We've all been there. You're just walking down the street and BAM! A goblin jumps out of the alley and strikes! Or maybe a rathtar has rolled around the corner, tentacles flying, desperately trying to gobble you up. No? Well, that could happen, and you should be prepared for when it does happen. 
   So today, to prepare you for the next Klingon raid, I'm taking a poll to see what you would use to defend yourself against an attacker. Your choices are the Vulcan Nerve Pinch (quick and effective), the lightsaber (powerful and elegant), a wizard staff (versatile as long as you know your spells and provides a quick getaway), and ray shields (requires some previous setup, but great against blasters). Click on what you would use below, and let me know what you voted in the comments below! 

   We've all got our favorite superheroes: Superman, Batman, Iron Man, Hulk, Wonder Woman, Spiderman, etc. And for every superhero, there's a bad guy. For some, there are some really bad (as in, pitiful) bad guys. I'll be talking about some of those today--you decide which one is the worst.

 (photo credit: batman.wikia.com)

   Just as The Living Eraser was not the brainchild of a failing film major, "Condiment King" is not the name of a condiment superstore chain. Condiment King is also a real villain, hailing from the universe of DC Entertainment. He basically shoots various condiments at his enemies--the only real threat here is if you're allergic to ketchup or mustard. I will give him credit, though, he does have some pretty good lines. In his first appearance in Batman: The Animated Series, according to Batman Wiki, he says, "The big bad Bat-guy. I knew you'd ketchup to me sooner or later. How I relished this meeting. You, the dynamic Dark Knight , versus me, the conceptual Condiment King! Come, Batman. Let's see if you can cut the mustard."
   Unfortunately, soon after, he slips on some ketchup and falls off a building...to his death.

(photo credit: screenrant.com)

   Clifford Michaels was your typical, sheltered kid: raised by his father as if it were the early 1900s (in a post World War I society), he adopted the values of that era, only to find out in his adulthood that the world had neglected the morals of the decade he thought he was raised in. Ironically, out of his disdain for the immoral people of his age, he became a villain and terrorized people. Eventually, he developed the Horn of Time, which, theoretically, would kill everyone under the age of 65 when it was blown. Unfortunately for him, it didn't work. 

   Who do you think is the worst super villain? Is there another villain that I left out? Let me hear you in the comments below!

   I'm in high school, and I'm currently taking Spanish II. When I needed to choose what language I wanted to learn a couple of years ago, I really pushed my mom for Elvish or Klingon--no joke! Unfortunately, she said no, and here I am taking Spanish. Don't get me wrong--Spanish is a beautiful language, but c'mon! Who wouldn't like to know a little bit of an invented language to confuse your friends? Well, if you're open to learning a fictional language, you've come to the right place. Today, I'll be talking about some invented tongues that you can actually learn--by the end, maybe you will have decided which one is the best for you. Let's get started.

(photo credit: britannica.com)
   If you've ever seen Avatar, you may recognize the Na'vi as the blue inhabitants of Pandora, but did you know that they have a functional language of the same name? As these aliens actually inhabit a system close to ours, knowing Na'vi might come as a useful skill should you encounter them in the near future. Here are some useful phrases:

Kaltxì - Hello
Zola‘u nìprrte’ - Welcome
Nga yawne lu oer - I love you
Kìyevame - See you soon

   Interested? You can learn more at: ​https://learnnavi.org/

(photo credit: independent.co.uk)   
   Of course, as arguably the most well-known fictional language, Klingon had to be featured. Harsh and throaty, the Klingon language is spoken fluently by roughly a dozen people on Earth, and countless Klingons on Qo'noS. The fact that there are humans who speak the language gives this fictional tongue extra usefulness until humanity invents warp drives and can meet actual Klingons. Here are a few useful phrases:

nuqneH - (used as a greeting) literally translates, "What do you want?"
nuqDaq 'oH puchpa"e' - Where is the bathroom?
qoSlIj DatIvjajn - Happy Birthday!
(And, if you want to insult someone)* Hab SoSlI' Quch - Your mother has a smooth forehead!
*note: do not use this on friends...apparently, this is the worst insult you can give in Klingon!
   
   Want to learn more? You can go to the Klingon Language Institute's website and get a membership! Check it out: www.kli.org/

(photo credit: lotr.wikia.com)

   My personal favorite of the fictional languages is Sindarin, probably more commonly known as simply "Elvish." This language was actually invented by Tolkien himself as one of two languages for the Elves of Middle-earth. Sindarin is more commonly spoken than the second Elvish language, Quenya, and thus making it more useful, right? I suppose the likelihood of meeting an Elf is low, but speaking Sindarin is still an impressive skill to have. Some useful phrases include:

Mellon nîn! - My friend!
Yrch! - Orcs!
Elen síla lumenn’omentielvo - A star shines on the hour of our meeting.
Noro lim. - Run fast.

  While the Sindarin language does not enjoy its own institute, sindarinlessons.weebly.com/ seems to be a useful resource if you wish to learn the language yourself.

(photo credit: wikipedia.org)
   As a Star Wars nerd, I would be doing myself a disservice by not including a Star Wars language. While the Hutts, such as Jabba, were the most well-known speakers of the language, many also spoke it on planets controlled by the Hutts, most notably Tatooine (Anakin Skywalker was a fluent speaker). While Huttese is not as complete a language as the others listed here, you can still learn some phrases to help you secure a ship to smuggle goods out of your system. 

H'chu apenkee! - Hello!
Ban gon wan she co, cah. - There will be no bargain. 
Coona tee-tocky malia? - What took you so long?
Noah, noah! - No, no!

   You can find a decent amount of Huttese phrases and words here: starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Huttese

   So, have you decided what language you'd like to speak? Was there a language that you like that I left out? Let me know in the comments!