#logic assignment 1st week

[cloudy-caspirations]

✧ Introduction Post ✧

Hello! I’m Cas and welcome to my blog! I’m new to this studyblr thing and tumblr in general but desperately needed motivation for my studies, so please excuse any mistakes 😵‍💫

•• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ ••

About me:

libra, latina, 19, any pronouns

As of the Spring ‘25 semester I will be a 2nd year undergrad, but it will be my 1st year studying electrical engineering

Hobbies/Interests: anything and everything Kirby and Sonic related, reading, guitar, occasionally art (both traditional and digital), arts and crafts I guess ??? bc I’m a broke college student and diy everything

Spring ‘25 Semester Specifics Under the Cut:

•• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ •• Classes for Spring ‘25:

- Digital Logic Design (Lecture & Lab) - Linear Algebra and Differential Equations - Calculus 3 - Chemistry 1

Academic Goals:

- Turn in assignments ON TIME - Actually study regularly instead of just cramming before tests - Get over fear of emailing professors and/or asking questions during lectures - Attend more office hours than I did last semester - Keep my notes and assignments organized for longer than the first 2 weeks of the semester

Personal Goals:

- Work out at least twice a week - Replacing doomscrolling habit with something constructive (reading, hobbies) or at least relaxing (games, socializing) - Eat healthier and on a regular schedule - SLEEP EARLIER, or at the very least before 12am - Consistently update this blog

okay I think this introduction post has gone on for long enough, thank you for reading this far! I’m going to treat this blog as a diary or journal of sorts mainly focused on academics, but will probably end up posting about my life in general every now and then. Hope you all stick around and good luck with your studies!

[unending-everchanging-thoughts]

I hope this finds someone who will enjoy it. This is the first time I’m sharing my work. It’s a personal essay about a friends suicide attempt so go in eyes open. But please enjoy!! (1,164 words)

September, 1st 2022. 12:00 Pm

The wind blows lazily through the leaves. The side door of my highschool opens, I turn and there walking out the outside stairs is a ghost. Short, scrawny, and almost blending in with the backdrop. There is no real indication that he is dead—no floating feet, no translucent skin, not even a cold draft. Even without all the tell tale signs, I’m sure that this is nothing more than an elaborate illusion. But the image didn’t change, his form didn’t flicker. Everything seemingly stopped, stuttering like a scratched CD. Caught in a moment of madness, I found myself (possessed by sheer shock) running toward him in elation. I threw my arms around him, holding him closely, hoping he wouldn’t in fact slip through the cracks in the concrete. My arms made contact! The ghost was real and he was here! I must have manifested his life back into reality.

Truthfully, there was no magic needed to teether his soul back to the soil. He had never been dead. But to me he must have crawled from the ground to come here. I clutched his corpse, crouched at the side of his casket, cried over his freshly covered grave all within the tangled confines of my frantic imagination. My mind witnessed all of this, but on the outside his departure was nothing more than an ambulance ride to a nearby hospital.

At the time, turning him over to the proper authorities seemed a logical solution to him popping so many pills that his pupils disappeared. If only I had known that the moment he slid into the back of the red shiny van I would become captivated by nightmares of corpses, haunted by his ghost. No deity warned me of the inevitable months of missing him that would be brought on by my juvenile attempts at making him more than a martyr. No release form to inform me that emotional trauma would be brought on by my choices. I had no idea that I would spend years gripped by the grief. What are you supposed to do when your friend attempts suicide? When your world stops turning? When phones go silent? When voices are quieter than the screaming in your mind? Do you let your friend die alone on the bathroom floor? Crush their dreams into white powder and pour it down the drain? Do you follow the proper procedure and call the police? How do you handle the choice between saving a life or letting them die with dignity? Allowing a friend to pass on or risking the rage when they awaken?

6Am September, 1st 2022.

The sheets of my bed have become rotten after weeks of decomposing within them. Bread crumbs have built up like sand castles and water cups create wells filling my shelves. Tears have become my cheeks’ constant companions. Bags have taken up residence under my eyes. Clothes have become crumpled at the bottom of mountains. My mirror which usually lays compliments onto my skin has begun to strip off layers of my self esteem.

Mornings are no longer markers of new adventure. My school uniform sits on me like a straight jacket, my book bag leaves a rope burn on my shoulders, toast is stopped by clots of despair that fill up my throat. School which once seemed like a sanctuary now suffocates me. The English teacher asks for assignments now weeks overdue, my math teacher mumble about my general disinterest, and people seem to leer at me from the hallways of their happy lives.

I had seen the effects of untimely deaths. Posts on instagram have fluided my for you page proclaiming remorse for a life half lived. I had heard my mothers cries when her friend decided to die. Seen flowers fluiding over the side of bridges. I had heard how hard it is people when someone they love attempts suicide. However, I never felt the full, undiluted magnitude of that sentiment until I found myself perched on the edge of a desk, staring at a suicide hotline number written by a teacher, wondering if maybe 988 on a white board would have saved him. I now walk through life like a phantom drifting between memory and moment. Wandering the rooms of my school like a spirit frantically searching for something, someone, anything.

I wish to wallow in the space where I still had him, where he wasn’t gone. I see him in lockers and staircases. I constantly picture his face in the math room, where I had taken his portrait. I glimpse him in conversations, knowing what he would say or in the way that he would raise his hand. I spot him in the chemistry classroom glaring at me after a long forgotten argument, in the walls he once leaned against, in the place he first broke my heart. My highschool, my mind, my life are all haunted by the spirit of someone who didn’t die. An experience of grief without the marker of a tombstone introduced me to this limbo state, a space between grief and gratitude. All I have as a reminder are a few fragile memories. There was no indication that this day would be more than a continuation of my misery. But today, the memory decided to materialize right in front of me. He came back. but not to me.

Almost a month and a half after my best friend had been carried off the face of the earth in a whirl of red and white lights, I saw him. On the grass I hunched, shrinking myself to fit into the cohort I was seemingly a part of. Their conversations rang dull in my ears as my mind was on something more meaningful. Even once I caught sight of him descending the stairs, the sun forming a glorious halo over his head, I was unable to pull myself out of the grief that had grown within his absence. When I wrapped my arms around him, the embrace felt empty. The apparition was real but I was unable to make contact. He was there but I was not. Even as I pulled out my phone to capture the moment I was unable to place myself back in his presence. I reached for his hand, holding it gingerly, hoping that gesture would weigh me down. He smiled at me but depression trapped in a locket wrapped with a noose around my neck stopped me from smiling back. The once pupiless eyes looked at me sadly, seeing the pain that I didn’t deserve to designate with words. Upon my silence the ghost turned to the girl seated next to me. She dropped her eyes to him seeing the face of a beautiful boy, but not one brought back from the dead. To her, his homecoming was a plot point and not a whole novel. She made connections with the living while I was stuck sitting with the dead.

[zhiweilasalle]

Week 10 Summative Assessment

In this module, my group came up with the meaning CTS and how it help with all of our class.

I reflected back when I was doing Craft workshop, teacher assigned us to create a typographic composition on week 4, however it must be legitable and it could be creative that a person could understand the words.

1st try:

My idea is that I overlapped the words and tried to make it readable yet distinctive like a new font design

However,during that week when teacher reviewed my work, she claimed that this design is very unsafictionary because the letters are not properly aligned or symmetrised well and she cant read the words very well too.

At first,I was a little disappointed because I have spent a lot of time trying to correct the designs but it was rejected.

But what I learnt from this and to CTS is that all of us failed, but the one that willing to not let failure take over us emerged as the most successful one.

2nd try:

Eventually, the work is passable to the teacher but improvement is always welcome.

What I wish I did more of or better, is I wish to visualised more typographic concepts of this.

I wish to experimented more fonts , lettering , grids, hierarchy .etc and software knowledge in the future so I can better equiped my future skills in my careers.

What my favourite activity from this is I get to think broadly about the class I took, learn and applied to my design knowledge.

This make it easier because my knowledge isnt limited around CTS when critical thinking can play a part from other module.

And each tails, we draw give us a logical flow from one subject to another, we have a reflective time ruminating what we learn from physical to digital graphic design.

[saremina]

I mean that's still more time together so yeah I agree with you there.

From Wutai and Angeal disappearing it's about a year to Angeal's death (he leaves in November, Modeoheim happens in Autumn). Sephiroth locks himself in the data room after the Reactor incident in April and Zack tells Angeal he's still there when Angeal comes to tell him about Modeoheim. We know from Zack's memories that Sephiroth did train him at some point, and I'd guess he resumed that once he left the data room, but it was sporadic and not mentorship like Angeal did with Zack. The Junon date is in early summer and it's safe to say they had seen each other point between Modeoheim and that (this is based mostly on them clearly being more comfortable with teasing each other in Junon, though I don't think they spent a ton of time together). Nibelheim is September 22nd to October 1st. (yes I have the timeline borderline memorized, it's for fic plotting reasons)

The problem is that after Modeoheim, Zack would be in a terrible mental state for a while, Sephiroth probably isn't happy Zack killed his oldest friend (I think he gets it, but still, emotions vs. logic and all that), and Zack is definitely growing disillusioned with Shinra and he's at best depressed and hiding it, and Sephiroth is... well he's Sephiroth. The issues there are so numerous I don't think anyone needs them listed. So they're not really in a place to become best friends right after that, and they'd just figured out they're on the same page a few months earlier before Sephiroth decided to lock himself in the data room, so there's not really many opportunities for them to hang out before Modeoheim.

Yes, missions together and even being at the front together (assuming they would've been assigned to the same unit) would have given them a chance to spend more time together and grow closer, but unfortunately that didn't happen. As things are, after Modeoheim they're not really in a place where they were going to be seeking each other out often enough to grow close enough on their own right away. Zack has his other friends and especially Aerith, and Sephiroth isn't the type to go to a person he's not that close to and go 'hey I need a friend, wanna be it?' so he's not going to be initiating spending time together often if at all.

I was mostly looking at this from the context of what the canon story is and the characters themselves, hence my saying that if Nibelheim had been postponed things might've been different instead of saying they would've been closer if they had gone on more missions together or if the war had been prolonged, because we don't really see Sephiroth start to reach out to Zack before Junon, which wasn't that far from Nibelheim, and I don't think they magically started hanging out every week just because of that, though I do think they did spend a bit more time together between those two events, even if it probably wasn't that much.

But yeah, they needed more time together, be it via the Nibelheim mission being postponed or more missions together before it or just hanging out before it or even by being sent to the front together. Because yes, Sephiroth had years and their time in Wutai to grow closer to Angeal and Genesis, so maybe being at the front with Zack would have been beneficial to their relationship, messed up as that would have been.

Elaborating on my previous post about this because I'm still thinking about Sephiroth and Zack and touch and how they relate to each other in general and I need to purge this from my brain.

I'm not talking about this specifically in romantic or platonic sense so take this as you will and run with it or ignore it. Be free of your constraints etc. etc.

But. Let's start with Zack because Zack is easier.

I think we can all agree Zack is probably the most tactile SOLDIER to ever exist. He's the kind of person who's most comfortable standing so close to a friend their arms touch and he's so used to touching his friends he doesn't really register he's doing it. But I don't think he's unaware of it, or of how people react to it. He may be an ADHD poster boy, but he's not really oblivious to the people around him. He can't be, considering how social he is. So he'll hold back with people like Cloud and Sephiroth who aren't as comfortable with Zack's brand of affection from the start, and he'll play it up with people who put up with it.

And that's important, because it allows the people around him to be comfortable. Zack knows he can be a lot (he's probably learned it the hard way) so he's conscious of how the people around him are reacting to him. It probably borders on people pleasing at times, and it's probably taxing for him to have to constantly watch how he's interacting with people.

But he's still really tactile, so he probably tests limits and quickly figures out what people are comfortable with. He knows exactly how often he can pull Cloud into a headlock and ruffle his hair before Cloud gets actually annoyed. He knows how much leaning against Angeal will tolerate. He knows who he can hug as a hello and who will hold his hand, and who want him to maintain his distance.

He knows it, and he's good at figuring it out.

Which leads me to Sephiroth.

I think Sephiroth would like to be tactile. I think he finds comfort in being close to those he likes and trusts, but he's not very good at it because of the way he was brought up. Being tactile is likely something that was discouraged for him if not outright framed as a weakness (and weakness is not to be tolerated). When he finally meets people who would give him a friendly touch he wouldn't know how to ask for it, how to initiate it, maybe not even that he needs it, he just knows that he needs something.

Glenn helped him in figuring out how comforting touch can be, and then he had years to figure out how to be tactile with Genesis and Angeal. It wasn't a quick process, or an easy one at that. Sephiroth was probably just starting to figure out how to be friends with Angeal when Genesis came along and complicated things for him, and seeing Genesis and Angeal be so comfortable with each other must have stung at least a little because Sephiroth wouldn't have known how to participate or if they even wanted him to join them — if Angeal wanted to be his friend now that Genesis was there.

In the beginning, Angeal and Genesis probably looked at Sephiroth and (understandably) thought he wasn't that big on being physically affectionate. It probably took them some time to figure out that Sephiroth does like it when they touch him and pull him close. It probably took longer for Sephiroth to grow comfortable trying to initiate any kind of “unnecessary” physical contact.

And for years, Angeal and Genesis were the only source of physical (and emotional) affection and comfort of any kind to him, not that Sephiroth minded since they were the only people he was comfortable enough to enjoy it to begin with. By the time Crisis Core happens, they'd likely honed everything to perfection where Sephiroth didn't really have to ask for touch. He'd just stand a little closer than usual and Genesis and Angeal would know he was angling for a hug or a simple touch. They'd figured out when Sephiroth was the kind of tense where cuddling on a couch would help, and when he was best left alone.

And then Genesis was gone without a word, and then Angeal followed.

Even without getting into how much them leaving must have hurt Sephiroth — or how much it must have hurt him that neither of them said a thing to him about it — because he lost his only friends, he also lost his entire support network and source of companionship and physical and emotional comfort.

He was left with Angeal's puppy who's way too loud and excitable, and Sephiroth was back to square one of not having something he needs, except this time he does know what he's missing, and he has no one to provide it and considering the situation he's in, he probably desperately needs someone there by his side.

And that's where we get back to Zack.

Zack is kind of a perfect match for Sephiroth despite them appearing to be complete opposites. He's open with his emotions and extroverted and tactile and easily excitable, his jokes are obviously jokes, he gets along with everyone and he's open with his affections.

He's everything Sephiroth was never allowed to be.

Which, ironically, makes him the person who can push Sephiroth's boundaries and get him out of his shell with more ease than others, because Zack and Sephiroth, despite being so different, complement each other well. They create balance with each other.

The problem is that they were thrown together under bad circumstances and Sephiroth was probably doing an angry porcupine act at the thought of letting another person close — 3/3 attempts at friendship have ended up in Sephiroth being left behind so far, so why go for a fourth round? — and Zack is bristling because Sephiroth was so quick to accept that Angeal betrayed them, and then he dumped Banora on Zack, and then the Reactor. I don't think Zack warmed up to Sephiroth until the Reactor, honestly. By that point he knows him and Sephiroth are on the same page when it comes to Angeal (I don't think Zack cares that much about what Sephiroth thinks about Genesis since he's more neutral on Genesis), and Sephiroth does extend him an olive branch by telling him about how Genesis got hurt and how they used to sneak into the training room.

I think Sephiroth understood that he needs Zack on his side and that they need to be cordial if nothing else, and he's learned enough about being friendly to know this is something that should help with that.

But Zack is really easy to like. And because Sephiroth already knows what friendship is and he probably wants that closeness, it's easier for Zack to slip through the cracks in Sephiroth's walls. It still takes time because Sephiroth doesn't let himself get attached to people easily, but Zack is the one person who has an easier time making that happen than most.

As I said before, Zack is probably pretty good at finding where boundaries are before he crosses them. He'd be extra cautious with Sephiroth because even though Sephiroth wants the kind of casual closeness Zack is so good at, he doesn't show it — definitely not with someone he's just met. But Zack will figure out how tactile he can be with any given person. So he starts small, seeing if he can just casually nudge Sephiroth when he's in the way, or if he can gently bump into him. Then he starts patting a shoulder or an arm here and there, and when he gets no negative reactions, he keeps it up, but he goes slow with Sephiroth and he keeps it light and easy to brush off until one day Sephiroth nudges Zack to get him to move, because that's what Zack always does with him.

Like I said in my original post, I think Sephiroth mimics the people around him because he was never taught how to interact with people in a casual setting — or more critically how to make friends. I think he did the same with Angeal and Genesis; he'd copy the way they touched him when he was figuring out how to go about it, because it was the frame of reference he had for that kind of thing. He knows that tactic works, so he tries it with Zack too when Zack goes from 'a colleague and a person Sephiroth knows' to 'friend', because what if the rules are different with different people? Not to mention Sephiroth doesn't really know how to make friends, and casual touch and closeness isn't something he's used to with anyone but Genesis and Angeal.

I think he didn't really start reciprocating any kind of casual touch in earnest until around the time they went to Nibelheim. I mean if you look at this gif —

— not only is Sephiroth's attempt at a casual touch awkward and slightly out of place, you can see Zack is actually a bit surprised by it. There's a slight shift to him, but he knows what Sephiroth is going for so he doesn't say anything and goes along with it.

And the thing is, if they'd had more time — if Nibelheim happened just a few months later — Zack might've been able to pull Sephiroth away from the library. Because Sephiroth is reaching for Zack; he's comfortable enough to touch Zack just because he can — comfortable enough to offer reassurance and comfort with a touch. He's always looking at Zack because Zack is his (only) friend, and that makes him important. Sephiroth won't stay for a picture because a photographer or a teenage girl ask him to, no matter how much it would mean for them, but he'll stay for a photograph if it's Zack asking.

But the problem is, Zack hasn't realized how big of a deal any of this is. He and Sephiroth are friends, but Zack is so used to having casual friendships that it probably hasn't occurred to him that Sephiroth desperately needs someone he can lean on — someone who he can truly be himself with. And Sephiroth has no experience with the kind of casual friendship Zack excels at; he latches onto the people he labels as friends with everything he has, but the thing is the last time he did that, there was nothing bad happening. He got to grow close to Genesis and Angeal organically over time, he got to settle into those friendships without rushing, and that's what he's likely expecting to happen with Zack too. He's not rushing it because why would he?

Zack, at the time when they go to Nibelheim, is likely doing his best to hide depression himself. He's disillusioned with Shinra and he's had to kill his friend and mentor. Sephiroth has just told him he's thinking of leaving Shinra (and don't get me started on him doing that when Genesis and Angeal didn't tell him they were going; he wasn't going to do that to his only remaining friend (no hate on Genesis or Angeal though))

So Zack doesn't see what Sephiroth is looking for. He's hero worshiped Sephiroth for years — probably most of his life —, and he's got his own problems he's trying to hide, so he doesn't see Sephiroth's attempts at interactions for the desperate need for genuine connection they are. He doesn't see Sephiroth's awkwardness for what it is; someone trying to mimic human behavior because he doesn't know how else to connect with people outside of his two friends who left him behind. Zack doesn't know what Sephiroth's life has been like. He doesn't know Sephiroth is holding on by a thread, because Sephiroth has been trained to hide everything that's not the Shinra imposed facade his whole life and he's still figuring out how to drop that around Zack.

But if they'd had a few more months together? The fact that Sephiroth has started to reciprocate the casual touches would've probably made Zack bolder with touching Sephiroth, and then Sephiroth would've been more confident in his friendship with Zack, and that would have made him comfortable enough to really start dropping the facade he holds up every day of his life, and Zack would've seen the real him.

And the irony is that because of the facade, Sephiroth would understand the front Zack is putting up to hide his own struggles perfectly if Zack just let it drop, just like Zack would understand Sephiroth if he dropped his front.

And if that happened? Zack would have seen Sephiroth starting to break in Nibelheim for what it was, and he would have done something. He would have tried, at least. Sephiroth would have been less insistent on pushing Zack away, too, since they would have been closer and he would have been more comfortable relying on Zack for emotional support. Zack might not have had a ton of experience with genuine, deep connections, but he'd be there and he'd help the person he cares in any way he can, and that's what matters.

But they didn't do any of that, because they didn't have enough time together.

So Nibelheim has to burn, and Zack has to raise his blade against another friend.

[softdows]

HSC 2021 Logic all Assignment Answer 2021 (1st And 2nd paper) Best solution

HSC 2021 Logic all Assignment Answer 2021 (1st And 2nd paper) Best solution

HSC 2021 Logic all Assignment Answer 2021, Logic Jukti Bidda is one of the elective subjects for students in the humanities department at the higher secondary level in the general education system. In the light of the decision of the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, ten assignments on logic have been prepared in the light of the short syllabus of 2021 HSC candidates prepared by…

[maomao-words]

Here is another self-indulgent piece of writing!  (✿´‿`)

I binged Blue Lock’s manga in 3 days and I am now left with an empty void that I’m trying to fill by writing about my favorite characters in it.

On a side-note, I always seem to think of them as 18-19 years old. 

Contains few spoilers on some characters’ ranks after the Third Selection!

Being their Personal Manager at Blue Lock: (Itoshi Rin, Seishiro Nagi, Hyoma Chigiri)

Rin Itoshi:

Being assigned to the 1st ranker in all of Blue Lock immediately after your adaptability test barely shocked anyone. At this point in time where the whole existence of Blue Lock centered around Itoshi Rin, it was more than obvious that Rin would only receive the utmost care and the very best of the candidates as his manager.

Ranking first in the agonizingly harsh Entrance Exam and managing to out best all 600 other candidates from over the country, you were always the sole choice for Itoshi Rin’s personal manager.

You were already familiar with Rin’s character, preferences, weaknesses, strengths, diet and overall living style. You even had his body measurements down to the millimeter engraved in your brain. You thought yourself as perfectly ready to assist him in his endeavor, but reality soon proved you slightly wrong.

Meeting the genius called Itoshi Rin for the first time, you swore your blood ran cold within your veins the minute his eyes locked with yours. An oppressive aura, suffocating enough to send shivers down your back, surrounded you immediately the minute you stepped into his room. It took all of your willpower not to tremble in front of him.

Rin’s gaze did not move from yours for what seemed like an eternity, but noticing no visible signs of fear or submission on you, his lips slightly curved in a smirk and he finally stood up from his chair, discarding your test results on the table nearby.

“Not bad. She’ll do for now.”

Once you gained Rin’s initial approval, you started your mission as his closest aid. From the moment Rin opened his eyes to the minute he closed his door at night to sleep, you never left his side. You calculated his calories intake and planned his meals accordingly. You carefully reserved the training field and machines to Rin’s own wishes, making absolute sure they are available for Rin to use without any interruption or interference from other players. You planned, ran around, filled up water bottles and picked up emergency kits more quickly than you have ever did back in your own school’s competitive soccer club. You did that over and over again, to the point that you felt like dying. Until you finally broke down.

But being Itoshi Rin’s personal aid did not even offer you the privilege of breaking down in public. You waited until the day’s clamor and chaos was over. You meticulously prepared Rin’s lunch and reminded him to take the few tablets of vitamins afterwards before finally excusing yourself.

Rin raised a brow in faint confusion, as you have never willingly separated yourself from his side, even during meals. But the wound within your chest has finally festered to the point of no return, and you were unable to provide him with a convincing explanation before you gathered your papers and left.

The empty hallway located far from the center cafeteria soon echoed with your faint sobs. You gathered up your knees close to your chest and slowly rocked yourself in hopes of easing your pain. Weeks of harsh labor, zero communication with the outside world as well as the stress that came with handling all of Rin’s demanding responsibilities finally bled over.

You were not giving up. ‘Make no mistake,’ you whispered to yourself between sobs. You were just taking a much earned break before drying up your tears and returning to work.

But just as you began to feel frustrated at the tears still falling on your cheeks, you felt a heavy cloth fall on top of your head accompanied with an extremely familiar fragrance.

You jolted, hand coming up to clutch at Rin’s jacket before glancing up at the tall figure standing by your side. You opened your mouth but a round package slammed into your face next, leaving you to wince in pain.

“Eat that and let’s hurry back. I can’t find my black cleats.”

Rin’s voice echoed in the empty hall, forcing you to bring your attention to the melon bread he threw at you. Sounds of clothes rustling beside you made you look up again, only to find that Rin has sat down beside you, hand coming up to tug you closer to him.

Placing his palm on top of your eyes, Rin’s voice sounded as soft as ever as he whispered.

“Rest. I’m here.”

Seishiro Nagi:

As you stared down at your test results that have finally arrived after a long wait, you suddenly had the urge to cry out. 

Why him of all people?

Having extensively studied all of Blue Lock’s key players prior to passing the Entrance Exam as a manager, you were filled with admiration and respect to them and thus felt ready to be assigned to any of them. Any of them but Nagi Seishiro.

A beginning who did not even know the most basic of the basics on football yet somehow blessed enough to be labeled as a genius even among Blue Lock’s outstanding participants. That was Nagi Seichiro.

You abhorred geniuses. You abhorred how easily they reached their goals, how effortlessly they achieved their desires and how the entire world seemed to bow down in front of them. Becoming the personal manager of a hard working individual, like Isagi Yoichi for example, would have made you the happiest woman on the planet. To watch that individual sweat and toil, think and plan all of his minor actions in order to reach the pinnacle of his dreams through both talent and hard work and get to assist him in that process was the reason behind your entrance to Blue Lock.

So when the day where the eleven chosen managers entered the isolated towering building to meet the elite players ranking at the top of the whole project came, all you could taste was bitterness and rage in your mouth.

After Ego finished the basic introductions between managers and players, he gave the green light for you all to start performing your duties. As you began to collect your belongings that were delivered to you by the staff, you could see the tall figure of a young man approaching you from behind.

Without allowing Nagi the faintest chance to offer his help, you hoisted your luggage up with both hands and started walking towards the managers’’ sleeping quarters with only “I will be back shortly” thrown behind your back at the frozen Nagi.

A job was a job after all and you had no intention to slack off because of your personal dislikes. But you will be sure to maintain a professional distance from Blue Lock’s 6th ranker to avoid any unnecessary trouble.

Being Nagi’s personal manager was as hard as you have expected. Having to support a monster who does not cease to evolve with each passing day at a frightening pace would be considered had by anyone’s standards. But you were already aware of the heavy duties imposed on you from the start so you grinded your teeth and bared the pain. The only issue you seemed to have was, unsurprisingly, Nagi himself.

You have intended for your cold treatment the day you both met to be enough warning for the player. You wanted to perform your duties. Nothing less, nothing more. But Nagi seemed to have another idea on the relationship between you. 

He did not hinder your tasks nor act difficult on purpose to harm you, but he also made sure to greet you warmly each morning before plopping his large hand on top of your head and gently pat your hair for a few minutes before leaving.

He made sure to stick close to you during meal time, pushing off whatever he deemed not-tasty to your own plate, and innocently smiling when your try to scold him. He always shared his dessert with you, no matter how many times you tried to lie and tell him you disliked sweets. He constantly tried his best not to overburden you with questions on players and tactics and carefully chose the times where you were free enough to answer him.

In short, Nagi Seichiro was a weirdo. A weirdo you wanted to choke.

As the time went by, your perspective on Nagi was entirely transformed, despite yourself. You started to put extra care into his meals, go beyond what is required of you when it came to taking care of his training schedule and treatment and even sacrifice some of your free time in order to answer as much of his questions as you can.

One morning, as Nagi stepped in the room and smiled brightly at you, you found yourself moving in closer to him before raising your arms and catching him in a tight hug. Nagi almost stumbled in surprise, but managed to stable you both as he wrapped his hands behind your back. But before he could even utter a word, your mouth opened and a joyful, “Good morning Sei-chan!” came out.

Hyoma Chigiri:

“Are you sure you wish to be assigned to Chigiri?” Ego’s detached voice echoed in the almost empty hall, stopping you in your tracks. The results of the Blue Lock Entrance Exam for managers were just announced and the chosen eleven were asked to pack up and be ready to leave in a two-hours frame.

“You do realize that your rank actually qualifies you to become Itoshi’s Rin support, don’t you?” Ego’s fingers tapped on the table in a rhythmic manner, not stopping even as you glared at him.

“Yes, sir, I am well aware of that fact. But my decision will not change.” Your voice, calm and steady, caused Blue Lock’s host to grin, his raven locks falling to the side as he tilted his head to inspect you closely. “A calculative, rational and logical tactician as you, who managed to outrank all 600 other participants in a six hour long exam, is moved by mere personal emotions?”

It was hard for any regular person to detect the mockery dripping from each of Ego’s words and not feel their blood boiling within their veins. Only you slightly smirked at Ego, eyes curving in genuine mirth as you joyfully answered: “Yes! Is there any problem?”

All the struggles you have faced so far in order to reach this point were, after all, done for the sake of one person: Hyoma Chigiri. Specializing in medical treatment and athletic injuries as a manager was not a coincidence. You have long became aware of your intense desire to support Chigiri and aid him in his journey to achieve his dreams. No matter how many people laughed at you both, no matter how many criticized your choices and claimed you could do much, much better than an injured boy, playing on borrowed time, your resolve never shook.

As you finally locked eyes with Chigiri after your arrival at Blue Lock, you saw how his shoulders slightly trembled and his eyes widened, and your resolve was instantly renewed. Not many words were needed as you playfully extended your hand to shake Chigiri’s own. He was aware that you were there for him and that you will not change your mind no matter what he says or does.

Your duties at Blue Lock were slightly easier than your fellow managers simply due to the fact that you were already familiar with Chigiri’s routine. Needing no time to adjust, you dove head first into taking care of Chigiri, putting the well-being of his knee as your utmost priority. You tried your best not to bite your lips each time you bent down to take a look at the previously injured area, fully knowing that Chigiri has made his peace with the incident and was now focusing on moving on with no regrets.

Your favorite task to perform was, and still is, taking care of Chigiri’s silky hair. You were faced with his slightly damaged locks the day you arrived at Blue Lock’s building and Chigiri had to apologize a couple of times for ruining the hair you treasured the most. Ever since then, you returned to your usual task of picking hair products for him, drying and styling his hair depending on Chigiri’s schedule for the day. Braids were your go-to style but you also enjoyed changing things up, knowing that it made Chigiri happy each time you tried to come up with a new hairdo.

Now that you were finally reunited with your childhood friend and lover, you were ready to give it your all and see it all to its final end.

[chikoriita]

Secret Agent Elf

Here is my @mlsecretsanta fic for @xiueryn! I really hope you enjoy it!

Read on AO3

"Let me understand what you're saying." Alya stirred her hot chocolate languidly. She furtively looked over Marinette's shoulder to find the boy in question. He seemed innocent enough as he bagged his customer's purchases. "You believe that Adrien is an elf? Not even a Lord of the Rings elf, but one of Santa's helpers!" She could barely keep her laughter contained.

Marinette shushed her. "Not so loud!" She took her own look to make sure no one, especially not Adrien, heard her. If she lingered a little longer than necessary, Alya thankfully did not comment.

"Marinette, you've had a few too many late nights. Adrien is not magical to anyone except you." Alya raised a knowing brow. "Is this an excuse to avoid talking to him?"

"No! I talk to him all the time." Marinette maintained eye contact with her best friend. Her tiny crush on Adrien had nothing to do with her suspicions. If anything, the only thing holding her back was her certainty of his elfin origins.

She made the connection three weeks prior, at the start of the Christmas season for Agreste Fine Goods. One of the largest department stores in the city, Agreste Fine Goods catered to every need of the Parisian family. From couture to off the rack, from interior design to furniture kits, the store had it all.

"It all" included the opportunity to intern directly under Gabriel Agreste. Out of the entire city, Marinette was chosen to be the fall intern. Unlike past interns, Gabriel chose her himself. As part of her course, he guided her through everything from designing to marketing to in-store operations. Personally.

She did not mind the extra scrutiny. Gabriel built the business from a tailor's shop to its current state. Any knowledge she could glean from him was worth it. Even if her internship coincided with the dreaded retail season of Christmas.

Gabriel, the Mentor, was tough, but when it came to Gabriel, the store owner, and the Christmas season, he took no chances for disaster. It was the most profitable time of year. Thus he took on dozens of new employees in preparation. Adrien was one of the seasonal hires. He arrived at the store with a cheerful attitude on November 1st.

(Marinette should have started suspecting then; what retail worker was cheerful during the Christmas season?)

"Magical things happen when he's around!"

Alya snorted. "Fine. If you can bring proof that he's a "Christmas elf", then I will believe you. But!" She held up a finger. "If you can't, because he's a human being, you have to ask him to our New Year's Eve party! Either way, I win."

--

Observation Report 1

Date: December 20

Subject: Adrien

Setting: Santa's Workshop

21:00 - Subject observed tinkering with the decorations in Santa's Workshop. I put up those decorations. What did he feel like needed to be fixed? Could those sparks be coming from his fingers?

Note – Upon his exit from the workshop, collided with the subject. The subject smelled of peppermint and marshmallows.

Observation Report 2

Date: December 22

Subject: Adrien and Staff

Setting: Break Area

12:00 - Subject brought copious amounts of hot chocolate to the common area for staff only. Two hours later, the normally hectic, frantic, and grumpy restockers wore grins of joy. The cashiers did not shed one tear that morning. A peek into the customer service room indicated that there was some magic afoot. Upon entering, they wished Gabriel and me a "Merry Christmas". (The last time we ventured to Customer Service, even Gabriel hesitated to cross the threshold into their lair)

Note – he brought me a personalized mug of the chocolate, and there was no aftertaste of any added ingredients. Thus, it must have been magical to calm the staff in their mania.

Observation Report 3

Date: December 23

Subject: Adrien

Setting: Loading Dock

22:00 – Subject found with a large sack of packages in the trunk of his car (a rental). The packages did not have the AFG logo on the wrapping, and thus not packages from the store. When Subject was approached, he had a bashful grin. The packages were going to a local homeless shelter.

Quote: "A benefactor asked me to drop these off to make sure the children have presents to wake up to on Christmas morning. Every kid deserves to have a present to unwrap. Please don't tell anyone you saw me with these gifts." Sidenote: The look in his eyes was heart-melting; how could I not listen to him? Second Sidenote: His ears were looking pointier than normal. Could it be a side effect of Christmastime?

22:45 – After helping Subject stuff the gifts in the car, I returned home to find a similarly packed gift in my purse. Upon inspection, it was far more delicate than the other gifts in his car and had a note attached to it.

[Attached Note Contents]

Marinette,

For all of the cherished memories you’ve helped make since we met. You were the best part of my Christmas, by far.

Love, Adrien

--

She reached the logical conclusion the next night in her makeshift office.

Adrien was definitely an Elf.

Marinette wanted more than anything to inform Alya of her observations. After all, she was right, was she not? Telling Alya was the whole point of the investigation. Still, there was something that held her back.

After all, if Adrien was an elf, then it followed that Santa was also real. Santa Claus, the same jolly fellow that sorted the people of the world into two distinct lists. And if she outed one of Santa's actual elves, then there was no doubt which Marinette would be on for the rest of her life.

Her eye caught the package he had given her the night before. Inside had been a lovely pair of jet earrings. More importantly, she thought as she ran her hand over the note, what would he think of her?

Well, that only left one option didn't it?

--

To tell the truth, he hadn't expected anyone to follow him out of the store on Christmas Eve. At this point in life, Adrien knew better than to lose track of his surroundings. Even in the safety of such a nice neighborhood, anything could happen. Though he could admit, if he had to choose someone to accost him in the street, it would be Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

A surprisingly strong arm looped through his elbow and pulled him close. "I've been waiting for you!" Marinette gasped.

He looked down into her wide eyes. "Why?”

She furtively glanced around. The back alley of Agreste Fine Goods was not the best place for a conversation. "We need to talk. We can go to my parent's bakery." She tugged him toward Rue Gotlib. "They're closed for Christmas Eve, and we'll have privacy there."

Adrien would have lingered longer on the privacy if the thought of delicious pastries had not intruded. In any case, his feet were following her lead.

Before he realized what was going on, she had him settled in the bakery with two steaming mugs of coffee and the end of day croissants.

“Sorry, it’s not much.” She grinned and took a sip.

On a cold and snowy night like this, he was in a cozy bakery with the cutest girl from work. He thought it was perfect.

They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes. "Adrien." Marinette placed her mug firmly on the countertop and sighed. "I need to confess."

He met her gaze. She seemed burdened by something. What on Earth could she need to confess? On Christmas Eve no less?

"I know your secret."

In hindsight, maybe drinking something hot was not the best choice when having such a conversation. "My what?" He choked. How could she have found out? He thought he had been so careful.

To be fair, he wasn't surprised Marinette found out. Over the last few weeks, she paid closer attention to him than any of the other seasonal workers at the store. Only… Only he hoped it was for a more affectionate reason.

"I figured out your identity. I didn't mean to, but it was so obvious. After all, when you're around everything seems more magical," she blurted out.

Magical? "I'm not sure I follow," He said slowly.

Marinette began to pace back and forth. "Alya said I was being silly, but now I know I'm not. You're so beyond my reach, especially with my internship ending and you leaving. I don't want things to change between us."

He felt his stomach hollow. "Does the truth really have to change how you treat me?"

"I don't want it to change," she repeated softly. "You're wonderful."

He grabbed her hands and stopped her pacing. Pulling her close, he gently said, "Marinette, look at me. Does knowing the truth make a difference of how you feel?" Adrien hoped more than anything that she would deny it.

"Feel?" Her breath smelled of mint chocolate.

"Knowing the truth shouldn't change how we feel about each other." He leaned closer and placed his lips on her cheek. "My feelings certainly won't change."

"This probably won't work. The geographical distance is too large." Marinette sighed.

"I won't be that far away."

She giggled. "The North Pole is pretty far Adrien."

"That is true- Wait what?!" He wrenched back.

"The North Pole. Where you live? Isn't that what we've been talking about?" She sat down on a barstool.

This girl had a way of knocking his world off-axis in more ways than one. "Not to my knowledge." His voice came out higher than he expected. "What exactly did you find out?"

To her credit, she turned redder than a tomato. She mumbled her next words, but he could swear he heard "elf" somewhere. Were his ears deceiving him?

A small spark of mischief entered his voice. "Come again?" He teased. He had a feeling they would enjoy this in future Christmases.

"That you're a Christmas elf on assignment from Santa Claus. Now I realize that might sound far fetched, but I had my reasons!" Marinette quickly said. She narrowed her eyes and held up a finger before he could speak. "And before you say a word, Mister-" The fire from her voice died down. "What is your last name anyway?"

Oh this was going to be great. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and leaned down to her ear. "I realize that I never properly introduced myself. My name is Adrien Agreste."

Her body stiffened in his embrace. He slowly turned her around to see the dumbfounded look on her face. Adrien took the few moments of silence to study the enigma of Marinette. He saw the gears working behind those expressive eyes of hers. She blinked once, then twice. He braced for anger and possibly humiliation.

But Marinette never reacted how one would expect. Her mouth widened into a grin. "It's slightly disappointing, to tell you the truth." She batted her eyes at him.

He scrunched his mouth in confusion. "Disappointing?"

Marinette grabbed him around the waist and pulled him closer. "Don't you think flirting with a Christmas elf would be rather exciting?" She heaved a sigh. "I guess I will have to settle for the boss's son. Although, I did hear a rumor that he was some kind of model."

If he hadn't seen the wink, he might have taken a bit of offense. Instead, he played along. "Take me out of my misery, Miss Dupain-Cheng! I adore you."

"I might adore you as well. But please explain a few things to me before we continue with all our adoration." She released him, and patted the seat next to her.

“Ask away, milady.”

She pulled out a small notebook from her bag. Flipping to the back, she began, “What were you doing in Santa’s Workshop four days ago?”

He was impressed. She had notes. Real notes. Only Marinette, he thought with a smile. “I was fixing the lights on the chair. The photographer was complaining that the bulbs were interfering with his “art.” It made more sense to rewire the lights to not twinkle.”

“That explains the sparks…” Marinette murmured.

“What else do you have for me, Secret Agent Elf?”

“What about the hot chocolate?” She smirked.

Adrien felt his ears burn. He had heard enough about that from his father that day. “I… Um…”

“Yes?”

“I brought spiked hot cocoa to the break area. My roommate wanted to play a prank on my dad, and there was some collateral damage.” The Customer Care department in particular was hit hard. Their antics tipped Gabriel off to what happened.

“I drank the same cocoa, and nothing happened to me!”

Marinette stared him down with her big blue eyes, and he couldn’t help but tell the truth. “I made yours by hand,” he mumbled and dropped his face in his hands.

“That is so sweet.” She rubbed his shoulder. “One more thing, and then we’re done. Where did all the gifts come from?”

He groaned once more. “You really can’t tell anyone about this. Father and I use the “wages” that I earn to send those gifts to the shelter. My mother, she used to volunteer there. He does not want anyone to know we are the donors.”

“Why not?”

Adrien lifted his head and shot her a cheeky grin. “To be fair, in any other conversation, the explanation wouldn’t be nearly as funny. He made a deal with the director at the shelter. They would keep his name private, and instead, I would deliver the gifts dressed as an elf in lieu of Santa Claus.”

She snorted, which led to her bursting into laughter. Even her laugh was enchanting. Before long, he joined in, thinking of the silliness of it all.

When they had a chance to relieve all their tension, Adrien wore his jacket and scarf once more. “I should probably head out. Your parents probably want to see you at some point this evening.”

“If you must,” she wistfully said, walking him to the door.

“Hey.” He lifted her chin and leaned close. “Since I will be closer than the North Pole, would you like to go on a date? A real one? A date nowhere near Agreste Fine Goods?”

“Of course I would. I still need to ask you to Alya’s New Year’s Eve party.” She tilted her head higher.

“Two dates!” Adrien laughed. “Miss Dupain-Cheng, I would be delighted.” With those words, he lowered his lips and spun her around.

[architectuul]

The Greek Experiment

The first initiative for an architecture exhibition within the Venice Biennale was taken by La Biennale di Venezia in 1975 when Vittorio Gregotti was appointed as a director of Visual Arts. Since his appointment three major exhibitions were organised between 1975 and 1978 and finally in 1980 the Architecture department got detached from the Art Biennale and became independent under the presidency of Giuseppe Galasso (1979-1982), who appointed Paolo Portoghesi as director. 

Read also “What Fundamentals? Revisiting Treasures in Disguise” and “The Introverted Seismograph”

It was that year when the 1st International Architecture Exhibition was held in Venice titled La presenza del passato. During the first 15 years there were no national pavilions participating to the Biennale, until its 5th edition in 1996 under the curation of Austrian architect Hans Hollein, who decided to follow the standards of the Visual Arts Biennale and hosted national participations for the first time. 

Since then, most of the national pavilions throughout the years have attempted to demonstrate each country’s architecture history and special qualities by responding to each year’s curatorial agenda. However, very often there have been cases when architecture itself was 'overshadowed' by a socio-political condition (e.g a war, a revolution, a natural disaster, an economic crisis, etc.) affecting one or multiple countries. In these cases, national pavilions became bold statements and curators used them as pretext to express their ideas responding to the emergent condition. In the past two decades the European economy has suffered from a deep recession followed by a migrant crisis which triggered a general instability across the continent. As a result, Architecture Biennale reflected both on a national and an international level on these cases examining how the profession and built environment have been affected by these conditions.

Since 2010 Greece faced a great recession and among other countries has suffered extreme austerity measures that led ultimately to a humanitarian crisis. On top of that, the turmoil in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq pushed migrant flows towards Europe through Greece result into a refugee crisis after 2012. Within this context in the 13th Architecture Biennale curated by David Chipperfield under the theme Common Ground Athens was brought to the spotlight. As a response to the Greek crisis and economic meltdown, Panos Dragonas and Anna Skiada, the curators of the Greek pavilion, tried to address issues like the Athenian living standards and the deteriorating quality of public space focusing mainly on the typology of the Athenian apartment building, the fragmentation and decay of Athenian public space which led to the need to redefine the priorities of architectural design. In the following Biennale in 2014 under the topic Fundamentals by Rem Koolhaas, the appointed commissioner Yannis Aesopos shifted the focus from the ongoing crisis to tourism, examining how it has influenced the country’s modernisation through constructed tourism landscape.

One year later, on top of the economic crisis, Greece had to face immigration flows from Syria and Middle East which affected dramatically the economy and society. At the end of the same year, the Ministry of Environment and Energy appointed the Association of Greek Architects – Greek Union of Architects for the first time as commissioner of the Greek Pavilion for the 15th Architecture Biennale under the topic Reporting from the Front by Alejandro Aravena. At the beginning of 2016 with only 5 months remaining till the Biennale’s opening, the Association launched an open call for ideas and a few days later held an open conference where all contributors could present their ideas and proposals. In the following days, as there was neither agenda nor structure for the project's management, the Association announced that the preparation of the curatorial proposal and pavilion structure would be determined collectively through an open dialogue between the participants. 

After the first meetings in which over 200 architects participated, smaller groups were formed and assigned with different tasks in order to manage Press and Communication, Pavilion’s Design, Sponsorships, Events and Catalogue’s editing. The different teams were supposed to work closely and come together once per week to brief all participants on the project's progress. Through this process the curatorial team had the chance to ‘re-discover collective procedures, the participatory spirit, the unification, the consultation (…) and democracy through an on-going dialogue which did not stop at physical presence but extended to the Internet framework of communication’. Five months later, while the initial conference attracted more than 200 architects, after an extensive process only 140 participants managed to follow up until the end and make it to the pavilion’s opening in May.

There’s room for all of us was the motto which had inspired the Greek participation. However, there were times during the process when the collective body couldn’t agree or decide collectively. There were times when individual voices were calling for a sabotage of the Biennale or suggesting for a bold statement to raise awareness regarding the refugees. There were even times when the collective was split, and the polyphony was creating confusion and chaos. Within the preparation period thousands of emails have been exchanged between participants and hundreds of hours were spent on web and live meetings in order for 140 people to conclude on complicated theoretical and technical issues. We quarrelled, we made it up, we quarrelled again. We were disappointed, we took fresh courage. During that lengthy and draining process some people left the group, while others who met for the first time became friends and work partners and there were even cases of people who were opposed or confronted during the overheated debates. It was definitely a difficult and challenging procedure which pushed most participants to their limits.

Only a few days before the opening the Pavilion was not ready and the number of participants who voluntarily would travel to Venice was not confirmed. A number of scheduled events was at risk and the funding had become a major issue while at the same time capital controls introduced in June in Greece made the situation even more complicated. Finally, the pavilion was completed just on time and some participants managed to get the funding and sponsorships to travel and organise their events in Venice. However, even within the 7-month period of the Biennale the collective had several arguments and numerous issues kept coming up. 

Most participants ended up having bittersweet memories of their participation, but we could all agree that it was a useful experience through which certain lessons have been learnt especially on horizontal, non-hierarchical bodies and how they operate. There are definitely limitations in such schemes and balance is hard to be achieved between the individual and the collective. We could all agree that we would do a lot of things differently next time, however #ThisisACo_op was a very representative approach expressing the spirit and challenges of the time in a very critical moment for Greece.

♯ThisIsACo_op

The title of the Greek entry at the 15th Venice Architectural Biennale - ♯ThisIsACo_op - attempts to give expression to the nature of the process by means of which this participation has been realised, and also to express its basic argument on the importance of collective, co-operative, and democratic action. The choice of the title arose for an additional reason: as a reversal of the familiar hashtag ♯ThisIsACoup, which predominated on the internet after the frustration of the will of the overwhelming majority of the Greek people in the referendum of 5/7/2015, when it said ‘OCHI’ to the proposals of the creditors (the European Union and International Monetary Fund) for the imposition on Greece of new and extreme policies of austerity. 

The logic of the use of the title as a hashtag is a further expression of an endeavour by means of which, as is the case with a hashtag, many different apprehensions people, and situations give rise to a common resultant, express themselves in the same space, and make up a unified body.

***

VAB 08: Dimitris Grozopoulos

Dimitris Grozopoulos is an Architect and Urban Designer. He studied Architecture at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and holds a Master’s in Landscape & Urbanism from Kingston University London. After his graduation he has been teaching at the Master programme in Kingston University and has participated in crits and design workshops. His work has been featured in magazines, conferences and exhibitions such Architecture Drawing Prize exhibition at Sir John Soane’s Museum in London (2018), Future Architecture Platform programme (2017), Venice Architecture Biennale (2016), 3rd Think-Space Unconference in Zagreb (2013), etc. His main interest is focused on urban decay, regeneration strategies and brownfield sites. Within the last few years, he has been involved in several architecture and masterplan projects as well as in in numerous international competitions.

[a-kirsche]

Teach Your Child to Read Before He Goes to School

Teaching a child to read at a youthful age gives him a precious and indispensable head start in life. Reading is the foundation of education and a child's reading capacity will impact his school achievement significantly. Learning challenges, large numbers of which come from helpless reading skills, can harm a school child's confidence and influence his future achievement.

Small kids are programmed to learn and they blossom with incitement. Ten to twenty minutes of reading a day, inside an empowering climate, actually leaves a lot of time for play.

Parents worried that learning to read is excessively testing of an assignment for a pre-schooler, should recollect that most children learn to talk when they are 3. Learning a language is likely the absolute most testing intellectual errand any individual can embrace, yet children do it without formal guidance, accomplishing the familiarity that dodges most grown-up language students. It follows that learning to connect letters with sounds is well inside a little youngster's capacity.

There is an open door, as far as IQ development, which is generally open during a child's initial years.

A logical study, completed by Dr. Peter Huttenlocher, a pediatric nervous system specialist at the University of Chicago, indicated that the quantity of connectors, called neurotransmitters, between the sensitive spots in a newborn infant's mind is like the number in the normal grown-up cerebrum. These neurotransmitters increase quickly during early earliest stages. By 12 two years a child's cerebrum has about half a bigger number of neural connections than the normal grown-up mind. From that point the neurotransmitters which are not being used decay. For the greater part of one's grown-up life, from age 16, the number remaining parts consistent. It starts to drop again as we move into our golden years. Intellectual movement at a youthful age, for example, learning to read, animates and protects these connectors in the mind bringing about a long term valuable impact on IQ.

Notwithstanding logical studies, countless benchmark group studies have reliably shown that intellectual incitement at a youthful age has a positive long-term impact on IQ. The most prominent study is likely the Milwaukee Project (Garber, 1988; Garber and Heber, 1981). This study took a gathering of infants, the entirety of whose moms had a low IQ, and gave them unique preparing for seven hours every day, five days per week, until they started 1st grade. By the age of 6 these children had a normal IQ 30 focuses higher than their peers.

The mind-boggling end is that early intellectual incitement can have a positive, long-term impact on your child's mental health. From birth you should talk and disclosing things to your infant. Reading to him can be a commonly compensating movement; a brilliant method of investing quality energy with your child. The enjoyment of books and experience with the idea of print will make ready for learning to read later.

In the event that your child is a quick learner you can help him understand his potential by acquainting him with the delight of the printed word at an early age. This will establish the frameworks for both a successful school profession and a lifelong love of reading. On the off chance that your child outlines early indications of reading troubles, your endeavors may help him lessen such issues before he goes to school.

[csrolereversal]

Rules and guidelines!

Boom yeah, I’m finally writing the rules down. First and foremost, let’s set some dates!

Captain Swan Role Reversal Halloweek will begin on Friday the 25th and end, of course, on Thursday the 31st of October (duh).

The first one to sign up will be Artists so I know how many will partecipate and with how many works.

When do Artists sign up?

From September 1st to September 15th. After I open the sign ups (I know, it’s logical and as obvious as you want, but it’s better to be safe than sorry).

How do Artists sign up?

You just have to send me an ask or a message saying you’re in and with how many pieces. This is very important, guys.

What can you present for the Role Reversal?

You can do digital or traditional pieces, aesthetics/moodboards, gifsets and even edits but they need to “tell” a story, or at least prompt one. The setting, the pose, the action they are up to, the atmosphere, the surrounding, everything can influence a writer’s mind. I’m not going to tell you how or what to draw, I’d cut my fingers off first, but I ask you to create something you’d love to read about.

To clarify: if you sign up with two pieces, you’ll be paired with two Writers.

And now, on to the Writers.

When do Writers sign up?

From September 16th to September 22nd. (Again, after the post).

How do Writers sign up?

Same as for Artists: send an ask or a message my way, and you can even sign up to write more than one piece if you feel up to.

What can you present for the Role Reversal?

Any kind of story you like! It’s up to you whether it’ll be a multichapter, a one-shot, or just a drabble.

In case of multichapters:

1. The first chapter drops on the dropping date during Halloweek.

2. I’ll make sure to reblog every update, so please tag the blog whenever you update.

There’s a minimum of words you have to use: 1k words. I put this limit because, when Artists take their time to bring your words alive, they create something beautiful, so please use them the same courtesy and don’t give a simple “descrition” of the scene. We aim for fics, not for captions.

How many Writers can participate?

Now, this is the tricky bit. Until the 15th, I won’t know how many Artists will participate and with how many works. The moment I know, I’ll put the number on the post opening the sign ups for Writers, hence why it’ll be first arrived, first served. I’d love for it to be open to everyone interested, and I apologize in advance if I’ll have to refuse someone subscription - hopefully I won’t, but still.

When will you know whom you are paired with?

On September 23rd I’ll do the matches which will be totally random and I’ll proceed to inform you straight away.

This will give Writers roughly a month to write something, while a little bit longer to the Artists to work on their pieces. I’d hate to see any dropouts, so please consider signing up very carefully.

For this event, I don’t think I’ll put up a Discord chat - unless you ask for it, that is - but I’ll encourage dialogue between Artists and Writers - who knows, maybe you’ll find yourselves new friends - because there might be things the Artists love but the Writers would never write.

Be careful, though, the Artists are the one to decide what to draw, much like in other events Writers are the one who write and the Artists follow along, maybe giving intel, but not changing the plot.

If there’s any problem, please contact me here or at @darkcolinodonorgasm.

When will you know the dropping dates?

Same day as the pairing, September 23rd.

Since the event lasts only for a week, I won’t ask for which day you’d rather drop the art and fic. What I ask you, though, is to promptly tell me if you have issues that will prevent you from posting on that date and we’ll try to figure something out.

Can Artists do more than one piece for fic?

Artists can sign up for one or more pieces - respectively one or more Writers will be assigned for each piece, and it’ll be up to the Artist to choose which Writer to entrust their art with once I’ll pair you up, but that doesn’t stop the Artists to create more pieces for the same fic if the muse is willing (for example, in case of multichapters if you want to illustrate a passage you particularly love or even just for one-shots if your Writer writes something you want to draw).

What about NSFW art?

If you want your work to be NSFW but you don’t know how to post it because duh, Tumblr, you can create a thumbnail with a link to the full NSFW art which Writers will post on ao3 given the lack of restrictions over there.

How will you post?

Much like for every other event I’ve seen and participated in, both Artists and Writers will post their works, Writers uploading the art in the same post as their fic while Artists will just upload the art, each one tagging the other.

In case of gifsets, instead, a link from the Writer to the Artist’s post will suffice.

Will a collection on ao3 be created?

Yes it will! And if you post on ffnet, too, I’ll try to find a way to have a collection over there, too!

Whew, I think this is all.

Hopefully.

In case you have more doubts or you think I’ve forgotten something important, please do contact me and I’ll answer your questions and/or try to figure something out.

Thank you!

See ya on September 1st for the signups!

[omoi-no-hoka]

Moderately Interesting Japanese Episode #4 Unusual Surnames, Summer Edition!

Above: super cool name stamps Japanese people use in place of signatures. Still dead set on getting a laser beam Buddha. 

For every “Yamada” and “Sasaki” there is a unique and interesting Japanese last name. I made a post about this in the past here, and this is the continuation. Since it is a hot summer day here, the theme of these surnames is “Summer.”

八月一日

Pronunciation: Hazumi Meaning: August 1st Number of people with this last name: ~80

The first time I saw this, I was blown away by the fact that a date could be someone’s last name. English speakers are used to the concept of days of the week being used as surnames (like “Friday”), but not an exact date. Then, I was blown away by the pronunciation. The standard pronunciation for this date is “Hachigatsu tsuitachi,” and you can see that “Hazumi” is quite a large leap. 

So what’s the story behind this last name? Long, long ago, when Japan used the lunar calendar instead of the western calendar, August 1st was the day that rice was harvested and presented as a gift to others. This custom is the source of this surname. 

蝉

Pronunciation: Semi Meaning: Cicada Number of people with this name: ~90

Perhaps the most ubiquitous symbol of summer in Japan is the “miiin miiin” call of cicadas. Still, they’re not exactly a beautiful creature and I for one wouldn’t be thrilled to be known as “Ms. Cicada.” haha

There are a couple different ideas of where this surname came from. Many Japanese peasants didn’t have surnames until the late 1800′s, when the Meiji Era government made last names mandatory. Peasants went to the local government building to create/be assigned a surname and kanji for it, but at the time most peasants could not read kanji. So when a peasant said their last name was “Semi” and the government employee asked what kanji was correct, the peasant may not have known the answer. This common occurrence led to alternative kanji for the same last name. The surname Semi can also be written as 瀬見 or 勢見, which refer to geographical locations. 

Therefore, people with the last name “cicada” likely meant to have one of the above two versions of “Semi,” or they lived in a place with a lot of cicadas. 

下駄

Pronunciation: Geta Meaning: wooden geta sandals Number of people with this last name: ~40

Geta are those wooden sandals that are traditionally worn with kimono and yukata and make that beautiful clack clack sound. I have a couple pairs and I look for every excuse to wear them because I just love the sound, and who doesn’t love sandals, am I right? Nowadays, few people wear geta unless they are really committed to their yukata/kimono ensemble. When there’s a festival and people get dressed up in yukata, it’s fairly common for them to forgo geta and wear regular flip flops instead. 

Anyways, let’s get back to this last name. Did these people make geta back in the day? Did they wear them even in the dead of winter because they were that committed to fashion? 

Sadly, both of the above hypotheses are incorrect. “Geta” was a region in the Yamaguchi Prefecture, so this is a surname that has been around for a long time. And the 下 (ge) of Geta means “under,” and refers to a low place like a foot of a mountain. 

祭

Pronunciation: Matsuri Meaning: Festival Number of people with this surname: ~30

As evidenced in, like, every anime ever, the number one event of summer is the matsuri. Local parks and temple grounds are filled with rows of yatai selling drinks, food, desserts, and myriad games and contests. Girls dress up in a yukata, boys might dress up in a yukata too but probably won’t, and they walk through all the yatai, try but fail to scoop goldfish into a cup with a rice paper spatula, maybe go through the haunted house, and watch fireworks together. They are my favorite thing about Japan, so I would absolutely love to marry a Mr. Matsuri and take his last name haha. 

So what is the history behind Mr. Matsuri? Well, the actual meaning is “festival,” and specifically the worship of gods, since that was the original function of matsuri. “Matsuri” is also a region in Aichi prefecture. 

金魚

Pronunciation: Kingyo Meaning: Goldfish Number of people with this surname: ~20

What is the official fish of the summer? Goldfish! Why? Because of the “kingyo sukui” (save the goldfish) game that everyone plays at festivals. Goldfish are in a shallow pool, and you pay about 500 yen for three tiny paddles made of very thin paper. You must scoop the goldfish up and transfer it into a cup without breaking the paddle, but you are dipping paper into water and it is pretty tricky. 

I couldn’t find too much information about this surname, but it appears that back in the Meiji Era when everyone had to have last names, a man who owned a fish shop wanted to combine “fish” and “gold,” and so made his last name “goldfish.” Can’t argue with that logic!

I found a whole bunch more interesting last names that deal with summer, but I don’t want this post to end up a mile long so I’m gonna cut myself off. Which one was your favorite? Let me know!

Also, if there’s a particular topic you’re interested in, send me an ask and I’ll make a post about it!

[softdows]

HSC Logic Assignment Answer 2022 4th Week (1st Paper) Best Solution

HSC Logic Assignment Answer 2022 4th Week (1st Paper) Best Solution

HSC Logic Assignment Answer 2022 4th Week, Student friends participating in the HSC and Alim examinations of 2022, the selected sample answer of HSC, Alim class 4th week assignment logic 1st paper has been prepared for you – (Comparative analysis of position expression and nationality as argument material). This answer will help you to get the highest marks in the assigned work of HSC and Alim…

[dailybestiary]

Patch Has Issues: Dungeon #2

Issue: Dungeon #2

Date: November/December 1986 (Pretty sure my Christmas haul that year was full of dope toys from The Transformers movie/show.)

The Cover:

(Use of cover for review purposes only and should not be taken as a challenge to status. Credit and copyright remain with their respective holders.)

Ah, Clyde Caldwell. He, Larry Elmore, Jeff Easley, and last issue’s Keith Parkinson were the mainstays of TSR’s amazing stable of artists. I have a soft spot for Caldwell. He did the covers for the D&D Gazetteer series, which means his work emblazoned some of my absolute favorite books from my middle school years. (At the time I had the whole series except the two island books, GAZ 4 & GAZ 9 (which I’ve since collected), plus the Dawn of the Emperors box set. My favorites, for the record, were GAZ 3, 5, 10, and 13. I...may like elves...a little too much.) And even as I sit here, other covers demand to be named. The very first Dragonlance adventure, the iconic Dragons of Despair? The Finder’s Stone trilogy? The first Ravenloft box? Dragon #147? Yep, he did those covers too. He was amazing.

But hoo-boy, we also have to talk about the not-amazing parts. Once Caldwell settled on a way of doing things, that’s how he did them. Points for consistency, but man, he had tropes. Even his tropes had tropes. He had a way of painting dragon’s wings. He had a way of painting swords and boots. He had a way of painting jewelry, and belts and coins—ovals upon ovals upon ovals.

And his way of painting women was with as few clothes as possible. Everything I said about Parkinson last entry? Yeah, that goes double for Caldwell. He never paints pants when a thong will do. His take on the reserved and regal Goldmoon—thighs as long as a dwarf and bronzed buttcheeks exposed—reportedly left Margaret Weis in tears. Magic-users (God, I hate that term) famously couldn’t use armor in D&D and AD&D, but Caldwell’s sorceresses pretty much stick to gauze just to be safe. And the Finder’s Stone trilogy I mentioned above? Yeah, the authors of Azure Bonds took one look at Caldwell’s cover art and literally had to come up with in-text reasons why the heroine Alias—one of the most surly woman sellswords in existence—would wear armor with a Caldwell boob hole.

Don’t get me wrong, I love cheesecake as much as the next dude. (Actually that’s not true; I came up in the grunge ’90s—our version of cheesecake was an Olympia brunette in three layers of thrift store sweaters reading Sandman while eating a cheesecake. Hell, that’s still my jam.) But context matters. The sorceress from “White Magic,” Dragon #147’s cover, may barely be wearing a negligee, but she’s also in the seat of her power and probably magically warded to the hilt—she can wear whatever she damn wants; it’s her tower. So no complaints there. But this cover’s pirate queen Porky Piggin’ it seems like an unwise choice. (The friction burns alone from clambering around the rigging…)

It’s clear from reading The Art of the Dragonlance Saga that TSR was trying to turn the ship around when it came to portrayals of women in fantasy, however slowly. And in Caldwell’s defense and to his credit, he definitely delivered women with agency—in nearly every image, they are nearly always doing something active and essential. They just tend to be doing it half-dressed.

Which is all a way of saying I dig this cover—the explosion, the churning sea (even if it does more look like snow drifts than waves), the sailors all running to the rail to look—but yeah, that pirate captain needs to put on some damn pants.

The Adventures: Before we get started, I have to note that though we’re only an issue in, already the magazine feels more noticeably like the work of editor Roger Moore. This is 100% a guess, but it really feels to me like Dungeon #1 was made of adventures that the Dragon office already had laying around, whereas Dungeon #2 was composed of adventures that Roger Moore and the new Dungeon team had more of a hand in sifting through. (He also has an assistant editor this time in Robin Jenkins, which had to have helped.) Even the cartography looks better. Again, I have zero confirmation of this, but the feeling is strong.

“The Titan’s Dream” by W. Todo Todorsky, AD&D, Levels 5–9

PCs visiting an oracle accidentally walk right into a titan’s dream and must solve some conundrums to escape. What an awesome concept this is! (Spoilers for “Best Concept” section below.) It’s a shame I don’t like this more.

First of all, dreamworld adventures are really hard to do well. And for them to work, there usually need to be real stakes—and not just “If you die in the dream, you die in real life!”—and/or a real connection to the PCs in your campaign. The latter, especially, is really hard to pull off in a published adventure; typically it’s only achieved through tactics that critics deride as railroading. (For instance, @wesschneider’s excellent In Search of Sanity does a great job of connecting the characters to their dream adventures...but it does that by a) forging the connection at 1st level, and b) pretty strongly dictating how the adventure begins and how the characters are affiliated. It works, but that’s high-wire-act adventure writing.)

Being a magazine adventure, “The Titan’s Dream” doesn’t have that luxury—it’s got to be for a general audience and work for most campaigns. That unfortunately means the default “Why” of the adventure—a lord with a child, a wedding, and an alliance at stake hires the PCs to chat with a wise titan—is little more than that: a default.

On top of that...I cannot get excited about anything Greek mythology-related. To me, just the fact I’m seeing it is a red flag.

Look, Greek mythology is why I got into this hobby. Hell, it’s why I got into fiction, period. (For some reason I somehow decided I had no use for fiction books targeted to my age, with the exception of Beverly Cleary. Then in 4th(?) grade, I got a copy of Alice Low’s Greek Gods and Heroes, and the rest is history.) But Greek mythology is often the only mythology anyone knows. When people think polytheism, that’s where most people’s minds go. Which is why, if you ever played D&D in the ’80s, I pretty much guarantee your first deity was from that pantheon. (In my first game, my first-level cleric pretty much met Ares and got bitch-slapped by him, because that’s what 4th-grade DMs do.)

So to me, putting Greek deities or titans in your adventure is the equivalent of putting dudes riding sandworms into your desert adventures—you can do it, but you better blow me away, because that is ground so well trod it’s mud. And this one doesn’t do the job.

The format is three dreams, each with five scenes. Parties will move randomly—a mechanic meant to represent dream logic (or lack thereof)—through these scenes, until all the scenes from one dream have been resolved. This is actually kind of fascinating, and I wonder how it would play at the table—I have a feeling observant players will dig it, but others may find the mechanism’s charm wears off quickly, especially if they have difficulty solving the scenes or get frustrated with the achronicity of events. I also like that every scene has a number of possible resolutions, so the PCs aren’t locked into achieving a single specific objective like they were stuck in a computer game.

But...I can’t shake the feeling of weak planning and execution (or even laziness?) that stayed with me throughout the adventure. Like, okay, the first adventure is a cyclops encounter out of the Odyssey. Cool! But then...why does the Titan follow it up with pseudo-Norse/Arthurian encounter? Did the Odyssey not hold the author’s attention? (Nor the Iliad, the Aeneid, or Metamorphosis? Really?) And then why is the third dream “drawn from the realm of pure fairy tale”? Like, were you out of pantheons? Horus didn’t return your calls? Or be more specific—why not German fairy tales, or Danish, or French Court, or Elizabethan? It feels like a class project where one group was on point, one group got the assignment a little wrong, and one didn’t even try.

Again, it’s not even that this adventure is bad—I honestly can’t tell if it is or not; I’m sure a lot of its success is determined at the table. And I could totally see throwing this at a party if I was out of inspiration that week or we needed a low-stakes breather before our next big arc. But the instant I think about it for more than a second, it all falls apart for me.

Have any of you tried this one? Let me know what you thought. And for a similar exploration into dream logic/fairy tale scenarios, I recommend Crystal Frasier’s The Harrowing for Pathfinder.

“In The Dwarven King’s Court” by Willie Walsh, AD&D, Levels 3–5

Willie Walsh is a name we’re going to see a lot more in issues to come—he’s a legendarily prolific Dungeon contributor, delivering quality, typically low-level, and often light-hearted or humorous adventurers issue after issue after issue. His first entry is a mystery with a time limit: A dwarf king is supposed to make a gift of a ceremonial sword to seal a treaty, but the sword has vanished. Brought to the king’s court courtesy of a dream, adventurers must find the sword and the surprising identity of the culprit before the rival power’s delegation arrives.

At first I was going to ding this adventure for its “What, even more dreams this issue?” hook...but here’s the thing with Walsh—never judge his modules until you reach the final page. Nearly every time I’m tempted to dismiss one of his sillier or more random adventure elements, it turns out that it makes sense and works just fine. In this case, the cause of the dream is haunt connected to the mystery, and I feel dumb for being all judgy.

So anyway, the PCs are given leave to search for the stolen object and the thief, but of course it turns out there is a whole lot of light-fingeredness going around. As Bryce (see below) puts it, “It’s like a Poirot mystery: everyone has something to hide.” This castle has as much upstairs-downstairs drama as any British farce, with nearly every NPC having either a fun personality and/or a fun secret (and with the major players illustrated by some equally fun portraits) that should make them memorable friends and foils for PCs to interact with. Not to mention the actual culprit is definitely a twist that will be hard explaining to the king...

GMs should be ready to adjust on the fly, though—a) it’s a lot of characters to juggle, and b) since the PCs are 3rd–5th level, the right spells or some lucky secret door searches could prematurely end the adventure as written. You may want to have some last-minute showdowns, betrayals, or other political intrigue outlined and in your back pocket if what’s on the page resolves too quickly.

Overall though, I’m a big fan of this adventure, and look forward to the rest of Walsh’s output. Also, given the dwarven focus and the geography of the land, this adventure could be a very nice sequel to last issue’s “Assault on Eddistone Point.”

“Caermor” by Nigel D. Findley, AD&D, Levels 2–4

Look at this author’s list of writing credits! Findley was amazingly prolific, and his work was pretty high-quality across the board, as far as I know. I particularly loved the original Draconomicon, one of the first and only 2e AD&D books I ever bought as a kid. I also loved his “Ecology of the Gibbering Mouther” from the excellent Dragon #160, and some of his Spelljammer supplements are currently sitting upstairs in my to-read pile, recently purchased but as yet shamefully untouched.

Now look at his age at the time of his death. Life is not always fair or kind.

(Speaking of unkind, man is the bio in this issue unfortunate in retrospect: “[H]e write for DRAGON® Magazine, enjoys windsurfing, plays in a jazz band, and manages a computer software company in the little time he has left.” As Archer would say, “Phrasing!”)

Anyway, this adventure is simple: An otherworldly force has been murdering the locals. The locals have pinned the blame on a handsome bard from out of town, and their own prejudices and general obstinacy are sure to get in the way of the investigation—that is, if the true culprits, some devil-worshipping culprits and and an abishai devil, don’t get in the way first.

All in all, this is a tight, well-written adventure, so I don’t have much to say about it, other than that if you like the idea of sending your party to help out some young lovers and save some faux-Scots/Yorkshiremen too stubborn to save themselves (and maybe slip in a valuable lesson about prejudice and xenophobia as well), this is the adventure for you.

One thing that does jump out to a contemporary reader, though, is the comically overpowered nature of the baddie pulling the strings in this adventure: Baalphegor, Princess of Hell (emphasis mine). Overpowered, you-won’t-really-fight-this-NPC happens with a lot of low-level adventures, when the writers want a story more epic than characters at the table can handle or are trying to plot the seeds for future evils. But still, any princess of Hell would already be a bit much...but an 18-Hit Dice, “supra-genius”, the Princess of Hell? Like, what the f—er, I mean, Hell?

If you use the adventure as written, the only way to have Baalphegor’s presence make sense is to eventually reveal that the area is an epicenter of some major badness. (Maybe that explains the lost nation of evil dwarves in the adventure background.) For a good model on how to seed early adventures in this matter, Dungeon’s Age of Worms Adventure Path and Pathfinder Adventure Path’s Rise of the Runelords AP, both from Paizo, are exemplars of small-town disturbances that eventually have world-shaking implications.

It’s also fascinating in retrospect to note Ed Greenwood’s massive impact in the hobby. Any article that appears in Dragon has the sheen of being at least semi-official, but it’s clear that Greenwood’s content was a cut above even that. In this case, an NPC from a three-year-old article of his is not just treated as canon, but also supplies the mastermind behind the adventure! It’s no surprise that in the following year his home campaign, the Forgotten Realms, would soon become AD&D’s newest and then its default setting.

Two final thoughts: 1) There’s some fascinating anti-dwarf prejudice in this article. Nearly every mention of dwarves paints them as exceptionally greedy and/or villains. And 2) how did one even begin to balance adventures in those days? This adventure is for “4–8 characters of 2nd–4th level.” There are a lot of difference at the extreme ends of those power scales…

“The Keep at Koralgesh,” by Robert Giacomozzi & Jonathan Simmons, D&D, Levels 1–3

One of the problems of BECMI D&D being known as “basic D&D” is that writers often assumed the players to be basic (that is, younger/new) as well. Which probably accounts for some of the early suggestions to the DM we get at the beginning of this adventure—like some pretty patronizing advice along the lines of not immediately announcing to PCs what the pluses are on their magical swords.

Fortunately, after that the article settles down and gives us Dungeon’s first real D&D adventure. In fact, not just real, but massive: 20 full pages of content—nearly half the issue! It’s a fully fledged dungeon crawl that has the PCs taking advantage of the summer solstice to open a shrine door that will lead them inside a long-ruined keep said to hold great treasure.

Now, I imagine in the coming installments it’s going to seem to many of you like I’m grading D&D adventures on a curve, because of my love for the system and the Known World/Mystara. That’s a fair accusation, but a better way to consider it is that I’m reviewing D&D adventures for what they are—adventures from a separate system, with a more limited rules system and palette of options than AD&D. You don’t go to a performance of Balinese shadow puppetry and compare it against Andrew Lloyd Webber; you look at it for what it achieves in its own medium. Since they appear side-by-side in the same magazine, comparison is going to be inevitable, but that’s with the understanding that AD&D was the kid coloring with the 64-crayon box of Crayola, while D&D was getting by with just eight.

On its own terms then, “The Keep of Korgalesh” is a decent, if not superlative, success. I love that it’s practically module-length and that we get three complete levels—a far cry from the previous issue’s side-trek-at-best, “The Elven Home.” We also get two new monsters, which absolutely fills my inner BECMI D&D player with glee. And I like that what starts as a dungeon crawl/fetch quest evolves into a “kill the big bad thing” and “find out what really happened to this city.”

There are issues, though. If the whole city was destroyed, getting to see some of it besides the keep would have been nice. Some of the ecology for the dungeon inhabitants is questionable. There pretty much wasn’t a single pool or fountain in this era of D&D adventure design that wasn’t magical, and this adventure was no exception. One of the new monster’s names makes no sense except that “tyranna” and “abyss” are cool words (I mean, I guess you could read that as “tyrant of the depths,” but still…) And there are painfully obvious borrowings from other works, especially Tolkien—a door that only opens at solstice, a lake monster, an orc with a split personality that is clearly a Gollum homage, etc.

What this adventure really needs is stakes—just something to give it a bit more oomph beyond the dungeon crawl. (Finding a blacksmith’s lost hammer is the hook offered in the adventure but it’s pretty flimsy.) Perhaps the PCs are some of Kor’s last worshippers, and clearing out the dangers here and resanctifying his temple is one of their first steps toward returning him to prominence. Maybe the PCs’ grandparents were involved in the city’s demise and restoring Koralgesh will restore the families’ honor. Or you could keep it simple and have a band of pirates or a rival adventuring group also trying to clean out the keep, turning it into a race (with the tyrannabyss causing the scales of fate to wobble at appropriately cinematic moments).

So the final analysis is this is a decent dungeon crawl upon which you can build a good adventure. The real reward of this module isn’t treasure; it’s finding out just what happened to Koralgesh. But for that to matter, it needs to tie into the PCs’ pasts, futures, or both.

BONUS CONTENT FOR KNOWN WORLD/MYSTARA NERDS: Kor is almost certainly a local name for the sun god Ixion. The chaotic deity Tram is probably a local version of Alphaks, though Atzanteotl is another strong candidate, especially since deceit was key to the pirates’ success. Koralgesh could be located somewhere on the Isle of Dawn, the northern coast of Davania, or an Ierendi/Minrothad Isle that those nations haven’t made it a priority to rebuild.

Best Read: “Caermor.” Nigel D. Findley was a pro.

Best Adventure I Could Actually Run with Minimal Prep: “The Keep at Koralgesh,” as a well-written, straight-ahead dungeon crawl. Every other adventure here relies on a pretty strong handle of very mobile NPCs and their motivations, or a Titan’s dream mechanics.

Best Concept: “The Titan’s Dream,” as noted above. It’s a great idea very worth exploring, even if I wasn’t about the execution we got in this case.

Best Monster: This was actually a monster-light issue. Despite some awesome art for the tyrannabyss, I have to go with the epadrazzil, a scaly ape from a two-dimensional plane of existence that has to be summoned via a painting. All of those details are just so wonderfully and weirdly specific it has to win. (Extra points for anyone who noticed the thoul—a classic D&D monster (though it did make its way into AD&D’s Mystara setting) born from a typo.)

Best NPC: Since this is a role-playing-heavy issue, there are a bunch of contenders, and the final verdict will go to whoever your party sparks to at the table. Obviously King Baradon the Wise should get the nod for [spoiler-y reasons], but I also really like the opportunity the executioner Tarfa offers, thanks to his incriminating goblet and how it might bring the PCs to the attention of a far-off assassin’s guild at just the right level.

Best Map: All together the maps from “The Keep at Koralgesh” form an extremely appealing whole. But for best single map I have to go for the palace of Mount Diadem—that is a bangin’ dwarven demesne.

Best Thing Worth Stealing: Jim Holloway’s illustrations of dwarves. Good dwarf, gnome, and halfling art is hard to find, and even the good stuff often leans stereotypical. While Holloway’s art is often humorous—I have a feeling he and Roger Moore jibed really well, though that’s totally a guess based purely on what assignments he got handed—his dwarves, especially in this issue, are fresh, specific, and unique. You could identify them by their silhouettes alone—always the sign of good character art. If you need an image of a dwarf NPC to show the players, “In the Dwarven King’s Court” is a great first stop.

Worst Aged: Female thong pirates on magazine covers. Also using the actual names of actual mental illnesses in game materials.

What Bryce Thinks: “This seems to be a stronger issue than #1, although half of the adventures are … unusual.”

Bryce actually almost likes “The Titan’s Dream,” confirming my loathing of it. He in turn loathes “In the Court of the Dwarven King.” Like me, though, he is pro-”Caermor” and sees potential in “The Keep at Koralgesh.” (Also credit where it’s due: I might have missed the condescension at the start if he hadn’t called it out.)

So, Is It Worth It?: If you’re a Clyde Caldwell fan, this issue might be worth searching out in print. So much of Caldwell’s work from this era was dictated by product needs, cropped and boxed up in ads, or shrunk down to fit on a paperback cover. So to get this cover in full magazine size, with only the masthead tucked up top to get in the way—that could be well worth a few bucks to you.

Also, if you’re BECMI/Rules Cyclopedia-era D&D fan (or know someone who is), again, this one might be worth having in print. “The Keep at Koralgesh” is a legit, proper BECMI D&D adventure, spanning 20 whole pages and with two new monsters to boot. I would have practically have cried if someone had given 7th-grade me this.

Beyond that you can probably just rely on the PDF. But both “Caermor” and “In the Dwarven King’s Court” have strong bones worth putting some modern muscle and skin on.

Random Thoughts:

The Caldwell cover painting was also used for the Blackmoor module DA4 The Duchy of Ten. PS: I’m not trying to tell you what to do or anything, but if you do happen to run across a physical copy of The Duchy of Ten or and of the DA modules, holla at ya boy over here.

Since this is our second issue, we now have a “Letters” column. Turns out Dungeon had been announced in Dragon #111 with a really detailed set of writer’s guidelines; most of the correspondence is questions re: those. In the process of answering, we get some surprisingly frank talk about payment. The $900 for a cover seemed low until I converted it to 2018 dollars, and ~$2,000 does seem right to my ignorant eye. I then made the mistake of converting my current salary to 1986 dollars and felt a lot worse about myself and what I’ve achieved.

Apologies this took so long to post. I had the issue read by early October and most of this review written with the next week or two after...but then I got involved in dealing with a 4.5 week hospitalization and aftermath...and then a second still-ongoing hospitalization...and even though I only had about four paragraphs left I just couldn’t find time to put a bow on it.

Notable Ads: The gold Immortals Rules box for D&D. (I also still don’t have that one yet, and Christmas is coming. Just saying, guys, if you happen to find one in your attic.) ;-) Also an ad for subscribing to Dungeon itself, starring “my war dinosaur, Boo-Boo.” No, really.

Over in Dragon: Beneath a glorious cover, Roger Moore is the new editor of Dragon #115, three authors (including Vince Garcia, who I like a lot) share credit on a massive six articles about fantasy thieves, a famous article proposing that clerics get the weapons of their deity (people were still talking about it in the “Forum” column when I was buying my first issues two years later), and a look at harps from the Forgotten Realms (notable because behind the scenes Ed Greenwood’s home setting was being developed for the AD&D game for launch in 1987.) A photographic cover and a 3-D sailing ship are served up in Dragon #116, along with maritime adventures, more Ed Greenwood (rogue stones), and articles for ELFQUEST, Marvel Super Heroes (Crossfire’s gang), and FASA’s Dr. Who game (looking at all six(!) doctors). (Incidentally, I had an Irish babysitter around this time who first mentioned Dr. Who to me—I wish I’d explored more but I was too young to understand what I’d been offered.)

PS: Yes, I’ve heard about the upcoming Tumblr ban. It is a terrible idea that will affect way too many of my readers. It shouldn’t affect me much (and I have all my monster entries backed up at the original site), but I will keep you posted as I learn more, particularly if I find you, my readers, packing up and going elsewhere.

[konatachan603]

Akatsuki Gift Exchange

@tea-and-finalfantasy @akatsuki-gift-exchange

Alrighty. This is technically the first fanfic of any kind I’ve ever actually completed, so here goes nothing. It’s a canon-compliant fluffy Kisame x Itachi fic in Kisame’s POV. I hope you enjoy!

Also Happy New Year if it’s already January 1st! I’ve still got an hour and a half before midnight so... not technically late? Sorry for the delay!

Kisame glared at the road as the sun beat down on his head, his hat and cloak doing little to block out the heat. There were no other travelers in sight, which was probably for the best. He would take out his annoyance on anyone unfortunate enough to cross his path at this point.

Itachi’s quietly disapproving stare flashed in his mind, and Kisame nearly rolled his eyes at the phantom image. Not for the first time, he wished his partner was actually present.

Splitting up had seemed so logical at the time. They had been assigned two simple missions, and they could finish both more efficiently alone. Itachi was the obvious choice for planting blackmail in a stuffy noble court. Kisame could easily acknowledge that subtlety was not his strong suit. Taking out a political rival’s personal guard in a showy and gruesome demonstration was much more his style.

Unfortunately, he hadn’t factored in the timelines of their respective missions. Kisame’s task was over all too quickly and he’d been left to his own devices until Itachi finished his own, which required subtle maneuvering that would take days to accomplish. They had agreed to meet in one week at a fairly isolated tea house.

It was turning out to be the longest week of Kisame’s life. The lack of Itachi’s presence was somehow making him stir-crazy, although Kisame should be feeling free with all the time he now had to himself. But no matter what he did, his thoughts always returned to his reticent partner. Many times already, a random thought had slipped out of his mouth as he waited for a quiet hum in acknowledgement. Of course, Itachi was never there to reply. A frustrated grunt escaped his lips as Kisame realized just how much he was missing the other nin’s presence. At least he would see Itachi soon enough as it was the end of the week. Kisame picked up the pace, hoping to arrive early in case Itachi was ahead of schedule.

As he moved along the path, sounds of shouting reached his ears. Curiosity piqued, Kisame moved off the path and into the surrounding forest, hiding his presence and approaching what appeared to be a lone caravan being robbed by bandits. Quickly becoming disinterested, Kisame eyed the guards already on the floor. The bandits were certainly efficient, although he could only sense a developed chakra system in one of them, presumably the leader. About to move on from the thieves clearly below his pay-grade, Kisame caught a glimpse of the merchant’s wares.

Was that… Itachi’s hideously expensive tea? Kisame considered expensive tea to be one of Itachi’s many quirks. What kind of S-ranked criminal didn’t just steal whatever he wanted? Apparently, the kind that cared too much about their partners, Kisame thought ruefully.

With a sigh, he moved into the open, releasing the hold on his chakra. Immediately, the bandits froze, turning towards the new threat. The leader took one look at his face and paled in recognition.

“Retreat!” yelled the leader with near panic in his voice. The group didn’t hesitate to turn tail and run, leaving behind a slightly irritated Kisame. It was nice to be so infamous sometimes, but he had been itching for a fight. It probably wasn’t too late to go after them… Another flash of Itachi’s disappointed frown quickly changed his mind. Was this what it felt like to be whipped?

Meanwhile, the merchant looked unsure if he should be grateful or in fear of his life. Not wanting to get on the fearsome missing-nin’s bad side, he quickly bowed and thanked Kisame for his help.

“I-I thank you nin-san. Your generous help is most appreciated. Please, how can I repay you?” He couldn’t quite rid himself of a stutter as Kisame regarded him.

“I’ll take a box of your tea.”

The merchant flinched in surprise but recovered quickly. “You can take three! It’s no problem at all!”

Kisame raised an eyebrow but agreed, willing to cash in on the merchant’s overflowing gratitude. Really, it would be easier to just take some and leave, but Itachi’s admonishing gaze wouldn’t leave his head. Five minutes later, he was on his way to the rendezvous point once again, leaving behind a relieved merchant who felt he barely escaped with his life.

As the designated tea shop came into view, Kisame saw that Itachi had already arrived. He was nursing a warm cup of tea, looking relaxed as he watched Kisame approach. Now that Itachi was in sight, Kisame took his time walking over to the shop, content in watching him sip his tea. Itachi always managed to look elegant and regal, and the vision of his deceptively thin fingers gracefully bringing a teacup to his lips was worth taking the time to admire. Itachi calmly gazed back at him during his entire approach, never wavering in his attention. It was entirely obvious that he knew what Kisame was doing, and he was welcoming the attention.

When Kisame reached the shop, Itachi smoothly stood from his seat and they turned to walk away in synchronization without a single word. Kisame’s mind settled as they made their way into the forests again. All his lingering annoyance and frustration left him as he listened to Itachi’s breathing beside him. As per usual, Kisame started up some idle chatter, and Itachi hummed and replied when needed.

Later that night, after setting up a camp and perimeter, Kisame took out his newly acquired tea, watching Itachi’s expressions carefully. He was rewarded with a blink of surprise and a slow-forming smile, and he couldn’t help the way his heart started beating faster. He barely managed to stop himself from inhaling shakily, but the burgeoning emotion in his chest ruined his efforts when he exhaled a bit more forcefully than normal.

With skillful and practiced movements, Itachi prepared the tea with all the efficiency and grace expected of an heir to a noble clan, and Kisame’s eyes were again captivated by Itachi’s every action. No words were exchanged while the tea steeped, and it felt like years before it was ready. Itachi lifted a cup to his face, inhaling slowly and letting the aroma settle around him. His eyelids drifted lower, eyes barely open. As he sipped the tea, a low hum of approval inadvertently escaped.

Kisame had long stopped attempting to breathe evenly. Instead, he had been holding his breath, not wanting to disturb the sight before him. At last, Itachi spoke, his words a purr.

“Thank you Kisame. You didn’t have to.”

Kisame released his breath with an abashed laugh. “I wanted to.”

[letstraveltoorion]

Histoires de planètes

Bibliography

  Histoires de planètes

ANTHOLOGIE

 Textes réunis par Jacques GOIMARD & Demètre IOAKIMIDIS & Gérard KLEIN

 Science Fiction - Cycle : La Grande anthologie de la science-fiction vol. 7

 Illustration de Pierre FAUCHEUX (1st cover - 1975) & Éric SEIGAUD (2nd cover - 1985)

 LIVRE DE POCHE, coll. La Grande anthologie de la science fiction n° 3769, 1er trimestre 1975

448 pages, catégorie/prix : 4, ISBN : 2-253-00723-4

 Autres éditions :    LIVRE DE POCHE, 1976, 1977, 1985, 1997

Stories:

 1 - Jacques GOIMARD & Demètre IOAKIMIDIS & Gérard KLEIN, Introduction à l’anthologie, pages 7 à 14, Introduction (lire ce texte en ligne)

2 - Demètre IOAKIMIDIS, Préface, pages 15 à 32, Préface

3 - Jack VANCE, Le Diable de la colline du salut (The Devil on Salvation Bluff), pages 33 à 64, trad. Simone HILLING

4 - Michael SHAARA, La Planète Greenville (Greenville’s planet), pages 65 à 83

5 - Ian WILLIAMSON, La Nef engloutie (Chemical plant), pages 85 à 115, trad. Paul HEBERT

6 - Robert SHECKLEY, Les Monstres (The Monsters), pages 117 à 131, trad. Alain DORÉMIEUX

7 - Chad OLIVER, L’Objet (Artifact), pages 133 à 163, trad. Bruno MARTIN

8 - Lester DEL REY, Stabilité (Stability), pages 165 à 188, trad. Michel RIVELIN

9 - Roger DEE, Le Robinson de l’espace (Man Friday), pages 189 à 224

10 - James Henry SCHMITZ, Le Garde (Caretaker), pages 225 à 244, trad. Arlette ROSENBLUM

11 - Alfred Elton VAN VOGT, Le Village enchanté (The Enchanted Village/The Sands of Mars), pages 245 à 267, trad. Richard CHOMET

12 - Robert A. HEINLEIN, Oiseau de passage (The Menace from Earth), pages 269 à 309, trad. Roger DURAND

13 - Fritz LEIBER, La Forêt enchantée (The Enchanted Forest), pages 311 à 340

14 - Robert F. YOUNG, La Déesse de granit (Goddess in Granite), pages 341 à 373, trad. Catherine GRÉGOIRE

15 - Philip José FARMER, Attitudes (Attitudes), pages 375 à 404

16 - Idris SEABRIGHT, Se battre et mourir (Brightness falls from the air), pages 405 à 415

17 - Edmond HAMILTON, La Planète morte (The Dead Planet), pages 417 à 434, trad. Bruno MARTIN

18 - Dictionnaire des auteurs, pages 435 à 443, Dictionnaire d’auteurs

 Data taken from the NooSFere database (https://www.noosfere.org/icarus/livres/EditionsLivre.asp?numitem=1870)

 Histoires de Planètes (or Stories of planets) is a collection of small stories and novella regrouped around a common thematic, in this case, planets. I picked up that book while I was a teenager back in high school. I remember, at that time, I was reading every story I could find that were labelled as science fiction, at my local library. Although, I was enjoying what I was reading most of the time, it’s only now I realized that I was taking every science-fiction story as some extra flavoured adventure stories. Today, I recognized that in most cases, I never really quite understood what I was reading … which means that I have a much better appreciation of what I’m currently reading now, than 40 years ago.

 Of the stories collected in this book, here those that impressed me and the reasons why:

 Le Diable de la colline du salut (The Devil on Salvation Bluff–1952) by Jack Vance : I didn’t like this story at first; but now I grasped its importance. The story is about human settlers trying to adapt to their new colony which is orbiting around multiple suns. I did not understand then the true meaning of this story until I went to Afghanistan. Only then did I remember this story and everything became clear to me. As I came off the plane in Kandahar, I was hit by the hostile conditions of the place: The stench in the air, the blazing heat of 38℃ at 08h00 am, the noises and, of course, the military conditions… I was a stranger in a very alien land! The psychological shock was quite evident and it took me about 6 weeks to adapt to the local conditions (and don’t get me starting on the jet lag). What helped me were the sounds the birds were making which were the same as at home. Then it hit me like a train: the birds (sparrow) were the same as the ones at home because those at home WERE IMPORTED BY THE FIRST EUROPEAN COLONIST who came to North America. They brought those birds with them because it reminded them of the home they left … their old life. Those sparrows served as psychological support for the colonist to adapt to their new environment; not realizing the ecological disaster they nearly created. In the story the colonist finally accepted their new world once their symbol of normality (the central clock) got destroyed.

 In retrospect, Jack Vance, here, raised up the issue of mankind adapting to their new environment and the psychological stress they will face. Today, we are perfectly adapted to Earth and it is quite easy to figure out what is good for us and what could constitute a threat. On an alien world, where everything will be different (The air, the light, the day time, the flora and fauna), how will the colonist know what is good and what is not? If you heard a cat purring, you know there is no threat … but if you hear the roaring of a lion or the howling of a wolf, notice your heart will start racing immediately. This why this story is a good one for any sci-fi setting (2300 AD or any other).

 La Planète Greenville (Greenville’s planet - 1952), by Michael Shaara: I remember this story caused me a shock when I read it due to its lack of a happy ending. Because I read it while I was a teenager, it was my first exposure to this kind of story. And to be frank, I didn’t know how to handle it. The story is about the exploration of an uninhabited planet covered almost entirely by water aside two very tiny islands. The moral of the story is because a planet appeared to be uninhabited, it might not be the case … and the local inhabitant might not be where you’ll expect to find them or may not even share the same environment as you are.

 La Nef engloutie (Chemical plant - 1950), by Ian Williamson : I really enjoyed this story … although the French translation of the title has nothing to do with the original text … but in retrospect, translating the original title into French would not have made sense either. The story is about a search and rescue operation for a starship that has crashed on an unexplored planet. Their only clue: the ship attempted to crash land near a red lake. I won’t say more as you need to read this story to better appreciate it. If you are into sci-fi RPG, this could be a great plot for a campaign either 2300 AD, Traveller or any other similar setting…  

 Les Monstres (The Monsters - 1953) by Robert SHECKLEY: A sentient alien species attempts to deal with their first contact with humans. One thing I remember of this story is that some biological imperatives might be at the core of cultural behaviours or way of thinking … or both. This is an important clue if you want to write about an alien species. When I read that story for the first time, I thought the whole concept as quite stupid but now, after I gained experience on other cultures (through my travels) I think that Robert Sheckley was bang on! The biological imperative of any sentient species will have a direct impact on their cultures and way of thinking … to fail in understanding this will result in conflict that will make the North American Natives’ genocide look like a garden party.

 Le Robinson de l’espace (Man Friday - 1954), by - Roger DEE: This story started as its name indicate, as a sci-fi take on the classic Robinson Crusoe’s story. However, as you move forward into the narrative, you’ll start to realize that in the relationship between Robinson and Friday turned out to be not what you expected to be at the beginning. I must say that even today, this is a twist that I that I haven’t seen in use in many stories.

 Morale of the story, never assume that mankind is the most advanced or intelligent species when we will encounter another sentient being… Especially if that alien “look” more primitive than us.

 Le Village enchanté (The Enchanted Village/The Sands of Mars - 1950), by Alfred Elton VAN VOGT: An astronaut, Bill Jenner, is the only survivor of a ship that crashed on Mars. After many days and seeing is resources in food and water dry up, he came upon a small Martian village on the edge of the desert (1950, remember). After he reached the location, nearly dead from hunger and thirst, he quickly realizes the village IS trying to help him but his biology was too different from the ones whom the village was built for … thus forcing him to adapt … adapt???

 What I liked about this story is the fact that A.E. Van Vogt had a genial idea to show us that what we take for granted or logical might not be so. If we build stuff to fit our needs and logic, an alien civilization will indubitably do so to fit THEIR needs … not ours … so let’s not assume that what can be applied to us will also be the same for them.

 Oiseau de passage (The Menace from Earth) by Robert A. HEINLEIN, The story is set in the near future when the Moon is colonized with people living in underground cities. The “menace” of the title is a glamorous woman tourist who visits the Moon colony. She is assigned a young guide named Holly, a 15-year-old girl and aspiring starship designer who is the first-person narrator. Holly’s best friend Jeff develops a crush on the “groundhog” visitor, Ariel. As Jeff spends more time with Ariel, Holly becomes jealous and begins to doubt his friendship (source Wikipedia).

 I could not have written this any better than this. What I liked about this story is the way Heinlein described the Lunar colonies … not as advanced outposts from mankind but as a regular place where people have adapted and used the characteristic of their environment to create new form of entertainment and culture. I really enjoyed the detail he placed on how to wear a space suit and the little details you have to think of just to be comfortable in it. The fact that it was written from a woman’s perspective is a plus.

 La Déesse de granit (Goddess in Granite - 1957) by Robert F. YOUNG : I must credit Robert F. to have written a story in which I still remember the emotion it transcended in such a way that I still remember it forty years after I’ve read it. Only because of the location in which the story takes place was the reason why this short novella ended up in this collection … the rest is more of an internal journey than a sci-fi story. Somewhere, on a small planet, a civilization has sculpted an island in the shape of a woman. A masterpiece of craft whose hair was made by a forest and the eyes, two perfect lakes (artificial?).

 Today, I realize this story would have been impossible since only a human would have created such a sculpture and not a mysterious, long dead, alien civilization. Yet, the idea of some kind of macro engineering for the purpose of art … is an interesting idea. Indeed, why always assume that ruins and artefacts were created for the sole purpose of religion, habitation and … maybe some type of industrial process? Art in itself can become a purpose and the human is probably not the only one who has some.

 La Planète morte (The Dead Planet - 1970), by Edmond Hamilton : This story is probably the main inspiration for the story I’m currently working on. At the edge of the galaxy, a damaged explorer ship is forced to crash land on a dead planet orbiting an agonizing star. Miraculously, they survived but their ship was severely damaged, stranding them there. As the crew started looking for some mineral deposit to help them in their repairs, they stumbled, instead, upon a lifeless domed city under the ice. Who build it? When was it built? But more importantly, what kind of security system was left behind?

 This story impressed me at the time because of the concept it brought to me: Up to this point, when I thought of ruins and archaeology, I immediately thought of old stones and primitive technologies (thanks in part to Indiana Jones) … but what about an advanced civilization? This story made me realize that if a civilization had the power to create self-repair machines powered by a near limitless energy sources, there was a chance their technology and creation might still be around even if their creators were gone since the dawn of time.

 Also, I did not realize immediately … in fact I only found out 2015 or so (and I read that book back in the ’80s); but Edmond Hamilton was also one of the writers of one of my most beloved childhood heroes: The Capitaine Flam (Originally Capt Future). Of course, how could I’ve guessed at the time, that the cartoon by TOE ANIMATION (Japan), I was watching was from the same person? Only through the lens of the internet I was able to make the connection. In retrospect, learning this only made me appreciate the serial Capt Future even more.

 In conclusion, this anthology confirmed that even old stories that, in many ways, could be considerate as “obsolete,” could still hold sparks of genius if someone cares to take a second look without any prejudice. Not all of the stories were good, or aged well, but each one of them has the merit to ask some very tough questions that warranted some explorations. Which, in fact, is why I keep those stories around … as they could always use a second look.

[ceechalla]

The Sims 4

At the time of writing this, a Sims 4 announcement will be revealed later on. Most, if not all Simmers, are hoping it will be the announcement of The Sims 4 Seasons Expansion Pack.

I've been a simmer from the birth of The Sims. I was there, held it in my arms & have grown up along side it, celebrating each birthday aka iteration of the franchise. I feel The Sims 4 has aged up badly from The Sims 3 due to poor parenting. (Remember when that was a thing?)

The Sims 4 is like a fine looking human with little to offer other than eye candy. Within the 1st week of launch, I felt the game wasn't finished. Fast forward to now & I still feel the same. Stuff Packs, Game Packs & Expansion Packs just momentarily distract from the fact that the game is weak from the core.

A.I.

I made a post about the whole 'Smarter Sims' dream we were sold from the start and how, in reality, the A.I. is a nightmare. Sims prioritise the wrong Needs, always have to multi-task and rarely make logical decisions. This is why I play with autonomy off. I asked if Simmers play with it on or off & 98% plays with it on. I take my hat off to you & your patience. I tried earlier & was playing with the Kim-Lewis household. I got Alice a job & you know what she did when she got home? Nothing. She stood outside the house like a blade of grass, smiling cheerfully whilst her Needs depleted. I go into more detail about the A.I. in my 'Smarter Sims' post/rant.

Interactions

Rinse and repeat. Slap on a different name, use the same animations and call it a day. For example, give a Sim the Unflirty trait. Have that Sim perform a Romantic interaction. See the names given to those interactions? They're called lies. Your Sim Angry huh? Have it go take an Angry poop. Looks no different to any other poop does it? What did it do for your Sim? What did it do for your gameplay? Nothing. One of my pet peeves is 'idle chat'. It basically sums up The Sims 4. Visually pleasing but has no real meaning. Have Sim 1, tell Sim 2 how it's mum looks like a Llama & see how Sim 2 reacts. During the interaction they may react negatively, but in comes 'idle chat' and they smiling and bobbing their heads as if the previous interaction never happened.

Interactions between Sims is lacking in general. Remember when Sims could play games like Red Hands? Children Sims could play tag? Or how Sims would spoon during sleepy time? Ah, the good ol' days.

Features

Whims. Sims wanting to own a 1x1 pool. That isn't a pool boy, that's a tile! When the Vampire Gamepack was released, every Sim and their culled family tree wanted to research about them. The Whim system is whack. This bothers me alot because my favourite save ever with this franchise was my Sims 3 Wishacy Challenge save. That challenge changed the way I played the game. I played with Free Will on, wasn't allowed to micromanage my Sim unless it was to complete a promised Wish. My Sims had personality because traits actually meant something in the game and they were smarter. It was like I was playing through a story my Sim created through their Wishes, not through mine. I can't do that now. Personally I think TS2 Wants and Fears system is the best. We needs it back.

An attraction system. Why we don't have this, only Morgan Freeman knows. I like the Turn On and Turn Off system TS2 had. Throw in Zodiac signs so that compatible ones gain relationship faster and not so compatible ones struggle.

I should have known the game wasn’t gonna be great when they had to PATCH IN FAMILY TREES FOR A LIFE SIMULATION GAME! They are also the worst in the franchise. Have you checked the Achievements tab? Have a 26 generation legacy etc. How long before your founder gets culled? 

In-laws? what’s that?!

City Living has assignments wanting you to get to know your co-workers but we have no co-worker tab in the relationship panel. 

Not only that, but toddlers and pools weren’t available from the start. Didn’t get a games console item till how many years after release? Not even a remote car or plane. No train set or ball to play catch. Still we have no Bunk beds, but icons for them are in the game. Should have come with the Base Game, should be patched in, hell, could have featured in Kids Bedroom Stuff or Parenthood! Same goes for alarms. What is the point in the smoke alarm in this game?

Traits

What's the point. Sims are run by the Emotion System. Traits mostly only offer different buffs that don't really do anything anyway.

You know what it is? This game is just too predictable. I think The Story Progression mod I used in The Sims 3 has spoiled me. Things seem so static in The Sims 4 unlessed forced. That's okay if you like, but I'd like choice. Like we did in The Sims 3 with Free Will. I'd like a low level of autonomy which has my Sims only perform interactions to fill needs that give off a negative moodlet or has a red bar.

I know I've spent the majority of this rant complaining, but The Sims 4 does have some play value, hence why I make posts.

It's nice to look at...

Oh, Build mode CAS and The Gallery are awesome!

Thanks for reading and happy simming!