#how to improve Body Language in Interview

[astrosky33]

The Best Career for you: Asteroid Industria

◉ Industria is an asteroid in astrology that can represent the long term career industry you will work in. Based on the readings I’ve done this asteroid is very accurate in predicting your long term career

◉ Asteroid Code: 389 -> How to find asteroids

House Meanings

Asteroid Industria in the 1st house

Your career will be a major part of your identity (more so than others careers would). Your career may change or constantly be testing your outlook/view on life. This career will be something you’re very passionate and ambitious about. You may use lots of mannerisms in this career. It most likely is going to involve your physical body, fighting, beauty, confidence, and/or individuality

Ex: Athlete, Model, Makeup Artist, Fighter

Asteroid Industria in the 2nd house

Your career will be a major source of stability (not just financially but also emotionally) for you in your life and your career may boost your self esteem/self worth. It is going to revolve around material items. It most likely is going to involve either your singing voice, finances, cooking, giving, receiving, and/or material resources

Ex: Singer, Banker, Accountant, Chef, Product Designer

Asteroid Industria in the 3rd house

In your career you will use your voice to spread an important message. You will express many of your ideas to others. It most likely will involve communication, literature, teaching, transportation, influencing, social media, the mind, and/or phones

Ex: Author/Writer, Social Media Influencer, Driver, Teacher

Asteroid Industria in the 4th house

Your career will be in an industry where you’re using lots of emotion toward your work and/or caring for others. It won’t be a job far out of your comfort zone. It likely will involve houses, home related things, food, and/or self-care

Ex: Real Estate Agent, Nurse, Baker, Home Designer

Asteroid Industria in the 5th house

Your career may revolve around you and be in an industry where a lot of spotlight/attention is on you. You’re going to work in an industry where you use your talents. It’s going to be a career you really enjoy and that makes you happy! It likely will involve entertainment, romance, events (such as a festival or concert), children, talents, and/or drama

Ex: Actor, Event Planner, Child Psychiatrist, Talent Agent

Asteroid Industria in the 6th house

Your career will have a set schedule and steady income. In this career industry you’ll constantly be working on self improvement. It likely will involve health, fitness, hygiene, your analytic nature, animals/pets, and/or giving service to others somehow

Ex: Doctor, Nutritionist, Fitness Trainor, Dentist, Vet

Asteroid Industria in the 7th house

Your career will be one that’s based around equality or partnership. You’re going to be working towards harmony or peace in this career. It will likely involve commitment, marriage, attractiveness/attraction, contracts, conflicts, negotiations, and/or equality/sharing

Ex: Wedding Planner, Lawyer, Model, Fashion Designer

Asteroid Industria in the 8th house

Your career will be one that’s based around a lot of transformation, power, or mystery. In this career industry you’ll constantly be working on changing for the better. It will likely involve crime, death, taxes, psychology, surgery, investments, the stock market, business, loans, secrets, your inheritance, reproduction, and/or spiritual transformation

Ex: Detective, Psychologist, Tax Preparer, Surgeon

Asteroid Industria in the 9th house

Your career will be one that helps you grow a lot as a person. In this career industry you will learn a lot more than most people do in their career. It will likely involve travel in general, air travel, exploration, television, media, teaching, higher education (college/uni), religion, beliefs, ideologies, philosophy, interviews, courts, law, cultures, ethics, viewpoints, and/or languages

Ex: College Professor, Pilot, Newscaster, Photographer

Asteroid Industria in the 10th house

You are more likely than others to be very successful when having this placement in your chart. Your career will teach you how to set long term goals for yourself and succeed. It will likely involve being in charge/a boss, business, peoples reputations/images, sense of mission, responsibilities, being famous, and/or status

Ex: Manager (anywhere), Publicist, Movie Director

Asteroid Industria in the 11th house

You’re more likely to gain wealth from your career with this placement since the 11th house represents financial gains -> read more here. Your career will be one that introduces new ideas to the world and may be a more unique career compared to most peoples. It will likely involve technology, film, politics, science, inventions, chaos, sudden change, friendship, groups, desires, manifestations, hopes/wishes, humanitarianism, social networking, clubs, and/or parties

Ex: Engineer, Scientist, Film Producer, Politician

Asteroid Industria in the 12th house

Your career is one that will transform you spiritually. In this career industry you will heal others. It will likely involve spirituality, hypnotism, isolation, music, karma/karmic debts, hidden enemies, the subconscious mind, subconscious memory, sleep, dreams (the ones you have when you sleep), old age/people, mental health, fears, losses, endings, impersonations, closure, self-undoing, bed pleasures, intuition, illusions, and/or the afterlife

Ex: Therapist, Song-Writer, Astrologer, Psychic

➠ [READ] the examples listed aren’t the only possible careers for each house only some, so there can be more interpretations than the ones listed

𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗥 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚! 𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘇𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗶𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴

𝗦𝗨𝗕𝗦𝗖𝗥𝗜𝗕𝗘 𝗧𝗢 𝗠𝗬 𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗢𝗡 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝗺𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁

𝗠𝗬 𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗧

© 𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐤𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐝

[fantasy-anatomy-analyst]

So I know you’ve given the old black dragon from Dungeons and Dragons a redesign in the pats but I thought I would ask for your thoughts in the redesign coming soon in the new handbooks. There is a video on YouTube where one of the designers is interviewed about the new dragon designs. He says they designed the dragons more as characters then creatures which likely influenced a lot of the design choices. They want this thing to look evil. Do you think the design has improved? I also want to know if there any major changes you would make. I know in the past you had issues with the horns.

comparison time! old and new!

(image description: a side by side look at the old DnD 5e black dragon design and the new black dragon design. the old one is more multi colored and shows a variety of design choices that are common for making dragons look "cooler" but have no real function. the new design is more cohesively colored a very matte black with a white face and is anatomically more similar to a giant crocodile with long legs. end description)

I absolutely think the new design is so much better. the horn problem has been solved!!! my issue with the horns in the previous design was mostly that they just overlap the mouth! even taking into consideration how wide they might be, they line up directly with the open mouth and extend further forward than the mouth, making them a pretty huge impediment! but now the horns curve below the jaw and don't extend beyond it, so they're a lot less cumbersome! overall, this design and posing also makes so much better use of illustrative shape language, look at how little the body parts overlap each other! much cleaner. I appreciate the bony looking spines with minimal membrane between them, as opposed to the old version that just had the big sail fin on the neck for no reason. I kinda miss the striped coloration of the old one, but this new design is far more cohesively colored and so much more focused on really making it look like a black dragon, with nice subtle greens on the underside for that good ol fashioned countershading. I also like that the face is white to give it that skull-like vibe instead of shrinkwrapping the face to make it look like the underlying skull. overall, there is way less shrinkwrapping on the new design, it no longer feels like the skin has been vacuum sealed to the skeleton and musculature.

That said though, even considering the intention of making it look evil more than making it look like a real creature, why in the year 2024 are we still skimping on dragon wing membrane near the torso, making the wing fingers extend so far beyond the membrane, and adding random wing holes instead of making use of more interesting battle scars all over the body?

here is a very quick paint over to alter that and show how the design could just be tweaked a tiny bit and not lose any of its coolness while adjusting the things i have a pet peeve for

(image description: same as above, but now on the new black dragon design I have colored in the random holes in the wings, erased the overly extended wing fingers, and added more surface area to the wing membrane where it meets the body. end description)

could absolutely be done better, this was just my quick sloppy solution. even just adding a little more wing membrane would be good enough, I don't know why there is still this insistence on leaving such a massive gap between the body and the nearest wing finger. or leaving so much finger extended past the membrane. what are those fingers there for. why do they still have big claws. these dragons have proper forelegs, they clearly aren't using those big cumbersome wing hands for anything other than flying, and the thumb is perfectly useful as a gripping tool all by itself. the fingers only get extended like that for the Look, but i think there are other ways to make the wings look cool. like giving them interesting colors and patterns on the membrane! why not extend the facial coloring here to the wings? enhance the skeletal vibe by making the underside of the wing arms all pale, maybe put some striping on the membrane? that would be neat!

[tackytigerfic]

Writer interview game

Thank you to my pals @arminaa8, @citrusses, @garagepaperback, @houndsinhades, @sorrybutblog, @sweet-s0rr0w, @wholahoop for tagging me - as always i'm deeply late to the party, due to an anxious few weeks/horridly busy work month! so love being tagged in these things though, i appreciate you all and loved reading yours.

how many works do you have on ao3? 69 😏 under tacky and 2 under BrassTacks (the account I set up when I was going to migrate all my fics over to a new name for some reason)

what's your total ao3 word count? 679,422 (nervous laughter) (also this is just the tacky account)

your top 5 stories by kudos? (a clear indication that kudos count means fuck all imo, three of the five of these are very much not my best imo - but which three?!)

If It Takes All Night (E, 11k)

A Lick and a Promise (E, 55k)

Modern Love (E, 62k)

And One To Play (E, 22k)

Through the Window, Clear Skies (M, 1.4k)

do you respond to comments? I used to reply to all, then i fell hugely behind with Modern Love, and then life got exceptionally busy and for ages it was either reply to comments or write new fics. i am currently working my way through comments on my new long fic though - really trying to catch up, albeit slowly.

what's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending? People might say my MCD fic Last Offices. I would say The Quiver of a Heartstring.

what's the fic you've written with the happiest ending? First Watch, imo - i think they really had to work for their happy ending, and also it's a double Drarry happy ending

do you write crossovers? I have a rough idea for an F1 crossover based on the Grosjean fiery crash/coming back wrong trope

have you ever received hate on a fic? a few times, that stuff doesn't really bother me though. personal unpleasantnesses are much harder to deal with but luckily don't happen often.

do you write smut? yes i do! it's something i've been actively working on improving, in fact. my most recent fic Standing in the Way is probably my best (though the sex scene at the end of First Watch was the one I found most satisfying in terms of the resolution of the fic)

have you ever had a fic stolen? yes, had a few put on that AI voice-recorded site recently.

have you ever had a fic translated? yes, a few - always a great honour as i see translation as an art in itself

have you ever co-written a fic before? yes! and it was very fun. Body Electric with @shealwaysreads and the Dreaming Skies Dronarry fics with @sweet-s0rr0w

what's your all-time favorite ship? look i've been reading drarry since around 2002 so...

what's a wip that you want to finish but don't think you ever will? Dudley with a magical baby/forced marriage/drarry on the run after Muggles find out about magic. MoD Harry who keeps dying but not for good having to go retrieve Draco from death. Draco going through the Veil to get Sirius back. Vicar Harry that I started years ago and would probably need a full rewrite. Caravan park worker Draco in a holiday camp in France. Seer Ron. I have lots. Though I do hope to finish them at some point!

what are your writing strengths? probably immediacy of emotions/ a strong visual style?

what are your writing weaknesses? sloppiness, sameiness, trying to be concise but just making it dull. getting discouraged at never being as good as the writers i really admire.

what are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic? i... don't really have many? if someone in the story speaks a foreign language and doesn't speak english then I'd find a native speaker to help me translate their dialogue. I would never write an accent/dialect phonetically a la JKR though (RIP Fleur and Hagrid, you deserved better)

what's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to? F1!! I have two WIPs, a Maxiel non-racing AU where Daniel owns an organic farm shop and Max is a finance bro who makes friends with him and joins his 11-a-side amateur footie team and they hook up on a stag do while dressed as mariokart characters, and a Galex fic with Vicar!George.

what's your favorite fic you've ever written? First Watch! I think it's a really good fic (relative to my writing i mean), it does exactly what i hoped it would, and the people who like it seem to really genuinely love it, which is the best feeling. Also I do love the Voldemort-Wins trope and we don't have a huge amount in Drarry so I'm happy I wrote one.

Since I'm so late I'm not sure who's done this already (will try a few F1 pals too in case this hasn't reached you yet) @beloved-child-of-the-house @boxboxlewis @disarmd @elskanellis @epitomereally @faiell @kendra-vendetta @maesterchill @magicalrocketships @powerful-owl @saxamophone @skeptiquewrites

[atwhughesversion]

it’s so frustrating to me when people (canucks twitter, media doing their shows today, you name it) become an armchair psychologist and decide to read into a player’s body language/tone and draw conclusions. because the amount of people today that i’ve seen/heard complain about petey’s responses to some of the questions he was asked (“what do you mean he doesn’t know!!”), whilst not surprising given the fact that he can’t do anything right for these people, is just so ??

petey is someone who tries to be very, very careful with his media responses — he’ll try to figure out the reporter’s “angle” (“what are they trying to make me say”) before answering something, and is very particular with the phrasing of his answers. then you add in the fact that he is doing all of this in his second language — which is has obviously improved so much in over the years but is evidently not a language he’s always 101% comfortable in, understandably — which adds another wrinkle, because it’s hard to come up with a perfect answer on the spot in general let alone when you may know the words in another language, but not the one you need right now. he’s not hesitant to admit when he doesn’t know a word or how to say something, and will often end an answer there rather than trying to stumble his way to something that isn’t what he actually wants to say.

so all the people today who are like, saying they didn’t like his answers/suggesting an alternate way he could have said something/criticizing him for looking unsure/claiming his body language was poor are like? okay, YOU go up on that stage with an entire room of people grilling you, and you come up with a perfect answer on the spot, wrap it in a nice bow, and smile confidently the whole time rather than dare take the time to think about what you’re saying instead of how you’re looking 😭 and it’s not like he spent the whole interview being melancholy? he was cracking jokes and stuff, which you guys in the room did in fact laugh at. so.

leave petey alone 2025!

[a-queer-seminarian]

Hello, sibling. Do you have resources for intersex Christians? Anything counts, trust. I'm an intersex Catholic and feel very alone in my community. I know God loves me and made me perfectly, but I would love to see fellow intersex Christians talking about our bodies, identities and faith. God bless you

Hey there. My heart goes out to you in your loneliness; you are beloved by God, and you are perfect as you are, even if human beings deny and erase you.

I am also sorry that the broader queer community also too often fails to remember intersex folk and include y'all in our efforts towards justice. You deserve solidarity, deserve to have your pain and your joys listened to as much as any of us.

And, I am happy to tell you that yes, I've got some intersex faith resources for you!

Let's start with intersex Christians talking about their experiences, and then we'll get to some intersex-resonant scripture.

...below the readmore.

Intersex Christians sharing their stories

Stories of Intersex and Faith — a documentary! I have not watched it yet because it costs $20 for an individual to rent it, but if you are interested but the cost is prohibitive, please let me know and I'm happy to rent it for you! .

"I'm an Intersex Christian — and It's Time the Church Listened to Me" (article, major trigger warning for discussion of medical abuse & trauma on a young child; to avoid it, you can skip to paragraph beginning: "The heart of the issue is that church still sees me as problematic...", after which are discussions of trouble with church but also suggestions for improvement) .

Interview with Sara Gillingham, author of the previous article (video, 51 minutes) .

And here's a Facebook video: "What do you wish more Christians knew about intersex people" (video, 2 minutes) .

Another FB video by the same person on how churches can be more supportive of intersex people (video, 3 minutes)

An intersex Catholic Saint?

If you haven't heard of Madre Juana de la Cruz, who would point to her pronounced adam's apple as proof that she had been "male in the womb," check her out!

Now let's check out some intersex-resonant Bible stories, plus intersex theology

For a concise, accessible look at intersex readings of various biblical figures, check out my webpage here... . as well as my webpage here for interpretations of Jesus himself as intersex (and trans)! (The intersex part is fairly brief, but includes links some scholarly essays if you want to learn more about intersex Jesus) . Please note that the focus of my site is trans theology (because that's my focus most of the time), but where a passage is also applicable to intersex folk I make sure to bring them in too, with links to further reading. For instance, did you know Abraham and Sarah were considered intersex by some rabbis in the Talmud?? .

"Male, Female, and Intersex in the image of God" with Lianne Simon and Megan DeFranza (video, 1.5 hours) — great intro to some intersex theology if reading isn't your thing

Intersex in Christ: Ambiguous Biology and the Gospel by Jennifer Anne Cox (book) .

"Intersexuality in Scripture” by Sally Gross (essay free online) . Note that this essay is from 1998 and the language used reflects that, but Gross is one of the foundational intersex theologians. . Also if you want to skip over all her intro paragraphs defining intersex, skip to the paragraph starting "As a brute physical phenomenon, the bodiliness of people who are born intersexed challenges cherished assumptions...")

Sex Difference in Christian Theology by Megan DeFranza (book)

_______

I hope some of those resources can help you feel a little less alone. There are other intersex Christians, including many who lead, write, preach!

I'll close with a regret: I was trying to find any kind of virtual community for intersex Christians, or even just intersex people in general. I wasn't able to find such a place.

If anyone knows of some online intersex support groups or communities, please share! Or if you have other intersex Christian resources you wanna add, share those as well.

I can suggest that you check out this webpage of intersex advocacy groups across the world. If there happens to be one by you and you get involved, I wouldn't be surprised if you met some other intersex Christians there.

Wishing you well, sibling. When you feel alone, may the intersex Christ enfold you in love. When you feel like "the only one," may the stories of faithful intersex people past and present bring you encouragement.

[csuitebitches]

Hello, can you please advise me on how to stay collected and appear confident?

I'm an international student and am currently applying for a student visa for the UK, I received an email for an online interview (from the embassy) and though I have researched and been preparing the answers, I am still feeling anxious and I don't want to give a wrong impression to the officer and get denied for the visa. Thank you.

never let your thoughts become negative.

the more positive your mind remains, it will shine through your body language. Tell yourself constantly that you are confident, you’ve worked hard, and that you’re going to do an amazing job.

Practice posture and body language. Film yourself talking and answering questions, then look at the video and note down what needs to improve. Do you fidget a lot? Do you touch your hair too much? The more you practice the easier it will get.

Lastly, wear something that makes you feel confident on the day of the interview. Make sure you’re not running late, plan your day out the night before. Eat something light, go over your answers, practice in the mirror and you should be alright.

[storyteller-28]

OBX Season 4 Thoughts PART 2

Almost 2 months later and I still can’t get over my profound disappointment. Hoping by actually writing down my disappointments in 3 parts I can move on. Part 1 was directed at the writing, now Part 2 the acting…

I NEVER publicly address actors or acting on my favorite shows. But I had to make an exception here.

First, thank you Madelyn, Chase, JD, and Carlacia. They poured their hearts into this season and their acting held together the shotty writing. Their interactions for each couple were made by the choices their actors made.

One of the things that made OBX such a hit was the cast chemistry. Their natural chemistry and relationships created add libbing, authenticity, the bickering, banter, and them improvising little moments between each other is the magic of the show. It’s what makes you buy that these kids have been friends their WHOLE lives in season 1. The scenes we love the most from the early seasons are improvised.

Before the season started I remember thinking - “how do these 40 year old men write teenagers so accurately??” Shortly after I saw an interview with Chase, JD, and Rudy having to guess the end of season 1 lines. I think 85-90% of the lines they were given to finish, when they heard them their response was “Oh yeah we improvised that!” And were joking about how funny it was most of these lines (fan iconic moments) were improvised. The cast have also openly talked about how that is one of the dynamics of set is that the directors encourage them to make it their own. Because the creators KNOW this is the show magic.

JD has a great quote in one of the interviews this fall about how he and Carlacia put a lot into the little moments of their Cleope scenes, he says because it’s the little moments that sell a relationship on screen and he’s SO RIGHT. The cast creating these little moments is the magic of the show.

While there are glimpses of this magic in season 4 it is largely missing. Especially in Part 2. Rudy and Madison look like they want nothing to do with each other. They say the lines but that’s about it for their scenes together. The pier scene, while sweet in theory is painful to watch. The banter seems forced, their body language screams they want nothing to do with each other. At this point in the story they are suppose to have been dating for a year and a half. Yet gone is the ease of being next to each other.

Madison mentions in an interview that she and Rudy really wanted to go for a lived in feel of best friends now dating, but it’s a sad excuse to explain away the distance that sits between them. This view of their characters is contrary to what they themselves created the characters to be. And thats what’s disappointing as an audience member, when actors forsake the character they’ve created and gotten us to care about because they cannot work with a scene mate. Season 4 presents a version of JJ and Kiara that love each other from a distance. Season 1-3 Jiara find solace in each other, up close personal, they let their walls downs with each other in a way they don’t with any one else.

Kiara was fiercely protective of JJ against his Dad - she is apathetic when JJ tells her about Groff

Kiara was fiercely loyal - while she spends most of the season loyally following after him. When she screams his name it seems hallow and muted (while he’s climbing for crowning and destroying the town)

JJ is fiercely protective - he is apathetic about Kiara being locked up/ hit by his dad and visited by Rafe

JJ knew Kie was the love of his life and treasure BEFORE his death, he acts like he wants nothing to do with her this season

JJ and Kie were the “B Team” - always paired up but they chose to sit as far away from each

And there is almost no improve light banter and bickering between them. I’ve seen people coming at the pates for not writing these things, but if you’ve been paying attention. That’s the stuff Rudy and Madison created themselves, it’s never been written. The actors improv is what bridged the gap between written word and the family we used to see on screen.

You can see and feel the distinct difference in Part 1 and Part 2. Part 1 is tough, but they’re trying. Part 2 is painful to watch, Madison seems pissed (rightfully so) but not rightfully gave up on the character. In the things she could control, she signed up to do Kiara justice and I don’t think she did that, particularly in Part 2. So I don’t believe she’s exempt from the blame of the failed product we received, but I also can’t imagine how hard it would be to work in that environment. To know your scenes are cut, and writing for your character disappeared because of your scene partners decisions when you had been trying. You can tell she’s trying in part 1 but after the news she gave up in part 2.

Most disappointed in Rudy. He abandoned his character by requesting diminished scenes with his character’s other half. By telling the team he will not renew his contract half way throw filming after scripts were already written, by forcing an ending to his character that eviscerates the development of the last 4 seasons. And his lack of commitment to scenes with Kiara.

I’m not going to go deeper on the personal aspects that lead us here. It’s futile. Because my fellow JJ lovers and Jiara shippers, Rudy does not care about us at all. He doesn’t care about JJ, or the abuse survivors that identify with his story. His treatment of the character listed above shows us this.

I love that we took a billboard out and are pleading for the Pates and Netflix to bring him back. But it’s become increasing clear that nobody else wanted this, and if Rudy we’re really going to change his mind I think he would have done it before the final Part 2 aired to have the other versions released.

So I salute you my fellow fans as we grieve the family we found in 2020, while the world was falling apart we fell in love with a rag tag group of 5. On the screen and the cast that brought them to life, while we were isolated in our homes searching for belonging. As we grieve the misunderstood, hurting bad boy, with a heart of gold. I’m sorry you didn’t get your happy ending.

[silverthehedgehogcharacteristics]

Silver Characteristics Part 2

Warrior -  fought and struggled for half his lifetime in the hellish Iblis future, constantly fighting against Iblis, monsters and putting out disasters including Flame Tornadoes for most of his life to bring peace to the world. Shadow describes him as a Fighter in Team Sonic Racing. Enjoys Fighting and can be quick to start fights(Fights almost everyone for both in Rivals 1+2 and Infinite in Forces, almost fights Blaze in Colors DS and Otherworld Comedy and Bowser Jr and Jet in the Olympic Games). Extremely Brave(No regard for his own safety, Instant fight response when surprised in Sonic Generations, fought Iblis monsters since he was Cream’s age). Values bravery and dislikes cowardice/cowardly tactics(Rivals 1+2, Colors DS, Team Vector interview). Has high aggression, determined expressions and aggressive body Language during anything he's focused on. Often makes fists, punches things when he’s frustrated and gets up with his fists in Sonic Forces. Due to his backstory he is deeply appreciative of peace and prosperity but also has a violent personality.

Focused - Is Focused on saving the Future(06 design docs). Very serious and focused when it comes to his mission or dealing with potential danger. Very proactive in dealing with things as he was the only one actively trying to defeat Iblis and change the world(06) and the only one trying to find the truth of Dodon Pa and Eggman(TSR). Has a Straight-To-The-Point mindset(doesn't care what the plan is called, only that it works in Forces) and doesn’t like things getting in his way. Very goal focused(even during competitions, he says the Jade Wisp Ghost ability is the only item he likes because it lets him disappear and focus on racing(Team Vector interview)). Takes things much more seriously than Sonic and sometimes gets mad at Sonic for not taking things seriously or messing around(JP TSR, PlayStation Comic). Has pointed angular eyes like Sonic’s other rivals which represent intensity, danger and seriousness in character design.

Can be Ruthless - “sometimes calls forth great power without mercy”(Sonic x Silver). Has fought dirty(Played possum to hit Sonic in 06), tried to assassinate Sonic, snuck past Soleanna guards. Mugs Tails in Sonic Rivals 2, has no qualms with fighting small children like Tails or Bowser Jr. Leaves his enemies to die even if they beg for life. Has the pragmatic “get-it-done” mindset of Future Trunks/will do whatever it takes to save the future.

Intuitive - Solves problems by using his mind in all his major game roles including figuring out how to revive Sonic(06), being a detective(Town Mission 13), uncovering Eggman/Nega’s plots(Rivals 1+2, TSR) and solving various puzzles. Very perceptive(Sees through Eggman Nega’s disguises by noticing small details), turns his fight with Sonic into a race to collect Chao to advance his mission(Crafty). Intuits Blaze trying to control great power when seeing it for the first time(Otherworld Comedy). Not trusting(Didn’t initially believe in time travel, Immediately suspicious of Dodon Pa in TSR, questioned Mephiles’ mission even as Blaze reaffirmed it as their only option, takes time to work with others in the Rivals series).

Challenger - Enjoys challenges and seeks out ways to test himself(Climbed Tokyo Tower, disappointed when Orbot and Cubot don’t pose a challenge). Very Competitive(Almost fights Blaze when they start one-upping each other over who could deal with Orbot and Cubot on their own in Colors DS). Self-confident and has a smug attitude about his abilities but is otherwise pretty humble. Cherishes his friends and strongly believes in/very grateful to those who help him. Regularly trains off screen like Sonic’s other rivals and said to make Steady efforts to improve(Wallpaper Comedy). Bold and undeterred by any threat(“We can take them all on!” when facing Eggman, Knuckles and Rouge in Rivals 2, “I’ll just destroy him everywhere at once” when facing Solaris)

Curiosity - Has a certain curiosity and likes seeing new and different things(“Interesting”).Can praise or call things cool as much as he insults others. Might have a weakness for cute things(Has a soft spot for/plays with Chao in Sonic Rivals 2 and an official PlayStation Magazine comic). 

Skills - Powerful psychic with various super powers(Sonic Runners). Like Sonic’s other rivals he has various skills including car racing, acrobatics, fighting near the level of Shadow, sharp shooting among the best in Soleanna’s 1500 year history. Has been a detective, delivery boy, butler, top ranked ice skater and “genius” skating coach celebrity(He takes offense to being treated like an amateur for a reason). Fly/Skill-type character so he specializes in more technical sports like ice skating and drives a car with high balance(TSR, Team Vector Interview).

Polar Opposite of Eggman Nega(Blaze’s best friend, Pure, Young, Honest, Rude, Empathetic, Impulsive/Reckless, Naive, Practical/Focused, Altruistic, desiring Peace and Happiness and willing to die to protect the world opposed to Eggman Nega being Blaze’s arch enemy, Twisted, Old, Deceitful, Polite, Psychopathic, Calculating, Sophisticated, Petty, Egoistic, desiring Chaos and Destruction and willing to die to destroy the world)

Enhancer-Emitter - Enhancer being someone that is determined and simple, never lies, hides almost nothing, is straightforward in actions and thinking, whose words and actions are often dominated by their feelings and is very focused on their goals. Emitter being someone that is impatient, not detail-oriented and quick to react in a volatile manner but can also calm down and forget easier

Lives in the good future when not helping Sonic in the present the same way Blaze lives in her dimension. Thinks things in Sonic’s time are dated (sometimes, in Sonic Rivals and Colors DS) Often implied/shown to like apples(Ate apple flavored calorie bars in the Iblis Future according to Sonic Pict) and live in Soleanna(He was originally going to be named Venice because he lived there, he may be Italian coded as his counterpart Galahad uses an Italian dagger as a sword). 

[alwayshappyhoursomewhere]

Kiss & Cry vol.50 Shoma Uno x Stéphane Lambiel Special Cross Interview An "I love you" to figure skating

Shoma Uno is facing the 2023-2024 season with the goal of "pursuing expression". What does "expression" really mean to him, and what does he have in mind beyond that? We spoke to Uno and his coach Stéphane Lambiel.

[T/N: italics denote narration, regular text direct quotes. Please do not repost the translation elsewhere.]

What the two of them think about 'expression'. Shoma Uno won consecutive World Championships. In the 2023-2024 season, which is themed around the pursuit of expressiveness, he performs the short program from the movie 'Everything Everywhere All at Once'" choreographed by his coach Stéphane Lambiel, and the free program "Timelapse" choreographed by Kenji Miyamoto. How does Uno feel about his improvement in expressive ability now that he is more than halfway through the season? And as a coach, how does Lambiel see him? We talked to them on the day after the NHK Trophy FS.

To Coach Lambiel, what made you decide to use this song in the short program?

Stéphane: The program is a combination of three pieces from the movie soundtrack. The song I used at the beginning was originally in my big playlist, but what made me decide to use it for the program was when I was on a plane and watched the movie. I enjoyed the music from the film, enjoyed the movement, thought 'this is interesting,' and felt inspired. I originally had an idea that 'it would be interesting if Shoma moved like this', by mixing music with a bit of spirit to match the smoothness of his skating. When I started choreographing, he moved just as I had envisioned. That's how the program was created.

Shoma: Stéphane's choreography is difficult every year, but I have the impression that this season's choreography is easy for my body to get used to. Even without practicing it that much, my body got used to it from the beginning.

Stéphane: He projects the world I imagined into reality.

Shoma: The free is more difficult than the short. The music is unique and difficult. Up until now, in the second half of the program there was a part where the music got more exciting, but since this is not the case here, I have to practice much more to make up for it.

In the interview after the short, you said that you admired Coach Lambiel as an expressive performer. What specific aspects would you like to incorporate?

Shoma: I don't have the skills to incorporate Stéphane's performance, so it would be impossible for me to do so. As a coach, Stéphane gives me advice, saying, 'You should do this more,' and 'I want you to move with this kind of image.' I want to take in his words and do my best to embody them within what I can do.

Stéphane: There is no doubt that Shoma is a skater who naturally excels at expression. I think of 'expression' in this way; it may be something you are born with, or it may be something you cultivate. Either way, it's some kind of 'language'. Whether it's through words, music, or movement, I believe that it's about having a desire to convey something to the other person, conveying one's inner feelings, it's a communication between the person giving the message and the person receiving it. Shoma has that, and more importantly, he has the strength to move forward with determination in whatever he decides to do.

Speaking about expression, coach Lambiel touched upon the NHK Trophy.

Stéphane: There's one thing that remained in my heart from this NHK Trophy. The moment Shoma finished his performance, he first looked at me. I felt he conveyed a feeling of wanting to ask, 'How was my performance?' At that moment, from the bottom of my heart, I felt honored to have a student like this. I also felt that he treats figure skating with honesty, purity, and love. Inside me, there is no doubt that he's a hero.

[T/N: in-text narration of the NHK performances] Coach Lambiel's eyes were filled with tears as he reminisced about the NHK Trophy, as if deep, uncontrollable emotions were coming forth. At the NHK Trophy, Uno showed stunning performances that drew the audience in both the short and free skates. He captivated the audience with the emotion in his expression, creating a world of stillness or tranquillity. A standing ovation was inevitable. This showed the improvement of his expressive power, which he had been striving for this season. In the free skate, however, since all four of his quadruple jumps were marked with a "Q",  indicating a 90 degree underrotation, he finished in second place overall. The judgment of underrotation, which was clearly unusual compared to the way jumps were judged in previous competitions, put a damper on that good performance. Coach Lambiel must have felt that Uno's performance was excellent, as shown by the long hug he gave him after the free skate, and he could not hold back his emotions at the judging.

This is what Uno said about it.

Shoma: It had been a short time since Cup of China, but I was able to show the results of my practice, and I thought Stéphane must have been happy, so I was myself very happy when I finished my performance. Now, seeing how depressed Stéphane got [at the score] makes me feel glad he is my coach. However, no matter how good a performance is, if it doesn't get a good score, it will be seen as a bad performance. That saddens me too, and it also hurts to see Stéphane being sad. I don't like to put on a facade when I'm talking in public, but I think that saying exactly what you think isn't always a good thing, and it can also make you enemies. But I've been living my life this way, and the people around me, first of all those here like Stéphane, Demi-san, and my manager, understand my efforts and what I really value, and I'm really happy that there are people who can be happy with me. Figure skating competitions are scored by people, so I don't think there's anyone at fault. Right now I just feel so lucky to have been blessed with the people around me.

The All Japan Championship 2023 will begin on December 20th.

Shoma: "I believe that my performance at the NHK Trophy was wonderful, so I want to continue to do this kind of performance in the future. Otherwise, wouldn't this performance be wasted? People only pay attention to my statements and my scores, and don't realize that it was a good performance. I think it would be a waste for it to end like that, so I hope to perform as well as I did this time at the Japanese Nationals."

Stéphane: He is a person who can realize what he sets his mind to. He will decide for himself which direction he wants to take in life, and I don't doubt that he can succeed. That's an unshakeable conviction for me."

That was a praise grounded in unconditional love.

[T/N: yes they really ended the article like that]

[alianoralacanta]

Hi! So I am a newer fan and I know you've been a Charles fan for so long, was it really unusual for him to be this outspoken about Ferrari and his true feelings after the races? Because the way some people responded to his statement you would think he flipped the middle finger to Sainz and his entire family.

I also know he has this reputation to be more PR-oriented than Sainz. I think it was China where Charles said he and Carlos had talked and everything was fine in response to a journalist, and Carlos had said the complete opposite, that they hadn't talked at all.

Judging from my activity panel, a few other people have had similar questions…

Charles sometimes gets outspoken out of anger after races. It's not common, but also within character for him. For people who've followed Charles long enough, he tends to "leak" the emotions he's feeling no matter how hard he tries to hide them, to the point where even I, who in most circumstances is pretty bad at interpreting body language, can reliably do so. Usually he keeps an impressive amount of verbal control while still making it obvious what he feels. Sometimes, though, this does not happen. Before Spain 2024, the target of the outspokenness was always one of two people: himself, and whoever his team boss happened to be at the time. The outbursts against himself became notorious, especially Baku 2019 and Turkey 2020. If you hear about journalists talking about Charles being self-deprecating or looking to improve his own performance before looking to others, that reputation got founded on him being vocally harsh towards his own mistakes on the radio and in subsequent interviews on several occasions. To the point where a lot of Charles' fans outright fear the "Leclerc radio" message appearing following a mistake. He's got better at keeping things in proportion now, but knowing how harsh he can be helps with understanding what happens when others raise his ire. There are two occasions where he had significant outbursts like this towards a boss: Singapore 2019 and Silverstone 2022. On the first of these, Charles thought he'd got a third win in a row in the bag. However, Sebastian Vettel made an early stop in order to protect his ability to fight for a podium spot (something Charles wasn't offered since Ferrari had no especial reason to believe his win was under threat in that direction) - and it was so effective Sebastian ended up leading, and winning, the race. it soon emerged that Charles did not have a valid complaint to make, but he was so angry that he complained anyway. (Charles ended up apologising later that week, after his error was explained to him). This, I think, is what some of Carlos' fans think Charles was doing on Sunday but wasn't. They think Charles complained without cause, took the shine off what was otherwise a special occasion for them (Carlos' last Ferrari race in Spain until further notice) - and thus they think Charles owes them an apology. However, Charles has always been careful to leave a certain amount of ambiguity in his post-race verbal conduct towards team-mates, even when he's upset with them. He's sometimes had to assert boundaries with Carlos in the past when Carlos has overstepped a boundary, and sometimes queried something Sebastian did, but always with an eye to keeping channels of communication open. A "we'll talk about this" or "I need to see the data" can change a blunt criticism into a perspective that could potentially require other perspectives to understand the full truth. The latter tends to be more palatable to observers and thus PR people, even if both allow Charles' true opinions to be voiced.

[bridgerteon]

Bonus Polin Week: Luke (Newton) Appreciation Day. :)))

[Still suck at making creative gifs, mood boards and stories, so I'm gonna do another essay to support Polin Week 2024]

I've seen many people praising Nicola Coughlan (who is awesome as Penelope Featherington and Claire Devlin in Derry Girls, which I watched while being bored overseas) who I admire, but not much with Luke Newton. So I volunteer to write an essay why he is one of my inspirations (and current crush this year). So here's my personal explanation why I like Luke Newton:

It's rare to see an actor/actress that has dyslexia and ADHD be part in a major role. That speaks volumes of the pain, suffering, persistance and hard work Luke did. I'm impressed with how he persevere in doing acting roles and then landed a role in playing one of book fans' favourite Bridgerton boy, Colin Bridgerton, which the book is now a global phenomenon. His acting journey from an unknown actor no one cares about or doing menial acting work, to being part of a global sensation and as internet's next new boyfriend this year is a major shift on his career. I'm glad that he gets the recognition he deserves, and has inspired me to improve myself and to be patient until a new opportunity arrives.

Though i don't know any actors who are in Bridgerton, Luke is one of the actors whose name I recognised before, in Disney's The Lodge. He was in a Disney show which involves a lot of singing and teen adventures. It's cool that he has a singing talent as well as acting skills. Sadly, I never get around to watch it as I was too busy studying at uni during that time.

When Luke plays as Colin Bridgerton, I can actually see the emotions he displays throughout Season 3. Though it's hard to show what Colin's thinking (which is where the book explains well in learning his inner thoughts), Luke displays facial expressions and body language that helps explain what he's feeling. He's one of the actors who can emote very well in any TV show and film.

How Luke protrays Colin Bridgerton (in the show) reminds me of... myself. We are both sensitive and emotional, wanting to feel needed, wanting to be respected as ourselves, listens to people - regardless of gender - without judgement, and wanting a love match. We also think changing our personalities or masking ourselves would help make others respect us, but become mentally draining overtime. We also feel that no one would ever love us as ourselves. Luke playing Colin actually makes me feel seen as an introvert but passionate loser who just wants to be loved. It actually makes me elated to see myself through Colin, and that Luke performed him perfectly.

The one performance Luke did that strikes me the most is the Lady Whistledown reveal scene or the betrayal scene. Instead of just being angry, he cried in that scene to demonstrate that he is heartbroken that Penelope is LW. I actually gasped and applauded that both Luke and Nicola made this scene so much better than the book, Romancing Mister Bridgerton, and the other betrayal scene from my childhood TV show, Avatar the Last Airbender. I can feel the heartbreak, self-doubt and vulnerability Luke displays, which makes me deeply connect with Colin, and also one of the reasons why I understand and love Polin.

Additionally, I can see through past interviews that Luke has lack of self-confidence and feeling closed off. I'm actually glad that his 5-year friendship with Nicola Coughlan helps him become more open, and that he can always rely on her if he is overwhelmed. That is friendship, one which I always want to seek. I'm technically jealous he has that, haha.

Through his friendship with Nicola, Luke gets to explore other things that are unknown to him. Nicola encourages him to learn and understand, a statement that I always keep to myself. Because of that, Luke likes listening to Hamilton, become more accepting, and promoting more charity work. I am enraged at the "fans" who berate or bully him on anything he does, which makes him feel pessimistic. I don't understand why no one likes him. I'm so grateful that Nicola and genuine fans motivate him and encourage him to be proud of himself.

What has attracted me to Luke is that he has no ego, his adorable and awkward personality, his willingness to learn and understand, down-to-earth, and being a gentleman. Something that is rare in many men these days. That's one of the reasons how I got a crush on him besides being handsome (sorry Jonathan Bailey). Because I'm a Pokemon fan (hence my profile pic), I am planning to nickname my starter Pokemon in the next game, in honour of Luke Newton.

I feel emotionally happy to see his journey as a former struggling actor to one of the best actors recognised in Bridgerton (alongside Nicola Coughlan, as she is also one). I look forward to hear his new acting career in a major role in the future. Thank you, Luke Newton, for playing Colin Bridgerton and being yourself. :)))

[thedragonagebigbang]

Bang Creator Interview: Tumblr: @raflesia65  |  AO3: Raflesia65

The Collaboration period has begun! In these quiet months before works are due, we want to foster a sense of excitement, camaraderie, and celebration among our participants. To that end, all participants were given the option of a formal interview by our mod, Dema, or an informal “ask-game” survey. We hope you enjoy getting to know our phenomenal creators as much as we have!

Interview with Raflesia

Reflesia and Dema talk Italian Dragon Age (in brief: everyone petition Bioware for Italian voiceover immediately), favorite fanworks, and Cullistair <3

Dema: As an Italian artist and DA fan, what were the games like for you? Are they subtitled or dubbed? Do you find much fanwork in Italian?

Raflesia: The games are subtitled, it would have been so beautiful if they had been dubbed. Unfortunately, there are very few fanworks in Italian. I have only read two fanfictions and that's it. We Italians, we find ourselves communicating rarely in our language, otherwise we use English.

Dema: I would download a dubbed Italian DA:I immediately. Give me Solas in Italian or give me death. When did you start getting involved in this fandom?

Raflesia: In 2016 I joined Tumblr after playing DA:I, because I wanted to see fanart and read fanfiction, but I was a silent user, I was too shy to communicate.  The real start was 2020 when I started drawing again.

Dema: What was the subject of the first DA piece you did?

Raflesia: My first work was for a fic by Aurlana. She writes a lot of Cullistair fic and I accepted even if at the time I didn't feel ready, but she encouraged me a lot and from there I never stopped drawing. The work was a kiss between Cullen and Alistair.

Dema: Ah, so lovely! Have you been drawing all your life? How did you learn?

Raflesia: As a girl I designed a lot because it has always been my passion. I did not attend an art school, I am self -taught, I studied as a medical laboratory technician, but the love for drawing never left me, even if for several years I did not take a pencil in my hand. Life sometimes takes you elsewhere. But thanks to Aurlana and thanks to Covid I started again and now I have no intention to stop.

Dema: Are you primarily a digital artist or do you use traditional media? 

Raflesia: Before I had only drawn in pencil, then my husband gave me a Wacom One and I discovered digital art, which I liked very much. In fact now I only draw like this, and I use a Cintiq.

Dema: Are there any artists who inspire you?

Raflesia: Yes, looking at their works, I feel motivated to improve. The artists are Starsandskies (Lùa), Elenachatnoir and Kemvee.

Dema: What about their art appeals to you?

Raflesia: Kemvee, like me, loves Cullen, and he has a difficult face to draw, so I was attracted to her drawings to learn. While for the other two artists they are very good in the coloring and positions of the body.

Dema: What is your process like, for this Big Bang art piece? Are you sketching a lot first, collecting inspiration images, writing, something else?

Raflesia: For my piece of art for the Big Bang I looked for a reference that would help me realize what I imagined doing, and immediately I designed a sketch, then I will go to the Lineart and finally to the coloring.

Dema: Are you feeling excited for your idea?

Raflesia: Yes, I love to draw couples in a romantic attitude.

Dema: What is your favorite Dragon Age pairing?

Raflesia: I love the Cullen/Alistair couple and the fault is all Aurlana who made me love them with her writings. I love Cullen very much and I love him with my inquisitor too.

Dema: Thank you for taking the time to talk with me today, Raflesia! Especially with the time difference. It's been lovely and I hope you have a good night!

Raflesia: It was pleasant for me too!

[stormoflina]

Heyyy, can you translate a little bit of Domis post-match interview? (If it's not too long of course)

Hii! Sure thing. Did you mean this one?

I: "Dominik, you had to come back a lot to the defensive line. How much of this was pre-planned, conscious, or was it perhaps based on your in the moment feeling during the match?"

D: "It was my feeling [my choice], I wanted to be a part of the game. Perhaps I was a bit too deep... It was a bit pre-planned, a bit not, we will look back on the footage to see if I did well or not."

I: "During the first half, it looked like you were not satisfied [with the result/how they were playing], or at least that's what your body language suggested."

D: "Then I will try to improve on that."

I: " Are you satisfied with the game?"

D: " It's not my job to say that. I think we have played better games. We were too wasteful in many situations. If we had only stayed calm, we would have been able to outplay them, get the ball into the final third. We will have to pay attention to that, but most important is the final result."

I: "As captain, your unbeaten run [with Hungary] continues, now you are getting closer to the Aranycsapat's [Hungary's best team ever, think Puskás] record of unbeaten matches."

D: " Yeah, we are on it, but we only focus on our own performance. The more we can remain unbeaten, the better. I think this is what we all think.

I: "When you dropped back to play as a right back... it can be said that you did everything to win this game."

D: "If I'm the one who has to do that, then I will do that, no complaining...

I: *interrupts* "Is that your new position?" *laughs*

D: "No. *smiles* But if the captain [manager] puts me there, I will try to do my best there. I will do the dirty work, just like everyone in our team. We are all part of one team, I'm not beyond doing the dirty work [nobody is]. I think all of us did their fair share of work tonight."

I: "Penalty... what was going on in your head?"

D: " I thought about changing up a bit (he always shoots it to the left corner), but then I was like nahh... First, I thought about giving the opportunity to Séfi (he calls him Seffi tho lol), but then I decided otherwise. " *laughs*

I: "You ended up being the only goal scorer in this match." (Séfi's goal was ruled out for being offside.)

D: " Maybe if he [Séfi] hadn't worked out so much during his rehab, his shoulders wouldn't have hung in." *everyone laughing* "Anyways, the final result is the most important, I'm glad that we won!"

Sorry, if there are misspellings or anything, I'm on a roadtrip and did it on my phone.

[foxxyrola]

Step 0: Learning to Learn

The biggest challenge in my self improvement journey begins with a question: "How in the nine hells am I supposed to sit my ass down and learn anything? My body just keeps pacing around, looking for yet another distraction. iwi"

Don't get me wrong, I desperately want to apply myself, just struggle in the initiation. And the follow through. I would take a few lessons in learning Godot for game making, then move on to something else, new and shiny. I'd learn all the Hiragana, but then not touch the Japanese language for weeks. All ambition, no action, or something like that.

Being fed up with this, I do get moments where honestly I sometimes just have to, well... Do things! Anything. I'm desperate for the dopamine hit of accomplishing something non vidya gayme related. I have to plant my ass in a chair (even if it takes an hour of pacing before I can even settle down), and give myself something to focus on as if it's life or death. I'd journal when I can. Watch some informative videos without absorbing much of it. Get stuck passively on self help YouTube and all that.

Well... It seems I got something out of it. Lately been looking into Cybersecurity (just a surface dive, like most of my dives are) and in addition to learning a little about certifications and stuff, I discovered that Coursera is a good place to find some lessons (for free too mind you, as long as you don't need their certificates or whatevs) not just for coding, but for many other things.

This is one of these (free) courses that I found: https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn

Yup, learning how to learn. Seems cheesy. Almost blew it off and didn't take it. But hey, night shifts give me a bit of free time each night, so chooms, I jumped in about a week ago and without a doubt, I certainly do not regret it.

So far in the first week of the course I watched all the necessary videos, and passed the simple quizzes for week 1. The course establishes two modes of thinking every human uses: focused and diffuse. Focused being when you think deeply on something you know how to solve already, following established prestructured neural pathways. Diffuse on the other hand being that abstract association you get when you passively sift through your brain, in sleep and relaxing, and when you're not actively looking for a concrete solution but rather let your mind wander and put things together.

Now, I've heard about routine and pomodoro techniques and taking breaks to space out learning, but it seems that with this course, something clicked. Applying the things I learned by taking personal summary notes afterwards and both actively and passively thinking about what I've just absorbed, I suddenly felt fulfilled.

I started a self care routine (nothing super much yet, just 2 hours of unwinding and exercise and meditating before bed among other things) by setting up a schedule in an app I found called RoutineFlow. Yeah, I'm not getting it consistently yet, but every day I try to at least take a step to do what I gotta do, that little push that'll help me work through stuff. I just want to get myself to do the basics so that I can grow from there.

Then I encountered my first obstacle: taking notes. The Learning to Learn course has optional materials: readings, interviews, all that fun scop. I go through fairly passively til I encounter one material. A short paper with notes on note taking from Harvard. Some 30 pages. I know I need this, I know I need to sit down and do this as it'll help.

But I couldn't do it. One day, then another day, then the weekend passes, and now I'm back at work again on Monday. My legs are restless, can't seem to sit down and do things.

So I start writing this blog. Immediately afterwards... I still can't do it.

I walk around, pace, try and sit down... Another 30 minutes passes before I open things up and begin taking notes. I literally force myself to sit, set a 25 minute pomodoro... Ok now just gotta focus in this time. Come on I can do it...!

Oh hey I'm doing it! I'm actually doing it! I start learning the material, taking some Cornell Notes on it(a good way to review notes and test yourself die to its structure) as soon as the time'l ran up, I take a break. Wow! That actually wasn't so hard. The hardest part was just sitting down and telling myself that this is what I wanna learn.

So over my free time at work over a few 25 min sessions, I learnt the importance of taking notes in my own words, reviewing them often but not cramming all at once, and testing myself on my knowledge.

It was just that first step. But hey, the more I do this, the easier it gets! Consistency, that's the name of the game. I may not have learned any new coding skills or any new words or anything, but the experience has been a most important one.

Anyways, as I finish this up, it is now time for my morning self care routine. Feeling accomplished, I think things can only get easier if I keep setting aside the time and rewarding myself consistently.

Just gotta put my ass in the chair.

[blindingtrancetyrant]

5 Secrets to Make Anyone Instantly Like You

Description:

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Inside, you'll learn how to:

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📘 Format: PDF

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[shinygoku]

A Hard Day's Night [Film] (1964)

So here we are at last, talking about the first of a debatable amount of Beatles Movies! This one has the reputation of being the best, but is that based on an objective measurement or is it as it's the least Odd and the least Colourful? Either way, let's have a closer look~

Twaaaaaaaang--!

Our tale begins ...black and white-ly. This was the style at the time, to do a throwback to the slightly older moving pictures and to contrast that association with the antics of four young men. It also made the film a bit less expensive to make, but while some people dig the aesthetic I'd prefer it to be in full colour, myself. I can watch and enjoy monochrome films and TV, but here I feel like I should be able to behold the scenery and the lads as the world at the time saw them. I don't know what colour the seats on the train were! I didn't get to see them in the 60s! It's a minor and mostly subjective complaint but it is one of those things on my mind as I watch.

While it's a somewhat fictionalised Day in the Life, there's also a surreal bend to the whole movie. The Boys appearing outside the moving Train and fooling around in the narrow corridors, John in the bathtub, the carjacker, and some of the background details offer a curious glimpse into the future overt zaniness. But it's also extremely grounded and arguably uncreative in scenes where they recite lines previously said off the cuff in their interviews (e.g. the "How did you find America?" question and response). There's a happy medium in there with slight exaggerations of real situations they faced [Ringo getting the most fanmail in one scene comes to mind] and also an unfortunate setting of future Typecastings on the boys that they'd soon tire of.

BUG ACTING

In this flick, the Beatles are playing versions of themselves. John and George adapt quite naturally, easily incorporating their lines and relaxing into their roles, possibly throwing improv in while they're at it (I feel like I've heard John in the bath was an unscripted John Moment).

Paul doesn't do as well, and I think the case is that he's the most into plays, while also being bad at Acting As Himself. He thrives when he's doing a little Bit but he can't sustain a scene as "Paul", which is most likely why his solo part with a pretty girl was cut (that, and the film getting a bit too long with it.) when all the others get a bit of individual focus.

Ringo, after a fumbled first line improves in leaps and bounds, and is effectively the Main Character, another trend that would persist in later films, and he does a lot of his acting just with body language. He feels like a silent movie star(r) for quite a long portion of the film and his performance wrings some genuine emotion forth.

The 5th main character is Paul's Grandfather (whose name is, I kid you not, John McCartney. I will instead call him Grandfather to prevent confusion...), who is a living apple of discord. He's very clean, though. Played by Wilfrid Brambell of Steptoe & Son fame, he's the Mixer who pushes people's buttons for his amusement and to make some quick cash. He's right about ACAB though, he phrases the last part as Villains but it's the same sentiment lol.

This film also shuffles the Beatles Supporting Characters to have substitutions of the real life equivalents, and naturally there's many bit parts like the people in the TV Studio, the field owner and the police. As for the hoards upon hoards of fangirls, I think only a handful were hired extras (including Pattie Boyd, where she and George made their Connection), with most of them just being in the right place at the right time and behaving like foxes in a henhouse.

PLOT

So the key story being told is that The Beatles travel down to London to film a TV Special, with the addition of Paul's Grandfather. Even without him it seems tensions are already a bit elevated, as their Manager is constantly reminding the Boys to be well behaved (something that John seems to delight in subverting), other members of the public like the Man On The Train and in the TV Studio are rude, and the inescapable sea of excited young fans meaning the life that the Beatles are currently living in is one of a series of shuffled boxes.

To get his jollies, Grandfather subtly sows seeds of discord between people, like the Manager and the Roadie, and then pivots to singling out Ringo from the other Bugs. Eventually this works, but the reconciliation in the third act ensures the Beatles make it for their final performance before they're whisked away to their next booking with nary a moment to breathe.

SCRIPT & SUCH

My favourite little exchange may be an ADR'd sequence where the Bugs are roasting the Victor Spenetti character and his hideous wooly jumper. You'll hafta trust me on this and see it happen in the film, transcribing it doesn't do justice!

Another cracking line is "Being middle-aged and old takes up most of your time, doesn't it?" And in general this movie is stuffed to the gills with witty lines ...possibly too many? It doesn't fall into the MCU insincerity trap with its one liners, it's taken me multiple watches to really Hear most of them. I guess it's not a good movie for the duller minds as by the time I'd processed a witty quip, I'd missed another handful XD;; By now I can keep up but still, it requires watching with subs and/or a bit of effort!

That being said, it's still amazing how influential even this single branch of the Beatle Tree is. The opening to the first Austin Powers movie duplicates the sequence here, the pioneering camerawork for the whole song sequences, and indeed the basic concept of having a Musical Movie also show much of the hum-drum and mundane moments instead of being "Singer Goes To Place, Picks Up Girls And Sings" lol - It's quietly cynical without losing its Fun factor.

MUSIC

There's an odd use of the songs -- they're almost all from A Hard Day's Night, naturally, other than a snippet of I Want To Be Your Man and She Loves You as the finale. They get uneven airplay. The album itself is a swinging of the quality pendulum, but the title track and Can't Buy Me Love [both very good] get played in full twice, we get If I Fell and then almost all of that again, we have to endure I Should Have Known Better twice too, but some of the others feel like mere cameos. I do appreciate the use of instrumental versions for some incidental music though~

While not my favourite of the songs, my favourite Sequence set to music is Can't Buy Me Love, the one where they're gaily running about on a field and guys being dudes dancing with each other. It's utterly charming and conveys freedom and fresh air, something in short supply of in the narrative.

FINAL THOUGHTS

While I see the appeal in the film, and can understand why it's generally considered the best of their moving pictures. However, as much as I respect it and enjoy the serotonin it offers, it's not my favourite nor do I think it's their best. But it's endearing and has surprising edge relatively speaking, given that it does show a few of the downsides to the kind of wild fame the Bugs were living in.

It may sound harsh but I'd rate it at 2/3, but a very high 2! If they'd given us a proper look at the Steam Locomotive that pulls the Act 1 Train, it coulda hit the high score... but more Trains and indeed Beatles Movies are to come! 🚂

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Somehow echoing my May review of last year, our next stop will be to get HELP! ...watched and written up like this ;3