#decided to make this post colorful for no reason other than sometimes playing w/ formatting on tumblr is fun lol

[littlejazzy]

🎃👻 Boo Basket Ideas for Littles 👻🎃

If you haven't heard about them before, a Boo Basket (or Boo Bucket or Boo Bag) is a basket filled with Halloween and fall-themed goodies - so, basically, a Halloween-themed Easter basket 😅

They're intended to be given to people of all ages - from parents to kids, neighbor to neighbor, spouse to spouse - basically, they're for everyone!

The reason I think these Boo Baskets are LITERALLY PERFECT for littles is because, for a lot of them, they either aren't comfortable or can't go out to go trick or treating. If that's not an option, then many are happy to simply pass out candy to trick-or-treaters... except when they can't even get the satisfaction from that because of a lack of trick or treating in their neighborhood.

There are always other available events, from local fairs, fall festivals, trunk-or-treats in random parking lots, theme parks, amusement parks, and other pay-a-fee-to-walk-around-and-get-candy events - but some littles may not be able to attend one of these either.

With no big event or activity to do, then some littles may feel left out or are otherwise let down by the time Halloween Day arrives.

But! Getting a Boo Basket can give them something to look forward to!

The Boo Basket itself can be anything - a trick-or-treat bucket, a woven basket, a cauldron, a paper bag - what matters is that it fits whatever you put inside it! It doesn't have to be big, nor do you have to put lots of items in it, it's the thought that counts!

Some things you can put in a Boo Basket:

Comfy Things! This is a big category that stretches from cozy socks to big, soft blankets! There's also sweaters, hoodies, and/or special Halloween pajamas!

Candles! Scents play a large part in setting a mood - from scents like Pumpkin Pie to a Ghostly Graveyard, there are plenty of aromas for any type of little!

A Mask! Depending on the little, one can tuck in a spooky, rubber monster mask, a fun, shiny plastic mask, or a plain wooden or paper cut-out mask that the little can decorate themselves!

Toys! There are so many possible toys one can throw in, but some ideas are a Halloween stuffie, a themed doll, a horror action figure, a wind-up toy, or a container of slime!

Books! There are plenty of picture books that are appropriately themed, as well as coloring books, but for older littles, some spooky horror books can also be a fun treat!

A Movie! Physical media isn't dead, so putting in a DVD or BluRay can be fun! There are compilations of Halloween episodes for kids shows, family-friendly flicks, and scary horror movies!

Treats! Any treat you think the little in question would like can go right in! From sweets like chocolates, gummies, lollipops, cookies, and marshmallows to more savory things like popcorn, pumpkin seeds, chips, and pastries, there are plenty of food one can throw in! Don't feel limited to food items though, as hot chocolate or coffee can be just as special!

Other Bits and Bobs! Stickers, bookmarks, lotions, bathbombs, glow sticks, puzzles, fidgets, decor, if you think the little in question would like it, toss it in!

If all these items and the variety of items are a bit overwhelming, one can also make a themed Boo Basket!

Some specific themes for a Boo Basket:

A Recipe and its Ingredients! Collecting all the items necessary for a specific recipe can make for a fun activity! You can also throw in new cutlery, flatware, or cups!

Movie Night! A blanket, movie, and popcorn - along with any other treats - can make for a perfect movie night!

Slime! Instead of simply buying some slime, making a slime recipe of choice is another fun activity - especially if themed mix-ins are there!

Glow Party! Halloween night is when festivities tend to start, so why not have a bunch of glow-in-the-dark items to play with when the sun goes down! Light-up items are just as fun, and last longer, so feel free to mix the two!

Sugar Rush! Just fill the basket with as much sugar-filled items as possible :) Your little can handle it responsibly :) It's fine :)

Jack-o'-Lantern! Place a medium to large pumpkin in the basket, along side either a carving kit or painting kit! Placing the ingredients preferred for roasted pumpkin seeds can make the whole affair an event! Toss in some mini pumpkins and markers to make a whole family!

Most of the items listed can be bought at a dollar store or other bargain stores, so they can be made with any budget! Don't stress about the amount of items you're getting, as, again, it's the thought that counts!

I hope if anyone makes or gets a Boo Basket, themed or not, that it brings them some needed Halloween spirit!

👻🎃Happy Halloween! 🎃👻

[ommsims]

story process challenge

i was tagged  by @xldkx​​ to do this challenge, created by @herpixels​​​ , like a month? a month and a half? ago and it’s been sitting half finished in my drafts for nearly as long. *sigh* (regardless, i love stuff like this so even if it takes me forever to get to it, i appreciate the tags! 💕). 

i decided to answer all the qs because it took me damn long enough to get to this, so i might as well put some extra elbow grease into it (plus it was fun!). btw it’s all going under a cut b/c it is long. i apologize in advance.

1. My Writing Process - used to be a hot damn mess. literally word docs strewn throughout my pc. However, I recently switched to using Onenote (it’s what i use to organize my d&d campaign notes) and hoo-boy is it so much nicer. this is how it’s set up and it’s honestly night and day. i can have a page with outlines, a page to organize & order screenshots, and a separate page for drafting text, and i can easily toggle though them without having to switch windows? a big thumbs up from me.

When it comes to actual writing- I used to write my drafts in novel format, which i enjoyed but it made “converting” them into tumblr posts time consuming and frustrating. I ended up scrapping most of the text in the process, retaining pretty much only the dialogue. 

Anyway, nowadays I write in more of a screenplay format: dialogue only + key scene information with the occasional note to self. 

I do keep a master “arcs” page with key events and each individual character’s arc from beginning to end and secondary “outline” pages with slightly more detailed outline for each leg of the project. No screencaps b/c spoilers galore! 

My typical work flow process for a scene goes: (1) brainstorm scene ideas, (2) take screenshots, (3) organize screenshots into a rough storyboard, (4) add 1st draft of text, (5) edit photos, (6) edit text, (7) upload to "drafts” here on tumblr, (8) let sit for a bit (9) take a final look at things/proofread and edit as needed. It may sound counterintuitive, but i find it much easier to write dialogue for a set of images rather than attempt to take images based on prewritten text. I feel more comfortable editing and tweaking tone and content in the text this way. Otherwise, I get frustrated when I “can’t” shoot a scene exactly as it appeared in my head.

2. How I build my scenes - A lot of what i do is rooted in gameplay, therefore my sets are usually (a) play-tested and (b) not super pretty. I’ve certainly improved at decorating & building over the years but more often than not I download lots off tumblr and the gallery because I don’t have the patience, aptitude, or time to build all of my own sets. That being said, I frequently gut builds only to build a number of completely unrelated mini sets inside to reduce the number of times i have to replace lots. I also keep a list of “important locations” and where certain characters live / will move to, to help keep this all straight as there aren’t nearly enough lots per neighborhood or even per world in this damn game...

my least favorite part of scene building is actually decorating. lol. Don’t get me wrong, I love clutter. I honestly do. but fuck me if i expect myself to spend hours meticulously decorating a set, spend another 3 hours toggling back and forth b/w BB & live modes adjusting things to get rid of the damn routing errors. (yeah, yeah, i know i could ignore them, they’re not important, especially in those scenarios where i’m using a set for screenshots and nothing else, but idk. it really grinds my gears.) and then have to replace the lot like a week later because there aren’t enough lots in the game. *sigh*

3. CC/Pose Making - i do not consider myself to be a cc creator nor a pose maker but i do dabble occasionally. And to be completely honest i’d much rather spend my time doing other stuff, so it’s not high on my list of priorities atm. plus there are so many talented cc creators in this community; i can usually get by with what’s already out there.

4. Getting in the zone - Honestly, I do a lot of brainstorming for plot & dialogue in the shower. I don’t have any particular playlists to get me “in the writing mood” but I do enjoy listening to music as I work. Either instrumental stuff or simply artists/songs I like. If something just so happens to “fit” a scene I’m working on, one i’ve got planned, or even just gives me vibes for a certain character or group, I add a quick note to the top of said scene’s draft. Most of the time I stick it in the recesses of my brain and add a quick link when I finally get to the point of posting the draft to tumblr. For whatever reason, when I have one of those “oh this song is perfect for X” moments it’s essentially ingrained in my mind for the rest of eternity. 

5. The screenshot folder - this will most likely give some of you out there major anxiety. but i swear it’s an organized chaos. :)

yep. 32.9gb of screenshots & related things... 

So with the raws from a single random scene selected, you can see i take roughly 10 screenshots per image posted. not terrible i guess but i’m working on it. Typically I take screenshots and once I’m done editing a scene I’ll move them from the general folder to a more specific project folder.

6. Captions - I’ll answer this in three parts:

for my townie story. not really. I prefer using the text box. I tend to write (& re-write) the dialogue for each one of these scenes several times over as I add more “scenes” into my drafts. It would be incredibly inefficient, time consuming, and would waste a lot more space on my pc to have to save .psds of each image just so i could edit dialogue when I decide: “oh hey maybe so and so needs to bring up X in this scene” and then change my mind an hour later.

for niko, noor, & co. I’m a text on image type gal here. don’t really know why, but it gives the project a different energy. ironically it makes it feel more laid-back to me. which i guess makes sense, it’s a much more light-hearted “story” than my townie project. which is, imo, very soapy haha.

for legacy stuff. all text goes below the images in the text box. reasoning: it’s gameplay, I don’t brainstorm, outline, or pre-write for this. I play the game, take screenshots, plug ‘em into my drafts and write some commentary / dialogue to go along with it.

7. Editing - i am a creature of habit and have not majorly changed my editing process in probably a year and a half (when I began using reshade and had to adjust my color correcting psd). it’s a super basic system:

drag & drop my “color correction” psd.

run actions in ps. (i made my own “all-in-one” actions to really streamline the process; i have different “actions sets” for my premades’ story and for other things that get posted to tumblr. even if no one else notices it, i like the little details that keep my projects separate and “identifiable”. 

voila. all set to upload.

sometimes i crop images, add “text effects”, or do more in depth editing (i.e. editing a phone screen or adding rain etc.) but overall i try and keep it simple for myself. 

8. Throwback - i posted an image of one of the first (but never posted) scenes I’d written for my townie project up above. but as for how would i redo a scene i’d already posted. well i’m currently re-doing my townie story so i guess i’ll just say you’ll see how it’s redone when i get to part 1! 😉

anyway, no tags because i’m so embarrassingly late to this party but if you hadn’t gotten around to this tag, wanted to do it but didn’t get a tag, or started it and left it to sit and now you’re thinking “oh god that was months ago should i even post this anymore?!?” consider yourself tagged by me and go ahead and post it for all to see!

[advernia]

around june of last year, i decided to revive my writing blog as one of the many potential stress-relief methods i could think of.... i didn’t think i’d be able to keep it active for long since work + family duties keep me preoccupied most of the time, but eyyy!!! so far i haven’t lost the motivation to keep going back to this blog, and i even managed to keep it afloat for half a year!!! amazing!!! (•̀o•́)ง

and now here we are halfway through 2020!!! it’s waaaay overdue but here’s a big T H A N K  Y O U  V E R Y  M U C H ! ! ! to everyone and anyone who dropped by this blog last year + all them likes, comments, reblogs...... please know that i’m still i n c r e d i b l y grateful for the support & interest in the content i’ve posted up!!!! tbh my activity’s still hella sporadic so it’s really amazing for me that i even gained new followers.... i’m very honored to have all of you stick around my blog despite my irregularity!!!!!!!! (༎ຶ ෴ ༎ຶ)

it’s also overdue, but i slowly managed and finally cleaned up the blog like i’ve been meaning to do + changed the blog name to match my ao3 handle for consistency!!! i make no promises to be super active... but i’m sure that i still want to continue writing & keep this blog alive!!!! 

again, thank you all for your time + reading my works!!!!!!  ∩( ´∀` )∩ work commentary on the rest of my works last year follows under the cut!

oct 1 // hero’s journey

a drabble on blanc + oliver about the alices... now that i think of it, calling the first alice first alice is kinda funny considering that alice is really her name... or is it? 

i do hope blanc’s route talks about her a bit, haha! i mean, i wish cybird remembers that they’ve been dropping the occasional background tidbits about her... like for example, her pocketwatch (that she gave to blanc eventually) having a magic crystal engraved into it.... her potentially leaving a fucking globe in the black army’s possession (like... wow... u fell with that thing????????)....

plus, i just find it interesting that she was remembered by cradle as a heck of a troublemaker lol! it also makes you wonder who among the main cast met her, blanc aside... though it’s not stated when exactly she fell into cradle, so maybe only blanc had the opportunity of meeting her...

so does blanc speak of her fondly bc she’s a woman, or is there something else??? has he been frequently visiting the land of reason pre-game??? has he found the first alice’s antique shop / met her again??? does he still try to figure out the reason why there’s a magic crystal engraved into the first alice’s pocketwatch????? hmmmmm......

on another note, it would be hilarious if cybird pulls a peter pan 2......... since we can’t pull off a mother-daughter relationship like wendy & jane’s, what if alice the second is somehow actually related to the first alice?? and while she’s completely different from her predecessor, blanc finds himself falling for alice the second........ just like he fell for the first alice? drama!

that’s just a random thought but kidding aside, i do hope blanc’s route is hella interesting bc i think he’s our mr. exposition for knowing more about cradle itself lol

oct 1 // fair (?) ladies & phony (?) enchanters

a result of going manic a few days after seeing harr’s trailer + route release.... ahaHAHA I’M STILL WILLING TO PLAY UR ROUTE IN JP HARR (if i actually had time to sit down and translate gET REKT)

i liked writing these drabbles and i think they’re cute but tbh they did nothing to ease my curiosity about harr’s route.... if anything else, it became even w o r s e  haha........................

if i think of blanc to have a cradle-centric route, i do hope harr’s route is magic tower-centric! naturally it will be since he’s got history there, but i hope a lot of my questions about the magic tower will be answered.....

will harr’s perspective of the magic tower be in the eyes of a test subject or a disciple???? he was scouted by the magic tower, but it wasn’t stated what he was doing exactly..... going by hints + loki’s & zero’s routes, it’s more of him being a disciple, so there’s bound to be guilt.......

hopefully alice’s characterization in his route is good + we get a fun group dynamic with loki!!! their potential.... the most(?) notorious criminal of cradle, a sought after test subject, and that one girl who nullifies all magic; a renegade trio lurking around the forbidden forest.... what an odd bunch!

oct 4 // god is a five minute hymn

a religious themed fic with lancelot & alice - tbh i don’t even know why religion was the first thing that came into mind when liz and i were talking about cultural differences, lol.

on that note though! i personally like thinking that if ever cradle had a semblance of a religion, it would be polytheistic & nature-centric, and not strictly practiced - the stratocracy of both territories i’d like to think makes it harder for religion to have a voice, much less have one that is practiced by the general population. the only thing general about it is that the religion centers or has magic crystals as an important factor... or something. yeah.

that aside, i think i specifically chose lancelot in this piece for the sole reason that his canonically stated lack of common sense, in my opinion, gives him the curiosity of a child sometimes - there’s no sense of malice or doubt, just the pure innocence of wanting to know something....... religion does that to kids, especially when introduced to it at first.

rereading the fic makes me think of the instances where when faced with dire or unsettling situations, people turn to faith as a life line.... well, i’m not sure if i had that subconsciously in mind when writing alice, but that does give a spin to it....

oct 6 // flow like the river nile

a spontaneous red army-centric fic! it certainly turned out better than i expected... i liked the formatting i used for this one!

if cybird can give us more about the pre-game suitors it would be great, tbh! and while the stuff about them in school is interesting, i’d like to see more about when they assumed their positions + combat scenes! the neutrals are special cases, but knowing more about their living conditions + daily lives is also a treat...

i was thinking of adding one last snippet about lancelot in the eyes of the reds, but i scrapped it out and switched it to alice & lancelot’s conversation about duty - it could’ve worked better if i stuck to using the what is your duty? question, but i scrapped it eventually too. ah well. it does look good enough as it is. 

oct 7 // seeking out phantoms

a mandatory(???) odd one out aka content that’s not ikerev, haha! i missed fe:a all of a sudden...

i never got around to writing properly for this fandom tho, what a shame - i’ve got some bits of pieces in my drafts that looked interesting and easy enough to pick up, and this was one of them.

robin investigating more of their plegian heritage could’ve been a good subplot tbh... i still wish there was something like a paralogue or dlc about it, bc honestly the valm arc goes a bit slow until you get to the future past revelations. ah well.

and gaius bc first husband for the win.... not like i actually had the guts to marry anyone else in my other save files lololol

nov 7 // push me off a bridge (to catch me as i fall)

my longest project of 2019, holy shit! i didn’t know i still had it in me to write something past 10k... i need more of that motivation + energy....

there’s nothing much to say about this since i blabbed about everything in the post-reading notes, but as much as i fought myself to get this done, i really enjoyed writing a long fic again! hopefully i can get myself to write another one this year...

nov 18 // beloved, beloved, let me be clear

18 sentences on zero & alice + macross frontier references! man, when i really got to the point about the earrings i was thinking of sheryl a lot....

kept it in sentences cause i didn’t have enough time to put up a decent ficlet! but i really wanted to get my screaming out of my system....... i used to do sentences + three word sentences challenges before, and doing one again was pretty fun!

but really.... zero’s route kept me happy for days???? their buildup + dynamic was something i was totally w e a k for, no joke..... thank gods the collection event was going on, bc i really made good use of my stocked chapter tickets lolol!

i was especially excited come the ball scene, and that cg..... a h a h a.... i need more of those pretty cgs where i can see alice’s face + costume change....... 

nov 20 // coloring inside the lines

jonah + alice + makeup!!!! tbh this was really fun, i enjoyed writing this one - if i remember, this was a fic that i managed to continuously work on the day i thought it up!

jonah may not be my best boy but tbh i find writing him very easy - i guess it’s because i’m very fond of characters like him!!! those uptight nobles who are as prideful as hell but can definitely live up to their name + are more capable than their bragging suggests... idk if there’s a general trope name for these doods, but i especially like analyzing their motivations + convictions!!!

i liked how i ended it, but i apparently i made an actual ending that’s now a snippet in my drafts - jonah & alice head to the ball, and somewhere along some bystanders’ flow of conversation someone drops a comment about jonah’s lips looking... quite more luscious than usual, lolol. so t h i r s t y. upon hearing this, alice can’t seem to stop smiling for some reason..... 

nov 27 // blue fields, verdant skies

a practice drabble set centric on a ray/alice development that i liked so much i made it into a series - plus, it’s black army content and honestly i need to write more of them! my red army bias is showing whoooooops

it’s a feudal + arranged marriage au, with the latter... being quite spontaneous. it’s those types of marriages where neither have even met - not even once - only to face each other come the wedding... so it’s a given that audiences from both parties are rather curious how this will turn out.

since i had the theme of fate in mind, ray was the automatic pick for the male lead. the rest of the black army is a given and for kicks, i added dean and dalim! i actually want to write about them + mousse, but since i’m still unsure on their characterizations i’ve been holding them off.... but i gave in anyway.....

alice is again named for word count convenience purposes since it’s in actual 100 words aka drabble form! i have planned scenes + an ending already in mind, but going there is pretty hard bc.... i still have to write the scenes in between + resist temptation to expand further on other scenes, haha....

initially i was planning to keep it updated here as well, but any more updates of this are on ao3 instead! the formatting looks better there instead of my blog tbh, and it also gives it a sort of muted tone to the story that works with me!

this is also the 31st fic in this blog, marking an end of the challenge liz bestowed to me lolol - since i brought this blog back to life around june, i was dared that by the end of the year, i should’ve posted more than 15 fics to add up to the initial 15 i had already posted before, thus the numbers on my fics back then.... now that i actually succeeded, i can stop counting lololol!!!! tho hopefully i can still be pretty active this year....

dec 22 // duck, duck, bullet

oliver & fenrir on guns... this probably wins as the most spontaneous idea i had on my head - tbh, i wasn’t even sure where i was going with it at first! but i’m sure i was suddenly thinking about that one detective conan movie.... then it became kid!oliver with a gun.....

i wonder if he tests the bullets at night, when he’s in adult form.... then again, kid!oliver with a gun still works.... say that because he’s a genius inventor, he made some models to serve as his shooting targets.... but another thought that amuses me more is.... blanc does the bullet testing for him!?

lololol i already thought about blanc being oliver’s live target, but i also find blanc with a gun very interesting.......... i mean, blanc certainly doesn’t look like he can fight, but who knows??? i mean, mousse is the former ace of hearts, but i still can’t imagine him fighting..... appearances can be deceiving....

the two aside, i wonder how fenrir even met oliver and got him working on his bullets........ was it through blanc or other connections???? how long have they been seller and buyer???? does anyone else commission anything from oliver?????? hmmmm.....

dec 23 // terms of surrender

i’ve been told by liz + luci + other friends that i needed to practice writing more.... cheesy fluff. i’m not sure if this sirius/alice piece counts, lol. in fact, i think it’s my definition of fluff i see here - and it translates to not exactly fluffy at all!

tho if you want me to be honest about it - when i write suitor/alice stuff, how alice was characterized in the suitor’s route is still my basis for how i’ll write her, and sirius’ alice................ haha......... i think she’s the alice that’s honestly easy to write but i choose to avoid.......... 

i don’t dislike the sirius/alice dynamic per se, tho. i do find it cute, especially if cybird stops emphasizing the issue of maturity in the relationship on alice’s side. i understand - i really do - that it’s a potential issue in the relationship, but...... that’s not the only problem you can possibly have as time passes, right?????

on another note, it’s funny that only sirius gets to be harped about the maturity due to age difference issue - setting aside blanc, who heavens know how old he is, lancelot’s 29 and since alice is presumed to be around ray + fenrir’s age, you could say that she’s 24 or even 23 to be safe.... so that makes a 5 / 6 years difference but it’s never brought up, lol. but i guess it’s because unlike lancelot, the black army’s been making sirius’ age a running gag....

anyway, this piece is pretty decent! i was thinking of something along the lines of mornings between a “married couple”.... there were two scenarios i had in mind, and i opted to write this one out first.... maybe i’ll have the second one posted up here another day.

dec 28 // a chain of black thrones

pre-game!sirius & ray and bc i was thinking a lot about the previous chosen, the former jack of spades!!! i wonder if the armies have a set age for retirement lolol... it would be awesome if there was still a chosen who’s already past his 50s or something, haha!

since sirius was constantly badgered to take on the role of king, i was also wondering about how long the black army was ‘king-less’... i mean, if the tension between both armies was really as great as they say, having no king puts the black army at a precarious position... i also thought that ‘nah, maybe there was a king or something but maybe the black army didn’t like him or something so they insisted that sirius take it instead’ but sirius’ 1st anniv. epilogue says otherwise - there really was a period that the black army had no king, wow. how the heck did they deal with that???? surely the red army saw this as a display of vulnerability....

can the black army’s chosen choose to leave their posts when they feel like it??? when they’re defeated by a challenger, what happens to them - a demotion, or do they serve under the ‘new’ chosen??? does the black army’s chosen change constantly because of their meritocracy + challenger system??? like, how do they deal with that, and do they announce their changes in chosen each council meeting??? each new question just snowballed my curiosity, whoops...

there were so many angles i thought of but i decided to settle for addressing the king-less state of the black army... through the eyes of a veteran who’s probably served many kings throughout his time of service as part of the black army’s chosen.

i gave this jack of spades character a name, actually - garret folner. maybe someday i’ll write him again, bc i actually enjoyed thinking about the present + past chosen interactions - maybe i’d think about that for the red army, but this time i find the black army’s side more interesting for this situation.

dec 29 // steadfast tin soldier

a zero/alice piece for zeroweek - i was about to post pt. 1 as a standalone, but then i just thought about how.... zero bought alice a gown.... but never got to dance with her at the day of the ball..... so i rushed to add pt. 2 haha!

with the addition of pt. 2 it looks cut short tho - i did think of putting a scene in between, but no good ideas came into mind bc i was too fascinated with the dancing scene... i swear at some point i will find myself writing a fic or a part of a fic that’s a dance scene for the rest of the ikerev suitors + alice....

this is the kind of fluff i live for, actually... i’m totally fine with the steamy content cybird throws during events + bonus stories, but if i were to be honest i say.... where’s my non-sexual intimacy????? the simple, wholesome stuff?????????????????

man, i feel hilarious for typing that out..... but well, i guess it’s a matter of different strokes for different folks, lol!

[smallblanketfort]

do you have tips on taking notes?

yes!! i have many, so i tried to make it easier for you to navigate :)

L O N G post ahead of you, covering lecture notes and readings notes, from a college senior :)

lecture notes:

i suggest using a notebook and pen, physically writing down. it’s easier to study, and since it’s using your body, you have a much higher retention rate on your side than if you use a laptop.

i have used my laptop for taking notes before. it’s easier to take more notes, word for word, but that’s not always helpful. maybe that’s your style, especially if you enjoy rewriting your notes all pretty and more successfully when you get home. i am not that girl. 

more notes does not always equal better! it’s good for you to listen actively, selecting what is important and what is not. i take very thorough notes. i take a lot of notes. if you need notes for a missed class, i. am. your. girl. that doesn’t mean i write out everything word for word. selecting details, clauses, and images really helps me to not only keep up, but also to memorize later. plus, when you’re typing, it’s easier to type all the words out without really processing the whole meaning. remember that dense notes are harder to study

finally, when you write by hand, you can get more creative with your style. occasionally, i’ll web notes out from one, rather than a traditional outline, bc it makes more sense for the topic

it also helps my anxiety! so much! if i force myself to take great in depth notes, then my mind has to dedicate more brain space to the task at hand than to my anxieties.

stick to one of these though. it really sucks to get into a test and realize you didn’t study half of your notes bc you forgot half were on your laptop. it’s awful lol.

if you use a laptop, get used to how it works first. do u know how much i resent trying to switch from a bullet that is under other bullets (like this one, not filled in) to a main point bullet (the ones filled in). it can be so confusing. also make sure you use a program you like. you can take directly into documents, but i find that i really love evernote, as i can make notebooks for classes, stacks of notebooks for my college, and that i can tag notes with specific classes and topics.

if you’re on paper, for fuck’s sake, divide your notebook into sections for classes. keep it all together. those notebooks with handy dandy dividers are so helpful, and they keep you from carrying around 5 notebooks at once.

i wouldn’t worry too much about highlighters and such in class. there’s just so much going on then. save highlighting and color coding for later, and count it as studying.

don’t worry about traditional outlining styles, with roman numerals or whatever. i take notes very simply. bullets/dashes, subnotes under a broad note. 

do it how it makes sense to you! maybe that includes different bullet styles, different places for different types of information (on a simple level, i start writing chapter numbers and titles as far to the left as i can go, over the margins, in bold and capital letters. i also usually go over these later in a certain color marker)

in some classes it is helpful for me to write the topic along the top of the page in a highlighter (color coding is lovely) the main idea/topic for each page. the classes this was most obviously helpful in were astronomy (COMETS or BLACKHOLES etc) and shakespeare (MUCH ADO ACT 2 or ROMEO etc)

it’s easiest to just note page numbers of referenced complex diagrams, as they are usually in your reading or accessible online

your style might look different in each class. whatever works.

note everything (everything) your professor writes on the board. if it’s important enough for your professor to write it, it’s probably important enough for you to write it.

note examples only if it’s helpful for your memory. however, make light note of things like famous people and their science/psych experiments. but in math and such, note! the! examples! and! reasons! will help you so much.

examples that have emotion, imagery, or sound are going to be more helpful. applicable examples are most helpful. good professors will lecture you accordingly. lazy ones will not.

star anything that the professor stresses or hints will be tested. anything that they say is a major theme or whatever.

note main ideas/points/themes, definitions, conclusions, 

use your tests to help you figure out what you need to know. ask questions about the tests too. in every class i’ve taken, i’m totally shocked at how willingly people ask about exam format and how willingly the professor will tell us how it will work. they want you to succeed.

people learn differently! i suggest taking notes in class and later adding touches that help you. count it as study time too. a warm up, if you will. 

if you’re visual, this might include highlighting, color coding, drawing diagrams, etc.

 if you’re an auditory learner, reading the notes out loud and organizing them accordingly, as well as making up rhymes, rhythms and such, might help you. some auditory learners actually like to record lectures and listen to them later. 

if you learn best through movement, rewriting or making flashcards will be great for you.

sometimes professors go really. fuckin. fast. why. idk? but

dont be afraid to ask them to go back a slide bc i guarantee, you will be the class hero for asking

develop a little bit of shorthand. sometimes i end up using initials, arrows, abbreviations… this is where i got “bc” and “thru” and “u” and such. lol. also, list things vertically, rather than using commas and “and/&/+) it’ll be more clear later

some professors you literally cannot take notes on. it sucks. you’re going to need to do the readings and pick their brains on how the test will be to figure out how to prepare. take home tests are your best friend. thank god for them. seriously. get your butt to church and do some worshipping.

if your professor puts powerpoints online, save the powerpoints, ya never know.

look at inspiration if you want, but remember that notes on studyblr are usually copied from class notes. if you’re too focused on how pretty your notes are, good luck to you

finally, the day before an exam, i review my notes that i have (hopefully) been studying. i like to make a one page cheat sheet / study guide on everything i didn’t remember, leaving out everything i understand, memorized, or want to disregard. 

reading notes:

ima be real and tell you i hardly ever do reading unless i will be tested on it in class in multiple choice. and im an english student. ye i suck, i know. i dont condone shirking the system but u know what, reading shakespeare or 18th century lit literally makes me want to kill myself. so, im a senior in college, and have barely ever done the reading for a class. the thing is, if you do it right, anything is better than just reading the words on the page and not getting the meaning. dont be a reading zombie. read actively, even if it’s not the actual reading. doing this, i have a 3.9 gpa. so. there’s hope for us yet.

first of all, yall need to do your damn reading. idc how. but due to the fact that a test will be multiple choice, essay answer, a presentation, or a paper, you’re going to not love pulling nothing out of your ass. can be done tho. just be fake deep.

that being said, i’m writing a lot below, but the reality is that if it’s lit, your notes dont have to be longer than a sentence. if it’s a textbook, more.

the same formatting question comes into play here, except it’s should you take notes in your book or in a notebook?

listen i’m always going to be pro notebook, pro physically writing it out as it helps me really get the information into my head, rather than more passively highlighting

i tend to do both, if im willing to mark up a book. i underline and highlight things that stick out to me, and i write them down as well. sometimes when reading literature/essays, if i know the contextual/meaning notes will be interesting to me later, i will copy notes both into my notebook and also less in depth onto post it notes (which also make sweet little flashcards btw), which i will stick into the passage. this is so helpful when a) im reading it again later and b) when we are discussing a passage in class

buy used books. it’s cheaper. until it happens to u, u do NOT UNDERSTAND how EXCITING it is to get a book that has highlights and underlines in it ALREADY. DUDE. my work is basically DONE for me. now take that lightly, bc often different ppl will highlight different pieces of information. however, it is helpful.

look up summaries. do not simply rely on cliffsnotes and sparknotes, esp since professors are very aware of these. google “title of book, summary, chapter notes, whatever youre looking for” and use the blog posts, the book reviews, the papers that come up. does this method probably take a bit longer? maybe? but it’s easier on my tired brain.

if you don’t have time to read your textbook one day and really want to, read the introduction and the conclusion to the chapter, or the first and last sentences to the paragraphs. it’s not great, but it’s something.

like your lectures, note definitions, conclusions, and helpful examples, as well as people and dates. if i’m reading literature and i’m deciding to be a smart student i will keep several logs as well. these logs will make it so. easy. to study for your exam:

updated character lists, including name, relationships, and anything defining and important

scene/chapter summaries, just a sentence summarizing what happened where

any quotes or themes that stand out

i highly highly highly recommend getting your hands on a copy of the well educated mind for note taking on a range of genres. this is what i had to use through high school and while it’s involved, it’s incredibly helpful.

if you’re going to have to cite your notes, note the page number in the margin every time you flip the page

the biggest issue i have with reading is when and where to do it. before or after class? always ask your professor if they do not tell you. where in your notebooks? i always do it on the next blank page bc leaving space stresses me the fuck out. make notes on the top of your pages of corresponding lectures/readings. 

for both lectures and readings i really really really suggest either having something to drink or something to snack on (think fruit, loose nuts, m&ms. small loose things rather than things u bite? idk they just last longer?)

okay i hope this was somewhat helpful even tho it’s an incredibly longwinded post. it seems like a lot, but the reality is that while i take a lot of notes, i don’t make them complicated, i don’t have rules, i just do what feels right in the moment. they’re not at all stressful. just take it easy and do whatever works for you :) 

if anyone has other tips, feel free to reply :)

[housebeleren]

Ravnica Allegiance Limited - Bomb Rares

Final pre-prerelease post on Ravnica Allegiance is for the Rares & Mythics. These are the cards you hope to open in your prerelease packs and will hopefully form a cornerstone for your deck strategy. Let’s get to it.

White

Let’s start this one off with a bang, shall we? This card doesn’t need any of the text after 5/4 Flash Flying for me to be sold. Really, for the most part, that’s all you’re going to use it for 9 out of 10 times. But once in a while, you’ll also be able to use this to save yourself from dying for a turn, and those rare moments will be absolutely worth it. The final line of text is mostly decorative, but it may come up once in a great while. Let’s just say if you find this card in your pack, you’ll have to have a phenomenal reason to not play it.

The White Rares drop off quickly after the Angel, and I’m not sure this card will be more than a 4/5 Vigilance more than half the time. If this were on Kaladesh, I’d windmill slam this and hope for the W/U ETB archetype, but here that’s only a minor supported theme. That said, if you can “champion” a cheap creature with a good ETB (Basilica Bell-Haunt in particular seems like a good choice), this could be a solid inclusion in your deck. I’m including him on the list out of cautious optimism.

I think this card will play better than it looks at first blush. Bare minimum, it will save a creature from a removal spell, and sometimes it will manage to spare more than one. But if you can build up a good board presence, this will be a really effective way to break a board stall on your turn. And the creatures get to keep the counters and get Vigilance, so it’ll be really hard for your opponent to come back from it too. Seems damn good to me. Also, there’s a Beyonce joke in here somewhere.

Blue

Blue’s Rares are more consistently good than White’s, which is a bit unusual. This guy seems really good. He’s an excellent turn 1 play, because then you can Adapt him right away on turn 2, at which point he’s a 2/2 on turn 2, except he can already attack. Not only that, but activating him gets you a loot out of the deal, so your game plan will always progress smoothly with him in your opening hand. Ways to reuse the Adapt or add more counters to him are going to move him from good to great really fast, so keep an eye out for those.

The mono-Blue Mythic is wordy and confusing at first glance, but will prove to be a major pain in the ass to fight against. This gums up the board better than just about any creature around, with a reasonable body and two chump blockers that lock down anything they block for a full turn. There’s just no good way to profitably attack into this thing, which will buy you plenty of time to set up your win conditions.

A 4/4 Flier for 4 is always going to be good, but one that gives you a free Scry each turn is even better. The opening hand text is cute, and will help you set up your first turn, but the card is excellent even without it.

Black

A lot of Black’s Rares seem designed for other formats, but this guy is priced to move in Limited (and probably Standard too, for that matter). He’ll come out early, help trigger Spectacle a couple times, then you’ll use him to chump block or as sacrifice fodder until you can start recurring things. One fun note is that he combos especially well with Priest of Forgotten Gods, provided you have enough other creatures to sacrifice. But this doesn’t need to be part of a combo to be good. He’ll pull his weight all on his own.

Ignore the cute Instant & Sorcery text for a minute. At its core, this is a creature with Menace & Deathtouch, and more than 1 Power. That means this guy is a guaranteed 2 for 1 if your opponent decides to block it. If not, he’ll just keep swinging away for 3 every turn, activating Spectacle with ease. This card is best suited for Rakdos, because even then the second line of text may turn out to be relevant, as it can help Red burn spells take down bigger threats.

Spawn of Mayhem seems nuts, as appropriate for a Mythic demon. Bare minimum, he’s a 4/4 Flying, Trample for 4, and that’s completely excellent as-is. But with the option of casting this for 3 mana (totally doable with some good turn 1 or 2 plays), and the potential to grow ever larger, this guy can easily be a full on bomb. Grab him early and with great relish.

Red

X Damage spells are always good in Limited, and this one is baller. Not only is it Instant speed, but it can hit any target and comes with a free spell from your hand as a bonus. Can you imagine casting this for X = 3 or 4 when your opponent declares attacks, then dropping in a creature to block with while taking out something else, all at Instant speed? The potential for blowouts is huge, and worst case scenario, it’s X damage removal. What’s not to love?

A lot of people have already commented on just how good this card will be for Constructed, but I predict it’ll be a strong play in Limited as well. Bottom line, it’s a 2 drop 2/2 that rummages for one card on ETB. Not amazing, but a card I would usually play. But if you can land this for Spectacle, it’s a phenomenal way to refill your hand in the mid-late game. Rakdos decks will run the risk of going Hellbent anyway, and this can be a great way to prevent that from happening.

Nobody needs me to tell them that this is good, but here I am. I mean... just look at this ridiculousness. I suspect the +1/+1 counter will be the right choice most of the time, and if you untap with that second ability online, forget it. You’ve won.

Green

Speaking of untapping and winning, I don’t see any way you’re losing (loozing?) if you untap with this on the board. At its base, it’s going to be two 3/3s, but the fact that it continues growing, and has a mana sink to pump out more Oozes makes this beyond nuts.Honestly, at that point just keep stalling until you have an army of slime to win with.

Green only gets two Rares mentioned here, since most of their other Rares seem much more Constructed-oriented. These badasses, however, will end games. 8 mana is a lot, but Green does have the tools to ramp into this, and even if not, having one expensive spell in your deck isn’t an awful idea. Once you do cast this, it should win on the spot, provided you have at least a couple other creatures out. Which seems like a low bar for Green to clear, don’t you agree?

Multicolored

Efficient, flexible removal is efficient & flexible. If you are in these colors, you’ll take it.

This one’s a little more of a buildaround, but I think it’ll work out really well if you do. First, he acts like ramp for Adapt creatures, making their abilities less expensive. But then, as if that weren’t enough for a 2/2 bear, he also allows you to Adapt your creatures multiple times. If this card sticks around for any length of time, it’s going to be insane.

Domri is good. Is he great? Maybe, in a deck with a high enough creature count. For the most part, you’ll toggle back & forth between his top 2 abilities, digging for creatures, then casting them and making them big & fast. I can think of worse ways to spend 4 mana.

Planeswalkers are usually pretty good in Limited, and Dovin seems great. If you’re ahead, you can just start piling on the loyalty and threaten to draw a pile of cards. If you’re behind, he can at least pump out a 1/1 and gain you some life to stall with. I definitely think there will be times where he isn’t the card you’re looking for, but if you can land him on a relatively stable board, I think he’ll take over the game pretty quickly.

This seems like a great way for Orzhov to finish the game. It will sweep the opponent’s board of any stray Spirits or assorted X/1s, and make all of their creatures line up poorly against yours. In fact, this is probably one of the best ways to pull ahead from behind I can imagine. Once you have mana open, you can just start churning out 2/2 Spirits of your own to turn the tides in your favor. I predict this will be a strong finisher for Orzhov decks, and is a card worth running Enchantment removal for if you see it.

Most of the Riot cards seem good, and this one in particular seems excellent. Unlike most Riot cards, this one’s stats are on-curve either way, so you’re really happy to play her in either mode. The Hexproof line of text is great with the Haste option, since you know they can’t remove her even if they have mana up, so you’ll likely get one swing in.

You’re never casting this for X=1, so the bare minimum is this is a 4 mana 2/2 flier that draws you a card on ETB. I’d play that as is, so the fact that this scales makes it even better. If you can cast this for 6, it’s bonkers, and any more than that will just be insane. The flexibility is what makes this, but don’t fall in the trap of holding on to it for too long just in the hopes of making it bigger. If it’s your only play on turn 4, play it on turn 4.

Judith really is stealing the show this set. Pumping up all your creatures is a cute line of text, and will sometimes help you sneak in some extra damage or allow your creatures to trade up where they otherwise couldn’t. Add in the damage effect whenever one of them dies, and you’ve got yourself a solid bomb in the Rakdos deck. You’re always threatening Spectacle with Judith out, and she can pick off 1/1 Spirit tokens with ease as well. I have no doubt she will be great when she sticks around.

You don’t need much other text to make a 6/6 Flying Trample creature great, but Rakdos really gets there. Obviously, there’s a chance for this to go south with some really bad luck, but in general, he’ll probably snipe a couple of creatures from both sides. Keep in mind that Rafter Demon & Carrion Imp both dodge the effect, so their value might go up slightly in a deck with the big bad. Okay, Footlight Fiend and Spawn of Mayhem also dodge it, but the former you don’t really care about, and if you have both Mythic demons in your Limited pool, then you’re winning anyway.

I like Ravager Wurm a lot. Most of the time, this is going to come out as a 5/6 that fights a creature on ETB, and that’s damn good already for 6 mana. Sometimes, you’ll opt to keep it as a 4/5, take out their only blocker, then swing in for 4 to the face, in which case it’s also great. The second ability is really for Constructed, so I don’t see it ever coming up in Limited. But either way, this is a great top-end for a Gruul deck, and is probably splashable in Simic as well.

Again, you don’t need me to tell you that Mythic Angels are usually good in Limited. Just as is, the stats on this are bonkers. A 4/3 Flier for 4 will go uncontested in a lot of games, but if they decide to remove her right away, you’re left with two 1/1 Spirits for your trouble. Seems great. Oh, and the fact that she plays both offense and defense well is just icing on the cake. This card is great, and well worth splashing if you’re already in one of the colors.

I don’t love Vannifar for Limited, but Zegana is the real deal. If you have even one creature with a counter on it, she draws you a card and is already worth her value. If you do get to Adapt her, she turns into a giant monster and will take over the game from there. I also like that she just passively works with your other Adapt creatures, making them better. She’s the total package, and will dominate any game she sticks.

The split cards seem really hit or miss this time around. The Rakdos & Simic ones are basically one-sided, but this one from Gruul seems priced to move. It’s a Rabid Bite on one half, and a 4/4 beater on the other. I think you’ll cast Thrash more often than Threat, but either way it’s a card you won’t be sad to include in your deck.

I debated on this one for a bit too, but in the end I think it’s still going to be pretty great. Warrant will probably come up more often as a really potent combat trick at a fantastic low cost. If you’re already ahead, you may decide to go for the Warden half and create a giant Flier, which also seems pretty good. Again, I think you’ll be happy either way.

So that’s it! We’ve gone through all three rarities of cards. I probably misevaluated some, but only time will tell as we start playing the format. Good luck everyone at Prerelease!