#mastering languages

[alivingtypo]

you can pry starting sentences with 'and' or 'but' out of my cold, dead hands

[theenglishnook]

The Role of Time and Effort in Language Learning

Language mastery demands time, effort, and consistent practice. Factors like your native language and environment influence fluency. Regular study, immersion, and realistic goals will lead to greater success and cognitive benefits.

Time and Effort—The True Keys to Language Mastery Learning a new language is often seen as an exciting adventure but also as a daunting challenge. How long will it take? How much effort will it require? These are common questions from anyone embarking on the journey to fluency in a language like English or Spanish. The truth is, time and effort are the twin pillars of success in language…

[wigglybunfish]

ALL ABOARD FOR THE MASTER EIJI FAN CLUB

inspired by this post. Immaculate, @aye-of-newt

Best father and son-daughter-stupid-lost-boy duo. that’s her Dad of Steel your honor.

ID by @princess-of-purple-prose

[ID: Blue Eye Samurai fanart of Eiji and Mizu. Eiji is smiling and wearing a shirt that says "I'm not the step father, I'm the father that stepped up." Mizu smiles and does a thumbs-up. End ID]

[dandelionjack]

wiping out all the Gods as vengeance for the way that they manipulated and exploited a child… “i’m doing this for you”… the Gods that control the web of time/the web of stories…

and a little girl as a ghost from an untold tale. doesn’t this echo something that happened before, in a different story, in another life?

“you hide your identity like a coward”

[iconbyunghun]

Pretty doll

Pairing: Jin Hyun Pil x Fem!Reader

Summary: You are his pretty assistant, who has no right to refuse anything he orders you to do.

Warnings: Smut 18+, age gap (early 20s/50s), oral (m recieving), power dynamics, degradation, exhibitionism (kinda)

Word count: 1.2 k

a/n: I watched "Master" a few days ago, and I didn’t have a single pure thought about this man. This is a quick one shot, but I promise there will be many more to come! :)

The deafening cheers and applause of the crowd faded into the distance as you walked down the hallway toward the exit. The echo of the ovation still vibrated against the walls, yet inside you, there was only a tense silence.

At your side, drawing every gaze, walked Jin Hyun Pil. His perfectly tailored suit accentuated his imposing figure. He radiated authority with each step, flanked by his security guards, while you, his pretty assistant, kept pace with precise coordination.

Gone was the charming smile, the image of One Network Inc.’s charismatic leader. Now, his face was something else, serious, cold, calculating. Since you started working for him, you have been captivated by his duality.

"You're coming with me." His voice was an unyielding command, accompanied by a gaze that raked over you from head to toe before he stepped into the car. One of the men accompanying him held the door open to the waiting vehicle.

Without hesitation, you followed him inside. The door shut with a sharp click, and the engine purred softly as the driver received the signal to start moving.

Inside the car, the atmosphere was thick, charged with a tense silence. You sat beside him, a small distance between you, gripping your notepad like an anchor. You were his personal assistant, but from the very first day, he had made it clear that the exorbitant salary and privileges he granted you were not a gesture of generosity for your pretty face and intelligence. He needed you for other things. Things more… intimate.

"How was I today?" he asked with a half-smile, raising a hand to slide his fingers through your hair, idly playing with a loose strand. His tone was light, almost amused, but his dark eyes studied you with an intensity that kept you on the edge of submission.

"Impeccable as always, sir," you replied with a small, timid smile, forcing yourself to maintain composure.

His expression hardened instantly. His fingers closed firmly around your chin, tilting your face toward him.

"I've already told you how you should refer to me in private." His other hand tugged gently at your hair, forcing you to meet his gaze.

A soft gasp escaped your lips. The slight pull wasn’t painful, but the combination of his tone and touch sent a shiver through you. You briefly averted your eyes toward the driver, an older man whose expression remained impassive, as if nothing beyond the wheel existed in his world.

You swallowed.

“Sorry, Daddy…” you whispered. 

His smile returned, full of satisfaction.

“Good girl,” he murmured against your ear before capturing your earlobe between his teeth, biting slowly, enjoying your reaction. His hand moved down your body with exasperating slowness, sliding under your skirt.

Your breathing hitched.

“Daddy’s had a rough day,” he murmured in a deep voice, his lips brushing your skin. “Why don’t you use that cute little mouth of yours to help me relax?”

Your body tensed.

“Right now?” you asked in a shaky whisper, all too aware of the driver’s presence. “Why don’t we wait until we’re alone?”

His response was immediate and abrupt.

“Are you stupid or what?” His voice turned cold and sharp. Before you could react, he yanked you suddenly, causing you to lose your balance. Your body hit the carpet of the car with a thud.

“I pay you to follow my orders when I give them, not to question me.” His gaze was ice-cold, his patience gone.

Your chest rose and fell with force, the weight of his words settling heavily on your skin. The car continued moving forward, the driver silent, as if the scene behind him was nothing more than a void in the rearview mirror’s reflection.

“I'm sorry,” you hurried to say while your hands moved tremblingly to the zipper of his dress pants. You felt his excitement tightening the fabric and his darkened gaze fixed on you.

He ran his fingers through his grey hair, a mocking smile playing on his lips, before tilting his head and fixing his gaze on you with intensity. He relished how docile you were and how easily he could control you, turning you into a complete mess.

He helped you pull down his pants along with his boxers, revealing his prominent erection. You wrapped your hands around it, caressing him up and down.

“Hey, Dong Ik,” he said loudly, his voice raspier than usual as he addressed the driver. “Could you put on some music?”

“Of course, sir,” came the calm response.

Soft notes of a song you hadn’t heard before filled the car. The volume was set to a reasonable level for everyone inside. You couldn’t help but wonder if he did this with his previous assistants, as both men seemed completely at ease with the situation.

“Are you feeling calmer now?” he asked, running his hands over your cheeks before gripping the sides of your head tightly. You nodded.

“Open that pretty little mouth.” He demanded, guiding you straight to his cock, and without warning, he thrust it deep into your throat, making you choke and suppress a gag before he pulled you away with a laugh of pure enjoyment. “Sorry, baby, but having you on your knees makes me lose a bit of myself control.”

Without answering him, you continued on your own, starting with a lick along one of the veins that ran along his erect member. With your right hand, you held him, while with your left, you massaged his balls. In the short time you had been doing this, he had taught you quite well, and the hard way, how he liked to be touched

When you reached the tip, you tasted his essence concentrated in tiny drops. You took him into your mouth, descending slowly while your tongue danced around him before ascending with intense suction. His breathing became erratic, and a growl escaped his lips.

“What a good little doll I have gotten myself,” he praised, throwing his head back and letting out more gasps.

You continued pleasuring him, and you couldn't help but feel your center wet and in need of his touch. You would never openly admit it, but it excited you to be humiliated by him.

“That's right, my precious slut, just like thaaat.” He commented especially loudly when you took him completely in your mouth all the way to the back of your throat. His hands went back to your head, and he held you like that for a few seconds that seemed like an eternity. Tears were present in your eyes. Looking at you, he only wanted more of that expression on your face.

He held your head, and as if it were his sex doll, he began to fuck your mouth, your saliva mixed with his own liquids escaping from your mouth, in the car the music mixed with the sounds of wetness, gasps, and your muffled complaints.

When he finally felt that he was about to finish, he pulled out, and you automatically opened your mouth to receive his essence; he caressed himself for a few more seconds before emptying himself on your tongue and face.

He smiled proudly when he saw his work of art, your teary eyes, totally disheveled hair, and swollen lips with drops of his essence all over your face.

“I think you deserve a raise” he commented happily, leaning down to give you a chaste kiss on the forehead.

[spark-river]

Simeon: ...I just witnessed a dick getting rolled over by a car.

Simeon: *DUCK

Simeon: DUCK!!!

Luke: O.o

Solomon: Naughty angel.

Simeon: How do I delete stuff?!

[endless-nightshift]

The scale of MXTX characters hand writing from Worst to Best

Hua Cheng: literally intelligible, those basically aren't even words any.

Wei wuxian: the equivalent of a sleep deprived adhd stem student notes right before an exam. Technically legible but only to him, people who know him really well.

Luo Binghe: it's good. Not outstanding but Nicely legible, pretty when it needs to be.

Shen Qingqiu: technically there's nothing wrong with his hand writing, but His writing is too modern for the Xianxia settings he's living in and although it's not too much of a problem it's definitely enough to make peoples eyebrow raise.

Xie Lian: stunningly beautiful calligraphy. Truly just art in written form.

Lan wangji: the most beautiful and technically perfect hand writing you have everything seen. Calligraphy teachers weap with joy when they see his writing.

[trees-of-valinor]

"He was as noble and fair as an elf-lord, as strong as a warrior, as wise as a wizard, as venerable as a king of dwarves, and as kind as summer."

is such an amazing character description. All of it lends to the image of a being who is very stately and aged, but "kind as summer" in particular is incredibly evocative. Even if you generally dislike summer (like me), you can't help but know what it means.

It just conjures up the image and feeling of the softest most beautiful day, golden sunlight, flowers and meadows. Just life. And there is strength in summer. The heat of the sun, and summer is all about vitality and growth.

That short phrase says so much and shows Elrond's character so well. After everything he's been through, he still has so much life and strength.

He manages to show so much softness and kindness to people who come to him and his home for help, and is a person of healing, and the fact that he is able to be so and to remain so kind is his strength.

[partywithponies]

People who manage to be funny in languages that aren't their first language are more powerful than god and should be respected.

[monica00]

Doctor: I'm burning up a sun just to say goodbye.

Master: Okay but somehow if I burn up the earth to get your attention you'll call me psycho and throw me into a blackhole???

[midnight-in-town]

The Holy Trinity : project "Apple", "Eden" academy and "Garden"

In Genesis, the apple from the Garden of Eden is most commonly known as the fruit of knowledge and, to this day, we know Project Apple created experiments such as Anya (mind reader) and Bond (future seer). I'd say reading minds and seeing the future count as being "very knowledgeable".

Meanwhile Eden Academy is an elite school, represented by an apple on the students' uniform, in which parents of specific elite children (Imperial Scholars) have secret meetings (which Donovan has access to, thanks to Demetrius).

Also, as we know, Donovan studied there (and at some point gained telepathic powers too) and Henderson's flashback also taught us that there was a lot of war propaganda in the school back then :

Lastly, there is Garden, a secret organization, more of a legend even to a spy like Twilight, but who has super strong (no mental inhibitors ?) and probably indoctrinated soldiers, like Yor, working for them.

Eden Academy used to be pro-war and is today one of Ostania's most elite schools, super secret Project Apple wants world peace (probably meaning for Ostania to be in charge of that "peace")...

and Garden, a seemingly Ostanian organization, desires "to keep this world beautiful".

The link between all 3 can probably be summed up as "knowledge is power", which also sums up Twilight's entire mission as a spy for Westalis, trying to know what war Ostania (via Desmond who is confirmed to be able to read minds) is planning.

Lastly, the fact Anya's powers may be related to the use of classical language, a dead language most likely only taught in elite schools like Eden nowadays, is one more argument linking Eden academy (knowledge) and Project Apple (intellectual power).

As for Garden, they seem to specialize in physical prowess but if Yor's strength was indeed enhanced, surely it required a good amount of specific knowledge to unlock her mental inhibitors (and then to indoctrinate her).

(I'd also like to point out that Garden describing the world as a "beautiful place to protect" makes even more sense considering they probably took in several war orphans like Yor and made them "useful".)

TL;DR we don't know entirely how yet, but surely there is a link between Garden, Eden Academy and Project Apple and, according to Project Apple who wants "world peace", surely that can only mean war.

[rubia-peregrinart]

good hunter's emergency contacts summons fieldguide

[dandelionjack]

some more early-morning-liveblogged thoughts from yours truly. the mechanical spider is a TARDIS in all but reality and the Barber is the Master in all but literal fact

[vertekel]

I always found Miraak's "rebellion" against Hermaeus Mora to be amusing, not in the sense his efforts are meaningless because they are who would want to leave such a beautiful husband smh but because of how Miraak acts like his situation is not his own doing.

He has walked himself up into the dragon's tower to play princess, sat his pretty ass down and said "Hello handsome I do hope you do not mind the new residence." And when Hermaeus actually kept him there he acted like suddenly it's Herma-Mora that's the problem. A lot of messy yapping ahead btw

In all seriousness though I do find his behavior to be inconsistent in a way that makes me question Miraak's mental state and sense of self. Miraak was so wholly dedicated and devoted to Hermaeus Mora and sought him for nearly everything. For power, for freedom, for what was likely even companionship. Being so wholly devoted to him he has a statue of Hermaeus placed behind where his own coffin would have been along with what would have been his most prized treasures. This can be seen as the way Miraak perceived Hermaeus, as someone guarding over him as nordic tombs usually have such imagery as a "tomb guard." As well as being the fate Miraak wished to find himself with even in death, of which he ended up receiving in the end. It can also be perceived as foreshadowing as well as mockery to vahlok and the cult, or a message that Hermaeus is the one who helped him cheat death.

For Miraak to even trust Hermaeus at his most dire hour of need says so much about how he felt for him, how his trust was in him to such a degree he placed his life entirely in his grasp. Such complete devotion is something commonplace with Herma-Mora worshippers that Hermaeus actually keeps, of which he kept Miraak for hundreds upon hundreds of years. In all those hundreds of years, Miraak never once left the realm. This is what made me think about what if Miraak's state in Skyrim is one contradicted entirely from his original self. Apocrypha is one of the easier daedric realms to leave, Hermaeus tells people how to leave, his servants tell people lost how to leave, there are several points set up that are constantly active portals to leave the realm. Apocrypha is referenced to be planemelded to Nirn in the Arcanist skill descriptions and people even end up there on accident all the time. So it is one of the easiest realms to leave if you know what you are looking for of which, no doubt, Miraak knew.

So why did he not leave? I doubt Hermaeus actually kept him there by force considering his more passive approach to things. He could have left at any time but chose not to, until for what I believe, Miraak became a part of the realm and a part of Hermaeus by the same means Durnehviir became bound to the soul carin. Spending so much time there that his own essence became a part of the place, so that if he were to leave, he would just rebound to the realm over time as if he was an atronarch or summoned daedra. This to me, implies that he never had any desire to leave at all. That he was at his core, content to be there. That it is what he chose, what he wanted. His fate was one he chose with the daedric prince of knowledge.

Hermaeus has no real control over fate as seen with the necrom and gold road dlcs, he merely scribes it and goes to great lengths to manipulate it. So Miraak entirely chose to stay within the realm, to be within Hermaeus Mora's service for eternity and to never leave. He did so for such a long time he became a very part of his prince and was still held onto tightly and closely by said prince. Even when Miraak says he is a "fickle master" he knows that Hermaeus is reliable and predictable at his core. That as long as you are entirely devoted to him, he will be to you in return. This will never change for all of eternity. His final words are not to us, but to Hermaeus. Speaking to the prince about his devotion and servitude to him even to his death, which was likely his promise to the prince to begin with. I see his words as a clarity before his own death, reality setting in that shattered and stripped his mind entirely of every delusion and every distraction until it was solely about the being he pledged his entirety to.

That Miraak's acts of rebellion or desires to be a "master of his own fate" truly is "restlessness" as described by Hermaeus Mora. That it is a result of the realm itself eroding Miraak's mind and identity, and his memories. I mentioned in another post how Apocrypha is incredibly acidic and similar to a stomach, that it erodes and breaks down everything within itself over time. Miraak would have been extraordinarily resistant to this due to his dragon blood and soul, but not immune. If his state in Skyrim is erosion, and his behavior within the 3rd era for what seemed to have been briefly is due to psychological erosion it would entirely make sense. Someone so wholly devoted to something suddenly feeling trapped or forced into something he does not want, as if looped in memory to his servitude to the dragon cult. To feel a complete lack of control once felt under the cult within the very place where he essentially has near complete control over, and even chose to be, seems suspicious.

His behavior is inconsistent, he acts as if he has never met you or heard of you before despite his cultists being sent to kill you, as if he himself does not remember his own orders or thoughts. This breaking down of memories and desires is described perfectly by the conditions of the Hushed. People who have been eroded by Apocrypha. To me, Miraak is going between shattered memories of his servitude to the dragon cult of which was entirely against his will. Something he wished to escape desperately, and in such a broken mental state, he turns that association to Hermaeus, the very being that helped free him, the very thing he chose as his own path. The mind is known to mix traumatic things together with our present, with things that we even cherish. Abuse victims can become afraid of the people close to them even if they have done nothing to hurt them out of fear of repetition. Miraak becoming obsessed with his identity as Dragonborn feels separated from what was his original desires, which was to be free of the ties of his blood and soul. That he did not want to be the hero others pushed him to be, he did not want to play as a pawn in the game of a god he felt was indifferent to him. He wished to be more than the means that made him. For him to later become so wholly obsessed with it as his identity makes me again think his mind has eroded and broken under the intense pressure of Apocrypha.

I am sure Miraak saw his soul and blood as a means of power but not his entire identity in the way he does in Skyrim. If his behavior in Skyrim, his ambition, truly is delusion and the result of shattered memories and emotions, it explains why Hermaeus did not rid of him the first time he acted this way in the third era. Recognizing it as a result of erosion and not betrayal and disloyalty. Holding onto Miraak the way one holds onto an old toy until it is tattered and worn, until it is in pieces and nearly unrecognizable but it's fabrics and making is still all the same. Keeping it for that reason. Holding onto the possibility that Miraak never will truly betray him and will never cross his devotion despite his eroded state, which ended up being true in the very end.

Hermaeus began to believe his closest and most cherished follower was becoming truly lost to him now, so such a fear of loss made him hold tighter and tighter onto Miraak until he did not let Miraak leave both out of fear for his safety, and fear of losing him in the way one wishes not to lose a prized treasure. That Miraak's instability psychologically was perceived to be so bad that Hermaeus took away his ability to come to and from the realm, which no doubt did terrible things to Miraak's mental state. Hermaeus also seems to have been entirely against the idea that Miraak's fate would be in anyone else's grasp but his own. He robs you of the right to kill him even though you bested him in battle, he denies you it. That it if his champion is to fall, it is to be by no other but himself.

Even in that interaction, this is what really has me sold on this whole perspective, is that when Hermaeus snarls and yells at Miraak as he impales and displays him to his own gaze, he speaks of Miraak's perceived betrayal, how he wanted to leave, that he will never leave. He will never hide anything from him, another sign he perceived betrayal from Miraak. Paranoias of the worst coming true and what results is frustration and anger. And likely, hurt feelings but a daedric prince would never say he got his feelings hurt. But I'm sure Miraak saw right through everything he was saying as his words to Hermaeus are so precise and they contradict everything he was yelling about. He speaks of his service to him, his loyalty to him, and how he sees Hermaeus trying to replace him knowing that your character will never truly replace him. It's funny in the sense of "Oh. You believe I betray you? Well the final words I say will be of how utterly devoted I am to you." Very clever and very sassy on Miraak's part. But also... It does make me think as I mentioned earlier, it was his moment of clarity. Regaining of his self and even that he felt content in his final moments. Content of his death, of how he lived.

Do I read their relationship as really romantic yes I do, o7

Miraak is also likely still trapped in apocrypha and he'll be back eventually as dragon souls are easily rebound to their bodies and I know damn well Hermaeus isn't giving him up EVER.

Basically; Miraak in Skyrim is entirely mentally eroded from who he was and Hermaeus is really bad at communicating his emotions

[h0neytalk]

Italian Audio/Books/Videos Masterlist

Now that I’m at the upper A2/lower B1 level for Italian, I figured I’d compile a quick list of where I’ve found the best stuff to read and listen to.

E-Books and Audiobooks

Kobo Rakuten Italia — where I buy my ebooks. You can read them online, in the app, or download them and [redacted] to export them elsewhere. Has a monthly unlimited subscription that functions like a combo Kindle/Audible subscription.

Storytel — monthly subscription for unlimited access to audiobooks.

YouTube

Learn Italian With Lucrezia — truly the savior of anyone learning Italian. My favorite videos are her Q&As, vlogs, and “n basic phrases you need to know.” I don’t get much out of her grammar explainer videos but that’s because of who I am as a person.

NovaLectio — commentary style mini documentaries. I export them to LingQ to read before watching and it helps me parse what’s going on. Also, they upload some videos dubbed in English so you can watch both.

Vogue Italia — celebrity interviews and fashion content. About 50/50 Italian and English but obviously high production value.

ArtandtheCities — criminally underrated channel imo. 10-15 minute art history/industry videos by an art historian. Super interesting, she’s easy to understand, and has captions.

Chef Max Mariola — utter chaos but fun. A Roman chef cooking various dishes, sometimes with a guest. Gives very “your uncle is hosting Thanksgiving and forgot until yesterday” vibes but in the best way.

TV/Movies/Documentaries

RaiPlay (free!) — Italian version of PBS. Lots of documentaries and some kind of goofy soap operas/narrative shows. You can also watch live TV.

Podcasts and Radio

RaiPlay Sound — basically NPR. Also free! You can find podcasts, live radio stations, audiobooks, and even audio descriptions of movies and TV shows.

Articles

Formula 1 Italia — Formula 1 news. I’m a big Ferrari fan but they cover a lot of news/current events (as long as they can connect it to a driver). The writing is short and to the point so it’s easy to parse for beginners. And honestly the drama is better than a lot of TV shows.

Stile Arte — long, more complex articles about art and archaeology. Cannot recommend it enough if you have an interest in any of those things. There are some straightforward history articles at the B1/B2 level, and also some more creative essays that push C1.

Corriere della Sera — daily news site. I started reading the news only in Italian to keep me from doom scrolling because America is terrifying. This is just the site I have ended up using a lot. Mostly because it’s easy to navigate and they have a ton of content.

[sun-marie]

sketch bc I realized I have two pirate OCs that are completely different flavors of "Pirate" 🏴‍☠️⚔☠