#Speech Confidence

[elecalice]

(Estimated) Personal Confidence Levels to Me Speaking to people

Context: Autistic Chilean girl who speaks both in Spanish (Native) and English (Intermediate). I also have a speech impediment, difficulties to pronounce the hard R and RR words

Me talking alone in English: 99.9%

Me talking alone in Spanish: 90.0% (Confidence breaker: If there are people nearby)

Me talking to friends in Spanish: 95.5% (Confidence Breaker: Forgetting the Spanish word of something when I am more familiar with the English word)

Me talking to friends in English: Possibly 95.0%. I Haven't tried. (Confidence breaker: Not knowing a word or using the wrong word for something. And possibly the fear of using a word that can be a slur somewhere. It happened to me once on a Discord server)

Me talking to strangers in English: Possibly 80.5%? Haven't tried, neither. (Confidence Breaker: Same as the previous point)

Me talking to strangers in Spanish: 75.4% (Confidence breaker: Same point mentioned before. + Not managing to pronounce well my words. Especially words with R and RR words due to my speech impediment)

Me talking to my big brother and dad: 68.5% (Confidence Breaker: Previous points mentioned. + The fear that receiving a harsh or bad comment. Or when they pressured me to speak fluently what I want to say)

Me talking to mom (good or neutral mood). Only Spanish: 59.0% (Confidence Breaker: Previous points mentioned. + Extra pressure since mom's more impatient that the rest of my family)

Me taking to mom (angry mood) Only Spanish: -1000000000.0% + Fear and anxiety that makes my speech WORSE + The feel of need to cry and hate myself

[joyful-daddy]

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[csuitebitches]

Do you think you speak too fast/ too slow?

Here is what I learned from a speech coach.

warm up:

start this exercise by taking a deep breath and saying “aaaaah” - try to extend this to 30 seconds. Now if it doesn’t go till 30, that’s fine. Aim to work your way to that. If you can work it up to 30, go for 45/60 seconds. Do this 5 times.

next. Download an app called Metronome beats. It’s basically what singers/ musicians use for beats.

Settings: keep beats/bar as 1,

clicks/beats as 1

start at 90. It will start with a click sound and continue “beeping.”

Match your words to the beep. One beep = one word. Now slowly, increase the beat by 5 till you reach 110. Increase it at your own pace but try to spend at least 20 seconds on each number (90 for 20 seconds; 95 for 20; 100 for 20….) That’s when you stop.

either start by reading something out loud and matching the beat, or select a topic and speak freely.

do this every single day. This will help with your breath, if you’re speaking on a topic it will help you think better and improve over time. The best way to further complement this exercise is to improve your vocabulary. Try to learn 1-3 new words a day and incorporate it in your vocabulary.

This is a great tool to use when learning new languages too. You can practice your speaking skills and see how fast you can remember/ read words.

[succulentsiren]

The words you speak are the spells you cast.

Too many people are too reckless in their word choices and use their speech to hurt themselves.

Be mindful of how you are communicating, both with yourself and others. Start complimenting yourself instead of telling self deprecating jokes, start uplifting yourself instead of doubting yourself, start motivating yourself instead of criticizing yourself.

When you switch up your vocabulary your whole energy will change.

[codgod]

i feel like i see ppl mischaracterise mariana a lot too but then i also don’t feel like i know his character well enough to articulate in what way lol

like i read. a lot of slimeriana fics. and in some of them his behaviour just feels ? off ? from what i expect it to be but idk how LOL

[ghouljams]

Hey I just discovered your blog a little while ago and reading your stories brings me so much joy I absolutely love everything about your writing 💗

I wanted to ask if you had any plans for Fae!Price ? Cuz he's my favourite character in COD I'm simping so hard for this man it's not even funny.

Hope you have a wonderful week 💖

I have plans to write some more cowboy!Price, and I am working on fae!Price!!

I know he's a favorite, I haven't forgotten him! We're going to meet him in Fae!Ghost's story at the very least, but I will write something here just for you as a test of a potential darling for him.

The room you're in is dim and smokey. The walls a rich blood red and the music low and brassy, everyone is here to enjoy themselves and the succor that this type of place provides. You have reasons other than drink and skin to be here. Although maybe they aren't so different from the relief the other patrons search for, aren't you looking for relief too?

You worm your way through the crowd, threading between people and plucking what you can from their pockets. Places like this, where the veil is thin and the threshold is as weak as mist, nothing really belongs to anyone. It's why you never bring anything you don't want to lose.

When you spot him he's leaned like a king back in his chair, legs spread wide and smoke swirling from his lips. The soft leather of the chair may as well be gold for the way he commands his guest's attention. You feel the pull of him like a magnet leading you forward. Until you're standing in front of his table with only your feet to thank for taking you there. Surely if you'd been thinking straight you never would've put yourself in his line of sight.

"Well," his tongue drags through the word as he lowers his cigar, "this is a pleasant surprise." You stay silent, it's usually your best defense. He tips his head to the side, eyes sliding over you, inspecting you. He takes another drag from his cigar, the tip of it illuminating the shadows of his face.

You keep your eyes on him, you can feel the eyes of the other three fae he's with, but you don't have business with them, do you?

"Have a seat little thief," Price says finally, patting his thigh, the tethers in your chest pull tight and you perch on his knee without thinking. His hand moves to cup the back of your neck, drawing you close enough he can speak low and dangerous in your ear, "You took something of mine, and I intend to get it back."

[averlym]

"one day, i cut him an apple. when he saw it, he laughed" (click for better resolution!) ,,, tag from @elliotly

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

you. have you ever seen wally's secret audios in reverse? the secret audios that you can access by clicking on the drawings on the website, in this case. I haven't seen anyone talking about this until now, I didn't even know about it until I saw a tiktok account put the audios backwards @:(!!

I had tested it myself and there were actually some hidden things, like wally saying "we're trapped" and "leave that person alone" ((??? unsure about this one))

i tested it and found - Absolutely Nothing! i played em all in reverse and it was just. in reverse. i listened with the volume way up, i listened very carefully, and there was nothing.

[thewatercolours]

Podfic: "Captive Crown" by GerbilofTriumph

A shabby narration of GerbilofTriumph's excellent King's Quest fanfiction, "Captive Crown," complete with outrageous attempts at accents and enough bloopers to start a drinking game (with um, raisin juice. There are too many goofs for the real stuff.) This wonderful fiction, full of courage, nightmares, and healing, is gratefully recorded and shared with permission of the author, @gerbiloftriumph. Go check out her awesome creative blog.

All seven chapters are available at the link above, but if you just feel like listening to the first chapter while you scroll, voila:

Original text here:

[pinkflipphonez]

okay raza, let's do this one more time...

[booasaur]

Perry Mason (2020) - 2x03

[gilded-love]

EVAN AS BARTY’S BODYGUARD WHEN THEYRE KIDS AND EVAN TEACHING BARTY HOW TO FIGHT

[holographicbutch]

I love abe as a character so much. They picked the most socially awkward pushover to be their resistance leader

[worstloki]

Absolutely obsessed with Thor naming things wrongly but saying them with his whole chest in such confidence that for a grace period no one doubts him

[maybe-i-need-a-hug]

And now to some headcanons and stuff from here about Jason inhaling the fossilized vampire and worried Salim. Nothing super-original, just some things I would love to share. Enjoy 😁

/warning: it gets kinda angsty/

***

As soon as Jason realizes that he might be infected, he makes Salim promise to kill him the moment they see that Jason really is turning into something.

“Even if the others are still alive, not one of them has the balls to end this,” he says. “You’re the only one who can do it. You have to do it.”

He can't help but think about Clarice and Joey. He saw what happened to Joey, he saw the thing moving under the skin of Clarice's throat. He's fucking terrified.

"I don't wanna die, but even less I wanna turn into a fucking vampire," he says. "The last thing I wanna do is rip your head off. Your son is waiting for you."

Salim does try to argue. "They did not bite you," he says, "it might be something else. We will get out, you will get some fresh air, you will feel better."

They both know that's not true.

"Just… promise me, Salim," Jason says. It takes some effort to add: "Please."

Reluctantly, Salim does make that promise.

***

Every time Jason starts coughing, Salim looks at him, worried. At some point, Jason snaps at him, really pissed off, because he is so sure that Salim is worried about the coughing being too loud so the creatures can hear it.

“I can’t fucking keep it down,” he says, “stop looking at me like that! You’re waiting for me to start turning or what?”

Salim looks at him, confused because of his anger. “I’m worried about you,” he says. “That does not sound good.”

Jason stares at him, puzzled. He was almost ready to say something like “fuck off and go in there alone, if I’m dying too fucking loudly for you"; now he feels a bit awkward. He has no idea how to respond to that.

“Oh,” he says and just keeps walking.

***

When Nick joins them like a fucking knight in shining armor, Jason is… not as happy as he thought he would be. Don't get him wrong, he is glad and relieved to see Nicky alive, but… Nick is mentally fucked up already, and some shit has happened today, and Nick has a tendency to overthink stuff. Jason just can't be vulnerable and scared around him; Jason has to be that badass marine, has to be the strong one — confident enough to make Nicky keep it together.

Jason is scared, probably dying and so fucking tired. It was so much easier with Salim alone, when there was no need to pretend he's okay.

All Jason wants is to get Nicky and Salim both to safety. Is that too much to ask?

***

When Salim asks him to tell Zain his last words, Jason almost laughs out loud. That requires some really fucking impressive level of optimism to think that Jason can last long enough to be able to go to Salim’s house after all what happened.

He is absolutely sure he's gonna die. He knows that even if he makes it out of here, no one up there is gonna give a fuck about finding a cure for him. He’s probably going to end up in some laboratories or something and die during some fucked-up experiments.

It doesn't really matter if he dies now or later. He just wants his death to not be in vain.

To go out with a bang, fighting vampires for a vague chance to save Salim — that's not the worst option. He’s okay with that as long as Salim survives.

They both make it to the lift, and that’s a fucking miracle.

***

Jason gets hurt during the fight in the shepherd's hut. He could anticipate that from the beginning: the cough made him throw away his shot, the creature attacked, and he wasn't able to dodge that or to protect himself.

Salim saves him. Of course it's Salim who saves him. Jason has almost got used to seeing this fucking metal stake right in front of his eyes.

Nicky is not that lucky. Nicky is dead, lying on the floor with his eyes gouged out, and there's some sick fucked-up irony in this. Jason gets to survive the fight only to be dead in a couple of days at best, coughing his lungs out, and Nicky is dead.

That's so fucked.

Jason isn't really paying attention to what's going on around him. Salim asks if he can dress Jason's wound, and Jason just nods, not moving away from Nick's body. Salim takes off his backpack and vest, cuts up the sleeve of the T-shirt to get to the wound on his shoulder.

A touch on his skin makes Jason flinch — or rather the sudden realization: he’s vulnerable, he can’t fight, and someone got close to him while he wasn’t paying attention. Salim says sorry, moving a bit away.

Jason is too tired to really care about it — or explain it to Salim, for that matter. He just lets Salim finish patching up his wound.

That doesn’t feel that wrong and uncomfortable, to be honest.

***

Jason doesn’t really think about Salim being an Iraqi soldier of the fucking Republican Guard — until he does. It didn’t really matter down in the temple. Here, on the surface — that's where it becomes a problem.

“You have to go,” he says.

He doesn’t even hesitate. He probably should’ve. That's probably treason.

Jason doesn't give a fuck about treason right now.

“I can’t leave you like that,” Salim says almost angrily, as if Jason insulted him. “You’re hurt. The shepherds may come back. What was that thing you kept saying? Semper Fi?”

“For fuck’s sake, Salim.”

Jason knows he has to make Salim go away. Jason would physically push him out of the hut if not for the wound and blood loss; Jason is too weak and tired to even argue.

Jason wouldn’t go away. How can he expect Salim to do that?

“Just… take my watch,” he says, holding out his hand. “Don’t fuck around for too long and get the fuck outta here before the cavalry arrives. Even if I…”

He doesn’t finish the sentence, coughing.

***

Jason does his best to stay awake, he really does, but the infection and the wound take their toll. His eyes are closing; he struggles to keep them open.

“Stay here,” Salim says.

“Ain’t going nowhere,” Jason mumbles.

He feels like he has to say something. He knows damn well he’ll never see Salim again; even if he will survive somehow, there’s no chance they’ll ever meet.

He’s never been any good at heart-to-heart chit-chats.

“I’m… glad I didn’t shoot you,” he says, causing Salim to smile.

“Well, I’m glad I didn’t shoot you,” Salim answers, chuckling.

Fair enough. Jason shakes hands with him, trying not to start coughing again, and leans back against the wall, trying not to pass out.

***

Jason loses this battle. He is half-awake, half-aware of his surroundings, leaning on Salim’s shoulder, unable to move or to speak or to open his eyes. At first Salim was trying to talk to him, keep him conscious, wake him up; now Salim is just sitting there, muttering something to himself from time to time. Jason can feel the warmth of his body and his hand that is placed on Jason’s back.

Jason spent hours wearing a vest and a backpack. Now a touch on the back through only a T-shirt feels… weird. Vulnerable.

Comforting.

He manages to cling to reality due to pure stubbornness. Salim is not safe here. Jason has to make sure he gets the fuck out before it’s too late.

There’s nothing he can do about that, really.

It feels like an eternity — definitely not a pleasant one — until something starts to happen around him. Salim gently helps him lie down, head on his backpack; Jason can feel Salim’s hand on his shoulder as Salim says something. Jason doesn’t understand a word of it, but there’s definitely guilt and regret in his voice.

“Just go,” Jason wants to say, but can’t make a sound.

He can hear a quiet “goodbye” and retreating footsteps. Salim’s gone — to his son, to safety. Nothing to worry about anymore; nothing to fight for.

The lights fade.

[averlym]

some very very quick costume shorthands!