#BA Tutorial Classes

[alexanderpearce]

What was the assessment/week-to-week coursework like in your BA, if I can ask?

oh!! different for different departments.. for latin itd be a set amount of lines to translate a week, done in my own time and during class (in my first and second year there were grammar exercises too) and then four or so major assignments including often an exam.

for classics classes there would be a couple lectures, a set primary text and a set secondary (or more), and a tutorial - all these every week, then weekly or biweekly quizzes, and then 4 major assignments.

i didn't do so many history and english classes but they were similar amounts of reading/lectures/assignments/tutorials as classics!

i only did 3 or 2 classes per semester, rather than the 'full' four, which i couldn't have managed

[demonfox38]

Completed (Early Access Content) - Palworld

Look, man. I know I can't call this an official completion, given that the game is still in early access. But I trashed all available bosses and 10/10'ed each of those little Pal bastards, so that has to be indicative of some level of mastery, right?

Or maybe I've got to explain why I disappeared down this hole for the last few months.

I'm not what you'd call a cutting-edge kind of person when it comes to technology. Considering that most of my game consoles are old enough to purchase cigarettes and alcohol, it's safe to say I'm fairly retro. A throwback. Happiest with something made between 1986 and 2005 (or, at the very least, looks and acts like that.) Getting in on an early access for a game is not my thing at all.

So, "Palworld" is a bit of an anomaly. Maybe, in many ways.

"Palworld" is a hybrid crafting, survival, base management, third person shooter, and creature catching game. It stars your customizable character de jour who is forced to survive on an isolated island full of inhospitable terrain, monsters of various levels of aggression, and asshole humans. What's the secret behind the looming towers and massive Yggdrasil-like tree glowing in the distance? I don't know. The tree part of the content isn't out, yet. But, you can at least explore the island and wail on the asses of those that dare to conquer it for their own varied ends. That's at least 100 hours of content right there!

Since its early access release in January of 2024, "Palworld" has garnered a fair amount of attention. Good. Bad. All over the place. Definitely a case of the old phrase "all publicity is good publicity." While not the first in terms of creation when it comes to edgy monster collecting games (with "Megami Tensei" loudly coughing in some dusty old corner), it is unique in its game style mix. Perhaps not visually unique enough, given how certain "Pokémon" fans were sharpening their Honedges after the very first glance they took at this game. Its publisher having a previous game that openly used AI art generation didn't help its credibility, either! (Although, that game also is about rewarding players for detecting art made by an AI opponent a la an elementary-school art class "Among Us", so judge accordingly.)

I get it. I've got some degree of Nintendo brain rot, too. Did you check my avatar and username? But, I also know that Nintendo can and will obliterate anything in its path with Death Star-adjacent precision and power, especially when it comes to any potential IP infringement. Hell, they crumpled two emulators into a black hole mere weeks after this game's early access released. If they had any notion that something was off with this game, they'd have it annihilated—for better or worse.

Like most modern games, my attention was drawn to this title via watching several streamers play. (In particular, PatStaresAt, WoolieVersus, and Vinesauce, if you're wanting names.) Now, I'd like to be coy and pretend that online videos don't influence my interest in games, but I also own a copy of the SNES game "Lagoon" because I loved watching PJDiCesare clown on it. Hell, I only backed "Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night" after watching Liam Allen-Miller replicate "Castlevania"-Metroidvania physics in a YouTube preview! I see a video, my brain makes judgements, I variably engage in commerce. And, to be honest, I like games like this. "Breath of the Wild." "Pokémon Legends: Arceus." "Minecraft." I wanted a game like this, so hell. I was willing to gamble $30.00 USD on this, bugs and unfinished status and all.

I think I may have gotten my money's worth out of this.

Was the game play that addicting, or was I in a depression spiral triggered by bad working conditions at my job and my maternal grandmother's health issues precipitating more labor on my family's behalf? Yes. To which part of that question? Yes. While the game attempts to guide the player via an early game tutorial and tasks for building up your bases, you're mostly left on your own to build both the world and yourself in whatever image you'd like. Want to build a Babylonian tower to offend whatever god created this world? Okay. Want to drop everything on the floor like an agitated toddler and/or "Resident Evil 0" protagonist? Whatever makes you happy! Want to build a rocket launcher and shoot it at a dragon's face? That can be done! It just might take some time.

Because the game consists of different play styles, I found myself alternating often between game loop sets. Usually, it broke into a stack of tasks like this:

Determine nearest threat (monster fighting.)

Gather materials (crafting.)

Return to/establish a base (base management.)

Build what I can (crafting/base management.)

Loop steps 2-4 until items of desire were created (crafting/base management.)

Gather/raise Pals to attack nearest threat (monster fighting.)

Return to Step 2 for final repairs and/or weapon creation (crafting.)

Attack threat (monster fighting.)

Reset to step 2 on failure and step 1 on success.

While catching and raising monsters tends to garner you the most experience points, your character will more or less remain just a nuisance to a bulk of the major threats in the game. At best, you've got a rocket launcher, an automatic rifle, a sword, and shot-deflecting shields and armor. You put out maybe around 600 damage with a weapon that takes a second to reload. The bosses you fight? They can have anywhere from 30,000 to 200,000 HP. When it comes to survival, it isn't about how much damage you can take or give. It's about what you learn and how you deploy your so-called Pals.

If you are planning on taking a shot every time I write the word "Pokémon" in this review, you might want to switch off the liquor now and move to a soda. Do your liver a favor.

A lot of the game's rules can be reduced to "Pokémon - 1" or "Pokémon / 2". This includes:

How many monsters you can take with you (5 instead of 6)

How many moves they have (3 instead of 4)

Your level cap (50 vs. 100, but that may just be an early access limitation)

How many elements are in game (9 vs. 18. Also, don't expect much in the way of complex monster typing line-ups. You may end up overthinking fights.)

Having said that, the complexity here isn't lost. You're obviously doing a lot more home ec to keep your bases up to snuff. Where "Palworld" really succeeds is in its battle speed, scale, and options. Pals will automatically engage based on whatever aggression level you have them set at, performing moves without your instruction. Several different monster types and human factions can be thrust together to duke it out. It can get quick and chaotic, often forcing you to get your ass out of the line of fire. When you do want to get manual? Well, hell. Some Pals can be a ridable mount, and some can act as living artillery for your use. Is it responsible to give a giant panda a grenade launcher? Well, who's gonna stop you? The cops?

Also, it's awesome that you can teach Pals whatever moves exist via fruits. It's nice not to have to look up some table online for move compatibility. (A shame that the same can't be said about its breeding, but more on that in a bit.)

"Palworld" certainly has a different take on its so-called Pals, especially in compared to "Pokémon" titles. Don't expect the first monster you pick up to go on and become some powerhouse fueled by respect and love for you as a caretaker. There are Pals that are great, and there are Pals that suck. (The game is more than happy to tell you which is which in its Paldeck.) You're rewarded for getting at least 10 of them, but you won't have the space to keep 10 of every species. You can slaughter Pals for parts or mush a bunch of them together a la "Shin Megami Tensei" to make the surviving unit stronger. Basically, you're expected to keep updating and consolidating your inventory of friends so that you can cut down on your work loop time and challenge the other assholes vying for territory on Palpagos Island. (Seriously—that is its name!) You're not really supposed to be getting attached to any of them.

And yet…well, the nature of a person eventually reveals itself, doesn't it?

While the game allows you to take many unscrupulous actions, you're rarely rewarded for acting like an inflamed, gaping asshole. Yeah, you can slaughter your Pals, but you're losing out on making others stronger if you do that. You can capture other humans like you would a Pal, but they won't provide much in the way of help on your bases or in battle. (Apparently, you can sell them off, too? Fucked up all around.) Hell, you can even kill NPCs and end up having to bolt off like a "Grand Theft Auto" protagonist when the cops show up to bust your ass! About the only defiance I got away with routinely was ransacking Wildlife Sanctuaries, and even that required me to sneak around at night and keep a low profile.

There is a bit of a conflict going on between the game's tone and appearance. It very much wants to be the edgy "Pokémon" game any average teenager would dream up (again, with certain Atlus RPGs coughing and wheezing for attention in the background.) Supplementary journals and Paldeck texts describe a world full of violence, blood, animal trafficking, suffering, death, and birds with cocaine addictions. (I'm not kidding—it's literally the bastard cop's monster of choice.) But, the monsters look like an average social media artist's attempts at combining Pokémon species together, and the humans all have some degree of generic anime cuteness to them. It's hard to take the leader of a bunch of martyrous pyromaniacs seriously when he looks like the protagonist to some Sega Dreamcast rhythm game. (Also, why he has an electric/dragon type as his Pal of choice when he leads a bunch of fire freaks is beyond me.) 

At this point, I wouldn't say the music is much to write home about, either. It tries to kick up for encounters, letting you know how much danger you are in (from piddly little twinkling music for typical cannon fodder to bombastic choral arrangements for tough sons of bitches.) A lot of times, it can be rather quiet. This didn't bother me with "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild," but it does bother me here, especially when I have to take 15-20 minutes to work in my base. I think what the game needs is something like "Minecraft"'s Mice on Venus track. Just a few pieces of music to interrupt the quiet when it's gone on for five or ten minutes.

I'm also not super thrilled with the breeding system in "Palworld." With "Pokémon" games, you generally know what you're getting based on who the mother in the coupling is. (Well, barring the use of specialty items, I suppose. Speaking of things that annoy me…) Here? About the only guarantee you get is if both parents are of the same species. The resulting couplings for other species isn't random, but it is a weird mess. Generally, you can assume the resulting offspring to be of a poorer quality than at least one of the parents, if species of different rarity are mixed. Through on top of that several structural, item, and time-based requirements, and you've got a very expensive and irritating system to work around. Honestly, this was the thing that finally broke me into looking up help guides online. It's just that off-putting.

If you are looking for a breeding calculator: palword.gg has you covered. Mostly. I think I did run into some issues there as well, but I don't know if I read something wrong or was just stupid tired when I set something up.

"How about bugs?", you might be asking.

"There's no Bug type in this game," I would reply.

Maybe you'd start hitting me with a shoe after that.

But, in terms of glitches I encountered? I played from versions 0.1.3.0 to 0.1.5.0, so I saw my fair share of issues that came and went. The biggest problem as of 0.1.5.0 involves terrain clipping and occasionally being shoved beneath the map. (Big Pal bodies + me going all Goemon Ishikawa XIII on them resulted in some unfortunate subterranean exploration.) Generally, I got myself back into the map without too much struggle, but there were times where I did have to respawn myself. I also lost several boss captures to a combination of freezing status + a rocket launcher round blasting them into the horizons beyond, so that was unfortunate. There was also a bug where you could get the game's dungeons to respawn bosses to another Pal type if you didn't like what you got, but I started having issues with the dungeon's barriers failing to drop on the boss's death when I screwed around with that, so maybe just stick with what you get. I also had the occasional text goof-up where my instructions would be in Japanese instead of English. Given the Goemon commentary above, you may surmise that this was not a huge deal for me. Still goofy, though.

If you'd like, the game offers you quite the list of customizable settings to alter your experience. I'd highly recommend playing around with them, particularly when you are vulnerable to taking a one-way trip to the Backrooms via a bad clip. It's one thing to lose your inventory to a fight you lost; it's another to lose your inventory to an issue with collision detection. Do yourself a favor and remove that penalty. I also eventually grew tired of the exponential experience curve and jacked up the multipliers for experience as high as they could go. I put several hundred hours into this game, man. And that was on top of working in a half-staffed job while babysitting my mom's dog for weeks while she got my grandma into an assistant living facility. All of these bitches needed a break.

Also—for the love of your hands, please flip the "Hold to Toggle Interaction" setting to On in your control style of choice. You can recap a shredded controller stick, but you can't recap your fingertips.

While I spent a lot of time on this game, I also spent a lot of time on this game with good reason. Even in its unfinished state, I had a good time. In the midst of building up my first character—a punished tribute to an Abrahamic icon forced to repeat his edict from God once more—I kept thinking about making the next character. Doing it all over again. Honeymooning it. There is a risk that this game doesn't get any further than where it's at now, but I can't say that where it's at is a bad place.

So, you can't get to a giant, sparkly tree. Boo hoo. There's a lot of other good stuff to see. Maybe even conquer, if you're up to it.

[bumblebeeappletree]

The fungi world of mushrooms & lichen can hold hidden natural colors for your textile and craft projects that are truly amazing! Join me at the 2022 International Fungi & Fiber Symposium (IFFS) in Port Townsend, Washington, to learn more about these incredible organic treasures for the dye pot. Trust me - you will be out foraging for fungi before you know it!

CHAPTERS

0:00 Introduction - Mushroom & lichen dyes

1:41 International Fungi & Fiber Symposium (IFFS)

4:41 Class 1 - Mushroom pigments - inks & paints

7:09 Class 2 - Lobster dyes

8:37 Class 3 - Green dyes

11:16 Fungi foray - Fort Townsend

14:32 Class 4 - Purple dyes

16:54 Lichen dyes

17:11 Class 5 - Dye pot luck

18:07 Fungi dye ring

18:30 Fungi foray table

19:01 Thank you IFFS!

20:30 Sneak peek of next tutorial

21:14 Blooper

MUSIC:

Playground Fun

by Ahjay Stelino

https://mixkit.co/free-stock-music/

Ukelele Song

https://canva.com

Mer-Ka-Ba

by Jesse Gallagher

/ @margaretbyrdcolorquest

#naturalcolor #organic #artsandcrafts #naturaldye #tutorial #diy

[kavinderrawat]

Hybrid Education: How the Best Home Tutor Near Me Combines Online & Offline Learning!

Imagine a classroom where your child learns algebra from a whiteboard one moment and solves it on an app the next. Where personal attention meets tech-driven convenience. Sounds ideal, right? Welcome to the world of hybrid education, where traditional tutoring meets digital innovation — and it’s redefining what it means to find the Best Home Tutor Near Me.

In today’s fast-paced academic landscape, students no longer learn the way they did a decade ago. Blackboards are being replaced by smart screens, and home tuitions are evolving into powerful learning experiences that blend the best of both worlds. At Saraswati Tutorials, we’ve embraced this shift, making sure our students are not just catching up, but staying ahead.

Let’s explore how hybrid education is reshaping home tutoring and how the Best Home Tutor Near Me is now much more than just someone who arrives at your doorstep.

What Is Hybrid Education?

Hybrid education is a balanced mix of offline and online learning. It allows students to receive face-to-face attention from a tutor while also gaining access to digital tools, resources, and remote sessions. Think of it as traditional tutoring with a tech-powered upgrade.

Gone are the days when learning was limited to notebooks and pens. Today, a student can:

Review a science concept with their tutor in person

Watch a recorded video lesson at home

Take quizzes online

Schedule a one-on-one revision class on Zoom — all in a single week

It’s personalized, flexible, and effective.

Why Are Parents Searching for Hybrid Tutors?

The pandemic may have been the catalyst, but the benefits of hybrid education are why it’s here to stay. More parents are typing “Best Home Tutor Near Me” into search engines — not just for someone to come over, but for someone who can offer more.

Here’s why this model works so well:

1. Flexibility with Structure

Hybrid tutoring combines the discipline of scheduled in-person classes with the flexibility of online access. On days when travel isn't possible or your child needs a quick revision before a test, a quick online session can make all the difference.

2. Tech-Enhanced Learning

Our tutors at Saraswati Tutorials integrate tools like:

Digital whiteboards

PDF annotations

Educational apps

Recorded class sessions

These methods help reinforce concepts and improve retention — something that a purely traditional setup often lacks.

3. Safety and Convenience

Let’s face it, even in a post-pandemic world, parents want safe and reliable education for their children. Hybrid learning provides a balance — minimal contact when needed and complete engagement when possible.

How Saraswati Tutorials Delivers a Hybrid Experience

At Saraswati Tutorials, we don’t just send tutors — we send education partners. Our approach to hybrid tutoring is rooted in customization, innovation, and careful assessment.

Here’s how we make hybrid learning seamless:

A. Personalized Learning Plans

Each student is different. So, before assigning a tutor, we evaluate the student’s learning style, subject needs, and schedule. Based on this, we offer a combination of:

Weekly offline home visits

Online test-prep sessions

Video-based concept classes

B. Real-Time Progress Tracking

Whether your child is learning in-person or online, our system ensures parents receive:

Monthly performance reports

Attendance logs

Assessment analytics

Because results matter.

C. Certified, Tech-Trained Tutors

The Best Home Tutor Near Me is no longer just someone good at teaching — they’re also great with technology. All our tutors go through digital training so they can navigate:

Smart learning platforms

Zoom/Meet tools

LMS systems

Screen-sharing tools for interactive classes

Is Hybrid Right for Your Child? Let’s Find Out

Still wondering if hybrid learning is the right fit? Ask yourself these:

Does your child often miss classes due to travel or illness?

Do they enjoy digital apps or video-based learning?

Do you prefer a tutor who can continue sessions even during holidays or monsoons?

If the answer is “yes” to any of the above, it might be time to search for the Best Home Tutor Near Me — and think hybrid.

Success Story: How Hybrid Tutoring Helped Aarav from Class 10

When Aarav, a class 10 student in Dehradun, joined Saraswati Tutorials, he was struggling with Physics. His parents were worried — he had already changed two tutors.

We offered a hybrid model:

2 home sessions per week for personal doubt-solving

1 online session focused on numericals

Video lessons for revision before exams

Result? Aarav’s grades jumped from a C to an A within 3 months. More importantly, he regained his confidence and interest in the subject.

The Future of Home Tuition Is Hybrid

The question is no longer whether hybrid tutoring is effective — it’s how quickly you can give your child the advantage of both worlds. With offline care and online power, Saraswati Tutorials ensures that when you search for the Best Home Tutor Near Me, you’re not just getting a tutor — you’re getting an entire system of support.

Final Thoughts

In a world where everything is evolving — from the way we shop to how we connect — why should education stay behind?

Hybrid tutoring is not a trend; it’s the future.

So the next time you search for the Best Home Tutor Near Me, make sure they’re equipped not just with textbooks, but with tools and technology that match your child’s needs.

At Saraswati Tutorials, we’re proud to be a part of that future — and we’re just a call away.

[lpuonline7]

Online MBA Courses

Welcome to LPU Online

Empowering Your Future with Flexible Online Learning

Lovely Professional University (LPU), one of India’s most prestigious institutions, now brings its legacy of academic excellence to your fingertips through LPU Online MBA Courses. Whether you’re a working professional seeking career advancement or a student looking for flexible, recognized education, LPU Online MBA Courses provides the perfect platform to achieve your academic goals—anytime, anywhere.

About LPU Online

LPU Online MBA Courses is the digital extension of Lovely Professional University, designed to democratize higher education. With the same rigorous curriculum, exceptional faculty, and globally recognized degrees as the on-campus programs, LPU Online MBA Courses makes quality education accessible to learners across India and the world.

Through innovative teaching methods, industry-relevant programs, and robust support systems, LPU Online MBA Courses ensures students receive a comprehensive learning experience that matches the evolving demands of the global workforce.

Why Choose LPU Online?

1. UGC Entitled & Government Recognized

LPU Online MBA Courses is approved by the University Grants Commission – Distance Education Bureau (UGC-DEB), ensuring that its online degrees are valid, credible, and recognized globally.

2. NAAC A++ Accreditation

LPU is among the few universities in India awarded the prestigious A++ grade by NAAC, reflecting academic excellence, robust student support, and high standards in teaching and evaluation.

3. Industry-Ready Curriculum

The curriculum is designed with inputs from top industry leaders and academic experts to ensure relevance and application in real-world scenarios.

4. Global Recognition

LPU Online degrees are recognized by World Education Services (WES), opening doors for international education and career opportunities.

5. Affordable & Flexible

Programs are competitively priced with EMI options and scholarships, making higher education financially accessible without compromising quality.

Programs Offered

LPU Online MBA Courses offers a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees across disciplines. All programs are designed to meet industry needs and include interactive sessions, live lectures, recorded content, and hands-on assessments.

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Bachelor of Arts (BA) – General and subject-specific streams

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Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA) – For a career in IT, development, and software engineering

Postgraduate Programs

Master of Business Administration (MBA) Specializations: Finance, Marketing, HR, Data Science, International Business, and more.

Master of Computer Applications (MCA) Ideal for those pursuing roles in development, cybersecurity, AI, and IT management.

Master of Commerce (M.Com) Deep dive into accounting, taxation, auditing, and strategic finance.

Master of Arts (MA) Specializations in English, Political Science, Economics, and Sociology.

Master of Science (M.Sc) in Mathematics Designed for careers in research, analytics, and academia.

Learning Experience at LPU Online

1. Interactive Learning Management System (LMS)

LPU Online MBA Courses offers a powerful and intuitive LMS that allows students to access study materials, attend live classes, submit assignments, and track academic progress effortlessly.

2. Live and Recorded Lectures

Weekend live sessions by expert faculty allow working professionals to keep learning without interrupting their jobs. Missed a session? You can watch the recordings anytime.

3. Self-Paced Learning

Students can complete their coursework at their own convenience, promoting work-study-life balance.

4. Digital Library & Resources

24/7 access to digital resources including e-books, journals, video tutorials, and case studies.

5. Peer Interaction and Discussion Forums

Collaborate with fellow learners through moderated discussion forums, group projects, and social learning.

Faculty & Mentorship

LPU Online MBA Courses boasts an elite team of professors, industry veterans, and research scholars who bring a blend of academic expertise and real-world experience. Personalized mentorship sessions and doubt-clearing webinars are integral parts of the curriculum.

Career & Placement Support

LPU Online MBA Courses isn’t just about education—it’s about your career. The university offers a range of services to ensure you’re industry-ready.

1. Resume Building & LinkedIn Optimization

Experts help tailor your resume and professional profile for your target industry.

2. Mock Interviews & Group Discussions

Practice with real-time simulations to build confidence and communication skills.

3. Corporate Training Modules

Workshops and short courses on business etiquette, corporate communication, and leadership.

4. Virtual Job Fairs

Exclusive online hiring events featuring recruiters from top companies.

5. Recruiters & Alumni Network

Top hiring partners include Online MBA Courses:

Amazon

HDFC Bank

Cognizant

Wipro

Paytm

Tech Mahindra

ICICI Bank

Flipkart

Student Support System

1. Dedicated Help Desk

24/7 student support via email, call, and chat.

2. Academic Advisors

Each student is assigned a dedicated academic advisor for academic planning and guidance.

3. Technical Support

Responsive IT team for LMS issues and online learning tools.

Fee Structure & Payment Flexibility

Undergraduate Programs

Starting from ₹14,000 per semester

Postgraduate Programs

Starting from ₹16,000 per semester

Additional Benefits

No Cost EMI available for most programs

Scholarships up to 30% based on merit and eligibility

Corporate Discounts for bulk enrollments

Global Reach & Alumni Success

LPU Online MBA Courses has students from over 40 countries and alumni working in leading roles across sectors like IT, finance, marketing, education, public administration, and more. Alumni success stories serve as a testament to the value of an LPU degree.

Eligibility & Admission Process

Eligibility Criteria

UG Programs: 10+2 from a recognized board

PG Programs: Graduation in any discipline from a recognized university

Admission Steps

Visit lpu-online.studyonlineedu.com

Fill in your basic details and program of interest

Upload scanned copies of required documents

Pay the application fee and await confirmation

Receive login credentials and begin your course

Events & Community Life

LPU Online MBA Courses keeps its students engaged with regular:

Webinars and Guest Lectures

National-Level Competitions

Hackathons & Innovation Challenges

Cultural Events (online participation allowed)

Campus Visits & Convocation Events

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. Is an LPU Online degree equivalent to a regular degree? Yes. All online degrees are UGC-entitled and hold the same academic value as on-campus programs.

Q2. Can I work while studying online? Absolutely. The flexibility of online learning allows you to manage work, study, and life simultaneously.

Q3. Is there any entrance exam? No entrance exam is required for most programs.

Q4. What if I miss a class? All lectures are recorded and available on the LMS for later viewing.

Q5. Are international students eligible? Yes. LPU Online accepts applications from international students and offers global student support.

Contact Information

📍 Campus Address: Block 32, Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar - Delhi G.T. Road, Phagwara, Punjab (India) - 144411

📞 Admission Helpline: 01824-520001

📧 Email: [email protected]

🌐 Website: https://lpu-online.studyonlineedu.com

Take the Next Step

Your future starts with a single click. Join thousands of learners across India and the world who are transforming their lives through LPU Online MBA Courses. Whether you’re pursuing your first degree, upgrading your skills, or changing careers—Online MBA Courses is here to guide and support your journey to success.

Apply Today. Learn Anytime. Succeed Anywhere.

[patalipat-blog]

Gusto ko pa ba talagang maging guro?

(written last night, around 10pm)

Spent the Teacher’s Day season physically away from my teaching station but virtually engaged pa rin haha.

For years, I was getting weary of the very complicated teaching life, been feeling so stagnant. I honestly thought of shifting career, but I chose to just explore ways to break the routinary life. Here I am now, doing something new and learning so much along the way. IDK though, but as I encounter new things in what I’m doing now automatic ko pa rin naiisip, “ay maganda tong ituro sa students”, “ay pwede to gawin sa class, pano kaya ito iintegrate sa lessons”. Default na ata sa wiring ng brain haha!

Last night, we met with some parents and explained to them the risks and benefits of their children’s fungal research projects. It was a chore to simplify the jargons, but it’s rewarding to see the nods and hear the expressions of understanding. The support and encouragement that parents give their kids get more profound when they themselves appreciate the impact of what their kids are doing.

Afterwards, I stayed awake until 3am, preparing for the Tulong Dunong online tutorial with elementary pupils. Today was my second session with them, the topic was “Life on Earth” (Earth’s Spheres, Kingdoms of Life). We tackled the “Scientific Method” in our previous session. These topics are tedious; all the while I was trying to imagine how the Grade 6 me could’ve better understood the need to study them. Tedious, but I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of coming up with simplified explanations. I also thoroughly enjoyed teaching the Grade 6 students who were very makulit, rowdy, but sweet (I will miss them!).

Where does this lead to? Idk haha. My interactions with the parents and the elem students made me ruminate.

Firstly, even if I try to escape, teaching always pulls me back. I guess I just got so tired of teaching Research for almost a decade. But oh my, the “Life on Earth” lesson today was soooooooo fun and fulfilling. Maybe it’s about time that I handle more Biology subjects.

Also, maybe simplifying things is really the way to go. It’s difficult for me, my train of thought is always so complicated. But practice makes perspiration char! Memorizing the concepts is one thing, but you can only simplify your explanations if you really understand these concepts and understand how these concepts came to be. Ang complicated ba? Halika magkape tayo hahaha!

But yah, my process was really about understanding what the parents/kids really needed to understand, picking up the most basic info that would help, and deferring the complicated parts for now. And it felt rewarding, whenever I saw that they truly got to connect the dots and appreciated what I was trying to tell them about.

I guess that’s my new teaching mindset: understand, simplify, connect the dots, appreciate.

Inside the classroom: understand the lessons; simplify the explanations; help the students connect the dots and appreciate the concepts.

But how about in the workplace? Hmmm, it’s a little more complex haha. Siguro note to self na lang: understand what vocation you really took an oath for; simplify your ways; connect the dots and intelligently channel your efforts and energies; and appreciate the opportunities to learn, to serve, and to make life on Earth better. Baka sakali, mamanage ang burnout.

Asus haha, sobra ka lang sa kape!

(Photo taken in Caramoan, Camarines Sur; used as main visual during the “Life on Earth” discussion. A photo can really paint a thousand words!)

[jacklyndougherty]

Ballet Term Bas en Low

“Ballet Term” “Bas en Low ballet” Jacklyn Dougherty Ballet Term Bas en Low How to Ballet Jacklyn Dougherty Jacklyn Dougherty  is the “how to ballet” website.  Founders Jacklyn Dougherty and Dr. Joni Dougherty Ed.D.  The complete education resource guide to dance. Including step by step instructions with photo illustrations and video tutorials. The best place to find full ballet classes for…

[marcusarmstrong]

it's the second week back to uni and I'm already despairing over one of my lectures this is gonna be a great semester and i can already tell

[ncat]

Alright, part 2 of the “behind the scenes” and such, this time: Class features, from 1-20.

Part 1 Here, Original homebrew here

Moving onto the features proper, and we start with Pact Crafting and its subfeatures. So, I'll stop here to talk on Binding Power. Binding Power is the big change that divorces the Vocator from the Binder. The original class in 3.5 granted you all vestiges known by default, but limited you to 1 vestige per day, increasing the number of vestiges you could have at once to 4 by level 20. One change I wanted to make was to incentivize weaker vestiges, since a low level vestige is harder to justify in comparison to a higher level one if they take the same resource. So, the idea was to make them use less of the same resource. So, yeah, you could bind a 4th level vestige for instance, or 4 1st levels. Its sorta like a spell points system to a sense, something I'm also quite fond of, since I like psionics, and has shown up in previous stuff of mine like the Mentalist and Weave Whisperer.

Right, up next is cantrips. This exists so as that the class can always have a fallback tool, so that even if they are caught fully pants down, no vestiges no nothing, you can still pop someone with an eldritch blast. Its a good thing for spellcasters to have, a decent back up tool, especially at lower levels.

Next is vestiges known, or well the 'Summoning seals' section. Having a limited number of vestiges known at once exists for a few reasons. For one, it makes the class easier to digest if you are just starting with it. With 2 known at level 1, someone picking up the class gets to pick up the class, look at the list of 1st levels, and with just a single point of binding power, each day they just have the basic choice of "Vestige 1 or Vestige 2?", which lets the level serve as a tutorial of sorts before the class gets complicated, which it sorta does in some peoples eyes.

Binding a vestige. The act of doing so takes 10 minutes, for the reason that you can reasonably do it whenever you have downtime, but cant really do so if you aren't really in a safe spot. This goes to encourage people to try and pick vestiges earlier in the day and try to predict what they'll need later on, like a wizard picking spells, which is in my eyes, a fun style of gameplay. I've also made it so that, the actual scribing of the circle and summoning takes 10 minutes, but the communication itself isn't directly described. This is so that if you wanna just treat is as a 1 round, hop in roll the dice, you can do that. But if you wanna sit there and watch the vestige be summoned and roleplay chatting and so, you have as much time as you wish to do that. Ah, of note is the use of may in "You may make a binding ability check against the binding DC of the vestige to bind it whilst it is summoned.". Originally, the optional rule regarding making a deal was included in this section as well (Albeit, way simplified and smaller), so this use of may was so that you could still summon a vestige for the sole purpose of talking to it, without needing to then bind it. Though now the wording sort of on its own is a little strange, but I kept it as is because hey, maybe it being written that way is of use to somebody by chance.

Ah, see invisibility! I added this for dual reasons. One, because well, I think its neat if people can use magic to try and spot / detect the vestige, and the choice was between it or detect magic, but the vestiges not being directly a spell effect made me go for see invisibility instead. It also ended up playing nicely with the extras content involving inquisitors, and them getting see invisibilty as a specialised tool to hunt vocators..

Ah! Next fun thing is influences, specifically the "Penalty equal to their vestige level". This is actually inspired by a running gag in my dnd party. At our table, a DM of ours likes to hand out inspiration whenever we do exceptionally great roleplaying, or make a really good joke, or so on. Though, unlike base game inspiration, this inspiration takes the form of a dice, anywhere from a d4 to a d12, which can be added as a bonus to the roll at any point in the session.

Though, what of bad jokes? With a particularly horrible pun, with a collective sigh and groan from the party, the DM chucks a d4, the "Negative Inspiration", the DM stating that such poor comedy will be met with a timely reduction of on average 2.5 to a roll in future. (Though, this 2.5 reduction is hardly ever actually used)

So, similarly, a vestige can do the same thing. Do something wrong, then they get to sit there and wait before they hand you a horrible -X to your saving throw to get back at you.

As for the negative being scaled off of vestige level, theres a few reasons to this too. It for one, works as a tie breaker, so say you're in a situation where you have two conflicting vestiges, that way the decision is a little easier since its safer to annoy a weaker vestige. But also, it serves to up the scale and might of high level vestiges. Sure, ignore a low level vestige? At some point you'll get a -1 later on. Rough, but it is how it is. But get on the nerves of a late game vestige? a -9 can be Devastating.

Plus plus, since it sorta scales alongside your character level, your newer vestiges might be a proper danger to annoy, but a low level vestige applying a -1 or -2 stops looking so bad, so a player might feel safe just getting a bunch of these. That is of course, until you have a close save turned into a fail. Because yeah, that sort of I feel psychologically would have you playing the type of character, like the trope of "Summoner has a bunch of spirits bound to them, grows too comfortable with them, and they come back to bite at the worst moment". Creates fun storytelling environments I hope?

Other cool thing! Spellcasting focus! Originally, the spellcasting focus was different in the early "Inside my brain" drafts, with the class' spellcasting focus being that they didnt need one, but to cast a spell they needed to temporarily manifest an illusory image of a vestige, who would cast the spell for them. Pretty sick flavor wise, kinda bad balance wise, since that means that A. you cant use spellcaster magic items on your spells, and B. you dont need a spell focus, ever. And like, I'm a big fan of the concept of the "you guys are in prison, you gotta struggle to find equipment" type arcs, where the fighter improvises weapons and the wizard looks around for individual material components and the Soul Blade gets to stand out with their unique summonable blades. Honestly yeah, I am a big fan of the "How do we sneak weapons in" schemes, and this just felt like a way to easy way to solve them.

So, in its place, an Arcane focus, but also a wacky one. The use of a knife/dagger worth 15gp lets you do the flavour of using Rite Knives to perform rituals and such often associated with occultism, but it also has a minor benefit of letting you just carry a weapon, albeit a dagger, as a focus, which goes well with the class giving a lot of martial buffs depending on the vestige.

Next notable thing is at 2nd level, Pact Arcanum. This starts with my other big thing I really like doing in game design: Stretching a resource.

So, I’m a big fan of when players are given a resource, but then given multiple ways to use it. Like, sure, “X feature, use it Y times a day” is alright, but “A and B feature, both pulling from the limited pool of C per day” always feels fun to write for me. Having a pool to work with each day and trying to work out how you wanna allocate it. 

Pact arcanum is a pretty interesting feature for a few reasons. One one note, it is the classes core form of spellcasting, since it provides your limited list of spells to draw from. Though, this ability has an interesting dynamic with Binding. Both use binding power, but binding requires a large amount of time to do: 10+ minutes per vestige. Meanwhile, Pact Arcanum is on demand, lets you use a spell on the spot. In short, it creates a dilemma: How of your binding power do you use at once? Do you use all of it, granting you constant powers throughout the day, but have no ability to react with immediate powers? Or do you leave it free, leaving you more flexible, but at the cost of having a much more limited resource, since your limited binding power means your spells will burn it up quickly.

It presents the player with the choice between trying to guess what they will find useful or leaving themselves more vulnerable, but flexible.

Another thing it does, is its designed to get a player to re-interpret how they choose their subclass.

Base warlock has their subclass, and a list of bonus spells to pick from, which can supplement the already good warlock list. A fiend warlock for instance, might go for mostly warlock spells, but pick up Fireball for its raw strength at those levels. But mostly, the subclass spell list can sort of be ignored, since you can ignore it and not be really affected.

But on the Vocator, its a very different dynamic.

The vocator gets no base spell list, but it does get every one of their subclass spells. So a vocator needs to pay attention to what subclass spells they do take, since they will very much affect the spellcasting abilities of them.

Something like fireball can only be given as a fiend, healing from the celestial, and so on.

It creates an opportunity? I guess? To re-examine how you choose your vocator subclass from the warlock patrons, since the spells have a much more prominent role.

Oh yeah! The spells also are a source of a cool... is tech the right term? The vocator is a class that can gain the wish spell, since at level 17, the Genie warlock can take it. It also puts them in a really unique position to create a sort of “All in” build, by like, only spending two binding points, a level 20 genie warlock could potentially cast wish twice in a single long rest, in exchange for all of their binding power. Thats a lot of firepower, but thats also very taxing, since if you do so, you’re limited to very little binding power. Hell, at level 18, its even more risky, since doing so leaves you basically with just cantrips, not even invocations since those are Binding Power based.

Speaking of Invocations, Level 3, Occult Invocations. Now, the Vocator while gaining Invocations like a warlock, has them far less prominently, since the Vestiges are the focus. But, they still can use them, albeit limited by them having a resource cost, as well as maxing out at 4 known by level 20. Flavourfully, this is supposed to represent you making smaller and quick pacts for power, filling your narrative role of being the Contract Worker to the warlocks hired employee. So, whilst Binding is Binding, your subclass is you ringing up an archfiend or such and doing a quick borrow, this is more you ringing up a fairy or an imp or something smaller. 

Ah, a useful note on wording here: While a warlock needs to meet prerequisites to learn an invocation, a vocator does not. However, they instead need to meet the prerequisite whilst they are activating the invocation. This has a purpose: See, lets say you wanna go all in on pact of the blade. You have the vestige to do that, as well as some bonus invocations from it, but what if you want more? Well, simply put, you learn pact of the blade invocations on your base Vocator invocations learnt, and then once youve bound that vestige, you now meet the prerequisites, and can as such gain the benefits of the invocation.

Another design note is how it fits in between Binding and Pact Arcanum. Invocations exist as a sort of middle point in terms of “Gaining power” and “Long Term Power”. While an invocation is usually weaker than a vestige, even one of equivilent cost, their upside is their raw speed. An invocation takes an action to apply, after all. So, say you’re being chased by guards. A spell can definitely handle them if they’re on your tail, but binding takes too long unless you can find a moment of time to use it. But an invocation, all it takes is you to have 6 seconds open, and voila, you have it.

At 6th level we get “Supress Sign” 4 levels later than the binder would’ve in 3.5, and also with different rules. The reason for it to be pushed back is because, I really like the idea of it being a challenge to work out “How do I hide the effects of this vestige”, and getting the ability to ignore it at level 2 feels a little too easy, yknow? So pushing it up to level 6 makes it so that dealing with signs is a more prevalent part of Tier 1, having you manage it as a proper issue whilst you are still arguably close to base humanoids in terms of strength. 

Though, once you do get the ability to suppress it, it also makes use of concentration as a part of 5e. So you can now hide a single vestige, as long as you can focus on it.

This is much more narrative than anything. Though, there is a bit of gameplay to it, in that say, if you have multiple vestiges, you need to work out which you can get away with at what times. But narrative is the main one. For instance, for concentration spells, using them means dropping suppression, letting you have moments where from a non-vocators perspective, “Oh no! They’ve revealed their true form! They are in service of XYZ, and they’re casting spells!”. Plus, it also means that damage or going unconscious also reveals it, letting you have narrative moments where a vocator is knocked out and “Reveals their true form”

Level 7 is yet another big level in my eyes. One of the big selling points of the Binder is its versatility, since you could, quite literally, swap your party role entirely from one day to the next. The vocator gives up part of this due to the existence of subclasses, as well as their reduced number of vestiges known, but level 7 lets them begin harnessing some of that old switchbladey-ness. By letting you swap out your subclass, you definitely start channelling that flavor of being a masterless warlock, a disloyal agent of cosmic forces, by letting you break your pacts and create new ones. It also combos nicely with Pact Arcanum, since it also functions as a way to swap out your spell list, just as a cleric or wizard might, albeit instead of swapping individual spells from a list, instead swapping out an entire themed list. 

Though yeah, the time delay does exist to ensure you cant swap every day, since you have to regrow and regain that power over some time, but still. Party healer out of town for a while? Swap to the celestial pact. Quest needs you to go sailing? Switch to the fathomless pact. Fighting aliens? GOO.

You can pretty much use downtime to prepare for whatever big challenge you might have ahead of you. Which I find neat.

11, Mystical Reserve. In earlier write ups of the Vocator, Binding Power and Level was 1:1, so say at level 20, you’d have 20 binding power. This ended up being problematic for me in terms of considering late game balance, since at level 20, you’d get two 9th level vestiges, which are designed to feel like all day, 9th level spells, which I didn’t really like the sound of. So I ended up lowering it to 15 at 20, going 2:1 post level 11. Though that too I didn’t like, since it made the class no longer scale linearly in power. I went back and forth over the two designs, until I came to the idea: “What if you could have those 5 binding points, but not have them cause conflict with vestige”. So the mystical reserve was created. With a 20 charisma, you have effectively 20 binding points and level 20, but cant actually bind more than 1 9th level at a time.

It also helps ease the pact arcanum and binding split at this point. Now you have a smaller pool for pact arcanum, you as a proper tier 3/4 vocator dont have to worry as much about this resource split, since you have a pool exclusively to cast spells from, so you can feel safe in using that power.

Funnily, this actually sorta inspired 4 vestiges, since this sorta invented the idea of having bonus pools of power points with limited application, and from it I drew the idea of the 3 Siblings (Plus their demon captor), the set of vestiges who give additional power points that can only be used to bind vestiges.

Level 13, Practiced Summoning gives expertise to your binding checks. This makes it so your earlier vestiges can be bound much more consistently, but it also makes way for the spike in vestige DC’s at later levels. Because yeah, late level vestiges should be intimidating, with their DCs in the 30s, so this lets you reach that, making those crazy hard looking checks actually become possible for your character, letting you feel a definite growth in power because now those initially crazy looking DCs are something you can actually catch.

The 18th level feature, Pact Burst, is a big defensive option. You get a big upside of auto succeeding or resisting a save / attack, in exchange for losing a vestige for 1d4 hours. This ability was inspired by the capstone on artificer to be honest haha. This feature sort of exists to provide a utility for lower level vestiges at late game outside of their powers, because hey, if you have some binding points to spare, and have a low level still known, slap em on and now you have a mini shield of sorts. It basically makes it so having lots of vestiges, especially low ones, is a pretty valid tactic at high level. Hell, you could probably do a sort of “Invulnerability” build of sorts by only taking low levels and then just having a ridiculous number of vestiges at late game as a sort of super armour. I love weird tech and builds, so yeah <:

The inspiration for this one also came from the Anima Mage, a binder prestige class in 3.5 which let you lose the abilities of a vestige in order to apply metamagic for free a few times a day, since yeah, the flavor of channeling a vestige in a very taxing way to do an effect, but then losing that vestige for a bit is kinda neat.

It also serves as a way to introduce the flavour of

Level 20: The big capstone, expel vestige

Im of the mind that capstones should be really, really cool, and should really mean something big for your character. Like, a wizards capstone is lame, but something like Druid or Barbarian? Now thats a good capstone

Expel vestige lets you well, expel a vestige and get your Binding Power refunded, afterwards you lose access to that vestige until your next long rest.

This basically lets you become the high point of a Vocator, a class thats designed to be able to change up their powers and abilities from day to day to fill any role, by gaining the power to swap it out multiple times per day. So, a vestige with more niche uses become much more useful, since you can bring em in just for a bit, and then end the binding once you've gotten what you need. 

As is tradition, funky abilities with cool uses: The fact it uses a bonus action. This means that, with your Pact Arcanum spellcasting, you can look at a spell you know, go “Damn, I need this spell right now”, and expel a vestige and then immediately cast a spell, essentially trading a vestige for spellcasting, which is a fun place to end with the dynamic between Spellcasting and Vestiges.

This ability was inspired by a 3.5e feat with the same name, and similiar function (Albeit, the 3.5 feat was limited to once a day), because yeah, that kind of versatility is really cool, but also very strong and very suitable for a capstone if its limits are removed a bit.

Funnilly, earlier in development, this class had a completely different capstone. It was a power word kill esque saving throw of sorts, that functioned a little bit like the banishment spell mixed with power word kill? Its been a while, so I dont recall it exactly, but from what I remember, the way it worked it a creature had to make a save, on a success they took damage, and on a failure, they were banished for a minute-ish. If they had more than 100? hitpoints than they just stayed banished and took damage, but if they were below that number and were banished for the full duration, they became a vestige? Sorta?

Like, they got a summoning seal, but it was like a lesser one that could be easily learnt, and any binder could summon it if they had just seen the seal without it counting against their vestiges known, and it would cost nothing to summon them but you could just talk to them and thats about it?

It was a bit too over complicated, so I just sat on it until I decided to use expel vestige. Though, some of the ideas behind it ended up in other places. The Power word kill parts went on to be part of the inquisitors capstone, while the “Kill someone and use them as a contactable source of information” ended up being part of the vestige Alloces.

But yeah, weird that at one point, you could just create more vestige at some point. Dont know what the implications of that flavour wise would mean xd

So yeah, thats the notes on the class features. Next up will be the vestiges, though I dont know if that’ll be one post or several. 

Thanks for reading this big long post

 Yeah (:

[blackfemmecharacterdependency]

We’re Not Friends 14

Why Are You Upset?

Singing karaoke with Chuck while getting ready was top tier. She hadn't even stressed over making her parents' food or anything else. She had slept well and she was going to learn how to fight the enemy after school. Beth was excited. It was a brand new day at school for a whole five minutes. Beth fell in step with her team. She had a clique! She was a #mood…

And then Cindy Burman passed her ass through messing up the vibe... No biggie. Not like Cindy hadn't messed up somebody's vibe ever before and not like it was unmanageable. Beth was still feeling alright, spilling the tea on Cindy to her friends who weren't as in the know as she was… but, of course in her excitement about training she was maybe a little loud and her "friends" chastised her. Annoyingly, she might add, especially considering that the only reason she knew where to look for the heroes was because Courtney said Yolanda's name, loud enough for her to hear, while fully in hero mode. Did Beth bring that back up whenever they acted like whatever she said would rain fire onto their heads? Does anybody at this school even know what the JSA is? She never heard of them before in her life before she met Chuck, AND - as she had told them all plenty of times, NOBODY LISTENS TO HER!

STILL. They weren't going to ruin her day, either. These kids simply, obviously weren't raised right and that's why they're rude and you're better than them, but don't say that. It would be gauche. It might stir up feelings, the way calling them (including herself) losers did Rick. Beth smiled and went to class, her excitement teeming as the day went on. For a change, she was grateful for her time spent at the lunch table with Rick. That made it easier to ignore people’s rudeness.

There was no need not to head to the Pit Stop together, since they would all be going to the same place. She and Rick tarried behind the girls, comfortably walking together while everyone listened to Courtney rattle off about how she was excited to finally get ready to really go after the ISA. Beth didn’t point out that they had to learn how to do that first, and the closer they got to the building, the more excited she got about it.

They arrived and she was instantly more happy to train than she had even been all day, and not five minutes into training, Rick was already throwing more shade. "Beth can talk..  about everything."

"Happy to!" She kept her smile. It was training time and not even Rick's sass was going to delay her progress…

Nope… 

It was gonna be Courtney today. 

Beth. Was. Tired. 

Like.. If we are supposed to be a team and this was supposed to be for the team, why would Courtney think... 

Beth had been keeping her peace all day. 

She kept it when they had something to say about her being loud with secrets, and when Rick reduced her team contribution to "talking," but Courtney obliterating the training course when Beth had never even had one online tutorial of a defense training was her limit today. She didn't give her the entire portion of her mind, but she got a little piece and anybody else could have a slice if they had something to say, too. Beth grabbed her things and left. Rick and Yolanda were talking, seemingly making arrangements for the journey to their homes, but Beth wasn't paying attention, so much as she simply noticed them on her way out. She put on her goggles and Chuck immediately knew that she wasn't happy. 

Nobody answered her in the GC when she set it up for the team. Nobody respected her. And now, she couldn't even learn to defend herself? People were getting KILLED in this business and their… leader?… (she guessed Courtney was considered to be, since it all started with her) didn't think she needed a team of fighters? Or maybe, she just didn't care whether or not Beth learned to fight because she never wanted her on the team in the first place!!

Beth's eyes were stinging with unshed years as she told Chuck about how today went, stomping her little feet with her short legs barely taking her anywhere. Not being able to learn how to fight for herself in this situation was even more stressful than she planned on it being, and she had been worried about it from the moment she found herself in the middle of a fight unprepared! Not too long ago, she had seen Joey, a boy she'd known her entire life get killed right in front of her, and soon found out that it was at the hands of a villain that they would be facing... "And I can't even learn to defend myself against the person who did that to him? To this cold blooded killer and his crew…" she felt someone behind her and she turned to see Rick, advancing. She gasped, a little startled, but quickly was relieved that it wasn't the aforementioned villain or one of his known associates.

Rick didn't say anything and she wondered if he'd heard her complaints about them. When he fell into step with her while Chuck was talking, she didn't acknowledge him. They'd just left the same place. She didn't need to acknowledge him, and she wasn't even sure that he cared one way or another. He didn’t respect her any more than the rest of them did and she wasn’t sure why she had been willing to give him a pass before. Just because ONE time he told her that he heard her? How pathetic.  "It's just frustrating," she told Chuck, quietly. 

Rick looked at her, confused, and she forced a smile and tapped the side of her head, to let him know that she was talking to Chuck. He nodded and didn't interrupt. She didn't finish her complaints about the team, now that Rick was next to her. Even if they were on her nerves, that might be bad for morale. Worse. Worse for morale. Because her morale was already messed up. At least for today. She didn't even glance in Rick's direction as she went up the walkway to her house and went inside. 

He stood at the end of the sidewalk, wondering if he'd done something wrong and not realized. That was like him... and it wasn't like Beth not to at least say she'd talk to you later or something. He waited a moment, debating if he should knock on the door and check on her, or text, or something. Ultimately, he headed home, looking in his dad's journal to try not to harp on whatever that weird, silent, walking trip had been. It wasn’t like he knew Beth very well or anything, but from what he did know about her and how they had been for the past few days… this was just… off. Maybe he should just accept that he didn’t know enough to really guess that it was weird?

He admittedly didn’t pay much attention to her at school, on purpose. At the same time, though, they had been around each other at lunch every day for a while now. He was pretty confident that he knew her well enough at least to determine her personality. This whole thing was just not in the personality of the girl who sat with him at lunch, and certainly not the cheery little hero girl who got excited about costumes and liked goofy code names. He realized he was clenching the journal too tightly and tried to push the worries about Beth away. If he did something and she didn’t tell him, that was her problem.

.

Nope. This was gonna bug him. But also, he wasn't good at stuff like that. So, he just sent a message to the GC. Something generic like, "If I don't get anywhere with this journal, my entire evening is wasted." He didn't want to straight up ask about her night. She didn’t respond to his message, but Courtney and Yolanda were both typing… 

Courtney: How long will you hold this over my head?

Rick: It just happened today. 

Yolanda: My evening *was* wasted, and it isn't like I'm not on a short leash! 😤

Courtney: Cats on a leash Rick.

Courtney: *ROCK!

Yolanda: I'm mad, Courtney! Hence: 😤

Courtney: I feel bad.

Rick: You should.

After a few minutes that felt like several, to him, Beth still hadn’t chimed in. If there was one thing that Beth Chapel loved to do, for as long as he’d known of her, it was to chime in.

Rick: I guess Beth's done with us for the day.

Courtney: I texted her an apology and she replied. Maybe she's just not checking the GC right now.

Rick: You texted her an apology? You didn't text me an apology.

Courtney: I knew you wouldn't appreciate it. Just look at how you're carrying on.

Beth: *Leaves the chat*

Courtney: Oh.

Yolanda: 🙃 She made the chat. How's she leaving?

Courtney: Didn't even say "bye"

Yolanda: What did she say when you apologized?

Courtney: She said, "Acknowledged." 

Yolanda: 😅

Rick: 😂😂😂

Courtney: I guess I'll have to call her.

Yolanda: She seems sick of you.

Rick: Her feelings are hurt.

Yolanda: Did she say something?

Rick: No. But, she's like that. You know how she is.

Yolanda: I do not. 

Rick: Kinda self deprecating about people not listening to her, but usually that's a sign that someone is sensitive about that thing. 

Courtney: We listen to her!

Rick: Idk if that's a joke or not, but it wasn't funny.

Courtney: Beth, come back! 😭

...

Courtney: Okay. Just got off the phone with Beth. She says that it's not a good idea to type "the stuff" into the phone, in case we lose them or get hacked or something. 

Yolanda: But… why would she leave the chat though?

Courtney: Said we only ever talk to each other about that stuff anyway so it wasn’t as good an idea as she originally thought.

Courtney: WE TALK ABOUT OTHER STUFF THOUGH!

Rick: We just started using this thing. Today. Like..  five minutes ago whenever I said something…

Courtney: I'm feeling personally attacked by Beth Chapel. 

Yolanda: She can't fight, so…?

Rick: Yeah, thanks to Courtney

Courtney: 😭😭😭 Triple Teamed? Wow. We're supposed to be a team.

Rick: Tell that to Courtney. 😏 

Courtney: I'm gonna tell the staff. This is... agregious?

Rick: Egregious.

Yolanda: Okay, Spelling Bee.

.

Rick: Hey. Why'd you just leave the chat?

Beth was typing… stopped… started…

Beth: We didn't need it, after all.

Rick: Okay..

She read it. Didn’t respond. Rick felt… anxious. He was starting to think that he was right earlier. That he had done something.

Rick: You okay?

Beth: Aren't I always? 

Rick: No.

She read it. He took a deep breath. He couldn’t tell if she was doing this on purpose to upset him or if he was finally getting a dose of his own medicine. Was this what it was like from the outside of him being upset and not saying anything about it?

Rick: You told Chuck you were frustrated. Frustrated about what?

Beth was typing… a lot… like… a scary bit. Rick felt even more worried waiting for the response. She was really saying a lot and it was probably something that would upset him.. Only for it to be..

Beth: I told Chuck.

.

Rick: Beth is being kinda pissy right now. 

Courtney: Apparently, she doesn't like how we talk to her?

Yolanda: I can see that. Rick is pretty rude.

Rick: I'm nicer to her than you are!

Yolanda: That definitely sounds fake. 

Courtney: She named you two.

Yolanda: WHAT?

Rick: I'm calling her.

Yolanda: 👀 Is that something that you do?

Rick: It's something I am doing right now.

Courtney: 👀 Also.

.

Beth stopped laughing with Chuck long enough to look at her phone and see Rick calling her. She ignored it. 

Rick: Are we a team, or not, Beth?

She read it. Rick was ready to punch a fucking wall. WHAT would have made her this upset? This is stupid. He didn't even DO anything! But, more than that, he was upset that she was obviously upset with him, and refused to tell him about it!!

Beth: Is there team business to discuss?

Rick: Yes!!

Beth called him back and he answered before it rang even half a time. "What is it?" She asked. "The team business."

He wasn’t used to her being to curt, but despite how jarring it was, he matched it. "Why are you upset?"

"I'm not upset."

"Frustrated. Whatever."

"I'm not."

He was talking through his teeth. "You told Courtney you were."

"No. I told Courtney that I don't like the way I'm talked to. That doesn't mean that I’ll sit around upset for the rest of the night, Rick. It's not that deep. I just met you all." 

Rick felt like that was a hit to the gut, even though it was technically true. They had met before, talked, shared glances at the right times, had moments or whatever, and he knew that she knew that. She was saying this to upset him, he was pretty sure of it. "What did I say that you didn't like?" His voice was really low, soft, and Beth had to admit, it was alarmingly sweet. BUT, she wasn’t going to be pulled into her emotions. Rick would most likely say something just as rude, as this was gentle, within the next couple of minutes if this conversation continued.

"It's the way that you say things and it's not important. Is this what you wanted to talk about? Because this doesn’t seem JSA related to me."

"How is it not important, if it's about how you feel?" 

She was quiet. It was important, but her feelings had never been much important to someone else and she didn't think Rick actually cared. He just wanted her to woman up and say what she meant, probably. She wasn’t going to let him control this. He got to control all of their lunchroom interactions and she was no longer that girl. She was a superhero now, just like him. "I feel fine," she said. "I'm sharing my favorite book bloggers with Chuck, if there’s nothing else?" 

One thing about Beth was that she always seemed to care, whether or not he wanted her to, and whenever she didn’t seem to care, it always stung a little. This stung a lot. After Halloween, he guessed he saw her a little bit differently… and they had been cordial after their first mission… "Okay," Rick said, his teeth grinding, not sure if he was angry because he was sure she was lying or if he was angry that she possibly didn’t care. 

"Okay. See you later!" She cheered and hung up. It was the latter, he realized. He didn’t know why, but he wanted her to care more about whatever it was that he did to upset her. He wanted her to admit it and he wanted to address it.

“Whatever,” he mumbled to himself. She was like everybody else. She pretended to care with her rides home in the rain, and buying pencils, “Let me know you made it safe” and her cheery hellos… She didn’t give a shit about him… 

.

Courtney: Did you call her?

Rick: Yeah. She's fine.

Courtney: Whew! Idk how we'd get the goggles back if she was really pissed. I couldn't get them back from her when she was chill. She’s super determined. 

Courtney and Yolanda continued to message each other, but Rick had checked out. 

He worked on his dad’s journal until he fell to sleep, got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and noticed a missed call from Beth. It was from earlier in the night. She’d also texted him. His heart sped up as he checked it.

Beth: I’m back in the group chat! Thank you for checking on me. 

He hadn’t decided whether or not he was still mad… he had not had anything to be mad about… or, he did, but maybe he was mad because he didn’t know what happened earlier. What had he said? He ran the entire day back through his head and everything seemed the way it usually did until she was frustrated. Maybe she just took out her anger at Courtney on him? But, why would she tell Courtney it was him and Yolanda? And what had Yolanda meant by saying he was rude? He didn’t make an effort to be warm and cozy for a bunch of people he had only just met, but he was nice... as far as he knew. 

Rick: NP

She was probably asleep. He twiddled his thumbs and set the phone aside when there was no activity from her end.

.

Beth spent her time that evening decompressing. Most of her walk home, she was trying to think of what she had at home that could help her with some self care. Whenever she got inside, she got into the shower and fortunately had one more calming shower bomb. After the long shower, she felt better. She set her hair for the night, put on some relaxing music and climbed into bed. Her phone started going off. She picked it up, saw that the GC was moving along. At first, she muted the phone and set it down, but the phone kept lighting up whenever one of them added, so she simply left the chat. It wasn’t like they wanted to actually communicate with her anyway, and putting JSA info in a phone would be a big no-no.

When Courtney called her, she was annoyed, but tried to keep her voice even. She just wanted to be left alone. She was slowly realizing that she had sort of gotten used to it, so that she didn’t know how to navigate being upset around other people. Around other people, you were friendly, polite and pleasant. You made them feel safe in your presence and gave them somebody to like and want to spend time with later. In her upset… she could be a real mess. That was someone that she preferred to keep to herself, or at least between her and Chuck, for now. 

Then, Rick tried to text her! When she WANTED them to be there, they weren’t! Now, they wouldn’t leave her alone. The one thing she wanted, after a failed day of teamwork. Silence. Finally, They left her alone. She spent a few hours gabbing with Chuck, rested her eyes and eventually got up to make some dinner. She ate alone, and suddenly, remembered that she didn’t like being alone, at all. She was upset from earlier, she presumed. She rejoined the chat. Courtney and Yolanda seemingly welcomed her back. Yolanda asked her what she could do to not be rude, because she really didn’t mean to, and Beth told them that she believed that she simply had a bad day and apologized if she made anybody else feel responsible for it. Everyone was cool, it seemed. But Rick didn’t surface, so she tried to call him. When his phone beeped for voicemail, she realized that it would be kind of weird to leave one. What would she say? A text probably made more sense. She texted and waited a little while to see if he would respond. When he didn’t she made her way to bed with her copy of Fahrenheit 451 and fell asleep reading. At some point in the middle of the night, her phone buzzed and she frowned as she reached out to glance at it. 

Rick: NP

She groaned, but didn’t open it. That wasn’t worth a response, and she’d see him tomorrow, anyway. 

[atenevaeh]

LoreKi AU—“Unusual Morning”

Lorelei woke up feeling a lot better than yesterday. She got sick in two consecutive days and wouldn't able to attend her class. Thankfully, Aunt Martha took care of her whenever Loki attended his class. She remembered last evening that Loki didn't leave her side until she fell asleep.

She wondered if Loki is still sleeping since he slept late last night. She stood up and fixed her bed. When she went out she smell something, someone is cooking in their kitchen. That must be her Aunt martha she thought. But when she went at the kitchen, she saw Loki's wearing an apron while busy cutting vegetables.

She thought she's dreaming because Loki will never cook, he'll choose to order in a fast food chain than wasting his time cooking. She blinked twice and pinched herself but realized that Loki is really cooking.

"Nagluluto ka?" she asked, a little bit surprise. Loki turned his head to her, "Your up, are you okay now? Do you need something?" he asked. Lori shook her head, "Let me see" Loki said before drawing close near Lori, since Loki's hand is still holding the knife , he used his forehead and pressed it against Lori's forehead to check if she still has a fever.

Lori was taken-a-back by what Loki did, her cheeks blushed. Loki stepped back, "Your temperature is lower now than yesterday, are you sure you're okay? You can still sleep if you want to" he stated.

Lori looked away, "D-don't worry, I'm feeling a lot better now, how about you? Are you sick? Nahawa ba kita?" she asked.

Loki slightly smiled, "No, I'm okay why did you asked?" Loki continued what he's doing. "I just can't believe that you're cooking Loki, siguradong wala kang sakit?"

"I know its weird but I still want to try, I mean I can just order our food but you need healthy foods since you got sick, Tita Martha left earlier that's why I decided to try cooking for you" he explained while still busy cutting.

Lori can't help but smile, she walked near him and watched what he's doing. "Anong niluluto mo?" she asked.

"I tried omelet rice for our breakfast and I'll try sinigang later or you can tell me what you want to eat, I'll try cooking it"

Lori's smile widened, "Confident ka magluto ah, paano mo naman natutunan 'yan?"

"YouTube" he simply answered then pointed his finger at the Ipad near the sink and a cooking tutorial video in youtube is playing, Lori laugh softly, "Oh right, you'll rely on the internet pala"

Lori noticed that Loki is kinda uncomfortable on his hair, he's slightly bowing his head that's why his hair is covering his eye. Lori went out for a while to get his hair tie, when she came back she called Loki, "Loki wait, harap ka muna sa 'kin"

Confused Loki turned around to her, "Why?"

Lori held the hair tie using her mouth then held Loki' s hair, she's slightly brushing his hair using her fingers, making sure that his bangs wouldn't cover his eyes again. Loki silently stare at Lori, who's busy tying his hair. She got woke up and she's sick yesterday but she's still beautiful, he thought.

"Done" Lori said after tying his hair, she smiled when she looked at Loki, he looks cute. "Thanks" Loki said then continue cutting carrots. Lori stood beside him again, "Gusto ko nang matikman luto mo, matagal pa ba 'yan?"

"No, but if you're hungry I can make sandwich for you" he offered.

"Hindi na, I'll wait. I'll just wash my face, call me when you're done"

"Okay" Lori stared at Loki for a while before she turned her back and murmured, "Cute"

—Fanart by Alec (@hanj0000 on twitter)

—Characters from ProjectLoki

—Not affiliated with ProjectLoki or AkosiIbarra

—Typo and grammatical errors

—PURE Fictional/AU

[noncaffeine]

So lately I haven't post anything on my tumblr blog kasi nga I'm too loud to think if what's going on so I tried to be silent to think if busy ba talaga ako and then I found out na busy nga talaga ako.

Andami ko palang to do list na kailangan ma occupy in a day. My life productivity is not good enough para makapag process ng maayos. Night is a perfect time to think for my to do list tomorrow pero parang mas gusto ko lang mag relax kasi medyo na hassle ako mag isip today because of tutorial class nga namin na kailangan namin mapa approve.

— Random thoughts | Feb. 4, 22

[jillaxkalangg]

i just wanna share two things hehe

first, my sem finally ended!! actually, ako na lang talaga nag-decide since wala pa ring paramdam yung ghoster kong prof. nagparamdam naman sya 2 weeks ago, he had a class eh. pinilit nya matapos yung lecture that weekend. then supposedly, last saturday we'll have our final exam and project presentation last sunday, pero wala na naman siyang paramdam. we messaged him through our group messenger regarding sa final project namin sa isang engineering software since di kami sure if gagawa pa ba kami kasi he said na hindi na kailangan but, it was noted on his instructions sa final paper na kailangan ang design namin sa software na 'yon. take note ha, he didn't taught us how to use it. he just gave a tutorial na ginamit nya before sa steel design classes nya. so, nag-thrive lang talaga kami ng ka-duo ko kasi katulad ng prof ko, ghinost na rin kami ng group members namin hahahaha shuta. so yon, for almost 4 days i slept at 4am-ish just to finish our paper and output from the engineering software. we uploaded our final paper and output yesterday! yay for me, katulad ni bestie hidilyn. nagbuhat din kami ng groupmate/friend naming ghoster lmao

second, i am so excited for the next months specifically on my birth month!! my teulight [treasure light stick], mashiho tingi from treasure world, and mashiho tingi from treasure summer camp 2021 will be coming home!!! yes po marupok po ako pagdating kay mashiho hshsds di ko rin alam kung bakit. tingi muna for now kasi naman ang mahal kapag buong item binili ko, saka na lang kapag may work na ko. so much for my luho needs. yung ipon ko kasi for their comeback lmao,, budol na budol na ko ng mga to hahahaha excited na ko sa teulight ko huhu wish ko lang makuha ko mashiho pob >__<

[necromancercoding]

En este tutorial, aprendimos a cómo poner el color de grupo como variable en nuestros posts y perfiles sencillos. En este otro, aprenderemos como poner diferentes variables modificando la opacidad (alpha) del color, para poder poner nuestro color de grupo en una opacidad diferente a 1.

Antes de empezar, quiero aclarar que este código no sirve para hacer variaciones del color de acento, sino modificaciones a su opacidad. Por ejemplo, cuando usas un color en RGBA, tiene este aspecto: "rgba(255,255,255,1)". En este ejemplo, nuestro color sería un blanco con opacidad 1, pero si cambiamos ese 1 por 0.5, el color adquiere transparencia. Se puede lograr el mismo efecto con hexadecimales: por defecto, si cuentan con 6 caracteres, se interpretará que el alpha del color es 1, es decir, opaco. Pero cuando se encuentran en formato #RRGGBBAA, siendo los dos últimos el indicador del alpha, podemos lograr el mismo efecto, y eso es lo que vamos a usar para lograr nuestras variables nuevas. Dejaré la lista de los códigos de los alpha hexadecimales al final del tutorial, ya que es una lista de 100 a 0.

Apunte: En Android/iOS, la lectura de los alpha en hexadecimal es #AARRGGBB. Algo a tener en cuenta si vas a usar mucho estos valores. Este código está optimizado para navegadores web; por falta de tiempo no he podido optimizarlo para android/iOS, pero si alguien lo necesita, que mande un ask y me pongo a ello en ratos libres.

Lo primero será localizar nuestro nombre de usuario, ya sea en el perfil sencillo o en los posts. En este caso, nuestro nombre de usuario está en un div llamado .psname, por lo que nuestro selector será .psname span. Nuestro otro selector será o bien .post (si estás en la zona de posts) o #perfilsencillo (si estás en el perfil, depende de cómo lo hayas modificado).

El código JS lo hará todo por ti, simplemente tendrás que configurar algunas cosas extra que explicaré posteriormente. Deberás ponerlo en Temas si es para los posts o directamente en el template del perfil sencillo si es allí.

$(document).ready(function() {  $('.psname span').each(function(){    var groupcolor = $(this).attr('style').split(':')[1].split(';')[0];    $(this).parents('.post').attr('style', '--group:'+groupcolor+'; --group-50:' +groupcolor+'85;');  }); });

¿Qué tendrías que modificar?

.psname: El span tiene que quedarse como está, pues es como genera FA los usuarios y su color de grupo. Cambiarás .psname por el contenedor padre de la variable {USERNAME} (en perfiles) o {postrow.displayed.POSTER_NAME} (en posts).

.post: Aquí pondrás el contenedor padre de cada post o perfil.

Ahora, vamos con lo tocho del asunto, lo que te dará tus variables. En este ejemplo, tenemos dos: la opaca (group) y la de alpha 0.5 (group-50).

.attr('style', '--group:'+groupcolor+'; --group-50:' +groupcolor+'85;')

¿Cómo añades nuevas? Vamos a desgranar esta linea.

.attr(): Modifica un atributo de un elemento, siendo el primer 'dato' el nombre del atributo (style) y el siguiente 'dato' el contenido.

groupcolor: Variable del hexadecimal (sin #) del color de grupo. En este caso, como estamos "escribiendo" con la variable, va rodeada de + por delante y por detrás, lo que continua el contenido del attr que estamos declarando.

Por tanto, nuestro style queda como: 

<div class="post" style="--group:#RRGGBB; --group-50:#RRGGBB85;"></div>

Para poner nuevos, vamos a copiar la zona marcada entre / (quitandolas, esto es sólo para destacar el copiado).

.attr('style', '--group:'+groupcolor+';/ --group-50:' +groupcolor+'85;/')

Por ejemplo, pongamos que quiero tener aparte de la de 50 una de 25. El código de alpha hexadecimal para esto es 40.

.attr('style', '--group:'+groupcolor+'; --group-50:' +groupcolor+'85; --group-25:' +groupcolor+'40;')

Y porque no hay nada que enseñe más que un ejemplo práctico: estas cajitas de simulación tienen los tres colores: el color de username es el color de grupo, el fondo del username es el group-50 y el fondo del cuerpo es group-25.

Apunte final: recuerden establecer un color de grupo predeterminado si no van a tener un color de grupo para usuarios sin color, pero especialmente, para los posts de invitados. Pueden hacer esto añadiendo a su :root las variables que usamos en el javascript con su color de acento con los mismos valores de alpha que usen en sus equivalentes generadas.

¡Espero que les sirva y puedan hacer cosas bonitas con ello! Si tienen cualquier duda, lancen un ask. Si les sirvió, se agradecen los reblogs para que llegue a más gente.

Lista de valores alpha hexadecimal:

100% — FF (no se incluye, es opaco).

99% — FC

98% — FA

97% — F7

96% — F5

95% — F2

94% — F0

93% — ED

92% — EB

91% — E8

90% — E6

89% — E3

88% — E0

87% — DE

86% — DB

85% — D9

84% — D6

83% — D4

82% — D1

81% — CF

80% — CC

79% — C9

78% — C7

77% — C4

76% — C2

75% — BF

74% — BD

73% — BA

72% — B8

71% — B5

70% — B3

69% — B0

68% — AD

67% — AB

66% — A8

65% — A6

64% — A3

63% — A1

62% — 9E

61% — 9C

60% — 99

59% — 96

58% — 94

57% — 91

56% — 8F

55% — 8C

54% — 8A

53% — 87

52% — 85

51% — 82

50% — 80

49% — 7D

48% — 7A

47% — 78

46% — 75

45% — 73

44% — 70

43% — 6E

42% — 6B

41% — 69

40% — 66

39% — 63

38% — 61

37% — 5E

36% — 5C

35% — 59

34% — 57

33% — 54

32% — 52

31% — 4F

30% — 4D

29% — 4A

28% — 47

27% — 45

26% — 42

25% — 40

24% — 3D

23% — 3B

22% — 38

21% — 36

20% — 33

19% — 30

18% — 2E

17% — 2B

16% — 29

15% — 26

14% — 24

13% — 21

12% — 1F

11% — 1C

10% — 1A

9% — 17

8% — 14

7% — 12

6% — 0F

5% — 0D

4% — 0A

3% — 08

2% — 05

1% — 03

0% — 00

[myfriendthedictionary]

Imagine having that much GE. We had one (1) required class called Freshman tutorial. We studied Old English literature in mine. One of the other ones was on The Hungrer Games. Someone had one of Calvin and Hobbes. It was really whatever the prof wanted to teach. I think there was on on activist theater one year. After that you were on your own to figure out what you wanted to take. I actually started my CS degree a semester later than I hoped but finished it a semester earlier than theater.

Technical theater is the only aspect of theater I’m passable at. I only passed intro acting because my prof passed everyone who tried and becuase I memorize Shakespeare for fun. I just spend so much time repressing myself emotions that I struggle to understand how they’re supposed to be portrayed.

-Patroc

YOU ONLY HAD ONE??? IM?????????? IS THAT THE NORM??? List of GEs I was required to take as were all other students:

- 3 normal Christianity classs

- 2 lab sciences (no matter if you were there for a BA or BS)

- 2 credits of PE for the first two years / four semesters (I took horseback riding—)

- 3 English classes

- 2 math classes (including a class where you just. Thought about math real hard. You didn’t do any math. U just thought about it)

- 3 languages classes (I did arabic but that was not the norm, a lot of kids did Greek or Latin)

- 3 humanities classes

- 1 class that I kid you not was entirely reading the chronicles of narnia from cover to cover and comparing the inaccuracies to biblical canon

That’s not even covering like. Actual ones you need for your major. It’s insane.

Ahskdhsak of course you would memorize Shakespeare for fun this checks out completely big mood

[jacklyndougherty]

Ballet Term Bas en Low 

“Ballet Term” “Ballet Term Bas en Low “ Jacklyn Dougherty Bas en Low Ballet How to Ballet Jacklyn Dougherty Jacklyn Dougherty  is the “how to ballet” website.  Founders Jacklyn Dougherty and Dr. Joni Dougherty Ed.D.  The complete education resource guide to dance. Including step by step instructions with photo illustrations and video tutorials. The best place to find full ballet classes for…