Belldandy - Revamped - AMA ♥

[Belldandy]

Revamping this thread to be more up-to-date and active.

Hello! My name is Irène, or Belldandy on PC. I've been a member since May 2009, so it's almost my sixth year anniversary. I joined primarily for trading in DPPt and HGSS. I became interested in breeding and now own a shop with over one hundred (100) Pokémon with my OT 32964. I'm most active in Other Chat, Pokémon X & Y and the Trade Centre. I think I've established myself well here, although when I first joined I was sixteen or seventeen so I was a bit outspoken in a bad way. Now I try to take every precaution to express myself in a more open manner.

I'm currently twenty-two years old. I speak French and English. I come from a town north of Barrie, ON but have lived in Montreal, QC; Vaudreuil-Dorion, QC; and on the weekends, Kitchener, ON. I currently reside in Ottawa, ON in the Alta Vista neighbourhood. I work at and attend the University of Ottawa. My program is the Honours Bachelor of Arts with Specialization in Geography with an Advanced Minor in French as a Second Language. I aspire to become a secondary school teacher while perhaps writing novels as a hobby. I wrote one - unpublished - at age fifteen, about 88,000 words long (think: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone), but the character development was null. I might go back and revamp.

I have social anxiety disorder that in some cases is incapacitating. I'm also a survivor of domestic abuse - sexual, physical and emotional - (up until April 2013) and, at age seven, child molestation. I had depression during my adolescence that led to self-harm and suicidal thoughts. In fact, the first disturbing thing I can remember is drawing a picture of myself being hanged on my desk at age seven with the words "I want to die". My teacher found that disturbing in any case. Nowadays I can't cross a bridge without seeing myself jumping off. I have sporadic nightmares involving the domestic assault I endured, and I can safely assert that a portion of my self-esteem issues, my social phobia and my feelings of worthlessness stem from the numerous episodes I was a victim of over several years.

A little bit dark, though, so let's move on to nicer things. Feel free to ask me about it, though. I used to not be able to talk about it, but now I'm a bit more open.

Basic Information

Name: Irène ♀
Age: 22
Location: Ottawa, ON
Maternal Language: English
Second Language: French
Third Language: Spanish (reading and oral comprehension; cannot actually speak it)
Relationship Status: In a relationship
School: University of Ottawa
Program: Honours Bachelor of Arts with Specialization in Geography (French Immersion)
- Minor: Advanced Minor in French as a Second Language
- Teachable: Japanese (18 credits)
- Status: In Progress - First Year
- CGPA: 9.0/10.0
Career Aspiration: Secondary school teacher

Interests: Languages, Reading, Writing, Geology, Geography, Meteorology, Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology, Travelling
Favourite Anime: Yakitate! Japan, Ah! My Goddess, The Devil is a Part-Timer
Favourite TV Show: The Big Bang Theory
Favourite TV Cartoon: South Park, The Simpsons,
Favourite Book: The Ear, The Eye and The Arm; The French Executioner
Favourite Movie: Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me; Monty Python and the Holy Grail; The Life of Brian
Favourite Musical Genre: Classical; Instrumental
Favourite Current Gen' Console: WiiU
- Favourite Old Console: Nintendo 64
Favourite Nintendo Video Games: The Legend of Zelda, Harvest Moon, Pokémon, Mario Party, Animal Crossing
- Favourite Zelda Game: Majora's Mask
Favourite Other Video Games: Assassin's Creed, Ragnarok Online

Favourite Pokémon Generation: Second
Least Favourite Pokémon Generation: Third
Favourite Pokémon: Eevee
- Favourite Legendary: Celebi
Pokémon X IGN: Irène
Pokémon X Trainer ID: 32964
Player Type: Casual; Breeder; Collector; Shiny Hunter

 

[Zorogami]

Hey there Belldandy, nice to meet you!! Here are a few questions for you:

1) I have no clue what FSL is, could you please explain??

2) What is your favorite Game of the Legend of Zelda series?

3) You list languages as one of your interests, so
- What languages do you speak?
- What language do you like the most?
- And what other language would you like to learn?

Looking forward to your answers (:

 

[Belldandy]

Hey there Belldandy, nice to meet you!! Here are a few questions for you:

1) I have no clue what FSL is, could you please explain??

2) What is your favorite Game of the Legend of Zelda series?

3) You list languages as one of your interests, so
- What languages do you speak?
- What language do you like the most?
- And what other language would you like to learn?

Looking forward to your answers (:

.

Hi, Zorogami!

To answer some of your questions:

FSL (French as a Second Language) is basically the grammar/punctuation/pronunciation courses associated with French. You learn the core concepts of the language and how to write, but not too much in-depth study into literature, culture, etc. It's very linguistic-based.

That said, there's a different between an Advanced Minor in FSL and a standard Minor in FSL. When you apply for FSL, you have to do a French proficiency exam to see what your level is as per the bilingualism department. Depending on the results, you may skip courses. If you skip enough, you actually qualify for the Advanced Minor program.

The difference being, the standard Minor in FSL requires basic-level, first-year courses, second-year courses... and with the amount of electives and courses associated with a standard Minor, you might be able to take a third-year course or two, but that's about it.

With an Advanced Minor, if you qualify (I did; my score was F8 on a scale of 1-10) you can skip all of the first-year courses (a total of five) and a bunch of second-year courses (I skipped four) and take higher-leveled courses automatically, ignoring the prerequisites. This is because the department assumes, based off the test, that you already know the material from all of these first-year and second-year courses, and thus repeating it wouldn't actually be academically relevant.

If someone who scores F1 on the scale of 1-10 wanted to do an Advanced Minor in FSL, they would actually have to do a Major in FSL instead because of credit limitations. Meanwhile, I can do a Major in Geo and an Advanced Minor in FSL and still get the same amount of education in the FSL program. It's basically like having two Majors, since anyone new to French would be required to do a Major in FSL to achieve the same level of French that I'd get in an Advanced Minor in FSL program.

It also means more choice! I now have nine additional courses (almost a year of studies) that I can take in other things, like French, Spanish, Japanese, Anthropology, etc. that someone doing a standard MInor would have to dedicate to their French prerequisites.

-

Majora's Mask is definitely my favourite of the Zelda series, following by Ocarina of Time / Twilight Princess, Minish Cap and WindWaker. Not sure if I prefer MC to WW or not, but they're both really good :)

That said, Majora's Mask was so emotionally chilling. I was eleven or so when I got and beat that game. It was absolutely thrilling. The entire concept put so much pressure on you and forced you to actually relate to the characters and want to help them. It was just such a desperate situation; you couldn't ignore it.

-

I speak English and French fluently. I can read basic Spanish / any Spanish words that look like French words.

I like French and Japanese the most. I'm interested in learning a lot of Latin tongues, though i.e. Italian, Spanish. Not a fan of how Spanish sounds overall, but it is useful and would be an easier one to learn because of how much it resembles French.

I'm interested in learning Japanese as a result. I might take a few courses in university (schedule permitting). Asides that, I'd like to develop my Spanish to a usable level in the very least. I might look at German, too, for fun, but that's way later.

:)

 

[Broken_Arrow]

I like writing too,What genre of books do you write? :)

 

[Belldandy]

I write fantasy non-fiction :) I've tried other genres, but I don't even read other genres typically so I have no idea where to start or how to do it lol

Dragons, magic, all that fun stuff :P

 

[Broken_Arrow]

Since you can write,I'm sure you can do it someday! ;3

Do you like horror stories? specially Ghosts stories?

 

[Belldandy]

I like horror films lol I watch them a lot, especially with my boyfriend. He hates them.

Our first date was actually the drive-in. We went to see two movies: We're the Millers and The Conjuring. He hated the latter lollll He wanted to leave so badly. I kept telling him the 30min drive back to my house that he was going to see dead bodies coming out of the woods, hitting his windshield after jumping off a bridge then disappearing. He'd hear a music box theme, and someone would tap his neck while he's driving, and it'd go cold and dark and the driver's mirror would reveal a skeletal, decomposing body behind him with a blood-drenched face and chest and holes for eyes.

He kept telling me to stop, but nope! :P I'm just that evil.

 

[Broken_Arrow]

Hahaha,you evil :3 ..look at you,YOU CAAN write horror stories!! xD

Do you watch anime? if so,what's your favorite\s?? :3

 

[Belldandy]

I do :D Yakitate! Japan is my absolute favourite. Have you seen it?

I also love Pokemon (obviously), Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon, Naruto, Bleach (haven't watched recently), Full Metal Alchemist, One Piece... I was watching more recent anime before, but I kind of fell out of it. The only thing I rewatch over'n over is Yakitate! Japan and South Park (not anime, I know lol but I can quote anything and everything basically)

:)

 

[Broken_Arrow]

Sadly no,I never heard of it before ^^;

What country\s do you want to visit and what's your favorite place to go first? :)

 

[Belldandy]

You should really watch it. It parodies so many other anime i.e. DBZ, Naruto, etc. and is just really nonsensical. A good storyline, though, and you learn a lot about pastries and baking.

I personally want to visit France, Japan and Australia. I want to see if after my university I can spend a year in either France or Japan teaching English or French; that way, when I'm in Canada I'll be more marketable for jobs at home :) Lots of people want teaching positions, so I want to try to have some experience that they don't have as to be more enticing to hire.

I'm also hoping to go down to the Dominican Republic this coming February for a vacation. I've never been out of the country, and for a full week it amounts to 1,300$ (hotel, flight, food inclusive). I definitely want to go. My boyfriend went last month and had so much fun :) It was pre-planned, though, from before he knew me so I couldn't go. This February'll be a couples trip :)

 

[Broken_Arrow]

Sounds fun,reminds me of Gintama ...I'll sure check it out

Ohh,you want to be a teacher! been a while since I heard that but good for you,I hope things work out well ^^

Yayy for fun times,take lots of photos and make good memories :3

I keep reading your name Bellandly ..is that good or bad? 0.o

 

[Belldandy]

Nope. It's from Ah! My Goddess, and I feel it represents my character well :) Belldandy is such a sweetheart.

Just bred a bunch of Pokemon and got back to work. There's so much demand for selling now compared to before; I used to just manage bills, but now I'm expected to sell people TV and Internet, etc. depending on what they're missing from our services.

I'll have to put up with it for two months or so, though, till I move to Ottawa, ON.

That said, I won another scholarship at the University of Ottawa, and they're paying my hotel and giving me 100$ to visit the faculties, head of staff and the ex-Governon General of Canada, Micaelle Jean. She used to represent the Queen when she wasn't available.

Pretty neat :) and exciting.

 

[22sa]

Oh, hey! I'm in Ottawa too.

How come you picked Ottawa U over Carleton U? : )

 

[Deleted member 211486]

It looks like you have a very busy life. How do you find the time to go on PC?

 

[Pendraflare]

CANADA EH?

What's something you would really want to write a book about?

Of the topics you have listed in Interests, which one would you most want to pursue?

What's your favorite Pokémon from every generation?

 

[Pinkie-Dawn]

Why do you have an IGN account despite the website's bad reputation?

 

[Belldandy]

Did not get any notifications at all for this thread, so I thought for sure it had died.

Oh, hey! I'm in Ottawa too.

How come you picked Ottawa U over Carleton U? : )

At the time, Carleton did not offer as high admission scholarships. Now, it's on par with uOttawa, but they do not offer the French bursary. I also won a previous competition at uOttawa with a French class that granted an additional bursary if I studied French at uOttawa.

Right now, uOttawa gives me 5,000$/yr for studying there. Tuition is about 7,000$/yr, but the Ontario government also grants me about 1,700$/yr, so in combination I'm paying about 300-500$/yr + books to study at uOttawa. My first year, I also had an additional bursary of 1,500$ for being a runner-up for the President's Scholarship as well as the French Video Contest bursary of 2,000$. The university has actually paid me about 1,500$ to attend school there this year :pink_nod:

I also figured the French studies would be more advanced at uOttawa than at Carleton. Carleton is closer to me - I live by Billings Bridge - but uOttawa is only a 20min bus ride away, so it's still not too bad.

It looks like you have a very busy life. How do you find the time to go on PC?

I disappear every so often to catch up :pink_tongue: That's why I probably didn't see some of these replies! I try to stay on top of things so that I can have fun inbetween assignments, rather than rushing or procrastinating and being stressed out.

CANADA EH?

What's something you would really want to write a book about?

Of the topics you have listed in Interests, which one would you most want to pursue?

What's your favorite Pokémon from every generation?

I'd like to write a fantasy book again. I have some ideas, but I actually don't mind the first novel I wrote asides the lack of character development. I might work on revamping that since it's not too shabby plot-wise. I like dragons, magic, sacrifice, etc. I'm not a big fan of mysteries, so I'd not write anything of that genre. I'm interested in books like Green Grass Running Water (Thomas King), but I don't think I could actually write in that style. I'd be more of a young adult, Harry Potteresque author.

Of my interests, I'm currently pursuing Geography with an Advanced Minor in French in order to teach French at the secondary level later on. Geography is just an interest of mine; I figured it'd be nicer to study that than doing a major in French. I don't want to study French literature; I just like the grammar, structure, etc. The Geography program I'm in is in French, though, so there's that as a positive. I just thought that going in for a French major would've been utterly dull :pink_tongue:

Favourite Pokémon from every generation? Probably:

First Generation: Eevee
Second Generation: Teddiursa
Third Generation: Cradily
Fourth Generation: Lopunny
Fifth Generation: Cubchoo
Sixth Generation: Dedenne

Why do you have an IGN account despite the website's bad reputation?

I hope this is a silly question :pink_tongue: I don't have an IGN account. I have an IGN, which is "in-game name". In Pokémon X, my in-game name ("IGN") is Irène.

 

[Pinkie-Dawn]

I hope this is a silly question :pink_tongue: I don't have an IGN account. I have an IGN, which is "in-game name". In Pokémon X, my in-game name ("IGN") is Irène.

So that's what you meant by "IGN" in your sig. I always associate that acronym for the website and not something else, so I thought Irene was your username there.


Anyway, since Majora's Mask is your favorite in the Zelda series, have you gotten your hands on the 3DS remake?

 

[Belldandy]

Anyway, since Majora's Mask is your favorite in the Zelda series, have you gotten your hands on the 3DS remake?

I have! The day after its release, I think. I didn't know if I could afford it, and it was probably very much an impulse buy. I'm quite disappointed in all the changes made to the game (you can read specifically my gripes in the thread over in the video game section) that have alleviated its difficulty. Great for newcomers, not so good for veterans who loved it for both its darkness and its challenge.

My boyfriend hated Majora's Mask previously, but now he's further in the remake than I am so that's a good thing! Very happy he's finally liking the game :pink_nod: Even if the difficulty is not reminscent at all of the original. Maybe he'll play the port I have on the WiiU afterwards in order to taste what the original is like.

He's actually beating Majora right now :pink_tongue: