon lives but also learn so much more japanese that i can become near fluent without need for google translate 😭 and then i can comment in the live for funsies

[szappan]

finally got to monikko in finnish and it's uhh.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Speech Development

Several stages of development have been distinguished in the first year, when the child develops the skills necessary to produce a successful first word.

FIRST 2 MONTHS

Apart from the cry patterns associated with hunger, pain, and discomfort, the first 2 months of life display a wide range of primitive vocal sounds reflecting the baby’s biological state and activities – as in the ‘vegetative’ noises heard while eating and excreting.

Some of the most basic features of speech, such as the ability to control air flow and produce rhythmic utterance, are being established at this time.

BETWEEN 6 & 8 WEEKS

There emerge the sounds generally known as cooing, produced when the baby is in a settled state.

Cooing sounds do not grow out of crying; rather, they develop alongside it, gradually becoming more frequent and varied.

They are quieter, lowerpitched, and more musical, typically consisting of a short vowel-like sound, often nasal in quality, and usually preceded by a consonant-like sound made towards the back of the mouth.

Strings of cooing noises soon emerge, and the sounds become more varied, as the baby begins to develop a greater measure of control over the muscles of the vocal organs – especially over tongue and lip movements and associated vocal-fold vibration.

BETWEEN 3 & 4 MONTHS

Cooing sounds begin to die away, to be replaced by sounds which are much more definite and controlled, often repeated, and produced with wide pitch glides.

It is a period commonly called vocal play, because the baby seems to take great pleasure in producing these noises, especially those made with the lips.

But it is perhaps more accurate to call it a time of vocal practice or experimentation.

AROUND 6 MONTHS

Vocal play gives way to babbling – a period of syllable sequences and repetitions which can last most of the second half of the first year.

To begin with, the consonant-like sounds are very repetitive:

Example: "babababa"

But at around 9 months, the babbling moves away from these fixed patterns.

The consonants and vowels change from one syllable to the next, producing such forms as [adu] and [maba], and there is a wider range of sounds, anticipating the sounds of the accent of English to be learned.

The utterances do not have any meaning, though they often resemble adult words – and of course adults love to ‘hear’ such words (especially mummy and daddy) in the baby’s vocalizations.

But babbling does not gradually shade into speech; indeed, many children continue to babble for several months after they have begun to talk.

Babbling is perhaps best summarized as a final step in the period of preparation for speech.

The child, in effect, ‘gets its act together’; but it has yet to learn what the act is for – that sounds are there to enable meaning to be communicated in a controlled way.

With the production of the ‘first word’, this final step is taken.

NOTE

However, the first word is not the first feature of adult language to be acquired.

From as early as 6 months, there is evidence that the child is picking up features of the melody and rhythm of the adult language.

Certainly by 9 months, strings of syllables are often being pronounced in conversation-like ways which adults interpret as communicative:

‘He/ she’s trying to tell us something’ is a common reaction to a piece of ‘scribble-talk’, and such speech-act functions as questioning, commanding, and greeting are ascribed to babbled utterances.

The melody and rhythm of often-used phrases, such as "all gone", are also likely to be heard long before the vowels and consonants are clearly articulated.

It is these prosodic features which are the first signs of real language production in children.

Prosody - the linguistic use of pitch, loudness, tempo, and rhythm; the study of versification

Source ⚜ Notes & References More: Children ⚜ Children's Dialogue ⚜ Childhood Bilingualism

[bamfkeeper]

Parents.

Kurt Wagner x F!reader

RQ: 'CAN WE PLS GET MORE DAD!KURT HC'S??? PLS I BEG' - @thel0v3hashira143

Warnings: Baby themes, mentions of breastfeeding and other recovery things from birth and pregnancy.

A/N: Pleaseee I love Kurt as a dad <3 Dad!Kurt has to have a goatee I don't make the rules 😩

Kurt loves being a dad. He's always wanted to be a father and he was so excited when you got pregnant and gave birth. He was so attentive to you, and during labor and the birthing process, he was there helping as much as possible.

When it was the first night home from the hospital, he made sure you got your baby inside safely and you got to bed right away. He didn't want you moving around too much. He had already prepped the bedroom, the bassinet was beside the bed for you to easily reach for your baby at night for feedings.

He had water, cream, medicine, everything you needed. He popped up at night when he felt you move, checking on you nearly every hour.

If you wanted to only breastfeed, he'd absolutely be okay with that, and he'd make sure you were alright doing so. He would help you pump and offer bottles if you needed, but he'd mostly try to respect your wants.

I don't think Kurt would care what gender the baby is. He'd love it no matter what. I always had a feeling that if he had a boy he'd name it Gabriel.

Names in general can be played with. You can imagine him going the religious route, or the German route, or if you have a name you like from your own culture, then you could choose that. Kurt is just happy you're having a baby, the name isn't something he's going to argue about with you.

Kurt is absolutely super protective over the baby and you, especially fresh from the hospital. He advocates your wishes to all your friends and family. No visitors, no pictures, no holding the newborn, etc. whatever rules you have.

You love watching him hold your baby, how he cradles them in his arms and hums so sweetly. He gently rubs his nose into the baby's tiny one, he's so gentle with them.

He kisses your baby's feet, listening to the sweet giggles because his beard tickles their toes. He loves to give them raspberries too.

He likes to sing German lullabies or songs to your baby. His singing voice is actually really good.

You thought Kurt was protective before, but once your baby moves around more often, he becomes even more so. Anyone says anything about your baby's appearance or yours after your pregnancy, he loses it. You didn't think that would get you going but...damn.

Your baby would be bilingual. They'd learn English and German growing up.

Walking is fun. With the tiny tail your baby has, balance is much easier, so your baby is walking long before normal babies walk.

As your baby grows, their little voice develops an accent in both languages, and you both adore it. Kurt is so proud of your little one, going on and on about how smart they are and how they get it from you.

Kurt loves dressing your baby too, he definitely puts them in little overalls or lederhosen.

Kurt plays with your little one all the time, especially at parks, he loves pushing them in the swing and sliding down the slide with them in his lap. He absolutely makes up extravagant make believe scenarios about sailing the seas on a big pirate ship, aka the couch.

Speaking of...pirate costumes for Halloween is a MUST.

Also let's not forget the spoiling your child will endure. Kurt gets them whatever they want. Stuffed animals, toys, clothes, sweets, within reason of course. But he can't resist.

Kurt loves to cook German dishes for you and your child, it makes him happy to do and it connects you and your child closer to his roots.

Bedtime stories are big for Kurt too. The showman he is, he tells the stories in different voices, he completely acts out the parts to make your child giggle and laugh. He tucks your little one in and gives them a kiss, a soft lullaby, then it's off to dreamland.

You adore seeing this side of Kurt, he's grown into a wonderful parent, even if he did have some worries before. He is absolutely perfect. A perfect father and a perfect husband.

Dividers by @/adornedwithlight

Cover images: Immortal X-Men #7 (2022), Pinterest for others

[inumakis-boo]

May I have some dating Toge Inumaki headcanons? Both sfw and NSFW... If you're comfortable.

TOGE INUMAKI ♫₊˚.🎧 ✧💬

headcanons 𓍢ִ˖ hello and thank you for the requests! i am current rediting all of my posts, so if this looks a little different than when you first saw it, thats the reason why!

anyways, i hope all of you enjoy! and if course, NSFW will be tagged and is written for a female perspective.

safe for work headcanons

- would probably not notice each other the first time you meet, maybe an interested glance but it doesn't really hit until the second or third time that he really sees you

- probably asks for your number just so yall can talk better, and once you do, its an instant connection. he literally wouldnt be able to stop, staying up all night to text you

- texts you out of the blue, and although probably feels embarrassed to double text, he is just that interested in you

- would totally deliever a bag of goodies he bought at the store for you, and additionally maybe offer to make you a lunch to try before he makes it for everyone else

- you comment on one of his t-shirts he wears and he puts it in one of the goodie bags he buys you, doused in his cologne because he wants you to think of him

- would totally send annoying memes and tiktoks and bully you over text, also play 8-ball COMPETITIVELY cause he aint gonna lose to you (he doesnt even pity lose to you)

- shows up unannounced just to kiss you in the door frame of your dorm room as a goodnight and then leaves you there

- that is until you invite him over to your dorm at night and he brings post-it notes and teaches you his semi-bilingual language for easier understanding, and utterly loves you for it

- the talking stage would be him just pining over you cosntantly, writing it all down in journals or in his notes app

- after yall started dating, it is very much a no public affection mostly because he doesnt want anybody to be in your business. especially with his noisy ass friends

- but no matter what, he is going to hold your hand, especially when going on dates and walking around campus at night (would definitely talk u into sneaking out)

- he would be hesistant to kiss you even after yall became offical, probably go a few weeks before you just say it straight that you want him to kiss you and you dont even get it all out before hea pinning you to a door and giving you the best kiss of your life

- would absolutely use his speech on you so you cannot resist it when he tickles you or when you are beating him in a game

- he is not the sappiest guy, but if you start to get sappy over a movie or a sad book, he will rub your back and give you head-kisses to help you feel better

below is not safe for work content. mdni.

not safe for work headcanons

- you find out very quickly into the relationship that he cannot resist a challenge of any kind. therefore, using that to your advantage always works out

- challenging him through text to sneak out of his dorm will work, but ofc he wants a prize at the end (you are on your knees for the next hour)

- the benefit of his speech is that you don't feel any fatigue whatsoever during its use, so that makes it really easy to make your body endure while you deep-throat him over and over.

- it doesn't diminish the pleasure though; being told to stay still while he fondles your chest takes away nothing from the experience, and he knows how much you like having no choice.

- not that even if it was tiring, you wouldn't let him throat-fuck you, the noises he makes are heavenly for someone who can't speak straight, the struggle of watching him grip the bedframe and biting his lips so he doesn't utterly ruin you is SO worth a bruised throat.

- he might be nervous to use his speech on you the first time, but after you make sure that you can handle it, its becomes so much more confident in using it

- he loves making out with you, he loves making your lips red with all the biting, he wants to see them glossy and wet right before he puts his fingers in your mouth (you know where they are going next)

- sexting is so fun, yall thought it might be cringy, but its literally the best when he calls you with a command and he gets to listen to you whimper and moan as he jerks off to it, can be totally unexpected

- "Ride me."

- hand on your thigh when nobody can see, and his pinky is awfully close to your panties that it makes you nervous.

- ofc he can easily make you cum, but will he always let you? not without a cute little 'please' hes not. begging is fun, isnt it?

- lets be honest, the dick game is so good he don't even have to tell you to go to sleep after

- ofc he would definitely lay it down on you exactly how he described through text, and then clean you with special wipes he bought from the store because he aint a dickhead, duh.

I have so many more, especially for different situations, so lmk if you want more! Thank u for all the support as of recently!

bye pookies!

[tarotbydelilah444]

describing the type of baddie you are

pile one • 🎀

𐙚 first and foremost, you are absolutely and drop-dead gorgeous. You have unique features, or you could be from a different country, specifically Africa, or Europe (the UK… maybe). Some of you could be of mixed heritage, or you have a beautiful accent that people absolutely adore.

𐙚 you have a great and toned physique to match that face card of yours. Some of you could be or could have been an athlete, or you spend a lot of time working out and maintaining your figure to stay snatched to the gods.

𐙚 some of you could be an influencer or you are very popular in your community. Many people are inspired by you, yet there are some people that are envious and see you as competition. You could attract a lot of evil eye and jealously from haters and people that want to imitate and obtain what you’ve been able to achieve (followers, beauty, and/or success), but aren’t successful, so they stay watching and big mad at you. Muahhh… no access 💋.

𐙚 you are a natural seducer and a flirt. You have this sultriness and confidence that many people respect and find attractive. You have the ability to lure people in with your beauty and charm to get what you want, then become detached and cold when you get what you desire, which is why many people are stuck on you, even when you have disappeared from their lives.

𐙚 it’s hard to impress you and you lose interest pretty fast, if you aren’t constantly stimulated. It’s gives… okay, so what’s next? People tend to have to put in a lot of effort to get your attention and maintain it, or you are very quick to ghost and find something new and more exciting.

𐙚 finally, you are a forced to be reckoned with. You are someone that is well-respected and level headed for the most part, but you are just as quick to go 0-100 real quick, if someone disrespects or slight you in anyway and will not give two f*cks afterwards then continue to protect your peace, like nothing ever happened.

channeled song

pile two • 💗

𐙚 you are hardworking and an overachiever. You are someone that goes after their dreams and doesn’t stop until they reach their goals. You tend to be successful in whatever you choose to go after because you always stay focus on the end goal, without getting distracted. Even when things seem uncertain or challenges arise, you have an unwavering faith to keep going until you get what you desire. 

𐙚 you are a very intelligent and articulate individual, and always open and ready to learn something new, whether if your learning something new through someone else, or learning and teaching yourself. For some, you could be bilingual or trilingual, so you could be fluent Italian, French, and/ or Arabic.

𐙚 for some, you are a wonderful and creative writer, or you are very good with words. You also have a beautiful voice. 

𐙚 your resilience is very admirable. You have the ability to overcome any challenges and obstacles that may come in your path and come up with a solution how to solve any problem that your may encounter. For some, you could want to pursue a career in the medical field, and your resilient and determined spirit will benefit you in the end, so keep up the good work. 

𐙚 you are very mysterious and likely an introverted person. You are perfectly okay with being alone and in your own space. This could be because you might be a little shy and insecure. Your vibe/energy favors Bubbles 🫧 from the PowerPuff Girls, or you have a shy cute nerdy vibe to you, yet underneath that reserved exterior, you are an absolute sweet heart, kind, and loving to those who know you which makes you extremely likable and appealing to others. You have a special way of making people feel invited, heard, and seen with your sweet and caring demeanor. You likely wear your heart on your sleeve and often rely on your heart and emotions to guide you, but you need to be better at not always leading with your feelings and emotions and try learning when to be logical and emotional. I think you don’t know how much you are loved by others. You are being encouraged to step out of your shell and allow yourself to show up and make your mark on the world. You are encouraged to speak up more and put yourself out there. The world is your oyster.

channeled song

pile 3 • 💅🏾

𐙚 this is my rich b*tch energy pile. Your energy /vibe reminds me of the rapper, Saweetie. You are very extroverted and have a very contagious and lively personality that lights up a room and immediately draws people to you. You are very funny and are always cracking jokes, you don’t take yourself or life too seriously and you always have a smile on your face. You are extremely outgoing and pretty much the life of the party.

𐙚 for some, you are a socialite or very influential and well-known in the world or in your line of work. You are always open to meeting and befriending people any chance you get. Some of you could be an entrepreneur, or you have aspirations to create something of your own. You are independent and self-sufficient, you don’t rely on no one to provide for you. You are very passionate and driven when it comes to your goals, dreams, and desires and wont stop until you get everything you want and deserve. Literally self-made and meant to be a boss.

𐙚 you are very outspoken and intelligent. You are not afraid to speak your mind and stand up for yourself and others, if necessary. People tend to underestimate you and what you are capable of because they think you are just a stereotypical “pretty girl” yet, little do they know that you have beauty and brains and you aren’t afraid to show what you know.

𐙚 bougie queens 👑 you prefer the more finer and refined things in life. You look and smell rich and expensive. For some you are actually wealthy and privileged. You take especially good care of yourself any chance that you get. Not the type of woman to accept any thing less than what you deserve because you know and understand your worth and value, then you add tax. You are poised, well-mannered, confident, and unattainable to those that instantly fall head over heels for you.

𐙚 you likely attract a lot of unnecessary hate from people, specifically people that are jealous of yo. You could have people that have tried to do black magic (hexes, curses, evil eye) or send negativity your way to throw you off course and to see fall from grace, but they always fail and their attempts backfire in the worse way. The divine and your spiritual team do not play about you and will be quick to slide, if anyone dares to harm you. People may mess with you a lot because you come off very peaceful and you have a youthful spirit or appearance, so they perceive you as gullible and an easy target. Your presence and essence also intimidates lots of triggered and unhealed people as well.

channeled song

[platypusisnotonfire]

Bringing this back for a round.

So I’m talking to my buddy’s mum and trying to cheer her up and telling her stories about the escapades of my cat, Alcibiades, and i’m trying to say that I sometimes call her “pork rind” but (I thought) I didn’t know the word for pork rind so I’m like “ehhhhh, carne de puerco? Pero no es la carne es… Como el piel del puerco?? Pero es comida…” (Like pork? But not pork meat… Like the skin of pig? But it’s a food.) and she’s very puzzled and then my buddy comes in and im like “aagh dude how do you say pork rind in Spanish?” And he’s like “huh?” And I’m like “you know, pork rind! Like chincharrones.” and then I just freeze. And slowly look back at her like “… cincharon.”

[mezzy-1]

Learning Their Language (Valorant X Reader)

The protocol is about as international as it gets, and although most of them are bilingual there can be a bit of a language barrier.  You and your S/O decided to practice a bit of their native language so you could.  (I’m bilingual in Spanish so everything else me actually learning words, so it may not sound like a native speaker).  Like, reblog, and comment pls :) Special thank you to @darthladyofillusions for help translating the Turkish and Japanese!

Gekko - Spanish 

“Oye Y/N, que onda?” Gekko asked as he entered the lounge and sat next to you on the sofa

“Nada, estoy ehh… I’m just sitting here. I don't really know how to say that yet…” you trailed off with a bit of a weak laugh 

“Y/N, don’t worry about it.  It’s good that you can understand when I’m saying hi.”

“But I want to know more…”  you paused and looked at him, then an idea struck

“You could teach me, you and I spend so much time together and it isn’t like it would be studying in school.”

Gekko stared back at you for a couple of seconds and then sat up quickly

“I’d totally teach you Spanish Y/N!”  His excitement matched yours, and a wide grin spread across his face

A few weeks went by between you and him doing the basics of Spanish.  Practicing phrases for callouts helped a lot for the field, but even simple responses like ‘de acuerdo’ or ‘un poquito’ became more common for you

During a particularly slow day, Brimstone called a meeting.  Gekko and you sat together as usual

Part way through the meeting, Gekko whispered ‘Creo que vamos a morir en esas sillas.  Seremos esqueletos secos cuando Brim esta terminado.’

You understood his joke clearly and stifled your laughter the best you could.  Gekko had made a habit of telling jokes in Spanish for only you and him

Unless of course Reyna was in the room, at which point she’d join in.  Reyna’s Spanish was quicker than when Gekko spoke to you, but you had learned to pick out a few words

“Dime Gekko, ¿qué quieres comer anoche?  We got some skirt steaks in so we can make some ar-achera.” you looked over at Gekko, a puzzled expression on his face

“Como?  Que dijiste Y/N”

“Arachera?...”

“You aren’t rolling the R in ‘arrachera’ right.  Say it like this: Arrr-A-che-Ra.”

“Ar. A! Ara!”  You tried to pronounce it the same way he did but just weren’t used to making that sound

“Well do you have any advice on how to roll an R?”

“Just put your tongue on the roof of your mouth.” he replied, taking a step closer to you while you tried to pronounce it correctly

“Como eso amor.” he leaned in and kissed you softly 

“On the top of the mouth, Y/N.  If you can kiss, you should have no problems with saying it right.”

“Fue incredible…” you whispered as he pulled back.  Gekko was blushing as much as you were and giggled quietly

The rest of the evening was spent grilling, cutting vegetables, and making crude jokes in Spanish

Wingman nearly ran away with some of the plated arepas you and him had made.  After rescuing them, you had your dinner together

“Oye Mateo,” 

He looked up mid bite 

“I never got to thank you for how much you’ve done for me.  Muchísimas gracias a todos.  Y tu sabes eso, pero te amo.  Eres mi querido.” you worried you sounded too much like a telenovela but caught Gekko smiling

“De nada Y/N.  Eres el amor de mi vida  también.”

Chamber - French 

“Bonsoir Y/N, ça va?”  Chamber called to you from behind right as you entered the workshop 

“I don’t know what you just said Vincent.  I can only understand when you speak English.”

“But Y/N, you could learn.  After all, you’d have the finest tutor in all of France to teach you.”  Chamber moved closer and looked over your shoulder as you began to disassemble a pistol

“You’d actually teach me?” you asked, trying to fight the urge to turn around and meet him face to face

“Certainly Y/N.  For two people to share a language is a wonderful thing.  They work better together and they become so much closer”

His offer got the better of you, and you relented.  You turned to face him as he stood up and met your stare

“I’ll do it then.  Especially if it means we can spend a little more time together.”

Chamber adjusted his glasses and smiled.  “Magnifique Y/N.”

For the next couple of weeks you met with Chamber whenever you could.  Lessons tended to be something you looked forward to

“Non, non, Y/N.  It would be a travesty for you not to assist on le mission.  Je m’ennuie à mourir sans toi.  Tu es beaucoup trop amusant pour partir.”  

“Je le pense aussi, but do you think I’d just get in the way?  I thought you’d be solo on this one.”

“Y/N,” Chamber affixed his glasses and studied your hesitancy, “J'adorerais ta compagnie Y/N.”

The mission was a strike on some Omega agents in the Pyrenees range.  After some light exercise and carefully placed shots, you and him retired to safehouse in the mountains

“Ah Y/N, puis-je vous offrir quelque chose à boire?  Txakoli ou Sauvignon Blanc?” Chamber lifted two bottles for you to decide on

“Je voudrais le blanc, s’il vous plait.” you added on extra politeness knowing it would impress Chamber.  Plus going with a French wine would make him proud

“A good choice,” he replied while pouring your glasses.  “Es-tu installé confortablement?”

“Oui, but I have to wonder why we have a wine selection at a safehouse.” you slyly asked.  Chamber gave you knowing glance

“Unless, someone went to great lengths for some time together.  Avez-vous prévu cela?”

“Peut-etre.” Chamber answered, feigning ignorance and peering at his wine glass.  His eyes mischievously darted to you

“You know…while I’ve been learning French, I never did learn how to say something I always wanted to learn.”

“Quoi?  And that would be?”  Chamber inched closer to you set his glass down

“Kiss me.” you answered, leaning towards him and gazing into his enthralling eyes

“Embrasse-moi.” Vincent whispered before taking his opportunity.  He held your head and kissed you gently

After a while, you found yourself resting across Chamber’s chest.  You looked up at the agent and caught him smiling down at you

“Je t’aime.” you quietly spoke

“Je t’aime aussi, Y/N.”

Fade - Turkish

It was getting late in the night and you were headed towards your room

“Hey, Y/N.”  Fade’s voice made you jump and you turned to see her leaning against the wall just out of sight

“Merhaba…” you groaned absent-mindedly.  The lack of sleep was finally catching up to you 

“What was that? Y/N Türkçe mi öğreniyorsun?” her typical scowl replaced with deep interest

“I mean, only a little.  I don’t know if I’ll keep doing it though.”

“...Well I could offer a few minutes every so often.  İlgini çeker mi?

“E-Evet.  Tesekkurler Fade!” despite your exhaustion, you still had trouble sleeping that night

The following couple of nights you spent in Fade’s room with a cup of tea and a few notes you scribbled down

Most of the practice was just chatting together about life at the protocol and the day to day

“… Üç saatlik sorguyu izlemem gerekti. Üç saat.”  Fade too a long sip of çay and laid back on a pillow

“Really, 3 hours and nothing?  That must have been boring.”

“Türkçe Y/N.” She chided

“Uzgunum!  Ne kadar sıkıcı!”  You quickly corrected yourself and adjusted your seat

“Anyways Y/N, Günün nasıldı?” Fade reclined back and trained her gaze on you

“Ughh, tipik.  Keşke yapacak daha çok şeyim olsaydı.” you lamented.  

“I can lend you a few books. İster misin?”  Fade picked a few hard cover books from her nightstand and offered them to you

Almost half asleep, you took one and looked it over the summary.  Despite the 

“Uykum geldi Hazal, I’m gonna head over to my…room.”  You yawned and drowsily made your way towards the door but fell asleep where you were. 

Fade moved over to you and placed on of her blankets over you.  She stood, captivated by how peacefully you slept

The following morning you woke up in her room and began to make your way to your own

“Günaydın.” Fade had caught you once more while you tried to quietly exit.  In her hands was the book she gave you last night

“Unuttum! Thank you for reminding me.” you took the book back and set it your room

You met Fade outside your room after your morning routine.  Both of you had the day off, so spent it together

You’d chat in Turkish about plans and privately made arrangements to meet together outside for çay after most of the protocol went to sleep

 Most of the day was gossipping in Turkish and sharing stories from before the protocol.  Fade’s were usually dramatic considering her history, yours were a little more uplifting

Once the moon was hanging over the headquarters, you crept quietly to the spot with freshly made çay 

“İyi akşamlar Y/N.” Hazal greeted you with a slight smile.  “Otur Y/N.”

Taking a seat next to her, you began to sip your tea and chat with Hazal about how much things had changed for the both of you since joining Valorant

By the time the tea was finished, you had your head rested on Hazal’s shoulder while she held your hand

A thought crossed your mind

“Hey Hazal, Türkçe’de…I love you, nasıl denir?” you grinned as the words left your mouth 

Her eyes drifted towards you and she raised an eyebrow.  Her green and blue eyes studied your growing apprehension

Without warning, she took hold of the back of your head and pulled you in close

Her kiss was impulsive and quick, and she held you gently as if trying to shield you from the surrounding darkness

When you broke the kiss, your face was flushed with surprise.  The night air felt twice as cool against the warmth in your cheeks

“Seni seviyorum, Y/N.” 

Yoru - Japanese

“Oi, Y/N, pass me the wrench.”  Yoru had his face buried in his bike as usual, and you were helping out and catching up

“Hai douzo…” you muttered.  Yoru grabbed a hold of it and began fastening something, then stopped

“Did you just speak fucking Japanese?” He sat up, almost hitting his head on the exhaust pipe and looked at you with suspicion

“I did, so what?” you replied.  Yoru was always saying something in Japanese, so you decided to learn what you could 

“And why did you decide to learn Japanese, out of all of the languages to learn?”  Yoru leaned on the bike

“ Betsu ni.” you shot back nonchalantly before folding your arms and smugly grinning at Yoru

“Well you’re sort of shit at it.”  Yoru enjoyed the sudden embarrassment and doubt you felt before making his final move

“Komatta koto ga attara kike ne.  Just make sure your questions aren’t annoying.  Wakatta?”  His attempt to seem uncaring was outweighed by his offer

A few weeks went by of you and Yoru throwing barbs at each other in Japanese or just exchanging short phrases

“Yoru-kunnn…” you purred.  It was just you and him in the locker rooms and you were being a little adventurous with new honorifics

“Y/N.  Ima nan to itta?”  Yoru twisted around with a scowl forming while one eyebrow lifted

“Oh, nothing.  Trying out some more words, Yoru-kun!” 

Yoru took a deep breath and sighed.  

“It’s dumb as hell to use that outside of Japan.  Nobody uses it outside of businessmen trying to kiss someone’s ass and people who don’t know better.”

“Ja dou yobou ka?”  If he wasn’t gonna use it, you’d go with something else to call him.

“Ore no namae de kimatteru da.  Same as you Y/N.” Yoru began combing his hair and dressing into some casual clothing

“Fine then, I’ll use something else.  Yatsu work for you?”

Yoru was almost proud of you for that

“Anata wada warugaki.”

More weeks passed by with you learning some more obscenities from Yoru.  His days of crime taught him an assortment of terms you eagerly applied to your own learning

Soon, you and him were assigned to break into a building and sabotage some equipment

Once you were done, you and Yoru were free to enjoy yourselves 

“Got any plans for us Y/N?”

“Tokunai nai.”

“Good.  Come with me then.”  He pushed past you and grabbed your hand.  Before you knew it you were traveling through his rift

Suddenly, you found yourself on a rooftop overlooking the city.  Yoru teleported behind you holding some bags and taking a seat on the ledge

“Come on Y/N, food’s gonna get cold.”

“Arigatuo Ryo.” 

Steam drifted from the udon as you held it for warmth against the cold night.  Yoru took notice and moved closer without a word

“Hey Yoru, Kisusuru no mi wa nandesu?” you asked while resting your head on his shoulder

Yoru froze for a second, you felt him tense his arm ever so slightly.  His eyes moved over to you and a small smirk began to form on his face

“Mou ikkai ie, Y/N.”

Beginning to answer, “Kisusuru no-” 

Yoru pressed his lips to yours and passionately kissed you.  It was as if he had been waiting an eternity to do it 

Your arm snaked around his waist and he did the same to you.  Warmth from him eased your shivering against the wind

He broke off the kiss and gazed into your eyes.  You couldn’t tell if the blushing was coming from excitement or the cold

“Imi wa kore da yo.  But do you know the meaning of aishiteru, Y/N?”

“Anata no koto daisuki.” left your mouth instinctively

Yoru and you watched the lights of the city together for the rest of the night

Sova - Russian 

“Horosho Y/N, excellent marksmanship!” Sova’s applause was worth every extra hour  of practice at the range

“It was your advice that helped the most.  Thank you again for the lessons!” Sova took your rifle as you thanked him 

“Sova, I have a bit more to ask.  Just a little favor, but only if you feel like it!” you instantly realized how much you were over clarifying

“You always have my help, Y/N.  What is it you would like?”

“Can you teach me some Russian?  I always hear you speaking it and I thought it would be fun to learn it.” 

“That would be wonderful!” Sova’s eyes lit up in excitement.  Later he brought you a small book, a Russian language manual

“I had a few books delivered here from the mainland.  Vam eto nravitsya?”

“Konechno, spasibo!” you quickly thanked him with the Russian you had practiced

You and Sova took turns trying out words in conversation.  It was a little intimidating, but his encouragement got you through the embarrassment

“Kharoshaya rabota!” “Vpechatlyayushchaya!” “Chudesnyy!” 

You and him started to meet for occasional chats in Russian, usually starting with a compliment on something 

This eventually continued over into missions, where you and him would use Russian because it was quicker

“Y/N!  Zaryadite seychas!” Sova yelled while aiming a recon arrow.  You stampeded in and dispatched the hostile agents with his help

After recovering from the fight, you and him were together in the lounge and chatting in a mixture of Russian and English

“Oh, I almost forgot!  Imeyte eto!” Sova passed you another book, a copy of your favorite book but in Russian print

“My mozhem prochitat' eto vmeste.”  Sova was softly smiling and seemed lost in how happy he had made you

You practically crushed him with a hug.  You buried your face into his sweater before pulling him onto the couch

Opening the book, you flipped through the pages to the front and found the start of the first chapter.  Noticing the cover was loose, you adjusted it and your eye caught something

In elegant cursive was written: ‘ya lyublyu tebya, Y/N’ hidden away under the cover.  Curious as to what it was, you asked Sova

“Ah, я ne dumal, chto ty skoro eto zametish'!” he was blushing and nervously twisted a strand of blonde hair

“Sova, chto eto znachit?” you asked, puzzled

“It means, I love you.  Ty dlya menya vse Y/N.” 

You decided to try some Russian you had learned for a moment just like this

“Potseluy menya.” you leaned in and Sova did as well

You placed the book down and embraced Sova.  He was warm, and the comfort you felt in his arms was akin to sitting near a fireplace

Sova’s kiss was strong, but gentle.  His calm demeanor and tendency to take his time made the moment seem to last forever

“Я tozhe tebya lyublyu.” you whispered into his ear

Neon - Tagolog

“Kamusta ka Y/N!” Neon’s infectious energy broke through the boredom of filing a battle report

“I’m alright,” you put the report down and figured it was complete enough, “what about you?”

“Just trying to kill time.  You still have the copy of that comic I lent you?  Phoenix wanted a copy so…”

Rummaging through the books on your shelf, you pulled a volume from the collection.  A few books fell as you did so

Neon immediately went to help you place them on her shelf started replacing them.  She suddenly paused

“Y/N, is this a Tagalog learning manual?” she turned over to you and held the book up 

“-uh, yeah it is.  I may have picked it up after we started spending more time together.”  A sheepish look was your only defense

“You could’ve just asked me to teach you.  I mean I could totally do that if you’re interested…” Neon’s hair was beginning to stand on end as she waited for a response

“O pakiusap.” 

For a few days, you and Neon met together for lessons.  Of course it was mainly her correcting a few phrases while the two of you went for a run or chatted

She’d also drop a few new words in every time, mostly whenever you couldn’t remember one 

On a late morning jog, you and her took a rest on some of the benches inside the gym and caught up

“Pagod ka na ba?” Neon was already stretching her legs and retying her shoes

“Ilang lap pa?” you sputtered out, still catching your breath.  You loved running with her, but she never got tired 

“Eh, who cares anyway.  Anong gagawin mo ngayong gabi?”  Neon asked, taking a moment to crack her shoulders and neck

“Bukas na ang gabi ko.” Normally you had a few plans with other agent, but tonight you were all hers

“Agh!” Neon winced.  “Y/N, you mind getting this one spot on my shoulder?  Sobrang sakit.”

“O Tala,” you took a seat behind her and felt around her back until you touched the knot.  You took your elbow and pressed into it 

A shock shot through your body and sent you tumbling backwards.  As you regained your composure, Neon’s panicked eyes caught yours

“Patawad Y/N!” Neon cried.  She carefully helped you to your feet and offered her water bottle 

“Huwag mag-alala, it happens.” you had been shocked a few times before and Neon was always worried about you

“I- patawarin mo ako.  I shouldn’t be around you Y/N.” she apologized profusely and sprinted away to her room

Hours passed and Neon hadn’t left her room.  By mid-evening, you decided that she had spent enough time alone and knocked on her door

“TALA!!  Buksan mo ang pinto!” 

The metal panels slide apart and you entered.  Huddled in on her bed was Tala, hiding under her hoodie

“You shouldn’t feel bad Tala, ayos lang ako?” you gestured to yourself to emphasize 

“Hindi ko mapigilang gawin ito.”  Neon’s regret clung to each word, as she dug herself deeper into her clothes

You decided to use a trick you had absolute faith in to get her out of the pit she found herself stuck in

Neon reacted with surprise as you suddenly held her and kissed her.  She froze, arms raising to keep you away

Wrapping your arms around her, you ran your hands over her back gently.  Neon melted into you, but broke the kiss 

“Y/N, I-.”

“Huwag kang mag-alala,” you interjected, “tumutok sa kung ano ang maaari nating kontrolin.”

Neon’s teary eyes were filled with a mix of hope and relief

“Salamat Y/N.  Paano ako makakabawi sayo?  Please, I can’t thank you enough!”

“Well, anong plano mo ngayong gabi?” you were going to make sure the night she planned didn’t go to waste

“I rented some movies, well Cypher pirated them for me.  Gusto mo silang panoorin magkasama?” she tapped finger nervously on her bed

“Of course!  Magugustuhan ko iyan!”  

With that, you and Neon spent most of the evening cuddled together in her room.  About half way through the second film, she leaned over to you and whispered

“Mahal kita Y/N.”

[luvly-writer]

Crimes of a Mother

Ch. 1: She’s our shadow

Batfamily x Reader

-•-

Author’s note: I did NOT think this story was gonna get amount of love it did because i’m so insecure about it but wow!!! Thank you so much!!! I truly am grateful for your love for this! Thank you Thank you!! I think it will become a short series so if you’d like to be added to the taglist, leave a message! Here’s chapter 1, Enjoy!!!

Warning: English is not my first language

Taglist: (i’m starting the taglist with the people who asked for a part two <3) @nxdxsworld @give-jack-a-lightsaber @h0rr0r-10ver-69 @can-i-feel @n4muar

Masterlist:

-•-

Subject name: Yn Wayne Salazar

Age: 18

Mother: Valentina Salazar (alias, the Golden Serpent)

Father: Bruce Wayne (alias, Batman)

Skills: High level of expertise on criminal investigation, Bilingual, Photographic memory...

Weaknesses: [empty folder]

Education: [CURRENTLY UNDERGOING] Bachelor in Criminal Journalism

Motive for investigating: ???

———

-“Nghhhh”

Bruce mutters as he leans back and rubs his eyes. The Batcomputer displayed a series of pictures and the beginning of a subject report on Yn. The last few weeks have been interesting to say the least. After her visit to the manor, everyone aside from Bruce and Alfred had been curious on who this unknown girl and had been trying to get either of them to spill on who she was. Normally, they would have let it go by now, they reason (lies) ; but after seeing Bruce and Alfred pale as a sheet of paper, they knew this wasn’t just another of Bruces small secrets

After much perstering, Bruce finally caved in. (Barbara found Vals note as she was managing the commns. He left it there after having to rush out and stop Tim from strangling Jason and Damian for lacing his coffee with a laxative. In their defense, they are trying different ways to help Tim get more sleep and lay off coffee. In Tim’s defense, he had to miss two days of patrol because his stomach wouldn’t hold anything...alas, the life of a single father)

To say that it caused a raucus withing the family is an understatement. Jason, Stephanie, and Tim couldn’t stop laughing about Bruce having another kid. Barbara and Cass were just glad they had another girl in the family. Dick was contemplating whether he wanted to leave or stay for the drama and risk meeting another version of Damian. Duke was trying to console Damian who stayed in catatonic shock for a few moments seeing as he had an actual blood sibling. Bruce had figured that if he had all of them on the lookout for her, she would be safer plus, they would be able to get the largest amount of information about her together. This had proven to be somewhat difficult seeing as Valentina had made sure to leave no trace of her their daughter’s existence in Gotham.

The following weeks after the debrief were anything but boring. They had been made aware that they had a shadow during patrol. Tim, familiar with the situation, had taken note of it first. Yn was good. She kept hidden, had the stamina to keep up, and most of the time could almost accurately predict their next move. One time, Tim, Dick, and Jason had decided to go on a coffee run in the middle of a stakeout. They hadn’t seen her all night and decided to leave Steph, Damian, and Duke in charge while they went and ordered. Lo and behold, there she was in a booth in the back sipping some coffee and typing on her laptop. They hadn’t thought anything of it seeing as this coffee shop normaly stayed open till late hours of the night due to its proximity to Gotham University and students constantly went to study there as classes had started. It wasn’t until Dick made eye contact with her that he felt chills down his spine. Her eyes were trained on them like a predator to its prey, still, unmoving, and absorving everything. He had called out to Jason and Tim; and once they turned to look ate her, she was unintimidated by the three figures, with her head leaning on one hand and her other holding her cup. She raised a delicate eyebrow at them and just stared. They figured the girl had her mothers looks but good grace, she was Bruce Wayne’s Daughter. To be more specific, she was the Dark Knight’s daughter and her eyes were a key give away of that. Not even Damian, with all his devil spawness, could recreate that piercing gaze.

It wasn’t only as vigilantes. She would be seen with a notebook in the back of Bruce’s conferences and interviews, eyes cold, calculating and focused as she observed and wrote down. It was known she was targeting Bruce and he didn’t know whether to feel some sort of twisted pride or to be concerned.

Back in the present, Bruce had never felt so frustrated. Why was this kid here? Was this a cruel trick of fate where she was destined to cross his path? Was he finally believing in something as simplish as fate and destiny? What was her investigation? What did she wanna know? How much did she know? Was she sleeping and eating? Were her grades slipping? In a moment of fatherly worry he hacked into Gotham's system and found her students bio. Classes had started two months ago...it really had been two months since he had met her? Her grades were perfect. Exams aced, projects and homework all As, she had taken a few college credits in high school so she had advanced in some of her classes and skipped the basics. She truly was brilliant.

-“I finally get a Wayne in university who has the intention of finishing it.”

Exclaimed Alfred as he walked closer and interrupted his thought process. (He would forever be salty that neither his “son” nor his “grandkids´” had gone or finished college.)

-“She's a brilliant kid.”

-“Well she ought to be. If I remember anything about her mother, I'd be worried if she wasn’t”

He corrects and Bruce scoffs a laugh.

-“She’s been tailing us for weeks, yet not a single bad score.”

-“It almost sounds as if you’re proud, master Bruce”

-“I....I barely know her”

-“Let’s fix that then, shall we? Invite her over for dinner with the family. It is a possibility that all the questions that have you perplexed may find their answer if you get to know her and she begins to trust you”

-"Couldn’t this just be an ordinary investigation without any attachment?"

-“That is your daughter, master Wayne. Better her to be here and protected than out there for her other family to find her and make a move first.”

-“Nghh”

-“Such a cooperative answer, I shall notify the rest.”

----

For all of her bravado, Yn was nervous. It had been two months and a half since she had stepped into the manor. Charlie and Taylor had told her encouraging words as she dropped them off at their respective practices and headed for the Wayne house. She had tried to dress nicely and make a better impression that last time. Had Mr. Wayne seen her at the conferences? Did he know of her nightly investigations? Was he gonna tell her mom?

She parked her car and stepped out. Would dressing up and acting nicer make her look guiltier? She walked up the stairs and pressed the doorbell. She was working so hard on understanding her family and it wouldnt go to waste because of some pissy billionare. She heard some footsteps walking towards the door. She was not going to give up today.

-“Hello, miss Salazar, it is great to see you again.”

---

Dinner had been going great so far. You had been introduced to all of them at once and began small chatter. Everyone had been somewhat pleasant with her, trying to make her feel at ease. She had chalked it up to Mr. Wayne fulfilling some sort of favor her mother had asked of him to protect her and this actittud had passed on to his kids.

-“So, Yn, why Gotham?”

Asked Dick, which made everyone turn to her

-“Yeah, why this dumpster fire of a city?”

Laughed Jason

-“Well -she laughed- I have always felt a connection to Gotham. Like as if something was missing and I knew I would find it here. Ever since I was a child, it had always been my mom and I only, no other immediate nor distant family members. Mom would never talk about the city even though she’s from here and it made me wonder why. I mean, feels like there's a huge part of me that I dont know about and I would like to, even if my mom advices against it constantly. What if I find family here, you know? There's something out there for me and I know it is here. Not only that, Gotham U has the best Criminal Forensics and Journalism departments ever. Of course..that can be because of the high profile of criminality and the amount of rougues running around. My mom tried to advise that Star City and even Metropolis would work but they aren’t Gotham, you know. They don’t have the history, the profile, the exentric rougues, the vigilantes. I mean, who is the Dark Knight? Why does he inspire so much fear? Is he a friend or someone who could potentially face a dark turn? What is his history with his sidekicks? Why so many? Are they human? A failed experiment? Cryptics? It is all fascinating, wouldn't you agree?

They all digested her answer. They all understood and and could relate to a certain level. Her determination was admirable.

-“That's actually...not a bad reason to move to Gotham”

Damian spoke up, surprising everyone. Yn smiled in approval and thanked him shyly.

-“When did you begin to have a passion for investigating?”

He asked again

-“Well, I guess I was too into crime shows? Plus being good at it certainly helps”

She laughs making the rest chuckle

Dinner finished shortly after. Everyone had decided to exchange social media handles and say their goodbyes. Bruce walks her to the door and speaks up,

-“Listen Yn, I am sorry about the thing about your father. I really ca-“

-“I know. You are a good man, Mr. Wayne. I am sorry for being too upfront that day, I tend to be too pushy sometimes during an investigation. I appretiate your respect and care for my mother a lot but...that still won’t stop me. I will find out who is my family.”

-“Well...seeing as nothing can hold you back, I just wanted to let you that our doors are always open for you. You are always welcomed into our family.”

She smiled at the sentiment and he could feel it pulling his heart strings. This is his kid, literally his. She is his daughter.

-“Thank you, Mr. Wayne”

She said as she started to walk to her car

-“One last thing...about your father”

Yn had never turned around so fast in her life

-“Yes?”

The hopeful look in her eyes made him take a step back and consider his words lightly

-“I think...I think he'd be very proud of you. You really are an extraordinary kid”

Seeing the hope fade a little killed him but it was better this way

-“You think so?”

-“I know so”

Her eyes watered a little but she held back. She gave him a nod and a tight smile

-“Goodnight, Mr. Wayne”

-“Goodnight, kid”

———•———•———

I am always open to feedback so remember to leave a comment or a reblogs if you have any suggestions, comments or just want to be added to the taglist!

[elftwink]

going to say something about writing that is not a complaint and i know it sounds exactly like someone complaining but the conclusion i have drawn is that this rules. preface over am currently "working on" (in the most generous, nebulous sense possible) an original fantasy story & i just keep finding more stuff about the world i need to decide because it feels extremely formative to me even though it will barely appear on the page, if at all

but like... just the sheer volume of communication irl that happens symbolically that you never question becomes so apparent when you try to create a world that doesn't have those things or doesn't have the conditions for such a thing to be created. writing a character wearing a wedding ring and then going wait a minute— would these people communicate marital status via ring placement? why do we do that irl? when did we start? surely thats not the only way people ever communicate marriage— what does everyone else do? and really, come to think of it, what does it mean to be 'married' in this fictional world i'm creating? is there a legal component or just a social one? should it have all the same connotations/obligations as the real world (e.g. monogamy, having children, romantic love, impact on finances, etc)?

you can do this with literally Everything In The World. what language is everyone speaking? is it the same one? how many languages are there in the region i'm writing about? is the language we're speaking anyone's second language? when did they learn? is bilingualism common? and where does everyone here live? speaking of living, is that a permanent dwelling situation or are people nomadic? what's the climate like? are all the characters here used to the climate or is someone used to ten degrees cooler and kind of short tempered because of it? the clothes are probably impacted by the weather, what's everyone wearing? what's it made out of? what would be around here that could be used for dye? help me i have a case of worldbuilders disease and its incurable. these motherfuckers are never going to finish this journey because i cant even get them on the page long enough to pack a cart. also would they use carts? when did we start having cart and carriages pulled on roads irl? if there's roads, who's maintaining them— or is it just the path from years of people travelling that way? does the terrain allow for wheeled vehicles or would some other way be better?

anyway. you may call all this a waste of time and "not technically writing" since i "havent written any prose". i think im just slow cooking this novel. oooooh im thinking about it so much. you just wait when im like 56 im going to knock your socks right off with my intricate detailed world where i thought about everything except whatever element of society you understand most deeply. that part i fucked up and clearly didn't know anything about. sorry

[leolingo]

waking up and seeing dream’s rip off project just breaks my heart man what the hell qsmp barely had two weeks to shine and now he’s introducing a VERY similar project in larger scale and uglier graphics and its just “the two are allowed to co-exist?” be fucking serious for a second dude why are you doing this NOW at the height of a project spearheaded by someone that used to call you a friend? like just . logistically speaking comercially speaking when you see how obviously similar these concepts are Why would you announce it now when you know someone else is getting the spotlight for once.

its hard not to call it spite or jealousy or anything of the sort when we cant confirm the timelines of this new project’s development but it REALLY, really feels like something unkind. not only that but it feels really gross to see most aspects of quackity’s passion project warped into something worse.. like LIVE TRANSLATION? really? bc dream of course wouldnt expect people to try and learn the different languages to communicate. he probably doesnt understand how redundant and ultimately hindering it will be to rely 100% on automated translation because 1) he’s not bilingual nor does he make any effort to understand the bilingual experience 2) he has no actual interest in the learning process of foreign languages or the different linguistic communities on twitch and in content creation in general . which makes me wonder WHY he is leading this and very likely profitting off of it when there’s no real reason for him to associate himself with this kind of cultural project other than . wanting to be relevant i guess.

during squidcraft, i didnt see him attempt a single word in spanish. i saw dream use google translate or straight up speak english (fast, idiomatic english at that) to spanish speakers and otherwise not try to meet a communicative middle-ground in any way. if this is how he intends to take on “united SMP” i cant wait to see it fail.

quackity’s project is successful because he cares. its modeled after his own experience and thrives because he as a bilingual host is able to cater to both communities within it and work as a linguistic bridge when need be. which, as we have watched day after day on qsmp streams, becomes less and less necessary because the environment quackity is fostering is actually very concrete INCENTIVE FOR LANGUAGE LEARNING. people are actually interacting and having meaningful linguistic/cultural exchanges that actually LEAD TO LANGUAGE KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING. how the fuck is that supposed to happen if theres live translation? ill tell you now, it won’t.

when we study linguistics in college one of the first things we learn in regards to foreign language teaching is that translation methods rarely fuckjng work. by doing that youre limiting human interaction and actually DISTURBING the learning possibilities because youre taking away Real, varied input. dream doesnt know what he’s doing and its so upsetting to watch. dont even get me started on “language rankings” or whatever the fuck the competitive aspect is supposed to be

the project is just so flawed and the timing couldnt be worse. quackity is doing such a great job and? you just try to hijack his idea like this even though you clearly lack both the heart and the knowledge to make something like this work? to me it just appears so sour. so mean-spirited and uninspired. i dont even know man i just dont like it

[ms-nesbit]

Title: cosmic (a jason todd x reader fic)

Chapter II of ???

Rating: 18+ (eventual smut, language, violence i guess, and mention of past abuse)

Tw: abuse, violence, and smut.

Summary: 

y/n meets dick and barbara, who try to set y/n up with dick’s big little brother.

ao3 

note: i will be primarily posting on ao3 since tumblr is not working for me lol

The taxi stopped at the bottom of the hill before the great gates at Wayne Manor.

“I’m not allowed past this point, Miss.” the driver said. “Judge’s orders.”

Y/n nodded as she removed seventy dollars from her wallet and pushed it past the slot on the bottom of the glass divider, leaving the cab and shutting its door behind her. 

Before entering the manor, y/n stuck out like a sore thumb: it wasn’t a black tie gala, but the attire was more formal than y/n was anticipating, with women wearing sumptuous dresses that complemented their bodies, and men wearing sharp suits. Y/n contemplated hailing the cab back down to return her back home, but decided against it when she locked eyes with Barbara, who was finished shaking hands with a political figure in Gotham. “Y/n!” she called, promptly walking toward y/n wearing a long, gold dress with a square neckline, and her copper hair down and flowing. “I’m so glad you can make it. I love the skirt you’re wearing!”

Y/n blushed as she looked down at her attire: a black button down tucked underneath a redwood pencil skirt. She reached out her arm for a handshake, but was taken by a hug from Barbara instead. “Thank you. You look incredible.” Y/n smiled. “Am I too late?”

Barbara shook her head. “Fashionably on time, I’ll say. Do you want me to introduce you to the criminologist? Or do you prefer a different sector of the department?” She glanced over her shoulder, as if to let y/n in on a secret. “Or do you want to meet Dick’s younger brother?”

This was the third time Barbara mentioned Dick’s brother to y/n, and although intrigued, y/n already had done her research: according to public records, Dick doesn’t technically have a brother, so who was this mystery man?

Yet y/n was hesitant, and instead wanted to meet the criminologist; after all, Gotham was a safe haven from her past, and all she wanted to do was gain speed on her career. “Let’s meet the criminologist.”

Barbara frowned, but respected y/n’s wishes, anyway, showing her to the inside of Wayne Manor. Inside, it was dimensionally transcendental - despite the exterior being over two acres, even the foyer itself was deemed bigger than y/n’s shared one bedroom flat. “So, y/n,” Barbara began, tossing her hair onto her other shoulder, “this is lead criminologist Dr. Ashanti Ludwis. Dr. Ludwis, this is y/n…”

“Y/n y/l/n, pleasure to meet you.” Y/n extended her hand to shake, which Dr. Ludwis took. “Commissioner Gordon has told me about you.”

“Yep! Y/n here is a graduate of NYU with a major in criminology, and she is eager to gain experience wherever it is needed, right, y/n?”

Y/n nodded, her hair bouncing. “Yes. I did not disclose this with Commissioner Gordon, but I did graduate with a double minor as well, and I am certified bilingual, if appropriate.”

Dr. Ludwis gave y/n an unreadable look. “Very well. If you would like to pursue this, you do know that this isn’t a fairytale, fiction-driven type of career, yes?” Her accent was thick, each word ending in an emphasis of its last sound. Y/n relished the information, nodding along as Dr. Ludwis informed her of the process. “Okay. If you would like to join my team, I do have an opening for apprenticeship; however, it is only paid at eighteen dollars an hour, and you do not have benefits until nine months, around when you will complete your examination to determine eligibility to become a member of the GPD. Is that understood?”

“Crystal clear.” Y/n nodded once, her hands folded in front of her. “If I have any questions about the apprenticeship, where should I direct them?”

“Commissioner Gordon has my contact information and will forward them to you, correct?”

“Correct, Doctor.” Barbara agreed.

“Good. Well it was a pleasure meeting you, Miss y/n, and please, enjoy the party. Do not get wrapped up in the nonsense of the elites.” She directed her eyes to a gathering of people in a group, all wearing luxury brand articles of clothing. After motioning her salutation, Dr. Ludwis disappeared back into the crowd of lavish attendees, leaving y/n with Barbara, who was chatting with a police officer.

“I need to use the restroom, if it’s okay.” y/n whispered to Barbara.

“Oh yeah, there’s plenty if you go that way.” Barbara lifted her chin in the direction of one of the hallways, dimly lit and leading off into an unknown area. Nervous, y/n made her way toward the hallway, before being promptly stopped by Dick.

“Hey, y/n, party’s this way.” he grinned warmly.

“I just have to use the restroom…” y/n trailed sheepishly.

“Oh.” Dick blinked, as if he had never heard of a woman having to use the restroom before, “Y-yeah, of course, yeah. Uh, where’s he…Alfred! Excuse me, Alfred?” Dick began searching around, straightening his posture to overlook the crowd before spotting someone. “Excuse me, Alfred, could you please show Ms. y/n to the restroom?” he pointed to y/n. “Y/n, this is Alfred, Bruce Wayne’s personal assistant. He will direct you to the restroom safely, okay?” Dick patted y/n’s back before heading back to converse with Commissioner Gordon.

“Hi, Mr. Alfred, thank you.” y/n grinned as Alfred showed her away from the gala, the noise of chatter subsiding with each step.

“You can just call me Alfred, Miss. y/n, but thank you.” he replied, turning his head to meet y/n’s eyes with a friendly gaze. “Mr. Grayson thought it was best that you were directed to the lavatory, as this is your first time visiting Wayne Manor, yes?”

Y/n nodded. “That’s correct.” 

She followed Alfred past the library and near the conservatory, where a bathroom was hidden as a cabinet. Alfred pushed into the center of the panel, which disengaged the lock and opened the hidden door. “There is a button on the underside of the toilet for emergencies,” Alfred informed. “Do you need me to stay nearby, or are you able to retrace your steps?”

“I can find my way back, Sir, thank you.” y/n replied before stepping into the bathroom and locking the door, amazed at the cleanliness of the unit, its bright color scheme a stark difference from the gothic theme just on the other side of the door. She looked around the corners of the room for security cameras, and placed her finger on the mirror to determine whether or not it was a two-way mirror, watching her reflection ‘touch’ the tip of her real finger.

After ending her security check of the bathroom, y/n used it, and remained in the bathroom for a few minutes after washing her hands to calm her nerves. Y/n wasn’t used to formal outings after her departure from New York; she felt disdain toward it, and wondered if her vocational future in Gotham would revolve around such pompous activities, or if it was less frequent.

Upon leaving the bathroom (and struggling to re-secure the hideaway part of the panel), y/n  headed back up the corridor toward the commotion, but stopped at a pair of long, slim walnut doors with gold engraving similar to the walls beside them. Hoping it was a balcony, y/n quietly opened the door and stepped out, finding herself near a bronze guided ledge rail.

This was it: y/n made it outside past the noise of the elite, past the imminent danger she felt since her time in New York - it was almost as if she closed the door to it behind her, and all y/n was left with was her self and the outdoors, freedom from the pains of her youth.

She stared at the crash of the waves of water on the cliff below her, and breathed in sync with the waves: inhale, rise; exhale, crash. Y/n was encompassed by the sense of calm she felt, her guard down, completely unaware of the man now staring at her from inside the manor.

Finally, y/n let her shoulders slump, fixing her pencil skirt from any dirt or water debris collected from the cliffside. Before turning around to head back into the party, she said her goodbye to the cold night that accompanied her, wondering if it would be the last time she would hear the crashing waves.

Reaching for the door handle, y/n found that someone else already opened it for her, as her eyes met with the man’s chest, before looking up at his face. The man was staring at her with an intense gaze, impossible to detect what he was feeling about her, and it made y/n anxious.

“You know, there’s no way to get back in on your own.” He said, voice low and matter-of-fact. “I’d know - I’ve been here plenty of times.”

Opening her mouth, y/n wanted to say something, anything, but couldn’t find herself to utter a single letter, let alone groups of them. “You know, a thank you would suffice.” the man added, tone almost combative, as a corner of his mouth turned up to a smirk.

It was the eyes. Y/n’s stare worked itself from the man’s red button up, to his long neck, all the way up to his chin, and the scar on his cheek, the tissue telling that the injury was clean like a blade or knife. Then, y/n’s gaze met the man’s, and she was locked in - his eyes were intense, of course, but there was the calling; the gray streaks in his irises were barbed wires, and the green was the earthy comfort he felt deep down.

Or maybe y/n was reading too much into a stranger. “Sorry, thanks. I didn’t mean to…excuse me, I must be going.” y/n focused her eyes onto the ground, avoiding eye contact with the man as she hurried past him and back up the corridor to the gathering, where she found Barbara and Dick talking together.

“Hey, Barbara, Dick, I really appreciate you two inviting me, but I think I should get going.”

“Get going?” Dick furrowed his brows. “What for? Are you okay? Something happen?”

Barbara gently placed her hand on Dick’s shoulder, stopping the ensemble of questions stumbling out of his mouth. “That’s fine, y/n. Thank you for coming. Did we forget to give you our contact info?”

“Yeah, I completely forgot about that.” y/n admitted.

Barbara reached into her clutch and pulled out a paper and pen, writing down her phone number, then Dick’s, before handing it to y/n. “Seriously, it’s no big deal. You could stop by the headquarters, but I doubt you want to be around the police that much.”

“That makes two of us.” A voice said behind y/n, slightly startling her.

[tinydefector]

Hello Tiny, I hope you are doing fine and well. I wanted to thank you for all your writing, it is so engaging to read.

I don't have any request, but I do have a scenario regarding Tarn and his human parenting moments.

The twins are trying to say their first words, one of them babbling "Da... Da". Both parents looking with adoration, and finaly listen "Damush".

Tarn is perplexed, his human is just about to explain they tell the twins little stories using his previous names, until the other sparkling speaks out loud "Gluiitch!".

Tarn is petrified, his partner doesn't need to see beyond his mask to notice Tarns jaw drop expression.

Minutes later both sparklings look at their human parent, speaking out "Par-Par". Both parents responsing with "Awwwww".

Thank you again for your incredible writing and drawings. If you got the time to read this, I just wanted to tell you, you are an extrordinary and talented person.

Omg Aurox, that sounds. God damn cute. But like can you imagine the panic. But also when you think about how cybertronians hand their own dialects and sparklings also are rather well versed in the 'chitter' talk which works off cybertronian fields outside of their races different languages.

I can see Tarn being rather used to them using the chitter glyphs for him which don't really shock him but the moment your potential baby that is being raised an essentially a bilingual family calls you by your name in Cybertronian or much less a human language out loud it has a rather big shock value to it. But even more so if he hasn't told them those names and his lover hasn't but they have access to parts of his memory's from data transfers from when they were still being carried by their 'carrier'.

The true horror when Tarn realises 'frag my Sparklings can access key memories from my past!'

And then, on the other hand, his human lover just thinks its their babies trying to learn words and mix cybertronian up with their own language. But the first time they get called Par-Par makes them nearly weep in delight. They are just blissfully unaware of the fact their bitlets have eventually become part of Tarns worst nightmare, and his only hope is as they grow older, the memory access fades as they begin filing and saving their own.

(Loge the idea of Tarn peaceful living his life where no one remembers or knows his past, then his kids give him the big innocent eyes of. 'I know your secrets'

________

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[tanadrin]

This series of four videos on Ukraine and the Russia-Ukraine conflict is very interesting. The first is basically just a narrative political history of Ukraine from about 2000 to 2014, talking about different political factions that were relevant in the country in the period, and how different internal and external pressures shaped politics. It's very helpful for understanding the Ukrainian political context, including just how recent and just how shallow the supposed tensions between monolingual Russian and bilingual Ukrainian-Russian speakers was in 2014.

The second video is an overview of the Donbass war from 2014-2022, which you might have been vaguely paying attention to at the time. But it's very helpful to have it all laid out in chronological order with the benefit of hindsight, especially due to the obfuscation of Russian operations at the time that made it hard to work out what, exactly, was going on. It's a combination of a good old 19th century-style filibuster (the military expedition, not the parliamentary maneuver), Fox News-style propaganda, and some (rather badly failed) attempts at astroturfing civil unrest--why Russia thought that would work becomes important in Part 4.

Part 3 is just an extended argument that NATO expansion is not relevant to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and while I already agreed with that assessment, it's nice to have it laid out in detail. The very very short version is that by NATO's own public criteria, Ukraine was simply not a candidate to join NATO, and had given up on joining NATO, and that had been painfully obvious since at least the Obama administration. Even more frustratingly, there were multiple points where Russia had an offramp to escalation, where it had gotten everything it could have possibly wanted from the conflict in Donbass, and it refused them all.

Part 4 is the author's attempt to explain why it refused them. The very short explanation is that Russia's government is led by idiots, who are very enamored of a flavor of conspiracy theory that has its origins in the LaRouche movement, and which has been bubbling in both left-wing and right-wing circles since 2000. In this worldview, the US government acting through the CIA (or the British royal family, or George Soros, or Jewish bankers, or whoever your bogeyman of choice is) has an almost supernatural ability to overthrow any government on earth by funding performance art groups (seriously), civil society NGOs, and protestors, and that almost every revolution, actual or so-called, since 1989 has been their direct work, from the post-Soviet revolutions, to Euromaidan, to the Arab Spring.

This belief, in its more overt or fragmentary forms, is incredibly popular, spurred on no doubt by historical instances of CIA malfeasance and actual aggressive wars waged by the Bush administration. But the problem is, it's bunk. During Russia's initial moves against Ukraine in 2014, they tried essentially the same playbook in the Donbass, and of course it failed miserably--you cannot actually astroturf a popular uprising. (The CIA has preferred to stage coups and assassinations, which are a different animal from color revolutions.) The separatists in the Donbass eventually had to be supported by a few thousand Russian troops and direct military aid.

But Putin, driven by his own paranoid misunderstanding of world events, the clique of yes-men he has embedded himself in, and his fear of gay Nazi Jewish CIA agents, simply got Russia in over its head. There is no offramp because Russia cannot articulate what its goals are, and because "stop trying to use George Soros to overthrow the Russian government" is not something the US can agree to, since they are not doing it. The only thing that might have prevented Putin fucking with Ukraine in the first place was maybe if rigging the parliamentary election in 2011 hadn't resulted in protests, in which Putin saw the specter of the hand of the CIA--but of course the US and NATO and the EU had nothing to do with that!

And to cap it all off, since the 2010s the LaRouche movement and its theory of color revolutions has been making inroads in China, so we have that to look forward to in coming decades.