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ryouverua · 4 years ago

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Saimota is a fantastic ship that only improves with age and their respective maturity. Right from the get-go we see this in canon, too! They have a tumultuous first clash at the end of chapter 1 which is immediately turned on its head, and the subsequent growth and development of their in-game relationship really stands out that much more because of it.

This is a long one, so strap in!

Kaito realizes his mistake in his approach after punching him the night before and rectifies it immediately the next morning when he notices Shuichi hasn’t come to breakfast, rightly guessing that he’s stewing in his own grief and misery. And then, being the emotionally intelligent guy he is, he follows up that night and drags him out to exercise (which, y’know, releases endorphins and is scientifically proven to help with mood boosts and even depression) - a move which Shuichi says in chapter 5 saved his life.

A couple days pass and a body drops. Kaito supports him through the investigation knowing that Kaede had been with him last time and that there’s a danger of him relapsing. In the trial, too, Kaito makes every effort to let Shuichi know that he isn’t alone and someone does have his back if he fumbles. This is the real moment that Shuichi chooses to depend on Kaito and is rewarded for it, and while Kaito does get plenty of ego-feed out of it, he believes in Shuichi and his talent wholeheartedly (enough so that it’ll come back to bite him later). But despite it being framed as a ‘hero and sidekick’ relationship, it’s not just for Kaito’s self-worth - it’s to take some of the mental load off of Shuichi, who really, really doesn’t want the pressure of everyone’s lives solely on his shoulders, and is now dealing with the guilt of two cases where uncovering the guilty party hurt him.

(quick chapter 2 interlude! while this is where a lot of the big hero-worship begins for Shuichi and happens to be where I also did his first FTE and got to witness this:

this is also the chapter when these moments happen, post-breakfast and post-casino scene respectively:

and this happens in the very next FTE:

mmm yes, the duality of man. Suffice it to say, while Shuichi has definite rose-coloured glasses on for a lot of the game, Kaito is definitely not an invincible, untouchable hero in his eyes)

Interestingly enough, despite Shuichi still very much leaning into their friendship (and vice versa), they don’t spend a lot of time together in Chapter 3 after he brings Maki out to training that first night! While Chapter 4 is their real ‘break’, Kaito spends a lot of time in his room in the second half while Shuichi gets to know Maki better. And while Maki is a much, uh, meaner investigation partner (love you girl, but that tongue is sharp), they make a great team. Shuichi also starts poking at Kaito’s reason for holing up in his room, incorrectly guess that it’s just related to the occult being brought up. Most importantly, Shuichi is able to do an investigation on his own independent of Kaito just a week after the end of Chapter 1.

Chapter 4 and its immediate aftermath in 5 is great because it showcases Kaito’s flaws and insecurity, and what conflict between the two of them look like. It’s because Kaito respects Shuichi so much that cracks in his own confidence start appearing - and while Shuichi can be obtuse and awkward at times, he shows signs of wanting to broach some more sensitive topics with Kaito; if you do FTEs with Kaito in Ch 4, he even has an inner narrative in which he notes that Kaito had said his stomach hurt before.

He’s not so self-absorbed as to not worry about his friend (but narratively we gotta save that juicy plot point and subsequent reveal for the end of the trial) but hey, Kaito wants to chill and just shoot the shit - so why not have some downtime with his friend in the murder school. Btw, their FTE availability ends here - so if Shuichi has completed them with Kaito, he’s already had his canon-saimota thoughts at this point. While I have given Shuichi the side-eye for his ‘I can rely on Kaito for anything’ spiel, he is fully able and willing to stand up to Kaito in the Chapter 4 trial despite his canon feelings for him at that point. By the way, it’s been a week and a half since the end of Chapter 1 at this point. Shuichi and Kaito have had an arc together where they become fast friends in a pressure-cooker situation and bonding over shared grief for Kaede (even if Kaito’s is less obvious), Shuichi starts as dependent on Kaito’s emotional support but learns to stand on his own two feet, and Kaito is forced to confront his own weakness and hero persona, all while classmates are dropping (including Kaito’s own ex-hero figure, a stark reminder that ‘heroes’ do have flaws).

So the beginning of Chapter 5 is wild to me because of how it’s so often misinterpreted as Kaito immaturely giving Shuichi the silent treatment despite the entirety of the game preceding it explicitly showing that Kaito will tell you, loudly, when he’s angry at you, and that’s purely because we’re in Shuichi’s perspective and he thinks that’s what’s going on - but that’s a bit of a tangent. What I like about it is how we get to see what happens when Kaito (as sick as he is at that point) feels badly and embarrassed with someone he is close to; he withdraws as opposed to lashing out. And while Shuichi is really, really bad at reaching out too without an inciting incident (tunnel escape), he does try and broach the topic when push comes to shove. He’s not lost in hero worship, not even close - he is rightfully upset that the person he’s closest to at the school is upset while still maintaining to himself and the others that his actions were correct. He doesn’t waver on this, despite his attempt to offer an olive branch at the window of the hangar’s bathroom. He truly stands by his own choices in the last class trial and know he won't back down on that if push comes to shove, and that's important - he won't yield the point just to appease Kaito. Shuichi then manages the investigation on his own, leads the trial on his own, faces off with Maki (and who he thinks is Kokichi) on his own, because he has *reached* a point where he can be independent. And to bring it back to how we get a look at ‘saimota in conflict’, Shuichi and Kaito both make amends with each other by the end of the chapter. Even if it’s spurred by it being their final goodbye, Shuichi gets to say his piece, Kaito lays out one of his own vulnerabilities so he can make peace with Shuichi - and even if I’d love to have had them delve into all of Kaito's various issues, there is a very murderous robobear overseeing this which makes time a factor - and I firmly believe that if they had more time, they could’ve resolved even more of the issues that would come up for Saimota. The groundwork wasn’t just there; there was already half the structure in place. And that’s what makes saimota even more appealing to me, tbh. We get to see them build a relationship, run into a big issue, struggle through it and resolve it by the end of the game - and it means that there’s precedent for them to do it again as more interpersonal challenges come up! It’s a goldmine of ship exploration, and they care about each other enough to work through it.

… By the way, at this point they are 2 weeks past the end of Chapter 1.

Imagine if they had more time. Imagine if Shuichi, who is absolutely dogged in pursuing an issue once he catches wind of it (despite how he can get wrapped up in his own head), who cares a lot for other people, who doesn’t just find runaways as part of his detective talent, but follows up with them after because he cares about more than just finishing the job, had the chance to spend years with Kaito and realize he uses his hero persona to protect a much more fragile sense of self. Imagine Shuichi forming that initial friendship with Kaito without the albatross of Kaede’s death hanging around his neck; about how he’ll still look up to Kaito and his fantastic positivity, passion and excellence in his chosen field, and that would only be matched by Kaito’s own admiration of Shuichi’s skills as a detective. Imagine if Kaito, who repeatedly shows the ability to reflect and change his mind when presented with evidence against his viewpoint and was able to express his own insecurity and jealousy to Shuichi in the end, was given the breathing room and space to get more comfortable with doing so. Imagine how difficult and emotionally mature they were to navigate as well as they did in a life-or-death situation that took place over a couple of weeks tops, and how much more they could grow if given the time and space for it.

... And this was nearly going to be where I ended the post, until Ira reminded me of TDP and sent me this wonderful Saimota event (which takes place before the final graduation/training trio event):

Oh hey, Shuichi picked up his catchphrase! It's quite cute how he's finishing Kaito's sentence here - he's spent a couple of years being friends with Kaito at this point, and has even taken up exercising on his own for stress relief. I wonder whose influence that was?

Anyway -

Shuichi has figured out at this point that he does need to firmly extend that helping hand to Kaito rather than worry and keep it to himself. On the other side, Kaito has learned that it is okay to accept that outstretched hand, even if he doesn't need it right now - that he can admit that some day, he might. He's being blase, sure, but it is a far cry from his in-game 'I don't/won't need help'. Good for you, Kaito - you've grown a lot! And that's the most important thing their TDPs show - their capacity for growth not just as individuals, but in a relationship. Of course there will be bumps along the way - it’s very rare that any relationship won’t have them! - but they've proven that they can work these problems in the worst of circumstances. This is by far one of the strongest ships with canon foundation in the entire series, and my goodness do I still love it years later.

#saimota #Kaito Momota #momosai #Shuichi Saihara #Danganronpa v3 #spoilers #drv3 spoilers #saimota.... is good #long drv3 posts in 2021? it's more likely than you think

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obeyme-kaidii · 5 years ago

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Obey Me Tips

General Obey Me Gameplay Advice

I really love Obey Me. Really really really love it. I love the characters and the stories, and I really love the fan content that’s been created for it. I’ve never been involved in a fandom before, but I have to say it’s pretty amazing finding like minded people to interact and share these things with. I’m not brave enough to write fanfic, but I can give game play advice and do math, so that’s why I write these guides.☺️

My advice here is either from personal experience or because I did the research and the math so I could figure out the answer. I’ll always have proof to back up my assertions, if you’d like to see for yourself if my theories hold water. (I’ve even started a free account on my iPad just so I can thoroughly test all my recommendations from the perspective of a non-paid player.)

Please keep in mind that my advice is geared towards players that view finishing the normal mode lessons/main story as their priority. You may prefer to collect outfits or bloom all your favorite cards, and that’s quite alright too.

So without any further ado, here are my general gameplay tips and advice.

An ideal team consists of 3 Demon cards and 3 Memory cards per type.

But a team with only 2 Demon cards and 2 Memory cards per type is also viable for the normal mode lessons at this stage in the game (up to lesson 40).

This is because of the 2.6x type boost for primary types and 1.9x type boost for secondary types per level. The boost only applies to the cards that match the types on that level - so on a level with Envy as its primary type, the Envy stat on your Envy cards will receive the 2.6x boost.

So while that 2.6x boost is pretty awesome, the 1.9x boost is nothing to scoff at either. And if you have 2 Demon and 2 Memory cards of each type, then you can guarantee that all of your cards will receive some sort of boost on all the new levels.

For the first season of levels (lessons 1 - 20), you can get by with just a single team of 3 Demon cards and 3 Memory cards because the type boost for those levels works differently and applies to all cards, not just the ones that match the types for the level.

(And don’t forget you can only use 1 Demon card per brother on a single team. So if you have two Greed cards, but they are both Mammon, you’ll only be able to use one Mammon at a time. Don’t waste your time powering up both of them.)

Powering your cards up evenly is the best way to advance in the game.

I don’t know how it got started, but at some point everyone became convinced that the best way to advance was to work on a single card at a time. And that’s simply not true. In fact, it’s pretty bad advice if I’m being honest.

Things get more expensive as your cards get stronger and you get less strength for the effort. When you level your cards evenly you’re able to get more strength combined for the amount of Grimm you spend.

(If you’d like to see the math on this, I have a whole 4 part series that breaks it down bit by bit packed with examples.)

This advice applies to stars too. Bring all your cards for your teams to 1 star, then 2 stars etc. Sometimes you’ll already have the mats on hand to unlock more stars on cards of certain types, and that’s totally cool and fine to do. But when you are short on mats and trying to figure out what to work towards next, remember to strengthen your weaker cards first.

Use Grimm to level up your cards.

You do receive a small portion of experience in battles that will help your cards gain levels. But because of the mechanics of the battles and how long they take, I really don’t recommend grinding them for experience to save a few Grimm.

Maybe if you had a ton of free time and nothing better to do, I guess? But it’s just not worth the trouble to me. I think it would be a better use of your time to use the “x3” or “x5” button and just get it over with, and then go read some smutty fanfics, where you get pounded by the demon(s) of your choice. 🙃

It is worth mentioning though that the addition of the “SKIP” feature for battles where you overpower your opponent by a large margin makes it much easier to earn experience through battles, but you’ll still occasionally be given a Surprise Guest to entertain. It’s up to you to decide if that delay is worth the experience.

Stars are overrated.

I already mentioned how for most of the game my cards only had 3 stars. And that’s because the amount of time and effort you have to spend to farm hard mode materials in pretty crazy. It’s just not worth the effort to get hung up on them. You’ll quickly find yourself struggling to advance if you get distracted by the stars.

You’re better off doing events to get new cards and waiting for Levi’s Otaku Bootcamp to roll around, and doing the hard mode battles then. And if you just absolutely have to have some hard mode mats - buy the extra levels from the current event so at least you can get extra event points (and thus more rewards).

Only spend your Demon Vouchers in sets of 10.

That guarantee of getting 1 SSR card is pretty gosh darn important especially for free players that don’t have DV to waste. I know it’s tempting to spend them as you earn them, but try to resist the temptation. My biggest regret is that I didn’t spend my DV more wisely when I first started.

Don’t waste your DV on Chapter A.

Besides the UR cards, all of the cards in Chapter A can be won in the event Nightmares. So unless you really really want one of the OG Demon UR cards (which I admit, they are all pretty awesome), don’t do it. And if there is a specific UR card you want, you should try to wait until the birthday event for that demon for a better chance at getting that specific UR card (assuming they continue the pattern of releasing birthday Nightmares for all the brothers).

Invest in Chapter M when you get the chance (be sure to use 10 DV at a time).

This is important to free players especially because it’s the best way to get Memory cards. Odds are you won’t be able to get enough points for the new events to win the SSR or UR Memory cards so you’ll have to get them somewhere.

(Replaying the old events in Lonely Devil is also another good option because the rewards were much cheaper and easier to acquire than they are now.)

Don’t neglect your Memory cards.

I really cannot emphasize this enough. I know they give less strength than the Demon cards, but they are still really important in terms of not only strength, but also their special skills that can boost your strength during a dance battle (or hinder your opponent).

Glow sticks are amazing.

I love glow sticks. I always try to use the type specific glow sticks first, and save my rainbow glow sticks for when the type specific ones aren’t enough. And if you’re a free player, the rainbow ones are arguably the best way to spend your Raven.

But please don’t waste your glow sticks. If you can’t beat a level after 1 shot, take a break and look at how you can strengthen your team before trying again. You’ll be surprised at how much easier it’ll be to advance if you just add 5 levels to a card on your team whenever you get stuck.

Rainbow glow sticks - grant you a 30% boost to the Strength of the card you equip it to

Single color glow sticks - grant you a 10% boost to the Strength of the card you equip it to

If you are 10,000 strength stronger than your opponent, you have a really good chance of winning with 2 stars.

If you go for 20,000 - 30,000 strength over your opponent, it’s pretty much a guarantee at getting 3 stars.

There are exceptions to this where special skills come into play (especially in boss battles), but this has been my experience when advancing through the normal levels.

If a level is giving you trouble, try to counter the opponent’s special skills.

This was especially important for the boss battle with Diavolo at the end of Lesson 40. His combination of skills was absolutely brutal.

My original recommended team was over 50,000S above Diavolo’s S and I barely filled the bar halfway. But when I switched to a team that focused on countering all of his skills, I was able to win with a considerably weaker team.

(Yep, you’re reading that right. Beel was only level 10.)

The cards with the Abilities that can counter these skills are found in the new event Nightmares. Both the UR cards and the SSR card will have whatever the featured Ability is. The SSR cards will simply neutralize the opponent’s skill when it’s activated, but the UR cards “reflect” the skill back to your opponent so that they are cursed instead.

Only buy DV from the 99 DP offers that are available when you level up.

Or during special sales like Solomon’s Summoning Sale. Or specific packages in Mammon’s Rip-off Sale.

Sometimes you’ll need to spend some DP because you have no DV left and really want a chance at a specific card, but try to avoid doing so as much as possible. Your DV and DP will go further and last longer if you save and spend it wisely. This is especially important for free players who have to balance card collecting with building stronger teams.

Whenever you have Grimm to spare, dump it into Chapter G.

This will be your primary way to earn Raven. And Raven is a great way to buy rainbow glow sticks, additional Demon Vouchers, and now even card pieces for certain SSR and UR cards.

They also have the outfits for all the brothers demon forms which are pretty neat. I do own them all, but that’s not exactly necessary and definitely not the best use of Raven. 😂

If you need friends for the daily AP, just add all the top players from the current event.

The top players are the ones most likely to be active, and know how to use the feature to add friends. (Let’s not talk about how long it took me to figure that out when I first started playing, ok? Lol) So they’ll be the ones most likely to accept your friend request and send you AP daily.

On my free account, I just started at rank 1 and sent requests to everyone down to about rank 200 or so until I had 50 friends. And then whenever I had some new spots open up, I’d do the same thing again. I’d also check my Friends Request section to see if I had any new requests from other active players.

Oh, and I periodically remove friends that haven’t played in over 2 weeks. No sense in keeping them on my friends list when there are plenty of new people and active players who could use the free AP and send me some as well.

That’s all I’ve got for now! I hope these tips help you out some if you ever find yourself stuck and uncertain as what to do next. ❤️

#obey me #obey me tips #obey me advice from kaidii #obey me strategy #obey me guide

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mystic-oneshots · 5 years ago

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Morning Video Call

This little one-shot was originally for Jumin week but I wasn’t able to finish it on time but I still wanted to post it! Hope you enjoy!

Word count: 1415

(Fluff)

I wait eagerly for Jumin's call. He's away from the city on a business trip and the only way to hear his voice right now is through a call. It has become a habit of ours that each morning we will wake up and wait for the other to video call so we can have a morning drink together, much like how we would do if he was home with me.

My legs fumble in anticipation under the dining table as I look at the screen of my laptop. My hands mildly shaking in excitement as they grasp the hot mug in front of me. I don't want to wait any longer. A smile grows on my face with every thought related to being able to talk with my husband in just a short moment.

Just as expected, at 8:30 on the dot, a call comes through. Jumin's name pops up on the screen and I instantly click the accept button as if my life depended on it. And there I see his face!

"Good morning, my angel." His warm voice greets coming through the speakers. He's already dressed for the day. His hair all brushed and shiny, a fresh and clean-shaven face, and his suit constructed perfectly to form around his body. The professional manner of this man is extraordinary I admit. It makes me look lazy compared to him, with my hair thrown up carelessly and still in my dressing gown

"Good morning! I miss you so much!" My expression softens, the longing feeling of wanting him home slowly filling me up to the brim.

"No words can describe how much I want to be home with you right now, darling. Only one more night and I'll be by your side again." His words melt my heart. I cannot wait much longer. The penthouse is far too empty without him here, even though I have Elizabeth for some company.

I take a sip from my cup, taking a moment to process the flavor of the steamy beverage. A milky Earl grey with a spoonful of sugar to sweeten the bitterness of the black tea. A common brew Jumin would usually enjoy whilst at home. It helps to make it feel like he's here with me.

"What have you got this morning?" I ask in intrigue as I gesture to the camera at my own mug. Jumin smiles as he sips from his own. A satisfied sigh escapes as he parts his lips from the cup's edge.

"Americano today. I need that little bit of extra energy to get through today's endeavors. Of course, I'm guessing you have the usual?" He responds. I hold my cup up confidently and nod my head towards the screen. I take another sip.

"I accidentally made more than I should of! I guess it was out of habit like I was making you a cup too!" I fiddle with the handle of the ceramic and let out a subtle laugh at my mistake. Reflecting on the small incident makes me wish for him to be home right now even more!

Jumin chuckles and comments on what I said. He reassures me of his schedule for tomorrow, how he'll be leaving early in the morning to get the fastest flight back to the city to meet his father in time for lunch. Secretly I was hoping he'd offer for me to join him but I'm guessing that his father would only want to meet with his son to discuss his trip. After lunch, he explains that he'd have the rest of the day off to spend time at home with me! I don't think my smile could get any bigger!

"Is there anything you want to do when I get back? Maybe go out for dinner or go shopping?" He asks before taking the last sip of his coffee. I sit there for a moment, my head perched on my hand as I tap my lips with my fingers. Many thoughts run through my head. Anything with Jumin would be a pleasure so I have a wide variety of choices. One thought constantly reoccurs, however. I just want him to be home!

"I honestly just want you here at home! I don't need to go out, not for a meal or spontaneous shopping sprees. The only place I want to be is in your arms, maybe sharing tea?" I imagine. "What if we used that old teapot we got as a wedding gift? We could have a tea party!"

"Aren't we a little old for tea parties, MC?" Jumin chuckles at the thought, his cheeks a blurry shade of pink on the laptop's display.

"You can never be too old for a tea party!"

A knock on the door comes from the other end of the line and I watch Jumin's head turn to look in the direction of the noise. He gestures for me to wait as he gets up from his seat to answer. The picture is too pixelated for me to see clearly who was there but I can just about make out the audio. Does it seem like someone had given Jumin something or maybe a few things? It's very hard to tell.

"I apologize for that, my love. It was one of the assistants here giving me the paperwork for my morning meeting today. Oh, and another coffee!" He relays back to me as he returns to his seat, placing the new cup down in front of him. A small stack of paperwork lays within Jumin's clutches. His delicate fingers flick through the individual pieces of paper to check that everything is there before placing them down on the table in front of him as well. He then drinks some coffee.

"Go easy on the caffeine, yeah? Too much won't do any good for you!" I say with a hint of concern in my tone. My husband's expression softens and his face gets closer to the camera.

"Please don't worry, darling! I'll take it easy. This will be the last one I promise. I just need a little boost to help me throughout this busy day today." The paperwork finds his hands again and he begins to read the first page.

I lean back in my chair, holding tightly to my own mug as I observe him through the screen. I know that once he's finished that drink he'll have to go. I wish I could find a way to make him stay longer but then I'd make him late for his meeting and he'd be in trouble. Being separated from your loved ones is always difficult, especially if it's your soulmate! I should be used to this by now with the number of business trips he's been on but it's a feeling that I don't enjoy.

I watch the expression on my husband's face change as he studies the paperwork. It shifts from frustration to boredom all within a matter of seconds. It's possible the subject matter of his meeting isn't to his liking which would be a reasonable explanation for how he looks. IT's also fairly obvious that he's stressed too. Oh, how I wish I could help him out!

With every sip of coffee, Jumin gets more and more agitated. Is there something wrong with what he's been provided? Or could it purely be because he knows that this will all be over tomorrow and he can't wait for it all to finish?

I look down into my own mug. I've barely reached halfway through my tea. It must be getting cold by now. Maybe I could convince him to stay until I've finished my drink? No, that's too selfish!

"Is there something wrong, darling?" Jumin grabs my attention. "You've gone quiet..."

"No, I'm fine. I was just thinking that's all!" I reply with a weak smile. "Thinking of ways to make the day go quickly so you can come home sooner!"

He chuckles. A toothy grin plants itself across his expression.

"I'll be home before you know it! In the meantime, enjoy your day for me!" I blush at his words.

He's right. I should try and enjoy the day. If I sit around being all sad and bored, then time will only go slower. I must make the most of the time I have on my own as it's only a matter of time before he is here with me again. I think that thought alone will keep me going!

#jumin x mc #juminxmc #jumin han #jumin #mystic messenger #mysme #mysmejumin #mysme jumin #jumin x reader #jumin headcanon #cheritz

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nyullm2020 · 4 years ago

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How to Crush Law School Exams as an LL.M.

Hello again!

It’s been a minute. I’ve just had a well-deserved break after finishing my finals, where I managed to get a bit of sun in Florida and Puerto Rico.

It’s been a running start into my final semester of the LL.M. - and I can’t quite believe how fast this has all gone. I have a lot of content ideas coming up about everything I will be doing this semester, including juggling my internship at the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office, a Research Assistantship with an NYU Law Professor, the March Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE) for the Bar, a full load of classes, and job hunting/networking - but first things first. I wanted to reflect on last semester’s exams, final papers and overall grades, and think about what I did well, and what I would change!

What are American law school exams like?

I’ll start by giving you an idea of the format of exams to give you an idea of the general approach, and hopefully take away some of the anxieties you as a future LL.M. might have.

There is no uniform exam or grading type for each and every course. American law school professors have a lot of discretion about how they will structure and assess their courses - including what mode of exam you will take (multiple choice, short answers, long problem question responses, policy-based essays, etc), or a final paper, and whether and to what extent class participation counts toward the grade. My assessments ran the gamut. In one class, I had a group assignment worth 30%, a 5,000 word final paper worth 60%, and 10% class participation, and in two others my final exam was worth 100%, with the professor’s discretion to slightly boost your grade based on your overall participation and contribution to the class. My Constitutional Interpretation seminar was 50% class participation, and 50% based on regular pieces of written work we handed in, including a final paper of 2,000 words.

Exams typically last between 2-4 hours, while take-homes take 3-8 hours (I haven’t had a take-home yet, but I will have a 12 hour take-home this semester). We all took our exams from home with a special software (Exam4 or the law school’s own exam software, THESS). Both my exams this semester allowed students to use any notes they wanted, and you could access the internet as well. The main problem with doing that is running out of time! So creating an organized outline of your notes and brainstorming essay ideas ahead of time is pretty crucial.

How do Professors grade? And what is a good grade?

Professors seem to have pretty broad discretion when it comes to grading - and definitely so when I think about Australian law school professors, who grade ‘blindly’ and never know who is behind the student number unless they look it up later, or are awarding prizes for the top students. The possible grades at NYU range from an F to an A+, as follows:

A+, 4.333; A, 4.000; A-, 3.667; B+, 3.333; B, 3.000; B-, 2.667; C, 2.000; D, 1.000 and F, 0.000.

No more than 2% of students can get an A+ in a given class, with a target of 1%. I am proud to say I was the only A+ student in one of my classes - yay! A huge personal achievement for me, and so I will brag a little here because I don’t want to be lame and brag in real life!

About 10% of people get As, and another 20% get A-s, and about 26% of people get B grades (B+, B, or B-). B- and C grades are actually pretty rare, so in all likelihood you will likely end up with an A or B grade of some sort!

It’s kind of hard to work out what ‘good’ grades/a strong GPA are for job applications, but from what I’ve gleaned, in an ideal world you would have all A level grades, or maybe one B+. Personally, my grades were an A+, 2 A- grades and a B+. This gave me a GPA of around 3.8, which is definitely decent for job applications.

Your chances to get the high grades will depend a big deal on your competition - in the core doctrinal courses (like Constitutional Law, Free Speech, Evidence, Corporations Law, and so on) and in classes of the really famous professors, JD competition is intense. I definitely didn’t make it easy for myself with my classes, and I was usually the only, or one of two, LLMs, along with pretty ambitious JDs (often from elite undergrad schools) aiming for judicial clerkships or other prestigious jobs. Many LLMs have usually been working hard enough back home, and work hard enough to get decent grades, but leave enough time to relax and enjoy themselves. I would say my approach was mixed - I knew I needed to work hard enough to get good grades to make me a strong candidate for job applications in the US, but I also had plenty of fun. 😄 Just less fun around exam time!

On reflection, my top tips for doing well in your classes and exams would be:

1) Play to your strengths

At the time you select your classes, you’ll be able to see what the format of the assessment is - long paper, exam, practical assessments (like in a clinic or simulation course), etc. My top advice would be to think about your strengths when picking classes.

I have always been much better at hand-in assignments, and my one A+ grade was from handing in a long paper. My lowest grade (a B+) was from a very time-pressured exam that I wasn’t happy with how I handled the timing. So - if you know you are much better at one type of assessment, make sure you are considering this when picking classes to pave the way for great grades, especially if you are relying on your grades for finding a new job or for a JSD application.

2) Understand your professor’s idiosyncratic preferences

When it comes to law school exams, the key to succeeding is really knowing who’s grading them. Some professors prefer you to be ‘quick and dirty’ and to really jump into the key issues and answers, while others prefer a more formalistic recitation of the rules and then a close application of the rules to the facts. Pay attention to how they explain what they want, pore over any model answers and exam keys they give you, be familiar with the way they write problems, and ideally hunt down past students’ papers with comments or overall feedback from the professor (if you know anyone that took the class before).

3) Make study enjoyable and social

Even in these COVID times, I really benefited from spending time at the library studying with LL.M. friends, and broke up study sessions with coffee hangs, lunches, and going to see the Christmas lights. Your friends will keep you sane and motivated, so don’t hide yourself away for the whole month or more!

Friends! A well-deserved dinner break in December a week or two before finals.

4) Argue both sides of legal issues you spot

This is something that is really emphasized by NYU professors. A good lawyer can, when identifying a legal issue, show how it is a weak point in a plaintiff’s claim or in a defendant’s defense, and then demonstrate how both sides could argue their case. The best answers don’t ‘fence sit’, but come to a reasoned judgment/prediction about which side of the argument is stronger.

5) Be precise and concise

You should try not to include unrelated material in your answer as this could backfire if your professor believes you struggle to separate relevant material from irrelevant material. One of my professors was clear ahead of time and said he did not appreciate an ‘info dump’ and graded accordingly, but I think this is true of all professors.

6) Be *really* aware of your timing

I can’t stress this enough. Effective time management is imperative on law school exams. My Evidence exam was so unbelievably time-pressured (27 short-answer questions in 3 hours = less than 7 minutes per question to read a few sentences-long question and answer it), and I did not handle this as well as I could have, affecting my grade. Make sure to be really aware of this and try to be strict with yourself so you don’t leave any questions untouched.

7) Remember public policy concerns

After applying the legal rules to the issues presented in your fact pattern, if time allows, include a sentence or two about the policy implications of your conclusions, or how your chosen approach fits best with the policy rationale underpinning the legal rule. This is something that is valued more in US law schools than my law school back home. Not critical, but definitely something that could boost your grade a little!

8) Just try your best, and don’t be too hard on yourself

We have all worked hard to be here, and we put a lot of pressure on ourselves. English might not be your first language, you might struggle with exams, or it might just not be the best day you’ve ever had. If you find yourself in the unfortunate position of either not understanding the issues presented in a question, or not remembering the rules related to such issues, just do your best to write the best possible answer in the time limit.

Good luck, and let me know if you have any questions!

#nyu #law #llm #gradstudent #nyulaw #llmguide #finals #exams #tips

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d3-iseefire · 5 years ago

Text

The Symphony of Cinderella Chapter 2

This chapter is short, but the others are all longer. :D

Adagio (Chapter 2)

Bilba stared dully at her reflection in the cracked mirror.

She felt awful.

It had been a week since her performance at Aegnor's theater. A week filled with interviews at small news stations desperate for stories, and Lobelia's brilliant idea that she should set up a piano outside and give an impromptu concert. Her stepmother had been adamant that not only would it boost ticket sales, but someone in the crowd would undoubtedly film it and create a viral video.

Bilba was fairly certain her stepmother had an incorrect understanding of how viral videos were created, but it was easier to obey than get screamed at so she’d dutifully sat on the rickety bench in front of a rented piano and played classical music on a random street corner.

Instead of instant fame, all Bilba had gotten was rained on.

She'd awakened the next day with a scratchy throat that had soon developed into a full-on head cold. None of this had deterred her stepmother in the slightest, which was why Bilba was currently in a run-down room in the back of a theater so small and old she doubted anyone in Mirkwood remembered it existed.

Lobelia and Lotho always demanded she spend the entire day of a performance at the venue, which she usually appreciated because it gave her a much-needed break from them. Lobelia was out shopping with Priscilla while Lotho and Otho had gone off...somewhere.

Bilba sighed. She could barely breathe through her nose, her eyes were so dry it hurt to keep them open, and every time she swallowed it felt like razor blades were shredding her throat. On top of all it felt like her head was in a vise, as her blocked sinuses made their presence known in the form of a raging headache.

She dug her fingers into her temples in the futile hope it might accomplish something. When that did nothing she folded her arms on the counter and dropped her head on them, letting out a groan of pure misery as she did.

"Are you all right?"

Bilba twitched in surprise at the deep voice behind her but lacked the energy or desire to lift her head enough to see who it was. There were always stagehands running about, preparing for either her performance or the one after that people actually wanted to see. They were usually too busy to speak to her and she’d started thinking of them as almost background noise. Present but on the edges of her perception, simultaneously there but not there.

She was pretty sure they saw her in the exactly the same way, there but not really. Not a person so much as the “talent.” Just one more act in a long string of ever changing acts.

"Miss?"

Right, guy behind her. She'd half hoped he'd take the hint and leave her to her misery.

"I'm fine," she managed to mumble into her arms. The act of talking irritated her throat enough to make her cough and her shoulders bunched as her lungs tried their very best to expel themselves from her body. Traitorous bastards. When they finally gave up and settled down she let out another groan and sagged deeper into her arms. "Just kill me."

"I'll be right back," the deep voice said. Footsteps retreated out of the small room.

Bilba grumbled something unintelligible and relaxed. She simply wasn't up for any sort of company. She'd be lucky if she were up for the concert. Maybe if she were given the chance to rest for a few min--

Her train of thought was cut off by the arrival of another stagehand, this one to call her up for sound checks. He left and Bilba lifted her head, which felt like it weighed a ton. She kept her eyes shut for a few more minutes, as she always got vertigo when she was sick, her ears getting stopped up so badly it affected her balance.

When the wave of dizziness passed, she pushed to her feet. A glance in the mirror showed she looked as bad as she felt and she was grateful she hadn’t looked up when either stagehand had appeared. The fewer she traumatized the better.

She had to resist the urge to groan again as she left the room. Her entire body ached, and she desperately wanted to lie down, but knew that wasn't an option for hours. Instead she consoled herself with the knowledge that, even if she could lie down, she'd just end up with her sinuses even more stopped up and her lungs trying all the harder to escape her body.

Maybe she’d get lucky and a piece of scaffolding would fall and knock her unconscious for an hour or two.

That would be nice.

Tragically, no scaffolding fell during her sound check and, what felt like ages later, Bilba wandered down the corridor back to her dressing room.

If anything, she now felt worse.

The theater was under construction to repair water damage from the same storm that had made her ill. Most of the work was in the main lobby, leaving it and the stage filled with sawdust that clogged her sinuses even worse and left her eyes feeling like someone had rubbed sandpaper over them.

Someone had pulled the door to her dressing room closed and she hoped that meant it was relatively clear of more sawdust and she’d be able to relax a bit. She grabbed the knob and shoved it open, desperately hoping that she would be left alone long enough to rest for a few minutes.

She took a step inside and stumbled to a stop at the sight that greeted her on her small vanity.

A small teacup with steam rising from it, next to a bottle of extra strength aspirin and a box of nasal decongestant. There was also an unopened box of tissues and an extra-large bag of cherry flavored cough drops. Finally, just behind the cup of tea, sat a large bowl of soup, steam rising from it and a spoon placed neatly beside it.

Bilba spotted a note propped against her mirror and picked it up.

I didn't know what you'd like but I figured you can't go wrong with green tea and chicken soup for a cold. I hope it helps!

Bilba's vision wavered and she pressed her lips together. The last thing she needed was to cry while being sick. She remembered the door and spun to close it. If Lobelia and Lotho found out someone had done this they'd be angry. They'd insist she must have been complaining and told someone a sob story to manipulate them. They'd say she'd simply done it to make them look bad, as if they didn't do that all on their own.

She sank down into the chair and dragged the bowl and cup toward her. They both smelled heavenly and she was already fantasizing about the feel of the hot liquid on her abused throat.

As she reached for the spoon, her eyes caught on one more item she hadn't originally noticed. A small cell phone tucked just behind the bag of cough drops.

Bilba hesitated, and then reached for it. She didn't recognize the brand, but it lit up as she picked it up, revealing a home screen that looked standard. With a sinking feeling, Bilba pulled up the contacts and saw a single name in the list - "Bringer of Asprin"

A slight smile tugged at the corner of her lips, even as her heart fell further. He was one of those then. The ones who only did something nice because they had convinced themselves they'd get something in return. A date usually, but it was always something. He was probably nearby, had seen her go in her room and, any minute, would text the phone with whatever it was he'd decided he'd "earned."

She scowled, tapping one finger idly on the desk as she waited for the phone to buzz. A minute passed, followed by another, and another after that.

Nothing happened.

She chewed on her lower lip self-consciously, eyes darting to the soup and other supplies. Several more minutes passed until, finally, with a grumble, she leaned forward to grab the teacup.

If he tried to get demanding later she’d give him an autograph or picture or something.

The tea felt heavenly, as did the soup. It didn’t make her feel 100% better, but her throat felt less raw and her stomach begrudgingly settled a little.

After she was finished, and had hidden everything as best she could, she retreated to the small couch. The aspirin and nasal decongestant had helped, and though she knew she’d probably soon be going through the entire box of tissue because of them, she was relieved to feel her headache drop to a dull throb in her temples.

She shoved the cell phone under the cushions, tried to prop herself up so she was sort of half sitting/half lying down, and shut her eyes.

If she did manage to fall asleep, she imagined she’d wake up to a demanding text or call on the phone, verifying what she already knew.

Nobody was ever simply kind.

It was a lesson she’d learned over and over since her parents has died.

Hopefully, one day she’d stop feeling so disappointed by it.

Follow on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22263070/chapters/53163472

#Fanfic #Fanfiction #Writing #My Writing #Hobbit #Tolkien #Bilbo #female bilbo baggins #Fili #Genderswap #Modern #AU #Cinderella #Fairy Tale #romance #Angst #Pianist #Stagehand

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spiderman-homecomeme · 5 years ago

Text

Something Blue (and Red)

Part 4 of “And A Silver Sixpence in Her Shoe.”

AN: Well, it’s been a while, but here is the final part of the wedding fic! Thank you guys from the bottom of my HEART for all of your patience!! It has been a crazy semester for me, but I am finally free!! Look out for more promptmas stuff coming, secret santa, and a few more WIPS in the near future!

Enjoy!

In his twenty-four years of being alive, Peter’s not sure that something’s ever been so right-- ever felt so right. Rarely have the stars aligned in such a way, so perfectly as they had in that specific moment as he stood, waiting in the winding check-out line of his local TJ Maxx, his arms already full of items he didn’t necessarily need.

But when he saw them, he knew.

There was nothing else to do, no choice left to make.

No question in his mind as the bored teen mindlessly scans the treasures, as he swipes his debit card, as he answers the age old question on the pinpad, “amount okay?”

MJ, however, seems less than impressed with the purchase, holding the limited edition Spider-Man socks between her fingers as if they might bite her, her nose crinkling in disgust.

“Seriously?” She asks, fixing him with a quizzical brow.

“Seriously,” He beams, obviously more excited than she was. “I had to.”

“Uh-huh,” she speaks slowly, carefully examining the blue and red socks. “And you don’t think that it might have been a little reckless for you, Peter Parker, to buy Spider-Man socks?”

Peter gives an innocent shrug, mouth twitching into a nonchalant frown. “Nah. The cashier just thought I was a big fan. We had a nice chat about Spidey. No biggie.”

Her face remains expressionless as she stares blankly at him, save for the skeptical quirk of her brow.

Peter decides to simply ignore the doubt radiating from his fiancée, his lips pulling back into a mischievous grin. “That’s not all…”

She barely has any time to ask before he hikes his leg up, propping his foot on the couch, revealing the exact same pair of socks.

“Now we can really be the most powerful couple out there.”

MJ can only shake her head in response, forcing an exasperated breath through her nose as the faint beginning of a smile tugs at the corner of her lips. If she were being completely honest, she wasn’t in love with the idea of becoming one of those couples; she loved Peter, more than anything, but…

Enough to wear matching socks?

Peter doesn’t mind her immediate dislike of the garments. In fact, he almost welcomes it. One extra pair for him; just means that he doesn’t have to do laundry as much, right?

(MJ tells him that that’s not what that means.)

And perhaps he wears them a bit too much, especially for someone who’s quite literally donning socks with his own (masked) face on them. It had started as a weekend only, nights-in at home thing, though it wasn’t long before he was wearing them to work, to date night, family dinners, everywhere. She’s never surprised when she sees the masked cartoon peek from under the hem of his jeans.

He claims that they’re comfy, that they’re warm, that all his other socks were dirty, etc., etc.

And really, Michelle doesn’t mind or care all that much. Whatever Peter wants to wear isn’t any of her damn business. It’s funny, it’s cute, it’s just her loveable, dumb fiancé.

But it does make their more, ahem, intimate moments a bit more difficult.

If only because seeing those damn things in all their bright blue and red glory on his feet, after he’s whispered the things he’s whispered into her ear, after he’s been trying to be so sultry and serious.

MJ can’t help but tease.

“Those staying, too?” Her voice is steady, just barely hiding the humor in her tone as she gestures at his feet.

He pauses momentarily, his shirt now crumpled in his own hand, confused for a moment before following her gaze.

And then, she laughs at her own question, hiding her face behind her hands as he playfully throws his shirt at her; he nearly trips as he steps out of his boxers, making a point to show that, yes, MJ, the Spider-Man socks stay on during sex.

It’s no surprise when she sees the very same socks as she steps out of the shower, set out next to his black and white tux the morning of their wedding.

She wouldn’t expect anything less.

A small smile tugs at her lips at the recent memory, just hours before, as she stares at herself in the floor-length mirror, her mother and May both working diligently (yet gently) at the buttons on the back of her dress, Betty standing in front of her.

That same warmth she always feels around Peter has been in full force today, and she even finds the old, yet welcome fluttering of butterflies in her stomach when the dress is finally on . Throughout her life, she’s never quite understood what it meant to “feel like a bride.” It was just a white dress; how could it have so much power? Even when shopping, when buying the dress, she didn’t get that exact feeling. Sure, it made everything much more real, but it wasn’t this .

Yet now, in spite of all of her past notions, she finally gets it; the delicate lace on the bodice and the long, elegant sleeves, the deep-v neckline, that final addition of something blue, and with that same shattered Black Dahlia necklace Peter had given her all those years ago.

Damn it, she feels like a bride.

Her mother subtly wipes at her eyes as she moves to stand in front of her daughter, clasping her hands to her chest with an almost dreamy sigh. “God, you look beautiful, Michelle.”

May nods, smiling warmly, her own eyes sparkling. “Agreed.”

“So pretty!” Betty adds, her giddiness shining through.

MJ huffs out a light chuckle, mumbling out a quiet, “Thank you,” as her hands smooth over the soft satin of her skirt. Her mind immediately goes to Peter, what he’s doing right now, how nervous he must be, and what he’ll think when he sees her, when she walks down the aisle; and just like that, her stomach does a few more giddy backflips, and she bites her lip to keep the excitement in.

“And now,” May starts, breaking the silence, a knowing grin on her face as she moves to open the final box. “For the finishing touch.”

MJ was so incredibly wrong.

Now .

Now, as the veil is placed on her head, she honestly, truly , feels like a bride.

“There,” May says, gently adjusting the fabric a fraction of an inch so that the veil lays prettily against Michelle’s curls.

Again, Michelle’s mother sighs, though along with the misty eyes comes a twitch of a frown fighting back the tears.

MJ playfully rolls her eyes. “I’m not even married yet, Mom, come on,” she gently teases as she pulls her mother into a hug.

“I know, I know,” the older woman says with a soft, sheepish laugh. She pulls back, looking at the two Jones women staring back at them in the mirror. “Give me a break, okay? I’m just so happy for my little girl,” she adds, squeezing her daughter’s side.

Michelle utters another, “thanks,” looking down to hide her widening grin.

“I don’t blame you,” May says with a shake of her head and a kind smile. She looks to Michelle, expression warm and excited. “You ready, Em?”

The bride looks up again at her reflection, taking everything in again.

It was happening.

Today was the day.

And MJ had never been more ready.

Peter could have sworn he was dreaming.

This whole relationship even.

In what universe was he lucky enough to land someone like Michelle Jones, to get her to marry him, to marry his dumb ass and all the trouble and shit he gets himself into? What did he do to deserve such a partner-in-vigilante-justice?

He looks to Ned at his left, his best friend giving him an encouraging grin and a subtle (yet actually not all that subtle) thumbs up; then to his aunt, to his mentor, to his friends in the seats in front of him.

But when his eyes finally land on her, his very soon-to-be wife, he finds that he can’t look anywhere else.

Not that he’d ever want to.

He always thinks that she’s perfect, no matter what; she could literally wear a brown paper bag and he’d still marry her. But, cheesy as it sounds, the air feels like it’s quite literally been taken right from his lungs.

Even now, after six whole, wonderful, perfect years together, without fail, MJ still manages to make him forget how to breathe, the sight of her in that simple white dress, holding the bouquet of white roses and black dahlias, making his chest tighten at just how pretty she is. He knows that there’s probably tears in his eyes, but he honestly can’t tell, nor does he care when he sees the faint smirk painting her lips from under the sheer veil.

Again, he really is the luckiest loser in the world.

A lucky loser who happens to be wearing blue and red Spider-Man socks.

What can he say? It’s the nice boost of confidence. Ned has his hats, Peter has his Spidey socks.

He’s unable to hold back or fight his smile--though it’s not like he’s really trying all that hard--as she finally reaches him. She glances down, and he can see the toothy grin from behind her veil, the soft expression causing his heart to swell. He helps her pull the veil back, finally able to see her after a whole day apart.

The officiant welcomes everyone, beginning the ceremony with a short speech of thanks that both Peter and MJ had written before hand.

However, Peter finds that he can’t hear what the man is saying over how beautiful his fiancée is.

He almost doesn’t hear him ask to start the vows.

Peter snaps out of his trance, pulling a folded piece of paper from his jacket. “Oh, yeah! Sorry. Uh, yeah. Vows.” A faint pink blush settles over his features as he stammers. A quiet murmur of good-natured chuckles briefly fills the room, MJ joining in, of course.

“MJ,” He starts. He feels the lump in his throat, the emotion fluttering in his stomach. He coughs, looking between the paper and the love of his life. “You are my favorite person. My best friend in the entire world. Sorry Ned.”

That gets another laugh, both from MJ and the room, and Peter passes a teasing, fake-sheepish smile to his best man.

Ned waves it off with a laugh, shaking his head.

Peter continues. “I feel so overwhelmingly lucky and proud to stand here with you today. Honestly, I feel like I hit the jackpot. When I’m with you, MJ, I’m the best version of myself. Because… with you, I’m always utterly and unapologetically myself. You accept me for who I am, even if I can be a bit of a dumbass sometimes. There’s not much for me to say that I haven’t already said, you know me, and there’s not much to give that’s not already freely given. But… I’ll give it a shot.”

He takes another deep breath, glancing up to see the warmth and love in MJ’s expression, his chest tightening. “I promise to always try and make you laugh and smile, no matter what, even if my jokes aren’t really that funny, because let’s be honest, those are my best ones.”

MJ shakes her head, not even trying to fight back her smile.

“I promise to be a better roommate, and to actually put dishes in the dishwasher instead of in the sink or on the counter by the sink. I promise to send every conspiracy theory I find, even the ones you’ve already heard. I promise to listen to your advice, and even occasionally, I promise to take that advice. I promise to love you more and more. After every win. After every fight. After every laugh.” He pauses for a moment, clearing his throat once more, combatting the shakiness. He looks back up at her, no longer reading from the folded piece of paper. “And finally, I promise to always strive to be worthy of the love you give me so freely and openly, and to never, ever take that love for granted, and to always give it back.”

He wants to make some dumb joke about how she’s a thief, taking his breath away, but he doesn’t.

“I really like you, MJ.”

Her face crumples slightly at the callback, though she holds herself together, if only so she can get through actually reading her end of the vows, as Betty hands her her own paper.

A beat of silence passes as MJ gathers both her thoughts and emotions.

“Peter,” she starts, a slight shake already to her voice. Be it from nerves or overwhelming emotions, she’s not sure. “You’re my best friend. My partner. My supporter. You’ve loved me through easy times and hard times, and I am so incredibly grateful for you and the support you have always given me. Now… Promises have always scared me. Maybe I’ve been too cautious in making them, too afraid that a change in circumstance or myself will rip the world out from under me. But… over the years, I’ve found that they can remind me of solid ground when things get shaky. Here are some promises that I can happily give to you.”

She looks up at him for the briefest of moments, heart warming. “I promise to put you first, and love you, even when you’re purposefully trying to annoy me.”

A warm laugh.

Her grin turns more playful as she looks back down at the paper. “I promise to always admit when I’m wrong--which we both know, I never am, but that’s beside the point--and to forgive you when you are. I promise to try to laugh, a real, honest laugh, at your jokes, even if they aren’t funny.”

MJ hears him scoff, her lips twisting into an even bigger smile at the sound. She continues. “I can’t promise to never make fun of you, but… I can promise to always kiss you after, just to say sorry,” she vows, shooting him another glance. “I promise to be there, no matter what, to help you when you need me. And I promise to keep updating these as we go. Because one set of vows can’t cover a lifetime of getting to grow and change alongside you. Of falling more and more in love with you everyday, which is what I promise to do for the rest of my life.”

She hands the paper back to Betty before taking his hand in hers. She’s pretty sure that’s not entirely in the whole wedding protocol, but she doesn’t care right now.

“I really like you, too.”

And then it all happens too quickly, neither of them seeing or hearing anything else as they exchange the rings.

There are no more words spoken between them, apart from “I do.” No more thoughts.

… besides finally as they hear the fateful, “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

And so, Peter does.

He’s not sure what song is playing now as he holds his new wife on the dance floor; he’s certain it’s not a song that you really slow dance to either, but he doesn’t care. After the very first one, he’s sort of lost track, too lost in his arm around her waist, hand on her back, the other holding hers.

He attempts to twirl her, though she has to awkwardly duck down under his arm, the mishap causing them to both erupt in giggles.

“I told you we needed ballroom dance lessons,” Peter tsks, pulling her close again.

“You’re right,” she remarks dryly, though he can feel her breathe out an amused smile against him. “Here, I’ll twirl you.”

He obliges, laughing when he’s able to pass under her arm much more easily. Mid-spin, his eyes land on her necklace once again, and he can’t help the way his heartstrings swell like the first violin section in an orchestra.

“Black Dahlia,” he points out, much like he did on the bridge all the years ago.

MJ nods, chuckling. “Something old.”

He hums in acknowledgement, giving her an affectionate squeeze. “I’m glad you still like it.” He pulls back slightly. “And the something new? Will I get to see that on tonight?”

Her head tilts and she takes a small corner of her lip between her teeth. “Maybe.”

“Can’t wait.”

Soon, the last cadence of the song fades out, and the familiar base-line of My Girl by the Temptations comes on.

They sway together a little longer, before Peter continues. “Something borrowed?” He asks, realizing she’d never told him.

“May’s veil,” she answers simply with a grin. Though it’s been put away again for the reception, MJ gestures to where it would have sat on her head.

Peter’s head jerks back a fraction. It had looked familiar. “Oh, God, how did I not know that?”

“I won’t tell May, I promise,” she teases. “She’ll never know you didn’t know what her own veil looked like.”

“Okay, okay, come on.” He shakes his head in good-humor, growing quiet for a moment. It’s when he doesn’t speak for even longer that MJ grows concerned.

“Pete?”

“Yeah?”

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” he answers truthfully, but she can hear the emotion in his tone. Another beat passes between them before he elaborates any further. “I’m just really happy that you got to… that you got to use that, you know?”

Somehow, she pulls him even closer, into a comforting squeeze. “I know.”

Silence falls over them again as they sway back and forth, not really dancing anymore, though still held in a close, loving embrace.

Suddenly, MJ pulls back slightly, to Peter’s utter confusion, taking his hand in hers and pulling him away from the dance floor and into one of the hallways.

“Where are we going?” He asks through a curious laugh. “What’s--”

“I need to show you something,” she says over her shoulder, before tightening her grip on his hand.

Without any question or hesitation, he happily follows her, the anticipation of what exactly she could be wanting to show him so badly that they needed to sneak away from prying eyes almost too much. They weave through friends and family, dodging questions with relative success as they reach the ends of the reception crowd.

Finally, they reach one of the welcome areas, MJ sits on one of the chaises, practically yanking her new husband down to sit with her.

She reaches down, pulling up the skirt of her dress to show a comfy pair of her black converse--a sight Peter’s not all that surprised to see, yet he still has to chuckle. Mostly in confusion still. “MJ, what--?”

She takes one of her shoes off, showing her very own pair of limited edition, Spider-Man socks.

Now that comes as a surprise. He huffs out another laugh, his brow crinkling as he looks between her sock-clad foot and her mischievous eyes. “Again… MJ, what?”

She leans in to kiss that bewildered expression off his face, only being the slightest bit successful. Her hand remains in his, her smile growing, eyes gleaming with pride and delight as she answers with a nonchalant shrug.

“Something blue.”

#spideychelle #petermj #peter parker x michelle jones #fic #silver sixpence fic #fluff #peter parker #michelle jones

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emptymanuscript · 6 years ago

Text

The BEST Writing TED Talk

youtube

I happened to bring up Simon Sinek’s TED Talk, Start With Why, earlier today. And then ran into this, which is an edited down version, from 18 to just 5 minutes (and that’s including the TED intro). So, it seemed worth sharing again.

Though why do I say this is the best writing video when it’s obviously not about writing. Is the part about writing a book in the 18 minute version? No. That’s mostly clarification and more examples, which is the same as his book by the same name. All about business but I still recommend it for writing. Not the business of writing but the act of creative writing itself.

One of the most valuable creative writing exercises I ever got was given to me by Joshua Kane when I was briefly interned with him back in 1996. A constant problem had come up, one which most writers struggle with: that I wasn’t working. Plenty of ideas. Plenty of things I wanted to do. At that age I was ahead of the game in terms of what I knew about writing. And it didn’t make a lick of difference because you can’t do anything with nothing.

So Josh asked me, “Why do you write?”

And yes, even though Sinek hadn’t made this TED talk yet or written his book(s) or anything, Josh was referring to this sort of Why.

Everybody knows WHAT they write. You spit it out. And if the most important thing is people kissing, WHAT you write is a Romance. If it’s starships or neural data jacks, it’s science fiction. If there are trees and magic it’s fantasy. If there are alleys and magic it’s URBAN fantasy. OOoooh.

How we write is more complicated. There isn’t a right answer. It’s individual. There are definite trends among vast swaths of writers. There are conflicting yet overlapping philosophies. And as William Goldman famously said, “Nobody knows anything.” We just have a lot of ‘educated’ guesses. This part actually obesses me. I would say in all honesty that this is what my Master’s Degree in the Teaching and Practice of Creative Writing is really in. They are both aspects of HOW we get from the desire, ‘I want to write a story,’ to having the object of WHAT, the product as described by Sinek: the written story.

But notice something. We’re not getting from WHY to HOW in the way we usually talk about writing. We start with: I want to write a story with a certain feature. People tend to start there and go straight into HOW until they have WHAT they believe they wanted and then they try to sell it. And it works ok. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with that if it is working for you.

The issue, always, is what happens when it’s not working. When I, spent months on end vaguely polishing one turd I had written and doing no other writing and so I had pretty much like 12 pages in 12 months to show for my writing for the year. Fine if I want it to be my hobby. Not fine if I want to be a writer in some kind of career fashion. Which I did. Which was why I had Jewish bullied™️ Josh into taking me on as an intern. (Don’t feel too sorry for him, he grew up in a Jewish family too, he could’ve fought that guilt if he wanted.)

And Josh, being a professional a few years senior to me, wasn’t having it. As far as he was concerned - and him being one of the people who taught me, I agree - that’s not how to be a writer. You have to produce. And so he dug up the old saw from Frank Norris: You, EM, “Don’t like to write, but like having written.”

What a stab in the heart.

And then he asked what actually makes me like to write. Not the finished product that everybody wants and almost no one produces, that’s the result, but the thing that makes me want to take the action of producing. WHY do you write?

‘Is it because you value being an intellectual and are insecure about it and need something that will indisputably prove to EVERYBODY that you’ve got the chops.’ Which is kinda both going right for the jugular and pretty accurate so I started to nod and he cuts me off. “You can’t have that one. I came up with that one. It’s mine now. You have to come up with your own.”

‘Is it because you were bullied in school and you hate all of them and you want revenge for the rest of eternitiy by putting them in fiction and doing worse to them?” And you know that kinda sounded pretty good to me, too, so I’m tipping my head forward when he shakes his and cuts me off. “No, you can’t have that one. It’s mine now. You have to come up with yours. You can’t have mine.”

And there were other equally as insightful, painful, and annoying statements. As much as Josh pissed me off that time in New York, that question has proven one of the most valuable bits of writing work I’ve ever done. And as frustrating as it was, it was worth the insight. Because Josh was right. As Sinek mentions in the video, the answer is more emotional that logical. It’s something deep down and hard to just whip out and have at hand. It’s fuzzy, which is why everyone avoids it or takes a cheap and easy answer. Too much work and if you haven’t done it, it’s hard to see the value.

It took me YEARS to answer that question. Must have been about 7. Now I work profoundly slowly, so probably better to think of those as dog years. It doesn’t have to take you years or even many months but an easy answer is probably the wrong answer, so it is going to take you more than a day or a weekend unless you are exceptionally self aware in the way that most writers just aren’t because it tends to interfere with the process. And, I will say, that although I got close to the answer, I finally FOUND it more than figured it out.

Because this is something that is fairly deep into the preverbal area, it can be easier to see in reflection. Instead of you evoking it in yourself, the stars align and someone does something that you can see the reaction in yourself to and attach to, figuring it out for yourself.

I’ve had that happen fairly intensely twice. The other time was my then girlfriend and I giving mutual friends relationship “counseling” to try and help them with what they knew. And in the moment of them getting it right, it reflected back on us, strongly enough that the other couple noticed, and i proposed about a week later. Although hard to put into words, I felt the reflection through them of WHY I wanted to marry my partner. And while I can describe it and label it and what have you, that emotion, that profound feeling of connection about how we both viewed the world was a deep emotion, a thing personally felt to a degree that words will never quite capture it correctly. That’s why you can’t use mine. My words can’t be your emotions.

Because when I tell you that my reason for WHY I write is, STORY TIME™️ those are just words. They are a short hand to describe a feeling, evoked by a series of events, that I recognize as what initiates me into the flow state. The words are so poorly matched that they are almost a lie, it’s just the best I have. Because, in 2003ish, having thought about the problem without actual resolution for many years I found it. Or it was given to me. Or I finally figured out the missing piece of the puzzle. However you want to phrase it. My friends and I were out for ice cream. We were at a concrete bench off away from everything and I was standing while the others sat for whatever reason. I don’t remember what we were talking about but something came up where I knew something about somebody involved. And I asked if they had heard about them. Lots of shakes of the head and I took deep breath to tell them. And it happened.

There was this charge. A way of them settling down and getting comfortable. If you wanna be new agey, I felt this connection to everyone as their focus simultaneously went to their comfort and to me. It was all of us slotting into this well worn groove of common pleasurable repetition where we all knew and liked how we fit.

And I’m all, “What was that??” and everybody laughs a little. and Findingsherlock, who got me onto tumblr in the first place, explained that they were getting comfortable because they knew it was about to get good because when I started to tell them something it was... and there Findingsherlock shrugged for lack of a better word and said: STORY TIME™️. And for me that was it. I knew it. Balls to bones as they say. That when all that shit and complication of life is peeled back, what motivates me is this precision amalgam of emotion that sits somewhere between 1) interconnecting with people 2) entertaining people so they WANT to pay attention to me 3) proving I know something you don’t - intellectuallism is a harsh thing in my family of origin - and then giving it to you as a one, two punch of self esteem boost 4) being able to observe positive reaction to me and manipulate emotions to get you to react in the positive way I want with my words 5) just flat out making you like me and being with me because of what I say.

And... none of that’s actually right. It’s just as close as I can get in words and thinking about it. It’s the feeling down under there that I would seriously make pacts with dark gods and start killing people to get. The way people talk about heroin is strangely accurate to how I would describe my dealings with STORY TIME™️, sometimes it is so euphorically amazing that selling your soul and killing your whole family to live there sounds like a great deal. Sometimes it is this bitter absence where you will just chase it even as you would rather go on a killing rampage than deal with this anymore. In fact that was a significant part of my first time in the mental hospital, I started saying that I would rather cut my hands off than keep writing, and I kept writing, and I started using knives to threaten self harm, and I kept writing. Because it has you. Whatever it is that would be your equivalent of story time, once you know it, and once you write to it, you might go painfully slow. I started planning the Knights of Day in 2006, it’s my main project in life, I have not yet finished book 2. My longest breaks have been my stays in the mental hospital. So, it’s a thing. I’m slow. But I know it and I work with it, and giving it up... can’t do it.

BECAUSE, I know WHY I write. Because of that, everything I do in the production of my writing is fulfilling WHY I write. HOW I do things is done in order to enable WHY. WHAT I write is chosen because it fulfills my WHY. It’s a streamlined process down. And knowing it as well as I do. My ideas pop up following my WHY. I’ve trained myself to think this way. And it’s not hard because it is a self reenforcing systme. What I keep are things that feel good enough that I want to pursue them and can’t stop thinking about them. Plus it just keeps extending out.

Oh, and STORY TIME™️ is mine. You can’t have it ;p

#creative writing #writing advice #writeblr #TED

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gryfstmne · 7 years ago

Text

the story just for hypnoslaves2

he had grown tired ;

so damn tired of the life

tired of the endless rounds of bar hopping and quickie one nighters and awkward social functions with the other gay clubs.

he wanted something different ,

something to relieve the tedium

something to really invigorate him

from the long bouts of loneliness

that drove him back to take what he could get at 2am closing time.

and searching the net for pictures of men he could never have.

going through the more kinky and bizarre websites and groups was a habit seeing what men would do to themselves was a source of fascination and revulsion

but it did keep his interest from dying to the lowest embers.

then he saw a message in one of the groups .

"at the lowest part of my life ,he found me

.i always felt lonely ,lost ,last in a fixed race .

now , finally this hypnoslave one."

"hypnoslave one?", he said to himself ." shouldn't that be won?

and how could a slave be under hypnosis if they are asleep?

wouldn't moving wake him up?"

he looked up the profile and saw that the guy lived in a small suburb right outside of town. about 40 minutes away . the photo was of a 40 year old man ,wearing a leather vest ,a collar ,a skull cap like a biker would wear tied at the back of his neck and chaps.

he was well muscled and wore that leather like a second skin.

he had a closely shaven beard and a diamond studded earing.

but the most fascinating thing about him

was that he had such a gentle accepting look about his face

that you could tell he was happy .

full of that something ,

few people ever find for more than a few minutes at a time..

from the picture you could tell he was looking up

at some shadow of a man

that smile and absently thoughtful look ,

you could tell ,was for the man who was just out of camera range.

.only the shadow left to see as a clue.

it looked like he had found a glimpse

into what he was missing and couldn't put a finger on ,

and this sexy leatherman had it.

it was written on his face :fulfillment .

on an impulse, he hit the instant messenger button and wrote hi

he got a hello back and he asked the leatherman about the message .

the leatherman told him about his past and how his life changed

once he met and moved in with his H.M.

I truly envy you " , he wrote back to the leatherman ."

it sounds like you found yourself a perfect partner.

i could use something more permanent like that myself ,

but it never seems to work out for me."

"I can sympathize. i've been there.

if you truly think you need more than a one night stand in your life ,

then come on out to the house.

H.M. and i can give you a few pointers on changing your life for the better .

you can see what H.M did for me

that made me so much better than i was then."

"bye the way , call me H.S. it's my initials."

H.S gave him directions

to their house and said they would be waiting for him .

he thought it through, after signing off his computer.

he knew there was always the risk ,

that they were psychos or cultists or some weird thing.

but the idea of being with a sexy leatherman like that and seeing

what it was ,that gave him that spark in his eyes

was something he couldn't let go.

besides he thought , his life was stagnating as it was .

maybe there is something there ,that could help bring back the passion

to his life .

curiosity was eating at him too ,

about what that shadowman, H.S. really looked like

that made leatherman H.S so fucking happy

the traffic was murder ,almost literally ,

as road raged little old ladies cut him off and truckers almost rolled over him

but he finally made it.

at the end of a culdesac ,

taking up the whole circle was a huge brick and wood mansion .,

it dominated the area .

the next houses down were about 10 car lengths down the street .

almost is if the mansion bullied them or scared them into retreating.

he rang the doorbell and heard windchimes from the button.

the leatherman , H.S , answered the door and invited him inside.

H.S took him on a short tour of the house

and then led him

down into a back hallway.

He was impressed

by the grandeur of the place

and asked when he would meet H.M

"not for another few minutes " H.S replied ."

he has to finish up a few more things before he can join us .

but it won't be long ."

"What do you two do for a living to be able to afford all this ?" he asked H.S

I generally keep house, and do the maintenance , and work around the house but ,let me show you

what really pays for it all.

H.M specializes in making things

to fascinate people.

making someone pay attention

to his works is his joy

and it pays very well, indeed!"

with that, he opened a door

and waved me in to a large study.

what an amazing place!

there was a chandelier ,sparkling from the ceiling

and it was reflecting the light

to crystal pieces

like prisms in all different shapes,

hanging in various places on the walls and the tables.

there was a comfortable sofa in one spot

and 2 comfortable overstuffed chairs

around a glass and oak wood coffee table

with another of those prism sculptures in the center.

there was a crystal decanter

and clear glasses off to one side table

and an intercom,

and a set of black polished marbles,

suspended by chains through them on the other table.

H.S had me sit down

in one of the chairs and he took the other,

as we talked ,he told me that H.M could hear what we said

through the intercom

so ,he wouldn't have to miss the conversation

while he finished up his work, in another room .

H.S led the conversation back onto my life and experiences

in the home (apartment)

family(mostly moved away or gone)

and job(too many and too varied to go into detail here)

and my poor excuse for a love life.

while i was talking ,i couldn't stop looking around the room.

there were little reflections of me

and this sexy leather stud,

mixed with the lights

reflecting in every crystal in the room .

it was like,

i was surrounded

with little leathermen ,

everywhere i looked.

H.S. gave me a glass of water

and we relaxed and talked .

it was so comfortable

just being there with him ;

like i'd known him for years.

just looking into that handsome face

who was really interested in me

and seeing it reflected everywhere

was a huge ego boost for me.

i didn't notice the time was passing

(it was so good being there with him)

but it must have been hours .

i noticed a light come on

on the intercom

and H.S, got a pleased look on his face .

he told me that H.M only had one more thing

he had to do

then he would join us .

H.S gave me a wink and said

you want to see H.M at work ?

i said sure , and set the glass down

in preparing to get up.

H.S. waved me back in my chair and said

relax. you can see it all happen from here.

i settled back while H.S lifted one of the black marbles

and let it go in a pendulum swing .

it knocked into the other marbles

and set up a rhythem .

click ,click, click, click

as they swung back and forth..

H.S said "watch this "

and he flicked a hidden switch.

the lights dimmed out

and in the chandelier ,

what looked like hundreds of little multicolored flames

flashed on and off in a random pattern .

it looked like christmas tree lights of living colored flame

reflected everywhere there was the crystals.

it was like you were surrounded

by fairie will o' the wisps .

it was incredibly beautiful .

you could imagine

the click ,click ,click

of the marbles

was the flames whispering to each other.

H.S waited

for the full effect to reach me

and then told me

we could hear the master dictating

through the intercom

and it was a special treat

to listen in .

H.S. touched a button

and this rich textured voice ,

the kind that gives you shivers of pleasure

all the way through,

came from the intercom.

i was too fascinated by the lights

to notice H.S had said "the master"

and i heard that voice

timed perfectly

to the clicks ,

" the flame that burns so brightly

and moves so light and quick

that entrance you with their movement

as they sway and flick

that make you long to relax

and watch them dance

without a thought

as to where next to catch a glance

as you hear them

click ,click ,click,

and listen to them sound

as you follow along

as they slowly draw you down

into this enchantment

as you take your rest

and listen with wonder

and you feel you have been blessed

to belong to this fairie heaven ,

the dancing of the spheres

what you have always longed for ,

has been found only here

and you give yourself over

to become more

than a poor soul dwindled

and you are now ready

to be reborn

,a flame rekindled

chosen to follow the lights

given to the path

for only a precious few

forever bonded with me

as my hypnoslaves , number 2"

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thenightling · 7 years ago

Text

Fright Night: The Peter Vincent Chronicles Issue 0 (Full Review)

(Cover art for the new Fright Night: the Peter Vincent Chronicles comic issue 0. 2018.)

I was going to wait until a digital copy of this comic was available to write this review but as we are nearing September and there is still no digital option I settled on re-reading the comic and examining the panel art with a magnifying glass. I have to admit that my first read through was more of a skim as I had anticipated savoring the reading if a digital version of the comic was released. I have very poor eyesight so I do better with reading comics in digital format though there is nothing quite like the smell and touch of a brand new, real, tactile, comic book.

Now on with the review....

Now to begin. First, the plot. The story is actually short and fairly straight forward. These comics ignore Fright Night: Part 2 and the 1989 / 1990 comics but that’s all right. Just consider it a different continuity but retaining the same base storyline told in the first Fright Night movie from 1985.

(Peter Vincent in Fright Night, 1985.)

The story begins with Peter Vincent filming the episode of Fright Night Theatre that you see Charley and Amy watching in the final scene of the first Fright Night movie. He is not broadcasting live the way he was in the Fright Night movie sequel.

It is here where I want to address an apology to the movie, Fright Night: Part 2. I used to dislike Fright Night: Part 2, specifically because it never dealt with the fact that poor Peter Vincent was now without his show and on the run from a psychiatric hospital. I figure he probably embraced his role as real freelance (and probably payless) vampire hunter but I used to dislike Fright Night Part 2. It was only after I saw the terrible 2011 remake and it’s direct-to-video “sequel” (which was actually yet another remake) that I came to appreciate Fright Night: Part 2 (1988).

Another thing I criticized about Fright Night Part 2 was how Peter Vincent’s show was apparently broadcast live as Peter was caught on camera trying to kill Regine. I once mocked this scene (and secretly loved it too). But then this past week I was watching Svengoolie (a real Horror Host, whose show airs every Saturday Night at eight PM on MeTV here in the US) and after a commercial break he corrected himself on having repeatedly mispronouncing a real medical disorder suffered by an actor who was in the movie they were showing. He had been corrected via Twitter, by a fan. This revealed to me that, though, yes, often tamed, yes, horror hosts sometimes (not always though) do their shows practically live. I had not realized this until last Saturday night, thanks to Svengoolie.

(Svengoolie)

I should never have criticized Fright Night: Part 2 for the scene where Peter Vincent tried to stake Regine on live TV. I had always (deep down inside) liked that scene and now my suspension of disbelief is more at ease with it, thanks to Svengoolie.

(Peter Vincent in Fright Night: Part 2, 1988.)

Anyway, in this comic the show is actually taped (as I had originally thought it was / should be; before last week’s episode of Svengoolie.) And Peter is finishing up the episode that aired at the end of the first Fright Night movie.

(Page 1 of Fright Night: The Peter Vincent Chronicles, issue 0. 2018.)

After they finish filming the episode, there is a brief and funny dig at Child’s play where Peter Vincent talks about the ridiculous “Killer doll movie.”

(Scene from Child’s Play. 1988. Andy’s mother, Mrs. Barkley, and Chucky.)

This is especially funny as the original Fright Night was written and directed by Tom Holland, who also directed the original Child’s Play in 1988. Child’s Play was the first in a long horror franchise about a doll possessed by the soul of a dead serial killer, Charles “Chucky” Lee Ray. Also the actor who played Jerry Dandridge in the original Fright Night was a major character in Child’s Play.

(Scene from Child’s Play. 1988. Chucky and Mike.)

Peter goes backstage to his dressing room, where he is beginning to feel sorry for himself. He has stacks of overdue bills to pay and Charley has sent him a very sweet friend-fan letter and Peter thinks that if he were to go and see them (Charley and Amy) it would just remind them of their traumatic ordeal with Jerry Dandridge. That and he is embarrassed that he’s broke and can’t afford to treat them to a nice meal. He is embarrassed that he can’t hide behind the mask and persona of heroic vampire killer and is ashamed of the reality that he is barely earning enough to live and is neck deep in debt.

He deliberately plans on keeping his distance and ostracizing himself from his new friends, feeling that he would just be a disruption in their happy lives together. And this is sad because I can’t help but feel that Peter Vincent is very lonely.

This embarrassment Peter Vincent feels is irrational and silly since Charley has already seen him at his most frightened and vulnerable. It would not matter to Charley or Amy if he is financially broke. He’s their friend, but I think (hope) that this is something Peter Vincent will come to terms with in the course of the comics as they continue / if they continue.

(Peter Vincent and Charley in Fright Night, 1985.)

Peter Vincent (much like Harry Dresden in Jim Butcher’s The Dresden Files) is heroic when innocent lives are threatened by the forces of darkness, but he is perpetually broke and simply not all that good with money. He has overdue bills. Peter might have his TV show back but it’s not enough to pay his debts.

(Peter Vincent.)

The comic also reveals a detail that Fright Night, Fright Night Part 2, and the 1989 and 1990 Fright Night comics never addressed. Peter Vincent had been very abruptly divorced years earlier and that had wiped him out, financially. (Note: There is a high chance Peter Vincent is bisexual, as he is partly modeled after Vincent Price and had been portrayed on film by Roddy McDowall. Both men had been bisexual in real life.)

(Roddy McDowall and Vincent Price.)

Peter had never quite recovered from that divorce. And when he was younger, and his movie roles were more plentiful, he had been careless with his finances and never really learned how to save money.

The creation of his TV show (Fright Night Theatre) had been a means to stay afloat when movie roles were no longer common for him. And during the events of the original Fright night film, when he had been fired from his own show, he had been devastated.

Helping to defeat and kill the real vampire, Jerry Dandridge, had given him a short injection of confidence so that he had been able to get his show back. Unfortunately this invigoration had been short lived and there were bills to pay and Peter is feeling sorry for himself...

(Image from Fright Night: The Peter Vincent Chronicles issue 0. 2018)

It is while Peter Vincent is wallowing in this melancholy and self-pity that he realizes something is very wrong.

(Image from Fright Night: The Peter Vincent Chronicles issue 0. 2018)

He quickly discovers that most of his crew (His film crew) has been slaughtered or newly turned into vampires.

Evil Ed is here and he wants revenge!

(Evil Ed in Fright Night: The Peter Vincent Chronicles, issue 0. 2018.)

Now, Peter Vincent had a recent, semi-failed, attempt to rekindle fan interest in himself (and boost his own income) by starting a fan club dedicated to himself. And the token for members is a small silver coin with Peter Vincent’s official insignia or sigil (I prefer the word sigil, myself, it makes it sound more magical) engraved upon it. And yes, silver, often IS a weakness for vampires. Silver was a weakness for vampires in Satanic Rites of Dracula, Dark Shadows (nearly all incarnations of the lore), Dracula 2000, Dracula 2 (2003), and in the TV series True Blood (2010) as well as many other works of vampire fiction. There is a considerable overlap in with vampire and werewolf weaknesses, dating back to the nineteenth century.

One thing that I am very fond of about the original Fright Night and things tied to its continuity, is the use of older vampire lore, such as the bat and wolf transformations from the novel Dracula (which you don’t see much anymore), the use of roses as a ward against vampires in Fright Night: Part 2 (which is directly from the Dracula novel), the obsessive counting which got used in the Fright Night 1989 / 1990 comics and has its origin in Eastern European folklore and comes up in Dracula 2 (2003).

(Jerry Dandridge and his compulsive need to count in the Fright Night comics from 1989 / 1990.)

And here in Fright Night: The Peter Vincent Chronicles, the use of silver as a weakness against vampires.

Peter has not sold a single fanclub membership and the only person who seems even remotely interested in it is Charley. Peter has an entire box of unused Peter Vincent Fanclub membership coins, made of silver, and bearing his personal sigil / emblem.

(Peter Vincent’s symbol / sigil from Fright Night: The Peter Vincent Chronicles, issue 0, 2018.)

So, desperate to save himself from this vampire attack on the TV studio, Peter starts tossing coins, weaponizing his own fanclub membership token. (“Made of genuine vampire killing silver!”)

One thing I noticed about Peter Vincent in the original Fright Night, Fright Night: Part 2, the 1989 / 1990 Fright Night comics, and this new Fright Night: The Peter Vincent Chronicles issue 0 comic, is that Peter Vincent, despite being up there in age, and not trained for real combat, is actually a very good shot.

(Charley Brewster and Peter Vincent in Fright Night, 1985.)

In the original Fright Night he was able to shoot Billy Cole right in the forehead. In the sequel he squirted several vampires with holy water.

(Peter Vincent in Fright Night: Part 2, 1988.)

And Peter was able to aim a beam of daylight, reflected off a broken piece of mirror, directly down onto Regine Dandridge (Jerry Dandridge’s sister).

Now here, in the Fright Night: The Peter Vincent Chronicles issue 0 comic, he has an incredibly lucky shot, and (possibly by accidental fortune) hits Evil Ed right in the tongue with one of silver Peter Vincent fanclub coins, seering his sigil into the tender flesh, the same way the cross scarred Ed’s forehead.

This is a slightly bothersome point for me, by the way. Though I love this comic and think it’s very well illustrated, it does bug me a little that Ed somehow still has the cross-forehead-scar, when we saw it fade from his forehead after he was staked in Fright Night.

(Evil Ed during his death scene in Fright Night, 1985.)

It makes sense that Ed survived the staking, as Peter made the mistake of pulling the stake out later. (This is how Dracula is revived in Universal Studios’ House of Frankenstein, by the way.)

(Dracula waking up after his resurrection in House of Frankenstein, 1944.)

We are also told that this was how Evil Ed survived in the 1989 / 1990 Fright Night comics.

I had heard that this was the original plan- to have Evil Ed as the villain in Fright Night Part 2, but Jerry Dandridge’s sister, Regine, was used as the villain instead.

Peter Vincent pulling the stake out after Ed’s death had always been a deliberately written act, to be a mistake of the character, who was not yet used to dealing with real vampires, to enable Ed’s eventual return.

(Peter Vincent recalling removing the stake from Evil Ed’s chest in issue 8 of The Fright Night comics from 1989 / 1990.)

I understand and accept Ed surviving the original Fright Night film but the old cross scar probably should have remained faded. It’s one thing for a character to still be alive, it’s another for a wound to reappear when it had disappeared. Still, it does present an iconic and familiar visual so I get why the artist chose for it to be there.

Peter also successfully uses a prop foam cross gravestone as a weapon and also floods the TV studio set with daylight, by ripping down the blackout curtains. (Much like what Peter Cushing does as Doctor Van Helsing in Horror of Dracula. I love these Hammer Horror homages.)

(Peter Cushing as Doctor Van Helsing in Horror of Dracula, 1958.)

Note: Peter Cushing is who Peter Vincent’s first name and film career are based on, with the surname Vincent being a reference to Vincent Price, from whom many of Peter Vincent’s other character traits are derived from.

Evil Ed should really stop trying to take on Peter Vincent. He keeps getting scarred and mutilated. Now his speech is at least temporarily impaired, and Peter’s symbol (sigil) is burned into his tongue. Vowing revenge- though very slurred- Ed escapes and Peter is left to explain the situation to the head of the localized public access TV station. His crew has “disappeared” and the set is ruined. This does not go very well. (“Would you believe vampires?”) Peter is fired...

He is told he will never work in TV again. His career is over.

Peter is on his way home to his apartment when he encounters a Count Orlock (Nosferatu movie from 1922) style vampire.

(Count Orlock in the film, Nosferatu, 1922.)

There is a short struggle and the vampire bests Peter before forcing him to sit down for a polite conversation.

This vampire, who calls himself Nicolae Demonov, (punny) tells Peter that vampires have become impure. Here, we see a panel indicates that this is actually Jerry Dandridge’s own vampiric maker, which also makes (from the visual) Jerry apparently much younger than the claim in the Fright Night novelization (that makes him at least four-hundred-years-old and possibly Dracula) or Fright Night Part 2, which claimed Jerry Dandridge was over a thousand when he was killed.

However, a Count Orlock style vampire IS Dracula’s maker in the film Dracula: Untold, so this doesn’t entirely destroy the possibility that Jerry Dandridge was Dracula, per se, but the background of the panel suggested a contemporary (or at least nineteenth century) scene when he had been bitten by Nicolae.

(The Master Vampire in Dracula: Untold. 2014.)

Nicolae offers Peter one hundred thousand dollars for every impure vampire he kills. As the vampire bloodline has been diluted from making too many vampires, this has apparently lead to genetic mutations; Vampires with more weaknesses, vampires that burn from a cross even when the weider has no faith.

(Peter Vincent in the 1989 / 1990 Fright Night Comics.)

And there are vampires that shapeshift without meaning to, involuntarily. This results in man-bats, and man-wolf transformations without intent. These mutations also account for different breeds of vampire with differing weaknesses and lesser or unstable powers, a topic which also came up in the 1989 / 1990 Fright Night comics- that there are different varieties of vampire out there, different breeds of vampire to contend with, that have different powers and weaknesses. It has a logic to it.

The vampires that end up in half-animal-form also resemble the man-bat and man-wolf forms Dracula took in the 1992 film, Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

(Images from Bram Stoker’s Dracula, 1992.)

And the humanoid bat form the brides took in the movie Van Helsing.

(One of the Brides in humanoid-bat form in the film Van Helsing, 2004.)

Nicolae refers to Jerry Dandridge and vampires like him as decadent, which is a paraphrased quote from The Vampire Armand, in the film adaptation of Anne Rice’s Interview with The Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles, when discussing his own coven of Theatre vampires under The Theatre des Vampires, that he has come to resent.

(Armand in the film Interview with the vampire. 1994.)

Nicolae is especially bothered by how reckless and indiscrete these newer vampires are and how they risk exposing all vampires and their society to the human world, which could be disaster for humans and vampires alike- setting the world back into The Dark Ages with fear and panic. Nicolae also believes a new mutation of vampire has sprung up that could be a threat to vampires and human beings. This indicates that the vampires and vampire hunters ultimately might have to join forces for the sake of both their survival, like when Blade went up against the “uber vamps” in the movie Blade II.

(An Uber Vampire from Blade II, 2002.)

The end scene in the comic is Peter accepting the offer to kill these other vampires for money and regaining a boost of confidence in the process. He is Peter Vincent The Great Vampire Killer!

(Peter Vincent in Fright Night, 1985.)

I thought this comic was good, old-fashioned, fun. Where too many comics now are politicized today and lack charm or likable characters, this was a breath of fresh air and Peter Vincent is a very sympathetic and very realistic protagonist for all of his human faults and flaws. The artwork is highly detailed and atmospheric.

I give the comic an 8 out of 10. My only complaints being Evil Ed’s scar even though I know, aesthetically, why they chose for it to be there, and the fact that there is no digital option for reading this comic on the computer.

I liked Fright Night: The Peter Vincent Chronicles very much and sincerely hope it continues.

I hope that a certain character trait carries over from Fright Night Part 2 and the 1989 / 1990 Fright Night Comics.

(Peter Vincent from issue 10 of Fright Night, 1989 / 1990 comic books.)

I sincerely hope that Peter Vincent continues to do battle in his nineteenth century style Doctor Van Helsing-esque costume with the Sherlock Holmes style jacket with mantle, and velvet Victorian suit, with white shirt and crunched-lace sleeve cuffs, wearing a waistcoat, and cravat. I love the idea of a silver-fox, dandy, neo-Victorian (a subcategory of Goth culture) vampire hunter walking around 1980s (or even present day) America. So far it appears that he will and I am glad of this.

I love Peter Vincent and it’s good to see the original version of the character live again, even if it is only in comic book form. I hope the comic book series continues and gets a more mainstream distribution. This deserves more attention than it is getting.

(Peter Vincent from the poster art for Fright Night: The Peter Vincent Chronicles. 2018.)

Long live the original Peter Vincent, The Great Vampire Killer!

Fright Night: The Peter Vincent Chronicles issue 0 can currently be purchased for $9.99 at Tom Holland’s Terror Time online store.

There was a more expensive collector’s version of issue 0 of Fright Night: The Peter Vincent Chronicles, with a poster signed by Tom Holland (the original director and writer of Fright Night), a replica of the Peter Vincent fan club coin, and a wooden stake, but I think those sold out.

https://terrortime.shop/product/fright-night-the-peter-vincent-chronicles-issue-0-comic/

#Fright Night: The Peter Vincent Chronicles #Peter Vincent #Fright Night Comics #Tom Holland #Evil Ed #Horror Comic books #Charley Brewster #Horror Comics #Vampire comics

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eequalsmcscared · 7 years ago

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Fander Secret Santa Gift!

So I finally was able to finish the fic for @thelonglostmarauder ! I was your @fander-secret-santa and this is the really long fanfiction I wrote based on your prompt. I kinda got carried away but I hope you like it! I also want to say a big thank you to my boyfriend and my best friend Steph for proof reading the whole fic! You guys are real troopers and are amazing. Anyways, enjoy the story everyone! Title: Acceptance is Possible Prompt: The Sides discover Virgil has anxiety, despite being anxiety, and try to come up with ways to help Thomas without Virgil being anxious. Warnings: Panic Attacks, Cussing, and Mentions of Fighting (tell me if I need to add more!) Word Count: 4,103 (like I said, it’s really long. It’s like...a little over 6 pages on a Google doc so yeah..)

Abstract: Is this who I’ll always be?

Virgil’s leg bounced up and down as he waited in anticipation for the day to start. Of course, nothing particularly big was going to happen today. Or at least that was the plan. No, the constant fear of what will happen tomorrow...er today, considering it’s currently five in the morning, was keeping Virgil wide awake. He had given up trying to sleep a few hours ago, opting to sit at his desk and twiddle around with various items to keep his mind distracted. He had learned through the years that a distracted mind is a good mind. Doing things constantly allowed virgil no room to think because “Thinking is bad and it could hurt Thomas,” Virgil muttered to himself as he pushed his swivel chair away from his desk. It was a mantra he had made for himself and was currently repeating it as he paced across the black carpeted floor.

After doing that mindlessly, Virgil’s tired eyes take a glance at the clock on his nightstand. In dull red numbers, it read 5:30 am. “Meaning Logan should be up in 3...2…” A soft click of the logical side’s door signified that he was awake. Virgil couldn’t help but smirk at his timing. “You did it again Virge,” he congratulated himself.

Virgil turned himself towards his closet, deciding it was time to start the day. He felt himself grow jittery as his mind plagued him with torturous thoughts of how the day could go. His breathing began to grow uneven as he searched his closet for his comfort hoodie. His eyes darted around the closet in frantic motion as he searched desperately for the piece of clothing. Once his eyes caught a glimpse of the gray plaid fabric, his hands shot forward and pulled it towards his body. Virgil’s hands worked quickly as possible to pull the fabric over his shoulders, feeling a marjor rush of relief once the task was done.

Still tense but a lot less panicked, Virgil walked over to his body length mirror to asses the damage of the two to three hours of broken sleep had caused his body. “And which parts can I cover up,” his tired voice muttered to an empty room.

He moved the black felt blanket that had hung over the mirror, out of the way so he could stare at his reflection. From what he saw, it wasn’t pretty. His eyes were bloodshot and the bags under them were a dark purple. His skin a tone paler and his eyes half-lidded. Over all, Virgil looked purely exhausted. “Well,” He turned his body to the left slightly to grab the makeup hidden in his drawer, “time to get to work.”

After applying a warm tone foundation, concealer, highlighter, and some warm tone eyeshadow; Virgil looked more like an actual person rather than a barely living corpse. He finished his look by straightening his hair so it flopped over his eyes and adding to his signature ‘bags’. It was a bit counter-productive, Virgil knew, to cover his real bags by applying fake ones over it but if it kept the facade of being the non-anxious, angsty emo guy the others pegged him to be, then he was willing to comply. “Besides,” Virgil spoke aloud to himself, “I kinda like that aesthetic.”

Virgil dusted off his hands to get rid of any powder that might’ve been left over and began to quickly put the supplies away. Any evidence of his makeover was whipped clean from existence.He hummed, momentarily content with himself. Soon the thought of having to leave his room and socialize with them: Patton, Roman, and Logan. He checked the clock once more to see who would be up and just how long it took him to get ready. “Just over a half-hour, not too bad,” he tried to boost his morales up but his anxious mind wasn’t taking the bait.

Virgil took a deep breath, wiping his sweaty palms onto his ripped jeans before shakily reaching his hand towards the doorknob. “You got this Virgil, just put on the facade like you do everyday,” he whispered quietly to himself in an attempt to calm his racing heart. “You can do this. You have to do this.” and with that, he took a deep breath and submerged himself in facade of the confident, bitchy emo who didn’t care about Thomas and only wanted to hurt him.

He began the short quest down the hall which tapered off into the kitchen. By the sound of warm-bubbling talking and the clanking of dishes, Patton was up and on his way to making the other’s breakfast. Logan would be there too, sitting at his usual spot at the table. He would, no doubt, be drinking his black coffee while Patton talked his ear off. The logical trait would just nod his head and make a ‘hmmm’ or an ‘ooh’ to make it seem like he was listening, his mind still very much asleep. The image Virgil created caused a small smile to break through before he quickly put back his typical scowl.

The one-sided conversation came to a screeching halt once Virgil’s presence had been established. Internally, he groaned as he felt the stress and tension rise while the other two just stared at him. When Virgil caught eyes with Logan, he was met with mild hatred and annoyance. ‘Typical.’ He was tempted to roll his eyes but since Virgil was only anxiety and will only ever be anxiety, he decided to give Logan a slight nod. He then turned his attention to Patton who visibly flinched. Inside, it made him scream “You don’t have to be afraid of me! I would never hurt you Patton!” but he didn’t say a word. He just kept his gaze on the peppy trait who began to squirm.

“M-morning Anx!” Patton stuttered out, attempting to clear the tension in the air. Of course, none of it faded, “H-how...how did you uh...did you sleep?”

Virgil raised his a brow, as to say really?, before heading over to the cupboards to grab a mug for some much needed coffee. “What’s it matter to you?” he said with a malicious bite in his tone causing Patton to supper with a reply. He smirked with faux pleasure as he poured himself a rather large cup of coffee.

“Save some for Ro-” Patton cut himself off mid-sentence as Virgil took the rest of the coffee, “-man.” Patton sighed in defeat as he went to go and start another brew.

Virgil pulled himself up onto an unoccupied space at the counter. He rathered enjoyed sitting on objects that weren’t quite meant to be sat on. It brought him a small pleasure of joy which made the impact of the rest of his actions hurt a little less.

“Hmm, Anxiety,” Logan’s voice broke through the tense silence, “Can I conspire with you for a moment?” Virgil let out a huff of annoyance that wasn’t a part of the act as he slid down from his spot. ‘Oh boy,’ he thought as he made his way over, ‘here we go again.’

“Why were you making Thomas so anxious at such an early hour this morning?” There was a hint of anger under his annoyed and inconvenience tone. “You know Thomas needs at least a few hours of consistent sleep each night. By you making him anxious, it drags him out of that deep sleep and it leaves him feeling unrested and unprepared for the rest of the day.”

Virgil had to bite his tongue as Logan lectured him, not wanting to make the other side pissy. He also didn’t want to start a fight that would last the whole day. He simply gave Logan a cold, dead stare. Virgil had to refrain himself from bouncing his leg or fidgeting with the sleeves of his hoodie. Anxiety and anger bubbled to his chest as Logan went on and on about helping Thomas and heavily implied that Virgil wasn’t helping. But he didn’t care.

Instead, he tuned out Logan’s babbling words as he thought angrily. ‘Well if you would take your head out of your ass and try to understand what the fuck I’m going through, then we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now, now would we? But nooo, you like to think I create an anxious disaster wherever I go! Maybe if you saw me having an attac-’

“Virgil,” Logan repeated again, snapping to get the darker side’s attention.

The closeness of Logan’s hand to Virgil’s face caused him to flinch slightly. “Hmm, what?”

Logan rolled his eyes and scoffed. “Typical,” he muttered, “you weren’t even paying attention. Nevermind then.”

In return, Virgil got up and walked back into the kitchen to see if breakfast was almost ready. He was feeling quite hungry and might attempt to steal a bit or two while Patton was cooking. His plans were spoiled when a particular dramatic side sang loudly throughout the house, “What a wonderful morning!”

Virgil opted to cover his ears as the loud and dramatic side bounded in, “Hello Logan! Morning Patton!” His great bounding mood stopped once his eyes landed on Virgil. “What are you doing here, monster?” he spat the word and basically growled at Virgil.

“Morning to you too, Princey,” he replied back with a faux cheery tone. The irritated stare grew on the prince’s face as he heard the nickname.

“It’s Roman, you twat!” Roman spat back, turning on his heel in a dramatic flair and marching to the table to ‘Probably complain about me,’ Virgil thought with hidden distaste. ‘The day has officially started.’

Breakfast had been the usual. The occasional bickering between Roman and Logan, Patton stepping in to stop an actual fight from happening but enjoying the small show while Virgil stayed out of the way. Essentially, he tried to make himself invisible and, of course, it worked. The others hardly acknowledged his presence. Only doing so when they needed something from him, and even then, it was normally Patton who asked.

“Hey Anx, can you pass the salt?” Like now. Virgil looked up from his hardly eaten plate of bacon and eggs, a small shocked expression encompassing his face before he forced an emotionless one.

“Whatever,” he reached over and handed the condiment to Patton who smiled somewhat genuinely at Virgil before he went to ignoring him again. “So Logan, what are the plans for today?”

Logan adjusted his glasses before answering. “We need to finish editing the Sanders Sides video so we can have it up by later today or early tomorrow and are hanging out with a couple of friends tonight at our local bar.”

Patton brighten visibly at the mention of seeing Thomas’ friends today. “It feels like ages since I’ve seen them!” He squealed, barely containing his excitement.

“Gee, I wonder why we haven’t,” Roman’s sarcastic voice hit like daggers into Virgil’s chest. It was obvious what the fanciful side was implying and it hurt. ‘But I can’t show it.’ Virgil kept his facade from cracking. But inside, he felt his heart rate accelerate along with his thoughts.

“Oh come on Ro, Anxiety isn’t that bad,” Patton tried to lighten up his now tarnished mood. Roman just scoffed at Patton’s rebuttal.

“May I remind you that just last week we were supposed to hang out with two friends we hadn’t seen in ages but someone,” Roman’s finger flew to Virgil’s direction, “made us too anxious so we had to opt out!” His breathing was heavy and his body was shaking.

‘From anger, no doubt,’ Virgil commented. He took a deep breath and shoved himself away from the table. He forced a smirk on his face, pretending to enjoy the pain and anger he had caused. “Thank you for the lovely dinner everybody.” He hummed, “especially you Princey.” A flare rose in Roman’s eyes causing Virgil to let out a cruel laugh before he sauntered away to his room.

Only when the door was firmly shut did Virgil let his facade causing his whole body to relax. He felt rather spent and knew he wouldn’t be needed for the for the video editing. “At least not right now,” he noted as he thought about pass editing session going longer than anticipated or an unexpected error popping but decided not to dwell on it.

“Right now is nap time,” he muttered, getting into a comfortable position on his bed. He allowed himself to relax as he caught up on sleep he had missed last night. A small smile scrapped his lips before he was out like a light.

It wasn’t until Thomas had began to summon Virgil did he wake. He groaned as he felt the tug to the front of Thomas’ mind. He pushed himself up into a sitting position and attempted to rub the sleep out of his eyes. Virgil yawned lazily and looked down at his hands, all the peacefulness from sleep was pulled out of him.

“Fuck!” he shouted loudly as he saw his hands dirty. “I slept in my makeup!” He ran to the mirror and assessed the damaged. Everything was either sumbudged or already whipped off and as the pull to the front grew stronger, he had no time to properly fix it.

In desperation, he quickly grabbed his makeup wipes and cleaned his face from the warm facade he created. “Maybe the won’t notice if I put only apply my dark eye shadow bag things,” he thought out loud and quickly began to act on it.

Virgi’s hand worked frantically as he was close to being forced to the front. “And...there,” he put the last of the black eyeshadow under his eyes. He was quickly pulled to where the others currently were. ‘Saved by the bell,’ he slipped the eyeshadow brush causally into his pocket as he looked at the other’s backs. The black of Logan’s polo shirt. The gray from Patton’s cardigan. The red from Roman’s stash. The backs of the people who hated him.

“About time you showed up!” Roman’s accusatory voice echoed throughout the room, “We’ve been calling you for the last five minutes!” Virgil felt his body instantly tenseed.

‘If I wasn’t anxious before, I sure as hell am now,’ Virgil joked weakly with himself as he felt the his panic grow. “What’s going on?”

“Look for yourself,” Logan motioned towards the screen, “We need you to stop.”

Virgil raised a brow as he looked to the setting that Thomas was put into. It wasn’t anything new, it was his local bar. Thomas had been to it a million times but something was different. “It’s crowded.” Just by acknowledging that fact he felt his body become more tense and panicked.

“Precisely.” Logan would've been proud of Virgil’s oversvation if he didn’t have such a distaste for the anxious side. “Which is why you need to stop making him anxious.”

Virgil had to refrain himself from glaring at the logical side. ‘But remember the facade.’ He growled to himself as he replied to Logan, starting at him directly in the eyes. “Hmm...no, I like to watch him suffer.” Logan kept his face emotionless but his eyes expressed annoyance.

“Very well,” Logan sighed, “everyone else, let’s get to work.” Roman and Patton both nodded as they began to work together to keep Thomas sociable. Virgil hung out towards the back, watching everything unfold. He couldn’t help but feel guilty. ‘It’s not like I want Thomas to feel anxious in social situations, but I can’t help it.’ He bit his lip as he tried his best to keep his body still.

As the night went on, Virgil’s panic worsened as the bar seemed to get more crowded and louder. He tried to keep his cool but this was too much for his mind to process. “Keep it together Virgil,” he muttered quietly to himself as he watched the other Sides work together perfectly. “You can’t have an attack in front of them. Think about Thomas. The damage it’ll cause. You can’t do that to him. Not again.” His short pep talk did anything but help as he felt himself grow more tense, his breathing restricted.

“Shit,” he growled, taking a deep breath so his voice doesn’t sound strained, “Guys, you need to leave. Right now.”

Patton looked to Virgil with concern and confusion while Logan simply raised a brow at Virgil’s demand, “Pardon?”

“You heard me, get back to the commons room,” Virgil growled back, trying to keep his intimidating act on but it was beginning to falter with his growing panic.

Roman scoffed at Virgil’s demand, “What? You think we’re going to leave you with him so you can mess another thing up? I don’t think so.” He turned back to the screen and continued to do his work. Patton and Logan followed suit.

‘Shit, shit, fuck, damn it, no,’ Virgil thought quickly as he felt the panic grow quickly throughout him. ‘They need to leave, they need to leave, they need to leave,’ was all he could think as his body dissolved into panic. “At least get us to the bathroom. Now!” He didn’t even try to hide the anxiety and panic in his voice. The others looked at each other with confusion at the state of Virgil but didn’t think twice once they saw the impact it was having on Thomas.

With a polite excuse me, Logan and Roman quickly take Thomas inside one of the stalls in the men’s restroom while Patton quickly walked over to Virgil. Despite being afraid of the anxious side, Patton couldn’t help but feel concern for the side.

‘They can’t see this, they can’t see this, they can’t see this,’ he thought over and over again as his body slowly curled up, every muscle in his body tensing. His breath became short as his chest began to squeeze shut. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” was all he could whisper as his fear finally took over. It left Virgil in a panicked mess, only able to whisper those words and shake on the floor. “I’m so sorry.”

He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t think. He couldn’t do anything but let his anxiety overtake him. All he could focus on was panic, ‘Panic, panic. Stop panicking. Stop panicking! They know, they know they know and they’re going to hate me more. Oh god, oh god, oh-’ his thoughts were interrupted when he felt a cold hand touch his back causing him to physically flinch away. Either from the cold or the human contact, he didn’t know.

“Oh Anx,” Patton’s soft voice muted some of the thoughts, “it’s going to be okay.” It was Patton. ‘It was Patton?’ Virgil thought in confusion. ‘Is he trying to comfort me?’ His confusion must’ve showed because he heard a sad, weak chuckle escape from Patton’s lips.

“I’m so sorry kiddo,” Patton sniffled as he pulled Virgil’s head into his lap, “I’m so sorry I feared you.” Virgil was unsure of how to react, his mind sort of stunned but his body still very much panicking. Patton petted Virgil’s hair as an attempt to soothe some of his panic. Virgil took a deep breathe but it was quickly pushed out by his panicking lungs. He clung to Patton desperately as he tried to calm himself down but his mind kept on getting distracted by fleeting thoughts. ‘Stop panicking, stop panicking, stop panicking.’

“Virgil,” Logan’s voice rang through. He felt his body tense, getting ready for another one of Logan’s lectures. He could already hear the beginning of the lecture. ‘Virgil you’re supposed to be in the background and not do anything because you’re useless to Thomas-’ “I want you to breathe with me.” Virgil’s running thoughts stopped for a moment. ‘I wasn’t expecting that.’

“Do you think you can manage that?” Logan’s voice was calm and patient, something he very rarely heard from the logical side. Virgil managed to give a small nod. “Good, now follow my breathing okay?”

“Okay,” Virgil said in a quiet, weak tone. Logan led Virgil through a breathing exercise he had read once on an article about helping someone through an anxiety attack. He thought he’d be using it with Thomas when Virgil tournmented him through another attack but for once, he thought wrong.

“Breathe in four,” Logan instructed, counting as they went. “Hold for seven. Out for eight.”

“You’re doing great kiddo, keep it up,” Patton encouraged as Virgil began to slowly calm himself down. Once his breathing was evened out, he began on working to untense his body. It was a slow process but wasn’t a horrible one as Logan and Patton had helped him all the way through. Towards the end, despite being exhausted, Virgil sat himself up and smiled at the other two sides. Patton offered a soft smile back while Logan nodded his head, a smile playing at the corner of his lips. The only one who wasn’t offering support was Roman. His back was turned to the other sides.

Virgil slowly pushed himself up from the ground, Logan and Patton urging him to say down but he brushed them off. “I’m okay, I swear. This isn’t the first one I’ve been through.” He smiled slightly to reassure the two before walking over to Roman slowly. He approached the prince with caution, unsure of the state the dramatic side was in.

“Hey Roman,” Virgil gently put a hand on the small of Roman’s back. He was tense, ready for any anger that was going to be released at him. Instead, Roman turned around and enveloped Virgil into the biggest hug the anxious side had ever received and remained like that for a long while. He melted into the foreign touch, not paying any attention to the the racing thoughts that were trying to drown out the sense of peace that had washed over him.

Patton decided that it was group hug time and pulled the other two into a tight embrace. The added warmth brought a smile to Virgil’s face as he felt contentment enter into his bones. Thinking that ‘maybe everything will be alright.’

Logan was the last to join due to his hesitation when it came to touch. But considering the circumstances all of them were in, he decided that a little touch wouldn’t hurt anybody. Even though Logan’s hug was stiff as they could get, Virgil appreciated the sentiment. He met with Logan’s eyes and saw no anger, no annoyance, no inconvenience, just understanding and acceptance. Virgil was shocked to say the least, ‘that’s not something I thought I would ever see on his face.’ But it wasn’t thought it in a cynical manner. It was thought with hope and compassion, two emotions that scared him but he gladly embraced them at the moment.

‘I’m breaking all the rules today,’ Virgil let out a small chuckle. He went back to hiding his face in Roman’s shoulder, allowing himself to be somewhat vulnerable with the other sides. Allowing himself to believe that Patton, Logan, and Roman had all started to begin to accept him. ‘I could get use to this.’

And Virgil did. They all began to figure out how to work together, slowly becoming more of a team as the days went on. Sure, there were some days with frustration when Logan couldn’t understand why a simple task such as sending an email could make Virgil feel overwhelmed or when Patton would touch Virgil too much and cause him to become overstimulated or Virgil shooting daggers into Roman’s back when he was being so loud that it triggered his anxiety but he knew that they were all trying their best to help him out while also helping Thomas.

Sometimes Virgl doubted their acceptance of him, the thoughts of the sides faking it to tournament Virgil plagued his mind but he had to stop himself. As Logan would put it, ‘these thoughts are illogical. Look at all they’ve done for you.’ and he did. He combed through the many memories of the sides helping him through various situations but the biggest reminder was the gifts he was given from the other three. It showed that they cared about him deeply.

He let out a small sigh, a smile gracing on his lips for a few seconds while his racing thoughts slowed to a stop. He thought of Logan, Roman, and Patton, all of them giving him a genuine smile. ‘They do accept me,’ was the last conscious thought Virgil would form before he fell into a peaceful slumber.

A/N: Thank you for reading it all the way up until the end. It’s a monstrously long fic, I know but I hoped you enjoyed it! Thanks again for reading it. :3

#virgil sanders #logan sanders #patton sanders #roman sanders #sanders sides #fanfiction #oliver writes

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valeisbeinghellaproductive · 4 years ago

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May 23/4, 2021

Yo yo yo guys welcome to me being a very interesting productive person :) i will have 1 post per day just to boost productivity, some days may include smaller things & others may not, that’s not being i didn’t do those thing son other days, but some days you just need to boost yourself up more. this may lowkey turn into a diary (because the formatting of tumblr is every similar to evernote & honestly that’s all i need), but I’ll always summarize the stuff I did at the top, after a short paragraph like this :) I won’t interact with people much with this but I’d love if people followed so I’d feel like I wasn’t just yelling into the void. If I get more attached to Tumblr I may a more “social” blog later :)))))

i’m really happy tbh because this may be all it takes to feel self autonomy & get over my stupid ass executive dysfunctioning :)))

since i’ve given myself 9-now hours to do whatever i want, i have given some goals below, then for the 5 hours after that, before school stuff i HAVE to do :))))

9h-- btw if i do literally nothign here that’s ok, the goal is to do WHAT I WANT & not feel like time is running out or guilt myself for it, while still, y’know, not going into a depressive episode & avoiding the world

read, suggestions:

the history textbook, if you feel so inclined, lol

gender theory

communist theory

the great gatsby

a brief history of time

dd (location unknown)

anna kareina

the music theory 1 !!!

sister’s superhero book

tumble & blue ig

library-- renew shit, bike there, make the list

sewing-- pants

learn knitting, crotcheting

playing i/me/yself or cruella de vil on piano

duolingo

finish get access

write a song !!

go biking

make the lsit of things to text people-- text & call people because you CAN

clean room, dubay, eat

bike for boba/ice cream

meet someone

ab w/o, general w/o

learn 3d modeling (that app)

learn how to remix things

organize phone :/

add the discord attachments

brush teeth :D

redraw OCs (esp. they)

go skateboarding, rollerblading

mentally prepare for working HARD <3

make an animation

sew patterns on clothes

content creation

i’ll add more as i find more

as the halfway point is reached, some rather specific things i’d like to do:

go on a short walk/skateboarding

finish 3 books (specifically the communist manifesto, a brief history in time, & anything else)

read my friends fanfic & look through her PPT

draw several pages of art, specifically anatomy/posing & cats

finish the OC

finish another art piece PLEASE

draw myself another profile picture

go on a midnight fruit picnic (& brush my teeth @ back)

clean my room

do the dumbass w/o <3

laundry

take out the dubay

broom downstairs (?)

play a SHORT EASY song on the guitar

play i/me/myself, at least partially, on piano

write for an hour <3

chapstick

LOOK HOW MUCH POTENTIAL LESS THAN DAY HAS !!

japanese video lesson thing

japanese script (send to tutor, actually)

precalc 2 vls

precalc 3.5 wa s

precalc review

+ extra notes

chem wa

precalc check tests

chem WS

english reread that part of life of pi

history read & take notes from textbook

japanese extra notes

chem review notes

pi project

ok so this whole thing was lowkey a test on, if i could literally do “anything”, limited only by my fear & laziness, what would i do? because otherwise, tbh guys, i’m either chasing something or avoiding the chase. point is, Sudbury schools would do WONDERS for me, so far, i have:

texted a friend :) (she did text me first, but i don’t think you get how rare it is for me to have a conversation)

gone on a discord voice call (on a study server tbh, but some dude gave me a friend request swo O-o)

i streamed on twitch?? & like changed up the whole channel look too?

i literally wasn’t toxically on social media-- possibly because i impulsively deleted tiktok while breaking down & freed up THIRTY FIVE PERCENT of my storage, cuz of the # of drafts... ANYWAY uhhhh i try not to think about it

i embroidered half a flower

i listened to the beginning of the communist manifesto

i drew a draft of my OC redesign

more reflection: if there was a healthy way to mix my hobbies into creativity, i would do it, but my inherent opposition to authority & things i’m “supposed to” do, no matter how fun they’d theoretically be ++ my parents being toxic as hell if i EVER take a break leading to issues w the grayscale means it would be much harder, & the main issue in my situation rn + previous situations has been my procrastination meaning the 2 separate like oil & water but my free time is only anxiously & attempting-to-dissociate-ly spent :/ idk how to explain the grayscale comment tbh, so hopefully it makes sense

#productivity #study aesthetic #i'm so cool #pay attention to me #hi

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sketchiedetails · 7 years ago

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Beat Binary Domain again. I think it’s a great companion piece to Vanquish, since they’re both Japanese cover shooters and have a mix of similar and different approaches to the genre.

Binary Domain is a third-person cover shooter starring Sargeant Dan Marshall, an IRTA operator who infiltrates Japan along with a small group of other IRTA operators known as a Rust Crew to hunt down Yoji Amada, the head of Amada Corporation, who is under suspicion of creating Hollow Children, robots that were made to resemble humans. Hollow Children are an example of sentient AI, which is a direct violation of the New Geneva Convention Treaty.

If I were being reductive, it’s a Gears of War clone with SNATCHER-esque sci-fi trappings. Most of the game is about Dan and the gang making their way from the outskirts of the city and into its heart where the Amada Corporation lies. As Dan, the player will always have at least one AI buddy by their side as they fight. One of the core themes of the game is the importance of teamwork, and it’s expressed in gameplay by having every member of the Rust Crew have a Trust meter which you can affect during fights; chaining successive kills, pulling off headshots, finishing off robots with melee attacks, and reviving downed allies will improve your teammates’ Trust, while attacking them or taking too long in a given area will lose Trust. In the quieter moments of gameplay, you can have light conversations with your squad and your dialog choices can also affect their Trust.

What makes Binary Domain a good counterpart to Vanquish is that they’re both third-person cover shooters made during a time when the market was saturated with that genre due to Gears of War’s popularity, but they’re the only ones I know that were made by Japanese developers - they’re like a time capsule for a very specific period.

In terms of game design, they differ wildly in gameplay but still share some uncanny similarities: both games feature robots as the main enemies. I’m not sure if there’s a censorship thing in Japan that prevents showing copious amounts of gun violence onto people and maybe that’s why both studios chose robots, or maybe both studios wanted to take advantage at the creative potential they could have over enemy design by having non-organic enemies.

And yeah, they really do take advantage of that potential. They both have basic enemies as light infantry but they both get more creative as their stories progress. Both games have a robot panther as a miniboss, and an early boss from both games return every now and then as less imposing enemies. One difference I noticed with boss design is that for the most part a boss fight in Vanquish will usually be a one-on-one affair between Sam and the boss. In BD, boss fights are usually one big target surrounded by a horde of machines that will act as minor distractions. In a way, BD’s bosses reflect the theme of working as a team since the Rust Crew operate in a similar fashion with Dan taking point and the rest of the team providing support fire.

Both games feature QTE’s and they’re both ridiculous in context, but in BD it feels more like run-of-the-mill action movie stunts - jumping off falling platforms while your teammates try to catch your hand, dodging falling debris - whereas in Vanquish they’re so over-the-top they border on farce yet both types of QTE’s feel like they fit with their respective games’ tones.

The biggest difference in both games is how they feel to play. Vanquish is about being a superhero in a battlefield: you boost over large arenas and flank enemies while the NPC Marines draw their fire. Sam is meant to feel like the deciding factor in a fight; without Sam, the Marines wouldn’t stand a chance against the RI’s. With the ARS, Sam can run headlong into a firefight and risk enemy fire without any chance of serious harm, and only the bigger foes can really cause Sam to lose his footing.

Binary Domain feels like a more conventional cover shooter, with an emphasis on cover placement and squad commands. You can bark commands at your teammates and they’ll follow your orders based on their current situation and their level of Trust. You can also flank enemy units but you need to coordinate with your AI squad and make sure you don’t catch them in your line of fire. When you drop from a great height, it takes Dan a while to recover before he can start moving again. Getting too close to the more colossal enemy types can cause Dan to stagger around their footsteps. If Vanquish feels like being a superhero in a battlefield, then Binary Domain feels like a soldier in a foxhole. Vanquish’s fights are quick, rapid-fire skirmishes and BD’s fights make you feel like you’re always outnumbered but never outgunned (I can’t believe I could make a Prodigy reference work here).

Like Vanquish, Binary Domain lets you upgrade your equipment but you can upgrade your squad’s equipment as well. You can also purchase nanomachines that offer passive buffs that you and your teammates can equip to get an edge in fights.

What I like about Binary Domain’s gameplay is that it does more with locational damage against robotic enemies than Vanquish. While both games have locational damage that can affect how enemies will perform based on what kind of damage they take, it’s not really that useful in Vanquish and can actually be a riskier option since damaged infantry units will go into kamikaze mode and crawl towards Sam before self-destructing; it’s only in the challenge missions where the system showed how helpful it could be against Romanov units.

If you damage a robot’s head in Binary Domain, they lose their IFF ability and will shoot at their allies. If you shoot off their arms, they’ll take take time to pick up the gun with the other hand. This dismemberment system carries across most of the enemy units you encounter in the game and it can offer the player some tactical depth because they can choose to headshot as many robots as they can to distract the enemy and when the bigger threats are down the player can then finish off the stragglers.

My issues with Binary Domain lie mostly in its story (which I’ll talk about in a separate post because there’s a lot of ground there I wanna cover), but there are some parts of gameplay that could have been done better:

- I was never sure how effective squad commands were throughout the entire game. As far as I know, you can’t point to specific points in a given area and tell teammates to go there for positioning and I wasn’t sure if I could get them to direct their fire at specific targets. Maybe I missed something during the tutorial but I mostly ran headlong into fights to avoid shooting my teammates and told them to either ‘Shoot!’ or ‘Regroup.’

- Because I wasn’t really sure what squad commands did, they weren’t really that much of a help during certain boss fights. One fight is against an aircraft that’s supported by an endless horde of drones which always got in my face so they took the brunt of the force when I fired a rocket. I wanted my squad to shoot them down while I focused on the big guy, but I always ended up clearing the area around me myself before setting my sights on the main target.

- Even though the game shows that you have three weapon slots, you really only have two because you will always need to have a Pistol weapon since it has infinite ammo and when you go down because of a serious injury, you need a weapon to draw while you’re crawling around. I wish you could carry three slots and the Pistol would just appear either during the setpieces when you needed it and when you were in your Down status.

- The final boss fight is pretty disappointing compared to the more ridiculous setpieces the game featured. It’s a bullet sponge where you have to take advantage of the sparse cover in the arena while you whittle its health down bit by bit until you get to its final phase and then look for any weapon in the arena that can stunlock it before it unleashes a devastating attack.

Overall, my issues with Binary Domain don’t take away from the experience. I didn’t point it out yet because I’ll probably talk about it more in the next post, but the game is really funny. The game manages to pull off comedy edits and timing in a way I never see in Western games these days. And as serious as the game tries to be, it is for all intents and purposes a B-grade action movie and I appreciate a game that can laugh at itself along the way.

Originally, I thought I was gonna just compare Vanquish to MGR and BD, but after playing all three games in quick succession, I might actually have some material to compare Metal Gear Rising with Binary Domain, since they both have elements of trans- and post-humanism in their settings.

#binary domain #vanquish #mgr #metal gear rising #thinking bout games

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jaybug-jabbers · 4 years ago

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Bug Run 7: Alola, Bug Friends

I’ve done bug runs for six generations of pokemon games by now. I wasn’t going to leave gen 7 out of the fun. However, it does mean a little tweaking of my usual rules. New bug pokemon in this game are fairly rare and spread wide apart. So, to pick up some of the slack, I’m also going to allow bugs that aren’t new to gen 7 to fill out my team.

Despite the relative rarity of new bugs in gen 7, there are some really, really cool ones. So it’s well worth spending more time with these fellahs and going on our island trials with our new insect allies.

Now, keep in mind this is a pretty long post that goes into details on the major battles of the game. If that’s not your cup of tea, I suggest checking out the summary post instead that I’ll be doing soon. But if you enjoy reading the full story, then this is for you!

So grab your shades and your sunblock, and let’s go enjoy a tropical paradise, complete with the mugginess and mosquitoes!

Rules of the Bug Run

1.) The team must be bug types only, and only bugs found in Alola.

2.) No trainer items used during battle (unless the foe uses them first, and then you may only match the items one-for-one). Held items are allowed.

3.) No over-levelling. Pokemon should be at roughly normal levels for a given area and not be at a higher level than the maximum-levelled pokemon in a major trainer’s team.

Pretty simple, eh? Well, maybe. After doing a lot of these runs, I’ve often found the very start of the game can be one of the hardest moments. The start is when you have access to the fewest moves, almost no items and TMs, and there just isn’t much room for strategy if you run into trouble. Let’s see if we can overcome the first hurdles.

Early Gatekeepers

At the start of the game, the grass right beside your house offers four bug types: Grubbin, Ledyba, Caterpie and Spinarak. I chose to grab two of those, Grubbin (Gaz) and Ledyba (Protoman).

The first major battle, against Hau during the festival, is difficult but very possible for Grubbin to solo: Mud-Slap against the Pichu, hope you don’t get Tail Whipped too many times or, if you get paralyzed by Thundershock, that you don’t lose too many turns to paralysis– all of this so you can survive the fight against his starter (in this case, Popplio).

The first true difficulty was the teacher at the Trainer School, who has a Litten if you chose Rowlet as your starter. I had to equip both my pokes with an Oran berry, and then just barely squeaked by the battle with my two pokemon.

However, the next difficulty was fighting Ilima. With my Grubbin and Ledyba at level 11, I just couldn’t make it by Yungoos and Ember-weilding Smeargle. I thought hard about strats and decided to reset the game.

Sure, I could have added more pokemon to my team, but I wanted to see how well I could do with just two. So I picked Grubbin and Ledyba again– this time with better natures. This Grubbin was Brave and the Ledyba was Serious (a neutral nature). Now of course, when Grubbin later evolves, an Attack-boosting nature won’t do her much good. But in the early game, she’s a physical attacker and those extra points can make a big difference.

I also chose Litten as my starter. This allowed me to pass the teacher fight at the trainer school (Popplio) without using the Oran berries. Thus, I could face Ilima with both of my pokemon holding berries. My Ledyba could Swift Yungoos almost to death (even after an annoying potion) but went down hard after a Tackle following all those Leers. Grubbin finished the Yungoos off and then managed to solo the Smeargle: get several Mud-Slaps off, and with the help of one potion (since Ilima had used one earlier) and the berry, Grubbin could just manage to Bite the dog to death.

The fight proved the importance of very tiny factors turning the tide in my favor, such as pokemon natures and berries. This is especially important early game when there just isn’t a lot of options for strategy. Again, I could have just powered through with a team of four, but that seemed to run counter to the spirit of the challenge run. Perhaps I was just being stubborn. In any case, after passing Ilima’s gatekeeping, I was finally free to reach route 2 and add the third member to my team: Cutiefly (Ms. Sidle).

The remainder of Melee island was rather trivial. Cutiefly’s excellent speed and strong special attack made it essential on the team– especially when it picks up relatively high BP moves pretty quickly. The first totem pokemon was a piece of cake, and the Grand Trial was easy with Cutiefly’s Draining Kiss. Ledyba’s Swift was also very nice for Makuhita spamming Sand Attack.

Akala’s Trifecta

Arriving at Akala, I eventually decided to add a fourth teammember before facing Hau, since he had four partymembers. I trained up a Spinarak (Dipper) and sallied forth. Dartrix was slowly and patiently worn down with Ledyba (via screens and swifts and roosts), who eventually prevailed. Noibat still went down like a rock to a single Draining Kiss. Honestly, the only one on his team to give a little trouble was Dartrix.

At this point, Cutiefly and Ledyba had been the MVPs. Cutiefly’s speed and offensive prowess mowed through most foes. However, she is a delicate little thing that cannot really take hits, so Ledyba held all the tanking power. While Ledyba’s physical defense is poor, Reflect and Roost helped mitigate some of that. And Ledyba, of course, was a good spec. def. tank when compared to its kin. While Ledyba’s offensive ability is practically nil, at this point in the game, its move Swift was still very viable and useful. Ignoring all the Growls and Baby Doll Eyes and various attack drops, as well as all the Sand Attacks and other such issues, Ledyba had the bulk to get off enough swifts for victory. The two basically carried Grubbin; the poor little squishy babe just couldn’t do much. However, that changed when Grubbin finally evolved. Just in time for the water trial, too!

With Charjabug on our side, all it took was a couple Sparks to take out the Araquanid totem. Cutiefly finished off the ally.

After the totem’s defeat, I caught a Dewpider and put Spinarak on the bench for the time being. It didn’t take long to train Dewpider up and evolve into Araquanid. This would end up pretty important for the next trial; the fire trial.

My Araquanid, Neptune, was quite the beast, able to solo the totem and its ally, surviving on 5 HP even while poisoned. Obviously, the water Z-move helped seal the deal.

For the last Akala trial, grass, it took a couple tries to figure out the best strat. I finally settled on one that took advantage of Gaz’s new tanking abilities. After my recently-evolved Ledian provided dual screen support and a little chip damage, and I gave Gaz a Sitrus berry, Gaz could tank hits from Lurantis and its ally long enough to bug bite ‘em both to death.

Not long after our grass trial, my Cutiefly Ms. Sidle evolved and we added yet a new team member: Wimpod (Luciel). We then sped toward the grand trial of this island– a dreaded rock team. But it wasn’t anywhere near as bad as I had expected. Gaz took Anorith out with 2 Acrobatics. Ms. Sidle took Lileep out with her Pollen Puff. And Neptune could Z-Bubble Beam the Lycanroc to doom. We won the game of pokemon rock, paper scissors, because bug beats everything.~

Going Electric in Ula’ula

Truth be told, it wasn’t until the third island, Ula’ula, that things started getting a little sticky. The electric trial was a miserable affair. Togedemaru, with high spec. d. and totem-buffed defense, Spiky Shield, a million resistences, a Sitrus berry and an ally that laid down Stealth Rock (a terror for bug teams) and Tailwinds (so even Scary Face couldn’t help me), it was just a pain in the ass. Did I mention half my team was weak to electric?

I placed Dipper the Spinarak back on the team and trained him up; I also trained the team up to level 33, went around and collected some TMs, and pondered some options. After trying a number of ideas, I finally prevailed. What helped was this: teaching Reflect to Ms. Sidle (the only member to naturally outspeed the totem) so she could get that up first turn and then toss a paralysis onto the ally for good measure and even some chip damage on the totem before going down. Next, teaching Brick Break to Golisopod; he could get it off before dying to Zing Zap since the screen was up. He got a lucky critical hit and did loads of damage and triggered the Sitrus berry. Next, I brought Neptune in, set up Aqua Ring to let the totem Spiky Shield (it tends to do this when you’re holding a Z-crystal), and then popped the z-move. It took the totem out and Neptune could finish off the ally, too.

It was a relief to get the fight out of the way. As a reward for all my suffering through the electric trial, up next was my favorite boy. It was a joy to fight Guzma at long last, defeating his Golisopod with my own. And soon after, I could finally evolve the last member of my team!

I should mention that I kept Gaz at level 30 and didn’t use her during my electric trial because I really needed to get Bug Buzz at level 31 when she evolved. So I had no choice but to wait until after the trial when I could finally reach Blush Mountain. It was kind of a pain not being able to use her during the trial (and Guzma’s first battle– both his pokes weak to electric. Well, I used Gaz while fighting him but carefully arranged it so she would faint and not get exp) but at least it wasn’t a longer wait.

With my starter now fully evolved, and my team rounded out to a full six, we were sailing pretty smoothly now. At this point, my crucial ally Ledian was staring to lag behind everyone else. Protoman had no offensive presence, of course, and things were starting to outspeed him enough now that he couldn’t even get his screens off anymore. Even Ariados was doing okay for himself; with the priority moves (Shadow Sneak and Sucker Punch) to make up for his crap speed and Swords Dance to make up for middling attack, he could manage to scrape by. However, time would tell how things would pan out in the long run. Perhaps it was just a rough patch for the Johto pair.

Dark, Darker, and Darker Still

The spooky ghost trial was up next, but we took it in stride with enormous ease. Starting off with support from the Johto duo, Dipper used Scary Face– somehow spooking the king of spooks, Mimikyu– and broke the disguise with a Shadow Sneak. Protoman got up a Reflect and heroically took the Curse from the ally before going down. Then I just sort of hacked away with Golisopod’s Shadow Claw. I finished it off with flare with Gaz’s z-powered zapping.

We were then led into the dark back allies of Po Town, one of my favorite parts of the game. We find big bad Guzma moping in his room and challenge him to a bug DUEL.

Guzma is a man who likes to hit hard right away. He always opens with his ace. However, don’t be tempted to do the same. If I used up my Vikavolt on his ace, well, I’d face problems later. So instead, I opened with Protoman and got up the usual Reflect. Truth be told, I had intended Protoman to simply be First Impression fodder, but for some reason that move never came. Next in was Ms. Sidle, who halved Golisopod’s health with her buzzing, getting him into Emergency Exit range. Guzma sent in Masquerain next. At full health, my Vikavolt could survive a hit and use its Z-move. Golisopod was back in, poor Ariados was next for First Impression fodder, and Sidle could finish the water bug off. Finally, Pinsir was the last; I beat him down with my own Golisopod and Neptune. It wasn’t exactly graceful, but it got the job done. My team was a little under-levelled compared to Guzma’s, but it was a satisfying fight.

Angry at losing the BUG DUEL, Guzma storms out of his own house and I pilfer one of his bug z-crystals like a common crook. And sit in his chair, because who wouldn’t?

After this, Gladion drops by and rambles about Nebby and we’re supposed to follow him to the weird Aether Paradise island. Although the island grand kahuna challenges us to a quick match on the docks before we go. The match was, as you might guess, incredibly easy for my team, so we finish up fast and then ship out.

Our task, of course, is to expose the dark underbelly of Aether Paradise. It’s a long trawl through the facility, especially since I arrived admittedly rather under-levelled for the place, so I have to take my time with the battles. Slowly but surely, though, we claw our way through. All through the bottom labs, through the weird man in the green glasses, through all the Aether employees and Skull grunts, until finally we reach ya boy Guzma again.

Ya boy … has been training. And he’s added a Vikavolt to his team. I get my ass handed to me. Honestly, though, I’m thrilled he’s not a pushover. And it revealed some crucial flaws in my team:

(1) I already knew this but yes, my team is very weak to electric.

(2) Holy shit my team is SLOW. Golisopod: base 40, Ariados: 40, Araquanid: 42, Vikavolt: 43. Only Ribombee is fast (124) and Ledian is fair (85). I knew Alolan pokemon tend to be grossly slow, but this was a painful reminder.

(3) Some of my pokes had movesets that didn’t really make full use of their potential.

So, I had to do some rethinking. First of all, I had to let go of Ledian’s dual STAB. It didn’t make sense. He was a support pokemon, not a fighter. I’d keep one attacking move because he still needs to grind, but for now, I removed Bug Buzz.

Second of all, Swords Dance on Ariados was no longer working. For grinding, yes, but not for serious fights. He just could not survive long enough to use it. So, I give him a new tactic: Toxic, Protect, and Sucker Punch. He would tox stall and throw some sucker punches in there in between stalling. He also had Black Sludge to help with the stalling (he’d always been holding it– I stole some sludge from a Grimer way back at the start of the game). He was hardly a tank or an ideal pokemon for stall, but it seemd a viable option until he picked up some of his late-game moves.

Third, Neptune was at an awkward place right now. Still limping by with Bubble Beam, and with an odd mix of moves because I had yet to decide what I wanted to focus on with him. I thought about it for a while, but ultimately got bored and decided I’d figure out Neptune later. For now I wanted to give the fight another go.

First up, I had Protoman get up his Reflect and U-turn out of there into Gaz. Gaz did take Guzma’s Golisopod out, though unfortunately only after heavy damage. Next up was Pinsir. I sent out my own Golisopod to deal with it. The plan was to use my newly acquired Rock Slide. I opened with a First Impression which did a nice, entire 50% of Pinsir’s health, but things go less nice from there. Pinsir’s Stone Edge lands and my Rock Slide misses. Because my Rock Slide missed the last battle, I am pretty salty. And Pinsir’s second Stone Edge also lands. Ffs. Luciel goes down before he can finish things. (He was holding a Sitrus berry to stave off Emergency Exit.) Ms. Sidle has to finish off the Pinsir instead.

Ok, it would be rough without Golisopod, but we were still in this fight. Guzma sends out Vikavolt next. I use Protoman to Light Screen and then faint. Then I send out Dipper. To my surprise, Dipper’s new strats work great and he’s able to solo the Vikavolt.

Finally, Masquerain, whose speed and Air Slash are terrifying. My idea is to paralyze it with Ribombee and then HOPE that is enough for Gaz to outspeed. But it is not. Gaz had too much damage done earlier from Golisopod and simply goes down. It was thus all down to Neptune. He’s able to live one Air Slash– not well, but he can– and doesn’t flinch, so he gets his z-Bubble Beam off. It does a lot, but it’s just not enough to take Masquerain out.

Obviously, the next Air Slash will kill, so I assume it’s over. But then, it isn’t. Because I forgot Air Slash has a 5% chance of missing. The damn thing misses and I can finish it off with a Bubble Beam.

I’m happy to call that a win, because it seems fair after my Rock Slide miss.

Guzma steps aside to let us by, but first calls me out for forgetting to tell my mom I was going on a trip. Oopsies.

A Whole New World

After visiting my poor mother and doing a little extra training, I came back to battle Lusamine. I was a tad concerned about Clefable, as Ariados, supposedly my fairy killer, wasn’t yet up for the task, in my opinion. So I tutored Iron Head onto Luciel. While I was wandering, I also picked up a Light Clay for Ledian.

After that, the battle with Lusamine actually went quite well. I opened with Protoman, got up the Light Screen, switched to Luciel, and Iron Headed away. With Sitrus berry, he could stay in long enough to get the job done.

Next up I planned on tox stalling the Lopunny, but when I put Dipper in I realized I had forgotten to put Protect back on him. Whoops. My plan B was to punch at it a lot with Luciel, and when Emergency Exit activated I finished the job with Sidle.

Lilligant went down easily to Vikavolt’s specs-powered Bug Buzz, although I was surprised at how much damage a Petal Dance did to Gaz. Sheesh. Milotic was next, but Gaz was locked into Bug Buzz, so I sent out Neptune. Apparently Milotic couldn’t do much to Neptune but spam Dragon Pulse. So Neptune just spammed Lunge to whittle Milotic down and eventually came out on top.

The last was Bewear. I sent out Protoman originally with just the intent of getting a Reflect up, but it turned out Protoman could solo Bewear with just his Air Slash. He got a couple flinches, which helped him survive long enough to win. I had Sidle waiting in the wings in case this failed, but it was surprisingly nice to have Protoman do it all himself.

And that was it for Lusamine.

After she hops into the portal (followed by Guzma), the next major battle really isn’t until the dragon trial on Poni island. I’m afraid that was a pretty dull battle; I just toxiced the Kommo-o and stalled a little before clearing out the ally with Ms. Sidle. Considering the Roseli berry the Kommo-o held, this was just the simplest way to take care of things.

Necrozma’s first form was easy enough for my team to defeat as well, especially for Neptune. It wasn’t until we stepped into the wormhole ourselves and reached super uber weird space and battled Ultra Necrozma that things were a little trickier. The thing was 10 levels higher then us and had insane stats. Fortunately, some chap had given me a focus sash at some point, so Dipper could still get a toxic off.

Luciel delivered the final blow.

Boss Rush

When we return from saving the universe and all that nonsense, Mina still wants us to complete one last trial, which she explains will be a boss rush. Eh, ok. I mean, I guess that’s cool.

Most were a piece of cake. Kiawe, being Fire type, is somewhat noteworthy for a bug team to face. I had Neptune use Reflect and then z-Bubble Beam, but it didn’t quuuuuite kill Arcanine. It went down to recoil after clearing out poor Dipper, though. Gaz tanked a Brave Bird and took out the Talonflame, and the Marowak was easy pickings for Luciel. The surprise ambush by Kiawe’s friend was kind of annoying, but Neptune was able to finish things.

Electric type battles are an old nemesis for my bug runs, but this one wasn’t bad. Neptune almost one-shot the Golem (but not quite) and Dipper finished it off with Sucker Punch. In the process, he FINALLY learned Poison Jab. It’s ridiculous how long it takes for him to get a good poison STAB. Anyway, after a nice Light Screen Gaz could finish off the Magnezone with Dig.

Everyone else was simple enough. I love how a couple didn’t even bother to fight and were just sort of, “Whatever, take the flower petal, I can’t be arsed right now.” The fairy totem was likewise simple enough to take down. Ribombee is a sweetheart, but even with Quiver Dance she isn’t exactly difficult to deal with.

With our final trials and tribulations out of the way, we moved on to climbing the icy slopes to the new Elites.

But first, Gladion ambushed us for a final smackdown.

I had Ledian as my lead at the time, so the poor fellow just died to speedy Crobat. Fortunately, Gaz could survive a hit and retaliate. Next in, I was nervous of Lucario, so I sent out Neptune to z-Bubble Beam it to death. Unfortunately the damned thing was Zoroark. It’s funny how often I fall for that trick. The Zoroark used its own Z-move and killed Neptune. D:

Silvally was next, and I looked at its color and assumed ice. I suppose it made sense to me since it was hailing, so why not match to the environment? Dipper toxiced it and Sucker Punched it to soften it up, and then sent out a weakened Gaz to basically just faint and rack up more toxic damage. It’s not as though Gaz is outspeeding anything. Then I sent out Ribombee to finish things off. Finally, Lucario (the real one) was here, and Ribombee went down. It was all down to Luciel. Thankfully, Lucario wasn’t so scary after all. It just used Aura Spheres on me. I took it out with no problems.

After clearing Gladion aside, we climbed the mountain and did a little training. Stocking up on items and enjoying hot tapu coccas in the last Pokecenter, we braced ourselves for the final push.

Elite Four

The Elite Four was not too frightening a prospect for my team. The most difficult two would be Rock and Flying, of course; but having already faced Olivia’s Rock team, I wasn’t as worried about that one. The scariest to me seemed to be Flying.

Kahili

Kahili was indeed a difficult opponent I had to be very precise with. I opened with my Vikavolt, which was able to tank a Brave Bird from the powerful Braviary. Truth be told, I intended to stick a Coba berry on Gaz, but I mixed up the names and put a Colbur berry instead. Oooops. Fortunately, Gaz can tank like a beast, and Braviary went down to the thunderbolt.

Kahili sent out Mandibuzz next, which was a fine opportunity to set up a Tailwind with Ms. Sidle. I had, in fact, carefully tutored this move onto Ribombee for the occasion. Mandibuzz loves to open with Flatter, but I had Sidle hold a Lum berry so she could get a Dazzling Gleam off guaranteed . Sadly, it didn’t kill– Ribombee never can actually get the kill when she attacks, it seems. She goes down to a Brave Bird. No matter! I had Gaz and Thunderbolt, with Tailwind at my back! Unfortunately, Kahili has Full Restores. I don’t quite take the healed Mandibuzz out with one t-bolt, but before I can finish it, Kahili oddly switches out into Oricoro. I have no idea why, but it does down to a single Thunderbolt, and then she switches Mandibuzz back in and I finish that off too. Tailwind peters out, and Toucannon is up next.

Now, I know Toucannon is the z-crystal holder, so I sent out Dipper and Protect on my first turn. I know that generally speaking the Elites like to use their z-move first thing when they get their poke in. Dipper survives the hit, barely; then I use Toxic. Of course I don’t expect Dipper to outspeed, but I do expect Toucannon to use Beak Blast, a two-part flying move signature to the species. It does so and I get the Toxic off before dying. Next I put Protoman in.

Unfortunately for me, Kahili then Full Restores again, making my poison useless. But Dipper’s sacrifice was not for naught. It gave Protoman the chance to Reflect. On the following turn, Protoman also gets to use Tailwind before dying to Beak Blast. After these setups, I get Gaz in to take out Toucannon.

The final of the foe’s team is Hawlucha. Gaz is in red health by now, and as it turns out, Hawlucha outspeeds despite the Tailwind. However, it goes for a Throat Chop for some reason, which Gaz resists– it only did a few HP of damage. We thunderbolt and finish the team off.

Olivia

Our second-hardest Elite, Olivia didn’t give us much trouble. I did my typical opening with Protoman to get up a screen (Reflect) before dying to some horrible rock move. Then I get my heavy hitters out– in this case, Neptune– and start blasting away with Liquidation. Down goes Armaldo. Z-Liquidation on Gigalith. Down goes Gigalith. Olivia sends out her ace, Lycanroc, so I put poor old Dipper out there as z-move bait again. He doesn’t live long. Neptune then comes in to take care of the Lycanroc too. Probopass means I switch things up a little, setting up Tailwind and then using Dig with Gaz to kill it off. The final, a Cradily, is simple for Luciel to take out.

Molayne

The steel Elite had the potential to be very scary, but we did surprisingly well against him. Gaz could open and take out Klefki with a few thunderbolts. This was nice because she was immune to the Thunder Wave the darn thing loved to spam. He sent out Dugtrio next, which was easy for Liquidation to demolish. Magnezone faced off against Gaz. I knew it died to two Digs, but unfortunately, Gaz was a little to weakened from Klefki, and went down to a second Tri Attack. It left the foe at at an awkward piece of ¼ health that was hard to cleanly take out, so I used Dipper to Sucker Punch it a couple times before sending out Luciel to First Impression and finish it off. Next, Bisharp goes down to Neptune’s Z-Liquidation, and Metagross is our last foe. Luciel uses First Impression and Liquidation to help chip it down. After using up his berry on the first turn he emergency exits out of there on the second turn, and Sidle gets off a Bug Buzz to contribute to the chipping. It does a nice chunk, but she goes down too. Luciel, back in, once again gets off a Second Impression, and after a hit ends up on 3 HP. Lucky for us, I am obsessed with keeping multiple priority moves and Luciel also has Sucker Punch, and he could finish off the Metagross.

Acerola

By far the easiest of the Elites, Acerola was a pretty quick mop-up. Protoman gets up screens and faints, Luciel takes out the Bannette (after it annoyingly potions up). Froslass is next, and I regretfully send out Dipper once more to just take one for the team– this time while I potion Luciel back up. Dipper does, however, manage to do a huge chunk to Froslass with a Sucker Punch before going down. Luciel finishes it off. Pallosand takes a big hit with Liquidation but it boosts its defense a bunch. As Luciel Emergency Exits out of there I send in the big guns and use Neptune’s Z-Liquidation. It works great. Dhelmise acutally falls quickly to a couple Bug Buzzes from Ms. Sidle (she survives the Slams), which is nice, because she rarely gets a kill all on her own. Finally, Drifblim goes down to Gaz’s thunderbolt.

Hau

Of course, it would not be a pokemon game if they made you the champ after defeating the Elite Four. There’s always at least one more fight to clear. In this case, it’s your old buddy Hau. After previewing his team, I formulated a rough plan and headed in, feeling wary.

Hau opens with Alolan Raichu. Fortunately for bug trainers of Alola, this is a boon. Luciel’s First Impression takes it out cold. At least that’s one out of the way.

Next up was a pokemon I had only a shaky plan for, Crabominable. This horrible-looking evolution of Crabrawler has the spooky Stone Edge and a terrifying Attack to back it up. This was also basically Protoman’s only chance to get a screen up, so I had him Reflect. We get a lucky Stone Edge miss so I also Tailwind before he goes down. Then, to my great fortune, Neptune can kill clean with a z-Liquidation.

Noivern up next, a foe that’s always gone down neatly to Ms. Sidle’s Dazzling Gleam. Somehow I suspected this time, it wouldn’t quite do it– and I was right. I finish off with Luciel’s Iron Head after taking a Super Fang to the face.

Tauros is out next, a relatively straightforward pokemon. I plan on poison-stalling this one and send out Dipper. It seems to work great– I Toxic, protect, the Reflect is helping a lot in surviving Double Edges, I’m about to finish things off and deliver the final blow … and then Hau Full Restores.

This one stung, people. Poor Dipper, the punching-bag of the team, was about to finally land a rightfully earned kill of his own, and Hau takes it away with his cheap item usage. Reflect runs out after this, to rub salt in the wound. Without Reflect up and on low health, I can’t repeat Dipper’s strat. So I have to let Dipper fall valiantly once again as I potion up Luciel. Then my Golisopod finishes off the bull.

Decidueye is out next. This is the z-crystal holder. I have three pokemon left: Neptune, Luciel, and Gaz. It really is about choosing who dies to a z-move at this point. I decide Neptune is the least crucial for defeating Hau’s final two pokemon. Neptune falls to the grass z-move.

Then Luciel can come in and take a big chunk with his First Impression before his Emergency Exit triggers and kicks him back out. Gaz thus finishes up with her Bug Buzz. She fortunately doesn’t take much damage from Decidueye’s Spirit Shackle.

Finally, this leaves Hau’s Vaporeon. I get a First Impression off first, as usual, which takes Vap down to around half health. Golisopod survives a Hydro Pump and lives on a few precious HP, and I’m excited about getting a Sucker Punch, but unfortunately Vaporeon has Quick Attack. Ah well.

My last pokemon was Gaz, at around half health. It seemed fitting it should all come down to my starter. It really was a question of whether she’d survive the incoming Hydro Pump before she could Thunderbolt, because of course Arceus knows she wasn’t outspeeding anybody.

I’m still not sure if she would have survived that hit, but I like to think she would have. At the time, I had faith she would. She had surprised me a lot with tanking hits and pulling through, after all. In the end, Hydro Pump missed, and she could Thunderbolt cleanly.

And Gaz took the championship for us all.

Could we finally rest now, having been named the Alolan Champions? Or was there still something left to do?

… stay tuned to find out! :D

This is a repost on a new blog. The original post was on Aug 13, 2019.

#pokemon #bugrun #bugrun7 #mycontent #pokemon playthroughs

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theworkofartplacement · 5 years ago

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Fourth Visit - 25/11/19

-Got given my staff badge so I am officially Miss Arkwright which is exciting! Has made me feel more connected to the school and allowed me to feel more like I’m properly working and a member of the staff body.

-Started the day with further research into funding for the AiR program - actually found a really good one that has potential: The Paul Hamlyn Foundation. Good that it is specifically for schools and has a focus on education.

-I put that + arts council research into funding doc, wrote down general things we need to be thinking about as well as the specific requirements for both funds. Such as:

-What is the purpose / focus of the program? What will the larger impact of the program be? What are our aims + desired outcomes? What do we hope to achieve? What will the impact be of the program on each group involved - the school, the artist, the students + the wider community (+ the arts education sector?) Who do we hope to influence?

-What will / does the program actually consist of? Outline of what is expected from the AiR, how the AiR will work with the students + staff.

-Why is the program NEEDED? Where was there a lack in learning / education and how will the program fill this ‘hole’? How, as an education institution, have we worked out that this is a priority and why we think our program would address it. What makes the program different to the arts curriculum already in place in the school?

-Who are the primary beneficiaries of the program? Who is going to be directly involved? How will we ensure these groups are fully engaging with the program?

-How will the program benefit these groups?

Benefits for students:

Unique personal insight into careers in the arts

Development of specific practical skills (in areas that they may not have developed previously / hadn’t explored by teachers before due to lack of knowledge in this area etc.)

Allows for experimentation + building confidence

Heightens interest and engagement through a different form of learning with different teachers

Positive working relationships. Show feedback from students about how they enjoyed working with the AiR and how it helped them in a variety of different ways both practically and academically.

Benefits for the school:

Raise the public profile of the school and contribute to a movement to promote arts subjects in schools.

Establishes the school as a cultural hub in Durham city (which is lacking exhibiting space and opportunities for young artists)

Underlines commitment to the arts + arts education. Raises the status and value of the creative arts in education – would show that Durham Sixth Form Centre is a leading institution for the promotion of arts education in the UK.

Boosts profile amongst artists who are looking for more opportunities in the north east

Benefits for artist:

Allows them to not only develop their practice, have a space to work in and the opportunity to mount an exhibition.

Allows them to gain experience in the arts education sector, working with students and teaching more generally allowing them a great insight and potentially encouraging them to consider going into arts education themselves which would be a definite benefit to the promotion of arts ed in the uk.

-How will the program engage with the wider community? (Required for Arts Council Funding + Culture Bridge North East) How could this link to the development of a community arts program in the school?

-How have the target audience (i.e. students?) been involved in deciding that this project is needed?

-Speak to students about their experience with the AiR, how it has benefitted them, what they think could be changed / made better.

-Teacher reflection on how it has benefitted the work of certain students for example.

-Evaluation of the program so far:

What has worked so far with the program, what needs to be changed / addressed? How have we addressed the issues we’ve come up against? (e.g. issues with Katie’s health and how we adapted the offer to exclude the exhibition element in order to take pressure off her). How do we make the program better for the students AND how do we make it more appealing to potential applicants (i.e. artists). How has it already made an impact? In what way is our current proposal BETTER than what we were offering before?

-How we can monitor and evaluate the progress and success of the program (+ ensure that both the school/teachers and the artist are happy)?

-Regular informal chats with the AiR (Lizzie)

-Encourage the students to reflect on their interactions with the AiR - both for their academic work / arts award but also as a form of feedback for how the artist is engaging with the students → can show evidence of this from previous artists.

Budget / Spending:

-Need to be able to present a breakdown of costs → Showing exactly what the money is going to be used for

-Hannah finished the document for my aims etc. Linked all the documents I was working on to that document in order to have it all in one place. By properly talking to Hannah about my placement and setting out specific aims and tasks I really feel genuinely useful and I’m glad to have something to work towards and something that will hold me accountable for not getting things done!

-I chatted to Hannah about the research I’d done, she was helpful and happy with what I’d achieved - said that they sounded promising etc. Going to arrange a meeting with Ruth during study leave to present what I’ve found and discuss next steps etc.

-Went with Hannah to the foundation class, helped her give Tutorials to them - chat about where they’re at, what their ideas are, how they’re going to formulate these into their final project etc. I am really interested in the work of one of the students who is looking at the Syrian refugee crisis and the art/culture of the middle east. I chatted to her about the significance of religion in Islamic architecture (geometric patterns + calligraphy embodying the beauty and perfection of Allah) spoke about the Alhambra, and I recommended the oriental museum. Feel like we will have a lot to chat about which was nice! Am genuinely really interested in her project so will be good to keep up with the work she is doing. It also felt nice to be properly connecting with the students as sometimes I feel a bit awkward just sitting in on their lessons.

-Went to the Arts award class - each of them came and chatted to me about their ideas for the opinion piece (section C) so that Hannah could have a chance to chat to some students who were struggling. It was good for them to have someone to articulate their ideas to and I was really impressed with what they’d come up with and was glad I could give them some suggestions / ideas. Evelina didn’t have an idea so we came up with one together to look at censorship vs. Freedom of expression etc. When I get back from the Christmas holidays the students will be presenting these opinion pieces and I’ll be helping Hannah give them feedback and evaluate how they’ve done.

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