#Art Program Coordinator

[marywoodartdept]

Stephen Garrison: Art, Architecture, & Podcasts

Stephen Garrison, #Art & #Arch Prof @MarywoodU, shares insights on his 23 years of teaching, his journey in art & design, and his international podcast "A Student’s Perspective." Discover his passion for creativity and inspiring students! 🎨✨ #MarywoodArt

[thecultofproductivity]

This is like a week later than I meant, but what isn’t.

This blog was created to

Ride along with me and shirt, my journey in game development, many many years ago. It did not do that. Shame really, that the blog did not assist me in this way.

This is in the past.

Now, I am currently committed to making a video game.

Far as I can tell,. It’s hard given we are experiencing it, but it does appear as though we are at the beginning of Andor in the middle of ,. Something of a renaissance for hobbyist Indy game development.

And delightfully, since the last one, I have developed a very particular set of skills.

So yes. I will be using this old side blog for the time being to post about the current work that I am doing.

This is the event, it is open for 2.5 more days until high noon on Friday, the 14th EDT

Just interviewed with P1 Games . That is where you’re gonna wanna start if you’re wanting to get into this as well.

[reasonsforhope]

"In a historic move Friday [November 8, 2024], Sacramento State announced its new Native American College, a first of its kind in the California State university system. 

The college, a co-curricular institution housed at Sacramento State, will support Native-based education with a focus on leadership and career building. It will offer a diverse range of programs that integrate "tribal values, traditions and community engagement," according to a press release. 

This marks Sacramento State's second ethnic-based institution. The university launched the the nation's first Black Honors college earlier this year. 

The announcement was made at the California State Capitol by President Luke Wood and Dr. Annette Reed, an enrolled member and citizen of the Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation, who will be the first dean of the Native American College. 

Reed said students will have access to faculty mentors, advisors, outreach coordinators and more who have the expertise to work closely with Native American students and can support them holistically. 

She hopes this historic initiative will address low enrollment of Native students pursuing higher education across the state and in the country. Native American students face significant barriers to enrolling in higher education, such as financial constraints, feelings of isolation, historical trauma and lack of culturally relevant curriculum. 

"And so I'm hoping this impacts the students where they go through as a cohort. They can create networks, they can be able to have more of a support system going through and beginning together and hopefully graduating at the end together," Reed said.

Reed recalled taking her first class on Native American studies in 1980. She would later on serve as the director of Native American studies at Sacramento State and chair of the Department of Ethnic Studies. For her, advocating for Native American education was a natural top priority. 

"People always ask me, 'What is Native American studies?' It is history. It is looking at culture. It's looking at teaching sovereignty, federal Indian law. It's teaching social work, art. It's teaching about Native cultural expression, it can be literature," Reed said. 

The Native American College will introduce two new courses, according to Reed, which will be focused on Native American leadership. 

"It means that maybe some of the ones that start in Fall 2025 will end up here at the Capitol. Maybe they'll end up being the future senators or assembly people or the future of people in business. They might be leading our nation as tribal chairs, they might be going into the medical field," Reed said. "But whatever field they go into, leadership is really key." 

Students who want to be in the Native American College can apply after being accepted into the university's general application process. All students will be required to minor in Native American Studies, with an emphasis on Native American leadership."

-via ABC 10, November 8, 2024

[slvbum]

ᤢ ♥︎⠀ 07⠀‌⸻ angel tears / rafe cameron!

content WARNING: toxic!rafe, psychological abuse, mentions of miscarriage.

For the first time in years, Y/N decided to do something for herself. She waited until Rafe left for work, his lunch packed, grilled salmon, quinoa salad, a slice of lavender cheesecake wrapped in parchment. She watched his car vanish down the drive, and felt a surge of resolve. She chose a white yoga set and braided her hair loosely, letting a few strands frame her face. Her heart raced as she walked to the country club, the salty breeze carrying a whisper of freedom.

The country club hummed with privilege: women in designer athleisure, men in crisp polos, their whispers trailing Y/N as she stepped inside. She felt like an outsider, their eyes recognizing her as Rafe Cameron’s wife, the princess kept under lock and key. She smiled through the stares, her cheeks warm, and found the pilates studio. She took a spot next to a pregnant woman, her belly softly rounded, her hair pulled into a sleek ponytail. She was maybe twenty-four, elegant in black leggings and a loose tank top, her face glowing with a quiet confidence Y/N envied.

This had to be the buzzcut man’s wife, Y/N thought.

The class was a revelation—stretching, breathing, moving her body in ways that felt like reclaiming a piece of herself. Afterward, the woman introduced herself, her smile warm as they settled at the club’s café, sipping matcha lattes. They talked easily. She shared stories of her garden, roses that refused to bloom, her triumph over a stubborn lavender bush. Y/N opened up about her baking, how she’d perfected her lavender shortbread but overbaked her last batch.

“My son, Theo, would devour those,” The woman laughed, her eyes crinkling. “He’s four, obsessed with dinosaurs and anything sweet.”

Y/N smiled, a genuine warmth spreading through her, the first in months.

The conversation deepened, the woman independence a quiet marvel to Y/N. She spoke of her work with her father with art and museums and how she balanced it with Theo’s school schedule.

“But of course, our nanny is a godsend,” The woman said, sipping her latte. “She’s been with us since Theo was born, but she’s itching to study—wants to be a teacher. I’ve been helping her research online university programs.” Y/N’s breath caught, the word teacher stirring a dream she’d buried under Rafe’s rules. “She’s so good with kids,” The woman continued, “and I want her to have that chance, you know? She needs to chase her dreams... I think teaching can be handful, a lot of kids, must be wild! Ever thought about teaching?”

Y/N’s fingers tightened around her glass, her heart racing.

“I used to,” she admitted, her voice soft. “I wanted to be a teacher, before…” She trailed off, the weight of Rafe’s control unspoken. The woman’s eyes softened, and when Y/N let slip, almost absently, that she had to get home because “Rafe doesn’t let me out much,” The woman’s face tightened, a flicker of concern crossing her features.

“Well that’s silly, he’s your husband... not your father,” The woman said, but soon she notice the discomfort in YN’s face and she urged with a gentle but insistent tone, like she was afraid she must go and not come back ever again. “Let’s order something to eat and talk a bit more, you deserve a moment for yourself.” She reached into her bag, pulling out two pamphlets. “These are for my nanny’s university programs—online courses, teaching credentials, that sort of thing. I grabbed extras from the coordinator. Maybe they’d interest you too.”

Y/N’s hands trembled as she took them, the glossy paper feeling like a forbidden key.

Study from home. Flexible schedules. Become an educator.

She asked if she could keep them, her voice barely above a whisper. The woman handed them over with a smile, and they talked longer; about Theo’s love for T-rex models, Y/N’s secret recipe for lemon curd, the way the woman’s pregnancy made her crave mangoes at midnight. Y/N laughed, a sound she’d forgotten she could make, and didn’t notice the time until her phone read 3:00 PM.

Panic spiked; she’d stayed too long.

She walked home, fast and urgent steps while her mind alight with possibility. After a quick bath, she changed into a soft sweater and leggings, curling up in the living room with the pamphlets. Online teaching programs. Start your career. The words were a lifeline, a dream she could almost touch. Her stomach twisted with excitement and fear, like she held a secret too big for the mansion’s walls.

Could she do this? Could she be more than Rafe’s wife?

The front door slammed, shattering her thoughts. Rafe was home early, his footsteps heavy, his presence a storm sucking the air from the room. His face was twisted with rage, his jaw clenched so tightly she could see the muscle tick. He loomed over her on the couch, his eyes dark, venomous.

“Where the fuck were you today?” he spat. “Your doctor called me... you missed the appointment for our baby.”

Her face drained of colour, her heart plummeting. She’d forgotten, Rafe was close to her doctor, his control extending to her calendar, a detail she’d missed in her fog of grief. She hadn’t told him about the miscarriage, couldn’t find the courage to confess the loss she was still grappling with. Her hands clutched the pamphlets, crumpling them, her voice trembling. “Rafe, I—”

He cut her off, his voice rising to a roar that shook her bones.

“Don’t give me excuses!” he bellowed, stepping closer, his fists clenched at his sides. “You’re out there, what, prancing around like some clueless bitch, while our child’s at risk? You’re so fucking pathetic, can’t even do the one thing you’re supposed to!” His words were a barrage, each one a blow that shrank her, twisting her guilt into something unbearable. “What kind of mother are you?” he sneered, his face inches from hers. “Negligent, selfish, too stupid to keep a damn appointment.”

Her chest tightened, tears burning her eyes as she fought to hold them back. She was exhausted, and she couldn’t keep her facade anymore. She couldn’t keep lying to herself.

“There’s no baby,” she yelled, her voice cracking, a desperate outburst that silenced the room. “I—I lost it, Rafe. It’s gone.”

His rage faltered, his face shifting, not to grief, not to compassion, but to something darker. His eyes narrowed, his lips curling into a vicious sneer as he processed her words. He stepped closer, his presence suffocating, his silence a weapon sharper than his screams.

“What?—This is your fault,” he said, each word a blade carving into her heart. “You killed our baby. Too busy playing house, baking your fucking cakes instead of taking care of what was mine. This is on you.”

The accusation was a gut punch, stealing her breath.

She stared at him, her husband, the man she’d loved, but in that moment, he was a void, a black spot where her Rafe should have been. His words weaponized her deepest fears, turning the miscarriage into her failure. She swallowed her tears, her throat raw, her body trembling as she searched for a defense, but nothing came.

“Okay,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. She stood, her legs unsteady, and walked past him, her eyes fixed on the floor. She didn’t look back as she climbed the stairs to the guest room, locking the door behind her.

She wasn’t going to be his punching bag tonight.

Rafe’s words had shattered her, but they’d also cracked something open... a realization that she wasn’t just his to break. Curled up in the dark with the mansion’s silence swallowing her, Y/N clutched the edge of the mattress, whispering to herself that she was going to be okay.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ©slvbun(m) — written with love.

[ilium-ilia]

Everything You Touch

simon "ghost" riley x fem!reader | previously known as "soft spot" | masterlist

Chapter Thirteen: another life

tw: light angst

Though the moon is out to play, the Christmas lights adorning the streets of London nearly drown out her beauty with their own. 

Glittering, incandescent lights hang over the streets in a loosely knitted blanket, and they swirl up each lamp post you pass by. Wreaths and holly hang on frigid brick walls, glistening with frost as the night time forces the temperatures to plummet. You find that if you stare at the pavement long enough, you can almost convince yourself the golden glow is from the sun itself rather than synthetic light sources. 

Every now and then you find yourself glancing up at Simon. With the colder weather, he dons a plain black balaclava, and has shoved his hood up over his head. The monochrome pallet of his clothing would have him blending into the shadows if it weren’t for the festivities. 

He hasn’t said much since you left your apartment—though, he usually doesn’t say too much at all. Always quiet, the wallflower who prefers to listen and watch. Something is different about this silence. A buzz rattles his bones, reverberating through his body, making everything hum with a frequency that’s not usual for him. There is something inside of him attempting to break free; something he refuses to let see the light. 

That incessant buzzing quiets marginally when you take his hand into yours. His eyes flicker to you, and for a slight moment they brighten before focusing back on the walkway. 

There are plenty of people out and about to fill in the silence. Swathes of prismatic coats, hats, and scarves turn the dull streets of London into a fashion show accompanied by giggles and photoshoots of the more picturesque scenes. Simon is out of place among everyone—a clandestine operative failing at his attempt to blend in. A sore thumb. A patch of rot searing through otherwise pristine grass. 

Eventually, the two of you stumble upon a square lined with various shops on its environs. A baronial Christmas Tree stands proudly in the center, bundled in a blanket of lights until the pine needles appear gilded. Someone has taken great care to put equally as giant golden ornaments on the branches, not just at the base, but swirling all the way up until the branches are too waifish to hold the weight. A fat star crowns the tree, glistening with faux gems and a bulb that emanates a soft glow. 

A fair crowd has gathered around the tree, and their chatter fills the square, drowning out the music emanating from the toy store nearby. Several small stands have been set up in strategic places where you note people exchanging items, or even wrapping boxes with iridescent paper. Upon taking a closer look, you realize it’s a charity event; an organization gathering donations of either money or toys in order to provide presents for children who otherwise wouldn’t be able to get them. You note their already towering pile of goods, sporting anything from Barbie dolls to model airplanes and art kits. 

As you and Simon cut through the square, you note the Santa hats and warm wishes. Some coordinators sport elf costumes, others seem more than content with light up necklaces or jingle bell bracelets. You pay most of it no mind until a familiar scent wafts through the air, nearly stopping you in your tracks. 

“Is that hot chocolate?” you wonder out loud. 

At your question, Simon looks around, carefully scanning the stands until he spots the one closest to the tree. An electric soup warmer sits precariously upon pristine white cloth where volunteers dip a ladle to pour out rich, thick hot chocolate into styrofoam cups. He lazily notes the sign just beside the stand: 

Hot chocolate - 5£ All proceeds to go the Angel Tree Program

“Want some?” he offers, hand already fishing in his pocket for his wallet. 

You bite your lip in thought for a moment while you survey the small line of people. It really does smell delightful, and even from a distance you can tell it’s good stuff. Not the dehydrated powder—a real recipe. There’s even a bowl of butter mints to add to it. 

“Maybe,” you say, unsure. 

“C’mon then,” he urges.

Grinning, you trot along behind Simon until you’re waiting with all the other hot chocolate enthusiasts. The line moves quickly, and each step you take warms the bitter skin on the tip of your nose and the apples of your cheeks.

By the time you and Simon get to the front of the line, something feels off. 

One of the women serving hot chocolate seems to recognize you, and even calls you by your name. Her tone is saccharine but it leaves a sour pit in his stomach. He remembers what happened the last time someone called your name like that in a public setting. Knuckles kissing a cheek bone—lights fading from someone’s eyes. 

He studies the woman. Her curled blonde hair blows in the lazy breeze, but the periwinkle hat on her head helps keep most of the strands in place. She looks at you with a dazzling smile. He can’t help but wonder if she whitens her teeth. 

“Ness?” you ask in disbelief. “Goodness, it’s been a minute!”

Simon stays quiet as he exchanges cash with the other stand operator, but he’s suddenly aware of everything. Every twitch that he can see from the corner of his eye, each person who walks by, every pair of eyes that lands on you—none of it goes unnoticed. 

“It’s so good to see you!” the woman—Ness—exclaims with a grin. “How long has it been since we last saw each other? Had to have been right before we went to uni, huh?”

Nodding, you begin to fidget. Restless fingers toy with the buttons on your coat, pulling at the plastic, challenging the thread. “Yeah, it feels like forever ago. How’ve you been?” 

“Good! Things have been great. Graduated, got a job as a social worker. That’s one of the reasons why I’m here, actually. Helping to raise some extra cash for our kids,” she says with a bubbly chuckle. “What about you? How was The States?”

Though he makes no mention of it, Simon’s brow quirks. You? In America? 

“Erm, it was good! Enjoyed it a lot. Liking it much better here again, though,” you explain. Your fingers continue to twist the buttons on your coat. The sound of the thread struggling is audible now. 

“Bet your mum’s glad you’re back. I remember her being nearly in tears during graduation. Couldn’t believe her little girl was going off to see the world,” Ness jokes. “I remember you were the talk of the school for a bit because of that. Going off to see America, I mean.” 

Simon’s handed a styrofoam cup, and he mutters a quick thanks before turning his attention to you. Though you’re smiling, he sees a small quiver at the corner of your mouth. Not even the warmth of the drink can stave off the shiver that slices through his spine. 

“How is she, by the way?” Ness continues. 

You cough. 

“She’s alright,” you say stiffly. “It’s… been a bit since I’ve visited her, though.” 

The button snaps off your coat. The quiet fraying of the thread gives you pause as you glance down at your hand. Swallowing, you shove it into your pocket. 

“Here,” Simon quietly interjects. 

He holds the cup out for you to take, patient and kind, yet you stare at it as if you’ve forgotten the whole reason why you’re even here in the first place. Shaking off the shock, you reach for it and revel in the warmth bleeding through the styrofoam and into your stiff fingers for a moment before you turn your attention back to Ness. 

“Well, it was good seeing you again. We won’t hold up your line any longer.” 

With a quick and somewhat awkward farewell to your old acquaintance, you and Simon dash off to the streets again, leaving the square far behind you. Rich chocolate exudes heat with steam swirling just above the surface of your cup, yet all you can do is stare at it. 

Simon notes the way your posture has changed. Curled shoulders. Gaze cast down to the ground rather than staring up in awe at the lights like you were earlier. You’re making yourself smaller. 

Family isn’t something Simon ever talks about. Just isn’t his thing. Maybe it’s to save himself from the heartache, or maybe it’s just to try and preserve the only image he has left of them in his mind. The good ones—the ones where their bodies aren’t soaked in blood and gore. Untainted. Luckily, you never ask him about family; not his parents, if he has any siblings. Yet, you never offer that information up about yourself, either. 

Two very close strangers—still stuck on opposite sides of the same looming wall. 

“America, huh?” he asks, shattering the silence that’s settled between the two of you. 

A soft scoff of sorts leaves your lungs where it turns into nothing but frosty air in front of your lips. “Yeah. I… got accepted to Yale on scholarship.” 

Simon hums. “Never told me you were smart,” he teases. 

This gets a laugh out of you. Something staccato but sweet. Still, your eyes are locked onto your drink, unable to bring yourself to taste it. The button from your coat is burning a hole through your pocket. 

“I was going for general studies at first. Until I figured out what I wanted to do with my life,” you explain, but you don’t sound proud of yourself. Voice monotone. Timbre low. “Never really did figure it out. I just thought it would’ve been nice to go out and see the world. Just get out of here for a bit.” 

“Not what you expected?” he asks. 

You shake your head. “No, it was amazing. Just wish I could’ve stayed there longer.” 

There’s brutal hesitation gnawing on your throat. It appears in your muscles, forcing them to grow rigid as the anticipation quickly becomes all consuming. Something is screaming to break free from you. A too-full balloon waiting to pop. The painfully long time it takes for a hand to connect to a cheek in a slap. 

“She’s dead. My mum,” you finally let out. “I, erm… Well, I didn’t even get to finish a full year in America before she got sick.” 

Collected, Simon quickly blinks away the shock from his eyes. “You came back to take care of her?” 

“I was the only one who could,” you say bitterly. “She didn’t ask me to. She never would have. But I knew she needed someone, and well, my father would never do anything good in his rotten life. So I came back, got a shitty job working in finances. I’d take care of her during the day, and work in a money transfer service place at night. I don’t… regret it or anything, but…”

There might not be regret, but there is guilt. Raw, brutal guilt. Choosing between living your life, and helping someone go through the end of theirs. A sacrifice either way. It was never something you were ever intended to go through and come out whole. 

“Doesn’t make it any easier,” Simon finishes your sentence. 

“Yeah.” 

Finally, you force yourself to choke down a sip of your hot chocolate. The thick liquid coats your tongue with sugar, and your teeth tingle in your maw. It doesn’t make you feel any warmer. 

“She always liked this time of year,” you reminisce. “She had breast cancer. A really intense form. She’d have to stay in the hospital for long stretches, but she just loved when they put the lights up and decorated the halls. All the streets would light up and reflect the frost at night. She’d always take pictures of it on her phone and send it to me. I think it made her feel less lonely.” 

Sighing, you swirl the cup in your hands as Simon listens to your rambling. Neither of you have ever talked about your families before, and you detest how much it hurts. Nagging, nettling pain shooting deep into your stomach. You think it might be the kind of pain that needs to happen. Like cleaning a wound. 

“It doesn’t feel the same without her. Even though it’s been years, I always think about her. It feels stupid, missing her so much.” 

“It’s not stupid,” Simon assures. He’s quick to give you these words, and he says it with such conviction you almost believe him. 

Though, he’s not sure who he’s saying it for—you, or him. 

Either way, it gets a laugh out of you. The sort of laugh that’s just air through your nose, a forceful expelling, but it’s something. Instead of answering him right away, you take another sip of your drink before looking at him. 

“She would’ve liked you.” 

Simon glances at you from the corner of his eye and shakes his head. “Was she blind?” he asks facetiously. 

“Oh, quit it,” you scold him. “I’m being serious. Really. She would’ve adored you.” 

It’s not enough to convince him. For all his cockiness and jokes, Simon knows deep down he doesn’t deserve you. Not your softness, or your laughs. Not the bed you share with him or the press of your lips on his. It eats him alive; knowing that realistically you’d be better off without him. Still, he holds you in the palm of his hands, terrified that you’ll fly away but refusing to crush you in his grip. 

“I get it. You’re brooding, and quiet, and a military man. Not exactly every mother’s dream guy for her daughter.” You pause for a moment to swallow the lump in your throat. Why does this feel like a confession? “You won’t ever admit it, but you’re kind, and some days I feel like you read my thoughts better than I can. I mean, for fucks sake, you nearly broke Eric’s jaw. If my mother was alive she would’ve beat him half to death herself. You take care of me, Simon. You’re good to me. That’s all she ever wanted for me.”

Just when he thought he had pushed aside all those memories and feelings aside, here you are, bringing them bubbling back to the surface. Not just the blood; that sour scent of iron staining his skin. Not just the bodies haphazardly fallen to the floor—but Joseph’s giggles. The shrill sound of it nearly burst his ear drums but he would go deaf if it meant he could hear it one more time. He sees the way his brother looked at his wife, how the two of them would share loving touches and grinning whispers. He remembers the taste of his mother’s Christmas ham, with the thick honey glaze that sparkled in the light. 

Maybe, in another life, you could have met them. You could have joined them in their ugly Christmas sweaters, one you would probably bully him into wearing, too. At the table you could sit next to him and he could help dish out your plate. You and Beth would drink wine and maybe get a little carried away, leaving him to lead you into the bedroom in his mother’s house for a nap. Joseph would grin up at the two of you for the model airplane that would be gifted to him, and he would promise to help the little tyke put it together. 

But he’s not in that life. He’s in the one where they’re nothing more than burnt carcasses with bullet holes riddling their bodies. The one where his childhood home is nothing more than an empty lot. The one where Christmas always makes him feel numb. 

But he does have you, walking alongside him. You, the woman he gets to wake up to in the morning. The woman who never minds his odd quirks. 

Simon has you, and he knows it’s more than he deserves. 

“It’s gettin’ late,” he says as his feet drag to a halt. “And cold. We should head back.” 

He’s right. Your hot chocolate no longer emanates that swirling heat, and your fingers are beginning to grow stiff around the cup. You follow him back home, tossing the cup into a nearby trash bin along the way before slipping your hand into his. His reassuring squeeze makes you smile as the two of you meander back through the square, cutting across and giving the event a wide berth. 

Neither you nor Simon spare a single glance at the tree in the center. 

Both of you are sluggish by the time you walk through the door to your apartment. Shoes hitting against the wall, coats haphazardly tossed onto the couch—your bed is a welcomed sight. Nestled beneath the covers, you scoot close to Simon as he situates himself on his back. Arm wrapping around your shoulders, head propped up on his chest; each beat of his heart bites back the loneliness that attempts to seep into your psyche. December has always been the nadir of the year for you. A bitter reminder that your mother is gone. Yet as you begin to fall asleep in Simon’s arms, you think that maybe you can replace this empty space with something else. 

When morning comes, you are alone. 

Not even the warmth of Simon lingers behind in the bed, having gone long cold, a desolate tundra in your algid room. Blinking the weariness from your eyes, you drag yourself out of bed after shutting your alarm off, taking care to wrap a blanket around your shoulders to stave off the cold. His side of the bed is neat. Blankets pulled back over the mattress, pillow fluffed—he’s done his whole morning routine without you rousing. 

Yawning, you scuttle into the kitchen, only to find the room just as barren as the rest of your flat. Though, you quickly note the freshly done dishes drying in the rack, and neatly folded cloth on the counter next to it. 

As you approach it, you realize it’s your coat. The one you had worn last night while out on your walk with Simon. Brows narrowing, confused as to why it would be here in all places, you unfold it just to watch a slip of paper flitter to the floor. You retrieve it with a huff just in time for your eyes to focus on the small, shaky handwriting. 

I’ll be by with lunch today. See you at noon, sweetheart. Hope you like the coat. 

That’s all there is to the note. It takes a long moment for you to figure out what he means. Fingers tracing over the stitching, noting the old worn textures—your button. 

The one you had broken off the previous night; it’s sewn back on. The thread is the wrong color—a charcoal black instead of smoky grey—yet when you toy with it, there is very little give to it. Smiling, you toss the coat over your half-dressed body and fasten it as you smile down at Simon’s handiwork. 

Hope my shite stitching holds up. Can’t have my girl getting cold.

follow @mother-ilia to be notified of updates | get early access to chapters here

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for turning someone in for academic dishonesty?

I’m an American IB diploma candidate, and this ask does center around that, so sorry if we all just sound unbearably seventeen-years-old.

If you don’t know what the IB diploma is, think of it as if you had to write a bunch of essays and take a bunch of classes and do a bunch of service hours and then take AP tests on all those classes and add the AP scores together, and if they add up to a certain number, you get a special diploma that looks good to colleges.

Only eight people in the entire grade (we’re seniors and our exams are happening so we’re at the very end) are left in the IB diploma program right now because we made it this far and are all hoping our exam scores and essays. The program isn’t super popular at our school so we tend to have to mostly prepare ourselves for exams and such, so we’re all very proud of ourselves for getting this far and hoping that when our scores come out we get the diploma.

In short, we’ve done TONS of work. TONS OF WORK. And we haven’t received the amount of support that some IB schools are able to give. And suddenly, one of the IB diploma candidates admits in the group chat, “yeah, chatgpt wrote all of my IB essays.” If you know stuff about IB, she explicitly admitted to cheating on her Extended Essay, TOK Essay, TOK exhibition, Chemistry HL IA, History HL IA, Literature HL Essay, and Art HL Comparative Study.

That’s hours and hours and hours and hours of work that the rest of the diplomats candidates did that she’s just flippantly admitting she let an AI do for her.

but…��.it also wasn’t really any of my business. So I wasn’t sure whether I should tell or not—especially since I’m the known goody-two-shoes of the group and I didn’t want to be viewed as a tattletale.

I asked two of the diploma candidates I’m friends with what they thought. One of them said “don’t be a snitch,” and the other said she wasn’t sure and kinda felt like I should talk. So… split response.

I was leaning towards “don’t be a snitch,” but eventually I just felt really indignant that this girl and I might receive the same end result for doing wildly different amounts of work. And I had evidence that she cheated—she admitted it herself. So I went to the school’s IB coordinator and I talked. I showed the screenshot. I essentially betrayed one of the candidates in a very tight knit group of students who are all breaking our backs to get this diploma with little to no IB-specific support from our teachers (our classes are all co-seated with non-IB-test-takers, who take up most of the class, which is an entirely different issue), but now it turns out one of us wasn’t even doing the work the whole time…

So I did it and it went to the administration and they’re “deciding how to proceed.”

Reason I’m worried I’m TA: she trusted us with that information and I told on her

Reason I think I might not be TA: it feels unfair that we should have the same shot at getting the IB diploma when the nights I stayed up crafting the perfect extended essay were the same nights she asked chatgpt to write her an essay and then moved on with her life and somehow did it well enough to not get caught.

AITA?

[astroismypassion]

✨PART OF FORTUNE IN SIGNS AND HOUSES SERIES: 5TH HOUSE✨

Credit goes to astrology blog @astroismypassion

ARIES PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 5TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Aries and Leo Sun people in your life. You could make money via attending sport events, competitions, through creative pursuits and creative self-expression. You may also earn money with your personality, you are very lively and animated, so people love to watch you and know what you are up to. You feel the most abundant when you discover new hobbies, develop a new fresh start (or crush haha), when you have more spare time and when you educate yourself in a new topic.

TAURUS PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 5TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Taurus and Leo Sun people in your life. You could make money via event planning, organising, hosting, party planning or catering, preparing snacks, meals for gatherings. You may also feel the wealthiest when you have financial stability, quality food in your fridge and when you have stable romantic life. You feel most abundant when you treat yourself!

GEMINI PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 5TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Gemini and Leo Sun people in your life. You could make money via being a social media strategist, managing social media for businesses or individuals. You may find wealth through being a motivational speaker, event host or webinar presenter (SpeakerHub).

CANCER PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 5TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Cancer and Leo Sun people in your life. You could make money via hosting events, gatherings at your home. You can help others with making their space more comfortable and stylish. Maybe even therapy, counseling, holistic healing or wellness coaching. You may also find wealth in wedding planning, creating content about home, family and emotional well-being profitable. Investment in creative ventures comes to mind with this placements, such as investing in art, theater productions.

LEO PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 5TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Leo Sun people in your life. You could make money via motivational speaking, social media influencing, podcasting which can leverage your ability to captivate an audience. You may also be abundant in fitness training, managing sports teams, directing, producing or talent management. You feel abundant when you can use your creative vision and when you are being appreciated for it.

VIRGO PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 5TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Pisces and Cancer Sun people in your life. You could make money via content creation, copywriting, tehnical writing, editing manuscripts, personal training, yoga instruction, wellness coaching, jewelry making, pottery, party organizing, wedding coordination, event planning. You can find satisfaction and financial reward in childcare, early childhood education or running educational programs, managing administrative tasks for clients.

LIBRA PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 5TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Libra and Leo Sun people in your life. You could make money via matchmaking services, relationship coaching, writing romance novels, creating children's content (books, shows, games for children). You could find abundance in public relations, human resources or via a role in non-profits and community organizations. Working with high-end luxury goods. You may find wealth in teaching, workshops or mentorship programs. You can also do creative writing, whether it's novels, screenplays or content creation for media.

SCORPIO PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 5TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Scorpio and Leo Sun people in your life. You could make money via painting, sculpting, writing, filmmaking, music, psychology, counseling, therapy, alternative medicine, energy healing, working as a physical or occupational therapist. Since it's the sig nof Scorpio sex therapy, intimacy coaching or writing about sexual health can be rewarding. You can find abundance in child psychology, working with troubled youth or creating transformative educational content.

SAGITTARIUS PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 5TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Sagittarius and Leo Sun people in your life. You could make money via acting, performing, hosting travel and adventure shows, sports, coaching, recreational activities. You could find abundance in planning events, such as cultural festivals, adventure trips, educational seminars, writing a book, creating a documentary or working in the broadcast media.

CAPRICORN PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 5TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Capricorn and Leo Sun people in your life. You could make money via leadership in creative fields (managing a theater company, leading a marketing team or directing artistic projects, industrial design, graphic design or non-fiction, self-help, educational content. You find abundant when you are working on a productive, pragmatic project in your free time.

AQUARIUS PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 5TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Aquarius and Leo Sun people in your life. You could make money via avant-garde art, experimental music, cutting-edge design, digital media, software development, game design, creatine innovative apps and tech solutions, creating awarenss campaigns, producing media content that addresses social issues. By focusing on activities that allow you to be innovative, embrace originality and contribute to the greater good, you can find both personal fulfillment and financial success.

PISCES PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 5TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Pisces and Leo Sun people in your life. You could make money via painting, dance, music, theater, photography, spiritual counseling, energy healing, Reiki, yoga instruction, costume design. You could find financial success as a musician, composer, music therapist, astrology or tarot. You feel personal and financial fulfillment when you connect with others on a deep emotional level and explore your spiritual and imaginative side.

Credit goes to astrology blog @astroismypassion

[mariacallous]

Earlier this week, at the Auburn Avenue Research Library in Atlanta, a couple dozen fellows commenced a year-long project designed to put the mission of preserving Black history back in the hands of community members.

“We want to open up a conversation asking, ‘What does it look like for a community of Black people to come together and decide what to collect?’” says Makiba Foster, cofounder of the Web Archiving School (WARC), a new training program that teaches practitioners methods of digital preservation built around an “ethic of care.”

“We don’t want to depend on institutions for folks to have these kinds of skills. They will backtrack on us when it’s beneficial to them.”

WARC could not have arrived at a more urgent moment. Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump has targeted diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) aggressively and vowed to fight “anti-white” racism. He first signed an executive order to end “radical and wasteful” diverse hiring practices in federal agencies, then followed that with another aimed squarely at DEI programs in the private sector. But it didn’t stop there. In March, Trump signed an executive order accusing the Smithsonian Institution of having “come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology.” Taken together, the proclamations are part of the administration’s broader attempt to sanitize so-called “woke ideology” from the annals of American life and “forge a society that is color-blind and merit based.” But not everyone views it that way.

“There is an attempt at dehumanization happening,” Bergis Jules, an archivist and WARC cofounder says. “The first act of taking away someone’s humanity is denying the fact that you have a history. And if you’re trying to take that away, then you don’t believe those people need to exist.”

WARC’s inaugural class—22 fellows whose backgrounds span everything from research and library science to visual and audio art—are training to become the next generation of Black “memory workers” with the right tools to digitally preserve the histories that are important to them. As many agencies, public and private, have quickly fallen in line with Trump’s orders, Foster says she’s not going to rely on legacy institutions to do that important work.

“When it's time to make a statement around DEI, and it’s a bandwagon thing, it’s cool. But when the rubber meets the road and someone's telling you can’t do this, people quickly turn,” she says.

WARC is the flagship program of the Archiving the Black Web collective that Foster and Jules started in 2019, inspired in part by their work documenting the Black Lives Matter movement.

Their efforts come as scholars are sounding the alarm over Trump’s latest war on museums—and history itself. “In this naive effort to control how the past is recorded and interpreted, the Trump administration has stepped into a minefield,” David Blight, president of the Organization of American Historians, wrote in The New York Times.

In March, a biography about baseball hall-of-famer Jackie Robinson was removed from the Nimitz Library in the US Naval Academy, along with 400 books tied to DEI. The following month, the National Park Service removed references to Harriet Tubman’s role in fighting against enslavement on a webpage; that information has since been restored. In the executive order targeting the Smithsonian network of museums, Trump calls out, “The Shape of Power: Stories of Race and American Sculpture,” an exhibit at the American Art Museum, as part of a so-called coordinated effort to “portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.”

Meredith D. Clark, a professor of race and political communication at UNC-Chapel Hill, tells WIRED that museums are akin to “public trusts,” and the Trump administration’s assault on them is an attempt to dictate who does and doesn’t belong.

“One of the things that power needs to do in order to expand and conquer is to convince people that there is no hope in resistance. And a tool for doing that is to destroy heritage,” says Clark, who wrote We Tried to Tell Y’all: Black Twitter and the Rise of Digital Counternarratives. “You can see those patterns everywhere, from the Holocaust and the burning of books to, in more recent years, the destruction of historical reservoirs and artifacts in Syria.”

Even though they can be a cesspool of racism and bigotry, social media platforms, from X to TikTok, are now de facto outlets for resistance as digital media has become the primary mode of communication. As facts get easier to manipulate thanks to AI and lack of moderation, information—and our access to it—becomes even more vital. One way online activists and educators have traditionally fought back is through the creation of crowdsourced syllabi recommending resources around issues of police abuse, white supremacy, and race for educators.

“We saw it with Ferguson and Charlottesville,” Clark says of the Twitter campaigns from 2014, following the killing of unarmed Black teenager Michael Brown by police, and 2017, in the wake of the Unite the Right rally where violent protests broke out and a white supremacist murdered a woman with his car.

Foster says the country underwent a “pedagogical shift” during this time.

“Black people were saying that ignorance is no longer a defense. Folks were publishing reading lists, opening up their syllabi. All of a sudden you could educate yourself on these issues, and I wanted to document that,” Foster says. “When it comes to preserving an official record, they typically don’t care what we think,” she says of large, often federally backed institutions, which is why social media has become crucial.

The National Libraries and the Internet Archive were, for a time, the principal institutions dedicated to cataloging the web. But “only a small set of people were involved in that community,” Jules says, “and Black folks studying to be archivists were not invited to those networks.”

A nonprofit that launched in 1996, the Internet Archive operates as a library of sorts: It includes 835 billion web pages, 44 million books and texts, and 15 million audio recordings, in addition to other artifacts. Many people today think of it as the web’s collective memory. In April, the Internet Archive, which was already facing legal troubles in separate cases from Universal Music Group and the book publisher Hachette, was targeted by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency when the agency cut funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities, which supports the archive.

In spite of the administration's purge, Rudy Fraser, the creator of Blacksky, says he is “heartened by preservation efforts” he’s seen so far, including from Harvard Law Library’s Innovation Lab—which is rescuing federal datasets—and companies such as Joy Media, which leverage AI and VR/AR to scan and annotate African artifacts, making them accessible to people on the continent who otherwise can’t view them.

In 2023, Fraser launched Blacksky, the custom feed and moderation service that quickly turned into the central meeting ground for many Black users on Bluesky. He tells me he also views Blacksky as a living archive. Currently its database holds 17 million posts from Black users over the last two years (excluding deletions and moderation removals). “Because the AT Protocol is public and Blacksky’s implementation is open source, anyone with the technical chops could reconstruct the dataset—minus moderation actions—even if our primary databases disappeared,” he says. “Open source, decentralized tooling ensures that, if any single company becomes a nation-state target, the communities that rely on its infrastructure can keep operating.”

Preservation efforts have also taken the form of rogue civil rights courses across college campuses. When Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah’s course on race, media and global history was discontinued by Columbia University in April, Attiah decided to “liberate my teaching work” by hosting it as an online course, aptly rebranding it “Resistance Summer School.”

“This is not the time for media literacy or historical knowledge to be held hostage by institutions bending the knee to authoritarianism and fear,” she wrote on her Substack. The outpouring of support was seismic. According to Attiah, within 48 hours, all 500 seats were filled; the waiting list currently has over 3,000 people on it.

It is still too soon to say just how much of a long-term impact Trump’s attack on Black history is going to have on our population's historical literacy, but Foster and Jules say they are not deterred by the work ahead of them.

“What does it mean for the federal government, at this moment, to be stewards of Black people’s history? It only takes the stroke of a pen to start dismantling things. So what does that mean looking forward?” Jules says.

Ultimately, road maps to a better future are impossible without grassroots preservation efforts, Clark says. “The destruction of those histories and records makes it harder for people to remember what that progress looked like. Both its successes and its failures. And it makes it harder for people to imagine what continued progress could look like. That is the whole point.”

[centrally-unplanned]

A quick write-up since I am occupied today, since I do in fact think the Trump admin is engaged in destructive and generally-illegal behavior, most particularly around the civil service takeovers, the actual avenues to opposing that (outside of blocking by civil servants themselves) is really only Congress & the courts. Congress is a bit of a soft power thing in the short term, since they aren't gonna quickly pass a new law clarifying this-or-that management of USAID. But they have real power - if enough Republicans were to peel off and go "okay this is too far, back down" then that is something the Trump Admin would listen to. Additionally, the "second-order" route is for big stakeholders to make their pressure known. The big companies and Chamber of Commerce, a joint letter from CEOs, the Christian Right orgs, etc. You know the drill here.

We just know that isn't going to happen. The median voter might be shocked by these events (probably not, they probably aren't paying attention and don't care), but conservatives aren't. They spent the past 30 years building up the idea that the government is a Deep State undermining Real America and all that. At the start most congressmen understood that it was a convenient lie for their conspiracy-brained voting base; over time the inmates took over the asylum and now it is a combination of true believers and apathetic opportunists. And it combines with a much-more-reasonable take that the US governmental system is in fact a hot mess of broken "checks and balances" that is in need of reform. Certainly some things will draw Republican ire (tariffs are definitely a tax increase, Rand Paul isn't happy, Rubio got PEPFAR back as a Republican darling program), but overall I will be shocked if there is grand pushback here. They confirmed fucking Hegseth y'all; they cooked. The only saving grace is their margins are super tight - there is some hope from that, but not a ton.

So it is up to the courts. As it often is in the US system! Which is where all Dem effort should be going right now. Because court cases in the US are very much an art that can go wrong - you need the right plaintiff, the right standing, the right evidentiary case, the right arguments. The court challenges definitely are flying, the Dem "establishment" has so far being doing a pretty good job of hitting everything with an injunction where they can. But I haven't seen a lot of coordination on that, it is more opportunistic than strategic. I'm not behind the scenes myself on this, just reading the sources I know, but right now that is where the Chuck Schumer's of the world need to be putting 70% of their effort, while the rest goes into the more Hail Mary attempts to get the Lisa Murkowski's of the world on their side.

[viktorarcanedeservesbetter]

I wanna know ur HCs for Mod AU jayvik 💕

OOOO this is an interesting one because I usually don't indulge in most modern aus of anything, but I shall try.

ask me about arcane!

Both are graduate students at the academy. Both double-majored in Engineering for undergrad, but Jayce's is Mechanical and Electrical, and Viktor's is Mechanical and Chemical. They are in graduate school for Mechanical Engineering, though. Over-achievers, they are. The school is equivalent to MIT. Or is MIT, technically, if you want to make it USA-centered.

They met in a Thermodynamics class (yes, i had to look up types of classes for this lmao) and became fast friends because everyone else around them was extremely obnoxious and very annoying. They started dating two semesters before Viktor graduated, three before Jayce graduated.

For a few semesters, everyone thought they would be rivals, because they were always trading spots in GPA rankings and scores. Everyone thought the tension they were catching was academic hatred, until a library assistant caught them making out in a study room, and then everyone in the engineering school collectively went "ohhhhh"

Both are at the academy on scholarship, Jayce has a few for welding competitions and even some money from art competitions, and Viktor's schooling is being paid for from essays and whatever grants he can get his hands on. Both are determined to have very little student loans. Viktor is also a graduate assistant to the dean of engineering (similar to canon) which pays for his portion of housing (with Jayce).

Jayce has been offered spots on sports teams all the time. He does not know how to explain he has the coordination of a baby deer on ice. He likes to work out, but it's mostly for long days in the labs and blacksmithing he does, which is something he likes to be traditional for. His excuse is that his schooling and work take up too much time for sports.

Viktor is also an international student, having transferred from his home-country university his sophomore year. He and Jayce (who moved to the city when he was 15 from out of the country) related on this very fast.

Sky, Mel and Elora are all apart of the international student club with Viktor. They are all besties. Caitlyn and Vi are Jayce's friends from home (Caitlyn is his "cousin" and he teases Vi, the GF, all the time) and Catvi are undergrad students. All of them like to meet at the "secret" coffeeshop on campus (aka the one people can never find, because it's in the back of an office building).

Jayce and Viktor organized a sit-in when the campus president and campus board (not Dean of Engineering Heimerdinger) routed money from programs that helped campus-accessibility for students with disabilities to a new stadium. It lasted twenty days, five members quit the board, and the money was routed back to fixing elevators, automatic doors, and providing more covered benches.

Jayce was student-class president his junior year, but stopped working on the student council when it took too much time away from Viktor and his friends. Viktor is thankful for it. (Jayce also ran away screaming from the guys trying to get him to rush for frats).

Both want to start their own company when they graduate, focusing on public health and progress, with things like air and water purifiers, teaming up with medical companies for robotic prosthetics, lung + heart mechanical help.

Viktor got sick the winter between his graduation and what was supposed to be the start of grad school. He was diagnosed with severe acute asthma, pneumonia, but just barely avoided a COPD diagnosis with treatment. He was in the hospital for a month and a half, now takes breathing treatments a few days a week, and goes to doctor appointments once a month.

Jayce was so worried, he almost had to delay his own graduation. Viktor managed to convince him to get it together in time to pass with good marks and keep his spot in his grad cohort, while Viktor had to delay his grad school start by a semester, rather than in the spring like he planned. This is why they are in the same cohort, because Viktor had to start later than planned. (Jayce secretly likes that they have all their classes together, even if he's sad for the reason why).

im sure ill have more at some point, bc it is a little interesting!

[johannestevans]

ALL my back posts have been published to my new website!

i am going to be going back through my works and tagging all posts with kinks, themes, topics, characters, locations.

in the meantime, the search system on my new site is VERY good and my descriptions have lots of search terms!

you can absolutely go onto the site and search specific characters if you know their names, you can search locations - such as "Lashton" or "Camelot" - and you can search individual kinks, like Spanking or Daddy Kink or Come Inflation or Oviposition - and the results should be pretty good!

after my work has been more robustly tagged, especially for main characters, settings, periods, and obviously stuff like genre and format, i'll look into adjusting how tag pages appear and making sure that tags are clickable from every post in the same way that categories currently are!

other intentions for the website are:

to plump out and integrate my worldanvil, especially for stuff like maps and family trees

to create a gallery of work that i commission or trade for and promote those artists directly from my site

to do something similar with art and merch i buy at cons

the latter will include stickers and a gallery of the few dozen art pieces i have on display in my home, but i'm planning to also include my tattoos, as well as including links for stuff like vintage shops, tailors, jewellers, and other crafters & businesses that i build my wardrobe from

it's also my hope / intention when i'm back up north to coordinate with one of my local mosques or community centres and see about setting up a feeding station and maybe some shelters for some local feral cats, so as well as my continuing support of organisations like Bradford Cat Watch & Sanctuary

i'm also hoping to coordinate with some of our local TNR groups and start referring cats in my area of bradford to fosterers & adopters - because we're in such a small space and don't have space to foster, my main plan is actually to do local coordination and education in our area

bradford has a huge south asian population with a lot of muslims and sikhs - people here love animals and love their cats, and while there are partly cultural differences for desi immigrants, more importantly, people are anxious about veterinary care being expensive and not knowing the right english

my ambition is to start a postering program in my local area that provides information about local cheap & free spay/neuter and microchip programs, make a case for why these things are worth doing, and have those posters not just in english but also in urdu, punjabi, polish, etc

so i'm thinking if i have a page on my site that links to donation pages for various local cat people, and also if after i design these posters and get them translated for my area, that i make the templates available for free on that page as well so ppl can download them for their own use

i'm trying to be realistic about projects i'm able to take on that are fun and rewarding for me but that are still ones that i can put time toward and work with people, and this is work that i feel is doable for me and is a part of the world i can work to repairing, but isn't going to overwhelm me

i was really excited about running a queer history club but with my health issues the way they are, it's not just feasible for me to do that level of travel and set-up AND people management, wrangling, events planning and coordination - this is something that i can work on without being overwhelmed

i can help local cats (and other animals), and just as importantly, i can help their people and people who love cats in their areas, but basically feel disempowered by the whiteness and the racism/classism that some rescuers take to in their assumptions about how/why people neglect their animals

some people genuinely are cruel or don't give a fuck about their animals, that's true, but i don't think the vast majority of people in my area feel that way - they either just don't realise there's a problem or that there are more options for their pets, or are grappling with inaccessibility

and the thing about going out and petting stray cats and sitting with them and taking pictures of them and talking about them is.

i literally do that anyway, just in a less scheduled and efficient way. i'm basically planning on catmaxxing whilst also helping other ppl. best of both worlds babeyyyy

[mrs-dr-reid]

My Personal Spencer Reid Headcanons Part 2/? (Dad!Spence Edition)

(This one’s for you, Ozzie)

He gets Derek to help him build a little bookshelf that can be completely dedicated to children's books

Reads every book on early childhood development he can get his hands on because he's a worry wart

GIRL! DAD! Although for me, I imagine he has a daughter first, then a son a few years later (mostly because I'm a first-born daughter and my brother is four years younger than me)

He does the thing where whenever his baby babbles or makes any type of noise, he responds with something like "Oh, really?" or "That's very interesting, tell me more" to help them build up their conversation skills

Fully commits to the bit during play time. Whether he's pretending to slay an imaginary dragon or falling over when hit with pretend magic, he'll do the absolute most to make his kids laugh

Would probably show up to work with his baby strapped to his chest in a baby carrier if it wasn't against FBI protocol to have a literal child in the same room as crime scene photos and multiple firearms

He'll carry his baby around and point out seemingly mundane things, but explain it to them in a way that makes it seem like the most interesting thing in the world. Especially with people, like he'll say, "See that pretty lady right there? That's your mommy, and she's the most wonderful person in the whole wide world."

He falls asleep with his kid on his chest all the time, especially after a rough case involving kids and he just needs to know that they're there and they're okay

Vehemently hates mindless children's programming, so he's definitely a nature documentary dad. Although he will allow Bluey, because he likes that it makes harder subjects easier for kids to digest while still being entertaining and fun

He gets his kids into puzzles as soon as their hand eye coordination develops, so whenever he's not on a case, he can usually be found at the kitchen table poring over a puzzle with his mini-me

Always hams it up with the voices when reading or telling his kids a bedtime story to make them laugh

He does magic tricks for his kids when they're babies just to see their eyes triple in size because their little baby brains don't have enough power to process what just happened

He cries whenever his kids copy what he does because it's too cute, whether it be mismatching their socks to match him, or calling you whatever sappy nickname he has for you like it's your name "because that's what Daddy calls you, and Daddy's always right"

Inhumanly fast at changing diapers. You once timed him, and he changed the baby's diaper and outfit in less than five minutes

He loves doing arts and crafts with his littles, and he loves it when they make something for him at school. Your fridge is positively covered in artwork, and whenever he swaps one drawing for another, he puts the old one in a memento box because he'll be damned if he throws away something his kid makes for him

He takes his kids to the park as often as he can to teach them how to play chess once they get old enough

Once you guys move to the suburbs away from all the light pollution, his favorite thing to do is to take his kids into the backyard, set up a little nest of blankets and pillows, and stargaze with them to teach them about all the constellations and planets

Sometimes he goes through little anxiety spats where he worries he's not cut out to be a dad, but the second his little one bursts through the door and yells, "DADDY, GUESS WHAT HAPPENED AT SCHOOL TODAY!!!!", every fear or doubt about his abilities melts away, and he jumps right back into World's Best Dad Mode™

[hyruleinterviews]

Quotes on the real-life counterparts of some quirky characters

Via GlitterBerri's Game Translations (1998), Iwata Asks (2011), and Nintendo Life (2025)

Quote 1:

PEOPLE:

Takaya Imamura, age 58. Art Director of Majora’s Mask. Designer of tingle, the titular Majora’s Mask, and the Moon.

QUOTE: "Q: So I know you’re very famous for creating Tingle - was there anything specific that really inspired you to make him?

Imamura: The background and the lore of the character was decided beforehand and I was only responsible for the visuals. Basically, I found a guy on the team and drew a caricature and there was Tingle!"

Quote 2:

PEOPLE:

Kazuaki Morita, age 45. Programmer on Ocarina of Time.

Yoshiki Haruhana, age 41. Ocarina of Time Character Artist.

Satoru Iwata, age 51. President of Nintendo.

QUOTE: "Morita: I also worked on the fishing minigame [for Ocarina].

Aonuma: You didn't just do the programming, but you also wrote the script for the Pond Owner. …

Haruhana: … Morita-san made lots of requests regarding that character's face and movements. He requested specific movements … and even drew a rough sketch of how his face should look.

Iwata: Did you make so many requests because that character was modeled after someone real?

Morita: Yes, that's right! [laughs] I like fishing and I'm from an area near Neyagawa in Osaka, and there's a fishing store I used to go to in that neighborhood. My model was the shopkeeper there."

Quote 3:

PEOPLE:

Yoshiki Haruhana, age 28. Ocarina of Time Character Designer.

Mitsuhiro Takano, age 31. Ocarina of Time Project Coordinator.

QUOTE: "Haruhana: There are more than 60 characters in Ocarina of Time! One character takes about 2-3 days to make, so our schedule is always uncertain. We just have to go from one to the next.

Fellow staff-member Takano once told me, ‘All the people you make turn out to be freaks.’ I never intend to do that! My response is always ‘Oh, is that so?’ [laughs] For example, Dampe the gravekeeper is a hunchback, right?

In Kakariko Village, there’s a guy sitting by himself on top of a house. It was also never my intention to make a character similar to myself, but afterwards 5 people said to me ‘Hey, that’s you!’"

[freak-attorney]

Do you have any school related (highschool and/or college) related AA headcanons? I'm not sure how schooling worked exactly for Mia, Maya, and Pearl given where they lived, so I dunno. Mainly Phoenix, Edgeworth, Franziska and Gumshoe

Ace Attorney HS/Uni Headcanons!

(I admittedly haven't thought about this much before but I'm happy to share!)

Phoenix Wright

High School

Really good at creative writing

Good at the humanities in general

Barely passed chemistry (started a fire in the lab and had to let his partner take over for the rest of the year)

Best friends with his Language Arts teacher

Got detention for being late to class too much

Did NOT pass the Presidential Fitness Test (he couldn't do a pull up)

On a first name basis with the lunch ladies

Applied to maybe 3 colleges

He was a band kid for sure... probably played the clarinet

University/College

Was really good friends with his roommate but they lost touch once he went to law school

Not great at pottery but still made little projects to give to his friends whenever he took a class

Rushed a few fraternities (he didn't get a bid to any of them)

Didn't learn how to talk to girls until Dahlia/Iris

Took a few philosophy classes and yapped in every discussion

Joined a debate club.. he lost most of the time but it made him want to get better!

Was very much oblivious to every girl that ever attempted to flirt with him

Had a group of 3-4 friends that he ate lunch with at the same time everyday

Got super wasted at a party and ended up in the front yard of a frat house off campus

Sweatpants + a hoodie were his go to fits

Miles Edgeworth

High School

Did not get along with many others

Went to public school up until high school where he went to a fancy private school

HATED group projects (asked the teachers if he could just do it himself)

It still haunts him that he got a "B" in Physics

Definitely took APUSH/any AP class he could

Did dual enrollment (completed his Associates)

Helped with the theatre program but only as part of the crew (probably stage manager or lead tech)

Valedictorian

Grade "A" instigator (he started a few fights)

Perfect attendance

Headphones in ALL THE TIME

Applied to at least 30 colleges

Scarily good at dodgeball whenever they played in phys ed

Threw up when they had to do frog dissections

College/University

Refused one of his top choices due to their communal showers

Never spoke a word to his roommate

Became a fan of women's rugby (introduced Franzi to it)

Thought Greek life was a waste of time and never even thought about rushing

Didn't go to a single party

Practically lived in the library

Took a class that introduced him to digital art and he really liked it (he didn't have time to continue it once the class ended)

Franziska von Karma

High School

Well-liked or feared?? Depends on who you ask

Fancy private schools her entire life. High school was no different.

Went through a phase of growing out her bangs but hated it

Full face of makeup every. single. day.

Straight A's (Papa would NOT be happy with anything less)

Extremely competitive with EVERYTHING (even the pacer test)

Excelled in the hard sciences but still went into law

She was the teacher's pet but no one dared to call her on it

Applied to every college she could find

Color coordinated notes for each class

Turned in assignments weeks before they were due

Dual enrollment/AP/IB is a given

She was in chorus (Alto)

Used a leather crossbody in place of a normal backpack

Valedictorian but she doesn't see it as a "real" achievement

College/University

Heavily involved with research

Knew her major the moment she applied (probably before then)

President of the debate team

Requested to not have a roommate

On the women's rugby team

Made out with one of the members of said rugby team and was too embarrassed afterwards to show up to practice for the next week (this one is so specific sorry)

Dressed well for class no matter how early

But she preferred late classes

Took many walks around campus at night

Got invited to Greek life formals (they were very bluntly turned down)

Overpacked for the school year every single time

Started the knitting club

Took ochem "for fun"

Godot/Diego

High School

Looked like a jock stereotype

Bullied the bullies

Public school all the way man

Kept photos of all his friends in his locker

On the track & field team (pole vaulting was his favorite)

Did swimming for a year (butterfly is his stroke)

Had several girlfriends before buckling down senior year and focusing on studying

Failed History

Took Spanish for his foreign language (he already knew it)

Applied to any college where he could get a scholarship

College/University

Involved in EVERYTHING

Didn't get along well with his roommate (Diego's side of the room was always messy)

Switched his major several times (started with music, then bio, then landed on polysci)

Definitely a tour guide

Continued playing sports throughout uni (including intramurals)

Joined 2 frats

Volunteered a lot (service distinction)

Got a job at a coffee shop near campus and that's where it all began...

Started growing out his facial hair sophomore year

Dick Gumshoe

High School

Not the smartest guy, but probably the nicest

Got along with everyone no problem

Found ways to skip phys ed

Friends with the nurse (very clumsy)

Excelled in trigonometry but not much else

Went to all the football games

Probably signed up to be the mascot

Did just enough to pass his classes

Fell asleep during class a lot

The chatty guy on the bus

Unintentional class clown

Spoke up in class a lot even if he was wrong

College/University

Only got into one college... but it was the one he really wanted!

Didn't do well in core classes but once he got to things he was interested in it was practically straight A's

Considered being a teacher for a long time but decided on detective

Signed up for a philosophy class but dropped it

Super interested in entomology

Joined club basketball (he wasn't super good but he had fun)

Kept the same roommate for all 4 years and still talks to him from time to time

Pretty well known on campus ("oh you mean the big, loud guy with the green jacket?")

Started wearing his iconic jacket at this time

Always wore jeans no matter the weather

Went to a few parties even though it's not his scene (some friends wanted him to go with them)

Received surprise bids from some fraternities but he declined

That's what I have for now! I hope you enjoyed, anon!!! I added Godot because I love him 🙂‍↕️

(feel free to request any other headcanons, I love making them! Other fandoms I'm in include Danganronpa (only played THH), Banana Fish, Haikyuu, Free, and Kakegurui!)

[frogsrneat]

♥️ Art resources ♥️

Hey I put together a beginner art resource list! Feel free to share, save, etc. but a lot of people don’t know where to start:

Man is this a holy grail it includes free programs, online courses, tutorials, and scholarships (us based):

A big thing you are taught early on is just hand/eye coordination. Speed drawing, or “gesture drawing” if you’re fancy, is the best practice you can do on a regular basis.As much as you hate hearing “just practice”- it matters.

The best online art course I can think of. It will literally go step by step in teaching you commands and digital painting:

YouTube anatomy holy grail:

The Loomis method for the construction of the head is very popular because it is easy to learn and remember and can be applied to any drawing of the head.

Loomis also has many published books under his name. I’m not saying you can get free books here but if you could well. Careful of fake links with this site, if you don’t see the single login.re it’s the wrong one.

If loomis method books aren’t your style and you are more of a video person try this (this is the first on a short series):

If you know me I’m barely cracking the surface with digital art but I’m actually trained in professional forensic art and hyper realistic portraits , so here is info on traditional art by media.

Little proof of some training, but if you like this, this is woodless graphite pencils on vellum- just a slightly better quality than a pencil and paper :)

Finally here are some amazing pose references. Adorkastock had moved from Pinterest and is working on their own website so check them out here:

Taco is single handed my my go to for simplified anatomy and it goes my section of the body (people have made Pinterest copies that is separated by parts of the body) but I highly recommend buying it if you’re able!

I hope that this helps at least someone find a resource they needed or wanted! Feel free to dm me or repost with comments or more resources!

[ravenstargames]

✦ Lost in Limbo Devlog #11 | 05.08.24

AHA! Nope, we didn't forget about April's devlog. In fact, we have been busier than ever—doing early preparations for our Kickstarter, working on the demo, sorting out legal stuff...

Speaking of which...

This month we have been really busy making our studio official by the law! Now, to pay taxes and cry! YAY!

We are very very excited about it—and also terrified! We are still sorting out the studio's bank account, as burocracy isn't the fastest thing in this world, sadly. This is the first thing I wanted to talk about in this devlog, because it's such fantastic news for us! :')

Now, let's jump on the process we've made this past month, shall we? ✨

This past month, Raquel worked very hard on our second Key Art. This was originally made for Steam, but I modified the format a bit so it could also be used in other places! I honestly love this one—we have our first Key Art to represent the darker aspects of the game, and then this one to show off the characters' dynamics! Not everything's going to be horror and mystery in the game!✨💜

Also, we have been working on designing the merch for the Kickstarter, but we can't show anything yet. All we can say is that everything is looking gorgeous and we are so excited to share it eventually!

Thanks to Airyn, we've made great progress with the backgrounds! In fact, there's only one left to finish. The one you see above needs a few final touches (that will be made by yours truly!), and then I'll animate it a bit to get it ready for the build! The rest of the backgrounds are finished, animated, and integrated in the build :3

The survey icon is missing, but it'll be there!

Well, this should tell you everything you need to know when it comes to programming! The whole demo is programmed. Functional. Nothing crashes. Stuff works and I'm over cloud nine. I have been working on the final touches (revisiting scenes, checking sprites, music / sfx volume...) and the beta testing phase will begin soon. Soon as in tomorrow.

We've mainly used this month to review the auditions we received for our casting call, contacting the selected VAs, etc. Every VA has accepted their role, received the document with the lines we'll need for the demo, and we'll work hard to announce the cast publicly as soon as possible! We want to at least do a promotional short video showcasing every LI and their VA!

Sadly, making the studio official has (and will) take more time than we anticipated, and as we want to release the demo on Steam, the review process will most likely slow us down. There's the option of doing an itchio release and then a Steam one, but I'm not sure if that'll hurt the project. We are still keeping the demo release date a secret, until things settle down!

Also, I couldn't finish this devlog without talking about the Magic & Mystery Otome cross-promotion! ✨ We were invited by the amazing folks at Best Laid Plans Studios to participate in this event that showcases 12 amazing visual novels like Alaris, Obscura, Dual Chroma and more! I know I have been pretty annoying with this (can you blame me, though?!) so I won't keep rambling about it—just check everyone out, please!

I think that's all! Well, that's not all, but we gotta keep a bit of mystery surrounding the demo! We have been busy bees this month, with the making of the studio, the polishing of the demo, contacting and coordinating the VAs...

We are so excited for the demo release. I'm personally excited and terrified, but blame it on the OCD. I keep jumping from catastrophic scenario to catastrophic scenario. I'll have no control over what happens when the demo goes live, but I have control on what I can do before that happens—and that's working as hard as I've been doing this whole time.

And that's it! Please take care, enjoy the week, and stay hydrated. The Raventar team, NOW AN OFFICIAL STUDIO, wishes you all the best and sends a huge hug your way! 💜