#and make exercise more accessible for so many students...

[midwestgender]

for every sports team in a highschool they should have two. one for the people who are actually good at it on competitive level and then one for people who just want to do it for fun/exercise. i think Fuck Around teams would be immensely popular actually

[thebreakfastgenie]

Would you pleeeeeeeeease tell us the story of your mom teaching an illegal sex ed class?

Sure!! It's probably not as interesting as I make it sound haha but basically in Ohio, by law, public schools can only teach abstinence-only sex ed. My mom, who worked in public health in HIV/AIDS during the AIDS crisis, hates abstinence-only more passionately than anyone on the internet. She used to complain to the manager when stores kept their condoms behind the counter where you had to ask for them and she would also compliment stores where the condoms were easily accessible.

So for a while in the early 2000s my mom worked at a very small but public school (the same weird school I've posted about going to). This school was beholden to all the public school regulations and laws, so by law any sex education had to be abstinence-only.

My mom ignored that and taught actual sex ed to the high school students. She focused her curriculum on decision making and making the choices that are right for you and also taught them about protection and everything. At one point the director of the school who was extremely Catholic (I've been to this woman's house, you would not believe how many Jesuses there are) walked in while the students were doing a role play exercise about making sure your partner had a condom and was just like "carry on."

[linkemon]

Vivi (Baji Keisuke x Reader)

Friendly reminder that English is not my first language. You can check my Masterlists both in English and Polish here. Consider supporting me on Ko-fi. You can also check out my commissions if you’re interested.

Other oneshots can be found here.

[ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ] ᴄᴏᴍᴇꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴄʟᴜꜱɪᴏɴ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ꜱʜᴇ ꜰᴇʟʟ ɪɴ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʙᴀᴊɪ ᴋᴇɪꜱᴜᴋᴇ. ꜱʜᴇ ʙᴇɢɪɴꜱ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴘᴇɴᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜɪᴍ, ᴏɴʟʏ ᴛᴏ ꜰɪɴᴀʟʟʏ ꜰɪɴᴅ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ɪꜱ ᴀꜱ ꜱʜᴇ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ…

ᴀ���ᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ɪɴꜰᴏʀᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ: 1. ᴏɴᴇꜱʜᴏᴛ ᴛᴀᴋᴇꜱ ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰɪʀꜱᴛ ꜱᴇᴀꜱᴏɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇꜰᴏʀᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀɪɴꜱ ꜱᴘᴏɪʟᴇʀꜱ.

[Reader] looked around the library. Dust particles danced in the bright light streaming from the huge windows. Some students fought over access to computers. The teacher on duty tried to calm them down. Most people, however, sat quietly, with their noses in books. They were cramming for exams. Two people glanced her way quickly from time to time. That's why she always hid in that corner, away from watchful eyes. The rumors about meeting Baji outside of class didn't do her any good. No one close to her approved of this. They heard various things about him, often untrue. They were afraid and rightly so.  

She looked at her notebook again that afternoon. She did all her homework. She also managed to study for all the tests. She had nothing left. She tapped her fingers impatiently on the table. She was dying of boredom. How long can you do one exercise? Keisuke has proven to her many times that there are people in the world who are not suitable for mathematics. No matter how much she tutored him, he was hopeless. Many times she wanted to give up but then she remembered his mother. Mrs. Baji fell into despair after her son had to repeat a grade. She didn't want it to happen again, so she actually begged her young neighbour to do something about his hopeless state of knowledge. She didn't have much money but she often cooked her favourite dishes and invited her to dinner. To this day, the girl still doesn't know how she managed to make up for all the gaps in the boy's education. The worst thing was that he really tried. She supervised him at every opportunity. Sometimes, late at night, she saw the lamp on in his room. And yet, he simply couldn't stick certain things in his mind forever.  

— What strategy did you use? — [Reader] asked, wanting to break the silence. She couldn't sit like this forever.  

— None — Keisuke coughed. — I don't know how to start this task.  

— Why didn't you say anything?! — The girl ran her hand over her face resignedly.  

— You seemed deep in thought — he replied calmly.  

— Take off those glasses. Right now.

She couldn't look at the pair of glasses on his nose anymore. Not only did he not look like himself but his eyesight was also ruined. The guys in the gang told him that if he put them on, he would become smarter. It didn't really work. And certainly not when it comes to school.  

— What for? — he asked.  

She reached towards him. He had more beautiful hair than herself. She admitted it reluctantly. He wore his long black locks in a ponytail. She pulled the elastic band off, letting them fall freely. He looked very handsome. If he walked like this every day, many students would surely send him love letters. Maybe it was better that only she had the privilege of seeing him like this...  

— Standard tactics don't work on you — she said. — When you're getting ready for a fight, you look like you do now. Imagine that these exercises are enemies and you're about to kick their ass.  

— How do you know what I look like when I fight? — Baji grinned. — Someone is watching me...  

— First of all, I'd be a fool not to look at you. — The boy's reaction was priceless. For a moment he was completely confused. He wasn't used to anyone responding to him like that. Certainly not apart from the people of Tokyo Manji. — And secondly, focus. — She pointed to the notebook.  

He cracked his neck and clenched his fist. For a moment, he looked like he was really about to go and kick the young students a few shelves away. Eventually, however, he began to read the text eagerly. He used two large sheets of paper. He drew and scribbled furiously. After a few minutes of scribbling, he gave girl the exercise. It's true that he calculated the delta incorrectly but it was a start. Especially compared to what was before.  

— If I do the next task, will you give me a kiss? — His low, gravelly voice sounded somewhere close to her ear.  

She knew he was teasing her but it still felt nice. He didn't joke like that with everyone. Keisuke didn't allow women near him at all. Outside of her. And she was very flattered to be the exception.  

— We both know you won't do it — She leaned towards him.  

The academic level of difficulty was clearly marked with the exercise. While she would have had a chance against it, he would almost certainly have failed at the very start.  

— I was hoping you'd care enough to help me. — He laughed. — It's time for me — he announced, getting up from the table.  

Toman was probably going to the meeting again. He'll put on a black jacket, get on his bike and go give someone a good beating. It never really scared her. Yes, he could be brutal but he never attacked people who didn't know what they were getting into. She had seen him deal with guys who harassed girls at school more than once. He often saved his younger colleagues from being attacked by nasty bullies. He didn't brag about it at all. He did it after class. Usually, no one recognized him afterward anyway because he looked very different at school and outside of it.  

It was no exaggeration to say that she had fallen in love with Baji. He showed her his other, softer side. Like when he held her hair to keep it from falling into the bowl of ramen. Or when he helped her get to class on time because she overslept. And he once even said that if he had to choose one girl and go on a date, it would be [Reader]. The latter was an overheard conversation between him and Chifuyu. Somehow it turned out that she was just returning to her apartment. The boys sometimes liked to sit on the playground near the estate. It was then that the truth dawned on her. It wasn't flirting anymore, it was something else. Some kind of bond that they will probably develop into something more soon. She enjoyed it.  

She didn't even notice how much time she spent in the library.  

— [Reader]-chan, have you been sitting here all afternoon? — Her friend touched her arm gently.  

— Almost — the girl nodded.  

Sashimi had been very worried about her lately. She insisted on walking her home. She also often asked them to go out together. She didn't mind, although the frequency with which they did it was starting to tire her a little. In the end, though, [Reader] let her be dragged and they had a good time.  

— I thought you were just talking to someone... — Her friend looked worried.  

She probably guessed she spent time with Baji. She didn't want to upset her because Sashimi never liked the boy. She had formed an opinion about him a long time ago. Gangs were bad, dangerous and that's it. She would go even crazier knowing that this famous legend goes to the same school.  

— You must've misheard. — [Reader] waved her hand carelessly and put her things into her bag. — Let's go.  

***  

Something banged hard on the window. [Reader] took off her headphones, trying to figure out if she had misheard. The autumn wind sometimes blew a lot of garbage towards her house. Especially on days like this, where the sky looked like it was going to rain any moment.  

And yet the sound repeated itself. So she went to the window. She didn't expect to see Keisuke on the other side of the glass at all. A fat black tomcat trotted next to him. He wagged his tail impatiently and mewed loudly. He certainly didn't like this weather.  

— How did you get here, Baji-kun? — The girl glanced at him and then down.  

She let him inside, feeling the cool breeze of the approaching storm.  

— I climbed the tree. — He dusted the small brown leaves off his jacket.  

— Where did you leave the motorbike? — She glanced out the window again. There was no sign of his beloved vehicle anywhere.  

— One street away. Don't worry, I'm not that stupid. I know your folks don't like me.  

She breathed a sigh of relief. Her parents didn't like the boy. They certainly wouldn't be happy to see him. Recently, they clearly reminded their daughter that it was not a good idea to associate with such people. She protested for a long time and eventually they reached a compromise. However, she decided to stay out of their sight for now when the two of them are together. A sudden meeting certainly wouldn't improve the situation now.  

— You mentioned you weren't feeling well, so I came. — Keisuke sat down on the soft, plush carpet. He lazily stretched his legs and turned his head towards the ceiling.  

[Reader] widened her eyes. She had indeed written him a message but the last time she checked, he had not read it or replied. She thought he wouldn't really care. After all, everyone can have a bad day sometimes. Meanwhile, he escaped from the meeting with the gang. In addition, he made this strange but impressive entrance. She felt stupid. She was wearing unsophisticated, crumpled clothes and funny, old-fashioned slippers. She furtively brushed her hair as he admired the photos in her room, just to look a little more put together.  

— Cool slippies. Do you feel like a grandma already? — Her friend grinned.  

He seemed genuinely amused by the concept of stuffed cats on her feet.  

— Says the guy who wore glasses and thought they would make him smarter... — [Reader] showed him the middle finger.  

She felt embarrassed. Not that she didn't like wearing those slippers but now her neighbour certainly wouldn't let her live. He definitely won't miss the opportunity to remind her about it during some tutoring.  

— I thought if I brought him back it would make you feel better — Baji nodded at the animal hanging out in the middle of the room.  

The fat cat put his head under the girl's hand. She took him onto her lap. She stroked the fluffy ball steadily. The black fur was extremely soft. Baji certainly brushed it. She knew that the boy dealt with stray cats. He devoted what little time he had left from the day to taking care of them. His mother complained about how much fur they left in his room. And also what part of the monthly budget they consume. But she could always be placated. All it took was the pleading looks of a few animals and the promise that her son would start studying. Everything had been going on this way for several years. There were no signs of change.  

There was something nice about sitting here with Keisuke in the warmth when it was starting to rain outside. Talking about trivial matters brought peace of mind. Even if they didn't cover any specific topics. His mere presence helped cheer her up.  

— Why exactly did you feel bad today? — Baji asked at one point. — Do I need to beat someone up?  

She saw in his eyes that he was asking seriously. If someone actually hurt her, he would be ready to go and hit whoever she pointed out. He probably wouldn't even ask what, how or why.  

— You don't have to hit anyone. She laughed. After a while, however, she sighed heavily. — I've just had a terrible headache lately and I'm not in a good mood. There is no specific reason.  

The boy looked at her carefully, then put his hand to her forehead and immediately took it away.  

— What are you doing? — [Reader] looked at him, amused.

— I'm checking for a fever — he said.

She put her hand to her mouth to stifle a giggle. Still, she snorted quietly. She couldn't help herself.  

— You wouldn't be able to check anything by swatting your hand like that! Have you watched some kind of romantic movies?

His face confirmed that yes, he had watched the them. As silly as it was, it was also a bit romantic. Therefore, she spared him further suffering and changed the topic of conversation.  

A black kitten was circling the room. At first he acted normal but then he became a bit uncomfortable. He walked around in circles, unable to find a place.  

— What is it about? — The girl scratched him behind the ears.  

— He probably misses me — Keisuke said.  

As if on cue, the animal began to meow. A long wail echoed through the room.  

— [Reader], is that a cat? I thought you were talking to someone. — Her mother's voice came from the living room.  

She was probably watching TV and the sound only now reached her ears.  

— It's just a new ringtone on your phone! — the daughter shouted. — I talked to Sashimi!  

She looked pointedly at her guest. They should have been in bed long ago. Tomorrow was another day at school.  

— I think it's time for me to go — Baji said, straightening his jacket.  

She opened the window. The cat jumped out first, even though it was already starting to rain outside. He meowed goodbye and jumped straight into the tree. Keisuke followed him.  

***  

[Reader] was walking along a quiet street with Baji. The area was desolate. Few people were out this late in the evening. And certainly not in November. However, the starry sky encouraged them to continue walking. So she pulled her jacket tighter around her, trailing after the boy.  

At one point, she saw a familiar, blond hair. It stood out in the grey-brown landscape. The light from the lamps reflected from it from a distance.  

— Matsuno-kouhai! — she exclaimed.  

The younger colleague turned towards her. Keiji gave her a scolding look. It was supposed to be just the two of them. And now they will have company.  

— Good evening, [Reader]-san… — Chifuyu's face showed concern. He stood still for a moment, as if he didn't know what to say. — How do you feel?  

He had always been formal with her but probably not that formal. She suspected that he had a crush on her some time ago. However, he felt respect for Baji and that was probably why he tried to suppress his feelings. Since she realized this, she saw him less often. She didn't want to break his heart even more.

— All right. Thanks for asking, although it's a rather strange question. — The older friend smiled slightly.  

— You took it the worst of all of us and it seemed to me that… — The unfinished sentence hung in the air.  

She noticed with horror that tears were dancing in the corners of kouhai's eyes. He lowered his head and quickly wiped them away.  

— What are you talking about? — asked the girl. She felt like she was missing something. As if it was something she should know.  

She looked at Keiji. However, he shrugged. Apparently he had no idea what was going on either.  

— I don't think we understand what you're talking about.  

— We don't? — The boy looked at her with surprise. He seemed genuinely shocked.  

— Something's wrong? We have no idea. We were here all evening. — She gave him a worried look.  

— [Reader]-senpai, what what kind of we are you talking about? — he asked with a serious expression.  

— Me and Baji-kun. Who else do you see here?  

Chifuyu's eyes widened for a moment. Like he really couldn't believe something. She didn't understand at all why he had this reaction. He grabbed her shoulders tightly and shook her.  

— [Reader]-senpai, Baji-san is dead…  

She felt as if someone had hit her. She grabbed her head. Excruciating pain ripped through her skull. As if something was trying to come to the surface. Everything inside her was turning over. She felt like vomiting.  

— But... he's here...  

She wanted to say that he was still here but when she looked back, she saw no one. Only an empty sidewalk and a few rustling leaves.  

— He was here just a moment ago! — she shouted desperately, looking around.  

She looked fat the boy in disbelief, feeling something bursting in her head. Some fragments of memories seemed to deform and blur. Was he in the library with her? Did he come to her room? Was she walking with him just now? 

— He committed suicide. Less than a week ago. On Bloody Halloween — Chifuyu said in a quiet, pained voice. — You were with me at his funeral. You are standing in front of a cemetery. — Matsuno hugged her tightly.  

She looked uncertainly to her right. He was right. Her legs brought her here. There was a gate in front of her. And beyond, there were rows of tombstones, decorated with flowers and incense sticks. Slowly everything came back to her. The sight of his cold, lifeless body. A gentle smile on his face as she said her final goodbyes to the corpse. His mother's despair as he was cremated. These senseless condolences from all my loved ones. As if they were going to bring him back to life.  

— It's not true! — she protested.  

She sobbed. His black jacket was darkened by the tears that dripped profusely down her face. She felt snotty. She sniffled again and again. The lights of the lamps were blurring more and more. The boy pulled her towards him. He held her very tightly and she knew he was crying too, although more quietly. She howled with shock and anger. To the world for being so damn unfair. At herself for not noticing anything. At Baji for leaving and not thinking about how she and his mother would feel. At Hanemiya because he was the one who pushed him to do this. And also on Tokyo Manji because they were shitty friends. Everyone was guilty. And now there was nothing that could be done about it because there was no way to turn back time.  

She blinked hard. She thought she saw Keiji for a brief moment. With his cheeky smile, on a motorbike and a black cat next to him.  

— Don't go — she sobbed.

***  

[Reader] took out Peyoung Yakisoba from the bag and handed Chifuyu the chopsticks. They ate in silence. This became their ritual. Ever since their friend left, they kept their promise. They left him his favourite dish according to his last wish. They emptied the package halfway and then placed it on the monument. They hoped he would like it. 

The woman extended her hand towards Matsuno. He grabbed her and squeezed it tightly. They didn't give up. Even though everyone around seemed to have come to terms with Baji's death. They were still working. With each passing day they were getting closer to getting rid of Kisaki. Revenge became, as it were, their driving force. And yet, somewhere in these negative feelings, there was also room for love. 

For a long time, they wondered what Keiji would say if he saw their relationship. He would probably laugh and say he was jealous. But then he would wish them luck. She knew it. If it weren't for this feeling, they certainly wouldn't have decided to do all this.  

She had support in the man walking by her side. He understood her better than anyone else.  

— So where are we going for dinner today? — [Reader] asked.  

— I have no idea. There will probably be a lot of food at the board meeting but I wouldn't want to eat at the same table with them. We'll figure something out when I get back. — Matsuno wrapped his arms around her waist and they moved towards the tall building towering over the entire city.  

[profchamomile]

Hello! Might I know more about your occupation? What does Pokemon biology entail? What kinds of accessibility projects do you have?

Oh! Do tell more about the accessibility.

~Zelda & Mipha [@prayers-to-hyliarceus]

Hello! I am so sorry about not getting back to you sooner; I've been quite busy lately. I would be delighted to talk about this!

Pokemon biology is the study of Pokemon and how they live and grow. I learn about their anatomy, their genetics, and the science behind their typings and abilities. A lot of this goes into my study on Pokemon care, so I also do a lot of research into their environmental and nutritional needs as well into caring for them! For this, I've actually had a lot of training as a Pokemon center nurse prior to becoming a professor.

I also study Pokemon ecology, which goes into the role a species of Pokemon plays in their natural environment's ecosystem. This helps me understand the Pokemon further in why they have the needs, instincts and behaviors that they do.

All of this information I study goes into finding the best methods to care for Pokemon as well as maintaining or (preferably) improving their quality of life, while giving a reasonable amount of energy that the trainer can manage. This helps people in disadvantaged situations such as changes in living accommodations, changes in schedules, or if they are disabled.

As for the accessibility projects I have going on at the moment: right now I am raising three species of Pokemon that are used as Paldea's standard "starter pokemon", given to students at Naranja-Uva academy. They're considerably easy to raise, albeit on the high energy side, plus they can get to a decently large size once they're fully evolved. So I'm collecting data from my own experiences to find better ways for students to care for these Pokemon - especially those living in the dormitory rooms.

This will also be helpful for students who may have mobility issues or fatigue issues that may make it harder to keep up with these Pokemon. There's already many outlets in place for this at the academy, but there's always room for improvement!

So far I have some sketches for floor plan adjustments, and some exercise toy blueprints, to name a couple things.

While this isn't related to Pokemon care itself, some point I will start working with the league to come up with a personalized transportation system in the city of Mesagoza, as it may possibly be the least accessible city in the region right now, in how it's been laid out.

If you have any other questions about accessibility and Pokemon care I would be more than happy to answer them!

[ask-fantasy-sanders-sides]

I’m so glad to see y’all are okay 🥹🥹🥹

Also quick question if you don’t mind me asking, what is a wraith?

Virgil shakes Logan’s hands off, ignoring the lingering sting in his shoulders. 

“But I could do all that before I could do magic!”

“What are you talking about?” Logan sighs, exasperated, “You’re a sorcerer.”

“If I was caught doing magic growing up I would have been executed,” Virgil hisses pointedly, considering that Logan should already know this fun fact about his underground home, “Everyone can do the glow thing and summon shadows. That’s not magic! I didn’t have magic until two years ago.”

Virgil doesn’t mention Remus’s other accusations about ‘jumping too high’ and ‘falling too slow’ and running ‘too fast’ or ‘too far,’ because those are definitely natural. So what if he was outmatched in speed and agility in his regiment? Being agile isn’t magic, he just takes good care of his legs and exercises properly. It’s not his fault everyone else is so slow.

...Virgil doesn’t mention Remus’s other accusation about speaking with animals because he doesn’t want to think about that one.

“What is the definition of magic?” Logan asks, with the tone of a teacher quizzing a student who had fallen asleep at their desk. Virgil rolls his eyes,

“It’s the…” 

Well.

“..How should I know?!” He huffs, flipping his hood back up over his head and folding his arms to be completely covered under his cloak, like that will make him suddenly invisible to a man standing inches away.

Logan muffles a chuckle at his expense, then continues, “Magic is the ability possessed by some individuals to manipulate the ambient energies of the world to produce desired results in ways typically impossible by physical means, either through personal mental effort or in collaboration with the mental effort of an outside entity. At least, that’s the most widely accepted definition in the art.”

Logan reaches out, slowly, to lift Virgil’s hood as he speaks,

“Could another person — say, Patton — reasonably be expected to turn themselves into shadow at will though physical effort?”

“I don’t know, maybe.” Virgil grumbles, trying to imagining it. “Has he tried it?”

“I think we both know that it would be impossible. No offense to him, of course.”

“None taken.” Patton giggles from their left, updating Virgil on where he’s standing. Virgil wishes there weren’t so many people in their group who like to shuffle around in circles while he can’t see.

“In that case,” Logan retracts his hand, leaving Virgil to wonder what he did that for in the first place, “Did you never assume that the powers that be in your hometown simply decided what was ‘magic’ and what was not on a whim, in order to use that law as a pretense for execution?”

“Of course they did. They’re assholes.”

“So why are you so determined to call your magic something else? You believe what they said about your supposedly-not-magic abilities, but are aware they were lying to you. You realize that no one here will hurt you for having it, right?”

Virgil pauses for a moment, taking that in. He doesn’t exactly believe Logan that no one here will hurt him for having magic, but he is a little embarrassed to not have noticed that contradiction before. 

“You’ve been using magic your entire life. You’re just old enough now to be accessing more powerful spells.” Logan says with some finality, and Virgil can feel the way he’s smiling about it. 

“Hooray for me.” Virgil scoffs, dripping with sarcasm. It stings his throat a little, because of the damn faewild and its damn rules, but he’ll take it.

“Now, there is something to be said about how one of those spells you seem to be using purportedly no longer exists, but you’ve done that before.” Logan mumbles, “I would like to know what you mean about not having magic until two years ago.”

Before Virgil can even sweat about being asked such a question, Dee thankfully interrupts,

“The three of us were exploring some random cave system, and Virgil and Remus touched some radioactive rock,” Dee sighs, voice tinged with annoyance, but Virgil knows he’s more upset about the secret being out than the fact that it happened. “Since then, they’ve been having magical symptoms.”

Virgil can hear Roman’s affronted squawk to his left, “What symptoms?!”

“Oh my god, chill, I’m not hurt.” Remus sing-songs next to him, the sound of rustling fabric indicating that he’s started wrestling him again.

“—Pft! I wasn’t worried about you!”

“A tear in the Weave, perhaps?” Logan hums, “That would explain the wild magic. I would like to explore this place, eventually.”

“Too bad,” Dee chirps, and Virgil can practically hear the maliciously bemused smirk on his face, “None of us remember where we were. Unless you want to scour the entire mountain?”

“If I have the time.” Logan replies, completely seriously. Dee definitely didn’t like that answer, but Virgil can’t help but feel fond.

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PCs available: Logan, Patton, Roman, Virgil, Janus, Remus, Annie

[ntenvs3000w24]

05: The ways nature has impacted me? (free prompt)

I believe that spending time in nature offers numerous physical, mental, and emotional benefits. During the summer, I have complete access to nature trails and may spend countless hours outdoors. There may be obstacles such as weather and restricted access to these areas in the winter for our own safety. During the academic year, I attributed my lack of drive to a lack of time spent outside. I find that when I lose motivation, my other positive behaviours fall out of sync. I spend less time exercising, my dietary intake becomes more unhealthy, my sleep schedule becomes disorganized, and I feel inconsistent.  

This year, I decided to take control of my winter, knowing that these changes usually occur during this time of year. I wanted to find strategies to maintain a balanced diet, get enough and high-quality sleep, and have a regular gym regimen while also attending school and maintaining good grades. So I'd like to share some changes I made to my routine to ensure improved habits. 

My first major shift was to devote 30-60 minutes every day to outside activities. Now, I cannot say that I do this every day without fail, but I have been able to do so at least 5 days per week. It helps me to organize my thoughts without having to focus on schoolwork. During this period, I would either softly jog to get some physical activity in or take a walk along the trails in my neighbourhood. I would listen to a podcast, whether it was about amusement, learning, motivation, or self-discipline, to help pass the time. I believe this helped me relieve some of my tension and allowed me to unplug from school.

As we discussed several times throughout the course, the nature trails within the Aboretum made incorporating this practice into my day a breeze. After class, before leaving for home, I take a little walk through the Aboretum to reorganize after a few hours of classes. I sometimes have friends join me, which makes it much more pleasurable because we spend the most of our time on campus together studying. If you don't already, I recommend using the Arboretum to break up your day and get your mind off of school.

I also told myself this year that I would keep a consistent sleep routine. To ensure that I am properly refreshed, I try to get at least 8 hours of sleep each night. Again, are there times when I don't get a complete 8 hours? Of course. However, for the most part, I have been able to prioritize my personal health over academics, and I no longer have to pull all-nighters to complete projects. This has not only allowed me to be properly rested, but it has also taught me how to better manage my time during the day, decrease screen time, and focus on the tasks at hand. 

As a fellow student, I understand how tough it is to maintain healthy habits when there are so many assignments due each week, but it is critical that we remember to take care of ourselves. You may even discover that prioritizing your personal health during the school year has an impact on your academic performance. Can any of you think of a moment when you implemented new habits and saw improvements in your daily life?

[underforeversgrace]

bent but not yet broken - 2

title: bent but not yet broken

words: 2,641

Story Summary:

How short a time had Danny even been here? He’d already lost track of the days. Had he been here a week? A month? It was amazing what a void time became when every second was an all-consuming pain.

Danny Phantom has been captured by the GIW. The students of Casper High are protesting. Sam and Tucker have been notably absent, working with the Fentons to get Danny back.

What happens when the GIW bring back the hero, muzzled and beaten, on display for all of Casper High to see?

Chapter 2 of 7: We Reach for Each Other

AO3

Tumblr Chapter One / Tumblr Chapter Three

~~~~~~

Lancer glared at the memo in his hands, fighting off the urge to rip it into shreds as he trembled with rage.

He shared a glance with Ishiyama, who just nodded at him with a frown.

Important notice to all Casper High Staff:

The Guys in White will be active on campus later today to capture the remaining ghosts haunting the school. Do not interfere with GIW personnel, equipment, or ghostly lures brought on campus. Do not notify the students, as we understand that there are ghost sympathizers among them who may incite violence.

-Agent O

Lancer had never hated someone. He was a teacher - patience was a virtue he had developed (even if he had also developed less desirable traits, like favoritism) - and he had never felt this much disdain for anyone in his life. Now, however, he finally understood all the times his stories had characters who had such anger and hatred that they saw red. 

He was seeing fiery crimson as he crumpled the note in his fist, trying to subtly do calming breathing exercises. None of the others understood - none of them could understand.

After all, it wasn’t any of their faults that Danny Phantom had been captured two weeks ago. None of them had been too slow in evacuating, none of them had been in the way when the Guys in White fired at an Unidentified Ghostly Assailant that they hadn’t seen behind them. No, only Lancer had been there to watch the ‘menacing’ Phantom jump in front of a shot that would have injured human and ghost alike.

Similarly, none of them had heard an agent bragging a little too loudly about a trap that had worked perfectly as they snapped a collar around the unconscious Phantom’s neck.

Lancer was many things - dumb was not one of them. Federal agents had intentionally shot at him - an unarmed civilian - so they could capture a ghost who’d barely ever done anything wrong. A familiar guilt curled in his stomach. He blamed himself for being bait. More than that, however, he wondered how he had forgotten a student. Phantom had saved him more often than any other member of Casper staff - he was clearly familiar with the teacher in a way that spoke of knowing each other.

Who was this child, when he’d been alive? How could Lancer not know which happy, joyous, wise-cracking child this had been?

Fine, Lancer thought as he slipped away from the teacher’s meeting, noting and ignoring Ishiyama’s worried look - she probably knew something was amiss by the look on his face.

Lancer hurried, passing through the empty auditorium where he knew over half the school would be once school hours started. It was what the student body had taken to doing since Phantom’s ‘arrest’: protesting with some sort of byline that would make even Samantha Manson proud, though she had been noticeably absent from the sit-in, along with Tucker Foley and Daniel Fenton. It confirmed a long held suspicion Lancer had - that the trio were somehow involved with Phantom. Ms. Manson and Mr. Foley were seen far too often around the specter, and Phantom had access to too much Fenton tech to not have an ally within the ghost hunter’s household.

Lancer hesitated for only a moment before pulling up the student files once he made it to his office. These kids were somehow involved, and - as much as he hated to involve them further - he had no doubt that they’d been spending the past two weeks planning to break Phantom out of the GIW facility he was in. And what better time to stage a breakout than when a platoon of GIW agents would be at the school? They were still a small organization - the building they occupied within Amity Park was a quarter the size of Casper High itself.

Steeling himself in his decision, he found the application Mr. Foley had submitted when he’d requested Casper to make a computer club.

“There you are,” he muttered, pulling Foley’s personal email address from the form. He tried to push aside the mental gymnastics he was doing - first the worry of knowing these agents had already shot at unarmed civilians before, and then the absolute belief that these three would storm the facility eventually regardless. “It’s safer if they do it today…”

Quickly, he smoothed and scanned the memo, emailing it to Foley from the burner email Lancer used for online video games.

The computer gave a ding as the email successfully sent, and Lancer finally gave up his losing battle with convincing himself this was a good idea. It was done. Whatever happened, happened. And Lancer would accept all the blame that came with it.

~~~~~~

Jack paced back and forth, angry tears falling from his eyes as he looked at the official, generic response crumpled in his hands.

Dr. and Mrs. Fenton, he read again, though the words were seared into his brain. It still irked him the way the Guys in White had addressed it, when they were both Dr. Fenton.

In response to your recent inquiry to be able to work with the recently acquired specimen VNM-262 (colloquially referred to as ‘Danny Phantom’), we are denying access at this time.

VNM-262 is a volatile, unusual presentation of spectral energy. It is being kept in a closely monitored environment with only strictly necessary personnel interacting with it, until such time as we can be sure its powers have been successfully nullified and/or removed. 

We will reach out to you when this state has been attained and/or when the subject has been destabilized to a point of being a non-threat.

Regards, 

Agent A

Administrations Assistant

Two weeks. They’d had his son for two fucking weeks already, doing God knows what to him. Well, only God may know exactly what, but Jack and Maddie could guess.

They’d been planning what they’d do in the same situation for two years, after all.

Jack’s tears burned as they ran down his face.

“What now?” Sam asked, looking as tired as Jack felt.

Jack glanced to the couch, studying the two exhausted teenagers sitting there, his equally drained wife on the chair beside them. Dark circles lined Sam’s eyes; Maddie’s jumpsuit was wrinkled and stained with ink; even Tucker’s beret seemed to be sagging under the weight of it all.

As usual, a mix of emotions welled up inside Jack as he studied his son’s friends. Anger that they’d known his secret and allowed Danny to keep it from them. Guilt that they had genuinely feared what Jack and Maddie would do to him if they found out. Relief that Danny hadn’t gone through the last two years alone. Grateful sadness at how hard they were working to try to help them save Danny.

Dozens of papers sat on the table in front of them, proof of their efforts. Requests under the Freedom of Information Act demanding information on Danny Phantom, law books and studies relating to illegal incarceration, cases setting various precedents on America’s mishandling of undocumented immigrants - anything and everything they could think of that might help them get Danny out.

Even Vlad’s lawyers - dead and alive - had offered their advice, but they didn’t have much. The Anti-Ecto Control Act was broad reaching and vague enough that the GIW could do whatever they wanted while court proceedings happened - which could take years.

“What do we do now?” Tucker asked, repeating Sam’s sentiment when neither of the adults in the room answered.

“I don’t know,” Maddie said, her voice betraying how close to tears she was.

“Maybe we should try Clockwork again,” Sam said desperately.

“So he can tell us the same ‘all is as it should be’ bullshit? No, thanks - I’m not up to throwing hands with a god of time. Again.” Tucker answered.

Jack remained silent, rereading the rejection notice from the GIW as he tried to push down the anger that spiked whenever the two spoke. It had taken them four days to tell the Fentons the truth of who Danny was after he’d been caught, after spending that entire time running the parents in circles whenever they tried to reach their son. They’d single-handedly thrown both parents' lives upside down and then directly into crisis.

The ensuing silence was like molasses down Jack’s throat, choking him, overwhelming him. “Fuck!” He yelled, turning and punching the wall behind him, going straight through the drywall in his desperation to break the oppressive quiet. “Fuck!”

All three of them had jumped at his outburst. They were used to Jack Fenton being loud - they weren’t used to him screaming or punching things (that weren’t ghosts). Jack couldn’t bring himself to face them again, instead leaning his head against the wall. 

“How do I get my son back?” He asked no one in particular, the ever present tears flowing harder. “I just want my son back. Please.” Jack didn’t know who he was pleading to. The universe, God, Clockwork, the people around him perhaps. Anyone, anything that would listen to him. “Please.”

Mercifully, Sam didn’t give the retort she’d given so often whenever Jack or Maddie had expressed similar sentiment in the past ten days. “Even if he’s half ghost?”

Jack continued to beg to whoever would listen to give him Danny back as he lowered himself to the floor, his legs unable to hold him up any longer as he leaned against the wall, his pleas swallowed by his sobs.

At least Jazz wasn’t here to see this. She’d gone to school overseas, and then on an expedition to study the psychology of areas that were less technologically developed. Or, at least, somewhere that her cell phone didn’t have service.

What would they say when Jazz finally did get in touch? She’d see the news of Danny’s capture. His arrest hadn't made international headlines - hell, it didn't even make national ones - but it was the only thing Amity's press was discussing. Would they have Danny back safely by the time Jazz inevitably saw an article?

A ding rang through the room like a gunshot as a voice cheerily announced “You have mail!” 

Tucker stared at the PDA in his hand - the source of the noise. “Who…?” he started, trailing off as he read the message, his frown deepening and eyes darkening as he did so. “Those fuckers!”

“What?” Sam asked, grabbing the PDA from him before he had the chance to answer. There was a short pause as she read the email. “Haven’t they done enough damage?”

“What is it?” Maddie interjected.

“An email - I don’t know from who,” Tucker answered, grabbing the PDA back, “but it’s a memo to the staff at Casper High. The Guys in White will be visiting today.”

“Does it say anything about Danny?” Jack asked.

“No,” Tucker sighed. “Just that they’ll be there and not to interfere with them, their equipment, or their ‘ghostly lures.’”

“Sounds like it’s time to storm a government base to me,” Sam said, her face far too serious and tired for someone who was barely sixteen.

“Can I take a look?” Maddie asked, holding out her hand. Tucker shrugged and handed the PDA over. She read it aloud, likely for Jack’s benefit, but he was struggling to not drown in his grief. He’d never been good at insurmountable problems. He’d let it consume him - and then he would come out the other side swinging, full of determination and the bedrocks of a plan.

He’d never had anything this high stakes to get through before, though. It felt like every brain cell he had was dying, replaced by a void of grief.

Jack couldn’t say it aloud, but he didn’t know if there was a way to save his son, to bring him back home. To rectify the mistakes they’d made, to show him that Jack loved him with his entire heart no matter what, to beg Danny’s forgiveness that they’d given him enough reason to doubt. 

While the GIW facility looked like nothing more than an office building, it was armed and defended to the teeth. Jack and Maddie had helped them set up the weaponry, a fact that burned like acid in his mind.

Conversation around him pulled Jack from the tempest of pain his mind had become.

“Something is bugging me with this,” Maddie said, her lips pursed the way they did when she was deep in thought. “The note not to tell the students due to the possibility of a riot, and this ghostly lure they referenced.”

“It’s a scientific government facility that hurts innocents. Everything they say should bug you,” Sam said, an edge to her voice that made Maddie flinch.

“I think we should go to the school,” Maddie continued.

“What? If one of the teams is gone, we can go to the facility directly and have a better chance of busting Danny out!” Sam shouted, immediately shooting to her feet.

“They catch their number one target and leave him under-protected barely two weeks later? The GIW don’t have that many employees,” Maddie pointed out.

Jack glanced over at his wife, a frown forming as he realized she was right. “We wouldn’t have, after all. Not this soon.”

The two Fenton parents shared grimaces as guilt burned Jack alive.

Sam opened her mouth to say something, but Tucker placed a gentle hand on hers and she pursed her lips in aggravation instead.

“So we go to the school, and then what?” Tucker asked, glancing between the ghost hunters. “How the hell do we get Danny away from them?”

“Ecto-weapons can be dangerous to humans, too,” Maddie said, standing and rolling her shoulders, a look of grim determination on her face.

“You’re going to open fire on federal agents in a high school? Are you sure that’s smart?” Sam questioned.

“No, it’s dumb as hell,” Jack answered, heading towards the lab for more weapons. “But we’re getting Danny out of there, consequences be damned.”

When Jack returned, he handed off several ecto-weapons to Maddie, nodding wordlessly. He also handed her a Fenton Thermos, tossing two more to Sam and Tucker, one already clipped to his own belt. “Maddie and I will distract them. Get Danny in a Thermos and get him out of the school.”

“Maybe only one of you should distract them,” Tucker said, rolling the Thermos around in his hands. “Then we can pretend that one was overshadowed or something. Otherwise, we’ll be getting Danny out of there, just to be forced into foster care or something. He needs the portal and its ambient ectoenergy - he can’t lose both of you.”

Maddie was grabbing the ecto-gun out of Jack’s hands before he could react. “Tucker’s right, and I’m the better shot.”

Jack frowned. “If they don’t buy the overshadowed theory, you’ll go to jail for attempted murder.”

Maddie hummed slightly, ejecting the cartridge and studying the sleek, see-through container where green glowed with its own ethereal light. She popped the cartridge back in, cocking the weapon with practiced ease. “You and I both know it won’t be attempted murder, dear.”

The protest almost bubbled past Jack’s lips before he bit his tongue. As much as he hated it, she was right. This might be their only shot to save Danny, and Jack’s desire to save his son easily trod over his pride at pretending he wasn’t a bad shot. So, with more restraint than Jack Fenton remembered ever using before, he kept his mouth shut, and allowed his wife to make the self-sacrifice play. “Danny comes home today,” he promised.

Even if you don’t, were the words they left unspoken as Maddie met his gaze, a brief moment of sadness in her eyes before they hardened to determined steel.

“Let’s bring him home,” Tucker mumbled, standing from his seat with Sam following. “No matter what.”

[lesbiansandgayssupporttheminers]

School Funding and the Teacher Pay offer

So in the light of the pay offer made to teachers in England, there’s a big debate about whether this offer is actually fully funded and whether it is affordable for schools. On twitter, you may see some headteachers saying yes, it is affordable, and some saying it isn’t for their school. This isn’t just down to political allegiance, or a desire to avert more strikes. Because of the way school funding works, a pay offer can be affordable for one school, and not for another.

To understand this, you have to understand how school funding in England works (I think the rUK is similar, but I’m not confident enough to comment on that).

The vast majority of funding is per pupil funding. For every student that attends a school, the school is given £X of funding. Rather bizarrely, the actual amount given varies from local authority to local authority, but on average in England about £5215 was given to each school per pupil. There are other sources of money, which I’ll try to go into later, but this per pupil funding is supposed to cover the day-to-day running costs of a school. This money does go up a bit year on year, but it hasn’t kept pace with schools’ rising costs and so a lot of schools are really strapped for cash.

For most schools, by far the biggest cost is staffing. This isn’t just teachers, but support staff as well- everyone from the caretaker and the receptionist, right up to the head has to be paid out of this budget. The only slight exception to this is 1:1 teaching assistants, but I’ll come to that later. The key point is that the vast majority of staff, certainly all the teaching staff are paid from one central funding pot. This can have unintended consequences- such as schools preferring to employ cheaper early career teachers over more experienced staff who cost well over £10,000 more a year. It also means if you have a shortfall in your budget, often the only way to deal with it is by cutting staff numbers.

If a member of staff is off sick, and the school pays for a supply teacher, it comes from this pot. If someone’s off on maternity, the school pays their enhanced maternity pay, and the cover teacher from this pot. Which, again, can push schools into making decisions that aren’t great.

Schools then also have to pay energy costs. It’s worth bearing in mind that school aren’t covered by the energy price cap, and so were hammered with huge energy bills this winter. There’s often not much that can be done about this. Yes, the head can remind everyone to switch off computers and lights when not in use- but most schools aim to heat the whole building for about half the year- and that’s expensive!

Then there’s resources. Everything from exercise books to art materials, to chemicals for science- every worksheet that gets photocopied. Any new textbooks the school shells out for. New IT equipment. Footballs and rugby balls for PE. If desks or chairs need to be replaced- it all comes out of the same funding pot. When schools are short of cash, this is often the first budget to be cut. In recent years, in the vast majority of schools, this has been cut back as far as possible. Certainly, in primary schools, towards the end of the financial year, you’ll hear of schools where they’re told no more new glue sticks. Many teachers these days will supply certain basics (like spare pens, their own board pens) from their own pockets. If you’ve got a decent parent teacher association fundraising for the school, this is often where the money their raise goes.

So, those are probably the major day to day costs of running a school- but you can also end up with emergency costs. The boiler breaks. A ceiling springs a leak. A window gets broken. You need to fence off part of your site for safety reasons. All of this usually comes out of the central pot of per pupil money too. Sometimes, there are funding sources available for new buildings, but it’s pretty rare to be able to access additional funding for repairs. And some of our schools are older than others. Some are literally falling down!

Some students will attract additional funding. There’s something called “pupil premium” which is mainly for lower income students. There’s special educational needs funding, for students with additional needs (although honestly this system probably needs a post in itself). There can be additional funding for students who speak English as an additional language, or who have been in care.

In theory, this money is supposed to be spent solely on those students, but equally it can go into a central pot to e.g. pay for a class teaching assistant to help all the students who need some additional help. However, in recent years, a lot of these teaching assistants have been cut to save money. Some students with special educational needs have an education and healthcare plan- which can provide additional funding for a 1:1 teaching assistant. Often, these 1:1s are now used for whole class support to try and save money (technically, this is illegal, but as I say, it’s probably a whole separate post).

So, the 900 million the government has said schools will get towards funding the pay offer will be added on to per pupil funding. The department for education won’t work out which schools have more expensive teachers and give them more funding to pay for the pay increase. They won’t look at which schools have had big bills, relating to building work this year. Everyone will just get a certain increase in per pupil funding, and be told to make it work. This can be especially difficult for very small schools, where class sizes are smaller than about 30.

That’s supposed to fund 3% of the 6.5%. As you can see, it probably won’t for every school. But the other 3.5% is the bigger issue. This was the originally recommended pay rise for teachers for the 23-24 school year, before the strikes. Everyone (the DfE, the unions etc) says schools should have already budgeted for this- but some schools have no money to budget with. To fund this, they’re often cutting teaching assistant hours, cutting pastoral staff, maybe even cutting teacher numbers and having larger class sizes. They may cut additional responsibility payments for teaching staff (which are also going up by 6.5%). Definitely, they will try to avoid paying for supply, by using existing staff including any teaching assistants left for cover. In a few cases, they’re even considering shortening the school day, or the school week to reduce costs.

Overall, what it means is higher workload for teachers, and often a less good experience for students. I don’t usually have much sympathy for bosses, but I know there are heads who absolutely feel they cannot make this pay offer work. They’ve cut everything to the bone. They’ve already sacrificed the quality of education in their schools. And that’s why a lot of people are saying the current funding deal isn’t enough.

[funnylittlelad]

life update, or a not-quite-so-funny story about disability, loss, and academia:

i go to school. i did well enough in community college to earn a place in all the honors classes i wanted, started a new wave of activism on my campus, and then got into what was meant to be a fancy program and transferred. now by the time i started the transfer process, i had already been going to the doctors. doctors who told me i was fine, i needed more exercise, i need to learn to just live with my body how it is, and there's nothing wrong. so, i had an idea something was up and i was worried. what if i start this whole big new thing and i end up actually being really sick? then i hear some amazing news from the program! they've had a student who had become ill and needed to take time off and were able to do so without an issue! great! well, i won't get into all the stress-inducing, symptom-worsening stuff that happened in between, but i will say this: it was utter bullshit.

there was a week last october where i buried someone incredibly important to me and a few days later received a hypermobile ehlers danlos syndrome diagnosis. A diagnosis i knew was coming by this time, but was hard all the same. i tried desperately to arrange time off. i had just started a new student organization that was, once again, trying to start a new wave of activism on campus, but i was (and still am) grieving so many things, including my own living body. when i tried to ask, beg, plead for just one semester off- just one- i was essentially told no. i asked about a medical leave, since i was told about that student who got sick and needed time. i was informed i either had to drop out entirely or go part time and risk my funding. they were nice enough to find a work around for me to stay on part time without sacrificing funding. it wasn't enough. it wasn't even a good idea.

i needed time to not be a student, student leader, or activist. i needed time to grieve and stop putting my health to the side and build back as much as i could. i was terrified because of how things were worded that if i left now they would make it harder for me to come back. so, i decided to tough it out.

here's the thing about disability: it can't be toughed out.

i didn't have the capacity to deal with it all and so many things were neglected by me because of it. my grades have suffered and so have i. now, i spent a year of school that did almost nothing for me as a student but instead stressed me out to the point of barely being able to function because of how bad my physical symptoms have gotten.

i'm dropping out for now. i have like a year left and i can't make it through as i am. my mobility has declined so much and i've lost a notable amount of weight. i can't be in school and focus on getting the medical care i need. it feels like i wasted so much fucking time when all i needed was a break to deal. and now i can't stop thinking about the student i heard about who got so sick and the school was able to help and provide a break for and i realized the difference. they had something they could make better. they had something they saw a horizon on. i don't. they don't trust i wont need more breaks so they refused to give me even the one.

oh, and after not giving me the time off i begged for, causing my grades to suffer, they now want half my funding for the last semester back.

at least im leaving that campus with better access to gender neutral bathrooms? i don't know im just trying really hard to find a bright side.

[mmatigers2023]

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[cemeterycigarettes]

after 8 months, i reached my ugw. someone asked for some tips so i figured i’d make a post :)

TIPS FOR REACHING YOUR UGW:

—vary your calories and have 2 maintenance days a week. this is really important to prevent slowing your metabolism and also helps with preventing binges!

—drink LOTS of water. i drink 2L a day. it helps with water retention, digestion, and makes you feel fuller

—volume eating. eating a lot of low calorie food versus eating a small amount of high calorie food will help with feeling fuller

—eat protein! it keeps you full and gives you energy

—get 8 hours of sleep a night. it helps with metabolism, water retention, and will make you feel more energetic

—stay active but have realistic goals. if you’re a student like me, chances are you might not have a lot of time to work out. aim for a daily minimum step count that is doable for you

—if you binge, eat at maintenance the next day. it’s tempting to just fast the next day to “make up for it”, but this will lead to another binge. i got stuck in a binge-restrict cycle for 2 months and lost no weight at all due to it

—laxatives don’t calorie purge, it’s not worth it

—if you HAVE to purge, do it via exercise

—getting an apple watch that tracks how many calories i burn a day helps so much (but i know that’s not an option for everyone)

—working out at an incline burns SO many more calories. if you’re at the gym, do the 12-3-30 (12% incline at 3mph for 30mins). if you don’t have access to a gym, trying walking up and down stairs or walking uphill

—have planned binge days every 3 months. this helped me from having unexpected binges and kept me motivated to just keep restricting so that i can enjoy food on my binge day

i want to end this post by saying: please be kind and patient to yourself. you deserve happiness

[prabhatjairam]

How to prepare for exams

One of the most challenging jobs that students typically encounter is studying for exams. Due to uncertainty regarding the exam question paper's content, pupils experience stress and anxiety just before the exam. Yet, many students test their knowledge by using various study approaches but still, they have a little worry in their minds.

Undoubtedly, during our school and college years, we all had to deal with this exam anxiety. No one denies that stress is a factor leading up to exams. If you're one of them and experiencing uneasiness before attempting your examinations, you can benefit from the advice in this article. We will explain how to study for your examinations in this blog post.

Plan out your study time.

Organize your revision so that you make the most of your time. Which part of the day—evening, afternoon, or morning —do you prefer most? Can you read more frequently at certain times? This will enable you to establish a general plan for what you intend to do, however, you should always leave room for adaptation in case circumstances change.

Verify that you comprehend everything.

If you come across anything you do not understand, attempt to uncover a fresh piece of information that will help you grasp it. Just memorizing the material won't be enough for you to clear the exam. If you need assistance, be bold and ask your teacher or a friend.

Start revision early

One of the best ways to perform well on tests is to start revising early. If you start revising at an early stage, you might come up with many topics on your tips. It can also help you understand complicated topics easily.

Take care of yourself during exams

Exercising regularly while studying is another smart move. A quick stroll or other forms of exercise increases the heart rate, which will make you more alert. Aside from that, take care of yourself by staying away from cold beverages that make you cough, have a cold, or have a headache.

Change up your revision methods.

Going over your notes on a subject or performing the same action repeatedly seems very boring. You can spice up your study time by trying different workouts and methods. Here are some options that you can include in reading your notes.

To test your memory, create concept maps or other summary diagrams, then compare the results to your notes. Examine the areas where you may have left out information or where gaps may exist.

Complete the sample papers and questions to test your comprehension.

Do group discussions to clear your doubts or complicated questions so you can easily attempt those questions in your exams.

Related https://www.study24hr.com/daily-booster/article?title=Kushan-dynasty

Look at previous year's papers

Collect samples and previous year's question papers to get a sense of the format of the question paper. You can get an idea of how many marks each question has by examining the papers from the previous year. You can also use this to determine the significance of the key chapters. Additionally, you can get accustomed to the format and kinds of questions you'll be asked. Also, practice completing exam papers within the stipulated time limit to improve your exam technique.

Today's children's academic development is greatly aided by online educational portals. You can get educational assistance from India’s leading portal, i.e., “study24hr.com.” It is a fantastic online learning environment that seeks to improve students' academic performance and comprehension abilities. The service allows learners to access mock test papers, daily boosters, inspiring movies, academic notes, and other study aids. Furthermore, “study24hr.com” allows teachers and educational institutions to publish their notes on its website and receive leads from students.

Set study targets.

Establish a goal to keep track of what you are learning or revising during each study session. Whether you want to set goals for the current study session or the one after, you may do so as soon as you begin. Here are some examples of possible study objectives:

I'll go through and briefly summarise chapters 5 and 6.

I'll go over five equations at least.

I'll comprehend and retain the essential ideas covered in the lectures from weeks two through four.

Don’t hesitate to ask for help

Never be afraid to contact your mentor, tutor, or parents for help if you run into any difficulties or issues when studying. Because if you don’t seek help, you will not be able to correct yourself. And due to your incorrect comprehension, you can make the same error again in your tests. So, whenever there is any difficulty, ask your teacher before it’s too late.

Don’t stay up late at night

You'll become more anxious and stressed if you stay up late and study. Therefore, it is better to review what you have already learned and get a good night's sleep rather than cramming everything into the day before the exam. The important exam preparation you should be undertaking the night before your exam comprises the following:

Examine your notes.

Collect all your study material

Test yourself on the essential ideas

Set alarm

Maintain Consistent Intervals

Everyone’s perception is unique. What functions for you may not function for others. When establishing a study schedule, think about taking breaks when they are most effective for you. For instance, take a break early if you study best at night. And if you work better in the morning, begin your study session before taking a break for lunch.

The Final Review

It should be understood that revision before exams is a must. If you don’t prepare for your exams, you will not be able to attempt pleasantly in your tests. Hence, all the above-mentioned strategies can aid you in preparing for your exam days. Even if you implement at least one or two of the tactics, you can observe a huge improvement in your academics. Hence, you can achieve success by following your preferred guidelines.

[writingwithstyle]

welcome to writing with style

This course is about style, how we analyze it, how we cultivate it. Our goal in this course is to expand our stylistic repertoires. We will do this by digging into sentences—clauses, phrases, words, and punctuation—to see how even the smallest units of writing can persuade. We’ll begin with some grammar review, not to ensure “correctness” (a word whose meaning and effects we will closely examine), but rather to understand the way sentences work rhetorically. Far from being the stuffy domain of reactionary pedants, grammar is historically related to practices of magic (hence the etymological relation between “grammar” and “glamor”). As is appropriate for magicians, we will learn an esoteric language—figures and tropes such as parataxis, hypotaxis, syntaxis, diacope, epistrophe, apostrophe, synecdoche, metonymy, and many more. And like magicians, we’ll spend much of our time practicing, experimenting—looking at your writing, trying on different styles through repetition and imitation. Here is what I hope for you by the end of this course:

That you appreciate the difference between prescriptive and descriptive accounts of language.

That you discern how different situations call for different styles. 

That you deploy grammatical and stylistic vocabulary with confidence and accuracy.

That you cultivate a rhetorically sophisticated repertoire of styles.

That you enjoy written style: that working with words gives you pleasure and delight. 

course elements

The course consists of a commonplace book, several short exercises, three major assignments, and a portfolio that will include revisions and an explanatory letter. I will ask you to keep copies of all these assignments in Google Drive folders so that you can access them all at the end of the course. There is also a brief final exam on the terminology that we’ll be learning throughout the course. As we approach the major assignments, we will read examples of the genres, describe them, and apply those descriptions to your own writing. Fuller project descriptions can be found in the syllabus.

readings

books

Virginia Tufte, Artful Sentences, 978-0961392185

Mark Forsyth, Elements of Eloquence, 978-0-425-27618-1

short pieces (provisional list)

John Muckelbauer, “Asignification”

Henry Louis Gates, Jr., The Signifying Monkey (selections)

William Gass, “The Ontology of the Sentence, or How to Make a World of Words” 

Joan Didion, "Why I Write"

Terry Tempest Williams, "Why I Write"

Ursula K. LeGuin, "The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction"

N.K. Jemisin, "How Long ’til Black Future Month?"

James Baldwin, "My Dungeon Shook"

Martin Luther King, Jr., "Letter from Birmingham Jail"

Lydia Davis, "Grammar Questions"

Constance Hale, Sin and Syntax (selections)

Jonathan Alexander, "Students’ Right to Write"

Emerging in Early Modern Europe, commonplace books were privately made and held collections of information, which would include snippets of text, phrases or words to remember, and even bits of verse. I’d like you each to keep a commonplace book. With this commonplace book, you will compile things that might become elements of your own styles. You’ll need a keen eye and an attuned ear along with scissors and glue. What turns of phrase, words, sentence, images and photographs inspire you? A notebook will be provided to this end. All that the commonplace book requires of you is the selection and collection of such stylistics elements. Additionally, you will need to develop an index system to organize and categorize entries.

[queer-crusader]

I'm gonna talk about weight for a sec. I don't like to do it or focus on it bc I don't think it should be a focal point of my thoughts or conversations (in fact I viscerally hate it as a topic most times bc I've seen what obsessing over it can do), hence me never talking about it, but I'm gonna do it now anyway bc I had a dawning realisation.

During my childhood and teen years, I played badminton. I played it three times a week, including regional competitions. It is a big stamina sport and I was FIT. I was also young so I probably had a naturally faster metabolism just due to my age.

But when I moved out and went off to college and uni, I stopped playing. Access to local clubs was harder, or it collided with other things I gave priority, I didn't know the other club members, had a whole new life routine, etc etc etc. Many different reasons. But I stopped exercising. I tried the gym for a little while, but. Well. ADHD. Routines are a BITCH and there is NOTHING compelling about the gym, not in the way badminton is. There is a vast difference between playing a game without even thinking of exercise, and exercising for the sake of exercise. Boring. The brain won't allow it.

On top of this, my diet changed from homemade meals from scratch with plenty of healthy ingredients, to ready-made meals, takeout, and eventually some alcohol a couple of times a week when I started drinking (took me a while to start drinking, but I got there in the end - student life in Scotland caught up to me). Processed foods, burgers and chips and pizza and beer etc all became a more regular part of life.

And when I tell you I gained weight in my student years, I mean it. I went from 65kg to close to 90kg in the span of 6 years. I wasn't very happy about it, but I didn't often make it a massive focus in my mind, bc I didn't want to focus on weight (and I'm kinda glad for it - it's easy to hyperfixate on things like that, and that could've gotten mentally very unhealthy. In my most depressive period, my weight and stress eating did get to me, and I was mentally beating myself up on the regular for a brief period. It hurt. It sucked). I did try especially during my later uni years to be a little more healthy every now and then, but again, little to no exercise + intense study/work load and an increase in anxiety (when I tell you Brexit fucked me up a little mentally I'm not joking) did not help me to have the energy to cook for myself several times a week.

Now here's the kicker. I've graduated and gone home again, back to my parents. I'm still not properly exercising (aka no gym or badminton), but I am walking and cycling more, and my diet has gone back to what it was - cooked meals that are almost guaranteed to be healthier than junk food, not too many snacks, less alcohol intake now that I'm doing better mentally. I'm not actively trying to lose weight. I'm not dieting, I'm not hitting the gym three times a week. I'm just living my life in a way that is better for me mentally and I'm taking things easy.

And in the 2.5 years that I've been home, I've dipped under 80kg. I rarely check my weight - again, I don't like to preoccupy myself with it - but this morning the scales said 78.6kg. Basically a 10kg difference from my heaviest point in life during my student years. (I don't think I weighed that much when I came home, I think my weight was already slowly going down during those last uni years). And while I don't want to conflate weight and numbers with health, especially not generalised health (what may be a "healthy" weight for me is either far too much or far too little for someone else), I am glad to see it.

Why?

Because I'm not burning it off. I'm not pushing my body through starvation and intense exercise. I'm not forcing any yo-yo effects or whatever. I'm simply seeing the result that comes from a healthier lifestyle, and I am happy to see it happen so gradually. Life is a marathon, not a sprint. I don't need to be skinny tomorrow. I don't WANT to be skinny tomorrow (or in a year's time). I just wanna be healthy. I know I was healthy when I was 16, and while I know I'll likely never go back to physically being how I was back then (which is okay), sometimes I do wish I was a bit closer to those days. And knowing I'm closer now than I was 4 years ago is nice.

But the number on the scales isn't a goal for me, and it never will be. Nor is my circumference or size or whatever. My goal is to feel fit, rejuvenated, healthy. The number on the scales is just a more visible sign that my patterns and self-care have changed. That, spread over time, bodies change. That even little things have an effect on us. That I don't have to put my body through hell to be "healthy". And that is quite a soothing thought.

I intend to live a calm and (for me) healthy life. And for that, I've got all the time in the world.

[gadawg-404]

When will you gun nuts realize that Universal Background checks and Red Flag Laws will go a long way to stop School Shootings. We don't have to ban AR-15s to do this.

“Gun nuts”.

You have the freedom to do anything you do in the USA because somebody else took up a gun and risked their life, honor, fortune and more. The right to own a gun is not just for protection and hunting…. It is literally a natural right to keep government in check. What other rights do think need a background check to exercise? Just who gets to determine why another person must give up their God given rights because of something in the past?

We have background checks. Hunter Biden lied on his, clearly broke the law, yet folks like you aren’t calling for his arrest.

Red Flag laws? They are unconstitutional. Here is the thing. Around 99 percent of all legally owned guns will never be used in a crime. Yet you want to go after responsible people in the quest of your Utopia. Utopia is a myth. Freedom is dangerous.. less freedom is even more dangerous. Care about children? Advocate for the training and arming of teachers. Mass shooters love “no gun” zones and avoid places where the victims are armed. Also eliminate the publishing of the shooter’s name and image. They lust for infamy.

Put this another way? Do you trust the government? Any government or party? It’s sad if you do. Power corrupts and government is powerful. So it’s not about guns, background checks and idiotic red flag laws. It’s about keeping the government… and regular bad guys in check. Over 2.5 million civilians use a weapon to prevent death, injury and theft every year. The actual number is likely significantly higher.

Want to protect kids? Arm and train the adults around them.

I note that 11 teens a day die due to texting and driving. Hundreds of thousands injured annually. No headlines, no national horror. No national movements to ban teens from driving, an activity that kills over 4,000 teens annually.

You want to end school shootings?

Arm and train the teachers who want to do so. Keep the knowledge of who is armed private. Have classroom doors hardened so each classroom is its own safe room. Have video cameras in every room and hallway in the school. Make sure that the police can easily access to the video feed in an emergency.

When the police arrive they will instantly know where the shooter is. No need to waste valuable time and manpower to clear every room while searching for the shooter. Seconds count in active shooter events.

The fact is every shooter is mentally unhinged. Interestingly enough the overwhelming majority of mass shooters are progressives.

Some want to go after the AR style of rifles. AR stands  armaLite, not assault rifle. All rifles account for only 2.6% of murder annually in the USA. In 2019 rifles were used in 364 homicides. 1,476 deaths were caused by knives and cutting instruments. 1,591 deaths were caused by hammers and blunt objects. Rifles cause less death than hammers and knives by a large factor.

They bottom line is there are many solutions to better protect the lives of students and educators that don’t impinge on the natural rights of all citizens. They are cost effective and can be implemented on the local level. Those that want to leave students at risk can choose to do so. This is Federalism. Each state deciding what is best for itself.

Yes there are gun nuts in the USA. They are hoplophobes.

[leiogerio]

This is gonna be a hot take, but I actually don’t like the show that much. I can recognize that it’s still pretty good, but I felt that we weren’t able to spend enough characters to make many of their deaths feel truly meaningful. Pilar’s death really just came out of nowhere, mostly serving as a way to move the plot forward. Also, Maine’s fall into cyber psychosis only occurred during the span of a single episode. If we had gotten to see an entire arc where Maine kept trying to get new implants despite his growing insanity, just like what happened to David in the end, it would make both of their deaths so much more significant. Like I said, I don’t think that show is bad. In fact, the last arc is one of the best pieces of fiction I’ve ever seen, but I’m just sad that the series could have been so much more.

As with nearly all cyberpunk works, the show presents a speculative world that results from late capitalism. When businesses and profit reign supreme, it leads to massive social stratification, as shown by the different lives that David has to live compared to his high-class students. David is forced to pirate, his mother is forced to engage in illegal activities to make a living, and when David’s mother is horribly injured during a crossfire, he isn’t able to pay for her healthcare.

It's also important to note Lucy's desire for exteriority. Her dream is to go to the moon, far away from the capitalist dystopia of Night City, but the moon has simply become a tourist destination for more people to exercise capitalism. When she finally makes it to the moon in the final scene, she isn't happy because it seems as if all her efforts had been for nothing, having lost everyone that was close to her.

The show effectively portrays the harsh realities of a dystopian future where access to basic necessities such as healthcare is determined by wealth and privilege. This portrayal aligns with the cyberpunk genre's overarching theme of societal inequality resulting from uncontrolled capitalism and corporate control. It highlights the vast disparity between the rich and the poor, where the mega-corporations hold immense power, and the lower class struggles to survive, often resorting to illegal activities to make ends meet.