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Duolingo Unfiltered

  Duolingo: The App That Makes You Fluent in Guilt Trips (For your viewing pleasure, I have included a link to a PowerPoint I made for a college class last semester where I definitely glazed the heck out of this sociopathic bird...enjoy....)   Canva Power Point   ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════      A h Duolingo. The language-learning app that promises to make you bilingual but somehow makes you fluent in anxiety. If you've ever wanted to be publicly shamed by a green cartoon bird while trying to figure out if you're pronouncing a word correctly because you can't find your earbuds and are too embarrassed to listen to Oscar repeating the same Yiddish word over and over again, this is the blog post for you.       It starts innocently, as all addictions/cult initiations do. You download it thinking you'll pick up some Spanish so you can understand what the workers at El Dorado are saying in the direction of yo...
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Rizz Culture Unfiltered

   Alyssa Unfiltered: Rizz Culture — Gen Z’s Olympics of Flirting Somewhere between Shakespeare’s sonnets and TikTok thirst traps, humanity birthed rizz culture . For the uninitiated, “rizz” is short for charisma — your ability to charm, flirt, or seduce without tripping over your own words. In theory, it’s harmless. In reality, it’s a performance art that lives or dies on how unhinged you’re willing to be in public. Rizz is a sport, an art, and sometimes, a public safety hazard. And because I’m committed to the important cultural conversations (and because my For You Page won’t shut up about it), let’s break it down. The Good “Confidence Without the Therapy Bill” Say what you want, but rizz culture has made people bold. No more “admiring from afar” nonsense, people are actually walking up to their crushes instead of just stalking their Instagram stories in silence. Growth? Maybe. Chaos? Absolutely. It’s like watching baby deer learn to walk… except the deer are holding...

Camp Modesty Unfiltered

Camp Modesty: Unfiltered, Sunburned, and Slightly Over‑It Alyssa Unfiltered – Because packing lists shouldn’t include shame. Ah, church camp: the place where mosquitoes thrive, cafeteria pizza counts as a balanced diet, and someone always cries during worship night.  It’s also where many of us got our first real taste of evangelical modesty rules: “girls, cover up so the boys don’t stumble,” “no shoulders or the boys will lust,” and the ever‑iconic “T‑shirts over swimsuits or you’re sitting out.” After reading Evan’s blog post (You can read it for yourself  HERE ) on why that culture can be harmful, I felt called (in the non‑cringe sense) to weigh in. Spoiler: I agree with a lot of what he said—but I’ve also got receipts, petty jokes, and some practical takes. The Good – Things I Actually Loved About Cam Spiritual Highs That Hit Different When you’re under the stars, singing “Oceans,” and your best friend is ugly‑crying next to you—yeah, God feels close. Cross-Bowl Nothing ...

Edgar Allan Poe Unfiltered

  Poe Unfiltered – A Love Letter (and a Light Roast) Because if anyone was more unfiltered than me, it was Edgar Allan Poe. Respect. Anyone who knows me knows I am the biggest Poe fan ever, but as always, I will be unbiased (or I'll try to be at least) Let’s talk about Edgar Allan Poe—the man, myth, and literary legend who invented spiraling dramatically on paper . Was he a genius? Yes. Was he also the 1800s equivalent of “I’m fine” while sobbing in a corner and writing about premature burial? Also yes.  This is not some highbrow literature class analysis. This is an honest take from someone who writes sad poetry at 2 a.m., respects the man’s work, and occasionally cackles at how deeply over-the-top he was. Poe might’ve been the only person in history who was more unfiltered than I. Which is saying something. So buckle up, bibliophiles and chaos goblins...we’re diving into the beautifully unhinged brain of Edgar Allan Poe. The Good – Why Poe Still Hits 1. He Understood...

Convention Unfiltered

  Student Conventions: Unfiltered – Where Talent Meets Trauma Bonding Alyssa Unfiltered – Reporting live from the land of paces, polos, and power-packed puppetry. Picture this: hundreds of teenagers from across the country, all dressed like they’re about to teach Sunday school, gathered together in one place to… recite dramatic monologues, sing old-fashioned gospel songs, and race each other in athletic events that haven’t been cool since 1987. Welcome to Student Convention—ACE edition. Whether you’re at Regionals or living it up at International (aka "the Olympics for Ace and Christi"), you may not be guaranteed to leave with a few medals but you will leave with a lot of memories, and probably some unresolved competitiveness disguised as "godly encouragement." Let’s break it down: the chaos, the nerves, the overenthusiastic chaperones, and why someone always ends up crying during vocal solo. (Yes, I did cry... a lot) The Good – Things That Were Actually Awes...

Graduation Unfiltered

  Graduation: Unfiltered, Awkwardly Intimate, and Emotionally Confusing I was the entire graduating class. The valedictorian, the last alphabet, and the awkward kid trying not to cry while being stared at by everyone's grandma. And also no, I don't feel any different and I'm still an idiot. Just now I'm an idiot with papers! Have you ever walked into a room and realized the event is  about you ? Not in a diva, "I booked the stadium" kind of way—"they set up folding chairs in the fellowship hall and your name is printed on a cupcake" sort of way. I just graduated from a small private school. And by small , I mean I was the only one in the senior class. One cap. One gown. One lonely walk to Pomp and Circumstance while everyone tried to make it feel like this wasn't the most painfully specific rite of passage ever. The Good Things I Actually Liked About Graduation 1. I Was the Main Event (Literally): No competition for "best dressed,...

Relationships Unfiltered (Part 2)

Viewer-Guided Chaos        Welcome back, brave souls. After the absolute mess (and magic) that was Relationships: Part 1 , I thought, why not hand the mic over to you? So I did.      You sent your hottest takes, wildest stories, cringiest pickup lines, and most profound questions. And because I love chaos, I’m sharing them right here, unfiltered. (Okay, maybe a little filtered and not all of them because there was a lot...sorry guys) Buckle up. It’s about to get loud. Statements Where some of you made me cry (some because I laughe d so hard and some were sweet) "My fear was that she would think I'm one of those guys that just sit and rot their brain for hours and hours every day. I don't think any woman wants a man like that." - Anonymous   (Anonymous, you're right, no woman wants a man like that. Because 9/10 those men are just boys in a grown man's body. But more than disliking a man who just plays video games,, a woman can't stand a...