ciao ๐
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a couple of weeks ago I somehow managed to hit my 8-year streak on Duolingo
8.BLOODY.YEARS. ๐คฆโโ๏ธ
like seriously... at what point do I need to get a life? ๐
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it did genuinely get me thinking...
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8 years is a seriously long time
--and I know people with streaks that are EVEN LONGER ๐ณ--
what is it about Duolingo that keeps us coming back?
is it the languages... or something else?
it's different for everyone
for me, it's all about the streak
for others, it's winning the game
either way, here are 5 classic signs to watch out for...
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1. streak is life ๐ฅ
where would you be without your streak?
it's the first thing people wanna know when you tell them you use Duolingo,
and it's the thing most users end up taking the most pride in
at first, it's a neat way to keep you motivated, showing up every day, building that habit
then come the little rewards...
the streak society...
the app icons...
the vip status...
soon 7 days becomes 14
14 becomes 30
30 becomes 100
100 becomes 365
and before you know it, you're hitting the big 1000
the streak takes on a life of its own... and the thought of losing it fills you with so much dread that you'd ditch your fiancรฉ at the altar just to keep it burning
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2. diamond is forever ๐
like the streak, leagues are another good way of keeping you motivated in the beginning
the game is what brought you to Duolingo... and by god you're gonna play it
you start off in Bronze... pfft, this is easy
you rack up loads of XP and fly up the divisions
the weeks go by and you keep climbing, climbing, climbing
it's not too long before you're pushing for Diamond, churning out as many timed challenges and stories as you can to blitz your XP
life is good...
but then... you find yourself neck-and-neck with Janet4735, who for some reason seems to be online 24/7 grinding her way up the leaderboard
no matter how hard you work, owly sends you a notification a few minutes later to say you've been overtaken
you lose your mind at the constant grind... but you just can't let Janet win
so you miss work,
skip meals,
lock yourself away until the league ends on Sunday night
and then, when the league resets and you think you've done enough, you get a notification congratulating you on your 2nd place finish
bloody Janet ๐ค
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3. every. single. quest ๐
no quest gets left incomplete.
daily trio of quests? you smash them without breaking a sweat
partner not pulling their weight in the friends quest? you bash it out yourself... all in a single sitting
monthly quests? you've got every single badge there's ever been.
whatever the quest, you're on it... even if you have to randomly complete 2 lessons in the Music course ๐คท
nothing's gonna stand between you and that monthly badge.
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4. all the widgets and notifications ๐ฃ
you can't bear the thought of losing that streak ((or enduring owly's wrath)) ๐ซฃ
so you plaster your phone with the Duolingo widget
you've got the big one pride of place on your home screen, so you can enjoy the many emotions owly goes through throughout the day...
on the lock-screen, you've got your streak on full display, either to remind you that you still haven't done your daily lesson,
or just for a cheeky ego boost ๐
and if that wasn't enough... you've got the full set of Duolingo notifications activated โ
no matter where you are or what you're doing, you've given owly full, unrestricted access to get through to you whenever he chooses.
who cares if he abuses it?
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5. everyone's gotta know ๐
finally, you take great pride in telling everyone just how much of a Duolingo nut you are
you've got the streak
the vip status
you've won the Diamond Tournament several times
and you've earned tens of thousands of XP in a bunch of different languages
((i mean, that basically makes you fluent, right?)) ๐
but for some reason... people just don't get it...
they've got absolutely no idea how important you are or what they're missing...
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pfft, suckers.
maybe 2024 is the year I finally get a life
could I really let that 8-year streak go? ๐ฌ
would owly really let me? ๐ฑ
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i'll be sure to let you know ๐