#even in terms of penning my writings— but I’ll make the necessary changes where applicable

[liondrakes]

Ngl… I kinda wanna go by Sphinx more than Sivaan now

[archiveddvrpg]

Congratulations, LOUISE! You’ve been accepted for the role of BEATRICE. Admin Em: Louise, your application was such a joy to read, and I knew by the time I finished with your interview and sample that this IS Brielle. You captured the balance between dreamer and cynic perfectly, brought life into our spark and made it impossible to tear our eyes away! You showed us why she’s not to be underestimated, why she’s a force in her own right - “That’s what caused her to win; not God, not luck and not whatever else people decided to give credit to.” Just Brielle. Brielle and her horse.  Please read over the checklist and send in your blog within 24 hours.

WELCOME TO THE MOB.

Out of Character

Alias | Louise

Age | 23

Preferred Pronouns | She/her

Activity Level | I’m moving to England in October and that might be a week where I won’t be as active because I need to settle in but I will still try to come on and, at the very least, do a few replies and plot! Overall, I’m pretty active and try to do replies on the daily and I’d say I’m a 6 out of 10, my activity depending on how much writing muse I have that day!

Timezone | Gmt

In Character

Character | Beatrice a.k.a Brielle King

What drew you to this character? | The first line of her biography hooked me in right away. It really intrigued me about her character and it got me curious about what was the story behind the words you guys used. I was pleasantly surprised. And as I kept reading, I just got this incessant feeling of wanting to explore her character more — I almost couldn’t even sit still (then again I never can’t) until the end of the biography because I was excited to do things for her, to write as her and to develop her.

                                                          When I got to the end of her biography, I found myself wanting to read it again and again; I adore the fact that Brielle, quite literally, built herself from nothing — she’s a dreamer and a cynic at the same time, with street smarts that would put most to shame. I like her independence. I like her strength and that includes her weaknesses, as well. And, most of all, I love how she’s everything people don’t expect her to be.

                                                           Brielle is strong in her own way and while she might not look intimidating, she is, in my opinion, the embodiment of the words “Throw me to the wolves and I will return leading the pack”. People look at her and see an outsider that will be eaten alive by the city of Verona but her past will prove them wrong; she might not end up ruling over the city of Verona but I believe she’s strong enough to sway some power in her favor, in her own way.

                                                           She’s clever, she’s intelligent, she doesn’t give up and doesn’t back down. And I love how she handled the cards that she was dealt, in a table where it’s so clear some people are being favored over others. She didn’t just sit back and waited for life to give her what she wanted; she didn’t wait for karma to finally give her the life she wanted and deserved. Instead, she took matters into her own hands and did what she had to do to get to where she is today.

What is a future plot idea you have in mind for the character? |

i. GREATNESS FROM SMALL BEGINNINGS. At the risk of sounding a bit too greedy, I would love to see Brielle become “more important” within the Montagues; of course, I don’t want her to become a Captain overnight but I do believe she has the potential to be quite the asset to the mob and climb that ladder, step after step and prove herself to be more than they expect her to be. She’s hardworking, an overachieving, always striving to do better and do it to the best of her abilities, proving that the doubts about her, whatever they may be, are plain wrong. This is a plot for the long-run and I think would be very interesting!

ii. BE STILL, DON’T MISS IT. Catherine Daly holds a very interesting place in Brielle’s mind. For someone that has always depended on her own mind, her own edcisions and her own beliefs, it would be refreshing to have someone that makes Brielle’s mind take another stance when it comes to proving to everyone who she is; perhaps, she could take a break, for a few hours, and just enjoy someone’s company and that someone would be Catherine. Like it’s said in her biography, Catherine reminds Brielle of her sister. Although she couldn’t compare to the unspoken bond between Brielle and her blood, Catherine fills a void that appeared in Brielle’s heart when she finally went out into the world and took what she wanted.

iii.  THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS. I’m quite interested in her mentor and mentoree relationship with Faron Vasiliev and how it’s implied that they are kindred spirits. I adore those types of connections and for someone that’s always depended on herself her entire life, it would be good to see Brielle keep her independence and her street smarts but still be able to lean on someone for some guidance; of course, she would say it’s only just so she can become better herself but I believe that, either way, it would be a good relationship to explore and let it influence Brielle.

iv. HAVE VIOLENT ENDS. When I read about her relationship with Brigette, I was so enticed by it. For someone that’s so fearless but keeps her own weaknessess in check, it’s really interesting to see Brielle lose control of her emotions, the reins a bit looser, when it comes to dealing with Brigette. I love that the word “fear” was mentioned and that Brielle believes she has never felt it, but come this porcelain looking girl and, in a moment, she feels as if the world is about to fall on her. I think the interactions between these two can show a different side of Brielle; instead of roleplaying the fearless, overachieving Montague soldier, I’ll be able to also write a more… vulnerable side of her, in terms of being close to afraid of someone.

v. WHAT’S A GOD TO A NON-BELIEVER. I know this is a really vague plot, but I’d like to have the possibility, as well, to explore a waver in her loyalty. The way I see it, Brielle is loyal to the potential that comes from being o Montague’s side and she’s loyal to her mentor; however, I’d like to see how far she could be pushed until she began realising that perhaps her loyalty wasn’t as certain as most would assume. I feel like throughout her biography I didn’t get the sense she was fully committed to the Montagues, so that’d be something I’d like to explore if it fit her and the plot!

Are you comfortable with killing off your character? | Right now, I’m going to have to say no. However, that might change in the future!

In Depth

In-Character Interview:

Come to the west, come to Verona and you’ll experience a life you’ve never experienced before. Brielle remembered her benefactor’s words like he had just said it to her, days ago. Although she had just arrived in Verona mere months before that very moment, it took the newspaper all but a few weeks after she arrived to schedule that small interview; lucky for her — or was it? — it was right in the middle of the Phoenix and the Turtle coffee shop and although she had just made an appearance, her alignment might just prove dangerous in that particular moment.

Sitting across from the interviewer, Brielle allowed her dark eyes to study the man for a few moments; middle-aged, carefully groomed hair and a suit that put most to shame, not to mention he had ignored technology and held a notepad and a ballpoint pen in his hand. The young woman didn’t want to do this interview but she knew better than to bite the hand that fed her.

Foregoing the famous coffee for which the Phoenix and the Turtle was known for, all the brunette wanted was to get out of that interview. The faster, the better.

What is your favorite place in Verona?

“Verona.” Brielle simply said, a lopsided smile appearing on her lips as if she had thought of such an answer just to appear clever; the young soldier didn’t have to appear to be anything. As far as people were concerned, she didn’t appear much but Brielle knew she was on her way to becoming everything. “I’m still getting to know the city of love, you know? So, I can’t name a place.” She figured if she talked enough, then he wouldn’t pester more than the necessary.

Why Verona? It’s the embodiment of the ultimate challenge; Brielle knows she can survive such a merciless town, plagued by both beauty and a crimson, scary river of blood from both sides of the city, inhabited by people with knives for tongues and smiles as deadly as a gun.There’s beauty in danger, she muses inside her own mind, but Brielle is too smart to be swayed by beauty.  The city that saw her as nothing but an outsider, the city that threatened to swallow her whole without knowing that she was made of poison.

She’s both proudful and humble and she hasn’t gotten this far, climbed through vines made of poison and thorns, to be made a fool of by Verona.

“But if you want to know a specific place, then whenever I’m racing or at the stables.” Whether it was Rio’s mere presence or the fact that whenever she was on a horse, she wasn’t just the outsider that had come to race in the West and try and make it there. Whenever she entered a race, she knew that inside that place, Brielle was another equestrian and a good one at that. Her roots didn’t matter because, at the end of the race, the only thing people remembered was whether or not she finished last or first.

“Life of an equestrian, right?”

What does your typical day look like?

There was something about sharing that had Brielle feel conflicted; she had no problem sharing a room or a piece of clothing or even her own bed. Coming from nothing, Brielle knows how it feels to be deprived of what you need and not what you want.

However, when it came to sharing her life, she was always with a foot in the room and another out the door.

“I’m an equestrian.” It was the perfect cover, wasn’t it? Brielle had grown up being invisible; being the daughter of a man that brought dinner to the table instead of sitting down and eating it, much like her family, Brielle was used to being in the background, never having the spotlight shine on her. And most didn’t care about horse races, at all.

Before, the fire that grew inside of her for being treated like nothing because she came from nothing had been just that — fire that never seemed to guide her anywhere (until it finally did). Now? It’s her ammo.

“If I’m not at the stables, taking care of my horse, Rio” river, stream — that’s what her horse’s name meant; it was a symbol for who she wants to become. If someone builds a new path for the river, it doesn’t do anything but shape itself to it and carry on until its final goal: the ocean. That’s who Brielle was, was it not? “ — I’m either training or just exploring the city. I’ve only been here for a couple of months, I know there’s still a lot to explore.”

And everything left unexplored had a darkness to it that called to the curious minds like a siren song.

What has been your biggest mistake thus far?

None. That was the first response that came to her mind because everything she did was because she wanted to do it. “Not coming to Verona sooner.” If she allowed herself to be truthful about something in her life, it was that.

Of course, it was the answer that she knew they wanted to hear, at least partly. If Brielle hadn’t come sooner, she wouldn’t have realized that she was so much more than everyone told her she was; she wouldn’t have raced against every doubt throw in her face and let it eat the dust she left behind; she wouldn’t have shown someone that took his position for granted that, if given the choice, she’d take it for herself and be better than they could ever be.

“The horse race tracks are much better here.”

What has been the most difficult task asked of you?

Oh, Brielle remembers it clearly. It was as if she would be able to look into the river that bathed Verona and see the scenario play in front of her, like some independent motion picture. It wasn’t a one time kind of tasks, that much she remembered. It was something spoken to her every day of her life, for hours on end. Mind your station. Watch who you’re talking to. Focus on your work and nothing else. Don’t expect too much of yourself. Those were the tasks that were hardest for her, but the absolute hardest was easy to remember.Don’t dream too much. “So far?” She wasn’t about to be truthful, not in this sort of… interview. “Riding a horse that wasn’t mine. It’s just… strange, I guess.”

What are your thoughts on the war between the Capulets and the Montagues?

It was the epitome of greed and malicious thoughts and actions, the home to people that believe themselves to be better than the rest just because they are native to fair Verona. Still, Brielle knew where she ought to be and where she wanted to be. “Just like in every war, there’s going to be a winner and a loser.” The brunette began, shrugging her shoulders. And I’m on the winning side. Brielle planned to make the most of the situation, just like she had done thus far — and, where success was concerned, she had managed to grip the reins of it even when life wanted to see her fall and stay down. “It’s not my place to comment any further.”

In-Character Para Sample:

The reds and the oranges of the sunset cascaded down the sky, lighting up the stables in a color that was fitting for what was happening at that moment; it was neither night nor day, dark nor light — it was an ambiguous hour and if one didn’t try hard enough they could mistake the colors of the sunset for those of a sunrise. It wasn’t defined and hard to pinpoint, just like Brielle was, many complained. For someone that didn’t have much growing up, her confidence and pride sure rivaled the ones of people that had been brought up with everything on their silver platter, from the latest piece of clothing to their precious silver spoon — or marble one, should they decide to eat caviar.

Up and down, up and down. Her hand followed the brush as she tamed Rio’s mane, a lovingly stare becoming an empty gaze as her mind got hypnotized by the repetitive motion and her thoughts began flowing away, thinking back to memories she hadn’t thought of since she got to Verona.

                                                                   ————

The sounds around her began to fade and it was as if she was watching a show with a slow transition into another scene. Flashes of her childhood, of the word she had done before she even knew what working was. Brielle remembers walking by the oblivious people that surfed through the waves of an easy life while the young girl had to fight and swim among the same crashing waves; she remembers how she felt whenever they passed her by, ignored her and became the embodiment of the words ignorance is bliss.

Oh, they were as blissful as they could be, with rose-colored glasses matching their perfect outfits. Brielle’s glasses didn’t even have lenses, she saw the world exactly as it was and she still wanted to conquer it.

The faces of her parents and her sister looked right at her and though they moved their lips, there was no sound coming out of their mouths; Brielle’s memory was good but not that good. Her father, with a surname worthy of someone at the top of the food chain, was someone that lived to pick up the breadcrumbs from those around him. Her mother, either praying to a God that didn’t seem to know of their existence of knitting Brielle and her sister new sweaters for the winter was near and they didn’t have enough money for warm enough jackets. Brielle remembers looking around her house — if one could even call it that — and knowing that that life wasn’t meant for her, it wasn’t meant for anyone.

Then, every time she looked at the blissful people surrounding her, it was as if someone poured gasoline in the fire that kept her going. It was as if she had to thank those ignorant, rich kids for where she was right now.

                                                                  ————

Brielle King? Brielle King?

The words echoed inside the stables and although she didn’t recognize the voice, she knew it was time for her and Rio to join the others and race. There was going to be no God with her in that track; only her hard work, dedication, and practice; the countless hours spent in the stables and the tracks, every day spent there and every drop of sweat that escaped her. There was a lot of preparation before every race, at least the way Brielle did it. That’s what caused her to win; not God, not luck and not whatever else people decided to give credit to.

It was Brielle and her horse, the hours they spend together training, getting maneuvers down to precise movements and a form that would put most to shame. Although Rio was a beautiful, white and light brown purebred, given to her by her benefactor, every time they stepped on the tracks, alongside more known jockeys, they were underestimated. They were the dark horse. With her helmet tugged under her arm, three fingers holding the reins of her horse, she walked out of the stable and looked at the person that called out to her. With a last name so memorable, it was a surprise that most would never remember her face in a crowd; though it was something she was used to.

Upon seeing her, the young woman questioned, “It’s time for the race”

Without hesitation, Brielle looked at Rio and ran her hand through his soft mane. “And we’re ready to win, aren’t we, Rio?”

Extras: Everything’s in the mock blog I submitted from!

[justanotherartsstudent]

As part of my orientation for first year uni, I attended a session on how to make the most of lectures. Some of these tips and tricks are pretty straight forward, and can carry on from high school depending on the type of student you are/were. However, some of these also encourage you to become a more critical thinker, and help to better understand the content you’re learning in your lectures!

FIRSTLY, it is important to know WHY we go to lectures.

Lectures give us the essential and practical information we need to know about each subject we’re learning - Typically, lectures give you all the information you need to know for that week, and then you use that information in your tutorials later on.

Lectures provide an expert’s perspective of the content - Lecturers are usually well equipped with the knowledge surrounding your subject and provide useful perspectives, ideas and points of view regarding what you’re learning. This helps you to understand stuff more thoroughly, even if you don’t feel that way at first.

Following on from the previous point, lecture help to understand difficult concepts - Having someone talk through the information can help sort it out in your head rather than just reading a slab of text. Many lecturers will also use examples and anecdotes to substantiate the content, which not only helps you to understand, but can also be useful in assignments.

Lectures also encourage discipline specific styles of thinking - Different subjects require you to think differently eg. languages as compared to philosophy or a science. Going to lectures can expose us to these different thinking styles, which we also may adopt to other subjects should it suit.

PREPARING FOR LECTURES

Before your lectures, it’s important and helpful to have a general idea of what you’ll be expected to learn.

Review your lecture outline - This would usually be in your subject outline if you have one. It should specify what you’ll be learning each week. Try to determine what the aims of the lecture will be.

Consider how the topic fits in - Think about what you’ll be learning and how it’s connected to your subject. This causes you to think critically about what you will be learning.

READINGS - Make sure you read all the required readings before your lectures and tutorials so you can apply them to what you’re learning in class.

Make up questions - So while you don’t exactly know what you will be learning yet, you have a kind of general idea. Make up some questions of what you want answered in that lecture. If you have questions that follow the lecture or are during the lecture, write them down so you can ask them in your tutorial.

DURING LECTURES

Now that you’ve prepared for your lecture, what do you do? Let me tell you that it is not to use the free uni wifi to do some online shopping!

Make a written record - Write down what you hear, see, feel. Obviously you want to mostly be taking notes of what your lecturer is actually saying, but adding reflective commentary helps to make your notes more memorable of the moment in which you actually learnt the content.

Listen for main ideas and clues to details - Your lecturer will be emphasising certain parts of their spiel so keep an ear out for them because they’re important!

Copy/create graphic aids - If your lecturer has included them in their slides then it clearly is meant to be helpful. Creating your own also helps you to better learn and understand.

Write down examples - Your lecturer may often refer to examples which help back up and explain what they are trying to say. These are important to help you understand and can also be useful in your essays and papers.

Write down any questions - Keep these for your tutorials so clarify anything you’re unsure about.

ACTIVELY LISTENING

Actually listening in a lecture can be hard when there’s one person at the front of the room monotonously saying words that somehow sound like gibberish. So how do we make sure that we’re taking in everything we need to be?

Posture - Make sure you’re sitting up straight and not slouching in your chair! This engages your muscles, making you more alert and encourages blood to pump more efficiently through your body. Also try to sit in the first third of the theatre, closest to the lecturer to help you engage with the lecturer and reduce your likeliness to get distracted.

Look up from your notes and engage with your lecturer - Lecturers like this because it means you’re actually interested, and it can also force you to actually learn something instead of passively looking at your laptop or pen and paper.

Anticipate - Try to be at least one step ahead of the lecture. Not literally, but try to think about what they could be talking about next. This means you’re processing what they’re saying and grasping a better understanding.

QUESTIONS! - I’ll say it a million times, questions concerning anything you’re confused about are so important because it means you know what you don’t know and you have some intention of figuring it out.

Alternate listening, thinking and writing - You’ll have to be doing al three in your lecture so it’s important to master the rotation of them all.

BALANCING LISTENING AND NOTE TAKING

Sometimes note taking can affect our ability to listen to what the lecturer is actually saying, or sometimes we get so invested in what the lecturer is saying we forget to write it down. So where’s the happy medium?

Listen for clues - These may be any notes or graphics they put up on the screen, repetition, pauses or emphasis, their tone of voice, or the amount of time they spend on a particular topic. These are good to keep an ear out for as they can help you what to write down.

Listen for sign posts - These include words such as “this illustrates…”, “we know this because…”, or “scholars debate…” Lecturers are providing examples, evidence and issues within the topic here, which are important for you to have a better understanding and influence you to really reflect on it later on.

NOTE TAKING

All this stuff about note taking, but why do we actually do it???

Helps us concentrate

Identifying what is most important

Helps embed the content into our memory

Improves analytical skills

Helps in later assignments for that subject

So how do we effectively take notes?

Obvious one, but don’t write everything down! - only what appears to be useful and the key points

Examples are really useful to have so take note of those

Questions (again lol), thoughts and reflective comments

New terminology, references and readings - create a glossary with any new terms you’re unsure of and take note of what your lecturer refers to and recommends that you read because these can extend you in your assessments and exams

Determine if the information is available elsewhere - if you have access to lecture slides then copious notes are not as necessary because the information will be readily available. If you won’t be able to get access to the lecture again make sure you have everything you need to know!

If the purpose of the lecture is to provide background or context, listen more than you write. This information is not vital to your subject, but having a thorough understanding in your head rather than on a piece of paper is very important.

If you are listening to your lecturers point of view on an issue, take note of their arguments and how they structure them. Having an understanding of this can be useful in the formulation of your own perspective on the issue.

Formatting notes seems to be such an important issue in the studyblr community, but really, everyone is individual and we all learn in different ways. These are just some tips that I heard in the session:

Leave lots of space - Negative space in your notes can help declutter your mind. Also if you need to write something else down on that page then you have more space!

Be creative with your notes - You don’t need to make them pretty, but make them yours so you can understand them.

It’s a good idea to write down the title of the lecture and the lecturer on your notes just for future reference.

You can make your notes diagrammatic - Not everything needs to be written down in words!

Use your own abbreviations

At the end of the day, you want your notes to be exam ready so you’re just reviewing them in your SWOTVAC period!!

AFTER THE LECTURE

When the lecture ends, that doesn’t mean you should forget about everything you have just learnt. Reviewing the content is important so our brains don’t give into Ebbinghaus’ Forgetting Curve!!

Engage with the material again - Change the format of your notes, or imagine different applications of the information. This helps to have a better and stronger understanding.

Compare and contrast different ideas within the content.

Ask and answer any of your own questions, or even questions within a study group.

Make flash cards or mind maps or whatever helps you learn.

Discuss the material with your classmates

Try to apply the content to real life or real world issues.

Try to review within 24 hours of the lecture and then regular daily reviews for at least 15 minutes.

I hope that these tips are helpful in your studies, obviously not all of them are for everyone, but be open to try something new!! Good luck and much love, Emmanuelle xx