#FORESHADOWING IS A LITERACY DEVICE IN WHICH

[arafergirl-artdump]

I wanted to wait until I'll come up with anything about RH project I can post because foreshadowing is a literacy device but those sketches are needed to be posted.

プロジェクトについて何か思いつくまで待ちたかったのが、伏線を張るのは読み書きの手段が、それらのスケッチは投稿する必要があるため投稿ない。

I have one normal.

普通なスケッチが一つがある。

(Rhythm Heaven fandom needs more Clodhopper Pickens fanart he's so silly i love him)

(リズ天のファンドムはもっと土寸太郎ファンアート要してる、彼って可愛らしくて好きなの）

[klausinamarink]

One Kid Gone, Another Up and Vanished (part 11)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 next: Part 12 | ao3

forcing myself to do a smaller chapter this time. Now if some of ya are still interested in this silly au, we’re back with Eddie!

When the haze finally departs from his mind, the first thing Eddie registers is Ronnie James Dio keening softly in his ears about dying young. Then he blinks his burning eyes open, an unfamiliar ceiling appearing from above through the static in his vision. 

He just stares at the ceiling, watching the spores float around in the air. Then he feels the rest of his body starting to wake up and demands movement. As Eddie slowly turns his head, the staticy vision fades in and out. He blinks again, this time figuring out his new surroundings.

He’s in a different house, laying back on a couch. This room doesn’t look like anywhere at the trailer’s or the Byers residence. There’s still a ton of vines sprawled on the walls and furniture. And there’s Will sitting at a small table next to him.

Eddie observes him for a moment. The kid is muttering quietly to himself, sketching something on paper. Their backpacks and spears are carefully placed next to the chair’s feet. There’s one stuffed handbag Eddie doesn’t remember carrying with them, but that’ll be saved for a later conversation.

Eddie opens his mouth, only to shut it when a headache suddenly spikes through his temple. He waits for it to pass, realizing how parched and ashy his mouth is. Against any better judgement, he tries to speak again. 

“Whatcha doing, Little Byers?” His voice sounds rough, just barely scraping itself out of his mouth.

Will stops murmuring, freezing in his chair. He slowly turns, his eyes looking too large for his head with the dark shadows underneath them. It takes another moment before Eddie registers the rest of Will’s appearance. With slightly sunken cheeks, cracked lips, and matted hair, he looks like a flu victim. If he listens closely, Eddie can hear Will’s lungs quietly rattling from every breath. 

Something twists in Eddie’s stomach. It’s close to nausea but he forces himself to just breathe even in the toxic air. But then he’s hyper aware of his own lungs, wheezing out air through his lips with the same rattling effort as Will’s. Another cough is tickling at the bottom of his throat. The goosebumps are still agitating his skin from the ever-cold temperatures.

They’ve been in this hell realm for days and only now did the state of their health just come to Eddie’s mind.  

Before Eddie curses himself further, Will flies out of his chair. His arms wrap tight around Eddie’s neck, almost choking him out. But Eddie stays conscious, hugging Will as tightly as he can. 

Will doesn’t say anything at all, which brings Eddie’s anxiety up. But Will is smiling at him with watery eyes when he pulls away without breaking their hold, “Are you okay?”

Eddie thinks about the vivid echoes of Wayne’s truck blazing out of the trailer park. How his useless wailing for his uncle had just made Eddie sink into whatever place in his brain that makes everything quiet and separated from his body like a marionette its strings cut off the limbs. He gives Will a small smile of his own, “I’m okay now.”

But then Will frowns, though not unkindly, “You weren’t.” 

“Little Byers-”

“You weren’t okay, Eddie.” Will’s lip is wobbling, biting into the skin hard enough that it starts bleeding. “You can’t just say you’re fine when you’re not. You can just tell me that you felt awful!”

Eddie scrubs a hand over his face. He’s both feeling angry and exhausted, the latter winning its favor. He wants to tear his throat out and let every bleeding piece show he’s feeling more than just awful. He wants to go home from this fucking nightmare and hug Wayne again. 

Walk Away’s guitar intro starts playing. Eddie tries to get the headphones off him but Will helps him with it, pausing the album. Not even Black Sabbath can scab over his new emotional pit of misery.  

Eddie doesn’t look at Will or at the ceiling or the room. Just at that black space whenever he squeezes his eyes shut. 

There’s a sniffle from Will before his weight climbs on top of Eddie. It takes a second for Eddie to catch his breath from the new pressure, but by instinct, he’s already hugging Will again.

For a while, Eddie thinks he’s really fine until Will quietly says with puffs of warm air on his bare neck, “You’re allowed to have a bad day. I promise I’m not mad at you for it.” 

If Eddie’s tightening hold and his poor attempts to choke down another sob bothers Will, he doesn’t say it. He only shuffles his position so he’s slightly curled on his side, small hands clutching onto Eddie’s.

God, Eddie doesn’t deserve this kid. 

But the last time he said something like that, it had been about Wayne and look where he is now.

Eddie dry swallows the taste of dirt-tinted salt water, starting another round of silence. Then it breaks by Will’s muffled statement, “I kinda want to punch your uncle’s knees.”  

Eddie emits a tormenting sound out of his mouth, “What?”  

Will has the audacity to shrug. “He left you. Grownups are tall so I can just punch his knees.”

Eddie stares up at the ceiling for a different reason. “Jesus H- Okay, I appreciate your willingness, but Uncle Wayne already has a knee problem. So, don’t like, hurt him.”

“Oh.” Will is quiet for another moment. Then, “I’ll hit his elbow.” 

This time, Eddie can’t hold back the laughter. It’s a wheezy sound that almost breaks his chest. But it’s the first time since he first woke up that he feels a small warmth in his chest. Could just because Will’s on top of him, trying to regenerate their body heat, but whatever. 

It’s really nice not to be alone. Even though Eddie painfully yearns for Wayne’s return.

Eventually, their giggles die down and the basement is hushed. Eddie attempts to stretch his legs out at last, but his left ankle feels weirdly sore. He tries to move it yet it stays stuck in place. With something wrapped around it.

Eddie jerks up, forcing Will off him. He immediately catches sight of one of the vines on the other end of the couch, already traveling as high as his calf.

He throws himself off, screeching as if it’ll scare the vine away. It doesn’t. His vicious kicks prompting it to squeeze tighter and tug firmly. How could’ve Eddie missed it getting him? Had it been limp on the couch until he somehow jostled it? 

Will appears at his feet, a hand outstretched to the vine. Eddie opens his mouth to yell at him to get away, remembering the last time Will tried to stab an hellish organism. But instead of a spear, Will has a Zippo lighter that he flicks open. A small flame manifests and instantly makes contact with the vine. 

It might as well have been a flamethrower because the vine makes a tiny squeeee noise and withdraws from Eddie’s ankle. He’s more quick in scooting away from the couch, taking Will with him by the collar.

They held each other with heavy breaths, staring at the vine. It’s slithering slowly on the ground but soon goes motionless. Eddie looks around the basement and at the dozens of vines on the walls, some of them barely crossing the ground. Then he remembers what Will had said about the vines being a hivemind.

Eddie takes a careful breath, gulping dry air and ashy saliva, “What say, Little Byers, exactly are we?”

Will’s probably shaking more than Eddie in his arms, but he keeps his voice strong, “M-Mike’s house. My best friend’s.” Eddie can see his hand flexing to a paler color, still holding the Zippo lighter. That he will also need to ask about later.

“Agree for a quick retract?”

Will gives a short nod and that’s all Eddie needs.

They’re quick and careful in grabbing the bags and spears, both of them eying the Eddie-Snatch Vine. It stays still but Eddie swears it twitches. There’s a few vines littering the basement stairs that Will easily jumps over. But Eddie sticks to the tiptoes, mainly because his ankle feels like it’s burning. Like something’s been imprinted onto it and he’ll roll the cuff up to find a Mind Flayer seal or whatnot.

He does his best to ignore that.

Once they’re out of the basement, the two make a run towards the front door just as it closes on the Other Side and a woman speaks.

“Nancy, just where on- oh!”

“We’re just going to be in my room, Mom.” So this is Nancy Wheeler. She sounds sullen as her voice carries up the quiet stairs, “Please leave us alone.”

“Oh, alright… But is there any reason why you’re also here, Jonathan?”

Will whirls around just at the base of the stairs. He makes a startled sound like air has been sucked into his mouth. Whatever Jonathan Byers says is too quiet for Eddie’s ears but his answer seems to satisfy Mrs. Wheeler. Their voices almost immediately fade away.

Will stares up like the stairs were the Stairway to Heaven itself. When he drags his eyes away towards Eddie, he knows exactly what they’re going to do.

This is unfair! A part of Eddie’s mind yells at him. Why did Will’s brother have to be here but not Wayne? 

Eddie mentally shuts his question down and silently answers Will’s.

As they diligently trudge up the stairs, Eddie catches Mrs. Wheeler’s muttered complaints about the lights going weird.

-

@unclewaynemunson @steves-strapcollection @hellion-child @sidekick-hero @mmmmwaffles94 @hbyrde36 @princessstevemunson @sirsnacksalot @tartarusknight @lyriclight @penny00dreadful @kodaik97 @plsdontdrinkmylavalamp @bookbinderbitch @gutterflower77 @soaringorinthopher @angeldreamsoffanfic @panicatthediaz @renaissan-vvitch @manda-panda-monium @newtstabber @little-trash-ghost @niniel-karenine @tinyplanet95

[author-by-night]

I’m watching Terminator Zero, and it’s a great example of how the corporate media scene’s approach to IPs is a disease.

I have a lot of issues with the show on its own merits. The pacing is awkward, the only real twist I’ve seen was poorly foreshadowed in narrative but painfully predictable from metatext, and the pseudo-philosophy is framed as profound while being beyond basic when it isn’t totally incoherent.

But much greater than that, the show just can’t seem to escape the gravity well of the installments of Terminator that came before. Four episodes in, I’ve watched the show rip off a string of the more popular elements from Terminator 1 and 2. The police station shootout. Miles Dyson’s lab and character beats. Kyle Reese’s costume. The motorcycle cop disguise of the T-1000. The No Fate dream, done about half a dozen times over by now. It’s a new installment by way of meme culture, endless self reference…

…only without any understanding of what made those memes work in the first place, and that’s the fatal flaw.

As an example, why was the T-1000 disguised as a cop in Terminator 2? It was because that made it a better predator. James Cameron understood that the core fear the terminator invokes is of an unstoppable, implacable predator, and that framing it as a cop added a layer of unquestionable authority for this predator to abuse and immunity to the red tape of society. But is any of that theming or nuance actually involved in Terminator Zero when the terminator disguises itself as a cop? No. It shows up where its targets are and starts a slaughter, it just used the costume because the T-1000 did so many movies ago. So the reference feels cheap, and pointless.

This kind of thing happens time and again. In the MCU, in modern Star Wars, Star Trek, adaptations of Batman, Jurassic World, Ghostbusters, both live action AtLA remakes… I could go on. While I think the most common reason is that corporations focus on entertainment as a business rather than an art and capitalism gives them the real control over it, I don’t think that’s the only reason.

I think fandom does this too. A fan of a certain thing will get the chance to make their spin on it, whether “officially” or otherwise, and they know they like the thing but haven’t really thought critically about why. So we get nods to the original which feel totally out of place because they are narrative devices lifted out of their context and recycled into a less fitting beat.

So yeah, TL,DR: capitalism works against the creation of art and good derivative media takes solid media literacy and comprehension skills to create.

[wordmagicpublishing]

Spinning the yarn

Satiated by six months of slothfulness after my memoir, contemplating about my next project, besides turning my Ph. D thesis into a book, I am currently striving to perfect my craft by focusing on a few literacy devices such as foreshadowing, symbolism, irony, flashback, etc. Fascinated by ‘flashback’ and the impact it has had on varied audiences irrespective of the genre in which it was…

[milanilovesgreys]

Two by Two 5/7/18

Summary: Russell continues to talk with Emily while London and Bodhi are still playing. Once they go home and London mentions her play date with Vivian, Vivian isn’t happy and tells Russell that she doesn’t want him talking to Emily and London talking to Bodhi. Russell brushes it off, knowing it will be hard from keeping London from her best friend. Russell is also able to start working again because he finally gets his first client. Vivian reveals that her new job is moving to Atlanta, and that she might have to move too, which Russell is very not happy about that. She also reveals that she had a separate bank account and had been putting her money in that, which leaves Russell upset and confused.

Reflection: Vivian is a aggravating woman. It is aggravating to read about her manipulating Russell, and putting him and her daughter second. I didn’t feel like it was right for Vivian to tell Russell that she doesn’t want London seeing Bodhi and Russell seeing Emily. I feel like Emily still cares about Russell more than Vivian did. Vivian shouldn’t tell him who him and London can’t see because she is never there, so she doesn’t see how happy London is when she plays with him. As I get further into the book it foreshadows Vivian’s leaving. Even though it will be tough for London and Russell to see her leave, there will definitely be good in her leaving.

Literacy device: “It vanished as quickly as it had come, but I’d known her long enough to understand that the cold shoulder was probably more like the produce drawer is in the freezer as opposed to the freezer.” Pg 168

This simile better understands how Vivian acts towards Russell, and that he has gotten the cold shoulder from her so many times that he knows that she isn’t good at keeping it.

Vocab: Premonitions pg 186

Def: a strong feeling that something is about to happen, especially something unpleasant

My def: a strong feeling that something bad is going to happen

Sentence: I had a premonition that something was going to happen to me during the day when I woke up this morning.

Quotes:

“That I loved London had never been in question; what I now understood was that I liked her, too, not only as my daughter, but as the young girl I’d recently come to know.” Pg 178

This quote shows that Russell is learning things about his daughter that he never thought he would learn before, because he thought he would be the one always working and supporting the family. As the roles reverse between Vivian and Russell, Russell realizes that there is good about not working and staying home with London because he is able to see different things about her and make her happy.

“I turned towards Vivian, aware that I was still bothered about her separate bank account, but it wasn’t the time or place to let her know how I felt.” Pg 193

This quote foreshadows Vivian’s leaving. I think that by her making a separate bank account it shows that she wants her own money is a separate place from Russell. Even though they are a family and they should put their expenses together Vivian doesn’t do that, and didn’t tell Russell for a little while. This gets Russell confused, but shows us that she is getting closer to leaving.

[thecodingjournal-blog]

Five

As opposed to the devastation experienced in the past week caused by a minor technical issue, this week was filled with positivity as my laptop was rectified with all its data which meant that I can continue to conduct more changes in the theme. 

These changes revolved around accurate online presence and its significance when establishing a blog, such as the addition of an image in the sidebar, deciding on the blog’s Title, adjusting the Tumblr username according to the content being projected and installing an avatar.

Shown above provides further details about the customisation process and how it reflects on the webpage.

The title, ‘The Coding Journal’ appeared to be suitable in relation to the content being displayed for the public to read. Moreover, the choice of image relied heavily on the colour palette whilst also replicating a fashion magazine that foreshadows further implications on the created theme.

Both the username and choice of avatar projects consistency in both the theme and overall concept the blog.

Kennedy, Meese and van der Nagel’s (2016) work on the regulation and social practice online can further justify the importance of this as particular institutions such as the wider-tech community and the booming social media platforms continue to make attempts in impacting the agency of individuals.  

With Tumblr’s features and its ability to cross between being a social media and blogging platform, practicing and reinforcing social norms through one’s customised Tumblr theme can hold such a remarkable influence over Tumblr users. Therefore, it is extremely important to remain consistent and positively influential with your work as these practices are socially developed, adding that online interactions can shape performances in social media (Kennedy, Meese and van der Nagel 2016).

On the other hand, this week also consisted of troubleshooting. This was performed as the webpage did not appear with the customised theme, whilst using my mobile device. However, the theme would function well when using a laptop.  

To resolve the issue, Tumblr’s Help Centre recommended to try two following steps which involved removing all code from the description box, click save then view the blog once again to see if the problem has been resolved. Another option was to save a copy of the custom HTML and then reinstalling the theme.

After trialling both options, no changes were visible in terms of the customised theme being reflected on my mobile device.

With this being the last entry, I aim to resolve this issue by researching materials that can assist in availing the theme in both mobile devices and other devices such as a desktop and a laptop, before the deadline. I will also be conducting small adjustments such as font sizes to best suit my desires for the theme.

Nonetheless, from having experienced very minimal coding prior to the semester, I am pleased with the code literacy I have gained through learning the basics of coding found in online materials as well as the industry research conducted by renowned scholars that have placed great importance on technology and its impact on users.

Although there were various limitations, errors as well as assistance required from existing templates to fulfil this project, the overall experience in coding made me understand the processes, skills and patience involved as perfecting code does not happen in one sitting.

I have also learnt the difficulty in customising themes and recognising the issue with the limited knowledge i initially possessed. Through this however, I have earned better problem solving skills and undertaking further research until satisfaction is achieved.

Overall, I am pleased to have gained coding skills and knowledge in which I will continue to enhance on my future blog.

[madlegs]

WHAT TEACHING CREATIVE WRITING HAS TAUGHT ME: part 1 — back to basics

GIVING BACK

Running a marketing and communications company affords me many luxuries: freedom being one of the greatest. I work with brands and people that excite me, I work when I want and I choose what to do with my free time. Free time is ‘me’ time and it’s precious. It’s also time I dedicate to giving back.

One way I give back is teaching an advanced creative writing workshop at my daughter’s primary school. Boredom is a curse for clever kids so I provide a challenge for a select few, to keep writing fun and stretch their brains. It had to be writing instead of reading or admin work—I know my limitations—and I thought it would be easy. For my first workshop, let's write a book, I thought. Agree on the story-line, start writing, share ideas, focus on ways to make writing more impactful and voila, a proper writing workshop with a book as the prize. Easy. After all, I’m in the storytelling business.

I was wrong in my assumption. We are born natural storytellers and children have endless imaginations, but collecting ideas and weaving them together into a cohesive narrative does not come naturally. With my first workshop, I skipped the foundation and jumped straight into craft.

So back I went to my computer, to think about how I could write a book with eight-year-olds. I had to go back to basics. Clearly, I’d need examples the students could understand, so I started with the six basic elements of a story (some of which had already been introduced in their literacy lessons) and used fairy tales as the examples. I know, many purists will argue that there are only five elements of a story while others will argue there are eight, and then the artists will argue this approach is too limiting. All valid points, but I was a newbie teacher and that class was my trial.  

Why am I sharing this, you wonder? While structuring the workshops for eight-year-olds, I thought about how lazy and forced even my own writing was at times. And then I thought that if I’m guilty of bad writing, that means many others are too. With content creation continuing its escalating talent demand, going back to basics can help everyone—from eight-year-olds to 108-year-olds.

So here it is, the outline of my first creative writing workshop.

All stories share the same basic elements, but how the story is told (e.g. tone of voice, style, point of view, etc.) is known as craft. We’ll get to craft, but for now, we’ll focus on the basic elements. Burn these into your brain because we’ll refer to these all term. Don’t get overwhelmed, this workshop is meant to stretch your skills, and when you get to university, you’ll be far ahead of your peers and thank me for pushing you.

A story has six basic, but important elements. These six components are: characters, setting, plot, conflict, resolution and theme. These essential elements keep the story running smoothly and allow the action to develop in a logical, engaging way that the reader can follow and most of all, enjoy. 

CHARACTER: The people, animals or things the story is about. Every story has a protagonist (the main character who faces conflict with another character) and an antagonist (the person, place, animal or thing who opposes the protagonist). Don’t confuse pro with good and an with bad because some of the best stories cast the main character as someone evil. To win the hearts and attention of the reader, an evil protagonist often has a vulnerability, which the author insinuates early in the story and which the character realises right at the climax, finally redeeming his evil ways. Don’t neglect the other characters in the story who help and oppose the protagonist and antagonist.

SETTING: The setting is the location of the story. It can be real or imagined. There can be one or many. The goal of the setting is to connect the reader to the story, support the plot and create interest. An author should describe the environment or surroundings of the story in such detail that the reader feels that he or she can picture the scene. If you can personify the setting, even better. Be sure to describe the setting from each character’s point of view.

PLOT: The sequence of events and central idea/concept around which the entire story is based (which also supports the theme of the story). A plot should have a clear beginning, middle and end, together with the necessary descriptions and suspense (called exposition) to enable the reader to make sense of the action and follow along from start to finish. 

CONFLICT: The plot is centred around a problem and how the characters attempt to resolve this problem. Foreshadowing is critical here to build suspense and give the reader clues about what’s happening next. When the action is the most exciting, just before the resolution, that’s called the climax. 

RESOLUTION/LESSON: The solution to the problem is the way the action is resolved. It is important that the resolution fit the rest of the story in tone and creativity, and solves all parts of the conflict. You should weave in elements hinting to the resolution/lesson throughout the story to create tension (also known as foreshadowing). Most good stories include valuable life lessons (not always happy ones).

THEME: The theme is the glue in a story, weaving together all elements. It is the controlling idea or its central insight. The theme can be anything the author wants from fiction to non-fiction.  The title of the story usually points to the theme and uses various literary devices to emphasise the theme, such as: symbol, allusion, simile, metaphor, hyperbole or irony (also known as craft, but we'll get to that later).

EXAMPLES OF COMMON THEMES

Ambition – getting what you want, stunted by, thwarted. Betrayal – the pain of, in love and friendship. Courage – courage to deal with conflict, lack of, developing, conquering with. Discovery – what does it take to discover new places, inner meaning, strength, even treasure. Death – how to escape, what happens after, consequences of. Fear – driven by, dealing with, conquering. Freedom – loss of, gaining, handling, fight for. Good versus evil – survival of one despite the other, triumph of one over the other. Jealousy – trouble caused by, denial of, driven by. Justice – the fight for, injustice, truth versus justice. Loss – of life, innocence, love, friends, to avoid. Survival – man versus nature

RESULTS

We wrote a book. It was more work than I anticipated, but the students were proud, the teachers loved it and I felt like I had contributed something meaningful. I've had three workshops since and I'll share the lessons.