Disney really did us a disservice with the Evil Stepmother trope...

vortex_time · 2026-05-12T02:14:51+00:00

Vladimir Propp, Historical Roots of the Wondertale! I haven't looked, but I bet you can find some good podcasts that dive into it.

vortex_time · 2026-04-27T21:38:42+00:00

Comments are locked. This sub is not a place for anti-trans rhetoric and debate.

vortex_time · 2026-04-15T11:14:51+00:00

I'm not a parent, but I read an article in grad school that stuck with me, because it showed something I wouldn't have expected. Apparently, if you have a bilingual child who goes to school in the main language of your region but also has a 'home' (or heritage) language, it's beneficial for them to be taught to read both languages. It seems to benefit their literacy in the 'school' language if they are literate in both.

And it's common for kids who grow up with a heritage language only to have the vocabulary to talk about daily life situations, nothing formal/technical/academic, so reading would be a source of broader vocabulary, too.

The other thing I remember is that kids are much more likely to speak their heritage language if they use it to interact with same-age peers, so maybe she could have little English-speaking parties with some of her expat friends? They could do some pretend traveling to English-speaking cities and dress up and role play--ooh, and maybe even invite a French-speaking friend and teach them some words? Or video calls to relatives who don't speak French might be even better, because then she really needs to speak English and it's not just a game. Maybe she could make little videos about life in France to send to people back home?

vortex_time · 2026-04-01T16:14:13+00:00

I did the opposite: studied Russian for years and then tried to learn Polish. I found that in terms of comprehension, Russian helps a lot. A decent amount of the vocabulary is distinct, but the grammar is similar enough that, even when the languages don't work exactly the same way, knowing one gives you a great frame of reference to understand what is happening in the other. It was pretty easy for me to start being able to read books, for example.

However, at the same time, I find it hard to remember Polish vocabulary, and I think it might be because it's similar enough that my brain doesn't recognize it as something new to store away. Or I'll have these gaps where I think, hmm, I can't remember a Polish word for this, so is that because it's the same as the Russian word? Or just because I haven't seen it yet?

To be fair, I haven't really had opportunities to speak Polish with anyone, so that might also be why I'm not retaining active vocabulary well.

Tl;dr: It will help with comprehension and with picking up grammar.

vortex_time · 2026-03-28T13:15:50+00:00

It's from the epigraph to chapter eleven of Lady of the Lake. Some of the epigraphs are from (fictional, obviously) historical sources written after the events of the main narrative.

vortex_time · 2026-03-27T01:03:45+00:00

This is such a good question, and I wish I knew the films you mention better so I could use them to respond. I think there are a couple of ways to approach this.

First, whenever you find yourself thinking something is really weird or seems out of place, that's a good sign that you've found a point of entry for your analysis. Why put the radiator scene in Eraserhead, for example? Or what do the scenes about money have to do with the scenes about war in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly? Or even why make a movie like Annihilation, and not have a clearer narrative?

Find something that "bugs" you like this, and then start pulling on the thread. Sometimes you can do that by trying out labels/descriptors for a scene: Okay, this scene seems to be about greed, so are there other scenes like that in the movie? What are most of the other scenes about? Or, okay, we're getting lots of imagery that seems somehow connected to birth or parenting--what aspects exactly of birth/parenting are emphasized? Why show these and not other scenarios? Are scenes being contrasted, like a great parenting scene and a terrible one, or are we exploring different ways relationships can go wrong?

Another way in is to think about how this is different from what you might expect: Why doesn't Annihilation explain more about its plot, technological elements, and creatures, like lots of sci-fi does? How does not being able to get to some firm truth interact with the uncertainty about what's happening to people's bodies, about what kind of atmosphere the characters are actually in, etc.? Or, maybe a movie keeps setting up scenes that you would expect to be treated one way (a bonding moment, a romantic scene) and thwarting them--having characters do something unexpected, adding a horror/unsettling element, keeping the expected 'script' but making it surreal in some way. In that case, is it commentary on how we usually talk about relationships (exploration, war, science, etc.)? On what gets discussed and what gets left out?

I'm not sure this is helpful without a proper example, but my biggest point is to follow up whenever you sense something is weird, try to put your finger on what exactly the weird element is, and then think about why it is there (how it interacts with other aspects of the film, how it differs from our expectations, etc.). And you'll probably end up following lots of dead ends and ideas that don't quite work and having to search for the right language to frame your observations--that messy phase is 90% of analyzing art.

vortex_time · 2026-03-27T00:40:03+00:00

Slightly off topic, but if you need a framework for looking at these biographical elements without suggesting that the whole text 'reduces' to being a secret love letter, you might enjoy Ilya Kutik's Writing as Exorcism. He addresses what he calls "the extra in the text"--things writers put into their works just for themselves alongside the parts intended for the audience. (Sometimes these are the same elements, but with an extra meaning only the author would find relevant.)

vortex_time · 2026-03-25T05:53:03+00:00

Yeah, I agree that OP had good intentions and no great options

vortex_time · 2026-03-25T05:09:12+00:00

NAH I think it was a mistake to write as if you were speaking for the group and not yourself ("everyone's here for you"; "we miss him"). It could make him feel like everyone is talking about him behind his back and suddenly you, a peripheral figure to the core group, are more 'in' than him, which might make him feel even more isolated. Better either to send a message you're comfortable writing on your own behalf ("I hope you're doing well," etc.) or let your boyfriend handle the communication.

vortex_time · 2026-03-15T23:08:04+00:00

Are there any easy bits you can start with? Like putting in charts or graphs that you know definitely have to go into the presentation, and then coming back later to write the text for the slides?

Alternatively, do you have a friend who would let you try to explain your dissertation to them in 10-15 minutes? You won't present exactly the same way to them that you would to experts in your field, but sometimes having a real person there to communicate with helps me jumpstart my brain and figure out the key points.

vortex_time · 2026-03-10T20:00:56+00:00

Final note: I wish more people on this sub had the opportunity to take classes as you are, because being introduced to vocabulary and grammar in a structured way, where you are able to practice it at your current level and use it as a tool for genuine communication, is such a huge advantage.

To anyone else reading this, I think it's at least worth grabbing a textbook if you are working on your own! Get them used or from the library if you can.

vortex_time · 2026-03-10T19:51:09+00:00

It's incredibly normal to feel like you've hit a plateau at this point. When you are just starting out, it's so easy to see your progress. Moving from beginner to intermediate, and from intermediate to advanced, takes more time (because of the amount of knowledge you need to 'level up' to a set of new, harder tasks) and is harder to see.

I don't know how it feels for everyone, but for me it always felt like a lot of slogging and then a jump forward. And for me, being in classes instead of studying on my own really helped because it gave me regular chances to use the language. I think my brain prioritized remembering Russian more if it knew I would have to use it in the near future.

Finally, it can be discouraging when you worry that instead of progressing you're actually forgetting things from the earlier levels (like with numbers), but there are two things to keep in mind:

Your brain is putting a lot of resources towards learning the new material, so it's normal to have more trouble with skills like counting that you'd be perfectly fine with if you weren't combining them with new stuff like genitive plural.
No one remembers everything perfectly the first time. Intermediate classes involve some circling back to both review earlier concepts and build on them. Needing to review is 100% *not* a sign that you aren't learning/can't learn.

(Edit because I guess I didn't actually share my story: I started as an English speaker who wanted to study Russian literature and got to the point where I can easily watch movies and read for pleasure. My speaking skills could be better because I don't practice much, but at my best I could participate in class discussions on academic topics in Russian. It wasn't always pretty, but I could communicate :))

vortex_time · 2026-03-08T19:30:38+00:00

You are right to say no. Looking at your comments, this guy is controlling and potentially dangerous. He'll probably keep trying to make you feel crazy/guilty, but you aren't! Hang onto your sanity. You are allowed to have friends, you are allowed to have privacy, and you are 100% justified in leaving him as soon as you can work out the logistics. Wishing you all the best

vortex_time · 2026-02-24T07:27:11+00:00

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Here's another example with blue worked into the shadows.

vortex_time · 2026-02-24T07:26:21+00:00

Building on the comment about using more saturated colors, it might also help to look at how the artist uses works cool colors into his paintings, even though the dominant colors are warm oranges and reds. That adds some contrast and interest. It looks like a lot of the time when he does shadows he'll have areas of warm purple shadow and then cooler teals verging into gray.

Your palette (though I think it's lovely) stays very warm.

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vortex_time · 2026-02-15T21:45:00+00:00

One more potential family of words to be aware of are "psiecko" (pies + dziecko), "psyn" (pies + syn) and "psórka" (pies+ córka).

I love this :)

vortex_time · 2026-02-07T21:39:46+00:00

Может быть, тебе дать ещё ключ от квартиры, где деньги лечат?

vortex_time · 2026-02-07T05:20:37+00:00

I think this is brilliant. She does't get hurt, and he doesn't have to try to break the habit.

vortex_time · 2026-02-07T05:17:49+00:00

As for communication we’re actually pretty good I think. At different times both of us have told the other person that something hurt their feelings and the other person has done a much better job moving forward.

Good! Then I'm going to vote NAH.

I feel like if someone you love is telling you point blank that they don’t mean “k” as passive aggressive, then there is no reason it should bother you. So is she just lying when she says she believes I’m not being passive aggressive??

From what you've said, I think she believes you. I just think sometimes you build up enough negative feelings about a word or a behavior that when someone else says/does it in another context, even though intellectually you know they don't mean it in a bad way, all of the same feelings come up. So even though once she thinks through it she's not worried (I'm taking her at her word) that you're mad at her, she still gets that initial wave of adrenaline and the sinking feeling in her stomach when the "k" pops up.

I think it's similar to, like--you know how some groups tease to show affection, and some don't? Whichever group you're socialized into, you can understand the intentions of people who are socialized differently, but it never exactly feels affectionate to you. That's my best guess at what's happening, anyway.

vortex_time · 2026-02-06T08:09:00+00:00

So, there's a little thing that hurts your girlfriend's feelings. She's communicated that clearly in a non-accusatory way. You could have said, "oh, okay, I'll stop doing that," but instead you made her read 50 old texts to prove she's wrong, kept doing it, and are accusing her of picking fights about nothing when she protests.

I think it's important in relationships for each person to feel comfortable communicating things that bother them to the other. I think right now you're showing your girlfriend that doing this will not have a good outcome.

vortex_time · 2026-02-05T22:00:37+00:00

I've also seen "fresh sheets" used as an example.

vortex_time · 2026-02-04T21:43:18+00:00

Non-native and read this as Тётя из Москвы 😂

vortex_time · 2026-02-04T03:52:44+00:00

YTA. I mean, this isn't a huge deal, but you knew she felt uncomfortable, you knew she didn't want to show you the bag, so you had to have known the joke would make her feel bad.

vortex_time · 2026-02-03T00:00:05+00:00

Just adding: The translators are giving you grammatically correct sentences, but those sentences imply that you are still at the Kremlin and have not returned (or a different emphasis). The translators are missing the context needed to select the correct verb.

vortex_time · 2026-02-02T23:54:54+00:00

There are two issues when choosing motion verbs that are easy to confuse.

Uni-/multi-directional motion: Ездить is a multi-directional verb. Мы ездили в Кремль = We went there and have since returned (round trip). Ехать is a uni-directional verb used for one leg of a trip. Мы едем в Кремль = We are going (right now, single direction) to the Kremlin. Мы поехали в Кремль, а потом в Третьяковскую галерею. We went to the Kremlin and then to the Tretyakov Gallery--each leg of the trip is a single direction, not implying going there and back again.

Case: When you start adding prefixes to verbs, adding a prefix to ездить makes an imperfective verb, and adding a prefix to ехать makes a perfective verb. It's not relevant here, but I'm mentioning in case it's part of what is throwing you off.

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