#after a year ib drafts you are free

[dyedcomrade]

Wesker with trans male reader

based on me, it's very likely your experience or boundaries are different from mine, don't take offense.

in the first place he is either interested by your skills and your workplace performance or their lack of. the two extremes intrigue him, he can't help it.

your appearance comes only second in why he wants to pursue you.

with his god complex he likes that no matter how hard you try you can never equate to his genius. even if you do he just doesn't acknowledge it - after all, one of the main driving force of his uroboros project is his presumed superiority. if you are not the one on the top of the food-chain at your job, that's the most favorable to him. knowing his darling won't even get near his greatness is comforting to him. you won't leave him for someone better, simply because none exists. and surely you need someone to take care of you or at least help.

he doesn't realise people don't have a value ranging from one to ten based on their intelligence, money and power, and how his theoretical hierarchy is nonexistent in everyone else's mind, so you are, in fact, not chained to him forever.

his mind is in dvd screensaver mode most of the time when he is not working, so it is possible he either waved you off when trying ro open up to him about yourself or didn't get any of it.

he will go with any of your fashion choices though. as long as it's proper for the occasion and high-quality clothing, he won't have any negative comments about it. he thinks you are hot in everything and even if he could have had a better outfir in mind for you, he shrugs it off thinking it's a new trend he didn't have time to catch up on.

he would be over the moon if you dressed exactly like him. his little human looks so much up to him that he wants to copy him the best his ability? how cute. he may even want to introduce your body to uroboros. - of course if he deems it safe for you.

if you ask him to recommend you a doctor for hrt or gender reassignment surgery he will be caught off guard. like for what? and you have to explain it to him all over again.

he understands of course. feeling alien from the person your environment taught or at least wanted you to be. but also a forever outcast in society. people just won't take their time and understand. and what they don't, feels strange to them. but don't worry, he will be with you on this road. will ask you if you would like to join him on his throne when his plan is done. of course you can choose to stay the way you are. he will mention, though, the benefits of his creation on healing and regeneration if you choose to have surgeries.

if you can't or don't want to for some reason, he still will see you as a man. he will be more fussy about your safety - for example he will remind you a couple of times to take your binder off and just breathe throughout the day. he also makes sure that you feel as comfortable as you can with him without the binder as well.

he will make your transition smooth and fast. no footlong waiting lists and irresponsible, careless or transphobic doctors. in case, he w i l l ruin the ones who mistreat you. and some others who abuse their power just for the fun of it. they've got the opportunity and smarts to make it through med school and use it for making other's lives miserabble? well then, he just has to dig up some controversy from their past, sue them over it, aaand consider it done.

he immediately switches to your preferred name and feels kind od horrible for seeming untrustworthy for a time, thus forcing you to go by your deadname around him.

he will proudly refer to you as his boyfriend and if you are okay with it he will be open about the fact that you're trans.

any transphonic comment will at least get the person thrown through the room by uroboros. they must have not been the sharpest tool anyway, so not much of a loss if they get hurt or die by it.

from the start of the relationship he would prefer if you just moved in. not because he has ulterior motives, but it's just more convenient and he hasn't got time to commute. he will provide you with a separate room if you don't yet want to sleep with him.

if you for some reason can't go yet, he will be extra attentive when you two meet up. he makes sure you know that he enjoys getting flooded by text messages or pictures from you any time of the day. he is kind of dependent on you so he usually wants to facetalk into the night. that's how you both fall asleep on these occasions.

he is very patient with every step of the relationship. before you come out to him and after especially. he asks before he does something new it it's okay, whether you want to try it or not.

if marriage is important for you he will spare no expenses to arrange one for the two of you. just reminds you he really has noone to invite from his side. (maybe in another universe his s.t.a.r.s. team with chris being his best man. he is not, but funny enough for the role.) although if you want only a small one, even just the two of you with or without a priest/pastor he will be delighted. after all he doesn't have to waste his time on people who he barely even knows. and who may even barely even know you.

he makes sure you don't accidentally consume extra oestrogen with your food and plans meals for you - if you allow him to. his love language is more like gifts and physical touch but you make him want to try new ways to love: making time for you and helping out however he can.

he believes you are the only person worth leaving untouched uroboros. preserving something from the old world, something only you could have. by remaining human, the fragility he was never allowed to posess and the strength to still have it despite the world being disgusting towards you, the courage, which should really be called recklessness, to still be by the side of most powerful being

[accessible-flatland-art]

Pinned post.

[ID: The icon for this blog, which is a black right triangle on a brown square background, with text following the diagonal of the triangle, reading, "Let irregulars enjoy fandom too.". End ID.]

Please copy and paste the image description I write into the original post for your art, rather than simply reblogging it from me.

The image description should go directly below the image being described, above comments, and stay in normal sized, black text, without italics, bold, or colors. It may be indented (like above) to make it easier to distinguish from the rest of the text in the post. This is in fact more accessible.

Once you add the ID to the original post, I'll delete my reblog and reblog the original again once I have time.

This blog is run by @rjalker so it's easier to keep track of which Flatland art has an ID already, and so people have an easy place to find it all.

The blog theme is now Account Settings, since I like that it shows timestamps and makes it easy to reblog and go to the original post.

___

Posts on the blog so far: 160 Posts still in the drafts waiting for image descriptions: 455 Blog created on September 18th, 2023 Numbers last updated: September 21st, 2023

(The drafts consist of all of the undescribed Flatland art I could find in the whole tag going back to January 2022, at which point tumblr started giving me random unrelated posts instead. Not sure if it ran out of Flatland posts, or just stops actually keeping track of tagged posts after a year...?)

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The tagging system for this blog is under the cut so this post doesn't get too long. More tags will be added as I find more art to reblog.

The tags in use so far, which I have saved to a notepad so I can just copy and paste them as needed.

please copy and paste the image description into the original post when you get the chance, no credit needed, please also feel free to add in more details likes names or pronouns or fix any mistakes i made

described images, described art, Flatland, Flatland art, Flatart,

Flatland a Romance of Many Dimensions Flatland Illustrations

The Color Revolt, Configurationism, Circularchy,

Flatland anatomy

Stylized form, Literal form,

Flatland animals Flatland rabbit Flatland bees

Flatland technology

A Square, A Sphere, The Grandson of a Square The Great Great Great Great Great Grandfather of A Square

memes, Flatland memes,

Family Trees Comic

Flatland OCs, Original characters, Flatland original characters,

Character reference

Disabled characters, Neurodivergent characters, Physically disabled characters, Characters with mobility aids, Characters with disability aids Characters with canes, Characters with walkers Characters with swimmers Characters with glasses Characters with wheelchairs, Characters with chairs Characters with sleds Characters with crutches, Characters with rollators, Characters with scars Characters with facial differences Characters with visual impairment Blind characters

Werestars, Stellanthropes,

The Arts of Being The Breaking Point Flat Dreams Flatterland Flatland the film 2007

Esther Flat Dreams Nora Vigenere

Pollux Codex, Madelyn Schwarz-Carver Hunter Schwarz Marianne Smith Michael the Misogynist Pentagon Providence, Nature, Providence and Nature Germs Mr Square

A Shape Oblisi Liam A Son of A Square Cy Frau Line Lily Cipher, Ruth Galton Liz Orbis

Rutabega,

Hauntlight the Irregular Line Cenotaph the rabbit daemon

Flyssa of Ib-Wa Dearg of Ib-Wa Lieutenant Kellite the Configurationist Grandna Tuokeli

Vikki Line, Victoria Line, Lee Line, Jubilee Line,

Bill Cipher, Gravity Falls, GFcrossover, The Axolotl Andrew Kryptos The Mosaic

Spacelanders

Video, autoplay, GIF, Autoplay WIP animation Unnamed Animation 001 Animation

Flatland Merch Art you can buy Art you can print

Art templates

Ty for adding it to the original ID added in reblog ID in original

[am-stories]

Introduction to My WIP’s (pls forgive i suck at explaining ideas)

Eradicate: This is the story this blog was initially for but then I kept getting ideas for other stories. This is also my longest running WIP -- I started this story when I was THIRTEEN! This will be the sixth year of me working on it, due to constant procrastination and restarting, plus the fact that I gave up on it for a full year once. Over the years, I’ve been struggling to figure out if this story would be better suited as a novel, graphic novel, web comic, etc. I still haven’t truly decided.

When an illness starts to rapidly spread across the world, causing humans to lose their ability to function normally and attack each other (cough zombies cough), major cities are forced into quarantine. The quarantined cities are relatively safe, so long as you’re of some importance, but when a homeless shelter is ignored in their times of need, the survivors in the shelter decide to escape the quarantine zone, unaware of just how much worse it is on the outside. The survivors of the homeless shelter stick together, trying to learn the ways of the new world and trying to find what they were unable to before the world ended; a home.

The Outskirts of Life: This story I’ve been struggling to figure out, but it means a lot to me. The idea for this story came early this year, while I was in college. I was going through a bout of depression. One of the worst ones I’ve had in years. Basically because I felt all alone at college and I was constantly exhausted due to the fact that I was studying at a private university, and paying for it by myself, and working on the school play every night. I was even having suicidal thoughts during this time. I remember just being at work, exhausted and in desperate need of a break, and suddenly this idea came to me and I instantly felt lighter. I don’t know if it was because I had no time to draw or write anymore or what, but I just felt so much better and excited by the idea of creating again. And that night, I thought about ideas for the story all day at work and then rushed to my dorm to write it down.

This is a story about a city, and a girl within the city. The city would be called “Life,” probably in a different language so the metaphor is less obvious. This girl is struggling with depression when she meets another lost soul. They become friends and this person tells the girl to meet her on the outskirts of the city. When they go there, the girl finds out she can leave the city, which is something she didn’t realize she could do because it was so unheard of. At first the girl is against the idea of leaving, but then she feels compelled to see what the outskirts have to offer. She learns that past the outskirts, it can feel freeing at first, but the longer people stay there, the darker and scarier it becomes. I still have a LOT of figuring out to do with this story, especially with how to execute it without romanticizing mental illness or suicide. But I want it to ultimately be about her learning to embrace Life, even if it does seem hopeless and mediocre at times.

Marnie and the Chosen Ones: I haven’t read or seen The Babysitter’s Club, but for some reason I feel like these would be sorta similar. This story hasn’t really been fleshed out at all, but it’s something that I’m interested in writing for myself. Basically because I didn’t get to have an experience like this in my high school and I think it would have been so beneficial for me.

Marnie is a young person in high school and she decides that she wants to form a Gender-Sexuality Alliance (GSA) so that she can feel less alone, and educate other students in her school. The club starts out scarce and they have to go through hurdles, such as bullying from other students and faculty forcing them to censor themselves. Within the club, the members form a new family and learn that real love is unconditional.

Unnamed Idea #1: This idea came from a dream oops. I actually kinda see this story not in the form of a novel, but maybe as an RPG Maker game. (If you don’t know what that is, maybe you’ve heard of Ib, Mad Father, The Witch’s House? Those are still some of my favorite games ever.) I’ve always wanted to make an RPG Maker game but didn’t have the means to. I may splurge and buy the program one day but for now I’ll just write what i have in mind for it. c:

This story is about Ana Kumari and a few other lost souls. (I’ve said lost souls twice now... oh well) Ana has just moved to a new city for her partner’s job. She tries to be optimistic about life, but she feels it’s just... lackluster. Her relationship, job, family life, apartment all just feel mediocre to her. This feeling becomes more and more overwhelming because her 30′th birthday is coming up and she feels as though she hasn’t made any impact on the world around her. One day, she notices Christmas decorations being put up. She urges her partner to come see them with her, but they refuse so she decides to go anyways. Along the way, she notices someone drop a device. She tries to return it to them, but after chasing them, she finds herself lost. She becomes trapped somewhere, seemingly underground, with strange threats around every corner. Overtime, as she tries to find her way out, she meets others trapped in there and discovers that the device leads you to your greatest desires. Not until each person trapped inside figures out their greatest desire will they be able to escape.

Unnamed Idea #2: I literally got this idea from a dream I had LAST NIGHT but I lied in bed contemplating ideas for it for two hours afterwards so I’m gonna include it. c: Although I think this dream was inspired by the tiktok soulmate trend thing so if I ever wrote this it would probably not be something I try to get published. But that’s okay, I think it’d be fun to write. c: 

In a time of war, many people never get to meet their soulmates. If they do, they don’t always get much time with them. On each person’s 18th birthday, a birthmark appears somewhere on their body. Their soulmate gets the same exact mark, in the same exact area, on their birthday as well. Two women meet and quickly become friends. One of them has already received her mark, and the other’s birthday is in a few weeks from the start of the story. They instantly gravitate towards each other, like most soul mates do when they first meet, but this confuses them because all their lives they were told same-sex soulmates didn’t exist. After a bit of suppressing their feelings, they both accept that they have feelings for one another. The younger one is almost certain that her mark will match the older one’s. But the older girl’s almost certain they won’t match despite their intense feelings for one another. One day, the older girl goes to meet her lover, only to find that her house is empty. She’s devastated until she gets a letter in the mail. Her family had to leave because her brother had been drafted for the war. The end of the letter only says “Find me.” The older girl decides that even if they are not soulmates, what they have is worth the heartbreak. So despite her fears, she gets ready for the road trip to find the love of her life again.

Aaanddd that’s it right now. C: 

This is honestly scary, but I’m proud of myself. Eradicate is the only story I’ve told people about in any detail, and that’s always been online. This is also online but... It’s progress! :D 

Many All of the ideas need a LOT of work, as most of them are still in the very early stages of existing. But I’m excited to do that work. c:

[cooltrainererika]

AAAAA I just remembered @aphlithuaniaweek2020 was a thing! And what a coincidence, since I was just thinking about this guy more often... because I’ve been trying Hetaloid after a long hiatus, and the cover I’m working on most features Lithuania as a main vocal.

So, for the Free prompt day, I’ll submit my progress so far! This will go up after the day changes; it’s now the 12th. That’s right, a Hetaloid submission! I just hope this gets attention for being unique...

But it really is a coincidence. I was just thinking I want to write my Alt version of him more and was regaining a bit of interest in him again. So I hope I give him much needed attention. He’s shown up in Superbia (and was mentioned in Estonia’s First Christmas), but since I wasn’t too sure how to characterize GDL Tolys at the time (and now it’s still a bit vague) and the fic was Poland-centric he didn’t show a lot of character. Though in most writing exercises I’ve written him in he’s turned out really bland because of this lack of info. I do hope I can change that. And I still have that way overdue submission for @aph-lunar-new-year and aaauuuugghhh-

This is a cover of IMITATION BLACK; check out the original too, Natsu-P is a great artist. I plan to alter the lyrics, but as of now they’re unaltered.

Here’s what I have so far:

The first half of Stanza one (Lithuania solo)

Whole first stanza (with Poland, stereo and mono versions)

The chorus (original order: Lithuania and Poland, Belarus as background vocals)

The chorus (my lyric order: starts with Lithuania singing, Poland joins halfway in, Belarus as background vocals)

The whole first verse (Lithuania only)

The whole first verse (all three)

Yes, it’s the Commonwealth crew (the most stable members of it at least)! Because I love them. I kind of wanted to make people guess but this probably won’t get enough attention for that... I’m just proud of how relatively well their voicebanks turned out. Though they work badly with the advanced sampler... Lithuania works a bit better but there’s still ear-bleeding background noise. So it’s in resampler for now. Though I definitely want to use moresampler so I can see how much I can make them sound like they could fit the Alt versions with the same voice.

Also: Not sure if I should spoil my lyrics (it’s about a certain historic event between them/historic era, and it actually fits a few of the prompts), though I’ll post them if there’s demand. Then again it’s also focused on Poland as well (even if Lithuania, for once, gets the leading lines. As you can tell from the above, Lithuania roughly corresponds to Gackpo, Poland to KAITO, and Belarus to Len) and a bit of Belarus so it might not be appropriate for the event anyway. Though that also applies to this...

[zayafeli]

I’ve always wondered how can you write so much and publish books so often??

IRON BREAKERS took me a little over a year to plot, and each book took roughly 3-4 months to write, edit and publish after that, so the IB books all came out close together. I’d edit one while drafting the next at the same time. TEETH came out fairly quickly after the end of IRON BREAKERS. All this is because I was, at the time, lucky enough to be mostly unemployed (I say mostly, because I’d pitch in with the money I made off art and writing) while living with family, so I could pretty much spend all my waking hours writing, editing and promoting my books.

A year and 3 months ago, I moved to an apartment by myself and started a brand new education full time (web development, very fun and very frustrating). Due to this, CLAWS came out an entire year after TEETH, which is quite a jump from the 3 months between the IB books. Since I now come home around 5.30 PM every day and wake up every morning at 5.40 AM to go to school, progress on books is going to be a lot slower.

I did, however, plan it so I’d finish plotting WILD SKY in time for my summer holiday this month. So far, I’ve gotten down 10k words on draft 1 in just three days, and I’m hoping to finish the entire first draft by the time I go back to school on August 5th, so I can edit after school at a steadier pace.

I was incredibly lucky to have so much free time to work on IB (and some of ICEFJORD), and I wish I had taken advantage of it sooner! Getting creative work done is definitely harder when being out of the house full time, but I’m making it work!

Aaand that was probably a much longer answer than you expected!

[organisaticns]

so im due to start at cambridge university for bio natural sciences in october and i thought i would write a post about what helped me make a successful application. hopefully this is useful to some people!! (also this is an incredibly long post you’ve been warned)

if anyone wants me to do a more in depth post on one specific section, or you guys have any questions at all, feel free to drop me a message!!

choosing a course

this is the most important bit!!! you’re dedicating 3/4/5/6 years of your life to this

oxbridge as rule (esp cambridge) have slightly different courses to other universities so do your research - on their websites and at open days

i know top students are supposed to apply to oxbridge bc “it’s the best” and stuff but if the courses offered don’t interest you or you prefer how other unis teach that course, DON’T APPLY!! it’s not worth it 

generally, look at your a level/ib/etc subjects and which sort of courses they meet the entry requirements for then look at websites and stuff to try and narrow it down

talk to current students! the blog askacambridgestudent on tumblr is great, each area has an oxbridge conference each april if you can go, ask students at open days

they can tell you what it’s actually like

read some books in the subject area you’re considering, watch ted talks, go to masterclasses, do work experience

this will help you choose a course and also be useful later when you write your personal statement

okay so when i was applying people kept telling me i would only be successful if the only thing i thought about 24/7 was biology and it was the love of my life. this is not true. you can have other interests don’t believe the people that tell you that you cant

that being said you need to be passionate about your subject!! refer to bullet point 1!! they want to know that you’re interested in it and this needs to show

oxford vs cambridge

this is really hard for some people but my course is only offered at cambridge so i did not have this problem

so first see if you prefer the course offered at one of them

if not, visit both and hopefully you’ll get a better vibe from one

i have no good advice here

writing your personal statement

okay writing a ps is just not fun okay prepare yourself for that

if anyone wants a biology/natural sciences example message me and i can send you mine

this post has some really good advice

start early, aim to have it completely done and edited by early september (oxbridge deadline is 15th october)

first, think about things you want to write about - i wrote a paragraph on a book i’d read, a paragraph each on two summer schools i did, a paragraph on my epq, and a paragraph on extracurricular

things you can talk about - books, ted talks, lectures, summer schools, masterclasses, epq, independent research into stuff, work experience

when you’re writing about stuff you gotta engage with it, so dedicate a whole paragraph to one book, then take one key theme and talk about how it interested you and how you looked up other things to do with it - link it to a different concept or talk about which theory you like best if theres conflicting theories in the field etc

it’s a hard thing to do but just pick different bits you liked about the book and try to discuss it - a key theory, theme, character etc

you can be asked about your ps in interview so make sure you’re comfortable discussing the books on your ps

you also do not need to talk about multiple books if you don’t want to, i only talked about one and i know people who didn’t mention any

don’t just say things like “im passionate about biology”!! back it up with something!! say you’re passionate about one specific topic in your field and why, discuss how different things you did/read consolidated your interest, show your interest through discussion about the subject

try to link in slightly different subject areas or experiences, and definitely link everything to your course and why you’d be a good student

i managed to link my latin AS level to biology so anything is possible folks

while you want all your paragraphs to be very supercurricular based on things you’ve done and read, try and drop in some of those buzz words they love - you know like about your academic writing skills, enthusiasm, opportunity, dedication, communication, interdisciplinary skills etc.

oxbridge do not give a shit about your extracurricular but other unis do so you want one paragraph max on it and try to link it to transferable skills - it makes you a good communicator etc

write your first draft - it will be shitty but just write it, leave the intro and conclusion to last

introductions and conclusions are super hard to write but it’s doable. try to take the general idea you’re trying to include (mine was how interdisciplinary study is important to both all the sciences together and sub disciplines in bio) and write a little bit about it

it doesn’t have to be long, your intro should introduce your passion to the subject (please don’t do the whole “i’ve wanted to study bio since i was five and x happened” thing)

conclusion can be super short, just reinforce you’re excited to study your subject in a new environment and have new opportunities

look at the tsr examples for inspiration

try to make it cohesive ish? have a running theme? (like how this one has a running theme? i actually took a lot of inspiration from that ps)

don’t say things like “im a motivated and commited student with good time management skills” without smth to back it up - “while undertaking an independent research project, i developed time management skills, and researching x made me more interested bc y” is better (i mean still not incredible but i wrote that literally just now okay)

the student room has a load of examples from people who’ve already applied

read the ones in your subject, work out which bits you like and don’t like, apply to your own (be careful of plagiarism tho)

disclaimer: not all the ps on there are good

once you have a complete and awful first draft show it to a teacher

most people show it to the relevant subject teacher, but also to your tutor, the higher education adviser, oxbridge adviser

they will hopefully help you make it less awful but don’t let them change it so much it doesn’t sound like you

i showed mine to the oxbridge adviser at my school and well he laughed at it bc it was so bad so you know

but i didn’t listen to everything he said bc some of the things he wrote like no 17 year old would say

keep revising drafts, showing to teachers until you can’t stand reading it anymore then get someone else (maybe parents?) to spell check and be done with the horrible thing

no one likes their personal statement, you will read it in august and wonder how you could possibly write something so bad

the actual ucas application

make sure your predicted grades are at least as high as the entrance requirements

you don’t really have much control over your teacher reference but you can use it to mention things you couldn’t fit in your personal statement if you can convince your teachers to include stuff

make sure all your qualifications and stuff are accurate

the saq (cambridge only)

you have to fill this in straight after october 15th

it’s mostly boring admin stuff, filling in topics and class sizes etc.

you have an option to write an additional (shorter) personal statement

this is really useful if the course you’re applying to at oxbridge is different to the other courses youve applied to - such as if you applied to politics everywhere else but hsps at cambridge - use it to explain why you want to do that specific course at cambridge

but you definitely don’t have to write one, i didnt!

make sure you get this in on time

written work

for some courses you have to send in written work

i didn’t have to so i don’t have loads of advice, but make sure you send in stuff that you’re comfortable discussing at interview

they’ll be guidelines on the cambridge website and on your specific college’s website

admissions tests

not the most fun things

find the specification on the website and go through, highlighting and revising the points you don’t know

try to find some past papers and do them

this really depends on the subject you’re doing so i can’t give much more advice but if anyone needs advice specific to the NSAA shoot me a message

also, these are just part of your application and even if you came out of yours thinking it’s the worst test you’ve ever had it probably didn’t go that badly 

the NSAA is the hardest test i’ve ever sat and i thought i had done completely shit and i still got an offer so there’s still hope

interviews

okay so first, don’t believe the rumours

you know the ones where people say they got given a banana and asked to use it to explain how quantum mechanics relates to of mice and men

interviews are definitely scary, but they are nowhere near as bad as people make them out to be, and they don’t ask you weird unrelated questions

make sure you know your personal statement inside out and you feel comfortable talking about the topics/books/etc you mentioned on there in depth

keep up to date with any recent news or high profile research in your field (you don’t need to know details, just have a vague idea of what’s going on)

this is especially important if you’re applying for politics or economics or something like that

if your school offers a mock interview, definitely have one, though don’t panic if you can’t have one there’s other ways to prepare

the whole point of interview is them wanting to see how you think and how you respond to unfamiliar problems

so i looked up a list of “past oxbridge interview questions” and practised writing down a quick answer to them and thinking about how i would go about solving the problem

oxford has some examples on the “sample questions” bit here

i also used this site but remember a lot of these probably aren’t actual interview questions 

if you have an opportunity, just talk to your relevant subject teacher about the topics beyond your specification

you honestly don’t need to do too much interview prep, just do enough so you feel a bit calmer about the whole thing

hope some of that helps :)

[uozlulu]

I remembered why the wheelchair but forgot the wheelchair so I'm going to put what I wrote over here just in case I need something from it that I rewrite or something and then rework it to accommodate the wheelchair. Also I worked hard on it so might as well put it somewhere idek.

Anyway, here's some of that AU ending fic I was working on. Manga spoilers obviously because you can guess some parts of the ending given the scenario below.

As a note since this is a first draft, it’s a bit sloppy, hasn’t been reworked, and I likely would have gone through and added a bit here and there before doing the flesh out read through check stuff I do before posting. First drafts are always kind of a get it on the page asap mode thing for me.

Ash should turn back, but he didn’t. He went through security, through customs, through everything that stood between him and the plane. He slid up to the college girl welcoming people onto the flight and with some well placed words, he got on the plane. He worked his way to the economy class and saw Ibe first, holding the man’s gaze a long moment before making his way to the row and sliding into the aisle seat of the same row.

 Eiji did not notice. He stared through the window, barely registering the bustle of the ground crew outside. A plane nearby began to taxi away from its gate.

 “Hey,” Ash said.

 Eiji jumped and looked over at Ash. “You –!” Eiji said. “Ash!”

 “Hey, not so loud,” Ash said.

 “Did Sing give you the note?” Eiji asked.

 “Note? No,” Ash said. He ran a hand through his hair. He leaned towards the back of the seat in front of him so he could see around Ibe to Eiji.

 Eiji leaned towards the seats in front of them as well. “Why?” Eiji asked. Why what exactly he was not sure. There were so many whys.

 “I…” Ash’s voice trailed a moment. He rushed to the airport at the last minute. He had not expected to make it this far. He was not sure when the person meant for this seat might come. The stream of people passing through the aisles began to taper.

 “I bought you a ticket,” Eiji said. “Come with me. Stay with me.”

 Ash held Eiji’s gaze, his heart in his ears. “I can’t make any promises,” he said.

 “I know,” Eiji said, “but I have mine.”

 “Forever,” Ash murmured.

 “Yes,” Eiji said.

 They grew silent. Ibe took a small breath. “I will trade you seats before we take off,” he said.

 After some shuffling, Eiji gave Ash the window seat and took the middle seat. Ibe settled into the aisle seat just in time for the stewardess to come by and make sure everything was in order for the plane to leave. The stewards began securing the cabin and imparting important information in case of an emergency. The stewards disappeared and the plane taxied down the runway. With great speed and tremendous thrust, the plane launched itself into the air.

 Ash gripped the armrest tightly. His heart stayed in his stomach even after the plane stopped climbing. He had officially left. He vowed never to return.

 It felt like a dream. Eiji half expected to hit a pocket of turbulence and jostle awake only to find Ash nowhere on the plane. Instead, Eiji woke when Ash’s shoulder moved out from under his head abruptly.

 Ash leaned forward and put his hands over his ears. His back heaved with the effort to breathe.

 Eiji’s hand hovered near Ash’s arm and then he moved his hand away. He waited and glanced at those around them on the plane. Everyone seemed to be sleeping including Ibe and those that were not had music and other things to keep them occupied.

 “Ash,” Eiji said as quietly as possible, not sure if Ash would hear him. “Ash,” he said a little firmer.

 Ash removed his hands from his ears. He sat up, almost smacking his head into Eiji’s head. He looked around and his shoulders stopped shaking with each breath. He looked at Eiji.

 “A dream?” Eiji asked.

 “Sure,” Ash said. “How much longer?” He ran his hands through his hair and rubbed his face.

 “Four hours,” Eiji said after glancing at his watch.

 They did not speak for a long time. Then Ash asked almost too quiet for Eiji to hear, “This is real, right?”

 “Yes,” Eiji said just as quietly. He touched Ash’s hand slowly, one finger, two fingers, three fingers, four fingers, and then he took Ash’s hand and squeezed it when Ash did not pull away.

 There were a lot of ways Ibe thought this might go when Eiji said he bought a ticket for Ash just in case and left a note with Sing. Third wheeling it through the Beijing Capital International Airport for four hours had not crossed his mind. He gave them space but stayed close enough they would all be aware of anything that happened to each other.

 Ash and Eiji sat near the windows watching the planes outside. They said nothing but seemed to sit almost in the same space without touching. Ibe sighed and touched his bag out of habit to make sure it was still with him. He had been friends with Eiji’s parents since long before Eiji was born. They trusted him with their child and so many things happened. Sometimes he thought that letting Eiji stay when they could have gone home after the first incident was a mistake. A few weeks turned into months far too quickly. Ibe still was not sure how they managed to stretch their visas so thin.

 Ibe felt Ash sit one seat away more than saw it. Ibe could see Eiji heading off towards food and other amenities. Words rolled through Ibe’s mind. Part of him wanted Ash to promise that the instant any of this followed him to Japan, Ash would leave before Eiji could get caught back up in it. However, Ibe knew that Eiji was likely too caught up in it already and Eiji would not let Ash suffer in Japan.

 Ibe saw Ash leave the area and Eiji leave in another direction amicably. Ibe sighed and looked down at his hands. He thought about Eiji’s parents. They entrusted their son him and he was not sure what they would say. He was not sure how to explain any of this. He sent postcards occasionally and on New Years there was a phone call. While he knew a lot of this was Eiji’s to tell, he also knew that he was responsible for not leaving sooner.

 “I have tea,” Eiji said, reappearing. He had three cups balanced carefully in his arms. He handed one to Ibe and looked around for Ash who had not returned yet.

 “Ei-chan,” Ibe said. He thought his words over. He did not want to sound accusatory or accidentally start a fight. “I worry about this,” he said in Japanese. “For you. For him. What will happen when we get to Japan? What will you do if things don’t go as you hope?”

 Eiji did not look away from Ibe. “I don’t know what will happen,” he said in Japanese. “I told Ash I would wait for him, that I would be by his side forever and I meant it. I still meant it.”

 Ibe watched Eiji’s brow furrow and his posture straighten. Ibe remembered killing time with Eiji in the Beijing Capital Airport on the way to New York. How Eiji stood as though his injury still hurt, how his eyes seemed to look through rather than at the bustle of the workers outside. “You must follow your heart then,” Ibe said. That was what got both them into all of this back in New York, but somehow they survived.

 “I follow my head too,” Eiji said. He sat by Ibe. “I knew Ash might not come with us, that it was his choice. I hope Japan it’s too boring or too different. I hope he doesn’t regret choosing this.” Eiji glanced in the direction Ash went. He wondered if Ash would return before the tea became cold.

 Ash meanwhile stood near the departure signs but out of the way. He put his hands in his pockets and let out a silent long breath. This felt like the most selfish choice he made in his entire life. He knew Eiji would open his home, his heart even, to Ash without question. He doubted he had any right to it. He wondered if he should have just stayed in New York. Ash’s eyes roamed the cities on the board. He could still go anywhere. He could free Eiji from all the consequences that might come with his presence.

 Ash could remember the slower days alone in the apartment. When they were alone and Eiji played with the camera he brought from Japan for tourism purposes. He thought about Eiji’s laughter when they donned bedsheets like togas and made dramatic poses with various household props. He thought about the nights when the rain fell and they spoke to each other in hushed tones, how the space between their beds seemed smaller and the room warmer. Ash thought about how Eiji would open his arms, take a step forward, and if Ash did not step away, Eiji would wrap his arms around him. Eiji’s hair would tickle his face and sometimes Ash found him wrapping his arms back around Eiji.

 Ash’s heart ached. Eiji never expected things from him like everyone else in his life had, but Ash did not know if he had anything to give. This was his chance to leave New York, this was his chance to never be used ever again. He wanted to be free. He also wanted Eiji by his side without looking over their shoulders or staring at every shadow.

 Ash knew once he went back to Eiji and Ibe he would get on the plane with them and he would go to Japan. Ash did not know what would happen once Eiji was around everything that made him who he was when they first met. Ash did not know what he would do with himself either. Would he get a job? What job? He probably needed to learn Japanese beyond the handful of phrases and words Eiji managed to teach him over their time together. The more he thought, the longer the list of things to do and things that could go wrong seemed to grow. He took a deep breath.

 Ash licked his lips and then ran a hand through his hair. He headed back towards the gate. He stopped once Eiji came into view. Eiji’s face brightened and he held up the tea in his hands. Ash sighed quietly and walked over, taking one of the cups from Eiji. “Thanks,” he said.

 “You too,” Eiji said. “Thanks for returning.”

 Ash held his gaze for a long moment. Then he nodded. He hoped if they did come to regret this that it would not end in dead bodies.

 The plane ride to Japan was significantly shorter and after changing planes again they arrived at Izumo in the evening, which was morning back at New York. It was already dark outside. Izumo was smaller than many American cities but still large. It was along the southwest coast of Japan The city was both ancient and modern and contained the oldest Shinto shrine in Japan.

 Eiji and Ibe grabbed their bags and Ash put his hands in his pockets. They exited the plane. Ash touched his hand to his waistband and froze. His gun was not there. He knew it would not be. He had dumped it in a trashcan on his way into the airport, but he felt like it should still be there. He followed Eiji into the aisle and bit his tongue. The person behind him kept walking into him. He took a long, slow breath through his nose.

 Once they were in the terminal Ash found a place to stick himself with at least a person’s width between him and those nearby. He put his hands in his pockets, eyes moving about the crowds. He recognized no one, but everyone looked at him. He was not the only white person in the airport but his height, age, and hair set him apart from the rest.

 Two women waved enthusiastically and then they were on Eiji immediately, asking him questions in fast Japanese. Eiji’s sister had the same fly away hair as Eiji but longer and their mother was shorter than both her children. Eiji at first spoke in a calm voice, but it became thinner and he teared up. Ash looked away.

 “Shinichi,” Eiji’s mother said and seemed to thank Ibe for taking good care of Eiji and bringing him back in one piece in Japanese. Or at least that was what it looked like.

 “You need to tell us his name,” Eiji’s sister said. She had her arm linked with Eiji’s and she smiled at Ash excitedly.

 “Oh…ah…I’ve been rude,” Eiji said in English. Their little group looked at him. Eiji slipped away from his sister to stand by Ash. “This is Ash. He is,” a pause, “my friend.

 “This is my mom and my sister,” Eiji told Ash.

 Ash nodded. “Hi,” he said. He was not sure if he was supposed to shake their hands or bow. “Sorry for intruding,” he said.

 Eiji’s mother walked over and offered her hand. “It is nice to meet you,” she said. “I am Okumura. You do not intrude. You are Eiji’s friend.” She shook Ash’s hand with a firm but gentle grip. “Thank you for helping my son,” she said.

 A few responses filtered through Ash’s head but he decided to go with, “You’re welcome,” not sure if any of them fit the situation.

 Eiji’s sister was Hatsuko. She shook Ash’s hand and thanked him for helping Eiji too. The conversation kept getting split between Japanese and English. Ash remained quiet and followed them out of the airport. They said goodbye to Ibe who took was heading in the opposite direction home.

 The train was crowded. Ash gripped the pole in front of him tight, his knuckles becoming whiter as everyone pressed in. He felt eyes constantly watching him.

 “Are you okay?” Eiji asked quietly.

 “Don’t worry about it,” Ash said.

 Once they left the train station they got on a bus. The bus left them off at the local mall and it was a long walk to The Okumura home. Mrs. Okumura led the way, taking the time to talk with Eiji now that they were away from the crowds. The streets were narrow and went one way and there were no sidewalks. Similar looking houses lined the streets with some gaps of grass in-between sections of houses.  Ash stayed at the rear of the group. The longer they walked the more residential the buildings became. All of the houses in the area were very modest. There was no sign of threat.

 Hatsuko fell in step with Ash after a while. She thought a long moment and then she said, “Our mom is not a rude person. She missed Eiji very much.”

 “It’s okay,” Ash said. He preferred the focus be on Eiji.

 “Are you a college student?” Hatsuko asked.

 “I could be,” Ash said.

 “My brother has good taste,” Hatsuko said. “You’re as cute as I suspected.”

 Ash glanced at her. She was smiling. He remembered Eiji mentioned if they ever went to Japan his sister’s friends would probably gush.

 “That way leads to the river,” she said as they passed by road.

 “Thanks,” he said.

 Hatsuko studied him a moment and then looked up at the sky. “Home is near,” she said.

 The Okumura residence looked like any other house on the block. It was two stories and had a gate in the front. When they entered the house, shoes came off and slippers went on. There some large slippers for guests that fit Ash’s feet. Eiji’s father and Ibe went abroad in university and sometimes their friends would visit. Eiji’s father was out of the country for business, but would be back in a week.

 While Eiji’s mother and sister headed deeper into the house to start getting supper together, Eiji put their coats away and lead Ash upstairs. Eiji’s bedroom was clean and neatly kept with a desk and bed on one side of the room and a bookshelf on the other near the closet. Eiji set his bags near his bedside and looked around. The bookshelf was full of study aids, novels, photography books, and manga. On top of the bookshelf were several trophies that his mother must have gotten up on a chair to keep clean all this time. Stacks of tapes sat neatly on one side of the desk and his radio sat on the other. There was a small record collection near the far back leg of the desk. It was a boy’s room. It was like someone else’s room.

 Eiji realized he was standing in the way and blinked. “Sorry,” he said and moved deeper into the room. He opened the closet and looked inside. “I know it is awkward. Sorry. I do not know what Ibe-san told them.”

 “I did invite myself,” Ash said. He put his hands in his pockets and moved towards the desk. He scanned the spines of the cassette cases. They were all unfamiliar bands and singers.

 “Not true,” Eiij said. He went over to the window and parted the curtains barely. He scanned the street. There was nothing out there except one of the neighbors taking their dog for a walk. He let the curtain slip closed. Of course there was no threat outside. There would not be any threat outside. “You are always welcome. I am glad you are here.”

 All the things Ash could say ran through his mind. He could smell dinner from downstairs. The slippers squished under his feet. There was no traffic outside. His waistband was loose around him with no gun to cary. He gripped the side of Eiji’s desk tightly.

 “It is hard,” Eiji said quietly, “to be somewhere else.”

 Ash wondered if it was just Eiji speaking from experience or Eiji also found this room too warm and too quiet. He relaxed his grip on the desk and ran his hand through his hair. “I’m fine,” he said. He had to be.

 Dinner was a mix of leftovers and freshly prepared fish with plenty of rice. The flavors balanced together and complemented each other. Ash let Mrs. Okumura, Hatsuko, and Eiji do the talking. Eiji told them the nicer stories about seeing landmarks and experiencing American food.

  “So many stories and you only mention Ash sometimes,” Hatsuko said. She looked to Ash. “How did you meet my brother?”

 Eiji tensed beside him. Ash finished chewing, taking the moment to think. “I helped with the article,” he said. “We worked together a lot and then we became friends.” It was the best way to put it.

 Hatsuko sighed. “Must be more than that,” she said. “Two years and you can only talk about food?”

 “Hatsu-chan, prying is no good,” Mrs. Okumura said. Her tone was light, but her eyes seemed to stare through her food rather than at it properly for a long moment. She turned her gaze to Ash and Eiji. “You can tell only what you wish. I hope things are not stressful now.”

 “They are,” Eiji assured. “It is good to be here.”

 Ash said nothing. Mrs. Okumura had rounder features than Eiji, but Ash recognized the distance in her expression. He wondered what Ibe told her over the last two years. He did not think Hatsuko knew any negative details.

 The conversation turned to what The Okumura family did during the last two years. Eiji’s parents had not done much outside of Mr. Mrs. Okumura traveling for work and Mrs. Okumura ran the household. Hatsuko was busy with university in a nearby city and would graduate at the end of the school year.  They lived normal lives and did normal things. Nothing was too news worthy.

 It seemed so normal like a television show was normal. It seemed so unsettling.

 Eiji dreamt. He ran down the approach towards the planting box at the university field. His clothes were wrong. The jeans didn’t have the give shorts would and the jacket he wore was heavy and a size too big to compensate for his shoulders. When Eiji locked his pole into the planting box and flung himself into the air. Except the pole was really a rusty pipe that crumbled on contact and sent Eiji in the wrong direction. He fell away from the mats. The ground was hard and his hip and knee ached. He could barely breathe. He felt an arm on his shoulder and looked up expecting his coach, but it was Ibe instead. He could see Arthur lurking in the shadows like he was some punk on a sports team.

 Eiji sat up in bed immediately. He carefully tried to relax his foot to ease the cramp in the leg he injured years ago. Eiji touched his knee carefully. It was a little puffy. His hip ached as well. He moved his leg into a more comfortable position and let out a long silent sigh. The clock said it was early morning. Ash was asleep on the futon by the window. When Eiji invited Ash to Japan, he had imagined how this would go in several different scenarios, all of which involved Eiji feeling at home and somehow managing to extend that feeling to Ash. Eiji knew that if he was having nightmares then Ash must have having nightmares that were infinitely worse. He had to stay strong for Ash’s sake.

 Eiji rolled out of bed. He moved as quietly as possible and set out the biggest shirt he owned and some adjustable track pants that would maybe fit Ash if they were lucky. Eiji knew he had to think about how to make this easier. This was his home turf so he was the expert at where to go and what to do. Eiji grabbed some other clothes for himself and left to take a bath. He could be more open with himself there and not worry everyone else.

 When Ash woke, it was still dark. He had an idea that Eiji left the room not that long ago but he didn’t have a clear memory of how he knew this. Ash sat up and rubbed his face, looking around. It was some dumb hour of the morning but that made it late afternoon in New York and not really that odd a time for him to wake up. He stared off for a long time and listened. There were birds outside and noise from the kitchen. He could barely see the clothes waiting for him on the bed. Ash managed to drag himself off the futon and stretch. He could clean up in the sink.

 The clothes fit about as well as they could. The shoulders were a little tight and the inseam not long enough but it did not look too silly. Ash shuffled his way down to the kitchen. Mrs. Okumura was already well through prepping for the food she would make. “Good morning,” she said.

 “Morning,” Ash managed. He had no idea what he wanted to eat or how he was supposed to function in this kitchen. He was too used to Eiji just setting things in front of him while he tried to get his brain to stop feeling like a giant Q-tip. When he was left to his own devices he usually ended up with toast that took longer to make than he would like to admit.

 There was tea in front of him after a while.

 “I am not done with breakfast yet,” Mrs. Okumura said. “It will be ready when Eiji and Hatsuko arrive.”

 Ash nodded. “Thanks,” he said. The tea was hot. He felt his brain coming back to him.

 Mrs. Okumura smile and then she sat across from Ash at the table. She licked her lips and then she said, “I know more than Eiji thinks,” Mrs. Okumura said.

 Ash’s shoulders moved closer to his ears. He gripped his mug tighter. He was officially awake now.

 “My husband was at school with Shunichi. I met both together,” she said. “Shunichi cannot lie to us. He told us many things, but not all.”

 Ash set the mug down gently. His brain thought about how to get back to the airport, where he might go. Mrs. Okumura was kind like Eiji, but Ash did not know how far her kindness might extend especially since none of them knew what dangers Ash’s presence might bring to Izumo.

 “If it’s a problem,” Ash said, “I can leave.”

 “Not a problem,” Mrs. Okumura said. “I know you are from a gang. It must be hard to live like that. You helped Eiji. You are his friend. You are always welcome.”

 “I can’t make any promises,” Ash said. “Eiji won’t always be happy. I won’t always be able to help him.” Now that they were back in Japan there was no telling if they might just part ways for good either.

 “The promises that count are promises between you and Eiji,” Mrs. Okumura said. She stood and went back to multitasking the breakfast. “Children have their romances. It is not a parent’s job.”

 Ash almost tipped his mug over. Mrs. Okumura sounded like Max. Was it a romance? Ash did not know.

 Eiji stood out of sight but within earshot. He leaned his head back against the wall and looked up at the ceiling. He was not sure if it was a romance or not. He hoped his mom calling it that didn’t make things weird.

 “Are you done eavesdropping or are you going to keep standing there in the way?” Hatsuko whispered in Japanese.

 Eiji jumped. “Don’t sneak up on me,” he hissed back in Japanese.

 “I see the omamori I gave you worked,” Hatsuko said. “He’s more like a model than I imagined though.”

 “What were you imagining?” Eiji asked.

 Hatsuko grinned. “We all know you go that way, Ei-chan. Don’t be surprised. I’ve known since you were ten.” She gave him double peace signs and then stepped past him and headed towards the kitchen.

 Eiji felt his cheeks go red. Since he was ten! He had never really thought about the fact he might be attracted to men until half way through high school. He wondered what other things he thought were super secret that were obvious to everyone who knew him. Eiji took a deep breath and headed into the kitchen.

 There was so much they could do, so much they wanted to do, and so much they had to do. Getting Ash some clothes was near the top of the list. They retraced the path they took coming home from the airport, more shops appearing once they reached the national road. The mall was a decent size and full of all kinds of stores. Ash had enough money on him to get a set of clothes and still have money left over.

 “Okumura!” someone called out as they passed by a sports store.

 Eiji looked over his shoulder and then his face brightened. “Katou!”

 They began conversing in Japanese. Ash stood off to the side. Everyone who passed looked at him.

 “Who is your friend?” Katou asked in English.

 “This is Ash,” Eiji said. When Ash looked over at them, Eiji said, “Ash, this is Katou. He was captain of my team.”

 “It is nice to meet you,” Katou said.

 “You too,” Ash said.

 “Eiji, we need to get the team together and throw a welcome back party,” Katou said in Japanese. “We can go to the place we went to when we won. Everyone missed you when you disappeared.” He switched back to English, “You can bring your friend.”

 “Katou! I don’t pay you to gossip!” Katou’s manager said in Japanese from the doorway.

 “Sorry!” Katou said with a bow. He looked at Eiji. “I’ll let you know what we can do.”

 Eiji nodded and gave a small wave before returning to the flow of people moving through the mall with Ash. “He wants to throw a party,” Eiji said, “with the team.”

 “You should go,” Ash said.

 Eiji said nothing. His stomach felt sour. His dream that morning was so close to his own memory of running up to the planting block, flying into the air only to fall to the right of the mat rather than the mat. He could remember Katou standing behind his coach watching in horror after Eiji fell.

 Eiji took a second to crack his knee, releasing the built up pressure in the joint. “I should,” he said, realizing he was silent for too long. “Will you go?”

 “I don’t know,” Ash said.

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September’s Featured Game: Akademia

DEVELOPER(S): Somni ENGINE: RPGMaker VX Ace   GENRE: Horror, Exploration, Puzzle SUMMARY: Akademia is a 2D horror RPG currently being developed in RPG Maker VX Ace. In the province of British Columbia, Canada, there exists a private school in the woods, Rayfair Academy, that is known for its wealth and ambition. The academy follows the motto, “Pearls are worthless in the pursuit of gold,” and it has a reputation for producing highly motivated and overachieving students. However, in a bout of curiosity late at night, six students uncover a secret, and the story of the school’s origin–and the being responsible for it–begins to unravel.

Download the demo here!

Introduce yourself!  *Hello! I'm Somni, and I like to draw and write stories! I've been interested in RPG Maker games since 2013, and I'm a big fan of horror ones! I recently dived into community and I love how encouraging and positive everyone is. It motivates me to work hard!

What is your project about? What inspired you to create your game initially? *Somni: Akademia is a story-heavy horror game about six second-year students in a prestigious academy accidentally coming in contact with a strange and powerful being. As Margaret attempts to find her friends and lead them to safety, the story of the academy's past comes to light, and the otherworldly hollow they've all found themselves in starts to pick apart at the threads that hold their friendship together and prey on their minds.

I was always fascinated by occult and alchemy since I was small, and wanted to build on my love for them. However, I wanted to challenge myself and make the protagonists as ordinary as possible so I wouldn't have to rely on using magic to solve everything in the story. Akademia was also created when I was at a very low point in my life, so my struggles have made their way in. I'd say it worked out well in the story.

How long have you been working on your project? *Somni: I've been working on Akademia for more than three years now! The first two years were spent solidifying concepts and doing research, and the third year was spent doing game development. I kept the project to myself until I had a good grasp on everything, so it's only been public for a year.

Did any other games or media influence aspects of your project? *Somni: The Witch's House and Ib brought me into the RPG Maker engine, and they all have a very solid plot and cute character designs. Haunting Ground was also one of my favorite horror games because it delves into alchemy as well, and it lit a fire in me to work on my game.

Have you come across any challenges during development? How have you overcome or worked around them?   *Somni: The first thing I always groan about is the discovery of bugs. Sometimes, I get careless or tired and add in weird things that mess with my game, and I can never find them until I backtrack or one of my beta testers points it out. Always add comments in your events so your mistakes can be found more easily, and remember to thank your beta testers, especially if they pick out lots of errors!

There are also times when I lose faith in myself and wonder if my game will ever be good enough compared to other games. I received so much love and support from the RPG Maker community, and I don't want to let them down. In these times, I remind myself that Akademia is for me as well, and I need to do my best no matter what.

Have any aspects of your project changed over time? How does your current project differ from your initial concept? *Somni: Akademia's gotten a lot more sombre than it originally was. The first drafts I had were very campy, and the story didn't glue well with character development. I guess time and experience allowed me to reconstruct everything and make the plot and character development a lot better. I can take the story seriously now, and I love it a lot!

What was your team like at the beginning? How did people join the team? If you don't have a team, do you wish you had one or do you prefer working alone? *Somni: I like to work alone. I'm very picky about how things are made and written, and it would be a nightmare for everyone if I started micromanaging. A lot of things in my game are personal as well, and I'm hesitant to share them with others who can bend my experiences. In the future, I'll think about voice actors, but that's as far as I'll go.

What was the best part of developing the game? *Somni: Writing dialogue and making cute sprites! My characters have pretty different personalities, so I have a lot of fun making them interact and switching between individuals. I also wanted to make expressive sprites, so having small things like Jude tapping his foot or Austin rubbing his eyes makes development more fun for me.

Do you find yourself playing other RPG Maker games to see what you can do with the engine, or do you prefer to do your own thing? *Somni: I like to explore things on my own. I have a better understanding of the engine if I experiment and play around with things and see it fit the image I have in my head. Besides, you can do pretty much anything in RPG Maker if you get creative. I think getting inspiration from other games is the best and a very solid way of learning, but it doesn't work for me personally.

Which character in your game do you relate to the most and why? (Alternatively: Who is your favorite character and why?) *Somni: This is a bit of a hard question for me because all of my protagonists have a part of me in them. I'd have to say Mai is the one I can relate to most, but I can't say why because of spoilers. However, my favorite character is Austin because he's genuinely sweet and supportive. He's always there for his friends and wears his heart on his sleeve. There are other things I like about him, but they're all secrets!

Looking back now, is there anything that regret/wish you had done differently? *Somni: Not really. Sometimes, I wish I released my game earlier. I spent three years on it and only just released a demo, but I also don't feel too badly about it. All that time I spent working on it allowed me to polish the story and characters, and if I released the game too soon, there could've been some huge oversights. Knowing this, I don't regret anything I've done.

Once you finish your project, do you plan to explore game's universe and characters further in subsequent projects, or leave it as-is? *Somni: I think I'll release some cute side stories in the future so the player can see how things are with the characters when Akademia's done and over with! As for the plot, there won't be anything else after the game.

What do you look most forward to upon/after release? *Somni: Definitely fan reactions! A lot of players gave me their thoughts and plot predictions, and they also gave me very suspicious messages about a lot of carefully worded things in the game. The full game has a lot more stuff to analyze, and I can just sit back and rub my hands together in glee. I can also draw more indulgent stuff with the characters when the game's finished, so it'll be a wild ride!

Is there something you're afraid of concerning the development or the release of your game?  *Somni: Lack of time. I've had some health struggles all the way during development, and I'm going to be busy with work starting September. I'll have to dedicate all my free time to game development, and I'm hoping I can balance those well and give updates on Akademia's progress whenever I can.

Question from last month's featured dev: If you had to change the main genre of your game, what would you change it to and why? *Somni: I'd make Akademia a friendship simulator. Bonds between characters are an important part of the game, and if it can't be horror, it might as well be a cute and adorable thing.

Do you have any advice for upcoming devs? *Somni: This might not work for everyone, but try not to write your characters' dialogue as a long script before you put it into the game. What feels right in a word document might not sound natural in the game itself. If you can, stick to a skeleton of dialogue and flesh it out as you event it in the engine. That way, you can consider the environment and situation the characters are in while you write what they say.

We mods would like to thank Somni for agreeing to our interview! We believe that featuring the developer and their creative process is just as important as featuring the final product. Hopefully this Q&A segment has been an entertaining and insightful experience for everyone involved! 

Remember to check out Akademia if you haven’t already! See you next month! 

- Mods Gold & Platinum 

[stvlti]

11 Questions

i was tagged by @privatekururugi, @espiadimonis, and @transguynoriaki a while ago. each gave me a set of 11 questions to answer, so i will answer these 33 questions. i’m not gonna tag anyone in particular, but if you see this do feel free to have a go at any or all of these sets of 11q’s.

from @privatekururugi:

1) Do you have any specific diet you go by? (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Paleo, etc.) i used to be pescetarian, but then the deficiencies it gave me caused some pretty bad dental / gum problems, so i started eating a bit of lean chicken and pork on the side again... (yeah i know supplements exist, but even my nutrition major of a friend thought a pescetarian diet won’t yield deficiencies, and also supplements are fairly expensive. get off my case)

2&3) Do you have any siblings? If so, how close are you? nope, i’m an only child

4&5) What’s your favourite book and why? (I might want to read it lol) hmm. i still really like 1984, it was the first dystopian classic i read and the concept of Newspeak, tampering with historical authenticity on such grand scales, etc. just blew my mind. so even though i still dislike its weakass character-writing (p much anyone besides Winston has no personality, no distinct personal motives, etc), it’s got a soft spot in my heart. next to that i also liked A Clockwork Orange for the philosophical discussion of the nature of right and wrong (although in hindsight the story is a bit didactic); To Live by Yu Hua (the ill-fated episodes and tragic ends are made all the more absurd by the subtle and simply narration style, but it really is a humbling and informative experience for us readers of a different era and socioeconomic background); and of course, my favourite fable, A Little Prince.

6) Would you describe your personality as dominate or submissive overall? what the fuck kind of question is this. well i’m opinionated as heck, so i’m not submissive “personality-wise”. and that’s all i’ll say on the matter because i’m p sex-indifferent lol, if that’s what this question was trying to get at.

7) What are your dreams usually like at night? oh man. i usually don’t dream normal dreams; as in, most dreams i have is either one big adventure / story, or some bizarre situation that would have been questionable at best, fucked up at worst, in real life context. when i start dreaming about mundane everyday life problems or situations, like failing a test or being stuck with a friend i’ve cut off from my life years ago, that’s usually when i’ve got some kind of stress going on in my life.

(i’ve been trying to restart my dream journal tag actually, but i got stuck on my second entry trying to recall the specifics lol. maybe i should release entry #3 from the drafts first.)

8) Is there anything you’re currently anxious about? well, yeah. my future. my job prospects. being homeless once my parents decide to sell their house off for retirement because the housing prices are through the roof here. pick one.

9&10) Are you looking forward to Thanksgiving? Will you be contributing anything? we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving!

11) Whose your favourite Death Note character (if you have one)?  Light Yagami, even though he’s a slimy fox.

from @transguynoriaki:

1. What kind of music do you listen to?

hmm, i only listen to really slow music or something dark or rock-ish, nothing in between!! muahahaha!! 

okay that’s generalising it; i do love The Honey Trees and The Novembers, which are on opposite ends of the “slow” spectrum (one’s dream pop, the other’s infused with shoegaze and other distortions + some screamy vocals and loud noises at times), with Lana Del Rey and her decadent sounds smack in the middle lol. but yeah i certainly have a taste for the more atmospheric stuff, so aside from the fuzzy feelings of The Novembers’ stuff and the grandness of Lana’s string instrumentals i also like the darker chill vibes you get from The Neighbourhood, some of The Weeknd’s older stuff, etc. 

and I also really enjoy MCR, Muse and the like - i.e. dramatic sounds, that’s the good shit to me haha.

i also like more conventional pop acts like Lorde... and my fave local singer, Ivana Wong, of course!

2. Do you prefer to keep your living space neat and tidy or do you like a certain amount of mess?

i do prefer order and routine in my life, sadly if i can’t do that on a structural level you think i can do that with my desk?! lol. in an alternate universe, maybe.

3. What was the first ship you remember really shipping?

hmm probably TerraxBeast Boy from CN’s Teen Titans. i was lukewarm / indifferent to other canon pairings i’ve seen in media up until that point; but i guess i was more persuaded by the storyline than their characterisations as looking back there are glaring trust issues in their relationship (and that’s an understatement)

4. Do you have a certain show or book series that holds a lot of nostalgic value for you? If so, what was it?

hmm, i guess Courage the Cowardly Dog? (i was a weird kid but shush) and Teen Titans of course. as for books, hmm... ASoUE is definitely one of the ones that just takes me back to middle school. i even bought the Beatrice letters files thingy. tbf the whole Lemony Snicket universe did teach me a lot about cryptography, which i guess if me or a friend of mine were to do an L rp and solve cases it would help a lot (*cough* not saying that’s what’s happening right now because i’ve got other stuff i’m investing my time into. i guess my friend’s gonna make themselves scarce as well hahaha *cue Mariah Carey’s i can’t read gif except it’s L*)

5. What is your favorite type of food?

Italian and Japanese are my fave cuisines! i guess that means i love richly-flavoured foods and creamy stuff. ooh, love those sauces.

6. Was there ever a fad or activity from your childhood that you could never understand or get into?

i wasn’t a gamer at all. we didn’t own a single console and i wasn’t allowed to get a handheld. the most i had was a Tamagotchi. so i guess it’s not so much i never got that ‘fad’, just that i was never given the opportunity to discover the really good games. i’ve only ever played a bit of Mario Kart or Cooking Mama on my cousin’s NDS so yeah. didn’t see the appeal in the more light-hearted games like that.

(now that i’ve played Undertale i’m kinda wanting to explore more PC games though. i heard Papers Please is good, and PJ (@kickthepj)’s been recommending Hyper Light Drifter a lot, and the art looks amazing, so yeah... too broke to get them though... and even if i had the money and time to play them i’d be allocating it towards other stuff you know?)

7. What’s your favorite time of day?

well i got 2 fave time periods. the first one’s the witching hours between midnight and early morning, when the world is quiet and you could do anything and nobody would know. the other one is early morning, just after sunrise, and the air is clear and slightly chilly, and it’s also really quiet but you can just hear the birds tweeting somewhere.

i’m more likely to be awake for the first time period described here though... ._.

8. What’s your favorite type flower and why?

hmm i'm not really a flower person. i’m just gonna steal Luke’s answer and say cactus flowers haha (well i do like cacti, they’re some of my favourite plants; i even named my IG/Twitter and Pokemon Go usernames after the plant; also some of you might remember that i had a pet cactus for 8 months)

9. What’s your favorite cliché/trope in fiction?

lovers running out of time...

10. Did/do you do any extracurricular activities when you were in school and what were they?

(wow Luke that’s a lot on your resume!)

i did bits and bobs throughout school, but perhaps my longest commitment was my Clarinet lessons. started when i was in Year 2, carried on until i obtained a Pass in Grade 8 ABRSM certificate in Year 10. i had to quit and give up on a diploma there because i was starting the IB diploma programme in Year 11...

this commitment is only rivalled by the dance classes i took. i did ballet from a young age until i was about 12~13, quitting just before en pointe shoes were introduced; i had also been in Chinese dance lessons from Year 1, so after quitting ballet i just focused on that until Year 10 as well (again, quitting to focus on my full-time diploma).

i also did Taekwondo as a child and obtained a black belt qualification by age 12. i quit once i did though, because again i couldn’t afford to juggle so many commitments the older i got and the more demanding my studies became.

perhaps the proudest extracurricular i’ve done is in my senior years of high school: i started and chaired the student committee as the editor in-chief for the school’s first student-ran and seasonal (now monthly) publication. it’s not student-ran either anymore because i guess the kids that came after the classes of 2014, 2015, and 2016 just dgaf about slightly more demanding extracurriculars that require organisation as long as they can earn their credits elsewhere (yes i’m salty, i’m allowed to be okay, it was my brainchild but apparently kids these days don’t care about having their voices heard if it means having to negotiate diplomacy with the adults in charge. god, how do they expect to survive in uni or in a workplace?)

11. What’s your favorite piece of work that you’ve ever created and what about it do you love so much?

hmm. i think for sure the prose poem i wrote about Light’s death in the anime. idk, the flow and the imagery is just a good concentrated example of what i could be capable of given the right tone and context. (of course, i’ve been trying hard to branch out in genres and forms, so that sort of language isn’t always applicable. but yeah, it remains my fave as a showcase of my best writing abilities ^_^)

and from @espiadimonis​:

1.If you could have one piece of death note merchandise of any kind, what would it be?

oh man! i’ve been pining after the Hot Topic official DN poker card deck for quite some time! i’ve checked Blue Banana while i was in the UK, but it’s not available there, and it’s not at Tokyo Toys either (they do sell a DN playing card deck, but it’s a lot cheaper in design :/)

2.What’s your favourite 3D animated movie?

does Lego Batman count? if not, then i guess Zootopia.

(there’s a reason these 2 are listed in my bio fandoms list like...)

3.What superpower would you like to have?

i used to always choose levitation / flying, but lately i’m not so sure. i’ve heard a lot of compelling arguments for other powers haha.

you know what, i’d trade for something as simple as better control of my own brain. i don’t care about mind control over others; i just want to be able to harness the best parts of my lightning fast thought processes and out-of-the-box thinking on my best days without being constantly tripped up by executive dysfunction like that on a metacognitive level.

4.Favourite piece of clothing?

my soft furry hoodie, which i’m wearing right now! <3

5.Who’s your favourite Sailor Scout?

i don’t have one, sorry! i was 4 when it aired on TV, so i don’t remember much from those years except the Sailor Moon t shirt i got courtesy of my aunt because it was all the rage back then... i’m sorry, but i have more vivid memories of Pretty Cure and Sugar Sugar Rune!

6.Do you prefer potato chips chocolate?

it is a good combo for sure! we are talking about Royce’s chocolate potato chips, right? (if you haven’t tried it get some next time you or a friend/family goes to Japan! we can buy it locally from like Citysuper or something, but i doubt they export it to any countries beyond East Asia haha)

7.What song makes you feel melancholic?

oh, Six Billion did last week. it left me feeling cold all over. an effect from the combination of the layered vocals and the instrumentals i guess. (is it in minor key? i’m sorry i can’t tell anymore, it’s been far too long since i’ve had any musical training. but if it’s in minor key it would explain why.)

there’s also some of the stuff off The Novembers’ catalogue... mostly 終わらない境界 from To (melt into), which was my daily commuting soundtrack at a time when i had brainfog on a regular basis, so yeah, anxiety and all that fun stuff :/

8.Which dn character would you invite to Spaceland(the amusement park)?

Sayu or Matsuda? they deserve a lot more than the hand canon dealt them. hmm maybe Rem too? but she wouldn’t be able to interact with a lot of the stuff there :/

9.What’s the funniest movie you ever watched?

i guess The Lego Batman Movie? i’m sorry i know i keep bringing this film up, but it’s comedic genius for a “kid’s movie”.

10.You can only choose one pokémon! Which one do you choose?

Blissey was gonna be my go to answer. she’s a tank, have you seen her? but is she really my fave mon? debatable. idk man. i really liked Vulpix/Ninetales as a kid... but dark and ghost types though!! okay i can’t choose, next question 

11.What made you happy recently?

i went to another poetry event last night and i met up with a friend i haven’t seen since September :P

[foreverasheley-blog]

College Application Schedule

Hello everyone, so for this post, I wanted to give you guys a guideline on how to start and get through your college applications in the most efficient way possible that you will have a much less stressful senior year. So essentially, I started my applications and essays around June, since I was a Questbridge CPS Scholar and I had early access to the National College Match Application (I will do a full explanation of Questbridge soon so if this doesn’t sound clear right now, don’t worry). However, the reason why I had to start my applications early is because I ended applying to 19 different Universities/Colleges. So, already having to do Questbridge and other scholarships, as well as write all of these essays, I knew that I needed to start early so that was my plan. Maybe this will be you or maybe you might apply to more schools than me. Regardless, time management and having a good plan will keep your senior year clear. I was in the IB program in my high school and for those are familiar with the IB program, it is not an easy ride and my school did not let us off easily in terms of the amount of homework I was given a night. So, making sure I had everything done before November 1st was essential for me. However, I also had different deadlines than some of my other classmates but I will try my best to make a schedule for you guys that most matches Early Action, Early Decision I, Early Decision I, Regular Decision for Colleges (After this post, I’ll provide another brief post on what these terms means and how it may affect you).

So, after talking for like, forever (sorry, I do that a lot because there is just so much I want to share), here is a general College Application Schedule to help you guys plan the rest of your summer and try to be done with applications by November. It may seem rushed but it is the best plan because you want to get it done so you can focus on working on scholarships throughout the rest of your senior year but also focus on maintaining good grades. Sorry guys but it is true, your grades in senior year do matter. That’s a discussion for later but push through seniorities

College Application Schedule

August 12, 2017-August 15, 2017

·        Make a list of colleges you are interested in applying,  should have about 3 safety schools (schools that you will most likely get  in), 4 match (schools that you match the general criteria but may need a  little bit of a push to get in), and 4 reach( the highly selective schools  that no matter ACT, GPA or income level, you need to put in a lot of effort.

·        In this 3-day period, do some research on  these schools to find out about potential majors you are interested in.

·        Also, take some time to research and search  for scholarships(I’ll post a scholarship list once I get a chance) and start  drafting essays for those

August 15, 2017- August 16, 2017

·        Create A Common App Account and fill out all  the general information. To the best of your ability. When you are ready with  your college list, you should start adding the schools that you are  interested in, if they use the common app

·        THIS IS IMPORTANT-Not all colleges use common  app so check to see if you need to do an individual application for a school

·        Continue applying/researching/writing  scholarship essays and eventually send a draft to your counselor

·        Go on ACT/SAT to register for ACT/SAT testing  if you are retaking it or register for SAT Subject Tests. Many highly selective  require and recommended students take these so look at the requirements for  the schools that you are interested. Certain schools require that you take specific  subjects tests based in your major

August 16-18th, 2017

·        Go through the Common App Prompts and write a  1st draft of your essay. Does not matter how much you think it  sucks. Once you have a draft with all your ideas set out, you can really  write and edit the essay throughout.

·        Email your High School Counselor and teachers  you know you would want to write a letter of recommendation for you and  connect them to your common app or individual college portal

·        Send your first draft of your essay to your  counselor or any college counselor that you personally work with. I don’t recommend  starting with friends yet. I would wait for that a little later

August 18th-September 7st , 2017

·        Continue editing your main common app essay  while also writing drafts for your supplemental essays and short responses

September 7st-15th

·        You are probably now in school so it is a good  time to meet with your counselor and have a conversation on the essays you’ve  written and if applying to more schools may be an option. Typically, applying  to 10-13 schools is a good amount but there is no shame in applying to more

September 15th-October 1st

·        Start to finish up College Essays and things.  October 1st, FAFSA opens so create your FAFSA account two weeks  before with your pin. You need to make sure you use your parents 2016 tax  returns so make sure that you will have access to these documents once  October 1st hits.

·        Also, check to see if you need to do CSS Profile  (a very detailed FAFSA) but is not free. It is kind of pricy so find a way to  get fee waivers if you are eligible for these waivers because they come in  handy

·       

October 1st-November 1st

·        Remember to submit all test scores

·        Finish final edits of essays and know that you  have worked hard and that you’ve put your best effort

·        Make sure your counselors and teachers have  submitted everything that is needed for your application, including  recommendation letters, transcript, school profile, etc

·        Contiune to work on Scholarship Essay and  applying to scholarships

·        Make the choice of whether you will be  applying to a school through Early Action or Early Decision (So App. Will  most likely be due Nov. 1), Early Decision II and Regular Decision (which may  also be due Nov 1, but typically, from December 1st January 15th  on Average)

·        It never hurts to submit early cause if you  realize something is off in your application, you now have a grace period in  which you can email you regional admission officer to address those errors.  If you submit last minute and notice these errors after the deadline is past  due, it may be very difficult or near impossible to change those errors. Time  management is Key

    ________________

So, this is basically a 2-3 month plan for applying for college. This is my advice and maybe it might not fit for you and that is fine. Just remember that whatever plan you take, remember to plan accordingly and wisely. Good luck to you all. Like I said, I will eventually explain more about college application deadlines and Questbridge in a later post. Enjoy applying and enjoy your final year. It goes by much faster than you may realize.

Signing Off, Yours Truly

-Naa

[ronnykblair]

The Investment Banking Analyst: Faithful Financial Foot Soldier, or Peon Pining for Punishment?

Ah, the investment banking analyst.

It was the subject of the first article I ever wrote for this site – an article that has continued to generate comments, threats, and snarky reactions ever since.

We’ve covered this topic across many scattered articles and interviews, so I wanted to consolidate all the coverage, update it, and lay out everything you need to know in one spot.

Here’s what investment banking analysts really do, the pros and cons of the job, what to expect in an average day, and how to break in:

First: What Do Investment Bankers Do?

Investment bankers advise companies on large, corporate-level transactions such as mergers and acquisitions and debt and equity issuances.

“Advise companies” means “Work with management teams to market and sell companies, find potential targets to acquire, and make deals go through; or recommend the best terms and timing for a capital raise and then market that debt or equity issuance to investors.”

The role is part advice, part sales and marketing, and part negotiation and deal-making – on a grand scale.

In the investment banking career path, the Analysts are the foot soldiers and workhorses.

They’re near the bottom of the hierarchy, above only Summer Interns.

The Investment Banking Analyst Job Description

Many articles about investment banking say that as an Analyst, you’ll be “in charge of Excel and PowerPoint deliverables, administrative tasks, and responding to requests from clients and potential clients.”

That is true, but it misses the point of the Analyst role.

As an Analyst, your job is to do whatever it takes to support senior bankers in winning and closing deals, even if that means doing ridiculous tasks that have nothing to do with accounting or finance.

Many students from top universities kill themselves earning high grades and winning multiple internships, all to land that elusive investment banking role…

…and then they start working and are disappointed to find that most of their time is spent revising presentations, tracking buyers and sellers, and doing mind-numbing market updates.

Even in highly technical groups, you’re unlikely to spend even 50% of your time on tasks such as financial modeling and valuation.

The “average case” for your time on the job might look like this:

PowerPoint for Pitch Books and Other Presentations: 50%

Random and Administrative Tasks: 30%

Excel-Based Financial Modeling and Valuation: 20%

In less technical groups, such as Equity Capital Markets, you’ll spend even less time in Excel, and in more technical groups, such as Restructuring, you might spend closer to 40-50% of your time on technical tasks.

Finally, note that even if you happen to spend more time on the “interesting work,” it’s still not all that interesting.

Unlike in buy-side roles, where you might use your own research and market/customer analysis to inform your models, many IB models are “paint by numbers” where the numbers are linked to the client’s demands – even if those demands are unrealistic.

You may occasionally get something more interesting, such as an on-site visit, meeting a company’s finance team, or brainstorming potential buyers or sellers, but don’t get your hopes up.

Investment Banking Analyst Hours

Yes, the hours are bad for the reasons described in our article on investment banking hours.

On average, you’ll be in the office 70-85 hours per week, though you won’t necessarily be “working” that entire time.

However, you will be on call 24/7, and you’ll have to respond to urgent requests and emails all the time, making it difficult to have a life or plan regular activities.

Banks have tried to improve the hours over time with “protected weekends” and other mandatory time off, but the results have been mixed.

It’s a bit better for Analysts now than it was in the late 1990s or mid-2000s, but it’s still a grueling job that requires incredible sacrifice.

Wait… Why Would Anyone Ever Want to Be an Analyst?!!

“Wait a minute,” you say, “this job sounds awful. Most of the work is boring, you work 80 hours per week, and you deal with crazy people all day. Why would anyone do it?!!”

Good question.

Most IB Analysts do the job because:

It’s Not a Long-Term Position – You do it for 2-3 years, and then you move up into senior roles in investment banking, or you move into jobs such as private equity or hedge funds.

You Earn A Lot – Investment banking offers higher compensation than any other job out of university, except for a few quant finance roles and programming jobs at big tech companies.

You Gain Access to Great Exit Opportunities – And you can win more interesting roles in private equity, hedge funds, venture capital, corporate development, and other fields after working as an IB Analyst. For more, please see our article on exit opportunities.

The basic philosophy is “short-term pain, long-term gain.”

By killing yourself for a few years, you give yourself many future options in other, more-interesting, higher-paying jobs.

If you value your free time and don’t want to sacrifice your early 20s, this is not the right job for you.

Investment Banking Analyst Salary (and Bonus)

Base salaries at large banks in the U.S. are just under $100K USD.

Bonuses are often 0.5x to 1.0x your base salary, so average total compensation might be between $150K and $200K.

Pay is lower outside the U.S., even in other financial centers such as London, and pay also tends to be lower at boutique investment banks.

For more on this topic, please see our article on investment banker salaries.

What Does an Investment Banking Analyst Do?

Each day in your life as an Investment Banking Analyst is different, but an “average day” might look like this:

9 AM – 12 PM: Arrive at the office, update a status report on potential buyers in an M&A deal, send it out, and join an update call with the client’s management team.

The senior bankers do most of the talking, so you work on a pitch book for a different, potential deal in the background.

12 PM – 3 PM: You join a few “due diligence calls” for another deal, where the potential buyer asks customers of the seller questions about why they use its products and services.

You’re just there to monitor the calls and make sure the potential buyer doesn’t go too far with its questioning. After that, you run to Starbucks with a few Analysts for a quick break.

3 PM – 5 PM: There’s a huge incident as a traveling Managing Director requests briefing materials for an upcoming pitch ASAP, and you have to scramble around to find and send hundreds of pages of reading.

5 PM – 7 PM: Your Associate comes over to review the Confidential Information Memorandum (CIM) for the client from this morning, and you start making his changes to the financial summary and market sections.

There’s a bit of downtime after this, so you order food and then shop for furniture online.

7 PM – 10 PM: As one of the VPs is leaving the office, he decides that the team needs to re-do a pitch book for an upcoming initial public offering (IPO), and he wants to see the new draft by tomorrow morning.

You start coordinating with the Equity Capital Markets (ECM) team to get market updates and case studies.

10 PM – 1 AM: The Associate signs off on the new qualitative slides in this draft of the pitch book, and he leaves the office. You continue to tweak the valuation and Excel-based parts.

1 AM – 2 AM: Another Analyst at the office is having a major problem with a complicated Excel model not working, so you decide to stay another hour to help out, and then you go home.

This is a fairly busy day, but not an outrageously busy or terrible one.

Factors that create “bad days” include:

Multiple Live Deals: If you’re on 3-4 deals that are all active at the same time, the workload is unpredictable, and you could get streams of requests throughout the day.

Big Upcoming Pitches: Since pitches have hard deadlines and bankers like to do unnecessary work, you could easily end up staying late or even pulling an all-nighter to finish a long and detailed pitch book.

Last-Minute Emergencies: For example, if a traveling MD suddenly needs information for a meeting taking place in 1-2 hours, be prepared to scramble.

“Good days” or “slow days” tend to happen when you can focus on a specific deal or client instead of being pulled in 10-15 different directions.

Interacting with management teams is probably the best part of the Analyst job, so those discussions can also create good days.

A Week in the Life of an Investment Banker

In an average week, you will not have much free time on weekdays.

Many Analysts are in the office from 9 AM to 1 AM each day, and sometimes a bit less than that on Friday or other “slow days.”

You might get called in for a few hours on Saturday and Sunday, but you’re unlikely to be there all day unless you’re working on an important deal that’s close to the finish line and that requires your presence.

If you’re wondering about the gym, sports, or having a social life, you do all of that “when you can,” which often means late at night, on weekends, or not at all.

Investment Banking Recruiting: How to Break In

The bad news about IB is that it’s still a very competitive field to get into, and you don’t have a great shot unless you go to a top university, earn high grades, and complete multiple internships.

The good news is that there’s so much information about investment banking available today that if you really want to break in, and you put in the effort, you probably can.

You might have to compromise by working at a smaller bank or non-bank initially, or you might have to “pound the pavement” with aggressive cold calls and cold emails, but it’s still doable.

By contrast, if you were recruiting for this job several decades ago (e.g., the late 1990s), it would have been nearly impossible to get in as a non-traditional candidate because there was so little information about it.

We cover the details in our article on how to get into investment banking, but the two main paths into the industry as an Analyst are:

As an Undergraduate – Complete multiple finance internships in your first and second years, earn high grades, network with alumni, win a summer IB internship at a large bank following your third year, and convert it into a full-time offer there.

As a Recent Grad – Still complete internships during undergrad, but get started with IB a bit later, so work in a related-but-not-quite-banking role after graduation, such as at a Big 4 firm or valuation firm, and then network and win an offer as a lateral hire.

The IB Analyst Job: Right for You?

If you’re reading this site, you are probably a high-achieving, Type-A personality, so I’m not going to waste time discussing whether or not IB is right for you (for that one, see our coverage of the investment banking career path).

Instead, there are two specific questions you should ask yourself:

Do you need to work as an IB Analyst first if your ultimate goal is something else in finance, such as hedge funds or private equity?

What is the long-term outlook for this job? For example, if you’re in high school or your first year in university, will IB Analyst roles still be around in the future? Will they be automated or displaced?

The short answer to the first question is, “No, you don’t necessarily need to start as an IB Analyst anymore if you can win a good offer at an established buy-side firm right out of undergrad.”

However, if you’re not sure what you want to do in the long term, then you can’t go wrong with an IB Analyst role because of the options it gives you.

For more on this one, see the investment banking vs private equity article.

On the second question: unless something very fundamental in the economy and financial markets changes, Analyst roles are unlikely to go away or even change significantly.

Many people also “predicted” that Analysts would go extinct after Excel was developed and adopted by everyone, and that didn’t exactly happen.

I could see programming skills becoming more important, as they have in sales & trading, but I doubt that most IB work will shift away from Word/Excel/PowerPoint in the near future.

So, once you put in the time and effort required to get into the industry, you start working, and then you start complaining about your job, you can look back fondly on this article:

“Wow, it’s just like he described. And… not that much has changed. Except for my compensation – bonuses are up this year! (phew)”

The post The Investment Banking Analyst: Faithful Financial Foot Soldier, or Peon Pining for Punishment? appeared first on Mergers & Inquisitions.

from ronnykblair digest https://www.mergersandinquisitions.com/investment-banking-analyst-job/

[writesomethingtogether-blog]

Fast Times at Headwaters

I think Bueller would agree: Life at Headwaters moves pretty fast, and if we don’t all stop to look around we’ll miss it. Already there have been some highs and lows, and it boils down to this.

Low: Damn, shit is busy!

Apologies for the language, but that felt good to write. I hope it felt good to read, too. We’re all super busy people. Yet somehow I ended last school year thinking I had finally managed life-work balance for good. Three big changes have thrown me this first month back:

1) IB Film curriculum changed its entire curriculum. No examples. New concepts I’ve never taught. And a new online class for IB Film teachers. 

2) There are more advanced students in every single class--even both of the MS & HS 101 classes. I truly can’t ever do or screen anything I did last year. 

3) Along with these changes in curriculum, I’ve been reworking all 5 websites.

So even though I have one of my best ever schedules, I routinely work on school stuff till about 8 PM or later. My new goal is to start stopping the work by 6 PM every day. I just don’t know how.

High: I like my work!

The very cool part about this dilemma--which I know we all share--is that I love this work! (Except for the things I cannot change like having 5 preps, grading rough drafts, and overanalyzing emails from admin. It’s not personal, it’s business--but those emails always make the hairs on my neck stand up like maybe I’m in trouble or need to be doing a lot more...) Anywho, I haven’t found that one item from the to-do list that I can forever cross out, because all the things that I could do less are what I love most. I like meeting with Alamo Drafthouse and AYFF folks each week to brainstorm new events (’cause then I get to attend special film events!). I like spending my weekend preparing a presentation on The Shining as it relates to all types of film theory. (Did y’all know the bathroom axe scene was a total rip off from 1921′s The Phantom Carriage? Still love Kubrick’s crazy butt though.) Thing is, I like lesson planning. It’s a sickness. 

As a result of the work, this year has already yielded so many wonderful moments with film students. They’re right out there with me in the Austin film community, some are premiering at national festivals, and I know that these will be the experiences they remember fondly and most. Advanced and IB students are also doing some kick ass theory presentations that most film school grads couldn’t even imagine. Seriously--they don’t teach theory in film school. That’s strictly for Film Studies, PhD folk. Which means our film babies are GENIUSES.

Conclusions

The final thing is, I have an autoimmune disease that recently flared up and it’s critical that I find a way to better manage my time and stress. I want to take my newfound health (yay!) as an opportunity to be more intentional about creating time every single day to exercise, spend time with loved ones, work on my own creative projects, and watch more HBO. I want to turn off the teacher brain right at 6, and I think I can do it...if I’m ruthless. 

PS. Always feel free to send me any advice or shared experiences!

Student Quote of the Week: 

Me: “Excellent observation about how apparatus theory connects to sociocultural context. Any other debrief comments or questions on that?”

Simon: “Is a film a good first date to take a girl to?”

Me: “Slightly different subject, but yes. First dates can be awkward, and a film can give y’all help not force the conversation. Then you have tons to talk about after the movie, and you can learn a lot from what they say.”

Simon: “Thank you. I learn a lot in film, but this will be the most useful.”