#most common vocabulary

[learnlanguageswithani]

"most used vocabulary" spreadsheet

helloooo, good evening everyone (or whatever time of day you're seeing this)

i finished putting together my "most used vocabulary" spreadsheet so that i can start filling it out for every language that i'm interested in (not all at once though).

this spreadsheet has gone through several versions and i initially got the first version for portuguese from nathaniel drew's website* and from there i've made multiple versions adding things and taking things out, trying to make it work for me. there are definitely a few words i've added at some point that still seem common and important enough to keep on this spreadsheet (or maybe that's my inability to prioritise talking).

i want to make my version available to anyone who might find it helpful so through this link you should be able to make a copy on google drive or download it. i also plan on strategically going through this list and publishing my progress here, so we'll see how that goes. i will be using a slightly different list to do that, which will include some more "niche"** vocabulary that i use regularly but that isn't in the "top most common words"—things like sewing and fashion terminology to talk about my uni lessons, and bookish vocabulary so i can talk about what i like to read.

anyway here it is in all it's glory :)

and for anyone interested in my personal (and unfinished) list, it's here:

with additional categories so far being school, sewing, art, books, baking, true crime (content warning), and holidays.

if you have any suggestions for words or phrases i should add, let me know!

*nathaniel drew's spreadsheet available here. his version also features pages on the spreadsheet that focus on verb tenses, whereas mine is just focused on the vocabulary. you do have to sign up for his newsletter though if you want to access the original resources.

**it's not really that niche, it'll just be vocabulary that people who don't share my interests wouldn't regularly use.

[jessiescock]

ok i got another one

i can’t seem to find a comprehensive list of dub languages online rn, these are the audio options i can select on my netflix account – not included in the poll but also available to me are hindi, indonesian, thai and a japanese audio description. idk tho if those are all that were produced or if there’s more options that are just not available in my region, lmk if there’s something else i missed here! also if you’ve listened to/watched multiple of these options do kindly tell which one(s) you like best!

[welcometogrouchland]

Based off that one scene in eclipse lake I've decided that willow's favourite human music would be the world's worst fucking ear-bleeding hyper pop.

Hunter sits down to listen to it with her and has to rip the headphones off 4 seconds in because he thinks he's gonna throw up and willows like "omg are you okay?? I'm sorry we can stop listening to it if you need to :((" all concerned and hunter's like "no no it's fine! I just...don't know why you listen to this. Or how" and willows like "it makes my brain itchy :)" and hunter says "THAT'S A GOOD THING??"

[haruspexism]

personally I think nanowrimo would have been much better off if they'd said "technically we can't stop you from using generative AI" instead of a weird social justice perspective thing that doesn't make sense in the context they used said language in but nano had already lost my respect since last year when they took forever to respond to the reports of that one moderator being a groomer

[keirametzbrassknuckles]

Someone: what emotion do you write from? Love, Beauty, loss?

Me: The overwhelming desire to watch people who least deserve it cry mostly

[talentforlying]

waiting for my fabulosa! book to arrive so i can really polish up my quiet little headcanon that constantine picked up polari as a young, queer teen who grew up near the docks and spent a lot of time hanging around performers, and that he still uses it for writing magical shorthand and passing secret messages between friends from the old days.

[amplexadversary]

More Utena, ep 29-39

Damn it, I should have made a quip at some point between 30 and 32 about already knowing Touga was a bastard. Oh well.

(What I actually thought when they were going over the blood types was "oopsie, someone's having a non-parental event")

It is kind of darkly funny that the situation of Nanami finding that she's "not" related to Touga (up until the audience gets more information) makes her feel that their relationship is less valid and not more.

Then again she demonstrates that she doesn't want to have sex with Touga, so her brother complex is more emotional/romantic incest. Still kind of fucked up.

----------

I do applaud this show for its gradual introduction of the horror while still maintaining the trappings of a Shoujo Romance (the rose frames, parts of the soundtrack, you know). Those elements gradually become extremely chilling the further in you get.

(Not to mention a single rose appearing to spin onscreen during some of the disturbing interactions)

--------------------

I see what the game is. One of the student council members would not have encouraged Anthy the be more herself, but they would have had a chance to get her away from her abuser. But if Akio gets Utena under his thumb, and she wins the last duel, both Utena and Anthy are stuck with him.

And only after that does Utena see what both Anthy and Nanami couldn't bring themselves to say out loud.

And she doesn't react. Because she's mired in it too I'd guess. Because Akio is abusing her as well.

An idea that's kind of reinforced by a date scene where Akio further pushes Utena towards femininity.

-------------------------------

"In the end, all girls are like the Rose Bride." I think Anthy just dropped Utena's thesis statement here.

In that you're expected to wait until someone else makes every move. In that you don't really get a choice, sometimes even if there's multiple people who proposition you, in some circles you're expected to choose the "best," you could even say the "winner" among the competition, regardless of your feelings. In that you're then expected to go along with the decisions the other person makes, giving them the authority, more or less just tagging along.

In that you're expected to be whatever the situation at hand requires, no less and certainly no more, and failing that invites retaliation (I very specifically am thinking about how that must be the attitude Saionji had when hitting Anthy; it's not enough that she was basically completely submissive to him, he's still going to hit her for not measuring up to some expectation of his.)

I almost wonder if the shadow players kind of align with this, in their purpose being to act out roles thematically specific to the situation the main plot is in. The fact that we don't see them bodily until they need to physically interact with one of the characters - it doesn't matter who they actually are, just the role they play, and shadows are less intrusive. And the main characters don't pay them any mind except for Utena, when she eventually starts responding to them.

--------------------------------------

Now I'm wondering if the flying saucer actually represents the weird, unhealthy dynamic of the whole End of the World Rose Bride thing intruding on peoples' regular lives.

----------------------------------------------

I've noticed a few times that there are deliberate sections on this show where the animation just stops for several seconds, and the music keeps going. I actually rewound the first few times to see if youtube was having an issue, and started hovering my cursor over the video whenever I caught it happening again, so I could see the time move forward normally rather than in the janky way it does when you actually get the error where the sound is playing while the picture isn't.

I'm on e37 and now I'm seeing a few of these choices together (the spinning rose, the "frozen" video, repeated animation and sounds) paired up with some strange dialogue and transitions that resemble what a clumsy edit to film might look like, with abrupt changes, repeats of dialogue, and an unnatural rate of flow to the conversation.

I think the animation pauses are meant to both unnerve the viewer and to prime them to notice when it starts happening really blatantly, to convince the audience to interpret it as "something's fishy in-universe" rather than "who fucked up the shot."

The arrows in the back half of the Black Rose arc might serve a similar purpose. They seem to genuinely point to things that the plot is counting on the audience to pick up on; aside from one animation error I couldn't find anything they might have been distracting from. They're actually a legitimate "Notice This."

I almost wonder if the first person POV in the gondola version of the pre-duel sequence being in first person was a bit of slight-of-camera. As of yet I haven't seen any hint of what that POV might have been hiding, but I *did* miss the POV camera trickery in 33 up until the reveal; in addition to being shown out of chronological order, the camera spends a lot of time exactly where Akio or Utena is in the scene to hide their presence.

The gondola sequence feels like a more "easily caught" trick because the "camera" is moving, so when the same trick was pulled with an unmoving POV I was looking for it, but not in that place; the setup is that the audience is more likely to realize what's happening exactly when the right information is given (Akio's hand in this case).

Now I'm wondering if there's still a POV-related reveal coming about the gondola approach now that my guard is down after the other POV trick was resolved. (post e39 note: nope!)

(Look, I like a LOT of works where the authors are squirrelly little tricksters like this, and Utena has already had some weird surrealness going on. I'm paranoid for a reason, damn it!)

-------------------------------------------------------------

Well, the opening did in fact tell us exactly what was going to happen.

Utena was not able to rescue Anthy, but her efforts gave Anthy the strength of self-determination to leave.

"Even if the two of us are torn apart, I swear I will change the world."

Utena didn't succeed, but she was able to change things for the Rose Bride. And if "Every girl is like the Rose Bride," the two of them actually do change the world; in Anthy gaining the power to leave the situation she's in, metaphorically "every girl" receives that power.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I know there's a movie. I'll see if I can find that as well before I go into the main tag.

[dailygyankasagar]

Seekho Aur Chamako :Simple English Words For Daily Use With Meaning

इस लेख “Simple English Words for Daily Use With Meaning”में आपको ऐसे शब्द मिलेंगे जिन्हें पढ़ने के बाद आपकी Spoken English Journey में ए बड़ा बदलाव आना तो तय है ।

[learnturkishprofessionally]

Personal Pronouns in Turkish

[3hks]

How to Write REALISTIC and SMOOTH Dialogue

In a story, dialogue is quite important, it helps the readers paint a picture of what's happening and the characters themselves. However, it can be difficult to avoid the unnaturalness and choppiness that comes with a lack of experience. But luckily, I have put together A LOT of advice on how you can get over that rockiness and improve!

*** KEEPING YOUR DIALOGUE REALISTIC, AND PACING ***

>> Keep your characters in character:

Dialogue is a remarkably quick way for readers to determine your character's personality. Thus, you want their speech patterns to remain fairly consistent so the audience won't get confused. If your character is more serious, then they will use less slang and perhaps a more impressive vocabulary. If your character is more relaxed, they will use more slang and compress the words. (such as "dunno," "kay," "y'know," etc.)

Basically, you want their tone to match their traits so the way that they talk is more realistic and personlized to themselves. If the way all your characters speak is the same, there's something wrong. A strong tip is to put yourself in your character's shoes and imagine how they would respond!

>> Take the situation into consideration:

This is another part of keeping your characters in, well, character. Different emotional situations will have a different effect on separate people, so make sure that you have an idea of how your character will act during stressful, irritating, and sad times.

If your character is normally cold, they will struggle if it comes to comforting other people because they have less experience in that field.

>> Don't take too long with their words:

Unlike when narrating something, most people talk just to get the idea across. They will be more specific and quicker with what they say. (This excludes any character who likes to talk a lot.) Unless it's on purpose, they won't dance around the topic. Think of when you casually chat with your friends; you're pretty unlikely to use certain words and/or phrases that might be common to use while narrating.

If you want to explain something complicated, instead of writing out a paragraph of just one person talking, use a question-and-answer prompt! This is where another character continuously asks related questions that get answered by another person, so you can indirectly reveal your explanation.

*** HOW TO WRITE A SMOOTHER CONVERSATION AND DIALOGUE TAGS***

>> Having a variety of dialogue tags:

This is a pretty basic thing to look out for if you're new to writing conversations. Using words like "said," every other sentence can easily make it feel choppy and robotic. Instead, use words like "murmured," "smirked," etc. to paint some emotion into their words. Additionally, vary the location of the dialogue tags! They don't all have to go after the statement, you can include something in the beginning or even the middle, too!

Examples:

Beginning - She tilted her head, "What are you talking about?"

Middle - "Oh," he blinked, "I actually never thought about that."

End - "Wait up!" She exclaimed loudly, waving her hands around.

>> Using no dialogue tags to create a smooth conversation:

Having too many tags can also overwhelm your reader--remember, sentence variety is a crucial part of writing--so you can always drop them if they're unneeded. This applies when your characters (two is the suggested amount) are talking back and forth in a pattern straightforward enough for the reader to understand who's talking without it having to be labeled.

Dropping dialogue tags in these moments can create a smoother atmosphere during the conversation because the reader only has to focus on the talking present.

*** USING SLANG, STUTTERS, FILLER WORDS, AND PAUSES ***

Human speech is often not perfect; when talking, we often make mistakes such as filler words, grammatically incorrect phrases, etc. Hence, for more natural-sounding dialogue, it's important to incorporate some of these.

>> Pauses and stutters:

When reading dialogue, we read it at a steady pace unless it's written otherwise. However, that steady pace can soon get too robotic and too smooth. Luckily, there are several ways to change this! You can use dialogue tags, (ex: she quickly spoke) commas, and ellipsis (...). These are often integrated when the character is hesitant, nervous, answering something, or when they need to admit something. The same idea applies to stutters--they're mainly used to demonstrate anxiousness, which can be found in varying situations.

>> Filler words and slang:

Filler words can really just be used where you see fit. They may be used in the situations I previously mentioned (because it shows someone stumbling over their words) but it's ultimately up to you!

Slang, just like everything else, should not be used too often, or it will seem forced and exaggerated. The point is to sound natural, and increasing amounts of repetitiveness can ruin it. It's also important to remember that in real life, our conversations move slower; when someone speaks, another person usually doesn't respond quite literally, right after. However, in writing, dialogue can actually often seem that way, which is why using tags and these imperfections of speech is pivotal for building a realistic conversation!

*** CONCLUSION ***

Lastly, a key point when writing dialogue is to ALWAYS read the conversations! Whether it be in your head or out loud, it can often help you catch anything that seems off! Additionally, like I mentioned at the very beginning, write dialogue from your character's perspective! Imagine yourself as them and how they/you would talk. Try to keep your dialogue tags, sentences, and word use varied to create a natural conversation!

If you were struggling before, I hope that this (extra) long guide was able to really offer you some insight and useful tips! If you read this far, thank you!

Happy writing~

3hks <3

[power-chords]

Can you please explain your dialogue theory of fanfiction?

In short, that dialogue, more than anything, makes or breaks a fanfic. What do posts like "He would not fucking say that" and "They would NOT have communication skills that good" have in common? Talk. Characters expressing themselves to one another. The faithful recreation of identifiable speech patterns is weighted heavily in the evaluation of a fic's quality. By "speech patterns" I do not just mean the semantic content of a given character's expression, but idiosyncrasies of style and slang, vocabulary and idiom, even gesture, musicality, and rhythm.

Of course believable dialogue is far from the only thing that makes a good fanfic Good. And there are forms of fic writing, particularly highly abbreviated ones like drabbles and ficlets, that in practice tend to de-emphasize its significance. But if we are talking about the romantic, erotic shippy stuff that is the meat and potatoes of online fandom, dialogue does the heaviest lifting short of the consummation itself. Arguably more so! It's the real keystone to the catharsis, and often the catalyst for it. Is there a confession occurring? A provocation? An evasion or ultimatum? Zoom out, big picture: What is the most potent and fundamental mechanic for developing complexity, tension, and transformation within a relationship, getting it to go from one thing to another? Making these two idiots talk to each other! Often clumsily and indirectly and maladaptively, at the worst possible time and in the worst possible situation, about anything or everything but what they should be — but talk they usually do.

What makes fanfic specifically so challenging and rewarding in this regard is that the talking is as much a feat of translation as invention, because both reader and writer are working off an existing model. Liberties taken with plot, form, and even narrative voice have wider buffer zones; you can get creative with circumventing the events of canon while still conforming to its emotional and substantive essence.

But the training wheels come off the moment you open your mouth to speak in another character's voice. And man, nothing will break a reader's immersion quite like he would not fucking say that.

[writers-potion]

Could you give any advice for "descriptive" writing of any scene or action scenes or mapping out the scenery (Mountains, forests, streets etc) - i believe this is a struggle for Non-English speaking writers due to lack of vast vocabulary.

Common Scenery Description Tips

Vocabulary is clearly an important part of description, but it doesn’t have to be a limit. The most important thing about description in fiction is picking the right details to mention:

How does the details add to the mood of the story? A mountain ridge will be dark, gray and foggy if the overall mood is meant to be mysterious/brooding. In contrast, a mountain can be brilliantly snow-capped, lush green and “smiling down” upon the character if they’re out for a light stroll.

How are the contrasts/complementary aspects being brought out?

Are you using the five senses? You can even combine the senses, ie. blue ringing of the church bells

(If you have the POV character) what 

Some other tips for setting description:

Use similes and metaphors. Creative figures of speech always get my attention as a reader. 

Mention story-specific elements. For example, “The sky was the shade of Zoes’ eyes” or “the mountains looked like a group of trolls sleeping on one another” 

Be concise. Today’s readers don’t want to read paragraphs and paragraphs about one landscape. Outline the larger elements in the scene, their location and general mood. Add some details, then move on. 

If the same location appears multiple times, differentiate the description little by little as you write, instead of trying to lay out one scene in too much detail at once. 

That said, here are some helpful words/phrases:

Forests/Mountains

Color: bone-white, phantom-white, hazy gray

Sound: rumbling, booming grumbling, bellowing clapping, trundling, growling, thundering

Shape: crinkled, crumpled, knotted, grizzled, rumpled, wrinkled, craggy, jagged, gnarled, rugose  

Action: sky-punching/stabbing/piercing/spearing, heaven-touching/kissing, snow-cloaked/hooded/wreathed/festooned

Sloping sides, sharp/rounded ridges, high point/peak/summit

Majestic, gargantuan humbling, vast, massive, titanic, towering, monumental, mighty, vast, humbling

Mountains having faces, etc. 

Seas

Color: blue-green, crystal-clear crystalline, emerald, frothy, hazy, glistening, pristine, turquoise

Size: boundless, abyssal, fathomless, unconquerable, vast, wondrous

Sound: billowing, blustering, bombastic

Action: boisterous, agitated, angry, biting, breaking, brazen. Churning, bubbling, changing, brooding, calm, convulsing, enticing erratic, fierce, tempestuous, turbulent, undulating

Alluring, blissful, betwitching, breezy, captivating, chaotic, chilly, elemental, disorienting

Deserts

Sight: A landscape of sand, flat, harsh sunlight, cacti, tumbleweeds, dust devils, cracked land, crumbing rock, sandstone, canyons, wind-worn rock formations, tracks, dead grasses, vibrant desert blooms (after rainfall), flash flooding, dry creek

Sounds: Wind (whistling, howling, piping, tearing, weaving, winding, gusting), birds cawing, flapping, squawking, the fluttering shift of feasting birds, screeching eagles, the sound of one’s own steps, heavy silence, baying wild dogs

Smell: Arid air, dust, one’s own sweat and body odor, dry baked earth, carrion

Touch: Torrid heat, sweat, cutting wind, cracked lips, freezing cold (night) hard packed ground, rocks, gritty sand, shivering, swiping away dirt and sweat, pain from split lips and dehydration, numbness in legs, heat/pain from sun stroke, clothes…

Taste: Grit, dust, dry mouth & tongue, warm flat canteen water, copper taste in mouth, bitter taste of insects for eating, stringy wild game (hares, rats) the tough saltiness of hardtack, biscuits or jerky, an insatiable thirst or hunger

Streets

Dusty, fume-filled, foul, sumptuous, broad, bucolic, decayed, mournful, seemingly endless, empty, unpaved, lifeless, dreadfully genteel, muddy, nondescript, residential/retail

Bleach, flimsy, silent, narrow, crooked, furrowed, smoggy, commonplace, tumbledown, treeless, shady

The blacktop streets absorb the spring sunshine as if intent upon sending heaven's warmth back through my soles.

The streets absorbed the emotions in the air, the city as the steady and reassuring mother.

The streets were a marriage of sounds, from bicycle wheels to chattering.

In the refreshing light of early daytime, the streets had the hues of artistic dreamtime, soft yet bold pastels.

Cobbled streets flowed as happy rivers in sunlight.

Parties

Some extra tips for locations like parties, where lots of action is going around practically everywhere:

Focus on the important characters - where they are, who they’re with. 

Provide some overall description of the structure of the party scene (a pool, a two-storey house with yard?), then move on to details. 

Don’t try to describe everything. 

whirlwind of laughter and music, a symphony of joyous chaos.

It was a gathering that shimmered with the glow of twinkling lights and echoed with the rhythm of dancing feet.

The air was alive with excitement, buzzing with conversations and the clink of glasses.

Every corner held a story waiting to unfold, a moment waiting to be captured in memory.

It was a tapestry of colors, a mosaic of faces, each adding their own brushstroke to the vibrant canvas of the night.

Laughter cascaded like a waterfall, infectious and unstoppable, filling the room with warmth.

The night was a carnival of senses, with aromas of delicious food mingling with the melodies that filled the air.

Time seemed to slip away in the whirl of the party, moments blending into each other like colors on a palette.

The energy of the crowd was electric, pulsing through the room like a heartbeat, binding everyone in a shared moment of celebration.

It was a celebration of life, where worries faded into the background, and the present moment was all that mattered.

[nocturnowlette]

I accidentally revealed a little experiment I was doing to my subject, today, so I finally get to tell you all about it.

I honestly didn't think that covert hypnotic triggers were a thing due to the constant annoying mysticism and years of bad science around hypnosis, as well as stuff like subliminals having absolutely zero actual effects. However, with some testing, I have been delightfully surprised.

To be clear, by a covert trigger, I do not mean a trigger that was given under trance explicitly then had the subject forget or be unaware of when used. I mean a trigger that is installed, reinforced, and used entirely without the subject noticing. It'd be more accurate to call this a preconscious trigger, but the linguistic gods disagree, I suppose.

I decided to use my favorite subject, and someone I'm close with in many ways. I've already trained general obedience into her over time, but have always allowed her to be rebellious because it's fun for the both of us. However...

There's a phrase I liked to use on occasion during trance and outside of it when I'm being a little gently degrading: the phrase, "Isn't that right?" at the end of sentences. Leading questions are natural for gentle domination, and I had already been doing it, so I decided to use it a little bit more often, and with intention.

For about two weeks straight, while under trance and while training general obedience or otherwise while messing with them, I would go, "Isn't that right?" exclusively for questions that were an absolute yes. There's no reason she wouldn't say yes to it, and so, she did, every single time.

The next week or two, I would start peppering in the phrase for slight disagreements. That's to say, things that were a yes, but something that she'd make a small fuss about normally to be rebellious. To my surprise, any time I used the phrase, all rebellion seemed to stop. I actually thought she caught on and was doing it intentionally, but she didn't respond when I signaled that to her.

A few weeks later, after more and more reinforcement, to the point where it was a very common part of my everyday vocabulary, I was able to completely quell any fire she brought up. I would do a short explanation or rationalization, then end the sentence with, "Isn't that right?", and poof, the rebellion goes away.

I accidentally revealed it today as stated due to showing a list of notes I used to keep track of triggers for subjects, but luckily, by the time she found out, it was one of the most potent triggers I had for her. It still works just fine.

Before she did find out, I finally got to hear what she sounded like after all the training when I said it out loud, as I mostly reinforced it via text. It sounded like her voice turned droopy and monotone entirely and only for when she agreed, then went back to normal. It was really, really cute, and I had to stifle a giggle or two.

Luckily, I didn't write down the other few covert triggers I have for her. I'll be having fun with those for a good while longer.

[raceydays-hopelesshaze]

Since Three Kings Day my baby nephew has been saying “money” non-stop

[ozzgin]

The Mean Girl Bully Reader x Nerd Loser Yandere story sparked another red flag reader idea I had 😈

Imagine a Bratty Female Reader x Well Mannered Wealthy Male Yandere. Unlike our favorite monster whore gal, and two-faced bully, this new reader insert is super vocal about her distaste in just about everything. Hardly anything is up to her “standards.” She not only complains, but whines too! 🥳

Then her poor beau weirdly loves her despite her horrid personality. I don’t know how, I’ll leave that part of imagining up to you, but there’s my request 🥺

I just like morally grey or blatant antagonistic readers. A lot of times, it’s more fun if the reader is attractive this way to a yandere, than having stereotypical good traits, like being compassionate or respectful 😔

So please, a Bratty Female Reader x Well Mannered Wealthy Male Yandere?

-👘

I was wondering if I should just incorporate this into the Yandere CEO draft I have, but I had this sudden idea for a downright shameless relationship between a beloved, well-respected politician and a perverted, needy brat of a Darling. (I don't like politicians but alas, I needed a high-stakes public profession for this)

Yandere! Politician x Bratty! Reader

Mr. Politician is a true rarity in his field of work: well-mannered, articulate, and most importantly, genuine in his dedication. He works tirelessly for change and improvement, earning the adoration of the people. There's only one exception to his loyalty: no country ever comes before his Darling. And what a demanding Darling you are...

Content: female reader, older yandere, NSFW, some exhibitionism

Many would describe their interactions with Mr. Politician as follows: he's disciplined, confident and resourceful. A natural born leader, you can tell within seconds of meeting him that he is a man to rely on. He's spent many years in the game, and nothing can shake him out of his signature calmness. He keeps everything in pristine order, and nothing escapes his scrutiny.

There is, however, one quirk only few select people know about. A detail no one dares to discuss. It is common knowledge that Mr. Politician has a partner, yet the particularities of it are kept private. His beloved is a much younger girl, rotten to the core. It is unclear how this pairing came to be; the day Mr. Politician won his place in his prestigious office, he showed up with the mysterious feminine figure at his side.

What's certain and obvious to all witnesses is that his vocabulary quickly discards any meaning of refusal whenever he's dealing with you. It almost feels like the man worships you. He's never alluded to being religious, most likely because that role's been taken already. His eyes soften whenever directed at you, gleaming with raw adoration.

Splurging on expensive things is a given. Money has never been an issue for someone of his status. In fact, it's a handy and convenient tool he frequently uses to dampen the damage of your tantrums.

"Disgusting", you spit between your teeth, pushing the plate away and crossing your arms. The renowned chef of the Michelin star restaurant can only stare in horror before Mr. Politician intervenes with a chuckle. "Not feeling it today, huh?", he coos at you with loving strokes. "May I ask that you bring everything else from the menu?" he says in a sterner voice to the employee. "E-everything, Sir?" the waitstaff questions. "Well, naturally. I can't let my Darling starve."

"I'm bored. Let's leave now", you mention bluntly, standing in front of the heavily ornate table with a huff. "Are you sure, Darling? It's an important meeting for the country", Mr. Politician tries to plead. Around him, the other men sit baffled, observing the outrageous exchange. "Now!" you conclude louder. Before anyone can protest, your boyfriend stands up obediently and reaches out for your hand. "Then allow me to guide you, love."

A paradox. His earnest work is put to a halt if you require anything from him. Somehow, he has until now managed to juggle the two with little effort, and to his credit, there have been many instances requiring nerves of steel. Such as you paying him an unannounced visit to the office, and disliking the fact he was unavailable due to a meeting. So, you marched over to the window and promptly flashed your chest against the glass. Everyone else was focused on the opposing whiteboard; he was the only one who immediately noticed your arrival. "As you can see, the expected result is irresistible", he continued with a professional smile, tapping the graph with a marker.

Everyone knows Mr. Politician is fervently devoted to his principles. Take his last public speech, for example. Knuckles white from gripping the podium, he'd nearly choked during an eloquent -but passionate - conclusion. His face was red, his jaw tightened. He needed a moment to recollect himself, and the public waited with bated breaths, visibly emotional. Of course, they couldn't tell the outrageous truth: that you were shamelessly kneeling at his feet, pumping and teasing his erection until, at last, he let go all over your face.

"I wanted to see if you'd stumble on your words", you explain afterwards, wiping the sticky liquid off with a damp cloth. "That would've been unpleasant", he responds with a shiver. "It was live on national television."

He does not seem too bothered by the potential risk of being caught. Truly, his nonchalance knows no bounds when it comes to you. Or perhaps it is part of the charm. There's something quite depraved yet tempting about this perpetual contrast.

To return your daring favor, he gently places you onto his desk and spreads your legs, leaving trails of kisses along the inner surface of your thigh. A quick glance down confirms his suspicions: your bare bottom lays on top of confidential, rather important documents he dutifully signed hours ago. How thrilling of a feeling! He already smiles in anticipation, picturing himself as he hands over the folder to the oblivious party. He's not breaking any rules, now, is he? Nowhere in the book of etiquette does it state you mustn't fuck your beloved on top of official papers.

You gaze at the disheveled face underneath you. "One day I'll get you in trouble", you blurt out between whines. "Me? Oh, Darling. You know I always have everything under control." He lifts himself up and gives you a quick, desperate kiss. "Including you."

[languagelvlup]

love how there's no single correct path to language fluency

when i was teaching English to little kids, we always used vocabulary sets that we thought would appeal to them, so we did colors and sports and numbers (which I think fall into the category of beginner vocab for adults as well) but also things like schoolyard games (rock paper scissors, tag, etc) and aquatic animals.

sure adult learners will study the names a handful of the most common critters, but most standard beginner textbooks don't cover a wide variety of animal names

so anyway I just think it's funny that every child in my class could name like 50 animals in english, but not a single one of the friends I study with (we are all intermediate+) has been able to tell me how to say seahorse in Japanese