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crazyoffher · 2 years ago

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WATCHTOWER. - 3

jenna ortega x fem!reader

summary: the continuously reappearing late-night visitor carries out her goal, taking you where she knew you wanted to be.

warnings: unedited

word amount: 4,000+

a/n: i personally think this is kind of boring, so i hope you guys don’t think it is. enjoy this long chapter :) (edit: why did none of y’all tell me i forgot to add the summary 😭)

part one part two part four

“You know, when you said you wanted to ‘hang out��, I figured something like the mall. Not this!” You gawked at the building in front of you, jaw slack, and Jenna couldn’t help but laugh at your expression.

“What? You don’t like it?”

“I fucking love it, Jenna. Are you kidding? I’ve wanted to go here since I was a kid.” The two of you stood outside the Bradbury Building, an architectural landmark that you were more than interested in.

“Really? I was kind of seeing it as a hit or miss location because I didn’t know what you were into.” That was a lie.

The night you gave Jenna your number, you guys talked from when you got home at midnight until 3 AM. It was enjoyable, to say the least, because you felt a connection with her. With an eased mind, you let her know things about yourself—nothing deep, just who you are and who you’re surrounded with, mainly.

You had a dog, Aries, that lived at your parents house because your apartment doesn’t allow pets.

You had siblings—one sister and five brothers—though two of those brothers lived out of state for college and career purposes. You were the second oldest out of all of them; your eldest brother was Christian, who was 25, and you were 23.

But then came the piece of information that was morally important to Jenna. Your last name.

Immediately after texting Jenna goodnight, she searched your name on Instagram, clicking through dozens of accounts until landing on yours. You and an unknown man together were your profile picture, whom she assumed was your brother.

It was a public account with three thousand followers and five posts on it. Your most recent post, dated back five months, showed you in your graduation gown and cap holding up your diploma.

The caption is what caught her attention, though, reading ‘Certified Architect’.

It didn’t lie, either. You did have a bachelor's degree in architecture, and not long after graduating, you applied for a job at a big-name company, and you were hired, but not for another eight months at the time because all positions were filled. That’s why you picked up the high-paying job you have now, dealing with assholes day and night, but the money was worth it.

You wouldn’t be making as much as you currently did at the restaurant as an architect, but you didn’t care. You didn’t enjoy the waitress job, and the position you applied for at the company paid well.

That’s all that led Jenna to the bright idea of bringing you to the Bradbury Building, skimming reviews for over an hour on architectural landmarks before settling on the building in front of you.

She had no idea about your lifelong interest in visiting the building, though, so she guessed it really was a hit or miss on that part. “You ready?”

“What—oh, yeah, definitely. Come on.” You held out your hand, too immersed in the building to realize your action.

You weren’t a physical person, and you disliked when the hugs friends would give you lasted longer than needed. When you came to reality and saw your hand outstretched, patiently waiting, you were startled. Your dislike for touch came in the form of consent, and you threw all of that out of the window after not taking into consideration that she might not be up for physicality with you.

Before you could retract your hand and mutter an apology, you felt her hand grasp yours.

Your arm fell to your side as Jenna started walking, pulling you along. While you walked alongside her, your face contorted into a nervous expression, and you blew out a large breath you hadn't realized you had been holding.

“Welcome to the Bradbury! Would you guys be interested in scheduling a time for a tour guide, or would you like to explore the architecture yourselves?” You hadn’t taken more than three steps inside the building before a man stopped you, tall and formally dressed. He held out two brochures, which you and Jenna took with your free arms, thanking the man before Jenna spoke up. “By ourselves is fine, thank you.”

The man smiled and walked behind the four of you, with Eddie and Bennett walking at a distance from you and Jenna. She didn’t want them there, but because they were hired for day-to-day protection, all she could do was ask them to keep their distance. They agreed.

“What do we do here?” Jenna was a bit stumped, looking around the building to see railings, walkways, and even an elevator or two. You were more than happy to explain to her the extent of the architectural landmarks.

“You just kind of walk around. You’re meant to take in the design, the art, and there should be informative boards on when and how the building was built as well.” You looked down at Jenna, only to see her already looking at you. You shot her a lopsided smile to acknowledge your appreciation of her thorough listening. “It’s why these places aren’t always filled, because a lot of people would find it all boring.”

She nodded profusely, signing to you that she understood, or tried to understand, all of what you were saying. “Alright, architect, tell me all you know about this place then.”

You pursed your lips, contorting them into a smile. “Gladly.”

You and Jenna walked further, and you were right; there weren’t too many people there compared to art museums or other attractions. There was a passageway boarded off, possibly for renovations, so the two of you traveled down a hall with about three other people standing around.

“Well, for it’s history, the Bradbury started being planned in 1892 by it’s owner, Lewis Bradbury, and he hired an architect, Sumner Hunt, to design the building. The original design was supposedly scrapped because Bradbury didn’t like the imagery it gave, so he hired a draftsman by the name of George Wyman. He had no education as an architect, which led people to wonder if he even changed Hunt’s designs at all and who should be credited as the building's architect.”

“So Hunt got screwed over, basically.”

You nodded. “In credentials and work, yes. Wyman actually worked for Hunt, but I can assume that didn’t last long, you know?” You laughed, and so did she.

Jenna observed how each of your cheeks was marked with dimples and how your eyes narrowed. She was well aware of her own smitten ways toward you, but all she could do was try her hardest to brush them off. As far as she was aware, you were not interested in anything more than friendship.

“Bradbury died the same year, and the building opened a year later. As of now, it serves as the headquarters for the LAPD’s Internal Affairs Division. It’s why you can’t go up past the third stairway.”

“You seem to know a lot about it’s history.” Jenna quirked. Usually, she hated when people constantly talked; it was a major irk for her. She didn’t mind you at all. She blamed it on your smooth, slightly low voice—just a tad—and how calm you seemed when talking.

“Whenever I have an interest in something, I like to do a lot of research on it. I enjoy figuring out the history behind it, whether it’s a landmark or even a cup,” you laughed lightly. “It’s definitely a factor in why I minored in history.”

“Minored?”

“University. I minored in history and majored in architecture. Did I never mention that?” You swore you had, but you didn’t blame yourself. It was the middle of the night when the two of you texted, letting each other know more about yourselves, and you’d be lying if you said you were fighting sleep just to talk to Jenna.

“You didn’t, but it’s really cool. I hated school a lot, but for some reason, the idea of going to university always interested me. I never had the time for it, though, especially when the opportunity came.”

“When, after graduating high school?” Jenna nodded. “I started to garner more roles around that time, and it was clear to me that I couldn’t do it even online. I don’t think I would’ve made it through four years anyway, but I just kind of wanted to know what it was like to live that sort of life, you know?”

“Definitely.” You guys reached the beginning of the staircase, with Eddie moving from behind the two of you to open a low door that was blocking the entrance. The stairs were open, and Jenna’s foot went under a stair. It would’ve left her to fall if it weren’t for her grappling onto your shirt for support.

Your hands flew to her back, reflexes a lot quicker than her bodyguards, who didn’t comprehend that she almost fell until you had already stabilized her. “Are you alright?”

You bent down slightly, pushing the ankle of her leg and sliding her foot out from under the staircase while Bennett’s hands replaced yours on her back. You could feel Jenna let out a huge breath. “Yeah, I’m fine. Maybe a little embarrassed now.” Her cheeks were tinted pink, and her hands were fighting the urge to fly up to her face to cover herself.

“Don’t be. Stuff like that happens all the time, especially to me. It’s like I’m cursed.” You reassured her, and Jenna smiled at the idea of you falling. “Yeah, I can imagine that, and It’s kind of funny.”

“Oh, wow.” You dragged out your words, moving up the staircase with a falsely hurt and sarcastic expression on your face. Jenna followed, her hand resting on your shoulder in fear that she’d slip again. “That was pretty rude of y—oh my god.”

You walked up the last step, turning toward the wall where an engraving sat, reading something rather long and in small writing.

Jenna eyed how you darted your gaze everywhere, taking in the sight of whatever was on the wall as if it were the most precious thing you had seen in your life. “I think it’s time for another history lesson.”

“This absolute beauty,” your hands gestured to the wall, finger pads feeling over the engraved tiny-fonted words, “is the LB Treaty. It’s not actually a treaty, but people like to paint it as if it were. This is the artifact of peace that has been number one for me to see, but I never knew it was inside the Bradbury building itself.”

Still perplexed, Jenna cocked her head to the side to get a better view of it. The engravings sat in the middle of the wall, with scratches and symbols painted all over the wood. She looked at you, your brows furrowed and mouth agape in intense concentration, as if you were not sure if you were hallucinating or not. “What’s the point of it?”

You tore your fingers away from the wall, skimming over the title that read, “Lewis Bradbury Treaty of 1893,” in all capitals. "In 1892, it was discussed whether or not the Bradbury should be put up as a building of visitation, as in if people could visit the place. Bradbury argued no, but Hunt and Wyman both said yes.”

“Shouldn’t Bradbury have the upper hand since he was the owner, though?”

“Not necessarily, because Hunt and Wyman were both equally involved in the construction of the building. Even before Hunt was fired, he contributed to the location of the building as well as getting the official papers, and Wyman was important for the architecture, supposedly.” You shamelessly took a picture of the artifact, shoving your phone in your pocket and stepping back.

“They decided to solve their problem in the form of the law. They made a treaty, but before anyone could sign, Bradbury died, so Hunt forged his signature on the treaty and changed it up so the building could be accessible to all, instead of Bradbury’s plan to only make it accessible to the wealthy.”

“That’s kind of fucked.” Jenna snickered, moving along the stairwell. You took one last look at the treaty before following her, explaining to her more history on the way around as well as pointing out designs and the entire building's structure.

“Would it be too much to ask you to dinner?”

“I’m sorry?” Your ears perked, and you leant slightly closer to Jenna, unsure of what she said in her lowered voice.

She coughed, shoving her hands into her jacket pocket as the cool breeze hit the two of you while you exited the landmarks. The car rounded to the front with Bennett behind the wheel. “I was wondering if you wanted to get something to eat, as well, if you’re not busy for the rest of the night.”

Her tone was shy, almost unsure of herself, but she based it on a slight fear of rejection from you. All of it washed away when you gave her a lipped smile, opening the backseat door for her. “I’d love nothing more.”

As you entered the restaurant, you were visibly shocked at Jenna’s choice of dining. “This is, uhm,” you stumbled over your words, turning back to see Bennett arguing with the valet over car control. “I'm going to go out on a limb right now and say that this place is very expensive.”

“You’ve guessed correctly,” Jenna said as she walked away from the hostess, meeting your side on the waiting chairs and noticing your struck expression. “Sorry, I figured you’d be accustomed to places like this because you work in a Michelin-starred restaurant, but we can go somewhere else if you feel uncomfortable in-”

“It’s all good, Jenna.” You cut her off, pointing the palms of your hands in her direction to let her know that you’re fine. “I just feel a little underdressed, is all.”

You eyed your clothes from where you sat: a beige-brown shirt and black baggy jeans with black adidas as your choice of outfit. Meanwhile, all the staff and guests were all dressed in formals, button-ups, and dresses in every direction her eyes scanned.

“It’s alright.” Her hand rested on your shoulder in an attempt to ease your nerves, and your heart skipped a beat at the simple interaction. “I’ve been here a couple of times. Dressing up is just a shnack; the owners and workers could care less about how you look.”

You only nodded, standing when the hostess called Jenna’s name. Her hand still rested on your shoulder as the two of you ventured into the dining room, Eddie and Bennett resting in the car but still within eyesight of the two of you when the hostess guided you to a round table, chairs already outstretched.

You both muttered your thanks before moving to sit down, scanning the menus before giving your orders to the well-groomed man with slicked-back hair. You tried to ignore how he eyed Jenna, his gaze lingering on her, and, to top it off, a not-so-sly wink he sent her when he closed his notebook before walking away.

A busser came by soon after the waiter vanished, filling up both your cups with water before handing out complimentary champagne, ghosting over the fact Jenna wasn’t of drinking age. You watched as she examined the alcohol, her eyebrows raising at you as if she were telling you to test it first.

“Might as well take your opportunity of underage drinking while you can, yeah?” You joked before your lips met the glass, taking a light sip of the champagne, a 1959 Dom Perignon worth well over one thousand dollars.

Jenna took a sip of hers as well, humming at the caramel hints in the champagne. “To be honest with you, I’m not really hungry, but I could eat something to pass the time.” She admitted it, setting the glass down before meeting your addled eyes.

“Why did you ask me here, then?”

“Because I figured maybe you were hungry, and more-so taking this as the opportunity to get to know you more, if you’re willing to share more with me.” You nodded, setting your glass down as well. You took a sharp glance at your waiter serving another table, watching as his eyes darted to Jenna every few seconds.

“With my pleasure,” you said as you scooted your chair closer to the table, “ask me anything.”

Jenna was left in her own thoughts, thinking back to your guys’ earlier conversation about education and before that, when the two of you were texting. “How was university? High school, any form of social experience you’ve had.” She laughed at the overlapping of her own words. “I seriously can’t tell if you’re anti-social or not.”

“University had me close to ripping all of my hair out; that’s how I’ll summarize the experience.” Jenna giggled at your honesty, slowly succumbing to the fact that you had no filter when it came to your words. “It was a breeze at times. You just kind of went to the classes, did homework, and lived your life for the rest of the day until you had to repeat it. But then there are midterms and finals that have you hunched over your desk, nose in multiple textbooks, trying your absolute hardest just to get a 75% on the essay portions.”

“A 75% is passing!” Jenna argued, but you shook your head vigorously. “Not when you go to a student-competitive school with your classmates averaging 85% and higher on each test. It’s really tempting to quit at times when you see other people achieving what you worked hard for and didn’t get.”

Your voice sounded the same as earlier when you were explaining architectural history to Jenna not long ago: smooth and slightly low, intoxicating to anybody’s ears. “Yet you still hung on and got your degree.”

“Because I never fully deterred myself.” You took another sip of the champagne, maybe two, before continuing. “Whenever I felt like walking to the counselor's office and telling them that I wanted to leave, I thought about how hard I worked to get where I was and how much of my time and effort I would be wasting by just giving up because I was comparing myself to others. As long as I really keep my mindset, I think I can handle another two years, maybe even four.”

Jenna’s ears perked at the last sentence; she was not sure if she mistook your words. “What do you mean by more years?”

Before you could answer her, your rather flirtatious waiter came back around, two plates in his hands and a smaller third plate balanced off his arm. He handed the two of you your food before setting down the small plate next to Jenna’s main plate, “and a dessert, on the house, for somebody who looks so sweet.”

You grabbed a cloth that was set to the side, throwing it over your mouth and pretending to wipe something from it, but truthfully biting back the urge to laugh. The waiter winked at her once more before walking away, and it was then that you removed the cloth from your mouth, ducking your head down and trying your hardest to not laugh loudly.

“Stop it.” You felt another cloth hit your head, and you raised yourself up with your hand covering your mouth. “I’m sorry, but I had to! It was so corny.”

“Yeah, yeah.” She pushed the dessert away, taking a couple bites of her food before focusing her attention back on you, your demeanor returning to calm. “Now answer my question.”

“What—oh yeah. Um, I actually plan on going back to university soon.” Jenna’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and you presumed it was because of her food, but her words said otherwise. “You have your degree, though.”

“It’s a bachelor's, and I don’t feel like I’m truly going to get anywhere with a bachelor’s. I was thinking a master's or doctorate would get me even higher-paying and higher-role jobs, so I could try and make a name for myself. A master’s takes an extra two years; a doctorate takes an extra four.” You took a bite out of your food, giving a low hum of satisfaction while Jenna gathered your words together in her head.

“I guess that’s fair enough, coming from me, where I’d die if I had to take more acting classes.” You almost snorted at that, your cloth flying up from your hand to wipe the grime off your mouth before swallowing your food and giving a proper laugh.

The night slowly came to an end as you finished your food, fighting Jenna for the check before ultimately deciding to go 50/50, each paying three hundred dollars for rather pricy, though well-cooked, food. She warily took a note that your waiter gave her when returning both your cards, his phone number written on it, and deciding to throw it in a trashcan outside the restaurant when the two of you headed for the car.

“Poor waiter. He’s not getting a call tonight, is he?”

“Nope.”

The drive to your place took about twenty minutes, the restaurant being on the edge of Los Angeles and therefore far from your apartment. You let out a content sigh when the car came to a halt outside the building, not ready to end your day with Jenna despite the clock nearing 10 p.m.

You asked, “So how long is it going to take me until I can hang out with you again?” On the ride home, she told you about how she had to go out of state for a while to reshoot a couple of scenes for her upcoming movie and wouldn’t be in the country for a month or so.

“When I come back, I’m going to be busier than ever because of pushed-back meetings that I’ll need to take care of, but I think I can see you one day. I might or might not stop by your work looking for a well-dressed waitress in a mentally stressed state.”

You smiled a genuine one at her, rubbing your face, which was slowly deteriorating into tiredness. “You shouldn’t have told me that, because now I can’t wait for it.”

You exited the car from the left door, Jenna from the right, and rounded the car before embracing her in a hug that she reciprocated just as heartfully as you. Her hands were around your stomach area, and your arms were resting around her shoulders.

It was already cold out, goosebumps littering your skin because you had no jacket, and the feel of Jenna’s nose brushed up against your neck, her breath hitting your skin sent shivers down your spine.

“Goodnight, Jenna.”

“Goodnight, (Y/N).” And with that, Jenna got into the car that retreated out of the street, and you waltzed into your apartment lounge with nothing but post-excitement running through your blood, ready to knock out as soon as you laid on your bed.

“Welcome home, buddy.” You jumped at the voice, soon recognizing it to be Jack's, who sat on your couch with Scream 5 playing on the TV. “How was your date?”

“Hang out,” you corrected him, “and fucking awesome. I got to rant my heart out about architecture and my life. Why? Because Jenna wanted to hear about it, so suck it, you asshole.” Jack grabbed the remote, throwing it at your hip. He was the last person who ever wanted to hear you rant, plugging his ears with the tips of his fingers if you went a little overboard on explaining something.

“Alright, well, I’m going to sleep-”

“But I want to hear about your date!” He yelled out, watching you retreat into the hallway and into your room. “I’ll tell you about it tomorrow!”

Undressing into your usual nightwear, a white t-shirt and plaid shorts, it didn’t take you long to surrender yourself to sleep, only feeling the weight of your restlessness after you were away from Jenna.

A ringtone, a really annoying ringtone, was soon shut off by a hand clawing at their phone, grumbling at their sudden awakening but then it started again, and it took opening their eyes to see that it wasn’t an alarm but somebody calling them.

“Hello?”

“Jenna, why the hell are people saying that you’re now in a lesbian relationship?”

☟ ☟ ☟

hey guys 💁🏻‍♀️hope you enjoyed that and if you thought it was boring pls comment something so i can rewrite it to make it more interesting :) don’t ask me about the architecture part because i don’t know where i got it from either…

(ted mosby)

#jenna ortega #jenna ortega x reader #jenna ortega x fem!reader #jenna marie ortega #actress #crazyoffher #wednesday addams #celebrity x reader #wattpad #jenna ortega x y/n #jenna ortega x you #jennaortega #fluff #lesbian

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winxbutbetterimo-ovo · 1 year ago

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Alfea Overview v2

i drew out a layout for Alfea i will use for specifications of my overview. did i make alfea a smidge taller? Yes but oh well, anyway lets begin.

The Alfea College for Fairies is a girls' boarding school in Magix for Fairies and the oldest (established 9000 years before the start of the story) and most prestigious educational institution for fairies.

The education in Alfea lasts 3 years, one for each Fairy Form in the journey of an aspiring full-fledged fairy. Base form, Charmix, Enchantix.

The Alfea students are mostly in training ages 16-18 (unless they have been held back a grade like Stella, so in her case, 17). Fairies here learn how to control their power, fight evil, learn new spells as well as learn how to be their realms' queens and guardian fairies. In this way, Alfea is a little like a military boarding school for the elites.

In the Past

The Alfea Champions were an ancient trio of legendary fairies who were believed to be the most powerful fairies in all of Alfea History. Their feats have been known to be passed down through generations, immortalised in statues that stand in the Alfea Museum, and had been recorded in Legendarium. Ress of the Flame, Chevonne of the Water and Farcelia of the Wind. They were real fairies, but it has been so long that their legends outlived their actual story of their lives.

When Mavilla was headmistress of Alfea, owning and exhibiting the strengths of one's Fairy Animal was considered a vital part of a fairy education. Everything taught was a reflection of the contents of the Tome of Nature. Eventually, Mavilla changed this.

Alfea used to have a crest which was a curved golden "A" on a purple and blue flower with a golden outline at the top of the school gates, just above Alfea's gate. The "A" of the crest is also seen on what used to be the school's uniform, consisting of a burgundy long-sleeved and knee-length dress and mary janes. The neck part of the dress has white lace and a dark burgundy loop.

At another point in time, Eldora was the keeper of the Alfea Greenhouse and taught floral magic.

School years

First Year

Freshmen fairies learn how to master their own source of power, as well as their base fairy form, and learn basic spells they can use in their daily life and in battle if necessary. Metamorphosymbiosis, Potionology and Survival Training are part of the first year curriculum. Fairies also learn how to explore diverse environments in the Simulation Room as part of their survival training.

Second Year

Second Year fairies have the goal of earning Charmix. Their classes include, magic invocation, magic self-defence, applied convergence and cognitive analysis class, where fairies learn technical incantations, and spells requiring accurate pronunciation.

Third Year

Third Year Classes include, History of Magic, and those who achieve Enchantix will participate in Battle training to hone their skills. The fairies also have a final thesis, also earning Enchantix is more like an extra credit thing.

Graduation

After earning Enchantix, the basic fairy education is completed and they will graduate with Honours and receive the titles of Guardian Fairies of their respective homeworlds on the Day of the Gift. Without Enchantix, the girls still graduate, but they don't become guardian fairies. In this case, they return to their home world and can decide if they want to work towards being a guardian fairy by being an apprentice to one until they earn their Enchantix, or they can do something else. Alumni can also decide to extend their studies and do their masters here at Alfea in any Subject already offered, being mentored by any of the current staff

Winx After Graduation

They taught for a short period of time, before choosing to take their masters here in various subjects in addition to being substitute teachers from time to time.

Architecture and Layout

Outside

The Alfea Natural Park, which is a refuge for Fairy Animals, is found in the forest. It is unknown if parts of the forest close to the school belong to the school or not, but they are also used for classes and tests.

There is a bus stop where students, guests, and staff members can take buses from and to Magix City and to other places in Magix.

Protective barriers meant to keep non-magical creatures, non-fairies, and bad weather out are seen many times in the series.

The School Gates are the only access to the school compound. They consist of a large pink archway with two wing-like doors that move to open or close the gates.

Its campus is a large castle with pink walls and blue roofs built around a courtyard.

Ground / First Floor

Most of the Classrooms are found on the ground floor around the central courtyard. The side buildings have corridors through which the classrooms can be accessed and it has stairways from which the upper parts of the school can be accessed.

Namely: On the East Wing, Applied Convergence Classroom, Technical Incantations Classroom, Magic Invocation Classroom, Magic Defence Classroom, and on the West Wing, Potionology Classroom, Metamorphosymbiosis Classroom, and the Survival Training Classroom. Each classroom also acts as storage for whatever items the subject requires.

The School Kitchen, where Chef Sfoglia works, Students may also be assigned to do the cooking as chores or as punishment. Located in the West Wing

In the North Wing, The Entrance Hall is a large room found opposite the School Gates, and it is accessed by a set of grand stairs.

The Cafeteria / School Hall is a large room found on the ground floor. It has a large dome of glass as its outer wall and there are long tables where the students have their breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It has a special tier for staff members. Parties and balls are often held there and during such occasions, the tables are removed to make a place for the festivities. It is found below the Headmistress' Office and behind the Entrance Hall, in the North Wing.

The West Wing also contains The School Infirmary where students are treated in case of health problems and injuries. It is composed of an office and a resting room with many beds. It is managed by Nurse Ofelia and her assistant.

The West Tower is where the Magic Archive of Alfea is found. Precious and rare books and scrolls about many things can be found there and the school's Codex used to be kept there. A Pixie, named Concorda, is the keeper of the Secret Archives.

The first floor of the east tower contains the Applied convergence Classroom which also acts as the School Amphitheater for formal gatherings required by the Headmistress or otherwise. the students sometimes attend the school assembly and it is also where general meetings are often held, especially in crisis times. There is a table with chairs around it where staff members sit. Exams may also be held there.

The Central Courtyard is a large open space at the centre of the school. It contains:

Benches where students can sit and spend their free time. The Well, with underground tunnels that connects Alfea to the other magical schools, and contains various rooms and obstacles to go through in order to obtain the Star of Teamwork. It functions as a gathering area for celebrations such as the beginning of the year and graduation ceremonies are done. It also serves as a landing space for Red Fountain ships.

Around the sides are the Gardens of Alfea. A place where students can relax and study and even practice their abilities with the accompaniment of nature.

And around the back is an open space mainly used for classes with a practical component.

Second Floor

The student Dormitories (enchanted to be bigger on the inside). Located in both the East and West Wings.

The North wing’s first floor’s ceiling is very high, taking up 2 floors, and therefore technically there is nothing here.

The Simulation Room is where virtual simulations take place. It can also be used to teleport people to other locations. Professor Palladium is the one who is in charge of the Simulation Chamber.

There is technically nothing here in the West Wing because the Archive Room Ceiling is the tallest in the entire school, taking up 4 floors. (Tho it can still be accessed from here as well but the platform is small so people usually dont.)

Third Floor

The student Dormitories (enchanted to be bigger on the inside). Located in both the East and West Wings.

The History of Magic Classroom in the East Wing Tower

And in the North Wing, the staff and Faragonda’s offices. Outside of which there is a small seating area.

Fourth Floor

The student Dormitories (enchanted to be bigger on the inside). Located in both the East and West Wings.

The Dance Studio/Gym in the East Wing Tower.

In the North wing, Faragonda and the Staff Quarters. Only accessible via the offices.

Fifth Floor

Only contains the Viewing Decks atop the two Towers of Alfea. Only accessible by Flight or Teleportation.

Basement

The basement of Alfea is sprawling. It contains what will become Musa’s Music Cafe, the Alfea Museum, the Hall of Memories (formerly: Fairy Animals), the magical Entrance to the Alfea Greenhouse, the Library (containing the Research Lectern with Miss Barbetea as its Librarian) with its Restricted Section, and finally the Hall of Enchantments (It contains the hall of infamy, where the portraits of all the enemies of the Magic Dimension can be found, the entire history of the magical universe and contains the Heart of Alfea), only accessible through the Headmistress’s Office.

The rest of the images here include a Key, a Compass and a small sketch i did to plan out how many floors Alfea actually has.

Finally staff:

Headmistress Faragonda (Applied Convergence)

Miss Grizelda (Magic Defence/Applied Convergence)

Professor Palladium (Potionology/Survival Training)

Professor WizzGizz (Metamorphosymbiosis/Technical Incantations)

Professor Avalon (s3 new) (Magic Invocation)

Professor Daphne (s6 new) (History of Magic)

Chef Sfoglia, In the Kitchen

Nurse Ofelia and her assistant. In the Infirmary

Pixie Concorda, the keeper of the Secret Archive

Miss Barbetea the Librarian

Knut the Janitor (s2 new)

Dorm Assignments

The students use all three levels of the student dorms. And where they go rotate every three years. So if you joined the school and are assigned to the second floor dorms, you stay there until u graduate then the freshmen after you will take over it.

Once again all dorms are enchanted to be bigger than they seem.

For the Staff, (All dorms are enchanted to be bigger than they seem from the outside)

Faragonda and Grizelda (daphne in future) Share a dorm, the North Wing, central Dorm.

Palladium, Wizzgizz, Avalon share a dorm, the North Wing, East (left) Dorm

When the winx become teachers, they will insist on sharing a dorm, the North Wing, West (right) dorm.

The non teaching staff usually have a built in dorm at wherever they are working, so Miss Barbetea has a room in the library, and Nurse Ofelia and her assistant share a room in the infirmary and so on. Their rooms are also enchanted so they are bigger on the inside.

Sketch Dump:

#winx #winx rewrite #magic winx #winx headcanons #winx club #winx club redesign #winx redesign #winx au #winx club rewrite #winx Club alfea #winx alfea #floorplan #layout

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demigodsanswer · 7 months ago

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I love your writing soooooo much !!! I just NEED to read more about that modern royalty AU you posted yesterday

started sweet and flirty. got smutty. so it goes. touches of d/s dynamics, but pretty much all in vague terms. smut stars under the ~*~

part one here

Percy made her tapas. Annabeth was pretty sure that was the Spanish equivalent of her taking him to the Ikea food court.

Knowing Percy, he'd probably really enjoy that date, actually.

Either way, they were delicious. He spread them out on the coffee table in his private room, and they ate on the couch like Roman emperors. Annabeth appreciated the choice; it gave her a better opportunity to show off her legs, and Percy seemed more than willing to look.

He'd brought a bottle of Spanish wine, but neither of them had reached for it. She wanted to see if she liked him as much sober as she had tipsy.

Annabeth had had a crush on him once. They crossed paths at an Easter garden party when they were twelve, and she and Percy got up to some trademark mischief. The press was quick to name Annabeth a "wild child" despite her being very literally a child, but those youthful rebellions (stealing extra deserts and seeing who could get closest to the Queen of Spain without being noticed) had solidified her as "Sweden's sweetheart" to her people at least. That mattered much more to her.

They were kept apart after that.

Until they met on opposite ends of a mock trial case involving bribes, police entrapment, and a briefcase full of money. Yale's team always was better than Harvard's, despite her best efforts. But she and Piper were a rock star attorney-witness pair that constantly knocked Percy out of the top awards spot.

It was a testament to her skill that she even managed to stay focused when they went up against Yale. Because the cute twelve year old she'd once crushed on hard was now a very hot man. And the six years that had passed since their college days had only made him hotter. Strong jaw, Roman nose, dark hair, light eyes, muscular but not too much, well-done tattoos ...

Annabeth was cooked.

She had hoped she wouldn't find him as appealing when she was sober, but no. If anything it was worse.

"Bit old school to go with another royal, isn't it?" Her dad had asked her that morning when he showed her The Sun. (After about 15 minutes of ranting to staff about what an invasion of his daughter's privacy, that was).

All Annabeth could do was shrug and say, "He's barely royal. And we aren't going steady. He hasn't pinned me on the back of the school bus, or anything."

"I'm not that old," her father said with a laugh.

Annabeth reached for another bite. "I never asked. What did you study at Yale?"

"Oh, classics," Percy said, wiping his hands on a napkin. "Did a master's too."

"Really?" Annabeth asked. It seemed so impractical. She'd been pushed to do all sorts of pre-law, history, and international relations courses, despite her real passions for architecture and design. But she figured that was the trade-off to being born into the most extreme generational privilege.

Percy nodded. "I'm thinking about applying to Oxbridge for a Ph.D."

Annabeth smiled, and asked again: "Really?"

"I'm not just some big, hot, dummy," he said.

"I don't think you're dumb, Percy," Annabeth said.

"Thanks," Percy said. Percy had his charmer smile -- it was a bold, straight on, smile that was a little cocky, but mostly communicated that you were the center of his attention in that moment. And then he had a real smile, one that betrayed him and communicated real affection. It was softer, smaller, closed-lipped, and he usually looked away as it happened.

This was one of those.

"Do you know Greek?" Annabeth asked, resting a hand on his knee.

"Ancient," he said, before reciting a few lines Annabeth recognized. The roll of his tongue as he spoke the ancient language made her warm.

He paused right when the poem was getting good. "That was --"

"Goddess, sing of the cataclysmic wrath of great Achilles, son of Peleus, which caused the Greeks immeasurable pain and sent to many noble souls of heroes to Hades," Annabeth finished for him.

Percy smiled. "Didn't know you knew Ancient Greek."

Annabeth shrugged. "I'm hardly fluent, but I know the heavy hitters. I always preferred --" she recited a few lines in Greek herself. Percy was biting the inside of his lip and the tops of his cheeks had gone a bit pink.

"Tell me about a complicated man," Percy translated. "Muse," his gaze bore into her as if she were the muse, "tell me how he wandered and was lost when he had wrecked the holy town of troy, and were he went, and who he met, and the pain he suffered on the sea."

He rested a hand on her face, brushing her cheek with his thumb, before pulling her in. The kiss was soft, curious, almost romantic. She hummed as they pulled away from each other.

"I always thought you'd be more of an Odyssey girl," he said when they pulled away.

"What does that mean?" She asked, ready to be teased or insulted.

Percy just leaned back against the couch. "It means I think you have good taste and correct opinions," he said.

Well, he'd certainly figured out the right things to say to get her into bed.

Annabeth crawled onto his lap, straddling him, before pushing her loose blonde curls back and away from her face. Percy's hands settled on the backs of her thighs.

~*~

That Iliad thing only worked like ... 40% of the time. He couldn't believe it'd worked for her. But Percy should have guessed she'd know at least some of the classics. It was the kind of thing kids in their position got taught. It still worked though. And now he had Sweden's sweetheart back in his lap, short skirt, bare legs, grinding up against him.

"Can I touch you, princess?" He asked.

She nodded, and Percy's hand slipped under her skirt and pushed her panties to the side to get at her cunt. He smirked a little. Oh his little Iliad stunt had worked.

"Do you -- ah -- want to take them off?" Annabeth asked. "Or do you just think I'm so hideous you prefer if I keep my clothes on?"

He'd asked her to keep her gown on last night for at least the first round. It was deep, royal blue, strapless, glittery, and it was driving him wild all night. He asked her to ride him in it, and she had. It was an image Percy would never forget, even if they had ruined some of the inner layers of fabric.

"God, no, Annabeth," Percy said, pulling her in for a kiss. Hideous? Even as a joke it was an outrageous thing for her to say. "I just like messing you up. Getting you wet and rumpled. I like making this perfect princess do a real walk of shame back to her castle."

Annabeth's cheeks were flushed, but that might be because he'd found a spot that had her back arching, and had her grinding her clit against the heel of his palm.

"I'd have to be ashamed first. And I don't walk to my castle. I have a private jet," she said.

"And a callous disregard for the environment," Percy teased.

"I'm too important for business class," she said. But that was where her teasing ending. She pitched forward towards him, her lips pressing against his neck as she kissed and nipped at the skin. "Percy, talk to me," she whispered in his ear.

"Talk?" He asked.

"Talk dirty."

Percy panicked. He usually had a little dirty talk up his sleeve, but he'd used it all up on his little walk of shame spiel. He was, in reality, painfully earnest and romantic. It made for a great wedding toast, but not for dirty talking a hookup.

She spoke ancient Greek. What were the odds she also knew Spanish. Pretty high, he figured, probably pretty high. But ...

"[You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen,]" he tried in a lusty tone. He'd spent his years in New York learning a more Latin American accent. It pissed his pretentious family off, but the Spanish lisp simply wasn't very sexy in his opinion.

"I like that," Annabeth said. "Am I supposed to know what you're saying?" She asked.

"No, that's part of the fun," he said. Thank god.

He went on. There were some dirty things in there, like how he planned to eat her out, and how he loved being inside her. And then that slipped so quickly into praising how beautiful and smart she was. How happy he was that she was here. How he'd wanted her for years. How she passed every expectation.

Corny and painfully honest shit like that, until she was gasping his name, thighs trembling, and getting impossibly wetter around his fingers. He simply kissed her as her orgasm finished, before slipping her panties back into place, swiping his finger over her now-covered cunt, to make sure they were a proper mess.

Annabeth was breathing hard in his lap, her gray eyes fixed on his. He expected her to say something. Something witty and maybe a little mean (he liked when she was mean. If she bullied him enough right now, he might just cum).

But she just leaned forward again, and captured him in a hot, desperate kiss.

"Should I return the favor in Swedish?" She joked between hot kisses.

She'd settled down into his lap, grinding her ruined panties against his clothed hard cock. He needed her, she could tell. She'd given him head this morning before they parted ways and before The Sun exposed their hookup. She'd become well acquainted with what a desperate, needy Percy looked like.

Really, she wasn't going to speak Swedish to him unless he asked. She knew it wasn't the hottest language out there.

She hadn't meant to, but she'd set Percy up for failure, and herself up to be insulted.

"That's alright," he said. A good start. "It makes you sound like a muppet." Horrific ending.

Jokes about meatballs and flat pack furniture? Fine, respectable even. The Swedish Chef? A joke she heard enough at her all-girls boarding school.

Annabeth frowned and got off his lap.

"Wait --" he said. She just stood and walked away from the couch, choosing to instead snoop around his room while she decided what her next move was. "Annabeth, I'm sorry. That was too far."

"It was," she said.

There was a large, blue velvet box on his dresser. She knew what boxes this size usually held. She opened it. She knew it was the Prussian Diamond tiara that belonged to his aunt, but she played dumb.

Annabeth held up the tiara (carefully). "How many other princesses join you in here?" She asked.

Percy stood and walked over to her. He took the tiara out of her hands. "It's my aunts. My cousin asked me to make sure it made it to the event so she could wear it, and then she canceled. Said she had some punk concert at a Berlin leather bar or something."

The Spanish princess was so much cooler than she was.

She thought Percy would move to put it back, make sure this heirloom of his country stayed safe, but instead, he placed it on her head.

"You're the only princess, I promise," he said. "Sorry for making fun of you and your national language," he said, before kissing her gently. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings like that."

Annabeth decided to forgive him, and pick up on their little game.

"It doesn't seem like you respect my country very much," she said, the confidence in her voice returning.

"I do," he promised, pressing his body up against hers, and pressing her back into the dresser behind her. He buried his face in her shoulder, kissing whatever skin he could find.

"Prove it," she said. "Bow."

She felt a slight shift in Percy's demeanor. He was going to yield to her, and just like that, too.

Percy stepped back, held his back straight, and dropped his head quickly.

"Better than that," she said.

He rested his forearm across his torso, before bending at the waist.

"Lower," she instructed. He hinged at the hips. Still not right. "Get on your knees," she told him. Percy dropped.

He watched her from his spot on the floor, big green eyes empty of anything but desire. She would have fun with this, she was sure.

Annabeth unbuttoned her shirt before tossing it aside. Then her bra. she shimmied out of her skirt, and then dropped her panties, kicking them towards the pile. She left the Spanish queen's tiara on. Annabeth had always liked breaking the rules, and she had never been a fan of Percy's aunt.

Annabeth hooked a leg over Percy's shoulder, getting his head between her legs.

"Please," Percy begged.

Annabeth smiled. "Go ahead."

Annabeth was wise enough to return the tiara to the box before Percy tossed her on the bed to eat her front to back. She'd never had anyone play with her ass in any way, so when his tongue slipped back there ... well, she was surprised he enjoyed it so much, and really surprised she enjoyed it so much. Annabeth was also pretty sure Percy nearly came from rutting against the sheets as she came on his face a third time.

"I lied to you before," Annabeth said with a giggle as Percy washed his face and mouth before she finally let him inside her. "My dad is furious about the pictures, and demands you marry me to preserve my honor."

Percy stepped out with a smile on his face. She'd peeled his clothes off at some point, so he was all tattoos, muscle, and hard cock.

"You enjoyed that so much you're going to marriage trap me Bridgerton-style?" He asked with a grin.

Annabeth pulled him back into bed. "I just might have to. Where did you learn how to do that?" She asked.

Percy paused and tilted his head side to side as he decided what to say, before landing simply on: "Gay sex, mostly."

Annabeth offered a shocked, open mouthed smile. "Oh!" she said.

"Is that okay?" He asked, twirling a curl around one of his fingers.

"Perfectly fine," she promised, "I just didn't expect you to be so frank."

"Frank and I did do that a lot," he said. She didn't know who Frank was, or if he was even real, or just a character he made up for the joke. "You're sure it's fine? Being with a bi dude?"

Annabeth giggled. "I went to an all-girls boarding school, Percy, I've had gay sex too." More than straight sex probably.

"I had a feeling you and Tristan McLean's daughter weren't just very good friends," he teased.

"Well, duh," Annabeth confessed. She and Piper were very good friends now. College was a different story.

Annabeth rolled onto her back and reached a hand out for him.

"What is it, princess?" He asked.

"You've been very patient," she said. Percy nodded. "Do you want me to blow you or do you want to fuck me?" She asked, offering him the choice.

Percy crawled on top of her before kissing her. He'd made such a sweet submissive, and she wondered if she could draw that out of him more. She'd be willing to bet it wasn't uncharted territory for him.

But he seemed different now. He held her wrists in her hands and pinned them over her head.

"Oh," she whimpered. Percy smirked down at her, as if to say gotcha. How he'd clocked her submissive streak too, she couldn't be sure.. But it was all an added bonus. The government wanted her to find a husband. She really just wanted a talented switch to take the edge off at the end of the day. She figure out romance some other time.

With each passing moment, Annabeth became more and more sure she needed to marriage trap this man, Bridgerton-style.

But while he rocked himself inside her, he started speaking Spanish again. So many sweet and lovely things about how beautiful she was, how much he adored her, how long he'd desired her. She might not have to marriage trap him. She might just have to date him, old school royal-on-royal style.

She'd confess to speaking Spanish in the morning. Right now, she just wanted to know what he said to her when he wasn't worried about winning their little games.

#percy jackson #annabeth chase #percabeth #n/sfw #modern royals au #My writing

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justforbooks · 1 year ago

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Sir John Boardman

Archaeologist who became a leading authority on the history of Greek art, with a particular interest in gems and finger rings

As a student, John Boardman, who has died aged 96, was able to recite by heart texts in Attic Greek, the form of the language used in ancient Athens. But while studying classics at Magdalene College, Cambridge, he encountered two archaeologists whose work encouraged him to apply that flair to the study of classical objects: Charles Seltman showed him coins, and Robert Cook vases.

To these he added carved gems, sculpture and architecture, on all of which he became a leading authority, and the author of more than 30 books.

On graduating in 1948, he took Cook’s advice not to study for a doctorate, but to go to Greece and do some research there. At the British School in Athens for the next two years, as well as travelling to destinations including Crete and Smyrna, he worked in the depths of the Athens National Museum on vases from the island of Euboea (the modern Evvia).

The diagnostic pot shape that he identified enabled later archaeologists and historians to track the paths of Greeks and Greek culture to the east – Al Mina in Syria – and the west – Pithecusae, today’s Ischia, in the gulf of Naples – and at many points between.

The Greek islands and the diaspora around the Mediterranean came to be recurring themes in Boardman’s work. In 1964 he published two books, The Greeks Overseas: Their Early Colonies and Trade, and Greek Art, both of which went on to further editions.

On his first visit to Greece he met Sheila Stanford, an artist, and after he had completed his national service in the Intelligence Corps (1950-52) they married in Britain. He then returned to the British School as assistant director (1952-55), and was given his own dig, on the island of Chios.

His party of excavators and helpers there included Michael Ventris, the architect who shortly aftewards announced his decipherment of the Linear B syllabic script as an early form of the Greek language, and Dilys Powell, the eventual film critic of the Sunday Times.

Back in Britain, Boardman served as an assistant keeper at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (1955-59). Its Cast Gallery, containing plaster casts of some 900 Greek and Roman sculptures, became his preferred academic home base, and he published a catalogue of its Cretan collection (1961).

Working on another, private, collection of art objects in the 1990s gave him ideas about world art, its interconnections and aims. This led him to distinguish three main “belts”: a northern one, running from Siberia to North America, where nomads favoured small items, often depicting animals; an urban one, from China to central America, more given to monumental architecture; and a tropical one characterised by human forms, notably of ancestors. He explored these ideas in The World of Ancient Art (2006).

Other publications included Greek Gems and Finger Rings (1970); handbooks on Athenian black-figure and red-figure vases (1974 and 1975); a lecture series given at the National Gallery of Art in Washington and published as The Diffusion of Classical Art in Antiquity (1994); Persia and the West (2000); The Archaeology of Nostalgia: How the Greeks Re-created Their Mythical Past (2002); numerous catalogues, particularly of gem collections, including the royal one at Windsor Castle; and excavation reports from Chios and from Tocra, in Libya.

After the Ashmolean appointment came university posts at Oxford, as reader in classical archaeology (1959-78) and then Lincoln professor of classical archaeology and art (1978-94). As professor emeritus, he continued to work from offices first in the Ashmolean and subsequently the classics faculty’s Ioannou Centre.

In 2020 he produced his autobiography, A Classical Archaeologist’s Life: The Story So Far. The last of its three parts focuses on a field of “minor” art that he showed could be anything but: Greek and Roman gems and finger rings. Called simply “Gems, Bob and Claudia”, it details the work that Boardman did first with the photographer Bob Wilkins and later an archivist of the Beazley Archive, in Oxford, Claudia Wagner. With her he co-authored Masterpieces in Miniature: Engraved Gems from Prehistory to the Present (2018).

Born in Ilford, Essex, John was the son of Clara (nee Wells), who had been a milliner’s assistant, and Arch (Frederick) Boardman, a clerk in the City. The family was not academic, but John was impressed by what he saw at the Victoria and Albert Museum and the British Museum when he visited them with his father, who died when John was 11.

While at Chigwell school, John experienced second world war aerial bombardment, of which he later had vivid memories. He found the study of Greek to be “magical”, and the school’s headteacher encouraged him to apply for a scholarship at his former Cambridge college.

Though his own career developed at a time when a doctorate was not obligatory, Boardman went on to supervise vast numbers of graduate students, scattered over several continents. He had an extraordinarily acute and retentive visual memory, was prodigiously efficient and well organised in his teaching – his lectures on Greek architecture and sculpture were a revelation – as in his research and writing, and welcomed the assistance provided by digital technology.

I first met him in his Ashmolean office, in 1969, keen for him to be my doctoral supervisor. Almost the first word he uttered was “Sparta”: not long before, he had published an account vastly improving on previous understanding of the sand, earth and relative dating of the artefacts found at the Artemis Orthia sanctuary site there. Like many others, I appreciated his meticulous standards of archaeological observation and historical interpretation.

Boardman once wrote that he felt more at home intellectually outside Oxford, indeed outside Britain, and he was involved with and recognised by institutions in Ireland, mainland Europe, the US and Australia. For almost three decades he was on the board of the Basel-based Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae (1972-99).

His activities in Britain were still considerable. He edited the Journal of Hellenic Studies (1958-65) and was a delegate of the Oxford University Press (1979-89). At the Royal Academy in London from 1989 onwards he occupied what had originally been Edward Gibbon’s seat of professor of ancient history. He was made a fellow of the British Academy in 1969, and knighted in 1986.

While ready to express a view in serious academic controversies he was resolutely apolitical. Nonetheless, he took the view that Lord Elgin’s dubiously acquired collection of sculptures from the Parthenon and other structures in Athens purchased by the UK in 1816 should remain in its entirety under the curation of the British Museum Trustees.

He received a lot of support from the publishers Thames & Hudson, and his very last publication came in the month of his death, in their Pocket Perspectives series. John Boardman on the Parthenon is a lightly illustrated repackaging of the lively text he had composed to accompany the black and white photographs of David Finn in the same publisher’s The Parthenon and Its Sculptures (1985).

Sheila died in 2005. He is survived by their children, Julia and Mark.

🔔 John Boardman, archaeologist and classical art historian, born 20 August 1927; died 23 May 2024

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

#just for books #John Boardman #in memoriam

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ledenews · 1 month ago

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BRIDGEPORT – Bridgeport Exempted Village School District opened its doors and gave a Bulldogs welcome to prospective students during Bring a Friend to School Day May 19. Each visiting student shadowed a friend who goes to school at Bridgeport, and they experienced firsthand all that the district had to offer. Administrators including High School Principal Jack Fisher greeted the visitors and asked about their interests, such as trades, activities, or music and the arts. Fisher said the high school welcomed 13 students. His guests looked forward to a fun, full day. “We’ve got a lot of new kids coming into our district today to check it out and see what it’s like to be a Bulldog, to see how great it is.” Fisher also touched on the district’s College Credit Plus program for students who want to get a head start on college classes. He said Bridgeport Schools will have even more to offer in the near future, thanks to the grant-funded multipurpose facility to be dubbed the Bridge. It will be construction on the district campus in the next two years, with groundbreaking May 28. “There’s going to be new programs. New opportunities here.” Middle School Principal Anne Haverty Lawson hosted 41 guest students. “It’s great for other kids in our community to be able to see what awesome things we do here at Bridgeport.” Elementary School Principal Kamaron Sabinski said 15 visiting students joined her elementary kiddos. “Bring a Friend is going great. The kids are happy to be here.” Fourth grade teacher Kelli Hilt had five visiting students in one of her classes, with two already planning to attend next school year. While they familiarized themselves, Hilt introduced the students to the district iPads that play a role in many of the interactive lessons. “They’ll get to see that experience that we do,” she said. “I’ve got an activity for them that involves them making something with the iPads, so we’re going to do that so they can see how we incorporate iPads in the classroom.” Bridgeport High School Principal Jack Fisher introduces visiting students to some of the programs and activities the school has to offer. Bridgeport Exempted Village School District gave visiting elementary, middle and high students an experience of the Bulldog spirit during Bring a Friend to School Day. Fourth grader Kaz invited Kaylynn to see the learning activities. “I wanted to show her everywhere around the school because she might be coming here next year.” Kaylynn, who is currently homeschooled, enjoyed accustoming herself to Bridgeport Elementary school. She found the activities matched her interest in art. “I really like this school,” she said. “A bunch of things are different here.” Skylar, another fourth grader, brought her friend Addi, who is moving to Bridgeport next year. Addi enjoyed activities related to math. “I wanted to see her and I wanted to see what the school was like,” Addi said. Seventh and eighth grade math teacher David Nelson involved his guest students in some inventive activities. The seventh graders were building scale houses out of cardboard, to reflect actual dimensions of a house. “I try to take what we’re learning in math and apply it to situations they will see out in the real world.” Seventh grader Nevaeh invited her friend Alayjah. Alayjah joined the students in their architectural project. “I think it’s pretty cool,” she said. “I wanted to meet Nevaeh’s nice friends.” Afterward, Nelson’s eighth graders were tasked with solving a simulated crime. “We have a crime scene in the back, and we have a story that they’ll work through. They’ll be detectives and model what happened,” he said. Nelson said teachers go above and beyond at Bridgeport. “We have great teachers that care about our students, and we just want the best for them and try to get them to achieve their best.” Visiting students gathered in the gymnasium toward the end of the day for an assembly to meet the heads of extracurricular activities and put a name and a face to the many programs at Bridgeport Schools. Fisher said this was a first step to building relationships in the district. “These days are really exciting. I think it’s great any time we can bring new kids into our district and show all the great things we do.” Guests heard from coaches and other program directors. Athletic Director Brittany Hicks spoke about sports and the exercise science classes. Head Football Coach Andrew Yahn and others highlighted the Bulldogs teams. Choir director Ashely Krieger and Band Director Kyle Turley introduced them to musical opportunities and theater director Rene Storm said some great productions were on the horizon. Sophomore Adalie Regoli invited Justice Wilson to spend the day at Bridgeport High. Regoli was happy to share the kindness and unity of the Bulldogs. “I was trying to show the way the community is,” she said. “Bridgeport is better about that. About keeping it to where everybody is more of a kindhearted person.” Following the assembly, Wilson commented on his experience. “The teachers are very nice,” he said. “I saw a lot of good here,” Wilson said. “It’s been fun, and it’s been nice throughout the day. I think it’s a great school.” Prior to the assembly, Krieger said she was excited to introduce visitors to general music classes, the middle and high school choir programs. “It’s a great idea, the Bring a Friend Day, so that students in neighboring districts can come and visit Bridgeport and see what programs we have to offer here and maybe get them interested in being future Bulldogs.” Yahn also said the Bridge is a herald of many more good things to come. “It’s a very exciting time, and we just want to get the word out that Bridgeport is going to be a great place to have a lot of opportunities for your kids to come to school.” Yahn added the Bulldog community is its strongest asset. “Us being a small school, it’s kind of that family atmosphere, and having a close-knit group, you’re able to build those relationships and work together.” Read the full article

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graziadiocenterilpostino · 3 months ago

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Alumna & Former Faculty Spotlight: Violetta Pasquarelli-Gascón

1. Please tell us a bit about yourself and your background in languages.

My name is Violetta Pasquarelli-Gascon. I am of Italian and Spaniard descent. I was born in Venezuela and lived there until I came to the States to pursue a higher education. I am fluent in Spanish, English and Italian, and have been a retired Italian instructor since December 31, 2023. My husband and I have two grown-up children, and we are grandparents of two little girls.

I graduated from the University of California at Irvine (UCI) with a Bachelor’s degree in computer science and a Master of Business Administration (MBA). I worked for an Institutional investor in Newport Beach as an Investment Analyst, investing in Fixed Income securities. After 13 years working there, I resigned and went to work with my husband who was starting his private label cosmetic manufacturing company.

2. What drew you to pursuing your studies at Cal State Long Beach and what degrees did you get? What opportunities developed from your experiences as a student?

One day while I was working at the company, I had a powerful inspiration to learn more about my Italian roots. That inspiration took me to the most amazing and self-fulfilling career path.

I started learning Italian as much as I could on my own, and a few months later I had the opportunity to take lessons from a dear friend. While I was working full time and taking private Italian lessons, I decided to continue my Italian studies at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo that had a 3-year Italian program. I used to go to school in the evenings after work. My passion for Italian continued strong. After I completed my studies at Saddleback, I applied for a Bachelor’s degree in Italian Studies at CSULB. During my years as a student in the Italian department, I met wonderful professors. I met students that, like me, were eager and passionate about Italy.

I was thriving. As soon as I completed my bachelor’s degree, I wanted to continue with my graduate studies, but at that time CSULB only offered undergraduate studies in Italian. Under the advice and request of Dr. Donato, the Interdisciplinary department created an Interdisciplinary Master program for me. The highlight of this type of program was taking courses from other disciplines within CSULB.

My passion and my love for Italy grew even more; great opportunities came up and I took them all, one by one slowly savoring the fruits that came for those experiences. Here are some of them:

A trip to Recanati (in Le Marche) – A professor from Campus L’Infinito came to us to give an informational talk about the school. Dr. Donato gave me the go ahead and that Summer I was on my way to Recanati. I happily ended up being the scout who gathered information to start the student travel abroad program to Campus L’Infinito. I went to Recanati several times as a student to improve my language skills and to get to know my Italian roots. During that time, I met amazing people who became my dear friends.

Another opportunity that led me to further advance in my learning quest was an Italian renaissance class that I took in the history department at CSULB. I was so inspired with what I learnt that the Summer after I took that class, I went to Florence and Rome, and under the guidance of some Italian professors, I went to churches, galleries, museums and saw in person the paintings, sculptures and architectural wonders I had studied in that class. That trip was exceptionally fulfilling!

Another opportunity presented itself after I took a graduate upper-division class, Teaching Methodologies. This class led me to something amazing; something that I did not foresee in my already 5-year studies at CSULB…a teaching job! Who would have imagined that I was going to be an Italian instructor? A few years later I was teaching Italian in the same department that I started at as a student.

3. How was your experience teaching at Long Beach? Why teach Italian specifically to Spanish speakers? How did you incorporate your different languages into your classes? What teaching approach did you use to facilitate the teaching of Italian to Spanish speakers?

My experience teaching Italian has been one of the best highlights in my professional life.

Teaching Italian to Spanish speakers was also rewarding and exciting. I was always pleased with my students’ accomplishments and their progress. The classes were taught in Italian and other languages were incorporated when needed.

In the Italian for Spanish speakers course students use Spanish in specific ways to facilitate their Italian learning process; Spanish opens a window of communication between languages and cultures.

I taught the course using the flipped classroom teaching approach: lectures were minimized; the focus of the class was on the students, not on the instructor. Students became active learners from the beginning to the end of the lesson; one of the most important features of this approach is that students do their assignments at home so in class they are ready and prepared to discuss their acquired knowledge, and to reinforce it, they practice the language and learn about the Italian culture in small groups via meaningful activities. The class tended to be always lively, interesting with discussions and conversations about the subject. I enjoyed teaching this class very much.

Some of the benefits of learning Italian language and culture through the mother tongue are as follows: Students understand the importance of their mother tongue in the learning of the Italian language. It also promotes pride in cultural and linguistic heritage. It promotes reflection on languages and allows students to develop knowledge and competences via association, transfer, comprehension, comparison and so forth. Students are more self-confident as the student develops the ability to transfer personal knowledge when learning another language. Students were motivated to learn even more because of the ease of learning and communicative results of using Spanish as a bridge to learn Italian.

4. What is your favorite country to travel to and why?

My favorite countries to travel to are Italy and Portugal.

Italy because it is part of my Italian heritage, and I enjoy visiting with friends and going places that I haven’t been before.

Portugal because my daughter and her family live there and since I go often to Lisbon, I would like to learn Portuguese to immerse myself in the day to day living.

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cathedralbellz · 5 months ago

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blog/vent: today was productive?

i started off my day pretty good, i did some morning stretches, did my makeup, woke up early, made sure i was confident and then i went to skewl

school was alright, i wrote a timed essay, worked on my credit recovery which is super dumb btw, i hate it

i hatehatehate credit recovery, it isn't even a class i failed its just a class i never took that they JUST fixed

the school system is always fucking me sideways (ᗒᗣᗕ)՞

i did some stuff for my management class and joked around with some of my tablemates, quietly though bc that teacher was mad, my friend had one of those bubble blowing thingies, the ones with carcinogens and the straws, that was fun :3

then L and i went home and i went on a walk with my dog, when i got back home again i studied. i think i got a solid 2 1/2 hours of studying in which was SWEET !!! im so proud of myself, i finished my math assignment, studied for the test, did some of my AP english work and felt pretty good after. i felt like an egotistical freak though which was a high i had no idea existed but im not really complaining bc it felt so good ψ( ` ∇ ´ )ψ

after, i called L and we had a nice conversation up until she brought up colleges. im all for college but ive been having a lot of issues with it lately. ive been trying to ignore it but i just cant help feeling awful about it.

i applied for 5 colleges and 2 accepted me and 1 rejected me. my dream college rejected me. i was really shaken up and i felt so awful, i cried for like an hour. i felt like crap but i decided to ignore it and pretend like it didnt happen but im starting to come to terms with the reality that im running out of time.

the two other colleges that were my big backups havent even contacted me and im losing all hope. i dont even have a student portal for one of them. i feel so awful, they were supposed to be in my target range too, they were supposed to be easy for me to get into, even with my old GPA. i feel really shitty, the fact that i couldnt even get into the schools that were supposed to be easy for me just really really sucks.

i wanna get into a college where i can get a good education because architecture is NOT easy. its so much work and i wanna be able to get a good education for it. i wanna be able to have a good career and know a lot about it.

i KNOW what i want for myself. i KNOW ive been working hard but no one is gonna see it now. no one looks at senior year grades and it feels so awful.

L also said shes considering going to another college and i really wanted to go to the same college as her :(

i really wanted to start another school year with her and it just feels so unfair. things are really starting to suck again and all i can do is keep working harder and harder because ive come too far to stop now

it feels like im putting in twice as much work and effort for so much little results

sorry for venting so long, i just felt so good and now i feel really really crappy :(

college stuff is really kicking my butt

#personal blog #self help #self appreciation #wlw blog #self love #relationship #goshikku #gyaru #university #college #vent post

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indrivingto · 11 months ago

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Liminality

background: my interested in this concept started with an anthropology paper that looked at Victor Turners studies. it then devoloped with the english papers which had me reading Kazuo Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day which i found an article fascinating which looked at this narrative as being liminal, as well as viewing Mr Steven's journey as that of a pilgrims, and thus not without its liminal components ...etc....

here are two of the the articles that i will norte go into detail because ove read them and thought about them a decent amount already but as a reminder to myself that they are there and can be a useful framewaork to think and approach one of many angles of thinking.

this idea of the Liminal can be applied to the concept and it can be applied to the visual style/aesthetic.

"Liminal space aesthetics... refers to a visual style that captures a sense of being in-between, often associated with transitional or ambiguous spaces."

a state of transition or ambiguity, typically experienced during rites of passage or moments of change. - ambiguous disorientation experienced during the middle phase of a rite of passage.

"the experience of liminality can be linked to a sensation of floating—an unsettling vortex that breaks through thresholds."

we are all always, and have always been, in a state of transition.

i discovered this short article, "blog-like", and found I resonated with what was written, particularly in regards to a personal experience. i felt it also applied to my study of the vehicle and the power it has to open our minds to the many roads of wandering thought.

we find "enlarged powers" in the transitions from one place to another.

"the threshold separating an old identity from a new one."

they sum it as, "Liminality can occur when you’re between jobs or relationships or school semesters. But as Emerson notes, it’s perhaps felt most acutely when you’re en route from one place to another."

and then furthers this with this Emerson guy's personal account..

"I get a wonderful feeling of disorientating-orientation walking through an airport. But I especially love a long road trip. I love feeling that no one knows exactly where I am. That I’ve slipped the structures of my ordinary life.

Emerson said such experiences must “be adroitly managed to present as much transitional surface as possible.” To me that means riding the inherent perspective-altering qualities of liminal spaces by using them as times for maximal reflection. When I’m driving out West, I gaze through the windshield in absolute silence for hours on end. I think my best thoughts.

In day-to-day life, current circumstances seem completely set and unchangeable. During a “crossing,” you sense how very fluid and malleable they actually are. That what has been, doesn’t have to be.

Sitting at Gate 18, you can come to realise that just as your trip is in process, so is your life."

“Frozen in time without their usual bustling energy, these spaces emphasize the profound impact of human presence within designed environments,” Mili Kyropoulou, an assistant professor in the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design at the University of Houston, tells Popular Mechanics.

Here are some key features and insights about liminal aesthetics:

a. Mood and Atmosphere: Liminal aesthetics often evoke a sense of mystery, nostalgia, and introspection. It embraces the beauty of twilight, foggy landscapes, empty hallways, and other in-between moments that evoke a feeling of uncertainty or anticipation.

b. Symbolism: This aesthetic may incorporate symbolic elements such as bridges, doorways, mirrors, or other objects representing transitions or thresholds between different states or realms.

c. Minimalism: The visual style of liminal aesthetics often leans towards minimalism, with muted colour palettes, soft lighting, and simple compositions. This simplicity helps to enhance the focus on the liminal space itself and the emotions it evokes.

By Rashmi Haralalka....

aesthetics revolve around pictures of transitional areas devoid of life, such as malls in the early morning, empty parking lots or a school hallway during summer.

Liminal space aesthetics are built around the unique feelings of eeriness, nostalgia, and apprehension people describe when presented with such places outside of their designed context; most notably, their function as intermediary points between origin and destination. For instance, an empty stairwell or hospital corridor at night might look sinister or uncanny because these places are usually brimming with life and movement. The absence of external stimuli, such as conversations or the motion of people, creates an atmosphere often described as otherworldly and forlorn.

Liminal space aesthetics consists of any room, corridor, or hallway that is big and empty, yet carries an eerie and unsettling vibe with it; this part is key in separating the Liminal Space aesthetic from just a regular photo of an empty room, corridor or hallway.

one artist model i have looked at, captures just this...His name is

and here... a collection of his work that i think captures the "liminal".

encroaching darks, cold blues, sickening yellow, bright greens, slivers of unkownen

there is a nothingness that drags on beyond the boarders of Hido's photographs. its lonely, dabbed lightly into a gentle sadness. yet there is something else there, as if a bud is just about to break the service of soil in its readiensess to grow and to change. similar to the green hope that speckles the grey ground in the aftermath of forest fires, as nature heals herself.

Maarten Vromans

in my personal experience, looking through a car window has at times distorted my vision of 'reality'. weither this is the speed/time taken while moving past scapes, some famiiar some und familar.

Maarten's 'Lucky Shots' capture this and to myself the movement in them is willing to a sense of transition.

the familiar becoming boring yet different every time its past as other factors are changing to making our perception of it different or it itself different. new scapes can be exciting, thought provoking, refreshing, evoking new feelings and sensations.

my reality of what i am seeing is also influenced bu the glass of the window itself, is it layered with waternarks, scratches, bird shit, bee shit, pollen, dust, how do these obstructions of my view tell a story of where ive been or where i might be heading.

the bee shit and pollen appears more often and readily when i've been spending time on my fathers lifestyle block, out here there im around hives and flowers and leaves. dust and dirt then perhaps a gravel road or on a farm,

or the window is down and there is nothing but wind and smells that distract my mind from the sights and my eyes will close and i will embrace the feeling of air pressing firm into my face. imagining in this moment if it would be a similar feeling to jump out of a place and be force to face all this gust.

i feel the liminal is a beautiful way to capture the constant never ending flux we and everything around us is in, across our lives on this earth

the abstact, the detail, and a show of movement i feel is what im leaning towards in order to communicate my ideas. as more of a painter i'm leaning towards what i know. and that is detail, and abstract.

the following websites are some of the ones ive looked at to familarise myself with the art of macro photography and capturing motion in photography.

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anibalglez · 1 year ago

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FINAL CURATED PORTFOLIO & Artists Statements.

GESTURE ( FROM SECOND DAY OF CLASS)

CONTOUR ( SECOND DAY OF CLASS )

BLIND CONTOUR

5MIN POSE (first weeks of class)

BLIND CONTOUR POSE

DRAWING EGGS

BLIND CONTOUR HANDS

STUDIES OF SKULLS

THORACIC CAVITY & *PELVIC STUDY (Spine in lieu of Pelvic study)

SKELETON STUDIES done IN CLASS

PEER PORTRAIT

SELF PORTRAIT /3 VIEWS

PERSPECTIVE STUDIES(3 FIGS color)

MIDTERM

Museum of Contemporary Arts of North Miami Visit

FINAL PAINTING (ONE)

ARTIST STATEMENTS

-MIDTERM:

In my self-portrait, I depicted myself wearing a football shirt from AJAX, a legendary club in Europe. Holding a football in my left hand, I aimed to showcase my deep passion for the sport, which has been a significant part of my life since I grew up playing it in Spain. In my right hand, I held headphones, symbolizing my daily reliance on music, without which I feel incomplete. The background featured a grid structure that I incorporated as a nod to my studies in architecture, where grids play a crucial role in design organization. To reinforce this connection, I included a quick sketch of a two-point perspective structure. Overall, the portrait captures multiple aspects of my identity and interests, blending my love for sports, music, and architecture into one cohesive depiction. Crafting this piece was both enjoyable and meaningful, allowing me to express myself through a blend of visual elements that represent who I am.

-FINAL:

In my final project, I wanted to show how people have been feeling during COVID-19 using drawings inspired by ancient Greece and my architecture studies. I picked three poses that represent different aspects of the pandemic.

The central figure stands with one arm extended, representing the necessity of social distancing. This figure turns their back to the other two, emphasizing the physical isolation that many have experienced. Their posture embodies the cautiousness and wariness prevalent in our interactions.

On the left, another figure stands in an awkward position, arms folded protectively over their chest. This stance reflects the discomfort and uncertainty that has permeated social interactions during the pandemic. By facing away from the other poses, showing how disconnected we've felt.

The third figure lies alone on the ground, portraying a sense of boredom, this is something that has affected numerous individuals during periods of lockdown and isolation.

To add my architectural studies into the painting, I depicted the figures as if they were statues reminiscent of ancient Greek art. Adorned in traditional Greek attire such as robes and gladiator sandals, they stand amidst columns and other architectural elements evocative of ancient Greece.

-CURATED PORTFOLIO:

As I wrap up this semester's portfolio, I'm excited for my transition to FIU after my time at Miami Dade College. Initially hesitant about drawing classes, I found unexpected joy in figure drawing and painting.

Among the materials we used, charcoal pencils stood out as my favorite due to their versatility in achieving different tones.

My favorite assignment was the Midterm, where I challenged myself with a self-portrait. Using familiar materials boosted my confidence and resulted in a successful drawing.

I faced obstacles in figure drawing initially, specially I had never drawn figures and I have always been afraid of drawing persons since I found it as one of the most difficult things to do, but the structured approach of the class, breaking down each step, for example, the skeleton, egg and hand studies helped me overcome my fears. Looking ahead, I aim to grow my knowledge in architecture.

In conclusion, this semester has been a journey of growth and discovery. I'm grateful for the opportunity to expand my skills and look forward to applying them in the future.

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anis-book-club · 1 year ago

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review: the cuban girl's guide to tea and tomorrow by laura taylor namey

read: 21 january 2024—22 january 2024

medium: audiobook

⭐️2/5

every time i think about this book i want to drop half a star from my rating.

it's okay. it will stay at a 2/5 for now.

usually i don't take the time to actually review a book because i am busy and tired, but i just keep thinking about how much i want to talk about my issues with this book.

i think this book really bothers me because i lived lila's eventual dream life. i moved from the united states to england for university three years ago, and there are a couple of things that just felt really off about lila's character arc and the characterisation of the british characters.

as i said, i'm american and therefore i don't have much claim to knowing exactly how british people act and speak, and that awareness made me wonder if laura taylor namey had it right and i was wrong. later i spoke to my british flatmate and she sort of validated some of my issues with how the british characters spoke—namely that i think i heard/read the word "bloody" more times in the less-than-nine-hours duration of this novel than i have in the entirety of my three years living in the u.k. there may be some regional and generational differences in speech, but "bloody" doesn't really seem to be a prominent staple in british gen z slang in my limited experience. it honestly felt like an american-held stereotype of british speech given personality (and not all that much personality if i'm being honest).

moving on.

i felt like the writing of lila's coming to love england wasn't done very well. this is something that i closely understand and identify with, and the way it was handled in this novel felt very abrupt and awkward. if you're going to tell me that lila 'loves england', you have to show me as well, and i don't think that was accomplished. i took greater issue to it because a big part of her monologues about 'loving england' was that, for her, england was tied to orion. it started to feel like she only loved england because she loved orion. this isn't strictly true, and i think she does cite a few other reasons why she wanted to stay in england, but tellingly, i don't remember what any of them were. i know that not every person who moves to england will fall in love with it the way i did, but i remember being absolutely in wonder at the architecture, the culture, the atmosphere, the transportation links, the blend of modernity and antiquity, and so much more. i didn't get that feeling from lila's narration, and i think more time should have gone into exploring that.

a couple of very small lines at the end compounded this feeling of "that's not how that works". the first was a conversation between lila and pilar, where she says the word "petrol" instead of "gas". the second was her telling orion that she had submitted an application to a university in london and started applying for her student visa.

let me explain.

in my experience, vocabulary shifts take a lot of time. when you grow up into early adulthood saying one thing, it's not going to take only two and a half months for you to slip out of that and randomly start using another word. there are certainly some british words that someone might intentionally switch to using as opposed to the american equivalent.

for me, that was words like 'uni(versity)' over 'college' and, more recently (as in, in the last four months or so), 'trousers' over 'pants'. these are both because 'college' and 'pants' mean something different in england than they do back home, and i use these words daily to discuss my uni work. also, to me, 'petrol' is such a random choice. in my entirety of living here, i've probably heard the word 'petrol' only a handful of times. granted, i live in london where i and all of my friends use public transportation, which might not be the case for lila—i can't remember.

regardless, my point is that if your vocabulary is going to shift within only two months, it's going to be a word you use and hear daily, and you'd probably have to put the mental awareness into using the new word. her slipping up speaking to her american sister and saying 'petrol' just doesn't seem realistic. there is a plethora of more common words that namey could have used to make it more believable.

finally, i think i had a visible and audible reaction to the student visa comment. in public.

this was such a small comment in the grand scheme of the novel but it made me wonder if namey had researched at all how applying for a student visa from the u.s. to the u.k. works. if all of my above points are strictly subjective and reliant on my individual experience, this is the single point i will make that is based in facts.

the specific statement is something like "i applied [to the uni] and started my student visa application this morning" (i'm not entirely sure of the wording nor punctuation, i no longer have access to the book). i read this as she'd submitted her application to study and her application for a student visa on the same day, but i will allow that it could be read as she had submitted her application to study on an earlier date and had started the visa process that morning.

it doesn't matter which interpretation is the correct one because it doesn't make sense logistically either way. i've had to apply for two student visas over my three years of studying so far. to apply for a student visa, you need a number code that is given to you from the school after you've been accepted. for both courses i was accepted into, the application process started in february or march at the very latest, and it took over a month for me to be accepted. from then, it took a few months for me to even get that number code so i could start the visa application. you can't really get very far in the visa application process without that code because it's the thing that tells the u.k. government that you have a school sponsoring your residency.

even if she applied to the school as soon as she got home (and she didn't), there would still only be two weeks between then and her telling orion that she had started the visa process, which is definitely not enough time at all. it's such a small detail, but that was the final straw for any believability i might have given the novel credit for previously. it made me feel like this wasn't a well-researched novel, which is a shame, because i do believe that namey really loves england, and i wish she had let this interest show in her work.

if i didn't have these experiences, i don't think i would have noticed these inconsistencies and misrepresentations.

anyway, i read this book because i learnt while doing research for an essay that kit connor is cast in the movie adaptation. will i still be watching the movie? yes. because while it lacked depth and all i have done in this review is discuss some of its faults, it was still a sweet and relatively enjoyable read. i definitely think that the movie has the potential to be a very lighthearted and easy thing to watch.

tl;dr because i recognise that this review is, indeed, too long: this book was cute and lighthearted, though it lacked the sort of depth i usually look for in novels. there were a lot of inconsistencies in the writing of the british characters and lila's love for england that bothered me because they paralleled my own experiences, but not well. i recognise that this might be entirely subjective and someone else could find that lila's story was a great representation of their individual experience.

#the cuban girl's guide to tea and tomorrow #laura taylor namey #genre: young adult #genre: romance #genre: contemporary

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mcbrownartapp · 1 year ago

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Virtual Sketchbook #1

1.) Five facts about Jackson Pollock and his work Autumn Rhythm No 30:

Jackson Pollock made his first “drip” or “action painting” in 1947, where he lays the canvas on the floor and used multiple methods of applying paint including drips, splatters, and brushworks from above.

Another one of Pollock’s paintings (No. 5, 1948) became the world’s most expensive painting of that time selling in May of 2006 for 140 million dollars.

Pollock had a movie Oscar winning movie made about him titled, “Pollock”.

Autumn Rhythm No. 30 was bought for $20,000 from Pollock’s estate following his untimely death at the age of 44 in 1956.

Autumn Rhythm No. 30 is currently at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

My first thoughts when looking at Autumn Rhythm was that it seemed chaotic and a little overwhelming. Having little exposure in art and not fully comprehending intentions when it comes to abstract work, I felt like I wasn’t understanding what the artist was trying to convey. But the more I looked at it, I began to see the flow and movement in the patterns of paint. After researching the art piece and its creator, Jackson Pollock, I have come to learn that what I first saw as chaos is the opposite. Pollock purposefully and intentionally made each stroke, splatter, and drip the way that he wanted, making the abstract painting a uniquely beautiful piece or artwork.

Autumn Rhythm (No. 30) Jackson Pollock

2.) This is from a picture from a coloring book my mom finished while she was receiving treatment at Moffitt Cancer Center. She had just undergone a bone marrow transplant that required a very potent dose of chemo that left her unable to talk, walk, stand or do much else. She was, however, able to create the picture. She was fighting for her life and was still able to put bright, hopeful colors into it. This was an incredibly difficult time for my family and despite the odds, my mom pulled through and beat leukemia. I have this up in my room as a reminder of the strength it took to get through that time and to always try to look on the bright side.

3.) My name is Mary. I am a 29-year-old Caucasian female (recently turned 29, 30 is still aways away 😊). I am from Fort Wayne, Indiana. My family used to vacation in Siesta Key and always dreamed of living in Florida. We finally were able to move to North Port in 2018. My favorite thing to do when I don’t have much going on is puzzles. My friends call me an old lady because I would rather stay in doing puzzles than go out most times. I have been a bartender/server since I was 19, which is long enough. I am very ready to finish college and begin on a new career path. A unique part of me is that I aspired to be a professional photographer, specializing in landscapes, architecture, and animals. My original major at SCF was Digital Photography, but after I became pregnant with my first child in 2022, I decided to switch to a more stable profession in the medical field. I hope taking Art Appreciation will allow me to learn more about my creative side and I can continue pursue photography as a hobby.

4.)

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ejenvs3000w24 · 1 year ago

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What is My Ideal Role of Environmental Interpretation?

Describe your ideal role of environmental interpreter.

An ideal role of environmental interpretation that I could see myself pursuing is not necessarily a career being a nature interpreter, but one where I apply what I’ve learnt to effectively interpret nature to clients as a landscape designer. Although pursuing a career as a conversation tour guide would be amazing, which I may still do in the future, I would love to be able to learn how to think like an environmental interpreter and use that knowledge to interpret the landscape I will eventually be partaking in designing. I think any field that involves some sort of design aspects, whether that's creating a management plan, interpretive tour guide, or piece of art, includes important aspects of interpretation. One of Freeman Tilden’s six principles of interpretation states, “interpretation is an art…through different scientific, historical, or architectural mediums” (Tilden, 1957). The medium I wish to explore is the symbiotic relationship between the natural environment and the built environment.

What might this entail?

Well it's a combination of so many factors playing together; it's purposely choosing certain materials or plants that “best” fit certain environments, whether they are placed in urban plazas or a children's playground. These “best fits” are often propelled by favorable environmental conditions, as well as the site's past, present, and future history (Beck & Cable, 2011). Being able to interpret this kind of information to unsuspecting visitors can be quite challenging. This is due to different concepts and theories often being overlooked by the public, because what they see, for example, is just another combination of dirt, cement, grass and trees—but what you see is a rich history which paints a picture for how this landscape use to function, and the footsteps which paved the way. This is what Beck & Cable, 2011 call “the gift of personalizing the past”; and this is one of the goals I wish to invoke when interpreting environments to others.

Where might it be?

Ideally, this type of interpretation would take place on the site “to-be”. It would involve the site itself, its surrounding environment, and the landscapes which surround that. I have had many experiences in my program where we would go to a site we are planning to design, and our professor would explain the context and importance, and why we should care about designing this piece of land. It’s only until now that I see what they were doing was interpreting the environment to us, instilling the desire to care about creating experiences for others (Beck & Cable, 2011). Conversely, since the end of 2019, this form of interpretation took place online, via zoom, teams, google earth, and other software's that allowed students to gain some type of bond to a landscape we couldn’t touch.

What skills might you need?

The skills I thought I would need to invoke this sort of experience are the ones gained from my program, but soon after reading our textbook, specifically in chapter 5, I realize I am not as educated or prepared as I thought I was. I am used to understanding and gaining knowledge of the past history of a particular site, and using that as an aid to implement certain materials or programs. I have even explored ideas of estimating how visitors will experience a site; how will a parent with a stroller versus a college student or a senior be able to have a meaningful experience in the short or long amount of time that they are on the site. What is a curveball for me, which I learnt from our textbook, is the importance and application of thematic communication. Sam Ham argues that a theme’s purpose isn’t to be remembered by an audience, nor to tell an audience what matters most; “its singular purpose is to stimulate thinking about and around the theme” (Ham, 2013). This is something I can tell I’m going to struggle with a bit, as I've spent the past four years taking landscape architecture, and one of the main goals for designing is to choose materials with a purpose, and that purpose always should relate to one's theme or concept. Now as I am learning about thematic communication, I realize I’m going to have to consciously stop my brain from thinking too much into how the theme will cohesively connect, to thinking about feelings or reactions the theme will elicit from others (Beck, 2011).

Beck, L., & Cable, T. (2011). The gifts of interpretation: Fifteen guiding principles for interpreting nature and culture (3rd ed.). Urbana, IL: Sagamore.

Ham, S. (2013). Interpretation: Making a difference on purpose. Golden, CO: Fulcrum Publishing.

Tilden, F. (1957). Interpreting our heritage. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Caro-lina Press.

#nature interpretation #landscape architect #environmental design #nature

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winxbutbetterimo-ovo · 1 year ago

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Alfea overview

The Alfea College for Fairies is a girls' boarding school in Magix for Fairies and the oldest (established 9000 years bef the start of the story) and most prestigious educational institution for fairies.

The education in Alfea lasts 3 years, one for each Fairy Form in the journey of an aspiring full-fledged fairy.

The Alfea students are mostly in training ages 16-18 (unless they have been held back a grade like Stella, so in her case, 17). Fairies here learn how to control their power, fight evil, learn new spells as well as learn how to be their realms' queens and guardian fairies. In this way, alphea is a little like a boarding school for the elites.

(i might draw a whole map for alfea in the future)

In the Past

The Alfea Champions were an ancient trio of legendary fairies who were believed to be the most powerful fairies in all of Alphea History. Their feats have been known to be passed down through generations, immortalised in statues that stand in the Alphea Archives, and had been recorded in Legendarium. Ress of the Flame, Chevonne of the Water and Farcelia of the Wind. According to Daphne, they are the strongest fairies in Alphea history. However, if other fairies are bonded with pixies, they could overpower the Champions of Alfea as they refused the bondings of the pixies as they were very prideful.

Alfea also used to have a crest which was a curved golden "A" on a purple and blue flower with a golden outline at the top of the school gates, just above Alfea's gate. The "A" of the crest is also seen on what used to be the school's uniform, consisting of a burgundy long-sleeved and knee-length dress and mary janes. The neck part of the dress has white lace and a dark burgundy loop.

At another point in time, Eldora was the keeper of the Alfea Greenhouse and taught floral magic.

School years

First Year

Freshmen fairies learn how to master their own source of power, as well as their first fairy form, and learn many basic spells they can use in their daily life as well as spells cast spontaneously and on instinct. metamorphosis, Potionology and training exercises are part of the curriculum. Fairies also learn how to explore diverse environments in the Simulation Room.

Second Year

In their cognitive analysis class, fairies learn technical incantations, and spells requiring accurate pronunciation. Other classes include magic invocation, magic self-defense, and applied convergence. They also have the goal of earning Charmix, a power-up that will temporarily boost their magic.

Third Year

Additional classes include History of Magic, and Cosmomagic. After spring break, fairies are tasked with their final exam, and earning Enchantix is more like an extra credit thing, the Final Fairy Form in a fairy's formal educational journey to become a full-fledged fairy. Those who achieve Enchantix will participate in training exercises to hone their abilities.

Graduation

After earning Enchantix, the basic fairy education is completed and they will graduate with honours and receive the titles of Guardian Fairies of their respective homeworlds on the Day of the Gift. Without Enchantix, the girls still graduate, but they don't become guardian fairies. In this case, they return to their home world and can decide if they want to work towards being a guardian fairy by being an apprentice to one until they earn their Enchantix, or they can do something else.

Winx After Graduation

the Winx, taught for a short period of time, before choosing to take their masters here in various subjects in addition to being substitute teachers from time to time.

Architecture, rooms, security

outside

The Alfea Natural Park, which is a refuge for Fairy Animals, is found in the forest. (opens in season 7) It is unknown if these parts of the forest belong to the school or not, but they are also used by the scool for classes and tests.

There is a bus stop where students, guests, and staff members can take buses from and to Magix City and to other places in Magix.

The non-forested area around the castle is used by the students to spend their time or for classes which can be used for tests, exams, and training.

Protective barriers meant to keep non-magical creatures, non-fairies, and bad weather out are seen many times in the series. Their power source is magic.

The School Gates are the only access to the school compound. They consist of a large pink archway with two wing-like doors that move to open or close the gates. By the time the Winx had joined Alfea, the crest had been removed and replaced with an orb of the same colour as the school walls

Its campus is a large castle with pink walls and blue roofs built around a courtyard.

Ground Floor

The Classrooms are found on the ground floor around the central courtyard, including, Potions Laboratory. The School Kitchen, where Chef Sfoglia works, Students may also be assigned to do the cooking as chores or as punishment. The Entrance Hall is a large room found opposite the School Gates, and it is accessed by a set of stairs. The Entrance hall opens into corridors through which the classrooms can be accessed and it has a stairway from which the upper parts of the school can be accessed. The School Hall is a large room found on the ground floor. It has a large dome of glass as its outer wall and there are long tables where the students have their breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It has a special tier for staff members. Parties and balls are often held there and during such occasions, the tables are removed to make a place for the festivities. It is found below the Headmistress' Office and behind the Entrance Hall. The School Hospital is where students are treated in case of health problems and injuries. It is composed of an office and a resting room with many beds. It is managed by Nurse Ofelia and her assistant.

other rooms include: The School Museum, The Greenhouse. The Music Cafe, Alfea Gym and dance studio, the library (It has its own magical research system, the Research Lectern. Miss Barbatea is the Libraria), and the Hall of Enchantments a secret part of Alfea that only the staff of Alfea can access. It contains: the hall of infamy, where the portraits of all the enemies of the Magic Dimension can be found, the entire history of the magical universe and the heart of alphea.

There is also an Aviary in Alfea that can be accessed by magical means since it is larger than the school building. It is similar to a giant open-air garden where giant flowers and giant birds, such as the Giant Eagles, can be found. Although only magic can open the aviary, the people inside it cannot use magic spells.

There are two towers in Alfea, both have viewing areas.

The West Tower is where the Magic Archive of Alfea is found. Precious and rare books about many things can be found there and the school's Codex used to be kept there. A Pixie, named Concorda, is the keeper of the Secret Archives. (contains many books and scrolls written by ancient and powerful sorcerers)

The east tower contains the hall of memories. the hall of memories (Fairies can use their powers to relive the past and reveal Time's secrets), formerly known as the Hall of Fairy Animals

Second Floor

The student Dormitories (enchanted to be bigger on the inside). The Staff Quarters. There are balconies adjoined to the student dormitories and the staff quarters.

The Headmistress's Office is where the Headmistress of Alfea does the formal work of the school and where she attends official visitors. the teacher's offices are here too.

The Simulation Room is where virtual simulations take place. It can also be used to teleport people to other locations. Professor Palladium is the one who is in charge of the Simulation Chamber.

The School Amphitheater is where the students sometimes attend the school assembly and where general meetings are often held, especially in crisis times. Students may also take part in activities such as dance practice and rehearsing there. There is a table with chairs around it where staff members sit. Exams may also be held there.

Others

The Central Courtyard is a large open space at the centre of the school, which is built around the school. It contains:

Benches where students can sit and spend their free time.

A Well, with underground tunnels that connects Alfea to the other magical schools and which were used in ancient times if the schools were attacked. it is also revealed that the well now contains various rooms and obstacles to go through in order to obtain the Star of Teamwork.

A Public Square where functions such as the beginning of the year and graduation ceremonies are done. It also serves as a landing space for Red Fountain ships.

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