Tlazolteotl

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Oh, @Auragreedia, @silver21, @Stanifly, if you guys are stuck, I'll be happy to give hints!

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@silver21 Thanks! I'll take a look over this weekend! I know there were a few students/interns in the lab I study/work at who were focused on the relationship between music and cognition, so those books might be in one of our bookshelves.

@BaronOBeefDip Great! I keep hearing horror stories about family gatherings, so it's nice to hear when people actually have a good time 😁

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@BaronOBeefDip No worries! Did you have a good time?

@silver21 It's a combination of tests/experiments and a whole lot of analysis 😭, but my main focus is mostly brain stuff.

Oh random question, but what's a good source to learn about music therapy stuff for beginners?

@Stanifly Do you specialize in a specific language/region?

Let's see... well there "Lost in Translation: An Illustrated Compendium of Untranslatable Words from Around the World," "A New Look at Old Words: Street Slang from the 1600s-1800s: A Writer's Categorized Guide," "The Little Book of Lost Words: Collywobbles, Snollygosters, and 86 Other Surprisingly Useful Terms Worth Resurrecting," "The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows"... etc. etc. (I could quite literally keep going). I also like reading books on etymology and idioms. Do you have any books that you refer to often?

Ohh that makes sense! I've been also trying to look into videos of people actually breaking down the technical aspect of writing, but most of the time I just realize how much I don't really think about how I write 😂

I don't think there's that many people out there who can just write perfectly at the first try, it's the multiple revisions that makes it better. So the best we can do is just write SOMETHING cause I think getting started is actually the hardest part of writing. And if brute force can get you there, then it's an effective tool in my books 😆

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@silver21 It's hard to narrow it down since all of it's pretty interesting!

Without going into jargon, the upcoming presentation's about measuring "self(hood)" and individual differences in behaviors (and thought) using physiological recordings (such as brain signals).

@Stanifly Darn, I was hoping that knowledge of language might give some ideas (kind of how knowledge of how the brain forms memories helps gives ideas of how to study better) 😭

Is your field of study closer to linguistic anthropology?

I'm fascinated by languages and I have this dictionary of old words that aren't being used anymore and also words that don't exist in one language but does in others. It's so cool cause you can really understand a lot about a culture by what words exist.

that said, the writing problem you mention is SO REAL. I feel like I can't escape the clutches of the writing style I've settled into and it's so advsjdbsb 😭 the only thing that's really worked for me so far is digging into the psyche of characters who have worldviews as far from mine as possible. it might not always turn out great, but it's a neat exercise to look back on and then see which parts could've been done better 😌

@Stanifly

I've been seriously considering trying out "sentence diagrams" on authors whose writing style I really like to try and understand what I like about it... but I have no idea how effective sentence diagrams are since I've never used them in my life 😅

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Lost in Translation

@Auragreedia@silver21@Stanifly

The man's expression shifts. His brow furrows, mouth pressing into a thin line. Something Morgan said landed wrong.

He reaches for the cowboy's arm—not the metal one, the other—and pulls it toward him, pushing fabric aside until bare skin is exposed. Before Morgan can pull away, the man presses the open palm close to his own face, inches away.

His mouth opens. Wide. Exaggerated. Lips and tongue shaping words, the kind of enunciation that would be a shout if there were any sound behind it.

There isn't.

But the air moves.

Warm against Morgan's skin, a current of breath that proves something is there. Something has always been there: a voice

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@Stanifly Linguistics!? If you have any advice on improving writing skills/styles, I'm all ears... My stuff starts to sound all the same 😭

I'm also curious about what things you're interested in doing with linguistics! Is there any particular area you're hoping to have a job in?

@silver21 I'm also studying and doing research about cognitive science! Got a big presentation next week, so I've been focused on getting ready for that.

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Lost in Translation

@silver21@Stanifly@Auragreedia

The man doesn't answer. Eyes closed, chin tilted slightly upward, he's submerged in the noise. Slowly, the hand keeping rhythm against his chest stills.

His eyes snap open. He turns to look at Sirpa, surprised to find her still there.

No one ever stays.

It takes another repeat of the question before he answers with a half-shrug that might've been a maybe or a I don't know.

---

Teresa finds nothing.

Or rather, she finds everything and none of it gets closer.

The walls are there. She can see them—dark panels interrupted by neon trim, exit signs glowing above doors that promise somewhere else. But no matter how many steps she takes, the distance never shrinks. The doors remain exactly where they were. The walls stay fixed at the edge of her vision like a horizon that moves with her.

The crowd, too, never ends. Bodies press and shift and sway, an endless sea of movement that parts just enough to let her through before closing behind her. She could walk for hours and never reach the other side.

Around her, conversations drift past in fragments. Words. Sentences, even. But nothing connects. Each statement floats disconnected from the last, responses that don't respond, replies to questions no one asked. People talking at each other. Not with.

The music pounds on.

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@silver21 Had a major Soul moment there 🤩 It's always amazing to hear about people finding their passion. Even more so when they're able to put it into action! I have many interests but none that I can say I'm passionate about, so that's really admirable.

As someone who's dabbled in verbal therapy, I have a feeling you might have some insight into the "Lost In Translation" situation 😏

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Lost in Translation

@Auragreedia@silver21@Stanifly

The bottles behind the bar are labeled clearly enough. That's not the problem.

Grandma's Authentic Ceiling Tile—Aged 12 Years.
Premium Shoelace Extract.
Imported Genuine Tuesdays.

A tap handle declares itself Draft Envelope (Lightly Sparkling). The chalkboard menu advertises the evening's special: Half-Price Reasonably Concerned Elephants, while supplies last.

The bartender leans forward, one elbow on the counter. "So did you want the one with the longer commute, or should I check if the ferns are still compatible?" The question hangs there, expecting an answer.

Behind Morgan, the ambient chatter bleeds through the bass. Snippets of conversation drift past.

"—told her the staircase was too orange, you know?—"
"—but only if you fold it counterclockwise—"
"—and that's when I realized the invoice had feelings—"

The words make sense.
The sentences don't.

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@silver21 Nice 😎 What inspired you to study music therapy?