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blackhakumen · 3 years

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Mini Fanfic #803: Bus Tour (Super Smash Bros Ultimate x Persona 5)

11:56 a.m. at Isle Defino's Tour Bus......

Purple Female Pianta: (Points at the Giant Pianta Statue Behind Her) And here, ladies and gentlemen, is where we see the statue of the greatest hero our town has to offer. His brave, peaceful heroism has been an inspiration to us over the years and we will never forget the sacrifice he made for our home. (Sees a Hand Raising Up) Yes, Girl with the curly hair?

Haru: (Lowers Her Hand) Pardon the sudden interruption....(Pulls Out a Mini Book From her Purse) But I just finished reading a chapter about that man from the History Books you've given us yesterday. Is it really true that he was ambused and killed inside a cave?

Purple Female Pianta: I'm afraid so, my dear. He was given an letter from an unknown source to come by that very cave. (Turns Away in a Overly Dramatic Like Fashion) And much to everyone's surprise and shock, it was all a merciless trap. Those vile, heartless, monsters ambushed that poor, beautiful man and left him there alone in his last, dying breath! Once the rest of the tribe venture their way to the cave two days later, it was all too late.

Morgana: So.....He didn't bother bringing any weapons with him? Or have bodyguards and reinforcement come along the cave with him at the time?

Purple Female Pianta: I can't say that he have. He thought he was invited into a peace talk. He was more of a lover than he was a fighter.

Morgana: But that was still a stupid move on his part! How could someone just walked into a deep, dark cave with no weapons for protection and defense, no reinforcements, and all without noticing something was up from getgo?

Futuba: Yeah. And what kind of sane person would host a peace talking inside a literal cave to begin with. If that's not an immediate red flag of something's up, then I don't know what is.

Morgana: Right!?

Purple Purple Pianta: That's right. That wonderful man gave those criminals a benefit of a doubt. Only to walked into a trap that cost him his life..... It's quite ironic once you thing think about it.

Lavenza: No it isn't.

Purple Female Pianta: (Turns to Lavenza Who is Seating Next to Morgana) Hm?

Lavenza: (Smiles Softly at the Pianta) That is not at all what an irony is. I believe that the turn events, you described, would be classified as painfully expected.

Purple Female Pianta: (Couldn't Believe What She is Hearing) B-B-But.... what exactly are talking about, little girl!?

Lavenza: The word Irony is a noun that is also known to be a state of affairs or an event that seems too liberally contrary to what one expects and it's mostly amusing as a result. For example, your former hero was known as brave and resourceful. Yet his careless and naive belief in peace has ultimately gotten the better of him in the end.

Purple Female Pianta: (Eyes Widened in Complete Shock) ('GASPS')

Futuba: (Giggles Softly) Holy crap, Lavvy-chan! That was amazing! We should totally get you a tiny microphone to drop for Christmas this year.

Haru: (Gasps While Blushing) Oh my goodness. That would be adorable!~

Lavenza: A microphone would be nice gift for the occasion. (Turns to Morgana) We should share it together, Mona-Chan.

Morgana: (Smiles Brightly) Not really that much of a singer, but yeah. I'm wouldn't mind sharing it with you.

Lavenza: (Smiles Brightly) Splendid!~

Purple Female Pianta: (Immediately Glares at the Girl in Blue) How DARE you insult the name of our lord and savior!? He was GREATEST, most BRAVEST man that this island has EVER KNOWN!!

Lavenza: Statistically speaking, that says more about you than it does about him.

Morgana: ('Scoffs') Yeah. Considering the fact that you guys still blame Mario for something he didn't do to be begin with. And even after he risked his life to save this Island from any threats afterwards.

Purple Female Pianta: (Stomps her Feet at the Ground) You wanna take this outside of this bus, you little twerps!? I can throwdown with a child and her dumb alley cat! DOESN'T HURT MY FEELINGS IN THE SLIGHTEST!?

Haru: Lay a finger on my babies, and I will tear that fucking statue down to ground myself. Along with you and everyone else on this bus.

Futuba: I'd listen to her if I were you. Saw her kill an evil monster once with an axe. ('Clicking Tongue') Not a pretty sight if you ask me....

Purple Female Pianta: (Immediately Gets Scared Shitless by Haru's Threat Fair Warning) ............D-Duly noted? L-Let's move on to our next destination, shall we?

Pichu: (Shivers in Fear While Sitting on Sephiroth's Lap) P-Pia-Pi......

Sephiroth: (Rubbing the Top of Pichu's Head While Watching Everything That's Been Going On in the Back) I agree, Pichu. That girl seems more intimidating than I originally thought. I suppose her title as "Noir" has more meaning after all. ('Sigh') Regardless, It's best that we stay clear of her fore the foreseeable future.

Pichu: (Nodded in Agreement) Pichu.

@keyenuta

@princekirijo

@cyber-wildcat

@caleb13frede

@26shann

@ma-lemons

@albion-93

#super smash ultimate #persona 5 #haru okumaru #futuba sakura #morgana #lavenza #the piantas #sephiroth #pichu #mario (mentioned)#humor #sao abridged reference #lavenza is a savage cinnamon roll #haru is best mom #and sephiroth is terrified if her lol #isle defino vacation #it's also kinda a headcannon for orgin of that giant statue on isle defino #edited

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adventures-in-iberia · 5 years

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Multilingual Vocab Practice

Pets

(Here’s a vocab list to help you talk about your furry/scaly/feathered friends. This was my favorite list to make so far!

Note: For the most part, I have given the masculine version of each animal. In general, feminization of each animal in Spanish and French is pretty simple (see the end of the post for further explanation). However, some animals have unique words for each gender (like “cow” and “bull”). In those cases, I have listed the alternative names underneath the more commonly used word.

I also have the baby version of different animals listed directly underneath the adult version in some cases.

As usual, most adjectives are given in the masculine singular form.)

English | español | français | Deutsch

Phrases

bad dog! | ¡perro malo! | mauvais chien ! | böser Hund!

can I pet (your dog)? | puedo acariciar a tu perro? | Je peux caresser votre chien ? | Darf ich Ihren Hund streicheln?

good doggy! | ¡buen perrito! | bon chiot ! | Gutes Hundchen!

Interjections

miaow! | miau | miaou ! | Miau!

woof-woof! | ¡guau-guau! | ouaf-ouaf | Wau-Wau!

Nouns

animal | el animal | l’animal | das Tier

belly | el vientre | le ventre | der Bauch

bird | el pájaro | l’oiseau | der Vogel

bug | el bicho | l’insecte | der Käfer

cage | la jaula | la cage | der Käfig

canary | el canario | le canari | der Kanarienvogel

cat food | la comida para gatos | la nourriture pour chat | das Katzenfutter

chinchilla | la chinchilla | le chinchilla | die Chinchilla

claw | la garra | la griffe | die Klaue

collar | el collar (de perro) | le collier (de chien) | das (Hunde)halsband

dog food | la comida para perros | la nourriture pour chien | das Hundefutter

doggy door | la puerta para perros | la porte chien | die Hundetür

ear | la oreja | l’oreille | das Ohr

feather | la pluma | la plume | die Feder

ferret | el hurón | le furet | das Frettchen

fin | la aleta | l’aileron | die Flosse

fish | ***el pez | le poisson | der Fisch

fish food | la comida para peces | la nourriture pour poissons | das Fischfutter

fish tank | la pecera | l'aquarium | das Aquarium

foot | el pie | le pied | der Fuß

friend | el amigo/la amiga | l’ami/l’amie | der Freund/die Freundin

fur | el peláje | la fourrure | das Fell

gecko | el gecko | le gecko | der gecko

gerbil | el jerbo | la gerbille | die Rennmaus

goat | el cabro | la chèvre | die Ziege

guinea pig | el conejillo de indias | le cochon d’Inde | das Meerschweinchen

hamster | el hamster | le hamster | der Hamster

hermit crab | el cangrejo ermitaño | le crabe ermite | der Einsiedlerkrebs

hoof | el casco | le sabot | der Huf

leash | la correa | la laisse | die Leine

litterbox | la caja de arena | le bac à litière | die Katzentoilette

lizard | el lagarto | le lézard | die Eidechse

mouse | el ratón | la souris | die Maus

nose | la nariz | le nez | die Nase

owner | el dueño/la dueña | le propriétaire/la propriétaire | das Herrchen/das Frauchen

parakeet | el periquito | la perruche | der Sittich

parrot | el loro | le perroquet | der Papagei

paw | la pata | la patte | die Pfote

pet | la mascota | l'animal de compagnie | das Haustier

pony | el pony | le poney | das Pony

rat | la rata | le rat | die Ratte

scale | la escama | l’écaille | die Schuppe

service animal | el animal de servicio | l'animal d'assistance | das Diensttier

snake | la serpiente | le serpent | die Schlange

tail | la cola | la queue | der Schweif

tarantula | la tarántula | la tarentule | die Tarantel

turtle | la tortuga | la tortue | die Schildkröte

veterinarian | el veterinario | le vétérinaire | der Tierarzt

weasel | la comadreja | la belette | das Wiesel

whisker | el bigote | la moustache | das Schnurrhaar

wing | ****el ala | l’aile | der Flügel

Verbs

to bark | ladrar | aboyer | bellen

to bathe (the dog) | bañar (al perro) | se baigner (le chien) | (den Hund) baden

to bite | morder | mordre | beißen

to crawl | gatear | ramper | kriechen

to cuddle (the animal) | acurrucarse (al animal) | câliner (l'animal) | kuscheln (das Tier)

to escape | escapar | échapper | fliehen

to feed (the pet) | alimentar (a la mascota) | nourrir (l’animal) | (das Haustier) füttern

to fetch (the stick) | traer (el palo) | chercher (le baton) | (den Stock) holen

to fly | volar | voler | fliegen

to gallop | galopar | galoper | galoppieren

to growl | gruñir | grogner | knurren

to hiss | sisear | feuler | zischen

to hop | dar saltitos | sautiller | hüpfen

to howl | aullar | hurler | heulen

to jump | saltar | sauter | springen

to kick | patear | botter | treten

to leap | brincar | bondir | springen

to lick | lamer | lécher | lecken

to love (my cat) | amar (a mi gato) | aimer (mon chat) | lieben (meine Katze)

to meow | maullar | miauler | miauen

to moo | mugir | meugler | muhen

to neigh | relinchar | hennir | wiehern

to neuter | castrar | châtrer | kastrieren

to pet | acaricar | caresser | streicheln

to play (with dogs) | jugar (con perros) | jouer (avec des chiens) | (mit Hunden) spielen

to play fetch | jugar a la pelota | jouer chercher | fetch spielen

to purr | ronronear | ronronner | schnurren

to ride (the horse) | montar (al caballo) | monter (à cheval) | (das Pferd) reiten

to run | correr | courir | rennen

to scratch | arañar | griffer | kratzen

to sing | cantar | chanter | singen

to sniff | olfatear | renifler | schnüffeln

to spay | esterilizar | stériliser | sterilisieren

to squawk | graznar | glousser | quaken

to squeak/squeal | chillar | piailler | quieksen

to swim | nadar | nager | schwimmen

to take care of (my dog) | cuidar de (mi perro) | prendre soin de (mon chien) | auf (meinen Hund) aufpassen

to train | adiestrar | entraîner | trainieren

to trot | trotar | trotter | traben

to tweet | piar | pépier | piepen

to wag (her tail) | menear (la cola) | remuer (la queue) | (mit dem Schweif) wedeln

to walk | caminar | marcher | laufen

to walk (the dog) | pasear (al perro) | promener (le chien) | (mit dem Hund) spazieren gehen

to whine | gimotear | gémir | jaulen

Adjectives

bad | malo | mauvais | schlecht

beautiful | hermoso | beau/belle | schön

big | grande | gros | groß

cute | lindo | mignon | süß

feathered | plumado | à plumes | gefiedert

fluffy | mullido | duveteux | flauschige

friendly | amigable | amical | freundlich

furry | peludo | velu | pelzig

good | bueno | bon | gut

nice | bonito | gentil | nett

scaly | escamoso | à écailles | schuppig

scary | espantoso | effrayant | unheimlich

skittish | asustadizo | capricieux | scheußlich

small | pequeño | petit | klein

smart | inteligente | intelligent | schlau

Notes:

*Note that “good boy/girl!” is not really used in Spanish and French to address dogs the way it is in English. They usually just say “good dog”.

**In Spanish, most animals can be feminized by replacing “el” with “la” (or “un” with “una”) and adding an “-a” at the end of the word, or by replacing the last vowel with “-a”. So, if you have a female cat, you can call her “una gata” instead of “un gato”. A female dog would be “una perra”.

**In French, most animals can be feminized by replacing “le” with “la” (or “un” with “une”) and adding an “-e” at the end of the word. Usually, the last consonant will have to be doubled as well. So, if you have a female cat, you can call her “une chatte” instead of “un chat”. A female dog would be “une chienne”.

**In German, most people use the feminine version of cat, “die Katze”, to refer to cats in general. To talk about a male cat (usually a tomcat) specifically, you can say “der Kater”.

***Don’t refer to someone’s pet fish as “el pescado”. That’s the word for fish that you eat. It would be like calling someone’s pet pig “pork” or someone’s pet cow “beef”.

****Like “el agua”, “el ala” is actually a feminine word that uses the article “el” simply because it sounds better. For example, if you wanted to talk about a bird’s red wing, you would refer to it as “el ala roja”.

#my post #spanish #french #german #langblr #studyblr #vocab dump #vocabulary #language learning #español #français #deutsch

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raevenlywrites · 4 years

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Find the word

Thanks for the tag @daftydrafty

Words: entertainment, dreamed, loose, drawn, masked, greedily, concern, evidence.

Entertainment

Why did everything he said have to seem so lascivious? Maybe she was just being too cynical. But seriously, it was always double entendre this and come on that. Lia sighed.

She leaned against the seat at an angle so she could watch him. She wasn’t out of range of his arm, but not entirely within the circle either. As she thought about his answer, she decided she was probably dressed fine for the steakhouse. Nice, but not so nice she’d be uncomfortable. At least Tybee had already said he was paying, it was probably out of her budget.

“Well, I suppose I’m glad we won’t get lost tonight.”

“No. And with Erumond as our DD, if you’re not sick of me by the time dinner is through, maybe we can go somewhere for a nightcap, or some evening entertainment.”

Lia’s eyes flicked to the closed window between the front and back of the car. “Can he hear us back here?”

“Not unless I roll down the window. Sound warded.”

Of course. Almost everything in Tybee’s life was magical. Even the rented car.

Dreamed

“What time is it?” She asked groggily. There were other sounds in the wagon – Gil and Kyle must be awake too.

“Early, very early.” Tybee helped her sit up, his touches gentle, concern hovering along the edges. She hadn’t dreamed their fight.

“I thought we might star gaze for a bit, then we can nap through the morning and do a bit of walking in the afternoon.” A shadow crossed his face and he carefully added, “If you feel up to it.”Loose

Drawn

Outside the circle of wagons, Lia watched as Tybee and the other wardsmiths set up protections for the night. A full, physical circle was walked, laying down glowing threads of power, clearing the path of detritus and debris, shoring it up with runes drawn in the air, staves driven into the ground, stone pillars erected seemingly at random. If there was a method to it, Lia couldn’t pick it out.

Masked (don’t have it as a verb, have it as a noun)

“I didn’t realize I’d gotten you quite that worked up. My apologies.”

Lia frowned harder at him. “Of course you did – you know it always gets me when you do that magic touch thing.”

He face was frozen, that careful neutral mask. Lia suddenly realized it was to cover up embarrassment.

“It shouldn’t have been that strong. I didn’t realize-- It seems I’ve been away from Faery for too long.”

She rolled back on her shoulder so she could look at him better, but of course that meant more of their bodies were touching since he was already so close. “So you’re stronger here than you are Mortalside – right, cause all magic is stronger here. It’s okay if you didn’t mean to… I thought you were deliberately riling me up all night because you found it amusing.”

“I mean I do, of course. But only when it’s mutually enjoyable.”

Lia frowned at him again, but it wasn’t as harsh a look as she normally gave him. “It’s amusing to tease someone knowing there will be no follow through?”

“And do you never intend to sleep with me again, little bird? Have you forsaken me completely now for our Gilly Gil?”

Lia sputtered, then regained herself at his smile. “You know I haven’t. It’s just...”

“Then there will be a follow through, at some point.” His hand landed, light as a feather on her hip. It made her pulse speed and Lia swore Tybee must be able to feel her heartbeat. “I can find enjoyment in a long, long game. I’m a faery. Time is not so urgent a thing for me.”

“Meanwhile, I get tortured.” Lia groused. Any relaxation she’d felt was gone. She was acutely aware of where the lines of their bodies met, how their heights meant certain parts lined up. His hand was warm, even through her pajamas. And she was suddenly wondering what he’d worn to bed since Tybee preferred to sleep in just skin.

“I’ve my lady is offended, but to speak and I will mend it.”

Greedily

I was surprisingly unable to find any variant on greed. After 12 docs, I gave up

Concern

“What does it mean that we’ve diverted course?” Kyle asked, his eyes kept flicking back to Gil’s expression. “Is it something to worry about?”

The answer to that was a sudden thudding against the side of the wagon.

Lia staggered, falling into Gil as Tybee yanked on their combined magic hard. She felt a part of her mind go with it, a flash of Tybee’s perspective and concerns flaring in her mind. Chrysalis had been the ruling family when his parents had put Spirit in charge of Faery. They were the most ambitious, and Erumond--

The power surged, blacking Lia out for a heartbeat with it. She was Lia/Tybee, and then she was power. And then there was nothing.

Evidence

Her gaze shifted from Gil in the kitchen to Tybee. “I don’t have a swimsuit, so the hot tub is out.”

Kyle made a face at her, but fell gracefully onto the couch, his elegant muscled arms draping over it. “They have Harry Potter Trivia.”

Lia lit up, then wrinkled her nose. “That would only be fun for me though.”

Tybee made a re-wind gesture. “Wait, back up to that “no swimsuit” bit. What is that an automatic no?”

“Because Kyle is allergic to lady bits,” Lia said, not willing to touch on the idea Tybee was clearly throwing out. Kyle sighed dramatically, adding to her cause.

“It’s true. Lia is smooth as a Barbie doll as far as I’m concerned, and I don’t appreciate any evidence to the contrary.”

Tybee frowned at him, but shrugged in acquiescence. “Alright, fine. Far be it for I to jeopardize your gold star, Kyle.”

Tagging back @psychic-timetraveler @pvalblog and @h-brook-writes and your words are: time, flight, joy, and struggle

Foxes and Fate Tag List @lordkingsmith @mariahwritesstuff @silver-wields-a-pen @jessiwritesbad @writinginslowmotion @alessia-writes @abalonetea @worldbuildingwren @soupopoireau @livvywrites @adie-dee @bookish-actor @wineandpensareallineed @dawnoftheagez @pied-piper-of-hamlet @dahl-my-life @sybil-writes @pluttskutt @moonflower-writing

#find the word #writeblr tag games #tag games #foxes and fate

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sudrien-scratched008 · 5 years

Text

Title

Is it worth anything to say,

You should try and write distinct characters, not unique ones

Maybe it’s an older usage of Unique - the one in use when singular could not be a noun. Unique is no equivalents. The last of a race, the detective that sees what others can’t, the Only.

But Uniqueness ignores the scope that it requires. Scope is the bounds - you’re only interested in London, or some Kansas farm, Or Earth (always Earth) As You Know It. Which assumes you know a lot of Earth, which you probably don’t.

Distinct acknowledges scope, it specifies it. It doesn’t have the Last Man on Earth (always Earth) syndrome. You haven’t seen anyone in days. Someone is out there, you just wish it weren’t out there. You are not the only person for the job, but you can handle yourself.

The distinct person has an option, even if they don’t believe it. Especially if they don’t believe it, because it’s how they measure themselves.

You look a little farther and uniqueness is shattered, and it’s supposed to be a shock. Of relief? Of dismay?

Everyone’s unique. The sum of parts has infinite outcomes, pi is no more or less unique than pi plus one. You should try and write distinct characters, not unique ones

Economics supposes that one cog form the cog factory is as good as the next, it will crank whatever shaft it is attached to, and eventually be replaced.

But there is wear throughout the machine. The click click click if you hold your ear up to this panel here - nothings wrong, but everything compensates.

If you were to tear the machine apart, and find the clicking cog, and replace it with what economics supposes is as good as the next, the machine will remember being torn apart, of the shifts that happened before this new cog found it’s way into the mix.

Nothing’s wrong, but everything compensates.

The Cedilla is not a unique character - rare in the mode of my language, but any use it. Some readily give it up, others cling. Who uses Ŗ ?

Apparently vowels shift. Northern Cities, if you know the scope, are saying “I” but should be using “I” and “I” hate it. I rack my brain for a way to make ear acknowledge the change. I try to compensate.

You should try and write distinct characters, not unique ones

Your scope is never what you think it is. It’s better to acknowledge what you can. The thousand monkeys’ clacking will catch up, the inky tracks they leave will render yours unrecognizable. Eventually, they will loop back again - but you make far smaller circles. Will you recognize the terrain you’ve already crossed, earth (always Earth) trampled, but landmarks standing as they ever were? They have not had time enough to change, unless you saw them early and turned aside.

They say write what you know; this makes it easier to not write lies.

You should try and write distinct characters, not unique ones

I before E Except after C is a weird rule, which sometimes produces wavy red lines on my screen.

You should try and write distinct characters, not unique ones

Repetition gives form.

Iteration refines that form.

There is no best, because no scope contains everything. How much of the time is “I” a number? Factor it out, what is “I” worth? More then nothing, less than ten, these things are probably true. True because others define them, and I am not about to let philosophical questions like the ones that ignore colorblindness to cause me to shift.

You should try and write distinct characters, not unique ones

If a piece shifts, the Earth (always Earth) shifts around it. The air you breath could have be breathed by Alexander millennia ago, the water you drink could, theoretically, have been carrying his urine, and your dung is stardust. This cog I’m about to throw away, because it was rattling in my machine? Also stardust.

They’ll patch potholes in the roads, on occasion, but they won’t restore the pyramids.

How many mummies are in the pyramids? Fewer then they were. Europeans snorted some, for long life. But they did have other people stack a nice pile of rocks in the desert - even more so the desert since they put up the dam, another large pile of rocks - they tried to make one more impressive than the Pharaohs. As far as I am aware, they have not yet been snorted for their trouble.

You should try and write distinct characters, not unique ones

Am I done?

#what even is this #did this actually take an hour in a half

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tulunnguaq · 6 years

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Greenlandic Text Lesson 7: A letter

A nice easy lesson this time, as the text piece is not from a “real-life” Greenlandic source but is a mid-level extract from a Greenlandic text reader, Kalaallisut Sungiusaatit / Læsestykker i Grønlandsk ([Reading] Exercises in Greenlandic).

It’s a bit long but bear with me, there’s some interesting points in here!

Sadly no longer in print otherwise I would have provided a purchase link! A lucky visit to a Scandinavian antikvariat might turn up a copy though, and I would recommend it because it’s actually a really good book, with 55 chapters of graded complexity, with some vocabulary notes for each chapter for trickier words and phrases. A revised version including just the first 28 chapters was also apparently published but that doesn’t seem to be available online either.

A bonus with this book is that it also came with audio tapes! Click here to hear this lesson read out by a native speaker, in a very clear and unrushed manner (much slower than normal reading speed).

Text: Jensenip Ole Larsen allaffigaa

Ole Larsen Uummannami ilinniartitsisuuvoq. Jensenip Ole Larsen Hvidovremit ilisarisimavaa, ima allaffigaa:

Asasara Ole,

Ooqattaassavara kalaallisut allallunga. Maanna qaammatit arfinillit Maniitsumi najugaqareerpugut. Maniitsoq assut nuannerpoq. Inuit qassiit ilisarisimalerpavut, aamma Lenep Ebbellu Maniitsoq nuannaraat. Qassiinik ikinnguteqalerput.

Maani atuartut 800-upput ilinniartitsisullu 60-iullutik. Lene 4a-miippoq Ebbelu 5b-miilluni. Ilinniartitsisut ilaata Pele Barselajsenip kalaallisut atuartittarpaanga. Pele Nuummi ilinniarfissuarmi ilinniarsimavoq. Kalaallisut qallunaatullu pikkorippoq.

Aallaaseqarpunga kusanartumik. Pisiniarfimmi pisiaraara 200 kronenik akilerlugu. Ilaanni aqisserniartarpunga. Issaq Ebbelu aqisserniaratta Ebbe ataatsimik aqisserpoq uangalu pingasunik.

Else napparsimmavimmi sulisarpoq. Taamaattumik kiffaqarpugut. Kiffarput Arnaalummik ateqarpoq. Ippassaq puisip neqaanik pisimmat unnukkut neqitorpugut. Puisip neqaa mamaraarput.

Maniitsumi ilinniartitsisut qassiit pujortuleeraqarput. Sila ajunngikkaangat ualikkut aalisariartarput. Ebbe ilaanni oqartarpoq: “Ataata, sooq uagut pujortuleeraqanngilagut?” – Immaqa illit pujortuleeraqarputit?

Tassa kalaallisut allakkakka. Paasivigit? Tullianik qallunaatut allakkumaarpunga.

Nuliallu inuulluaritsi. Aamma Elsep inuulluaqquaasi.

Asasit,

Hans.

Vocabulary

Uummannami – in Uummannaq. Ummannaq itself is derived from uummat heart + -naq something resembling and means “like a heart”, presumably referring to the shape of the large hill dominating above this island town in the northern part of west Greenland.

ilinniartitsisuuvoq – he is a teacher. From ilinniartitsisoq teacher, itself derived from ilinniar- learn -tit(si)- cause to –soq one who does together with -u- be + -voq indicative 3sg ending

Jensenip and Ole Larsen - note that Jensen is the subject of the transitive verb ilisarisimavaa and takes the relative case marker –ip while Ole Larsen is the object remains unmarked in the absolutive case; whereas with intransitive verbs the subject remains in the absolutive case. This is a feature of Greenlandic being an ergative language (like Basque).

Hvidovremit from Hvidovre. A town in Denmark, a suburb of Copenhagen, with –mit ablative case marker (sg)

ilisarisimavaa he knows him, has him as an acquaintance. From ilisarisima- to know (a person) + -vaa he…it, indicative 3sg subject, 3sg object. Related to ilisaraa he/she recognises him/her with perfective aspect marker -sima-

ima so, thus, in this way

allaffigaa he writes to him. From alla*- write -ffigi- have something/someone as one’s place of doing [verb] (from -(f)fik place of doing [verb] and -gi- have something as one’s [noun]). -gaa is the standard short form of –givaa. So literally “he has him as his place (or destination) of writing.”

asasara (my) dear. From asa- love + -saq passive nominal ending (one who is [verbed]) + -ra my (sg, absolutive form). Lit “one who is loved by me”

ooqattaassavara I will try it. From ooqattaar- try + -ssa- future tense marker + -vara I..it, indicative 1sg subject, 3sg object. The object here is the “writing”, discussed below.

kalaallisut in Greenlandic. Derivation described in earlier lessons.

allallunga while I write. Using the 1sg intransitive contemporative mood -(l)lunga to express simultaneity with the main verb in the sentence, but with the meaning of “I will try to write…”. Think of allallunga “my writing” as the implied object of ooqattaassavara.

maanna now

qaammatit months. Plural of qaammat month, moon

arfinillit six. See here for more about Greenlandic counting.

najugaqareerpugut we have (already) been living. From najugaq living place -qar- to have (hence najugaqar- to live [somewhere])) + -reer- already + pugut 1pl indicative, instranstive

assut very, much

nuannerpoq is fun, enjoyable

inuit people, plural of inuk person.

qassiit many. Note also qassit with one ‘i’– how many?

ilisarisimalerpavut we have got to know. With ilisarisima- to know + -ler- begin to + -pavut/-vavut we…them, 1pl subject, 3pl object.

aamma and, also

Lenep Jensen’s daughter, Lene with relative case –p as she is the subject of a transitive verb.

Ebbellu and Ebbe [Jensen’s son]. Note that Ebbe is also in the relative case (Ebbep), but in this case the –p has been assimilated with –lu and

nuannaraat they like it. From nuannari- like it + -vaat 3pl subject, 3sg object. The object of the sentence is unmarked Maniitsoq in absolutive case.

qassiinik From qassiit many referred to above + -nik instrumental case (pl). The instrumental case often acts as a descriptor for an infixed noun, and can also be thought of as meaning “more specifically…”, but corresponding to an adjective in English.

ikinnguteqalerput they have made friends. From ikinngut friend –qar- have –ler- begin to –put 3pl indicative

maani here

atuartut (the) students

800-upput they are 800. Note that the number is pronounced in Danish i.e. otte hundrede. Followed by -u- be and –pput 3pl indicative

ilinniartitsisullu and the teachers. From ilinniartitsisoq teacher + -t plural + -lu and

60-iullutik [and them] being 60. Again the number is pronounced in Danish i.e. tres*. Note the glide vowel -i- after the consonant ending in tres, which is not required after hundrede (pronounced (h)unnoruju in Greenlandic). (NB * tres is short for tressindstyve – three times of twenty)

4a-miippoq is in [class] 4a. From -mi in + -i*- be + -poq 3sg, ind. Although -u- also means be, -i- is an alternative form which is found in a few situations, such as being in a location.

5b-miilluni. [and him] being in [class 5b]. As above, but with 4sg (reflexive) contemporative form -(l)luni. If you listen to the audio you’ll hear that the class numbers are spoken in Danish (fire-aamiippoq and femte-biimiilluni, interestingly with one as an ordinal and one as a cardinal!). This seems odd as there do exist Greenlandic words for the lower numbers below 13, but I guess this is probably an influence of Danish on the broader education system.

ilaata one of them (relative case). Ilinniartitsitut is also relative case (although plural form of relative case is the same as the absolutive plural), which governs ila “one of”, a member. Hence the phrase ilinniartitsisut ilaat means one of the teachers (absolutive form) [lit. of-the-teachers their-“one-of-their-members”]. And here appearing as ilaata which is itself in relative case form because it is the subject of the transitive verb below.

atuartittarpaanga he is teaching me. From atuar- to read, study + tit cause to + tar habitual action + paanga he…me 3sg subject, 1sg object.

Nuummi in Nuuk. See here for a description of some Greenlandic place names.

ilinniarfissuarmi in the university. From ilinniar- learn -fik- place where ®suaq big –mi in

ilinniarsimavoq he studied. From elements already described above.

qallunaatullu and Danish. Qallunaatut Danish + lu and. See here for a discussion of the derivation of this word.

pikkorippoq is fluent, is capable

aallaaseqarpunga I have a gun. Obviously we are all for arming teachers with guns nowadays J, I guess Greenland was way ahead of the curve here with this text being published in [ ]. From aallaasit gun, rifle qar have punga 1sg indicative.

kusanartumik lovely, beautiful. From kusanar be beautiful + toq one which + mik instrumental case. As mentioned above, the instrumental case is used to provide further description, in an adjectival manner, to an infixed noun. Giving the meaning “I have a lovely gun”.

pisiniarfimmi in the shop. Lit. “in the place where one intends to buy things”. pi thing/dummy object si buy niar intend to fik place where mi in

pisiaraara I bought it. From pisiari- to buy which derives from pisiaq “bought thing” (pisi above + (g)aq passive participle) + ri to have as one’s [noun] + vaara I…it 1sg subject, 3sg object. Lit “I have it as my bought thing”

200 kronenik for 200 kroner. Note again the Danish number to hundrede. Here –nik (instrumental plural) provides further description of the act of payment in the following verb.

akilerlugu [me] paying for it. From akiler- pay for and -lugu 3sg object, contemporative form. Note the contemporative form can only show the subject (in intransitive forms) or the object (in transitive forms) but not both subject and object, unlike other moods like the indicative which is mostly used in this text.

aqisserniartarpunga I go hunting for ptarmigan. From aqisseq ptarmigan niar hunt for tar habitual action punga 1sg indicative

Parenthesis: what is a ptarmigan?

Extract from: http://atasteofgreenland.com/material/ptarmigan/

“The ptarmigan is Greenland’s only gallinaceous* bird, the size of a small hen. It breeds all over Greenland and can be found in practically any terrain - although most commonly in the tundra, hiding between rocks or bushes. [* gallinaceous: like a fowl or chicken]

The ptarmigan lives year round in Greenland. Populations vary from year to year, but approximately every 10 years there is a “ptarmigan-year” where the bird is found in particularly large numbers. All the same ptarmigans are in general estimated to be in large numbers in Greenland.

The bird can be difficult to spot due to its well-camouflaged plumage: Ptarmigans change their plumage according to season and are thus brownish with dark stripes in summer, but completely white in winter. These changes in appearance are so they can hide when they eat. In summer, they blend into the tundra plants and look like shadows; in winter, they look like the snowy ground they walk on. It is furthermore worth noting that the feathers on the legs continue all the way out between the toes.

Once spotted it is however possible to get very close and it is not uncommon to see a ptarmigan stay put even if you shoot one right next to it! Previously ptarmigans were caught with snares; Children would simply creep up on the ptarmigans from behind and swing the noose around the neck of these winged delights.

Ptarmigans are a sought after delicacy that can be cooked in many ways - One example could be honey marinated ptarmigan-breast with confit of ptarmigan thigh. Furthermore the gizzard can be inflated like a balloon and hung to dry. Once dry the contents of the gizzard are the perfect essence for schnapps! Ptarmigan-schnapps will never taste the same since it inherently depends on what the ptarmigan has eaten. In the old days the dried gizzards were used as baby-rattles since the seeds, shells, pebbles and twigs rattled marvellously in the dried bags.”

Picture: NordForsk

issaq recently, the other day

Ebbelu aqisserniaratta When Ebbe and I went hunting for ptarmigan. Same verb as above but this time in the causative (“when(past)/because”) mood, with ending -ratta 1pl. Note that the combination of first person plural verb and Ebbelu (and Ebbe) gives the sense of “[I] and Ebbe, we went hunting…”

ataatsimik one (instrumental case)

aqisserpoq he caught/killed ptarmigan. Compare the verb nannuppoq to kill a bear discussed here.

uangalu and I

pingasunik three (instrumental case)

Else Jensen’s wife

napparsimmavimmi in the hospital. From napparsima- to be sick + fik/vik place where + mi in. Note that the -(f)fik place where ending appears here as vik, but in so doing causes gemination of the previous consonant.

sulisarpoq she works. From suli- to work + tar habitual action

taamaattumik therefore. Lit “with it being so”

kiffaqarpugut we have a kiffaq or house-keeper/house-help.

kiffarput our housekeeper. With -rput our (sg object, absolutive case)

Arnaalummik Arnaaluk (instrumental case)

ateqarpoq she has a name. From ateq name. [name]+-mik + ateqarpunga = I am called [name]

ippassaq yesterday

puisip seal (relative case) from puisi (absolutive form).

neqaanik its meat (instrumental case). From neqi meat + a + nik. Note the change from ia>aa discussed in previous lessons and here.

pisimmat because she bought. –mmat being causative, 3sg intransitive

unnukkut yesterday evening

neqitorpugut we ate (meat). Based on elements discussed above plus -tor- eat

mamaraarput we found it delicious. From mamaq it is delicious + ri consider something to be + we…it 1pl subject, 3sg object, indicative.

pujortuleeraqarput they have motorboats. From pujortuleeraq motorboat. Note related pujortarpoq meaning he smokes (cigarettes/pipe) and –araq diminutive ending

sila the weather

ajunngikkaangat whenever it is good. From ajor- bad + nngi negative + kkaangat 3sg intransitive form of “repeated action/whenever” mood, which is essentially a derived form of the causative mood with the infix -gaang-/-raang-/-kkaang- in place of the usual -ga-/-mm- marker for this mood.

ualikkut in the afternoons. From ualeq afternoon + prosecutive case -kkut

aalisariartarput they go fishing. From aalisar- to fish (cf aalisagaq a fish lit. “a thing which is fished”) riar to go and do something tar habitual action -(p)put 3pl indicative

ilaanni sometimes, now and again. Related to ila- discussed above with -at their + ni in, at

oqartarpoq says. From oqar- say with tar habitual action

ataata father

sooq why

uagut we

pujortuleeraqanngilagut we do not have a boat. Note that after the negative marker nngi the indicative verb ending is based on -la- not –vu-/-vo-

immaqa perhaps

illit you

pujortuleeraqarputit you have a boat. With –putit 2sg ending, indicative. If this had been a direct question (i.e. do you have boat? rather than perhaps you have a boat?), it would have taken the ending –pit which is the 2sg interrogative ending.

tassa this is

allakkakka my letter. From allakkat a letter, which is plural in form

paasivigit do you understand them?. But here to be translated as do you understand it? because the “letter” is singular in English.

tullianik the next one. From tulleq next one + a its + nik instrumental case. The “its” is referring to the “occasion”, i.e. on its next occasion (of writing a letter)

allakkumaarpunga I will write. From alla*- write -kkumaar- will (definitely) (describes a belief that something will likely happen) + punga 1sg

nuliallu and your wife. From nulia wife, woman + t your (sg object) + lu and

inuulluaritsi (I wish that you both) live well! Best regards! Typical parting greeting, comprised of inuu- live (which is perhaps from inuk person + u be) + lluar well + ritsi 2pl imperative form. Similarly to Ebbelu above, the addition of nuliallu here effectively goes alongside an unspoken illit you to collectively make up the second person plural, i.e. “[I hope that] [you] and your wife both live well!”

inuulluaqquaasi she also passes on her regards. With interesting and sometimes tricky infix -qqu- to ask someone to do something, and ending –vaasi she…you(pl) (3sg subject, 2pl object, indicative). The -v- falls away between -u- and -a- in Greenlandic orthography.

asasit yours. From asa- to love + si someone who does [verb] to [subject/owner] + t your (sg object). So literally “your person who loves [you]”

Translation

Ole Larsen Uummannami ilinniartitsisuuvoq. Jensenip Ole Larsen Hvidovremit ilisarisimavaa, ima allaffigaa:

Ole Larsen is a teacher in Uummannaq. Mr Jensen knows Ole Larsen from Hvidovre, and writes to him as follows:

Asasara Ole,

Dear Ole

Ooqattaassavara kalaallisut allallunga.

I shall try to write in Greenlandic.

Maanna qaammatit arfinillit Maniitsumi najugaqareerpugut.

We have been living in Maniitsoq for 6 months now.

Maniitsoq assut nuanneerpoq.

Maniitsoq is an enjoyable place.

Inuit qassiit ilisarisimalerpavut, aamma Lenep Ebbellu Maniitsoq nuannaraat. Qassiinik ikinnguteqalerput.

We have got to know many people, and Lene and Ebbe really like Maniitsoq. They have made a lot of friends.

Maani atuartut 800-upput ilinniartitsisullu 60-iullutik.

There are 800 students here, and 60 teachers.

Lene 4a-miippoq Ebbelu 5b-miilluni.

Lene is in Class 4a and Ebbe is in Class 5b.

Ilinniartitsisut ilaata Pele Barselajsenip kalaallisut atuartittarpaanga.

One of the teachers, Pele Barselajsen, is teaching me Greenlandic.

Pele Nuummi ilinniarfissuarmi ilinniarsimavoq. Kalaallisut qallunaatullu pikkorippoq.

Pele studied at the university in Nuuk. He is fluent in both Greenlandic and Danish.

Aallaaseqarpunga kusanartumik. Pisiniarfimmi pisiaraara 200 kronenik akilerlugu.

I have a lovely gun. I bought it in the shop for 200 kroner.

Ilaanni aqisserniartarpunga. Issaq Ebbelu aqisserniaratta.

Sometimes I go out hunting ptarmigan. Recently Ebbe and I went out hunting for them.

Ebbe ataatsimik aqisserpoq uangalu pingasunik.

Ebbe caught one and I caught three.

Else napparsimmavimmi sulisarpoq. Taamaattumik kiffaqarpugut. Kiffarput Arnaalummik ateqarpoq.

Else is working in the hospital, so we have a housekeeper. Our housekeeper is called Arnaaluk.

Ippassaq puisip neqaanik pisimmat unnukkut neqitorpugut. Puisip neqaa mamaraarput.

Yesterday evening she bought some seal meat so we had seal for dinner. We think seal meat is delicious.

Maniitsumi ilinniartitsisut qassiit pujortuleeraqarput. Sila ajunngikkaangat ualikkut aalisariartarput.

Many of the teachers in Maniitsoq have motorboats. Whenever the weather is good they go out fishing in the afternoons.

Ebbe ilaanni oqartarpoq: “Ataata, sooq uagut pujortuleeraqanngilagut?” – Immaqa illit pujortuleeraqarputit?

Ebbe sometimes says to me: “Dad, why don’t we have a motorboat?”. Maybe you have a motorboat?

Tassa kalaallisut allakkakka. Paasivigit? Tullianik qallunaatut allakkumaarpunga.

So this is my Greenlandic letter. Did you understand it? Next time I will write in Danish.

Nuliallu inuulluaritsi. Aamma Elsep inuulluaqquaasi.

My best regards to you and your wife. Else also sends her regards to you both.

Asasit,

Hans.

Yours,

Hans

Well I know this was a long one, but hopefully an interesting one. If you made it all the way down, let me know and I’ll give you a shout out next time!

#Greenlandic #kalaallisut #text lesson #translation #linguistics #gronlandsk #ptarmigan #langblr #olcc

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whatisanessayformatexample982 · 4 years

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meadowstoneuk · 4 years

Text

The AG Team’s Top Superstitions

Wary of umbrellas, ladders, shoes and magpies, the AG team are a superstitious lot when it comes to ancient beliefs…

Garry Coward-Williams, editor

Why do some people throw salt over their left shoulder if they’ve spilt some? Why do they avoid walking under ladders and expect bad things to happen on Friday 13th? And why does specific a number of magpies become the harbinger of sorrow, joy or a secret never to be told?

Why do we feel the need to salute magpies to ward off bad luck? Picture: Alamy

I have to confess that I have engaged in following all of the aforementioned superstitions and others like knocking on wood and being wary of black cats, but I did draw the line at carrying a lucky rabbit’s foot in my pocket.

amateurgardening.com/blog

Why did I do these things? Because the environment I was brought up in was full of odd avoidances and rituals and so they became mine too. I remember my uncle being convinced that the old lady who lived in the stone cottage about a quarter of a mile behind our farm was a witch. Poor old Nelly Tully was avoided as though she actually had a broomstick and a pointy hat.

Many believe superstitious rituals are born out of fear of the unknown and that they were created to allow us to exert some influence on situations we can’t control, even though the rituals are irrational and have no founding in science. They are another quirky, fascinating element of human nature, passed on from generation to generation.

Partly believed, partly seen as harmless fun. It’s no trouble to knock on wood when you’re hopeful of a positive outcome, or be chuffed when you win the larger piece of wishbone on a chicken and are allowed a ‘wish’. I sometimes cross my fingers as well, just to give my wish a better chance of coming true!

Kathryn Wilson, features co-ordinator

I’ve got a theory about superstitions: it’s much easier to pooh-pooh them when things are going well in your life; it’s only when events take a turn for the worse that you start to worry that saluting that solitary magpie and avoiding the cracks in the pavement might – just might – stop them from getting any worse.

Walking under a ladder could get you an unintended hair dye – or worse Picture: Alamy

Of course, some superstitions have certain logic. Walking under a ladder where someone is painting does hold the very real possibility of ending up with a dye job you never ordered (although walking out into the traffic to avoid it is a lot more risky).

Ditto crossing on the stairs could prove bad for your health, especially if they’re narrow, while opening an umbrella indoors is just impractical.

amateurgardening.com/blog

Superstitions are also contagious. If you live with someone who believes in the bad juju of certain numbers, then before you know it you, too, would never dream of booking a flight on Friday the 13th– in spite of the money you’d save.

Overall, though, taking the stoical rather than the superstitious route through life has worked for me so far, and I’m sticking with it. Fingers crossed, eh.

Ruth Hayes, gardening editor

We are a superstitious lot aren’t we? I don’t mind black cats (probably because we own one or, rather, are owned by one) but I do salute or nod to solitary magpies (‘hello Mr Magpie, I hope your family and friends are well’), make sure a gifted purse has a penny in it and won’t walk under ladders, which once earned me a mild rebuke from my clerical sister-in-law.

My main ones, however, are those handed down through the family.

Don’t forget salt for the Roman soldier – or the devil

When it coms to salt there’s ‘one for the pot, two for the pot, three for the Roman soldier’, the third being thrown over a shoulder to appease the ghostly warrior standing somewhere behind.

After all, enough can go wrong in the kitchen without having the shade of a disgruntled Roman legionary lurking around your worktops.

amateurgardening.com/blog

The origins of this came from the time when salt was a valuable commodity and many soldiers were paid in it – hence the saying ‘worth his salt’. So woe betide you if you don’t ‘pay’ the soldier with a pinch of salt.

There is also the legend that Judas Iscariot knocked over the salt at the Last Supper (it’s depicted in da Vinci’s painting), and that Satan will steal your soul if you don’t pay him in salt, but I find the threat of a wrathful centurion more of an incentive, especially as we live next to a Roman road.

The other, stranger one, is never re-entering and leaving a house without sitting down. So if you’re on your way out, remember you’ve forgotten something and rush back inside to collect it, you HAVE to sit down, even for a second before leaving again.

I don’t know why, I don’t know its origins, but I always do it, even if it’s just a second on the stair.

And I never, ever place new shoes on the table or open an umbrella indoors.

Wendy Humphries, letters editor

When a bumble bee flies into your home, would you be waiting for a stranger to call? Or if you dropped a knife would you wait for someone else to pick it up?

These are just some of the bizarre superstition theories that governed my upbringing, aside from the usual ones such as throwing spilt salt over the shoulder or never putting up a brolly indoors.

amateurgardening.com/blog

My 88-year old mother has many superstitions, inherited I think from her mum. It wasn’t that walking under a ladder was frowned upon, it was a definite no-no, as the story goes mother’s aunt walked under one and fell down a hole on the other side – ‘instant’ bad luck!

Superstition or not, Wendy loves her lilac

On reaching my teens, I realised that I didn’t have to live by the rules, after all, if I put a new pair of shoes onto a table, what’s the worst thing that could happen? I started to ignore them, and being a clumsy type, I’d unfortunately smashed a mirror and then seven years later broke another one – so I’d be in for a long stretch of bad times if I believed any of this to be true.

Then came the birth of my first child. Under no circumstances would the cot be allowed into the house before the birth. This is one that I adhered to and as my parents were buying these items for us, there really wasn’t any room for negotiation!

Every spring there’s one superstition that I can’t let go of – ‘never cut lilac and bring it indoors’, typical, I love the scent!

Janey Goulding, assistant editor

‘When you believe in things that you don’t understand, then you suffer,’ sang Mr Stevie Wonder. Following the wisdom of his funky classic Superstitions, we can all benefit from a frank assessment of our more peculiar habits in dealing with portents of doom.

Some superstitions I find easy to flout, especially if they involve stepladders, table corners and numerically challenged Fridays. But there are two superstitions I do observe, and I don’t think I can stop, because… well, basically, because it’s nice to be polite.

A mischief of magpies checking a sheep for parasites. Picture: Alamy

One is saying ‘Bless you’ to people who sneeze. It’s the decent thing to do, even if it is predicated on an obscure 6th century superstition. Whether or not someone is in the process of expelling evil spirits from their nostrils (and I guess I can’t rule that out), it’s only right to give people a bit of reassurance as they valiantly rustle around in their handbags or pockets for a tissue.

amateurgardening.com/blog

But the big one is magpies – specifically, what I do when I see one. Few single birds come with this particular fear factor. Victorians were so alarmed by Pica pica, they nearly drove them to the same fate as the dodo.

There’s a real ‘death’ vibe surrounding magpies, possibly because in Medieval times they were known to be big scavengers, picking over the spoils of battlegrounds and gallows. Rumour also has it the magpie was the only bird not to enter Noah’s ark, opting to sit on the roof swearing in the rain, as you do.

Given his inquisitive nature, the haggister has acquired a reputation for being a scoundrel and a rotter, purloining shiny objects like jewellery. Such scandalous behaviour has become synonymous with misfortune. But some of the legends are perplexing.

In Yorkshire, he is associated with witchcraft and locals are minded to make the sign of the cross. See one in Somerset, and you are advised to carry an onion for protection. And in France, they say evil nuns are reincarnated as magpies… The mind boggles.

amateurgardening.com/blog

The collective noun for a group of chatter-pies is a ‘mischief’. On that note, magpies often mate for life, so seeing one alone suggests it has either lost its mate or hasn’t yet ‘got lucky’. In either case, some would have you think this singleton is thereby less inclined to advance your good fortunes – but blimey, let’s give the guy a break.

Thing is, I feel the magpie gets a bad rap – and I’m not alone. The Romans celebrated them for their intelligence and their ability to use tools and work in teams. In Ancient Greece, the magpie was sacred to Dionysus, god of the grape harvest (one of my favourites).

Native Americans believed he was a sacred messenger, and that wearing a feather was a sign of fearlessness. In China, a singing magpie is said to bring domestic bliss; indeed, he was the official ‘bird of joy’ for the Manchu dynasty.

So I think the best of my feathered friend. Some might salute, or say ‘Good morning, captain’, or ‘Hello Mr Magpie, how is your wife today?’ or even ‘Hello Mr Magpie, how is Mrs Magpie and all the little magpies?’ But I don’t like to assume he might have a family, and he might be grieving for a lost love. So I prefer to discuss the exciting business of the day, like what’s new in the feeder tray, or how many evil nuns he might have known. Because it’s the right thing to do. Especially if he sneezes.

Lesley Upton, features editor

I don’t think I’m very superstitious, but there are two things I won’t do. The first is open an umbrella indoors and the second is to put shoes on a table.

I’ll walk under ladders, travel on Friday the 13thand won’t panic if I break a mirror, but the umbrella and shoes seem to have been instilled in me by my parents.

I think opening an umbrella indoors is mainly down to practical reasons – the spokes of the umbrella’s frame could prove dangerous and even blind someone, so I presume that’s why it’s known to be unlucky.

Putting shoes on the table is unlucky, and a tribute to dead miners

It seems that the shoes on the table comes from the mining industry. If a miner died in the pit, his family would leave his boots on the table as a tribute. That’s why it’s associated with death.

amateurgardening.com/blog

However, one superstition that I remember well is that the colour green is unlucky – mainly because my mother always said that she became seriously ill in her 40s because she had a lime-green coat.

I also worked with someone who would never use a Ziploc bag with a green band across the top when he wanted to keep documents together, as he said it was unlucky. And I know some people won’t buy a green car.

Some stories state that green was thought to be a colour that belonged to forest spirits or fairies, and as they held this colour in such high regard they would be hostile to anyone else who wore it.

Another story, based on the superstition that to wear green is to bring about death, is linked to arsenic.

amateurgardening.com/blog

In 1778 Carl Scheele, a Swedish chemist, used arsenic to invent shades of green that he called Scheele’s Green. It was later used in the manufacture of wallpapers and fabrics, and while Scheele knew arsenic was toxic he never expected anyone to eat wallpaper or clothes.

However, what he failed to notice was that when submerged in water – during washing – the clothes gave off a poisonous gas. Many people became ill and some even died.

Also, if a room became damp, wallpaper would give off a poisonous gas. Legend has it that this is what killed Napoleon Bonaparte after a sample of the wallpaper from St Helena, where Bonaparte was exiled, was found to contain arsenic.

We are here for you

Although lockdown is easing, many people are still confined to their homes or concerned about going out because they are vulnerable to catching C19.

Here at AG we appreciate that and are doing our best to keep connected with our readers though the magazine, this website and also through social media.

Our gardening ‘agony uncle’John Negus is also still working hard. Send him your problems and questions, with pictures if you can, and he will get back to you with an answer within 24 hours, as he has been doing for decades. Contact him using the AG email address at: [email protected]

amateurgardening.com/blog

We already have thriving Facebook page but are also on Twitter and Instagram. These sites are a brilliant way of chatting to people, sharing news, information, pictures and just saying hello –we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Best of all, as gardeners are generally lovely folk, more interested in plants, hedgehogs, tea and cake than political shenanigans and point-scoring, so the chat is friendly and welcoming.

You can find us at:

Facebook: Facebook.com/AmateurGardeningMagazine

Twitter: Twitter.com/TheAGTeam

Instagram: instagram.com/amgardening_mag

So please drop by, follow us, ‘like’our posts and say hello –we will reply as soon as we can. Happy gardening!

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lindsaydoeslanguages · 5 years

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Language Learning Goals: #ClearTheList – October 2019

So..it’s been two weeks and I already feel like I know more in this new language than years of Korean…is this normal?! Here’s my language learning goals for October.

Your Free Language Planner

If you’re ready to get your plannin’ on (totally an already existing expression) then click the image below to get your free My Month in Languages Planner.

What happened in September?

I had lots of good stuff to share with you ready before my trip so didn’t get to share as much as I’d like because it was all scheduled in advance! But there’s some real good stuff here…

On The Blog:

12 Spanish Bands and Singers to Learn Spanish (If You Hate Reggaeton)

The Ultimate Guide to Using Genius for Language Learning

12 Best Korean YouTube Channels to Help You Learn Korean

On YouTube:

5 Tips For Finding Music For Language Learning

youtube

How To Use Genius (+ Rosalía!) For Language Learning

youtube

Teach Languages Online Podcast:

Science Stuff: The Audio-Lingual Method

Creative Stuff – Make Grammar Fun Again with MEMES!

Hidden Stuff – Overcoming Your Hesitations to Become Online Teachers

Language Learning Goals Review for September

I was in Korea for 2 weeks and then came home and started my next language project right away for the last 2 weeks of September.

Korea was a lot of fun and by the end, I was really comfortable with my level of Korean and even managed a 20 minute conversation with my Korean tutor to mark the end of the Add1 Challenge I started back in June!

There’s plenty of moments when I didn’t quite understand a word or know the exact word I wanted to say. When that happens, I mime a lot, try and think of other ways to say it, or say “no” and then the opposite!

That’s what language fluency at this level is all about to me – working around the stuff we don’t know rather than blanking or resorting to English.

For example, at the start of the video, my tutor asked me how the weather was. This was something we’d studied a lot but I hadn’t practised or used for weeks (I was in Spain for two weeks before Korea as well!!)

It was really sunny and warm out that day. But…all I could remember was the word for ‘rain’ (it’s ‘pi’ so easy to remember!), so I look out the window, give a thumbs up, and say ‘it’s not raining’.

youtube

And as for the new language? Well, somehow it feels like I know more in that language than I ever did in Korean! Weird, huh?

I’ve got 4 weeks until we visit the country so that’s what October is all about for me…

(And if you missed last month’s Clear The List and am wondering why I’m being so cryptic, it’s because it’s a surprise trip for my mum and she doesn’t know where we’re going!)

Language Learning Goals for October

italki

Just as I was looking around to start lessons, I spotted the banner for the italki Language Challenge starting October 1st – perfect timing!

I’ve set my goal at 20 hours and booked most of my lessons already so they’re in and on my schedule. It helps me a lot to book lessons in advance rather than flail around wildly at the last minute searching for a tutor at the time I’m free.

I’m planning for two 30 minute lessons Monday to Friday at 8am (right after I finish my language study hour) and at 4.30pm (the last half hour of my working day).

I’ll likely need to book a couple of odd lessons over weekends to top up my time to 20 hours as there’s a couple of days I can’t do those two daily 30 minute lessons.

Teach Yourself ____

I was very pleasantly surprised before we left for Spain to discover that my local library actually has a Teach Yourself study pack for the language I’m learning.

It was even better when I actually went back to get it the weekend after returning from Korea and it scanned out without needing to be paid for! For years I’ve been avoiding getting out language sets with audio because I thought I needed to pay each time. I guess not anymore! Woohoo!

I’m working through roughly one chapter a day. However, as the book goes on, what’s in each chapter gets a little bulkier so we’ll see how this goes. Happy to add some weekend study if it means I get to finish before our trip!

Memrise

There’s no Duolingo or Drops course for this language, so I’m really enjoying being back on Memrise for it.

I’ve already completed a handful of small starter courses and have things mapped out to finish my current bigger one by the end of September.

Plus I’ve got the next ones earmarked too.

Peace Corps, FSI, DLI Audio

I’ve really been thinking with this project about what I can change with my language study to get more exposure and make the best of my time.

One of those changes has been switching from music and podcasts when I’m working to listening to lots of old (as in ‘turn the cassette over’) and repetitive (as in drills) language audio instead.

The Peace Corps, FSI, and DLI audio files downloadable from Live Lingua have filled this job quite nicely.

No goals here on listening to specific tracks/courses a set number of times, just to listen as much as possible when I’m working.

___Pod101

The language isn’t quite like Korean in that there’s no reality TV on Netflix or Amazon Prime to watch when I’d normally watch stuff.

Rather than just write off that time, I’ve replaced it with audio – specifically ___Pod101 audio lessons for the language.

I started my free trial just before leaving Korea and downloaded loads for my flights home. Those downloads actually stayed on my iPad after the trial ended! Seeing as I don’t need the PDFs or further lessons because I’m using other resources, I don’t think I’ll need to upgrade for the month as I’d originally planned.

I’m focusing on rotating through the Basic Bootcamp, Survival Phrases, Top 25 Questions You Need to Know and 3 Minute ____ series.

I’ve also replaced the YouTube video time I typically have each day (brushing teeth etc) with watching ___Pod101 videos, mostly ‘100 Nouns/Verbs/Adjectives You Need To Know’.

Other Resources

As well as all of these resources, I’ve got a list I made with more resources (I’ll share all of the details soon!). So should I get bored, fancy a change, or want to reconfirm something, I know where I’ll be looking to find it.

Join the IGLC in October!

Looking for an easy way to practice your languages each day? Hop on over to Instagram and join the Instagram Language Challenge for October!

The Instagram Language Challenge (or #IGLC as it’s known to its friends) is a monthly challenge to join for free.

You simply use the daily prompt to inspire a little language learning and share on Instagram to help you remember. It also helps to document your learning process, and to hold you accountable – all the good things.

The whole idea is that you can get creative! So, for example, if the prompt is ‘red’ and you already know your colours because you’re quite advanced, think about how you can say ‘caught red-handed’. Or maybe ‘red sky at night, shepherd’s delight’ or ‘red in the face’ or even ’embarrassed’ in the language you’re learning.

Or use it as a chance to practice simple vocab in multiple languages you know!

And on that note, half of this month’s theme is colours. The other half is animals – something that at first seems basic but actually has lots of scope for interesting idioms and expressions.

Here’s the #IGLC prompt list for October 2019…

Your Free Language Learning Goals Planner

Feeling inspired and want to get your language learning goals ready for October? You need a copy of my free planner!

Click the image below to join my email list and get your free planner.

Join Clear The List + Share Your Goals!

1. Share your goal post whether it includes your aspirations for the month or year. Submissions unrelated to the theme or links to your homepage will be deleted.

2. Link back to this post. You can use our button code below if you wish.

3. Follow the hosts: Lindsay from Lindsay Does Languages and Shannon from Eurolinguiste.

4. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE: Please visit the site of the person who linked up immediately before you and leave them an encouraging comment! By hosting this linkup, we’re hoping to create a positive community where we can all share our goals. If you do not do this, you will be removed from the linkup.

5. Share on social media using #ClearTheList.

Inlinkz Link Party

How did your language learning go this month? What are your language goals for next month? Share in the comments below!

The post Language Learning Goals: #ClearTheList – October 2019 appeared first on Lindsay Does Languages.

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#Language Learning

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allofusandco · 6 years

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worm + crisis + umbrella

Veronica meets Nik; she’s been taking photos of cheating spouses all night, and he’s working in a bar. A random thread that launched an improbably and gorgeous ship.

with @moonoverbourbon

Nik:

Nik futzed with the umbrella, growling under his breath when the damned thing wouldn’t open. It was quickly becoming a crisis, water pelting down on him in sheets and soaking him to the bone. He’d just gotten off work at the bar, it was seven in the morning, and he was starving - not a great way to end the day. (And to top it off, he was pretty sure he’d just stepped on a worm on the sidewalk - gross.) “Bloody hell,” he spat, spotting a blonde walking nearby on her way (he assumed) to the coffee shop a few doors down.

“Excuse me, love, you wouldn’t happen to know how to work this thing would you? I’m starting to look like a drowned rat here.”

–––––

Ronnie:

A crick in her neck from keeping nice and low under the car window, about four hundred and fifty photographs and a parking ticket, but at least she had the evidence she needed that Mr. James L MacGillicuddy was a lying shitbag who was scamming his customers, his staff and - alright, with a little bit of interpretation - the IRS. So she was smug, and? She was due an Irish coffee. The proper kind. Not with syrup, with actual whiskey.

She squinted at the stranger, and patted her pocket for her tazer.

“I have most definitely worked an umbrella or two in my life,” she said, taking it off him and reaching for the release, high up on the… shaft? Unfortunate choice of nouns. Whoops. She’d never given any thought to umbrella parts before. “Drowned rat no more. Or… at least it shouldn’t get any worse. For what it’s worth - coffee shop has a fake open fire. Doesn’t smell right, but there are flames.”

––––

Nik:

Nik took the umbrella back with a grateful smile, albeit a little sheepish for not being able to get it open in the first place. He must have looked like a bloody idiot. “Thanks, love. I appreciate the rescue. Never let it be said that all Knights in Shining Armor are men.”

He glanced down the sidewalk toward the coffee shop and nodded. “I was actually heading that way. I worked all night,” Nik jerked his thumb back toward the bar behind him. “Figured I could use a proper bite to eat before passing out. It was a busy night – bachelorette party that got a little wild. I, uh, I’m rambling. Shall I walk you? I mean, if that’s where you were headed…”

–––––

Ronnie:

Hmm. Accent. Veronica liked accents.

“Sure, why not?” she said, with a little shrug. “I’ve been working all night myself.” She glanced behind them – oh, she knew that bar. She’d definitely trailed a couple of people who visited it often. Good sort of place to go if you didn’t want to be noticed. “I’m a private investigator. And I think I saw a couple of the bachelorettes puking in the alley a little while back. I didn’t take a photo, but now I wish I had.”

They step inside the café – it was mostly people eating a very early breakfast and downing black coffee in an effort to get sober enough to drive home, she suspected. She visited the place regularly enough to be recognized, and just headed for her favorite table with a little wave.

––––

Nik:

Nik didn’t know what he was doing. He wasn’t smooth; he didn’t ask…well…anyone if he could walk them to coffee shops, and he didn’t do too well with small talk. The fact that she was a private investigator should have sent him running, would have too if he wasn’t so damned hungry and in need of caffeine after a ten hour shift.

“A private investigator? That must be exciting.” He smiled, though there was an undercurrent of nervousness to it – people looking too deeply into his past was Nik’s greatest fear. “And I think I would have paid handsomely for those pictures. I could have put them up in the bar as a warning to others.”

He followed her into the café, but it became that awkward moment where he didn’t know if the invitation extended to sitting with her or whether he should find his own table. “I, it was nice to meet you, love. I should let you get to your coffee. My name is Nik, by the way. Should you ever need a properly shaken martini, you know where to find me.”

–––––

Ronnie:

“Oh, now, come on,” Veronica said, pointing across the table. “I rescued you from a very unruly umbrella. The least you can do is keep me company while I stuff myself full of caffeine so I can stay awake until my nine o’clock meeting. And then I’m out like a light.”

She raised her eyebrows expectantly. He hadn’t come off like the shy type when they’d met, but people reacted one of two ways to hearing she was a PI. Oh, well, there was the occasional person who immediately threw her a job, of course, but those were the rarity. Unfortunately most people had lives that precluded the frequent use of services like hers.

“Just sit,” she said again, seeing his doubt. “I promise. No invasive questions, I won’t take your photo or try to figure out where that accent comes from, and I don’t sprinkle crumbs everywhere.”

She needed raisin toast with cinnamon and sugar on it. Pronto. “Besides, we’re bound to run into each other again, and this way we’re like pre-made besties.”

––––

Nik:

He hesitated another second, but then took the seat she’d indicated. It couldn’t hurt to sit and chat awhile, and it certainly beat his usual morning ritual – a cup of coffee and spot of breakfast, then home to his tiny apartment to sleep until it was time to do it all over again. Predictable. Boring. Maybe a change would do him good.

“And a splendid rescue it was,” Nik teased. “I’m almost positive it would have been the death of me had you not ventured along.”

Nik tried to relax, did actually when she promised no invasive questions. He was being silly, of course; it wasn’t like she’d been paid to find out anything about him – and he’d likely never see her again after this morning. “The accent is from London, just outside the city actually. I’ve been here in America for about ten years now, since I was eighteen.”

There. He could make polite conversation; he wasn’t completely incompetent when it came to talking to women.

“Pre-made besties?” He raised an eyebrow, but cracked a grin at the comment. She was…quite the outspoken one. The waitress came; Nik ordered his usual coffee and bagel before going back to the conversation. “I haven’t had a pre-made bestie since grade school, but I seem to recall knowing their names…” He shot her a teasing smile. “You know mine, but I’m still clueless as to yours. Are you one of those mysterious girls who refuses to give up any bits of information about themselves?”

–––––

Ronnie:

“Local bartender brutally slain by own umbrella,” Veronica said with a nod. “I can read the headlines now. I saved you from a humiliating epitaph, if nothing else.”

For someone as observant as Veronica, it was impossible to miss how Nik relaxed suddenly when she promised no invasive questions. Of course, that made her want to ask some. Damn her brain for being so contrary. She reminded herself this wasn’t high school anymore; snooping got people hurt, and she wasn’t going to do it.

… but she really, really wanted to. Dammit.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “That was really rude of me.” She held out her hand for a firm handshake. “Veronica. Veronica Mars. I answer to pretty much any nickname except Vera, because that’s an old lady name. Ronnie, Vee…”

She fished in her oversized bag, pulling out a camera and a couple of wireless receiving devices before she found a business card. “There. Feel free to tell me I look too young to be a PI. I miss that.”

Alright, no invasive questions. No invasive questions. “How’d you become a bartender?” she asked; innocuous enough. “You like it? The hours must be pretty bad, but I bet you get used to it. Mine change all the time. These all night stakeouts aren’t as easy as they were.”

––––

Nik:

“I would have been on that bloody show that talks about people who die in embarrassing ways. I can see it now; my father would be so proud.” Maybe there was a bit of sarcasm at that last part. Mikael hadn’t been proud of Nik in…well, ever. “You saved my family’s honor.”

He grinned sheepishly, ducking his head like a bloody school girl. “Veronica,” Nik repeated. He hated nicknames; they seemed so informal. It had been a habit of his since he was old enough to talk; he just didn’t do it – preferred the way someone’s given name sounded. “It’s a lovely name.”

Vera would never do, not for her. He was hard-pressed to see her as a Ronnie either, so Veronica it was.

“I wouldn’t dream of insulting you, love, but I can say that when I picture a private investigator…you’re not exactly what comes to mind.” Nik stirred sugar into his coffee, followed it up with cream, and took a deep sip before he continued. The caffeine was exactly what he needed; it would keep him going for a bit longer. “But when I think PI, I think middle-aged man with a beer gut and a horrible suit.”

The questions weren’t invasive, and seemed to be ones that he could handle without too much difficulty. She seemed to be holding to her promise of nothing too personal. Nik liked her for that. “I kind of drift from place to place. That makes me sound horrible doesn’t it? Bartending was that one job I could always seem to get; every town needs someone to sling drinks.” He shrugged, drinking down more of the blessed caffeine. “It’s a living. I quite like getting to see new people, talk about their lives and what not. What about you? Why this line of work, and do you fancy it?”

–––––

Ronnie:

A drifter. And that accent. And definite daddy issues, but who didn’t have daddy issues of some kind? Veronica swore she wouldn’t try to get a surname from him; it would only be a tiny step closer to finding out everything she could, and she really was trying to be a better person.

Trying. Not always succeeding.

“Ah, that would be my father,” she said, with a grin. “Well, I wouldn’t say a beer gut; maybe a teensy paunch? But he was a PI. He’s the Sheriff of the town I grew up in, these days. Sheriff again. But he’s how I started out.”

She really wasn’t sure why she was still gabbing away, but it wasn’t like she was going to say anything that wasn’t public record in one way or another. And talking about Lily just didn’t hurt the way it used to.

“Grew up in this weird town that was a combination of the very wealthy haves and have nots. Probably before you moved here. About twelve years ago, my best friend was murdered. My dad was the Sheriff at the time. Oh, a guy stepped up, confessed to the murder, but my dad never bought it. It got him thrown out of office, and he started up his own PI company, partly so he could keep investigating. I… accidentally turned out to be a damn fine little apprentice. Before I knew it, I was busting dog-stealing rings and student scandals left right and center. When I was nineteen I got my license, and the rest… isn’t quite history, I guess. I spent a few years determined to go straight, went to law school. But turned out I wasn’t really cut out for the path of the angels. And here I am. Neptune was getting a little small for two of us. And out here no one ever recognizes me. Of course, if I ever get sent to investigate you, we’re screwed, unless you want to pay me to go away.” She leaned in, faux whispering. “I have morals – but I can bought.”

She chuckled as she leaned back, ordering a light breakfast from the waitress.

––––

Nik:

“I’m sorry to hear about your friend,” Nik said, sincerity in his voice though he winced at the word ‘murdered.’ It still hurt to hear it, even after nearly ten years of being away from his father and last talking to his siblings.

Nik listened to the story, content just to have someone to talk to that wasn’t plied full of alcohol and talking in the hopes of scoring a free drink. It was amazing, however, how often that worked – how many free drinks he gave away just to keep someone talking to him. There wasn’t much of a social life outside of the bar, so this was a novel treat.

“Did they ever find out what really happened?” he asked, too curious to stay silent, even though it may have been something she didn’t want to discuss. “You can tell me it’s none of my business if you’d like. I was just curious if your father’s hunch was correct?”

She’d been a private investigator for a number of years, it seemed. That didn’t make sitting here having a casual conversation any easier, especially with the things she’d been through. Victoria was seeker of justice; Nik had dodged it – this was thin ice to be walking on.

He laughed at the joke, though he was mentally calculating how much money it would take for her not to investigate him. Probably more than he had. “I’m screwed then, love. I’m a bartender at a local’s bar; I don’t make nearly the money that I would over on Bourbon Street. But then again, I’m not quite fascinating enough for someone to want to investigate, so perhaps I’m safe.”

His father didn’t know (likely didn’t care) where he was, and his siblings hadn’t spoken to him since he left for America – he was pretty sure he was safe unless her own curiosity got the better of her. “What are your favorite cases to work on?” Nik asked, changing the subject before he could delve any further into himself.

–––––

Ronnie:

When she was a little younger Veronica had taken to telling people it really wasn’t a big deal, she was over it; but now, she accepted the condolences, and allowed herself a moment to grieve. Only a moment. She had moved on, she had a big life.

“My father was right… to a degree. And they did find the murderer. I did. You might have even heard about it. The actor – Aaron Echolls. From…a bunch of movies. The Pursuit of Happiness? Cheesy action movie, I’ll honestly respect you more if you don’t know it or make a face…? He and Lilly had been having an affair. He did it.” Did she mention Logan, Aaron’s son, and their on-again off-again, epic tale of love? No, she did not; strangely enough these days that hurt more.

“He was found innocent, but strangely enough, he was killed in a hotel room a few hours after he was released. Can’t even imagine how that happened. I guess karma is a really well connected bitch.”

Okay, enough about Lilly. “Well, then, if I ever get asked to investigate you, we’ll have to work out some sort of barter. I don’t really like paying for drinks, for example?” She grinned, and giggled. “I’m sorry. I’m so far past tired I’m delirious. My kingdom for a job that doesn’t involve insurance fraud or cheating spouses. My favourite cases happen between nine and five, so they really don’t exist. Oooh! Croissant,” she said, reaching for the plate.

Had her career really been more exciting in high school and college? What a terrible thought.

“Of course that begs the question, why aren’t you bartending topless on Bourbon? By the way – not objectifying you. Much.”

––––

Nik:

“I don’t watch a lot of movies,” Nik said sheepishly, as if he knew he should have known and felt bad for being clueless. “I don’t even own a telly. Haven’t in…” He thought about it for a moment, trying to recall the last show he’d watched. “a year probably. Since I got my apartment. Before that, I’d just watch whatever was on at whatever motel I happened to be staying in.”

He stirred sugar into his coffee, listening to her tale of retribution and karmic justice with a bit of a lump in his throat. “Fate has a way of catching up to those who do horrible things,” Nik nodded, eyes focused on the swirl of cream into the cup. He liked his coffee sweet and nearly white – and right now his preference was coming in handy. It meant he could keep his eyes on the drink instead of her.

Karmic justice – he’d certainly had his fair share of that.

“I’m sure that whatever befell him, it was exactly what he deserved.” Verbatim what had been told to him for the three years between the time Henrik was killed and he was old enough to leave home.

Nik sipped at his coffee, listening intently to her as she spoke about the cases she loved. He grinned, shaking his head at her enthusiasm for the food as it was put in front of them. “I can imagine that getting a steady night’s sleep is difficult in your line of work. Cheating spouses and insurance fraud don’t knock off at five o’clock, I assume?”

Waving off her apologies (really, this was the most amusing conversation he’d had in a long time), Nik dug into his own food before nearly swallowing it whole at her question. “I’m not much for the attention. I mean, there are those who can do that and get away with it, but I’m not quite so lucky. I am skin and bones, first of all (and scars – belt buckles left the most telling impressions),” he shook his head, but he was smiling. “And secondly, I prefer the locals. Less crazy, more mellow – more apt to take care of their favorite bartender. On Bourbon, people are sloshed all the time; contrary to popular belief – drunks are horrible tippers.”

–––––

Ronnie:

“Honestly, his movies all had two things in common – they were big hits, and they were bad. And it’s considered to be in pretty bad taste to play reruns of movies starring a guy who killed his son’s underage daughter with whom he was having an affair.”

So glib. Hard to believe she’d come so far. It was a little sad, in a way.

“So lucky you – you’ll probably never see them, even if you end up buying a TV. Which, by the way, kudos. See I go into withdrawals if I don’t spend a few hours a week feeling morally superior to everyone who would sign up for the bachelor or get themselves on Jerry Springer. Maybe I should get rid of mine.” If only she could pretend to be highbrow. Nope. What little television Veronica watched was one hundred percent trash.

“Actually, cheating spouses usually start well after five, although I’ve stuck my nose in on a couple of very tawdry nooners.” She winked. Actually, she could never understand cheating spouses. Lifeblood or not they made her stomach churn. And she had no idea how people lived with the anxiety. She remembered years back, her father and his married girlfriend – enough to make her nauseous all over again.

At least he’d done the right thing, even if he’d only done it for Veronica. And maybe the world’s best dad was allowed a fuckup every decade or so?

“But insurance fraud… you really never know. Guy walking around with a cervical collar in public and taking it off as soon as he’s sure he’s alone – that can take days, and it’s boring as hell.”

She sipped her coffee, sweet and milky and strong,

“You could definitely use some fattening up,” she agreed. “But it’s amazing what bright eyes and pouty lips will do for your tips. I should know – I was a barista for a whooooooole six months.” She grinned, nose crinkling. Her customer service had been a mixed bag at best. “I’d suggest you stick your chest out, too, but you’ve got even less of a rack than I do, so maybe not.”

Sparkling personality notwithstanding, Veronica hadn’t made a lot of friends in New Orleans. So she was enjoying herself – so what?

“Maybe I could get you something really fattening for dinner before a shift one night next week. Deep fried bacon cheeseburgers, anyone? Oh, and one of those onion blossom things.” She shrugged. “If you feel like it.”

––––

Nik:

“Tawdry nooners. That sounds like quite the interesting lot of stories,” Nik grinned. “I image you’ve seen some pretty incredible things in your line of work. It must be a little exciting, despite the waiting around for nothing to happen.” Despite his lack of enthusiasm for her looking into his own life, he’d sit here all day and listen to he tell stories of others.

So he liked a little salacious gossip…

The coffee was hot and strong, just the way he liked it. The food was good too – just what he needed to end a particularly long shift on his feet. It was days like this that Nik wished he had a desk job. (Okay, so not really, but a guy could dream. He liked the newness of his job every night – the new faces, the new situations. He wouldn’t have traded that for anything. Maybe he just needed new sneakers.)

He ducked his head, blushing a bit when Veronica said he could use some more meat on his bones. Nik didn’t think he was that bad, lean yes, but he had never been much of an eater. When he was younger he would eat anything put in front of him, but after… well, after he got older he just didn’t think about it as often.

Truth be told, he didn’t take very good care of himself, and he hadn’t in a really long time.

His head shot up at the bright eyes and pouty lips comment, confusion etching across his face for a moment. Was she talking about him or her? The confusion morphed into a goofy grin when she suggested he stick his chest out. “Perhaps I’ll try that, love. Though round here doing that is more likely to net you cheap plastic beads than extra cash.”

Nik opened his mouth to speak again, or shove food into it – he wasn’t quite sure which – but it closed just as quickly when she spoke about the two of them having dinner. Was she asking him out? That just didn’t happen for him, and he was pretty sure he’d simply misunderstood. Maybe she was just being friendly to the guy who couldn’t even seem to work an umbrella?

“Um.” Well, that certainly wasn’t the first word that should have come out of his mouth. “Are you…uh…did you just ask me out?” God, he was smooth. They should make a fucking shrine to how smooth he was. Nik wanted to bash his head into the table and sink through the floor.

Idiot.

“I’d like that,” he amended quickly, attempting to salvage something from his own idiocy. “I know a great place that the locals go not too far from here. They have cheeseburgers as big as your head. I can give you my number, if you want. Or take yours. I just, uh, I’m sorry. I’m a bloody idiot. My social skills are abhorrent.” He was rambling. Jesus she’d probably already changed her mind. “I’m sorry.”

–––––

Ronnie:

Veronica tore less than daintily into a very fresh croissant – unless she was much mistaken, fresh out of one of the earliest bakeries in the quarter. The steam, buttery and fragrant, rose like a tease and she tore at the flaky pastry.

Delish.

“I was just wondering the same thing myself. And I think I did ask you out. Which is a novelty, for me, it’s been a while. At least, in the real world. I’ve done enough half-assed entrapment jobs in the last year to retire on – you know, woman thinks her husband is cheating, I can’t find any proof he is, so she doubles the fee to see if he can be tempted into it – nasty, but lucrative. But that’s beside the point. Yes, I think I asked you out. And I’m thinking neither one of us is very good at this, so let’s keep it simple.”

She dug around in her handbag (thing was huge, and completely full of things that would make her look like a crazy person, to most people, but were legitimately necessary – a handful of bugs, three spare lenses, no fewer than eight burner phones with information on the back about who she was supposed to pretend to be if one of them rang. Makeup, a dark bobbed wig in a ziplock bag so it couldn’t get chewing gum on it, a tablet computer, a fold up umbrella she fished out for obvious reasons, three pairs of oversized sunglasses and for reasons she suddenly couldn’t remember, a bikini top.

… some mysteries were best left mysteries.

She fished out a business card, and scribbled her personal number on the back.

“Call me,” she said. “I’m sure even a pair of bozos like us can figure something out. And stop looking like a deer in headlights. I don’t bite, and I haven’t had much of a chance to meet people since I’ve been here. Outside of a professional capacity, at least.”

She reached for the coffee again. One more mouthful and all that milky, sugary goodness was gone. Tragic.

“Well, Nik,” she said, as she polished off the croissant, and reached for the last strawberry, “I need to go home and sleep or I’ll wrap my car around a streetlight. It was really nice to meet you. Really nice.” As she stood, she offered her hand for a shake.

He really did look a little stunned. Yeah, she still had it.

––––

Nik:

Nik’s eyes trailed over the purse she was digging through, wondering just exactly what she was going after – and what the hell else was in there. When Veronica pulled out a business card, he smiled and ducked his head a bit shyly. God, why wouldn’t he talk to women? Hell, why couldn’t he talk to anyone? Something else he would always blame Mikael and his mother for – his inability to think someone actually wanted him, and didn’t have some sort of agenda.

He took the card, glancing down at the number before shoving it into his back pocket. Putting it into his phone would be first on his agenda when he got home. How long was one supposed to wait to ring someone up for a date though? It had been so long since he’d been on one, he had no idea.

“I will,” Nik nodded, standing when she stood. He took he hand, giving it a gentle shake. “I’m sorry. I just don’t do this often; I don’t get asked out a lot, and as you can probably tell – I don’t do a lot of asking out either. I’m not…the most social of creatures.”

Watching as she walked away, he finally sat down to finish his own breakfast – still not quite sure what had just happened. He’d call her though – maybe after he asked someone how long he should wait. Seeming too eager was just as bad as seeming too distant…and he really did want to get to know her, much to his own surprise.

~completed thread

#v: I have no idea either #ronnie rp #moonoverbourbon #the thread that started it all #all of us; & queue

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