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absolutelyabby23 · 5 years ago

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College AU Sanders Sides Headcanons

Hey everyone! I’m getting back into writing and I also recently got accepted to college! I’m going to be a biology major :) With all of that going on, I started thinking of some Sanders Sides College AU Headcanons so here we go! Let’s start off by introducing everyone.

Roman Prince: Freshman. 18 years old. He’s a theatre major with a minor in musical composition. In his free time, Roman likes to write fanfiction correcting Disney movies. He also frequently uploads to his YouTube channel which is called RomanticRoman. He mainly does covers and skits. Occasionally, he will do livestreams where he reads his stories.

Logan Berry: Freshman. 17 years old. Logan skipped a year because he’s just that smart. He’s a psychology major with a specialization in teaching. He wants to become a professor. In his free time, Logan shadows the campus counselor, Emile Picani.

Virgil Sanders: Freshman. 18 years old. He’s currently undecided but working towards his degree with an exploratory major. He’s a major procrastinator and spends most of his free time watching YouTube videos. He enjoys conspiracy theories and has started to dip into some ASMR. He’s in the process of starting a podcast.

Patton Rogers: Freshman. 19 years old. He’s a child psychology major with a minor in chemistry because “he likes to mix stuff.” In his free time, Patton likes to bake treats for various clubs and organizations on campus. He also helps a certain sassy sophomore named Remy Stewarts at their coffee startup.

Dee Jones: Junior. 20 years old. He’s majoring in pre-law with a minor in sociology. Dee is the Resident Assistant (RA) for the dorm that the other five all live in. In his free time, Dee is the DM for a campus DnD club. He also likes to visit the small animal center in the veterinary school and feed the snakes.

Remus Prince: Freshman. 18 years old. He’s an english major with a specialization in creative writing. In his free time, Remus likes to prank his brother Roman and his friends. Remus also has a YouTube channel where he specializes in “childhood ruining” facts.

Okay now let’s get to the headcanons!

-Roman, Virgil, Logan, and Patton all live in the same suite-style dorm room. This means they have a common area, bathroom, and two bedroom areas. Roman and Logan are in one room and Patton and Virgil are in the other.

-Remus lives in another dorm room with Remy and two other students. Their room is across the hall from the other four which makes it a prime spot for scouting out pranking information.

-On moving day, Patton was the first to arrive. He made plushies for his three other roommates based on things they said they enjoy on their roommate profiles. He also figured that they might be a source of comfort when the others inevitably started to miss home. Roman got a red dragon wearing a little golden crown. Logan got a robot wearing a labcoat with NASA patches on it. Virgil got a blackbear wearing a purple-patched hoodie.

-When Virgil moved in and saw all of Patton’s pastel pillows and rainbow potted houseplants, he took one look at the MCR poster in his hands and wondered if this was going to work out. However, when Patton came in and saw that they both had fairy lights to hang, they became fast friends while helping each other set them up. Patton actually laughed at Virgil’s edgy humor while Virgil seemed to enjoy Patton’s puns.

-Roman brought about 5 Costco-sized packs of ramen noodles with him and his own personal coffee maker. Remus was behind him threatening to drop his video camera out the nearest window. Roman simply rolled his eyes and moved the rest of his stuff in.

-Logan was the last to show up. He brought a big stack of textbooks and an array of extra supplies that his roommates would go on to “borrow” from for the next four years. Meeting Roman was pretty anticlimactic.

Logan: Is that Shakespeare on your desk?

Roman: *Looking up from doing his makeup in a lightbulb mirror* Yes.

Logan: Cool.

-Things didn’t stay that chill for too long though. Roman and Logan frequently got into arguments about everything.

Logan: Roman for the last time, eating a cup of instant ramen does not automatically make you a more cultured person!

Roman: Okay… but have you tried an egg in it though?

-Patton quickly becomes like the dad of the group. He loves taking care of his friends and it definitely shows. However, they didn’t quite get his parental nature at first.

Patton: Okay kiddo time to get up from your nap and do your homework!

Virgil: Kiddo? Patton you’re like three months older than me.

-However, Virgil and Patton soon started to understand each other more. Virgil knew about Patton’s caring nature and Patton started to learn how badly Virgil procrastinated and got stressed. This led to them coming up with a sort of rules and rewards system. Patton would start saying things like “Okay Virge if we get our math homework done in the next twenty minutes then we can have a cookie and watch YouTube for 30 minutes.”

-Platonic cuddling also proved to be a way to help get rid of Virgil’s anxiety about his future. It was hard to ask him for things like that back home. He was able to trust Patton though so it’s enjoyable for both of them.

-Virgil has trouble sleeping at night after hours of doing homework and trying to get himself to do said homework. Dee was in the hallway one day and heard Virgil telling Logan about this problem while chugging an energy drink. The next day, Virgil had a package waiting on his desk. It was a purple weighted blanket with black spider print on it. Virgil has been sleeping better ever since.

-Logan recognized Roman from YouTube and remembered a few of the technical and research problems that he had with the channel. Logan begins helping Roman with scripting, setup, and editing. People start to notice the quality improvement.

-Roman and Logan went viral when they wrote a song about Crofters jam. Logan’s moms send them jam in care packages. After a late night of studying lines for Roman’s theatre assignment, they ate Crofters straight out of the jar with plastic spoons. Logan started humming a melody and Roman sang along until Virgil banged on the wall as a request for them to shut up. They wrote down lyrics until 4 in the morning. They recorded the video the next night and it got over 1 million views.

-After the Crofters collab, Logan started to appear more on Roman’s channel. He soon became almost a weekly regular.

-Patton invited Remus and Virgil to his new coffee startup to try some of the drinks in order to name them. Remus had some… creative suggestions (some involving horrid ways to use milk), which Remy and Patton immediately shot down. Virgil’s best idea was “Strawberry Survival” for an energy drink with a sugared berry taste and energy boost.

-Dee was able to recruit Roman, Remus, Virgil, and Logan to his DnD club. This is how the club meetings usually go. Roman wants to roll to marry every character. Remus rolls to seduce every living and nonliving element of the game. He then rolls to kill every living and nonliving element of the game. Virgil just thinks of more and more creative ways to try and eliminate his own character. Logan is just whining the whole time that nobody is playing correctly. Dee just tiredly says, “Roman you cannot kiss the villain. Remus you cannot fuck the rock. Virgil that cat cannot rip your heart out. And Logan, here’s $10. Go get me a coffee and chill out. I cannot wait until I’m 21 and can block out you little shits with straight vodka.” Though he’s exasperated, Dee really enjoys the meetings. He just won’t tell the truth.

-Virgil starts his podcast halfway through the year. People immediately love his sarcastic, yet calming, voice. He does a mixture of things on his show. Sometimes he just talks about calm things with Patton while they bake in the school kitchens. Sometimes he broadcasts the DnD sessions. By far his most popular is the segment “Dumb Debates” that he does with Logan where people send in meme questions and they each pick a side and argue about it. A chair might’ve been thrown during “Is water wet?”

-Roman and Logan solve every argument with a rap battle. They sometimes vlog it for Youtube. Four way arguments are solved through a Mario Kart tournament. Everyone always tries to get too technical with the best tricks except for Patton who almost always wins.

Those are basically it for now! Comments and likes are appreciated. Let me know if you want more headcanons or would like to see a fic out of any of these situations. Take care everyone and I’ll be back with more soon!

#thomas sanders #sanders sides #sanders sides au #sanders sides headcanon #sanders sides college au #roman sanders #logan sanders #virgil sanders #patton sanders #remus sanders #deceit sanders #sympathetic deceit #duke dont look

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ghoestys · 4 years ago

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i’m literally pulling this out of my ass so if there are errors and stuff doesnt make sense then please myob and pretend like u understand what im saying im trying to do this before i get caught not doing hw he comes at 6 n its 5:43 rn

statistics

full name: suzy nora yoon nickname(s): su, suz (pronounced like snooze without the n) age: twenty three date of birth: tba! hometown: tba! gender: cis female religion: athiest sexuality: bisexual hair colour: black/dark brown eye colour: brown height: 5'5″ tattoos: tba! piercings: tba!

prompt + blackmail

a member of the yale's elite, they're twenty-three and a senior undergrad student majoring in aviation engineering. they are as gregarious as they are aimless.

TW DRUGS! 1. to pay for yale's very expensive tuitition, suzy sells weed that's both fake and real, depending on who is buying and if she likes them. she's not a good seller, though, so this hasn't been the best form of income for her. 2. got accepted into the aviation engineering program, but suzy can't complete her homework without the help of drugs to keep her mind focused and creative enough to understand the problems

about

family/upbringing/childhood/wtvr

so! literally pulling this out of my ass and making things up as i go! suzy was born in a family with her parents (mom & dad), her older sister, and her older brother. the family was strictly middle class and her parents and siblings were very hardworking. her siblings were good at what they did and they excelled in their academics because they tried hard and all that stuff!

growing up, suzy followed her siblings and her parents and was basically a gifted child from the very start. elementary and middle school was not hard for her and she was in all the advanced and gifted programs. the family was calm and there wasn’t anything drastic that removed the peace or caused any disruption at all. like. they were just chillin.

i think suzy had an average relationship with her parents. they were still asian, so like... it’s as good as it was going to get. she was somewhat close to her siblings, but seeing as they were 5/8 years older than her, the age gap wasn’t that welcoming to the baby of the family. she was kinda just.. having fun on her own being smart n shit.

anyways! high school! where all gifted kids literally come to die! due to her shit from elem & middle school, she was offered a full ride scholarship to some prestigious school and as asian parents, they were NOT going to reject that free ride to a school that would help ensure suzy’s success in the future. she went from being one of the smartest kids to being another burnt out gift child and high school was fucking ROUGH!

bitch really had a fucking crisis and burned the fuck out. her not being the smartest bitch anymore literally killed everything in her and she just stopped being that. she met people and what do u know! got into the wrong crowd where drugs and alcohol was everyones bff!

she got into that pretty heavily by sophomore year i would say. she was just. yea.

i mean. she was burnt out but her grades were still fine if u saw them. studying isnt hard for suzy and shes pretty smart, but she wasn’t at the very top of her class anymore and thats what killed her. instead of having straight a’s, suzy was getting b’s and a few c’s. in a family where anything other than an a was acceptable it really just killed suzy some more

anyways! drugs and alcohol! made her feel good so she did it. she found that weed was the best thing as well as some tranquilizers/anything that relaxed her essentially. she just liked the feeling of floating n not caring or feeling any pressure like. she wanted to b in her own world n shit.

college/the elites

after graduating high school, she didnt apply to college right away because honestly? drugs and alcohol and a bitch didnt care by her senior year. her grades were not the best and while she couldve gotten into college, she literally had no interest for college and her parents at this point baiscally disowned her so like? who the fuck is gonna pay for her college??

her work ethic is the worst bc shes so careless like. bitch had a shift from 1-7pm and showed up at 5 because she literally didnt feel bothered enough to show up.

anyways a year or so after graduating high school (idk the math rn) she got really high off something and just. did a whole ass application to yale bc she decided to apply for the shits n giggles. wrote a fake letter of recommendation, wrote killer essay and personal reflection shit or wtvr, and even submitted the application with an attached document of her outlining an entire airplane that wouldve been fully functional except for a few tweaks n shit that was needed

she some how got in from that (this is fake this would probs not b real <3 teehee) and bc she was now accepted and going to yale (she accepted high aha a theme for her), she had to think about how to fund for this shit so she decided to get into drug dealing!

which is honestly. not going good like a bitch again has poor work ethics so her as a drug dealer is so.... she literally got into it bc of euphoria bc it looked easy but doing it... is not easy at all but its her only form of funding so she’s doing it. kinda. loosely. please fire her.

idk where to put this but. suzy is kinda like that girl from the queens gambit where she feels like she needs drugs to function so like she ditches class but she’ll do all her assignments nicely bc she thinks the drugs give her superpowers to b smart n at the top of her academic class again

when shes under the influence of anything she feels like she can function more or like her life is just... better when shes not sober and ull rarely really see her sober like shes usually just on something

idk where the post is rn bc im too lazy to look for it bc i jsut got a text that he was coming now but!!! its the tweet where a guy was drunk n drew up an entire blue print of an airplane and that is literally fucking suzy i swear to god

when shes high she’s like the smartest bitch around (shes smart without drugs but doesnt believe that) and can build airplanes n blueprints n solve maths n wtvrs

suzy is truly an asian stem bitch and the sciences and math is where she excels the most!!!! probs won awards n competitions for math and science but doesnt really acknowledge that much becase like... its just not something shes focused on

got into the elites by just making a blueprint of a plane from scratch infront of the twins like. legit just went infront of them, started making the blueprint from scratch to finish n gave it to them saying here is a blueprint for a new private plane u guys can build for urselves

personality

personality wise she is very friendly n goofy n chill n chaotic

literally a dumbass n honestly really annoying just ask orion

shes just a stoner having fun doing her life n not really caring about anything like. how she made it to senior year who the fuck knows i really dont honestly

i think the main way to describe her is bimbo like thats it

not really into sharing her life and is more of a listener than a talker when it comes to conversations that are genuinely deep and personal. she will not talk to u about her problems and insecurities seriously (maybe she’ll do it in a self deprecating way) unless she trusts u w her life. otherwsie she will keep it to herself n prays that her stoner part will make people believe shes just chillin w no problems

when it comes to conversations about nonsense n fake deep shit like what is air then suzy will not shut the fuck up like if u wanna talk to someone about nonsense then suzy is truly ur bitch like. a bitch can fucking talk

doesnt mind being alone bc she has fun on her own but she prefers company more bc she likes having fun and having someone to accompany wtvr she does. whether its for smoking/drinking or hanging out but also just for like... going to class if she chooses to attend and doing everyday errands like groceries or wtvr. she doesnt really do groceries tho bc she just steals orions fodo but when she does choose to go she likes having people with her :)

she doesnt have a passion for anything bc she doesnt dream of labor but the closest thing about b making airplanes or helicopters like. blueprints come easy to her n she enjoys making them bc she feels like shes actually capable of something bc shes aware that making them isnt something everyone can do

u can treat her like a dumbass n she wont call u on it even tho shes kinda smart bc she feels like shes a dumbass

most likely has bad self esteem and feels like a failure but uses drugs n alcohol to ignore that feeling :)

probs the least judgemental person ull ever meet bc she really doesnt care about what u do like. she hears the secrets getting outted n she doesnt care there r high chances that she’ll still look at u the same way

#intro #i am rushing im so sorry i jsut wanted this out while i was thinking about her

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yamayamawrites · 5 years ago

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Wishing You the Best - TodoDeku

Hi friends! As a birthday present from myself to you, I’m coming back from my month-long break to give you....a TodoDeku pen pals AU! I’ve been very busy writing this past month and trying to start and finish fics before posting them (I say, as I post the first chapter of an unfinished fic). This one is kind of different from my normal stuff because it’s shorter - each chapter is only 1-2k words long. I have something else in my drafts that should be coming out shortly that I’m really proud of (100k+) so please be aware that’s coming, too!

Anyways, this one is a university AU in which Midoriya and Todoroki (and the rest of class 1-A) are university students! It has a little hint of coffee shop AU vibes, but for the most part it’s just a university AU. Hope you enjoy this first chapter!!

Week 01

Izuku’s never been a fan of English classes. He’s not bad at speaking the language; in fact, he’s quite good at it. The problem is that it’s not nearly as intriguing as some of the other courses he’s taken. He’s more interested in science and math classes, in solving complex problems and studying the way the world around him works.

Which is why he’s so nervous about these three words written in sloppy English on the board in front of him.

‘PEN PAL PROJECT’

He drops into his seat with a huff next to Ochaco, who has already arranged her notebook and colored pens in preparation for note-taking. Izuku has English and Chemistry with her, and they sit together for both; naturally, at the end of the day they trade notebooks – Izuku takes her English notes and she his Chemistry notes – and they review and fill in holes where they missed them. It’s an effective system, and Izuku especially likes looking at Ochaco’s neat handwriting.

Ochaco tosses a friendly smile over her shoulder at him and he returns it, wide and a little winded from sprinting the campus to get here. It’s a nine in the morning class, and his alarm clock has a habit of not going off in the morning. Izuku sometimes gets the suspicion that Kacchan, his roommate, has some part in that. “Morning, Deku!” Ochaco chirps, then returns her attention to writing today’s date at the top of her notebook page. She’s deciding on a color scheme for her notes.

“Morning!” Izuku replies, bright and chipper. “You should go with blue and red today.”

“You always say that,” Ochaco laughs, but still she settles on her blue and red pens. “What do you think this is all about?” she nods vaguely at the board, and all Izuku can do is shrug and open his mouth to reply before their professor is proudly proclaiming his entrance into the classroom.

“Good morning!” Professor Yamada is shouting, and he really doesn’t need to yell because the classroom is relatively small but he does anyway. Some of the less awake students wince at his voice, but Izuku’s come to expect it, having been briefed by a few friends who have had Professor Yamada in the past. “Welcome to English one-oh-six!”

He’s speaking English right now, and Izuku’s taken enough English courses in middle school and high school to know most of what he’s saying, but it does take him a moment to piece the number together. He uses context clues to assume Professor Yamada is talking about the class number and he nods his head once, glad to make a connection like this so early in the morning and without any caffeine. (It’s not something he should be as impressed about as he is.)

Yamada switches gears and begins going through the plans of the day in Japanese. “Let’s talk about the Pen Pal Project,” he claps his hands together as he finishes going over basic syllabus information. “For the next semester, you will be exchanging weekly letters with a pen pal in English. It’s much easier to learn a language when you write in said language and communicate with others in that language. I’ve assigned each of you a pen pal from the other sections of English one-oh-six, and you’ll be expected to write them a note each week for class.”

The class around Izuku is convoluted. Some are whispering about how they think this is a childish lesson, others are excitedly chattering with their friends at the possibility of getting to write letters back and forth with another friend from a different section of this course. Ochaco leans over to Izuku, and she appears to be part of the latter group of students. “Isn’t this exciting?!” she whisper-shouts. “Maybe I’ll get to write letters to Tsuyu!”

Izuku hums, taps his pencil on the desk. He doesn’t know many people at this university yet – he really only knows Ochaco, Kacchan, and the acquaintances he works with at the on-campus café. “I think it might be fun,” he decides finally. He’s always been a friendly and outgoing person, and while his English isn’t perfect, he doubts the person he gets paired up with will judge him for it. In all, it seems like a creative way to teach a class, and it really does seem like a nice change of pace.

***

“He’s still doing that stupid pen pal thing, huh?”

Kacchan is leaning against the counter of their kitchenette while Izuku works on drafting his pen pal note at the island counter. “Mm,” Izuku hums his affirmation.

“I had him last semester,” Kacchan grunts, turns back to the microwave where he’s waiting on his ramen. “Thought that assignment was kinda fuckin’ stupid.”

“Who was your pen pal?” Izuku asks, tilting his head to the side in curiosity. He’s drafted his first letter three times now, trying to make sure it has as little errors as possible while also trying not to have scribble marks and pencil erasings.

“Some guy named Hitoshi,” Kacchan shrugs. “He wasn’t all that good at English. I could barely understand what the hell he was trying to say half the time.” He peers over the counter, eyeing Izuku’s paper. “You used the wrong tense there,” he points after a moment, and Izuku groans and throws his head down.

“Why don’t you write it for me?” Izuku whines, turns his cheek so it presses against the counter and he can stare up at Kacchan with big puppy dog eyes. Kacchan just grumbles under his breath and turns away, irritation in his voice even when his words are unintelligible.

“I’m not doing that stupid ass project again,” Kacchan gripes. “Who’s your pen pal or whatever, anyway?”

Izuku blinks to try and focus his eyes on the paper that is much too close to his face to be able to read. Finally he sits up and rubs his eyes, glares down at the name he’s written at the top of the paper. “Todoroki Shouto,” he says.

“Oh, that guy?” Kacchan keeps his eyes on the microwave as it ticks down. “Should be fuckin’ delightful to talk to,” he teases.

“What’s wrong with Todoroki?” Izuku asks, means not to sound defensive but he always seems to get this way when Kacchan acts abrasive.

“I had him in my Japanese lit class last semester,” he explains with a wave of the hand. “He’s just like, the exact opposite of your type.”

Izuku’s ears redden at the tips. “I’m not looking for a relationship,” he says quickly, his voice jumping up a few pitches. “It’s a school assignment! Why would you think—”

“Deku,” Kacchan interrupts, stern and a little intimidating. “It’s been months. You’re getting irritable.”

“Am not!” Izuku shoots back, then covers his mouth. Kacchan just smirks, knowingly, as if those two words have proven him right, because they kind of have.

“Whatever you say,” Kacchan grunts, opens the microwave just before it beeps and takes out his bowl of ramen noodles. He grabs a set of chopsticks from the drawer and migrates to the couch in their tiny living space. The television drowns out whatever Kacchan’s grumbling under his breath, and Izuku doesn’t quite care to ask him to repeat himself because honestly, he’s a little scared of the answer he’ll receive. So he returns his attention back to the page in front of him.

It’s a simple note. Professor Yamada has given everyone a topic for their first letter, ordering the class to talk about what they’re going to school for and what classes they’re taking this semester. He’s told everyone it needs to be around fifty words long to get full credit, and that they’re not being graded on English accuracy so much as on participation. Izuku knows he doesn’t have to put as much thought and effort into it as he is right now, but he can’t help himself; he wants to sound smart. That’s his downfall, is that he doesn’t want his first impression to be terrible.

Dear Todoroki Shouto,

Hi! My name is Midoriya Izuku. I am just turned twenty and this is my third year attending Yuuei University. I study natural science, chemistry, and modern history also with English. I major in Engineering, but I do know not what I want to do with that degree. I live on campus and have one roommate. It is nice to meet you!

Wishing you the best,

Midoriya Izuku

By the time he’s finally settled on his letter, it’s nearing ten at night. He knows he’s taken a lot more time on this than probably anyone else has, but that’s just his personality – he never puts less than a hundred percent into anything. “Kacchan,” he calls through the dorm; he heard Kacchan get out of the shower twenty minutes or so ago now and he really needs someone who’s better at English to revise for him.

“Fuck off, trying to sleep,” Kacchan calls back, his voice muffled through his bedroom door. Izuku sighs, wonders if Ochaco is still awake.

She must be, considering when he grabs for his cell phone that he’d put on silent just before he began working he sees sixteen new text messages, the most recent of which being from eight minutes ago. He exhales and decides that, rather than responding to all sixteen messages, it might be easier to just call her, so he scrolls through his contacts and hits the button to video call.

She picks up after two rings. “Deku!” she cries, but she doesn’t really sound angry, which is unusual when Izuku’s missed so many of her messages. “You got paired up with Todoroki Shouto?!”

“Ah, yeah?” Izuku’s beginning to wonder if he’s the only one who has no idea who this guy is. “So what?”

“So what?!” Ochaco repeats, her voice shrill with the question. “So, he’s like one of the hottest guys on campus!”

Izuku flushes. “I don’t really see how that—”

“You totally need to get with him! You’re getting irritable, Deku!”

Izuku feels his ears reddening again. Is it really that obvious? he thinks hopelessly. “I’m not,” he replies, tries not to sound as irritable this time when he says it.

“Are too,” Ochaco sing-songs.

“I don’t even know what he looks like,” Izuku whines finally, throws his head down on the note. “Who did you get paired up with?”

“Iida Tenya,” she says after a moment. “Do you know him?”

“Yeah,” Izuku sits up again. “I work with him. We usually have the same shift at the café.”

“Oh! The tall guy with the glasses?”

Izuku nods, grateful that his topic change has been so successful. Ochaco seems to notice what he’s done a moment later though, because she’s scolding him in mumbles and all Izuku can catch is “you can’t fool me, Deku”.

“Can you help me review my note?” Izuku asks, remembering now his main reasoning for calling in the first place.

Ochaco sighs and rubs her temple in a gesture that’s meant to be teasing but feels almost genuine. “Sure, sure,” she says with a fatigued smile. “But only if you’ll help me with Chemistry.”

#tododeku #todoroki shouto #midoriya izuku #my hero academia #my hero fic #ao3 #coffee shop au #university au #fanfiction #fanfiction writer #yamayamawrites

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beaulesbian · 7 years ago

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I decided to finally make a part two of this post, it took me half a year longer than I anticipated, but I rushed to finish it at least for June.

🏳️‍🌈 Happy pride month! 🏳️‍🌈

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley – The best kind of subtle romance I have ever read. Includes mysterious pocket watch, solving bomb threats in Victorian London, a lady scientist, changing of future based on occurring events, an adorable clockwork octopus, and so much more! Did I mention the best, most beautiful romance I didn’t even expect to get?? Read it! (mlm main characters)

All out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens Throughout the Ages by multiple authors, edited by Saundra Mitchell – This book was so refreshing to read!!! Retellings of fairy tales but queer and poc and mostly happy. I enjoyed each of the short story so so much, I don’t have words to say how much I loved this book, just, can we please have more stories like that? Thank you.

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman – Ever wanted a book with a main character boy and girl who won’t end up together by the end of the book? Then this is a book for you. Frances and Aled do not only become best friends who won’t end up together, but there’s even more diverse characters than these two main ones. This book even has an ace (demi) sexual representation, which I was very excited about, and the main character is biracial bisexual girl. There is lot of fandom talk and a radio show drama (kind of similar to Welcome to Night Vale). But also talks about other important topics like deciding that college might not be for everyone despite them being a great student in high school.

Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee – It’s a cute and sweet superhero themed futuristic story, first book of a trilogy I think. The main character is Vietnamese American bisexual girl, Jessika Tran, whose parents are both superheroes, but she doesn’t have any powers. She starts working for a company she later discovers belongs to town’s villains, but with time she learns that not everything about superheroes and villains is perfectly black and white. Also she’s working there with her crush, so that’s a bonus. It’s a really great book, there’s wlw romance and lot of diversity, action and silly scenes. The history behind the people’s superpowers and worldbuilding was really interesting too. The sequel is also already out, featuring a poc trans boy as the main character, who is part of Jessika‘s friend squad.

The Gentleman‘s guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee – A book everyone here should read!! A historical roadtrip with lot of angst, fluff and mutual pining of two of the main characters. It takes place in 18th century Europe. Monty is kind of an asshole, some moments you will hate him then you will love him, but as the journey progresses so does he. He travels with his sister, Felicity, and his best friend (and crush!) Percy, to visit few cities in Europe before he has to start work in his fathers company. This book addressed lot of issues, like white privilege and racism in that time period, sexism and ableism. But it’s also an adventurous book that’s funny and charming, and makes you feel really happy one moment and sad the next. There are also pirates!

Dreadnought by April Daniels – This is a first book of a duology about a lesbian trans girl Danny who receives superpowers after witnessing death of the superhero Dreadnought, which means she now has to become the new Dreadnought. But with the powers also becames real the ideal vision of her body, that she always wanted. She is very happy about it, but it also means she has to face her family and best friend and explain why she looks different. On top of that she has to help the other superheroes with stopping the new threat to the city, the villain who killed previous Dreadnought. Trigger warnings for transphobia, but it’s really worth to read.

Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller – I’ve seen mixed reviews of this book but personally I loved it. It’s a fantasy YA with lgbt protagonist, that I don’t have enough of. Sal is a genderfluid, also bi? pan? thief who enters a competition to become one of Queen’s Assassins. Basically the last one standing (or rather living) takes the place. Sal knows how to fight and survive but also needs to learn other things to win this position. Like taking classes of writing/reading which teaches him a lady of court they previously stole something from, whom Sal quickly starts to like more than they should, with the competition at play. For me it was a really great book to read and I can’t wait to read the sequel!

The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli – I had to read this one quickly before Leah on the offbeat came out, and it was a joy to read this one too! Again so much representation, I love Becky’s books and the Simon vs world. This story is about Molly who has had a lot of crushes but never actually dated anyone. She’s jewish, has anxiety, is fat, loves her family, is very creative, and has another crush on a guy who is her coworker. There’s so much cuteness in this book, I was smiling and crying the whole time reading it. More for representation: her sister is gay, she has two moms, a new Korean-American pansexual friend (who her sister totally likes) and more. I need to meantion trigger warnings for fatphobia, because of part there with her relative, it made me cry so much, it was very reletable and I hated it but there was very good closure for it in the end, which I’m happy about. Anyway read this book, overall it’s a cute and happy book with lots of fluff!

Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli – I loved Leah from the Simon vs book, so I was really happy we got more focus on her. She’s fat and funny, unapologetic about who she is, in her words: “basically your resident fat Slytherin Rory Gilmore”. There was mentions she likes boys as well as girls. Because of a tour for her college she goes with Abby to see where she will live the next few years and stuff happens. And then there’s also their high school prom, which she thought she was ready for, but maybe she’s not ready for at all. I’m not even going to write more, it’s an amazing book, I cried so many times.

Timekeeper by Tara Sim – This story takes place in a Victorian era Britain where clock towers are needed for time to flow correctly. Therefore there is lot of mechanics who repair said clock towers, because if the clock stops, the town around it stops in time as well. The main character Danny is one of those mechanics in London, but his father is trapped in a town that Stopped and Danny needs to find a way to save him. But after someone tries to sabotage a clock tower in a small city, Danny is assigned in that town to fix it, and he eventually finds out that the myths he heard – that in clock towers could sometimes be seen beings, spirits of the towers – might actually be true. This book was so nice to read, there was the atmosphere of the Victorian era, mystery, cute mlm romance and awesome female characters.

I’ll give you the sun by Jandy Nelson – I cried a lot reading this book. At first it actually took me few months to read past first two chapters, because the writing style was so different from what I was used to, but after that I got absorbed in it very quickly. It’s a story about two siblings, Noah and Jude Sweetwine, who both go through some difficult times, with family, school and personal stuff, it’s about making mistakes and fixing mistakes. It’s about love, art, sibling struggles and growing up.

Other books that I read and loved and definitely recommend:

Of Fire and Stars - Audrey Coulthurst (f/f fantasy romance)

We are the Ants – Shaun David Hutchinson (m/m)

In Other Lands - Sarah Rees Brennan (bi mc, m/m)

Release – Patrick Ness (m/m)

Our dark duet – V.E. Schwab (sequel of duology, agender character, not much romance at all in this duology, it‘s one of my favourites)

A Conjuring of Light – V.E. Schwab (a beautiful fantasy, last book of trilogy, happy ending for m/m pairing whose each story is important throughout the whole series. Again, one of my favourite series)

Magnus Chase and the Ship of Dead - Rick Riordan (I don‘t want to spoil here but it‘s good, genderfluid representation since book two, more in this final book)

Ice crypt - Tiana Warner (sequel of the Ice Massacre, wlw romance between mermaid and human girl, who knew each other since childhood, there is third final book, Ice Kingdom, already out, but I still haven‘t read it..)

Happy reading!

(tagging few people who i think might enjoy it ♥♥: @eradne, @poefinn, @twomillionfreckles, @eliotcoldwater, @queen-max, @tsukiyam-a)

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illumoux · 7 years ago

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IB ➞ Art school???

I’ve gotten some PMs with questions about taking the IB Programme in high school and how it’s now affecting me in art school now so I thought I would finally do a Post(TM) about it. Again, everything I’m about to talk about is based on my personal experience but please feel free to talk with me if you have any concerns about this post. I want to put myself out there and help others if I can since I had so much support getting to where I am now. If you have any other questions about art college or the likes, please feel free to shoot them my way 💘

WHAT IS IB?

The International Baccalaureate Programme (aka. IB) is a “fast paced” program for middle and high school students that’s supposed to promote students to think independently and critically. At my school, there was a set courselist, with one or two elective choices. Some courses were Standard Level (SL) and some were Higher Level (HL), which certain post secondary schools allow to swap out for first year credits. IB is different in different schools and different countries though, but overall, It’s meant to be an alternative and more challenging high school experience.

IB + ME:

I can’t say I had the most positive time in IB or anything since I was also REALLY struggling with mental health at the time and had hated every moment I was in high school. But upon reflection, there really were things to be gained from the experience. Pros and Cons.

I was in full IB until second semester grade 10. At that point, I was already thinking about studying art after high school, but was afraid to commit to it entirely because there was so much pressure from my parents and peers to go into a “respectable” career and get a “high paying job in science or math or business” or something. So I dropped to partial IB as a compromise and took IB math, Art and HL English, as well as regular Ontario Uni level Physics, Bio, CompSci, etc etc etc.

DO YOU USE ANY OF THE STUFF YOU LEARNED IN IB CLASSES IN ART SCHOOL?

No.

I have an official credit for Grade 12 Advanced Functions but the most math I do now is occasionally multiplying by 12. Could I solve a quadratic equation now? Don’t even know what that is anymore.

BUT! You never know what could inspire you. I was so interested in quantum physics, I’m literally writing a story about parallel universes. Learning is almost always good.

LET’S TALK ABOUT IB ART FOR ONE HOT SECOND:

I did find IB Art incredibly applicable and helpful because it taught me how to keep a sketchbook and understand the creative process, neither of which you actually directly get graded on in the animation program at Sheridan but is personally tremendously beneficial for developing ideas and creating pieces. Now I draw thumbnails for everything I do. And I appreciate them!

Even if you walk away from IB Art with the most garbage collection - no sweat, it’s only high school and it’s learning the process of creating art that is so so important! When I applied for Sheridan Illustration (the same year I was accepted into Sheridan Animation), I basically repeated a simplified version of the IB Art process and was accepted into the program with a portfolio score of 80, with 9/10s in Process/Ideation, Media Exploration and Sketchbook, which you REALLY focus heavily on in IB Art.

I would highly recommend taking IB Art if you are thinking about doing art after high school, or doing art in general.

BEING AN ART STUDENT IN IB:

I hate that Art Kids(TM) have a bad rep. People always assume that art is a dead end career and we all starve and we’re all morally questionable people but that’s not true at all!

But being that Token Art Kid in IB (outside of IB Art class) actually made me feel awful back then. I was always kind of an odd one out. That’s not to say that people weren’t nice or anything. But there was so much pressure to not go into art. Ever since I was a kid, I’d always wanted to be an “artist when I grow up” but I found that in high school, I’d often say that I was “interested in art but was also thinking of pursuing an alternative career in this and that” because I was afraid of being looked down on in an environment where everyone around me wanted to do something “brainy”. Admitting that I wanted to do art almost felt self depreciating because everyone else was actually going to get a “real job” and live “better lives”. But that’s totally not the case! I ended up spending a lot of time taking a bunch of science and math courses I didn’t really like to maintain my twenty thousand irrelevant Back-Up Plans.

IB AND LEARNING SKILLS:

I think no matter what you do, having good organization and time management skills is always going to be so so important!

Sheridan Animation is such a loaded program, you really have to try to schedule your time well. I used to complain about the IB courseload but I honestly feel like Sheridan Animation is so much more laborious. We had 8 courses + an elective last semester, each about 2 to 3 hours a week, plus all the time you had to put into doing homework and living life and sleeping.

Even though IB is meant to keep you busy to force you to learn good work ethics, I don’t think forcing someone to work harder necessarily means that they are going to learn how to manage their time. I was 100% unmotivated and depressed and self destructive in high school. I was in IB for four years but I always studied the night before an exam up until the very last one. And when I graduated and moved out, I realized that I was a mess and I had to change, and it was that self realization was what motivated me to learn how to slowly put together my life back together. Only then did I start taking steps to curate my life and learn how to plan ahead and schedule my week and get! stuff! done!

So all in all, maybe IB does put you in an environment where having good learning skills will benefit you, and maybe that will motivate you to learn how to maintain a good work ethic. But I really do think skills like how to study and learn and live life is something that you have to be aware of as an individual and want to work towards. Being in IB may help with those things, but it isn’t going to suddenly grant you powers to study two weeks in advance and keep track of all your assignments in a way that works for you. You have to learn to do that yourself.

HL CREDITS (AT SHERIDAN):

Not all schools acknowledge HL credits. Sheridan claims to. I know people in Sheridan Animation who have used their HL credits at other universities before coming to our school but I’ve never spoken to anyone at Sheridan who has used them in a Sheridan program.

This is lowkey a call out post @ Sheridan, but I have tried applying for advanced standing with my IB HL credit to replace my electives twice, but neither time went through. They claimed to not have the proper paperwork, and when I paid for IB to send my transcript to Sheridan, it was never found (despite there being a confirmation email from IB that it had been sent to the right place) so I was unable to get it processed due to a lack of paperwork. And when I tried to follow up through email, I was ignored.

(If you have successfully gotten your HL credit request to go through at Sheridan, please PM me and tell me how :’^))

I do know for a fact that even if you could, in theory, replace some electives at Sheridan with your HL credits and as long as you still had enough courses a semester to consider you a full time student, you would still pay the same amount of tuition. You would just be less busy.

SHOULD I TAKE IB THEN?

Honestly, it’s up to you and your own life!

I know I rambled on for so long only to give the most passive and watery advice but I think you should do what you believe is best for you! Just be aware that whatever you choose is going to lead you to a different future and all your actions will have consequences (good or bad or either) and be okay with that.

Sometimes, I wish I didn’t do IB so I could have more free time to draw. Maybe if I drew more in high school, I would have gotten into Sheridan Animation a year earlier. But if I did that, I wouldn’t have learned how to paint in Art Fundies and have the friends I do now and live with people I love. Everything I’ve ever done up to this point has brought me here and I wouldn’t change a thing about the past so all I can do is work on making my future, you know :))

If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading. Good luck!

#sheridan help #sheridan animation #ib program #ib #art school #high school advice #ib advice #block text #long post

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chaoticneutralwriter · 7 years ago

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Fic Recs/Writers *updated 09/12/2019

THE LIBRARY IS OPEN DARLING....for some actual reading.

A list of fics/writers I’ve come across that got some of that pretty sweet stuff. And also because I’ve read around too much and can’t remember names or fics to save my life. THE UPDATES MAN!

Warning: Some fics (as will be indicated) are +18/rated M for Mature/take me to church kinda deal

@versigny

I’d say almost all of their stuff is worth a read (whoever your bias may be, they got stories on them), but my personal faves are their vampire au series, some +18 stuff there but majority of the stories are oneshots and drabbles

@honeyedhoseok (I think now @tawnytaehyung)

I’m sure everything they wrote is worth a read from what I’ve read thus far but because of that, I can really only recommend the three fics I actually read.

Series: Besitos (ta!Jimin) rated M for recent developments hoho~

Bruh why is this not reality? Why don’t we get really hot TAs to crush on? It would’ve made my school life hella easier and I’d get that perfect attendance. Jimin is your hottie creative writing TA who you can’t help but crush on (but can anyone blame you) and envious to all, he likes you back too. College au shenanigans, teacher/student dynamic, and dorky wingman ta!Taehyung friend.

Oneshot/drabbles (Crossroad demon!Jimin): Crossroads + Hunted + Captured Part One *NEW + Captured Part Two *NEW

I’d sell my soul to satan if he looks like bs&t!Jimin. You basically make a deal with crossroad demon!Jimin and can’t help but actually grow fond of the supposed devious, soul eating creature of hell.

Series: The Black Book (CEO!Hoseok) rated M

My heart can’t take the drama but it’s still a really good read. CEO!Hoseok may be young and rich but he definitely has some questionable methods of relieving stress, one that you’re all too aware of which makes things super awkward cuz you in love with the man. Does CEO!Hoseok eventually change thanks to you or do old habits die hard and just leave you in a world of hurt? Again if it’s Hoseok he can be the biggest jerkface and I’d still be charmed.

@dovechim

Shorts/Drabbles: the ocean (mermaid!Jimin) + drabble

Because goddammit mermaid!Jimin is cute okay??! (and I love me a good supernatural au of any sort) You’re a ballet dancer going to Busan Arts and stumble upon Jimin chillin’ in the water by the beach. You mistake him as fellow peer but hey he shows up to your class anyways (totally rocks the dance thing) but then as time passes, you find that something is quite...fishy about him.

Series: It’s okay, that’s love (splitpersonality!Jimin)

No not the drama. Okay so a shrink is still involved and that’s played by you and you’ve got water polo player!Jimin who has split personality disorder (he’s scary when he’s angry...) as your patient, except he doesn’t know about this ‘other self’ of his. As if feelings aren’t already making things complicated, imagine accidentally finding yourself rooming with him (along with your other favourite boys).

@hobibliophile

Okay so I might’ve read all of their Jimin stuff and yes. All yes (warning: they’re +18 stuff soooo)

The only other fic I’ve read from them is Ambrosia (M) starring Fallen Angel!Hoseok....I like supernatural au fics alright. Fallen angel or not, Hobi is still super sweet and since this is a series, we don’t know what the reason was and MAJOR CLIFFHANGER!

@jimlingss

Series: Beyond Reach (ghost!Hoseok) ft. Reaper!Namjoon and other ghosties

This shit made me nearly cry five times....FIVE TIMES. I say nearly because I don’t like crying so it took literally all my willpower to not (ended up with a runny nose though). ANGST AS SHIT. Has some triggering stuff involving death so be warned. It’s a good read though....BUT SAD AS HELL (at least it’s completed :’))

One Shot: Head Over Heels to Hell (reverse soulmate!AU, Childhood Friends to Enemies to Lovers! Hoseok x reader)

Oh yes, this was a WILD RIDE. Goddamn it’s like you hate the man but then in the end that shit got me emotional for some reason like djgskh good shit good shit (you have gone through multiple different lives meeting Hoseok, all of which he screws you over somehow but in the end of it all... perhaps things could still work out??)

Series: The Deli Diaries (produce! Jimin x Deli worker!you) fluff, slow-burn

Holy shit this is cute af. It’s so mundane (guess that’s a fair warning??) but just reading the way the relationship develops is just....ahh!!! I want my own cute Jimin who pines after my dumbass TAT

Series: Jungle Park (Workplace Romance AU, Lawyer! Hoseok x New HR Manager!Reader) fluff, slow-burn, slice of life, a little angst **NEW

A long series for those of you who love to read chapter fics! Oh my God this was a thrilling ride of emotions! The pacing is amazing, each chapter you’re hooked on wanting to see more development on the history between these two so it’s worth a read! I love how Hoseok is portrayed here; it’s like a piece of how he would be in real life is put into just another scenario (Also hate how reader is like... relatable in a way where I also majored in HR so...WHERE’S THE OFFICE ROMANCE LIFE TRAIN GONNA HIT ME WITH THAT??)

Three Shot: Magic & Mysteries (Familiar/Hybrid!Jimin x Witch! Reader) fluff, a little angsty, comedy, romance **NEW

A three shot series involving what the title says! Magic! It’s a little adventure tale of our reader who’s a witch struggling to find her place in terms of specialty and overcoming some fears and insecurities with the help of sassy (but secretly cares a lot) Jimin who’s a wizard cursed to be a dog (that looks like Chimmy!) It’s cute and pretty wholesome in my opinion :)

Also an honorable mention from them is the Service Series (it’s fluffier dw) and honestly their other fics are definitely worth a read :D

@7cypher

Oneshot: Devil’s Advocate (devil/demon!Jimin)

Ironic how despite being a devil Jimin is still the sweetest being to exist. Devil!Jimin walks into your life abruptly and worms his way into your heart with his devilishly good looks and sweet charms. It’s hella cute, a slightly angsty ‘defining’ moment that actually had me tearing up a bit??? (I’m a sap for sweet, tender affection like the ones that happened in here okay??) but it all ends well :)

@seokkbuns

I’ve read most of their Hoseok and Jimin stuff but I think all of their fics are worth a read!

@boymeetsweevil

Oneshot: Cover You In Constellations (Hoseok x reader fic)

I’ve read this a while ago but keep coming back to it because oh god this was cute, so domestic and so fluffy like this is the kinda shit I would pull if I had a boyfriend like Hoseok like skdjfskgha. I like the way writer portrays Hoseok because it feels so like what I imagine he would react. Hoseok deserves all the love ;_;

@kittentaegu

Series: My Boss, The Vampire (Vamp!Jimin x reader fic)

Two parts are out so far and I’m loving the premise! New office worker with notoriously hot CEO Park Jimin who has a secret to hide (guess what it is). One day, you find out what it is and so now what?? Things get steamy ;D Also, the title of it is so K-dramaesque and I don’t know! I like the charm it adds to it!

@readyplayerhobi **NEW

Honestly all of their fics are worth a read because they flawlessly combine story building with any kind of genre you can think of. Some are smutty, some of fluffy and some are just downright angsty but you just want to read them all regardless!

@yminie **NEW

Series: Nine-One-One (Detective!Jimin x First Responder! Reader) fluff, angst, romance, old flame au, future smut, and other mature themes!

This is thrilling! In both romantic and story aspects! The base story line is that there’s a serial murderer on the loose who’s been stalking reader and Jimin and his team are on the case about it. They’ve both got romantic history with each other and as old feelings resurfaces, so does the situation as things hit a little too close to home. Obviously with serial murderers involved, there is mentions of death, suicide and well...the warnings there!

A03 Fics

*will be pretty rare on this list; am I the only one who finds it super hard to find good fics on there?

Author: kimtrain

I swear they had a tumblr before since that’s the only reason why I remember them and their fics. Thankfully they’re all there still and all of them are 👌👌👌 Mermaid!Hoseok AU and the Hybrid!AU are my faves.

Fic: Warm Blood by ARMY_BRAT

The one instance where my weakness for supernatural AUs + wanting to read something paid off. MC is an ARMY but also a grim reaper so what happens when BTS shows up on her list, destined to die? Well, she says NOT TODAY but that just throws EVERYTHING out of the loop, leaving her to fix it.

Went into it with a grain of salt (ngl description was...ehh) BUT was pleasantly surprised! Digging the writing style which made MC really likeable so far and the AU strongly reminds me of Goblin: The Lonely God but focusing more on the grim reaper side of things which, personally, I was WAY more interested in even with the drama so yay! :D Glad someone took inspiration from it. Still ongoing and fairly new so dsfajdkas

Fic: Three Pints Full by Valkook **NEW

Woah it’s a vampire/supernatural fic! A little on the mature side because there’s well...blood...a little bit of death mentioned...and smut... BUT a really compelling story! Set mainly as a Cop/Detective! Reader who’s been assigned to solving some mysterious deaths/murders happening in the wild parts Montana joined in with appearances by Hunter/Tracker!Yoongi, Partner!Hoseok and Vampire!Jimin, Jungkook and more!

#fic recs #what i do instead of writing my own fics LOLL #now you know why i hardly update #dw i'll try to get back into it!#please feel free to recommend authors or share your fave stories as well :D #bts scenarios #bts drabbles #bts fics #ao3 #ao3 bts fics #fic rec #bts fic rec

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pooma-unvolunteers · 4 years ago

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Ways to Teach Your Children a Great Work Ethic

The principle that hard work is intrinsically virtuous or worthy of reward…. is WORK ETHIC.

Why is it IMPORTANT TO HAVE A GOOD WORK ETHIC ?

Your good work ethic tells, in future what people might expect from you ...Good attendance and punctuality are two important pieces of a good work ethic –and they're easily addressed and accomplished..

IS IT A SKILL?

Good work ethic, problem solving, time management, communication skills and team work ability are all skills that can make you a great student/ employee. Leadership skills make you a candidate to be more than that.

Here are the few ways for the Parents to teach your children a great work ethic:

Just as it’s not enough to tell your slacker co-worker to work harder, it’s not enough just to tell a child about the importance of a good work ethic. No, the teaching of a good work ethic begins with good boundaries and a little one-on-one assistance.

Parents play a large role in shaping their child’s home and academic work ethic through interaction and support. By knowing how to change your expectations toward your child, you show your child how to change his outlook toward work.

1.Understand the fact that you always teach, regardless of intention:

The question when it comes to teaching at home is not “if?” but “what?” It’s important to understand that home is a natural and continuous learning environment. Everything we do instructs our children – so the question is always “What am I teaching?” and “How can teach the right lessons?"

Start Early…Lay the groundwork early. When our three-year-olds beg to peel carrots, or our four-year-olds plead to sweep the floor, our tendency is to say they’re not ready. But teach them when they’re eager and they’ll be more likely to step up to the plate later on.

2. Example, example, example:

If parents own a positive work ethic, then we’re already halfway there. This is a great opportunity for “do as I do” supporting “do as I say.” Be a Role Model…So much of who our children turn out to be is a reflection not of what we try to pour into them but of what they see in us. It’s not the big occasions our kids will remember most, but the everyday stuff that revealed what their parents were really made of – how we handled frustration, whether we were on time and kept commitments, whether we did our own work with a smile or a frown.

Know Your Children…..There’s a difference between a 5-year-old who doesn’t know that plates have backs and a 10-year-old who neglects to wash them because he’s in a hurry to play. One needs teaching, the other needs accountability.

Parents also need to know how to motivate each child. Young children are often motivated by verbal praise. Older children may need more: money or privileges.

3. Balance is job one:

Every family has their own take on how much is too much. But it’s essential that we teach our children balance in terms of work. Deliberately teach them that family time is the priority. A work ethic that sacrifices family turns out to be all work and no ethic.

4. Keep family priorities in order:

The simple, “fun after the work is done” associates relaxation with completion rather than relaxation as escape. Kids experience more satisfaction in their leisure when it is paired with satisfactory job performance.

5. Work with your children whenever possible:

Question: how is a “guide” different from a “boss”?

Answer: a boss typically barks out orders and waits for results – whereas a guide is willing to walk alongside. As dads, teaching a work ethic, our role is that of guide.

If your child wants to rake leaves, be ready to knock on doors with him. If she wants to walk dogs, help her place an ad in the paper. Be ready and willing to help your child start working, and you’ll be amazed at the life lessons she’ll learn.

6. Take your children with you when you volunteer:

Pick up garbage together on the side of the street; join a team that fixes things at the park; hook up with volunteer efforts at church or other community groups. Work associated with service is a key building block to the value of work across the board.

7. Expose them to stories about heroes who learned the value of work:

There are hundreds of great stories to reinforce this point. Movies, books, articles. Read them together and then live them, day by day.

8. Make chores at home a shared responsibility:

Every member of the family should have assigned chores on a routine basis. Change them around; help each other out; take turns with the ones no one really enjoys. Doesn’t wimp out on the chores, and don’t let your kids wimp out either. Accept What You Get. When faced with less-than-perfect results, graciously praise the effort. For example, when seven-year-old son surprised the family by cleaning the windows, her mom ignored the smudges and smears. “What hard work!” she said simply, “I love to clean windows too. Next time let’s do it together!”

9. Reward your child for productivity.

Give praise or small gifts to your child when he’s made improvements in his work ethic. Remember to ignore the guilt that naturally comes in the form of the question, “Am I bribing my child?” In fact, these are expressions of pride in him . So go ahead and push your child forward via praise, hugging and the occasional small gift. Paying children to participate in family life sends the wrong message. Work in the family is an intrinsic value and is fundamentally worthwhile.

Compliment; encourage; throw in the occasional treat. “Because you- kids, it has been so amazingly responsible week!”… Admire their good work, but don’t re-assign the value of expected work to the false value of cash.

10. Have a “chore chart” on the refrigerator: And feel free to use.

11. Establish limits:

Create boundaries that will push your child away from distractions and toward his work. For example, a child who watches television while he eats his after school snack , might lack the willpower to turn off the television after one show. In his mind, he likely knows he has homework to do but thinks, “Just one more show, and then I’ll get started.” The “one more show” might then turn into three more shows, keeping him from getting started on his homework until an hour before dinnertime. Set a limit on problematic behavior like this, such as by restricting television after 4 p.m. Follow up on limits.

Explain the reason the limits are in place, emphasizing the importance of chores and academics over playtime or other distractions. Avoid using the timeworn “because I say so” reasoning, which only tells children something they already know: You’re the one that sets the rules.

Instead, express the importance behind setting the limitation. Further emphasize this importance by explicitly stating the consequence of breaking the limit. Engage in this discussion either when you first set the limit or the first time your child breaks the limit thereby giving him a second chance with an added explanation such as, “I said no TV after 4 p.m. because school is more important than TV.

I’m disappointed that you broke this rule, and if it happens again, I’ll just unplug the TV.

Teach Delayed Gratification Establishing a pattern: we work, and then we play. You might say to your child, “I know you want to play outside. Let’s pick up all these blocks and fold the clothes and then we can go together.” Or, “Let’s get the house cleaned up and then we’ll make some popcorn and watch a movie.”

12. Help your child with his chores and homework, but don’t do them for him.

Show him the importance of planning before jumping into a room-cleaning project or study session haphazardly. Doing so shows him not only the importance of time management but also of organization in planning and studying.

For example, if your child doesn't know where to start with cleaning his room, help him devise a plan of action, listing in order the areas that should be cleaned and how to clean them. Likewise, if your child is studying for next week’s test, help him devise a study plan. Outline the areas of the text on which he’ll be tested and create a schedule with learning goals attached. Your goal should be to perform this activity with him to help him complete his academic tasks on his own, thereby relieving yourself of your job as his study planner.

First teach them to pick up their clothes, to crush the cans for recycling, or to vacuum out the car. We need to give them extra time to make them do something when we could have done it faster and better ourselves.

It’s the real life test of our everyday efforts to raise children with a work ethic. Believe me, it is not easy.

Dr. Ruth Peters, a psychology contributor to NBC’s Today show and author says: “Daily in my practice I see parents who have made the mistake of not taking the time and attention to teach their children to be workers and achievers. These kids have learned to settle for less rather than to face and challenge adversity, to become whiners rather than creative problem solvers, and to blame others for perceived slights and lack of success.”

The ability to work hard, to tolerate frustration, and to take responsibility doesn’t just happen without a push from parents.

Like all good things, building a strong work ethic in your child takes constant effort. But you’ll know it’s worth it when your child comes home from the first day of his first job looking tired and satisfied and grown-up and says something like :

“My boss said I did a good job, Mom. Thanks for everything.”

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peixegaruda · 5 years ago

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Chapter 23 - Class Squap

NOTICE: IF you’re following this series please check it out on fanfiction.net! That continuity is a little bit ahead of this one.

“Ms… Uni,” I repeated in a breathy voice.

“Yup yup!” the being responded joyfully. “Please follow me, and I’ll take you back to my classroom.”

A few of the students shot each other apprehensive looks before scrugging and following Ms. Uni into the next-door classroom. Almost immediately, the atmosphere of the room changed, though I wasn’t sure if it was for the better – compared to the serious, confined, and more professional atmosphere of Mr. Pony’s classroom, this one felt bright, open, and budding with nature. If Mr. Pony’s room was like a nitty-gritty rap song, Ms. Uni’s was more like one big country song. It felt simultaneously calming and unnerving.

Ms. Uni strode to the front of the classroom in front of a smart board projector, closing their eyes and grasping a translucent pink ruler. “Now now, friends, we do things a little different in this here room,” they squeaked. “While you might have had assigned seats in my, uh, comrade Mr. Pony’s room, in this room we’re all friends, so you can sit next to whoever you want!”

My inner evil genius began calculating. “Fascinating,” it thought, “I’ll finally be able to observe the behavioral relaxations of my classmates.” For the time being, I knew I was going to sit with Jordan, for the sake of, uh, guiding him while he had amnesia, but I needed two more people to rope into my pyramid scheme. I licked my thumb creatively and closed one of my eyes, trying to figure out who else to sit with. I almost instinctively reached for my you-know-what, but remembered that now was the time to be scrong and make my own decisions. I braced myself, re-steeled my will, and fund myself settling on Jenny and Kristy. They had been with me and helped me during recess yesterday when Jordan had first started scruggling with amnesia, so working with them might be better for him.

I approached the two of them who were conveniently already paired up and seemed to be looking for more people to complete their table. “Hey you two,” I began, striking the you-know-I-had-to-do-it-to-em pose, “It looks like we have to split up into groups of four again. Do you guys wanna sit with me and Jordan?”

“Oh, sure thing,” replied Kristy, putting her finger to her nose nonchalantly.

“Yeah, that table over there looks open,” Jenny agreed, gesturing toward a table with four chairs around it. We went over and took our seats. Jordan looked like something was on his mind. Was he not okay with this arrangement?

“Is something up?” I asked him.

“Huh? No,” he replied unconvincingly. “Just, um, thinking about amnesia and stuff.” I frowned, unconvinced. I seemed like he was trying to keep something from me, but I decided not to press the issue. After a few minutes, the other students had settled on their groups as well – in the table closest to us sat Skylar, William, Kiki, and Kathleen, while on the other side of the room’s tropical print carpet were two other tables, one with Julia, Jacques, Jeremy, and Randy, and another with Kyle, Eli, Owen, and Rachel. I was pretty sure this would be important later, so I made a mental note of it.

“Okay, friends,” began Ms. Uni, holding up the translucent pink ruler. “For this class swap, we’ll be doing a group activity to, uh,” their demeanor suddenly turned quite timid, “build your teamwork and problem solving skills.”

“Alright!” said Kathleen energetically, pumping her fists in front of her with determination. “Let’s get it, everyone. Teamwork makes the dreamwork!” She then scratched a freckled cheek with one finger. “Uh, so what are we supposed to do?”

“I was getting to that!” replied Ms. Uni in their 2006 Justin Bieber voice, with a frightened expression. “So, I’m going to pass out a card to each of you that has a number on it from 1 to 16. You’re not allowed to tell this number to anyone besides the people at your table.” Using his elegantly eyelashed eyes, Randy shot a glare at Owen, who just grinned back gleefully. “If you add up all four of these numbers,” continued Ms. Uni, “you’ll get your table’s total score. The goal of the exercise is to make the total score for all four tables 34.”

“34?” asked Owen in surprise. “That’s a biiig number!”

Julia raised her hand. “Will you permit us to change the numbers on the cards?” she asked. “If not, how will we change our table’s total score?”

“Nope!” replied Ms. Uni warmly. “This is where the teamwork part comes in. Now, starting with Table 1 here” - they put their hand on William, Skylar, Kiki, and Kathleen’s table - “Each group will have a chance to trade one of their group member’s cards with a friend’s, but they must be from another table.”

Julia’s eyes lit up with understanding, and she nodded. “Good, I understand it now. We only need to continue trading between groups until all reach 34.”

Eli also raised his hand shyly, while adjusting his helmet. “W-will the total scores for all the tables be v-visible to e-everyone?”

“Also nope!” Ms. Uni looked cheerful. “You have to puzzle out who has what card by trading with them yourself!” After a short pause, they added, “you are all asking such amazing questions! Are there any more before I pass out the cards?” There was no response other than Kiki yawning, and the faint smell of gasoline.

“Alright then! It’s time to pass out the cards!” In an attempt to flit around the room daintily, Ms. Uni placed a laminated index card with rounded edges face down on the table in front of each student. It was a shame I didn’t have my index card reader on me. With a tremulously trembling hand, I picked up the index card… and looked at it. Jordan, Jenny, and Kristy did the same.

“I got a 2,” offered Jenny, lowering her voice so only those at our table could hear.

“Mine is a 12,” added Kristy. Jordan and I presented our cards, which were 1 and 5, respectively. Kristy put her hand to her chin and raised one of her eyebrows inquisitively, like Jack Black. “So that means our total is 20.”

“We need to get to 34, right?” I suggested. “Let’s trade away one of our smaller numbers like Jordan or Jenny’s when it’s our turn.” They nodded in agreement. This sounded like a good plan.

“Okay, friends,” spouted Ms. Uni. “Are we all ready to begin?”

“Yes, ma’am,” answered Randy for the class.

“Then let’s start over here with Table 1,” instructed Ms. Uni.

Skylar, William, Kiki, and Kathleen all convened to discuss their trade, like a conglomerate of pungent businessmen. They spoke rapidly and in hushed tones, so I couldn’t hear what they were saying.

Suddenly, the perspective shifted. “Okay,” said Kathleen with both enthusiasm and determination. “I have the 3, what all cards do you guys have?”

“4,” responded Kiki, through the orange-flavored lollipop in her mouth.

“I’ve got 10,” added Skylar.

“And I have 11,” said William, which means our total is, uh,” he spent a few seconds doing math, “28. And that’s less than 34, because 2 is less than 3.” he seemed pretty proud of being able to show off the fruits of Randy’s tutoring sesh.

In the distance, the voice of a large man could be heard giggling. “This is cool,” he said. “I was wondering if I’d be able to see what the other teams were doing.”

“Hmm,” pondered Kiki. “If we only know what cards the people at this table have, how are we post to know who to trade with?”

“Without, like, remembering who we traded what with, it just comes down to a random pick,” agreed Skylar.

William crossed his thick arms and put his hand to his chin, screwing up his face in thought. “Since we need a higher total number, we should probably trade a lower number away.”

“That means I should trade,” stated Kathleen. “Out of all of us, I have the lowest number.”

“Okay,” said William, “But with who? It’s still random like Skylar said.”

“If it’s a random pick, why not just go with Maddie again?” suggested Kiki, speaking kinda slowly. “You know, like in the frog giveaway.” No one seemed to have any reason to oppose that.

Kathleen stood up. “Okay, I’m going to trade with Maddie.” she walked over, exchanged her card with me secretively, and then returned to her seat. I rotated the card. 3. The same number of blind mice, hyenas, wishes granted by a genie, and fairy godmothers.

“What card is it, Maddie?” asked Jenny.

“3,” I answered, truthfully, “which means our total is now down to 18.”

“Not good. Not good at all,” remarked Kristy.

“Yeah,” I agreed. “If we need to get our numbers up, we’ve gotta get rid of some low ones.”

Jordan hooked his index finger to the side of his face, looking away thoughtfully. “Ms. Uni said that the cards were numbered from 1 to 16, so if that’s true, we should get rid of my 1.” He folded out his arm as if he were offering an alternate point of view. “That way, we’re guaranteed to get a higher number.”

“But who should we trade with?” asked Kristy.

“We only know the cards we have, so far, and that Kathleen has the 5,” added Jordan, putting his hand over his nose and his mouth. “And we need way more than 5 to get to 34, so anyone but Kathleen.” Was it just me, or was he smarter when he had amnesia? “I’m going to trade with Jacques.” Jordan stood up and walked over to the tallest boi in the room, trading cards with him. He returned with a 6.

“Huh,” I noticed. “His number is right next to mine, and we sit right next to each other in class.”

“Yeah,” agreed Jenny. “It was the same for me and Jordan, too.”

Jordan re-put his hand over his nose and mouth. “Not only that, but Kathleen started with the 3, and she also sits at our table in Mr. Pony’s class. Could the numbers be based on our assigned seats?”

Meanwhile, the third table was discussing similar theories after receiving the 1 from Jordan.

“Jordan had the 1 because he is the line leader,” asserted Randy.

“Are you sure of that?” questioned Julia.

“Yes. As Mr. Pony’s assistant, I can say that so far, the numbers we have been given correspond to our positions in line.”

“I don’t know about that, chief,” inputted Jeremy, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed. “My number is 13, but I don’t know if that makes me the 13th person in line.”

“I think it seems to hold up so far,” regarded Jacques. “Julia is right behind me in line, and her number is 7.”

“Right, and I’m 9,” added Randy.

“Okay, so if this is true,” persisted Jeremy, “How does that help us get to 34?”

“I’ll demonstrate to you,” said Julia with a darkened expression. She raised her hand as if she was putting on a long, heavy duty rubber glove. “Ms. Uni? Are we permitted to use a piece of paper?”

“Of course!” replied Ms. Uni, grasping their hands together with a loving expression. Taking cue, Julia took a page out of her assignment book and began writing on it with a #2 pencil.

“Then, if the objective is for each table to have 34, and the cards are numbered 1 to 16, it is not enough to just have our total be 34.” Julia diagrammed out 2 columns of numbers. “Each of these numbers is a pair that adds up to 17, and all four tables must have any two of these pairs to win. We have to collaborate with other tables.”

Randy looked over her work with his ice-blue eyes. “Yes, this looks right to me,” he said.

Jacques arched his eyebrows diabolically. “We can also use this paper to keep track of who has what number.”

Jeremy looked at the paper with his tired eyes. “This is all based on that there’s only 1 of each number,” he said “and that they’re actually in order.”

“Good,” replied Julia, adjusting her glasses with one hand and holding out the other as if to accept an ancient coin. “Then let’s put Randy’s hypothesis to the test. Jacques, who is directly in front of you in line?”

“Maddie,” he answered, “but she just traded cards with Kathleen.”

“Then, if Randy is correct, trading my 7 to Kathleen should return us the 5.”

“Fine by me,” responded Jeremy.

Julia rose and traded her 7 for the 5 card. It was now the fourth table’s turn.

“Gow!” went Kyle. “So what cards does everyone have? I got 14.”

“I have 15,” stated Rachel.

“M-mine’s 16,” said Eli.

“Wow, mine’s 16 too!” said Owen. “We’ve got so much in common, Eli!” Eli unintentionally blushed and tried to cover his eyes by adjusting his helmet nervously.

A sound like a cymbal clapping, but reversed played as Rachel turned to Owen, looking at him through her thick, circular glasses. “You are out of Jacques’ earshot,” she commented. “Is that your true number?”

Owen put a finger to his mouth and grinned mischievously. “If you don’t believe me, why don’t we all put our cards face up in the center of the table? I can’t exactly trust you either, not after Tienes el Gato.”

“G-guys,” gulped Eli, placing his face up 16 in the center. “I t-think we’re supposed to be a t-team, here.”

“Gow,” agreed Kyle, putting out his 14.

“Hmph,” implied Rachel, putting out her 15.

“Aww,” Owen grinned as he put out his 8. “You got me!”

“S-so he was l-lying!” stuttered a shocked Eli.

“I thought it was suspicious that you would also have a 16 card,” reasoned Rachel, “since the three of us already share a table and are the last 3 people in line.”

“S-so does that mean there a-aren’t actually d-duplicates?” wondered Eli.

“Well, now that that’s out of the way,” responded Owen, not missing a beat since being exposed, grinning and putting his hands behind his head. “Yoo-hoo! Jacquesypoo! Let’s trade cards!” He got up and ran over to Jacques.

“No running in the classroom,” Randy said to him through gritted teeth that greatly accentuated his chiseled cheekbones.

“Sorry, Randy-boy,” responded Owen cheerfully, finalizing his trade with Jacques and spreading his arms wide as if he was presenting something from his imagination. “I was just soooo excited to finally get the line leader’s number.” He trotted off back to his seat.

“Crêpes!” swore Randy. “He knows!”

“What number’d you get?” asked Jeremy.

“8.”

“Good, that supports Randy’s theory, then,” stated Julia. “Owen is between myself and Randy in line.”

“Huh, I guess that’s pretty convincing, then,” conceded Jeremy, scratching his buzzcut.

Kathleen balled up her fists in front of her with enthusiasm and determination. “Okay gang, it’s our turn again. This time we gotta get rid of Kiki’s number cause it’s the lowest.”

Similarly to Julia, William had gotten out a piece of scratch paper and was doodling on it furiously, his tongue licking his ruby red lips. “Hey Kathleen,” he began, “You’re pretty good at football, right?”

“Yeah,” she responded, lilting her head to the side slightly and putting one of her fingers to her mouth.

He turned to the side, sweated a little, and put one of his hands behind his head embarrassedly. “Have you ever… played in a football tournament?”

Kathleen looked like she was thinking very hard. “A tournament?”

“Yeah, I went to a video game tournament once, and I just noticed something. The cards are set up like the tournament bracket.” He showed what he had drawn on his paper. “See, 1 goes with 16, and 2 goes with 15, like this.”

“Where are you going with this, William?” asked Skylar.

“All these different matchups add up to 17,” went on William. “And 17 + 17 is 34.” He knew this because of what Randy had taught him yesterday. “Since we already have 10 and 7, all we need now is either 6 or 13 and we’ll be done!”

“But that doesn’t help us decide who to trade with,” reminded Kathleen.

“Yeah,” said Skylar “but now we know like, specific numbers to look out for.”

“We still have to pick someone,” said William. “Kiki, how about you trade with Jacques?”

“K,” said Kiki, before standing up, pausing for a second, stretching, and walking over to Jacques to trade with him. “It’s the 8.”

“Darn,” said William, a little crestfallen.

“We just gotta keep guessing until we get it right,” confided Kathleen.

“Alright,” reminded Jordan now that it was our turn again. “Our total now is 23, which means we need 11 to get to 34.”

“And if Jordan is right,” I added, “the numbers have to do with what table we sit at in Mr. Pony’s class.”

“I wouldn’t put so much faith in that idea,” said Jordan, looking out the bottom of his little spectacles. “It could all just be a coincidence.”

“Well, it’s more to go on than anything else,” said Kristy.

“In that case,” said Jenny, “Kristy, your number 12 is pretty close to 11. Who else sits at your table?”

“Let’s see,” replied Kristy, putting her hand to her chin, looking diagonally upwards, and arching one of their eyebrows like Jack Black. “I’m pretty sure it’s Skylar, Randy, and William.”

“Then we should trade Jenny’s 2 with one of them,” I said, holding out my index finger insistently. “Since 2 is our lowest number.”

Jenny nodded and moved to swap numbers with Skylar. She brought back a 10.

“Wait a minute,” Jordan stopped for a second to count up the new total. “I was wrong!” he started crying.

“Are you okay, Jordan?” I asked. “What do you mean?”

“We didn’t get the 11, but that wasn't the number we needed in the first place,” he sobbed. “It was the 13!”

“It’s not such a big deal, right?” asked Kristy, extending a gloved hand in sympathy. “We can just try again next turn.”

“Yeah,” I said, flexing my muscles encouragingly to try and dry his tears. “We’ll get the 13 next time, Jordan.”

“But,” he sniffled. “What if I’m wrong again? What if we don’t even need 13? My mistake will only slow us down.”

I put on a beaming smile, trying to console him. “Don’t worry about it,” I said, remembering shep’s words from extended day. “Sometimes, you just need to believe that everything is going to turn out alright.” Then, I went back to flexing. “From this point forward, Jordan, it’s game on.”

#abstract art #fanfiction #kingdom keepers #kindergarten keepers #baauwin

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writeroftheprompts · 8 years ago

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Writer’s Block is not a Demon

Writer’s block. That dreaded time where it seems you have angered the muses and they have left you high and dry with that little blinking cursor staring at you. It happens to everyone. Nobody can be totally on their game every time. It sucks, but you know what…you have to deal with it. Like I said, nobody can be on their game all the time but that doesn’t mean you should just sit back and let the block consume you. As much as I would like to believe that the muses are actually out there guiding the arts, they aren’t and as such it’s up to us to keep the words flowing. I know it sounds harsh and I’ll admit that I have definitely shut my laptop in frustration when I couldn’t quite figure out where I wanted the scene to go, but the truth is that the only way to get past a creative block is to keep working. How else can you expect to solve your problem if you don’t work at it? It’s like working through a difficult math equation: you won’t solve it by dreamily gazing out the window, you have to work it through. That said, there are a few tips that you can use to help you work out your block and get back on the road with your characters.

Actively search out inspiration. If you’re at the stage where you are facing a completely blank screen and have literally no idea what you want to write about, this is probably where you need to start. Yes, sometimes the idea for a wonderful story that you just absolutely have to write appears to you in a dream or while sitting on the bus. But sometimes you have that creative writing assignment for school or you’ve just finished your previous project and are looking for something new and the well is dry. This is when you can actively go looking for inspiration. Search the internet for writing prompt ideas (*ahem* such as at certain blogs), look for intriguing photographs that can spark your interest, read through song lyrics, poems or look at your book collection. As a history student, I find that there is lots inspiration in the misguided adventures of those before us. It doesn’t have to be a fully-fledged idea right off the bat but if you can find a spark of something it will make the next parts much easier. That is, possible. Be warned because this step can easily go wrong. One minute you’re looking at writing prompts the next you’re watching a dog learning to swim. Stay. On. Task.

Don’t be afraid to be stupid. Okay, so you have a tiny inkling of an idea. You have no idea who is going to be in it, what the plot points are or where it’s going to go, but it’s a start. Now sit down, write down the idea you have and then go crazy writing down anything that comes to mind. Literally anything. It doesn’t have to make sense, it doesn’t have to be good, and you certainly don’t have to use it all later. All you’re looking for is one good idea that you get another idea from and then another…until you actually have something resembling a plot.

You don’t have to go chronologically. I know this might sound odd to some people or maybe, like me, it’s not something you would have considered until someone points out that it’s an option. Just because you’re writing a chronologically linear story (or maybe you’re not, whatever) doesn’t mean you have to write it that way. I once had this idea for one point of one scene basically at the end of the story. I can’t remember exactly how it all unravelled but basically that idea expanded somewhat until I had the idea for two characters and then I worked those two out and quite some time later I actually had a story out of it. It’s a way to help you think in a more fluid way. If you can’t think of what happens next, maybe think about what happens before. This isn’t for everyone, I know some people really like to stick to the story scene by scene but it’s an option worth exploring if you’re stuck.

Take a step back (but not for too long). Breaks are good. When you work yourself for too long whether you’re studying, writing, practicing a musical instrument or sport, it’s important to take occasional breaks to keep yourself from getting drained. However, a mistake some people make with writer’s block is to shrug, close the document/notebook and say “eh, I’m sure I’ll have an idea tomorrow.” Maybe you will, probably you won’t (see actively search out inspiration above). If you’ve been on a roll and suddenly find you’ve hit a snag, maybe you’ve been at it for too long and need a few minutes to refresh. But just like that test you need to study for or essay that’s due tomorrow, this doesn’t mean you should completely walk away. But how long should you work for?

Set goals. Some writers like to set daily word count goals to meet. Events like NaNoWriMo, which encourages writers to write 50,000 words in the month of November (or 1,666 words a day. Isn’t that a lovely amount?), can help train you to set goals for yourself and to work on your writing every day. You can also set a goal to finish a chapter by a certain day, or reach a point in your outline. Personally, even though I did participate in NaNo one year, I don’t like this set up even though others swear by it. There are days where I can pump out pages and pages and there are others where I need to stop and rethink a few points, feel like I need to develop a character a little more or something else of that sort which means the actual word count doesn’t go up much despite the fact that I’m still working on the project. I’m also a full-time student with a part-time job so I feel like this doesn’t quite suit me. This is why I personally prefer to set a certain time to work instead. Sometimes I go over and others, such as around finals, I can’t make all of it. And that’s okay. We all have lives and stuff happens, so don’t beat yourself up if you can’t make the goal every day. But this is why it’s important to set realistic goals that fit you. If the goal is there and you really make the effort to stick to it as much as you can it will go a long way to keep you focused on the project when you need to be. Writing even a little bit is way better than nothing at all.

#advice post #writer's block #writing tips #writing

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apwsschool · 6 years ago

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Remember the time when you were in primary grades, and the entire schools used to have only a handful of computers in the centralized lab? Well, that time has changed. Children, nowadays, have grown up in the world of ground-breaking technological environment. This advancement of technology has propelled some of the best IGCSE schools in Bangalore and other parts of the country to adapt to the interactive learning methods. According to a survey conducted by The National Council of Educational Research and Training in 2017, "school children who interact more ardently in classroom discussions and read stuff beyond textbooks are more likely to learn better than others."

Interactive learning refers to a more hands-on and relevant process of relaying knowledge in classrooms. This method encourages students to interact with each other and with the subject matter rather than sitting on the desks as passive learners ready to take notes from the blackboard. Making interactive education a better experience for both teachers and students, technology plays a vital role in shaping the face of education.

Let's look at some of the practical, interactive teaching styles to help your child learn effectively-

Visualization- Make dull textbook content visually appealing by incorporating technology like photos, videos, and audio clips.

Cooperative Learning- Promoting small class activities like conducting scientific experiments or acting out short drama skits.

Incident Process- Teaching children to solve real problems with real people by providing them details from actual incidents.

Buzz Sessions- Bringing children together in small groups to present ideas and thoughts on a given topic.

Writing Tasks- Assist kids with a writing assignment and encourage them to share their drafts with peers for a review.

The methods mentioned above helps your child to become active members of the class while expanding their knowledge and communication skills. Keep reading to know more about the advantages of interactive learning techniques-

Enhances perceptive thinking and problem-solving skills-

In addition to engaging kids, interactive learning sharpens critical-thinking skills in the child and makes them ready to face real-world problems with ease.

Develops communication and interpersonal skills-

Plunging kids in interactive games and activities, interactive learning helps in developing strong communication, leadership, and teamwork skills in the child.

Increases concentration-

The most effective and engaging form of learning, interactive methods, increases the concentration power in a child to complete the given tasks with utmost dedication.

Promotes creativity-

Interactive learning methods usually involve creative activities, like writing, painting, storytelling, etc. This helps in encouraging the creative abilities and innovative thinking of the child.

Makes education fun-

With so many activities and games involved, interactive learning takes education away from the four walls of the classroom and makes it more fun and enjoyable for the child.

In conclusion, rather than keeping your child bounded with the traditional ways of education, practice interactive learning techniques to help your child prosper in their career ahead by developing relevant life-ready skills. You can also choose some of the best CBSE schools in Bangalore or elsewhere for your child that provide a practical learning experience with interactive forms of education.

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aion-rsa · 6 years ago

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Daybreak Creator Brian Ralph on the Comic's Jump to Netflix

https://ift.tt/2OVzAR9

After creating perhaps the first ever first-person post apocalyptic zombie comic in Daybreak, Brian Ralph discusses the Netflix adaptation.

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The first thing that happens in Brian Ralph's 2011 graphic novel Daybreak is a character greeting you. Yes, in the very first panel a man in ragged clothing and missing an arm says "Hello" to you, the reader. In a novel approach to perspective, the reader is the main character of Daybreak as the story has you head off on a post-apocalyptic adventure filled with common dangers and a mass of zombie-like creatures called "ghoulies."

"It was always the intention for the story to be written in the first-person point of view," Ralph, the Savannah based cartoonist and professor at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) says. Daybreak was Ralph's third graphic novel after Cave In and Climbing Out and is now set to become the first to be adapted.

read more: Daybreak Review (Spoiler Free)

Netflix stepped up to the plate to adapt the unique and challenge in Daybreak into a TV series. In doing so, the streamer has introduced a high school element into Ralph's post-apocalyptic world, complete with a first person narration to pay capture the sensibility of the original. We spoke with Ralph about writing Daybreak, his thoughts on Netflix's adaptation strategy, and the challenges of teaching the sequential arts.

Annoyingly broad question to begin, I know, but where did the inspiration for Daybreak come from? I’m just curious about its origins as you recall them.

Turning Daybreak into something more than a comic book has been a long time coming – the book itself was published in 2012. The comic book developed out of the need for a creative outlet that was on par with playing video games. At the time, I was a professor at the Savannah College of Art and Design within its sequential arts department (where I still work now) and wasn’t gaming all that often.

While I was trying to find things to fill the gap, I realized I was missing the adventure aspect – the way finding though uncharted territory, the problem solving, the world building… everything. So I decided to write a book that could complete with a video game! It was a slow process, but as I teach my students, you need to fully develop the story. We teach our students to concept, create and revise so that they can adequately weave the narrative with their visual art to tell amazing stories.

How did you develop your interesting take on zombies or zombie-like creatures even? Were you a fan of the zombie and/or apocalyptic genres? Any inspirations?

When it comes to zombies, I’ve always been a fan and have explored the genre from just about every angle. In college, my friends and I watched a lot of zombie movies. What I liked was the ability to see the solutions devised by the characters on how to survive. I liked that they were slow – it gave characters time to problem solve and really come up with a clever solution. I was also in a zombie band, The Scared Stiffs, for a while. We dressed like zombies and sang songs from the point of view of zombies. It was pretty sweet.

I’ve also read several apocalyptic novels, but I’d say that my inspiration was drawn from books like The Road by Cormac McCarthy, Zone 1 by Colson Whitehead, and Into the Forest by Jean Hegland.

The first-person nature of the comic is a unique storytelling technique. Was it always the intention to tell the story from that perspective or did it develop along with the story? To your knowledge, is that something Netflix attempted to do with the show in its early stages?

It was always the intention for the story to be written in the first-person point of view. In the comic, the characters are talking to the reader so having that come through in the adaption was great. Brad Payton (the director) thought it would be a good idea for the main character, Josh, to break fourth wall and that’s where Ferris Bueller nod comes in. It’s a throwback to an '80s classic and Matthew Broderick as one of the stars just makes it that much better.

Speaking of Netflix, how did that deal come about and what was your level of involvement with the series? What did you make of the high school aspect they’ve gone with?

As I mentioned before, turning Daybreak into a movie or TV show has been a long time coming – I’ve worked with director Brad Payton for many years as he’s optioned the project out. But to back up, Brad found the comic while he was browsing in a comic book shop in L.A. and called me that night to talk about it. It took me a moment to realize he was who he said he was, but after that, it was full steam ahead. Over the course of a couple of hours, we talked about Brad’s vision for Daybreak, what he liked about it and also what it would need to be adapted for film or TV. I really liked what he had to say, and felt his additions only enhanced the story I had created.

read more: Bone Animated Series Coming to Netflix

It wasn’t until early 2018 that I found out Netflix was turning it into a TV show – from there it moved quickly and was amazing to see the world I had created come to life. Originally, I thought I wanted to have a lot of input and control over the adaption of my book. However, after hearing what Brad and the team had to say, I became much more open to the collaboration. As a professor at SCAD I teach my students that cross-disciplinary collaboration is at the core of every great project. By collaborating, you have the opportunity to learn from the best minds in a variety of industries, ultimately making your project better. All of the men and women working on the project are insanely talented – the best thing I could do for the book was let them do what they do best. The end result was a group that had given their all to the project and you could really see it shine through in their work.

In terms of the high school aspect, it seemed fitting! I think it was Brad that made the comment, but everyone can relate to the feeling of being in high school, the feeling of being “so over” this world and wishing you lived in another one. The apocalypse is that “other world” and really allows for the playing field to be leveled so to speak, and for everyone to reinvent themselves.

Do you feel that your works Cave In, Climbing Out, Daybreak work as a sort of spiritual trilogy? The titles alone in sequential order seem like they tell a little story. How did your storytelling and art evolve through each?

Yes – I do think that they are a part of a larger world. What that world is I’m still trying to figure out- so stay tuned! I think the art and storytelling have evolved over time, simply by the things that I’ve learned and seen throughout my time working in comics and teaching at SCAD.

How has teaching a sequential arts program changed or refined how you think about sequential arts/comics/graphic novels? It seems like the teaching of this art in an academic environment is still a relatively young endeavor. How do you go about developing coursework?

It's interesting, because what I teach is directly related, but also juxtaposed, with what I would consider “real life” work. I teach traditional sequential storytelling and the core elements like drawing, cartooning, and the known ways of storytelling. Like any creative endeavor, you have to have the foundational elements in place to make the piece an effective piece of art. For sequential arts you need to have elements like the character development, the problem being solved, or story arch, and know how to drive the story forward to keep the audience turning the page. However, in my opinion, the best novels are the ones that break the rules and keep you guessing, so that’s what I try and do in my own work.

I teach my students the foundations and the parameters but want them to think of my classes as the “authority on how to break the rules” in order to create great stories. And while I give assignments that are asking students to make creative decisions, every assignment has a bit of a “wink” to it that allows for creativity.

Read and download the Den of Geek NYCC 2019 Special Edition Magazine right here!

Alec Bojalad is TV Editor at Den of Geek and TCA member. Read more of his stuff here. Follow him at his creatively-named Twitter handle @alecbojalad

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Alec Bojalad

Oct 17, 2019

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Daybreak

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houseofvans · 8 years ago

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SKETCHY BEHAVIORS | Kris Chau (Los Angeles)

Poetic, fluid and much like a song or ballad, the artwork of Los Angeles based artist Kris Chau sings a visual story on paper, focusing on symbols, shapes, and story-telling. We've been following Kris’s various watercolor and acrylic works, and have fallen in love with the murals she’s created for local shops in her neighborhood. We’re excited to chat with this very talented and magical lady about some of the artwork she makes, what inspires her, and her upcoming projects for 2017!

Photographs courtesy of the artist.

Tell us a little bit about yourself. What’s a little known fact about yourself?

My name is Kris Chau, or Chau, or Chauface. My friend Emilia who does this amazing thing called Pony Sweat, simply calls me FACE. I am from Honolulu Hawaii and currently reside in the fine city of Los Angeles. More specifically the land of Echo Park. As for something weird or strange, I’m pretty sure my cat is my Grandfather re-incarnated. Mostly because my Grandpa loved cats and was a Chinese herbalist. My cat carries a Datura flower in his mouth and leaves it for me in the morning at the door.

How did you first become enamored with art and drawing? Do you remember what your first drawing or doodles were like?

My parents are very stoic, refugees from Vietnam, who laid the groundwork early on in my life that no one is special. So even thought I was drawing things that looked like things as a little kid, it went by unnoticed. And I just thought everyone could draw. It wasn’t until teachers at school or other students started to comment on my assignments or doodles as something different that I realized it was ‘something’ if not special. My first doodles were circle people with legs and arms, and lots and lots of horses. I recently saw some old kid drawings I made my cousins which mostly consisted of Yoshi the Dinosaur and X-men.

Some folks have been drawing from since they were kids, and some folks keep with it and some bail on it. Did you continue drawing in school or was it something you put away and found yourself doing more and more, till it became your identity and life?

I am a drawer. There’s no way around it. I knew early on in life and then when I figured out I could trade my drawings for happy meals or erasers in school, it was on. I sometimes wish it wasn’t so much my identity. That this stirring you feel towards such a specific act, didn’t exist. Then maybe I could hold down a great job and not daydream otherwise, or maybe just come home to watch TV instead of turning into a garage art troll. There’s a natural fluidity to your work and some reoccurring imagery. Can you tell us a little about the things you like to draw?

Well these days drawing and painting is more about expanding my visual language than it is about just practicing a skill. So if there is a feeling, a story, or a loss, I try to figure out how to sing this song on paper. Lately I’ve been toying with the idea of a universal quiet language that consists mostly of simple symbols and shapes. But I can’t deny i love drawing ladies and weird animals.

What were some of your early art influences, and who are some of your influences now?

One of my all time current art heroes is my dear friend Ako Castuera, and when we became friends we realized there were two books that we had in common that definitely defined my art drawing trajectory. One was the Ordinary Princess by MM Kaye and D’aulaires Book of Greek Myths. Later on in life it became Ben Shahn, Andy Warhol’s old illustrations, and pretty much all art from indigenous peoples. And as kindred spirits in terms of their pursuit of their craft and making their way in life I would have to say people like Hellen Jo, Nathaniel Russell, Yumi Sakugawa, Rob Sato, James Ulmer, Chances With Wolves and Jesse Moynihan.

Can you take us through your artistic process? And how would you say it has changed or evolved since you started?

Well lately I do a lot of meditating and thinking about something before I draw anything. I do lots of research. I try to not be hungry and mostly very comfortable. In the Past I would do sketches or preliminary drawings but these days I think for a very long time and I draw. Very boring, very simple. I try to keep a routine that’s very mundane, so that the rest of my energy goes towards making things. So there’s not a lot of social events or chilling with too many humans. Mostly being alone at least 2-3 days a week, with not too much stimuli. Lots of watering plants and organizing sock drawers.

Artists seem to either keep a sketchbook or just occasionally keep up a sketchbook. Do you keep a sketchbook?

Keeping a sketchbook is important, it’s not as much a part of my life as it once was, but I keep one that might span a whole year. I think the tactile act of writing stuff down in something you can hold is getting lost in this current world. I normally carry a little travel set of color pencils, a sharpener, and my sketchbook. I try to do more life drawings of wherever I am in those books, or color theory tests. What would be your dream collaboration? Is it easy for you to collaborate or do you find it can be difficult?

I feel like I am living the dream! I recently got to do some artwork for my dudes at Chances With Wolves and I am currently working on some things with my heros Ako Castuera and Hellen Jo! Lately, I’ve been looking at all my illustration jobs or more commercial jobs as collaborations. Or if its a job where I am just a drawing gun for hire, it had better pay my rent. But since I no longer have the fortitude to be someones drawing monkey, everything has to be a collaboration between me and a client.

These days I feel like the people behind the desks are like, okay we are here, who can we help on the come up and feed some integrity into our design or product. So thank you to those golden hearted desk homies, who are pushing against the tide in terms of the corporate design world.

You work with various mediums from - ink to acrylics. What do you particularly love about these mediums or one specifically.

I’m very curmudgeonly when it comes to my supplies. I use Dr. PH Martin’s Concetrated Watercolors, Lascaux Acrylics, and FW acrylic ink. I like trashy paint brushes that I don’t have to sweat, and if I am doing an ink drawing its with a #2 nib crow quill. I don’t like watercolor paper, i use printmaking paper for all my paintings. Although these days I’m more interested in shapes than any linework.

Is there something material wise new you’ve been messing around with or are looking to experiment with?

A new medium is I would like to go 3D at some point with either fabric sculptures or paper mache.

Illustrations have been something you’ve been doing for a while with magazine and various clients. Can you share with folks what that process is like?

Oh man, this is the age old crux of making money off the creative thang you do. Listen up kids, old people, dreamers, fakers, and doers. You make what you make regardless of who is gonna look at it or buy it. I feel very very fortunate that I currently have jobs and clients that are supportive to whatever it is that I currently make and do. But it took a long time to develop my own language that lended itself to peoples needs. When you feel like the act of creating needs to be validated by money or recognition, you end up not giving yourself space to hone your language.

What did you or do you enjoy the most and what are some things you dislike about it?

That being said, my favorite part of illustration work is telling the story or solving the problem with my specific language. The things I dislike about it, is just being someone’s drawing monkey, which can be okay if someone knows what they want. When people romanticize what you do, like you’re a creative unicorn and everything you do will be easy and fun so make me these five logos or graphics in a week. Maybe if I was at home making logos every night for fun, but I’m trying to make paintings, so the day when i make rent with just paintings, maybe the logos will be fun.

You’ve painted on various surfaces and things–how has been making works on a larger scale been for you? Did it come easily or was it something you had to work through and adapt with?

Oh man, I love painting real big on something thats not paper or a canvas. Theres something about it that just feels good, which is why graffiti exists I suppose. Well painting big, exercises the communication between my eyes, brain and hands outside its normal paper sizes. I freehand everything too, no projectors here! Its also athletic in a way that sitting at a desk all day isn’t so conducive to. All the murals and big thangs I’ve painted forced my visual language a certain way, that would read well large scale.

What’s been the weirdest or coolest thing you’ve put your art on, so far?

One of my very favorite big things I got to paint, is a Pussy Party on my friend Garet’s Van. He gets a lot of attention. What are your thoughts regarding social media for artists? What has been your approach to it?

Whoa heavy topic. Well as someone who was born in 1980, i’m in between. I love how it distributes your work further than you could’ve gotten it just by having shows. I definitely get to live and work from a weird garage and have people find me because of it, so for that I am eternally grateful. What I don’t like about it, is that I feel like people are forgetting what good things look like in real life. Things have to look good on a small screen. So things that pop off or are high contrasted, tend to work very well. But maybe a large scale watercolor won’t translate. Its the same way I feel about going to the movies VS. getting it streamed at home. The ritual of intention is getting lost. Then this new format dictates whats successful out there in the world, when the real life version might be very different. The feed, which does allow for new discovery and wider spread audiences, is taking away the in real life visual impact.

Having lived in various cities but now residing in LA, what’s it been like and what are your thoughts about the art scene here?

I really love LA, there is a certain magic about this place where if you will it and work hard it might actually be possible. I have my own small community of people who make things that I feel very close to, and keep me working. I always say when the times are hard, that we are all lucky to be here in this city right now in this time. I used to share a studio with James Ulmer in Philadelphia at Space 1026, who really helped me push my drawings and paintings on a bigger scale. But when he moved away to take over New York, I was sort of left without my drawing people. So in my heart I knew all my drawing people, who had the same life ideals when it came to making art, lived and flourished in LA.

What’s a question you never get asked but would love to ask and answer yourself!

Your work is often described as whimsical, how do you feel about that? I actually hate that word and in no way do I identify with that, though I understand where you are coming from when you say it. Look Deeper and allow yourself to hear what you see.

What are your favorite Vans? How would you describe your personal style?

Lately I have been wearing the white cracked leather skate hi slims. But I think the 90’s surly teenager in me is looking for some brown authentic with some black laces.

What’s some of the best and worst advice you’ve gotten as an artist?

The best advice from Ken Rignall : Your problem is that you can draw really well, so that is holding you back. You give up if it’s not easy or you don’t have to try very hard to make things look ‘good’ but all your making is decoration. The worst advice from anyone in the world these days : You gotta work on your brand and your social media presence.

What upcoming projects or collaborations do you have coming up for 2017?

Guys in the Fall of Los Angeles get ready for a power packed show with Ako Castuera and Hellen Jo. There will be events so get ready for that sign up sheet! It will be only show of 2017 because my brain is very fried.

Follow Kris Chau Instagram: @chaucfacetime Website: www.krischau.com Tumblr: chaufacetime.tumblr.com

#Art #vans #vans girls #vans art #kris chau #Sketchy Behavior #illustration #female artist #los angeles art #women artists

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bthenoise · 6 years ago

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Q&A: From Self-Releasing An Album To Running A Band As A Business, Learn A Thing Or Two From Periphery’s Matt Halpern

Unless you’ve been purposely avoiding the internet since early April, we imagine you’re probably pretty familiar with Periphery’s brand new, self-released album Hail Stan.

Serving as their first LP since leaving Sumerian Records, Periphery’s 64-minute, 9-track offering is a non-stop display of musical magnificence. Providing soaring highs and devastating lows, Periphery’s sixth full-length record, like all in their distinguished discography, is nothing short of perfection.

Now five months after Hail Stan’s release, the progressive metal outfit is ready to finally take their new music out on the road for a Noise presented headlining tour with Veil Of Maya and Covet. Talking to drummer Matt Halpern, it’s clear the band is itching to hit the road on their first headliner since 2017.

“We've had all summer off to kind of work on other things and be thinking about this tour and planning this tour,” he said. “There's been a lot of work that has gone into it between the band and our team promoting it, setting it up and working with you guys. So we're just excited to finally see it come to life.��

Diving into more with Halpern, we were able to discuss what to expect on Periphery’s upcoming tour (like if they’ll be playing “Reptile” or not) as well as the band’s new self-run record label 3DOT Recordings.

To check out our chat with the business-savvy musician and entrepreneur, be sure to look below. Afterward, make sure to grab tickets to see Periphery out on tour here.

With it being a while since you guys have done a proper headlining tour, is there anything special you have planned for these dates?

Matt Halpern: We're just really excited to play a majority of new material. We put out a record earlier this year and we've only played a couple [new] songs live on the other tours we've done with Dance Gavin Dance and our South American tour earlier this year. I think the majority of our set on this North American headliner is going to be new songs. So we're excited for sure about that.

A lot of fans have been wondering if you’re going to play your 16-minute track “Reptile” live. Has that been discussed at all?

That’s the plan. We start rehearsals this week so that's the plan to make sure that one is in the set. I think that's been the favorite song on the record for all of us, I think collectively, so it was a no-brainer when it came to this tour. Like, we have to play it. It has to happen.

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That's exciting. When it comes to playing a 16-minute song is there some extra cardio that you have to do to get yourself ready for that?

Not really. Most of our songs are pretty long-winded anyway. It's really all the same, to be honest. You know, an hour-long set is an hour-long set whether it's comprised of three really long songs or 10 short songs. It's all pretty much the same. I think more so, I'm just excited to see how the crowd reacts to such a long song because that's really the thing. Like, if we can keep everybody's attention for those 16 minutes straight during that one song and have them totally into it, I think that's the challenge. And that's the goal, you know, so we just got to nail it.

That's a very good point. Aside from "Reptile," which song are you the most excited to play off the new record?

I honestly think it's that one. If I had to pick another that I enjoy playing, I've always really enjoyed playing "Blood Eagle." We've been playing that one live now for the past couple tours. I did some drum clinics earlier this year as well where I played that pretty much every night and that is a super fun, aggressive song to play. It’s definitely challenging but I just really enjoyed laying it down and watching the crowd go nuts with that one because it's really engaging and it's really heavy.

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For this tour, you're supporting Periphery's first-ever self-released album Hail Stan. What's that process been like so far? Has it been an easy transition or has there been a few hurdles?

There's definitely always hurdles and there's a new challenge that we are faced with pretty much every week. But we have such a good, experienced team behind us that is really helping us drive not only this record but the record label too. Any challenge that we've run into, someone on our team has either dealt with something like that before and knows exactly what to do or collectively is just creative enough to kind of solve whatever is thrown at us. So it's definitely not easy but we're very, very lucky to have awesome people on our team that are just freaking great at what they do.

So personally, knowing what you know now, you still feel good that you guys self-released Hail Stan?

Oh, 100%. Starting our own label and self-releasing has been a goal since I joined the band 10 years ago. That's been something we've been talking about and really long term we’ve been working towards and planning for more and more strategically and aggressively as the years went on. But when it came time for us to be able to do it, it wasn't a decision that we made at that time on a whim. It was very well thought out, very strategic. And it was something we let our manager Wayne know from the day we started working together -- which was now, I want to say like four or five years ago. So you know, even when we started working with him, that was part of our decision. He probably doesn't like me saying this because he likes to stay in the background (which is also why I love him) but he has tons of label experience. So between his ability as a manager and then all his years and years and years of working at record labels, you know, he was part of that strategy for sure.

What's interesting about your label 3DOT Recordings is that some bands can barely even handle their own band business together. You guys, on the other hand, collaborate on the band stuff and a record label together.

That’s a really nice perspective you have, especially if you consider us to kind of fall into that perspective. I do think for us, you know, it's kind of one and the same. As far as the band members go, we've all been working together with the band as a business and with that being the focus since we started. So we had to learn pretty quickly how to work together from a business perspective, not just from the musical perspective. And that right there definitely helped prepare us to take on more work that falls into that category of running a business, running a label, learning how to put out music. All that stuff is very much combined and intertwined in certain ways.

What I'm getting at with this is that we bring in Wayne, who really knows how to make it all work together, make all of us work together. He's managing us, he's managing the business, he's managing our band, he's managing the label. And from day one, when he joined, one of the things that he really instilled in the band was needing to have weekly meetings, weekly calls. And on those weekly calls, since he's been on board, they've been equally divided to discuss band business and then label business. So it's all kind of combined into one. And when we put our heads together, collectively, which we do every week, we're all focusing on not only the band but also the label and any decisions or any sort of tasks that get assigned during that time period. It's something that we can all sort of divide and conquer. And it never seems to be too much for anybody because we all have learned over the years that we have skills, we have strengths, we have weaknesses and we do our parts where we can. We find that shit gets done that way. So I know that was kind of long-winded but hopefully it sort of illuminates how it all works for us.

When you get the chance to talk to younger up-and-coming bands or even your students, is that something you recommend to them? Focus on your band as a business?

Yes. I mean, it is [a business] right? When you're starting a band, you're an entrepreneur. Especially when, well, I shouldn't even say especially -- that's what you are, period. And the people you end up working with -- whether it be a manager, a booking agent or whoever it is -- those are your partners. Those are people that work with your business. But your business is music, right? Your product is music. The band is the product. The artwork is the product. How it all works together, how it all gets released, all of that is the strategy and the marketing. I mean, it's a business. You got to have money to run it. You have to figure out how you're going to be able to pay the bills. You're going to figure out how to pay each other, how to pay for food.

It's funny, like any business, when you start you're usually starting from the ground up with very limited budget and very limited funds. And you got to really take the risk and be willing to not make a dime for a long time and reinvest and reinvest in order to grow whatever it is you're doing. And a band is the exact same way. We’re no exception to that. When we started, we invested everything back into the band for years and years and years. We barely made a penny on tour, a penny from our records. Everything went back into the band. And even now, as we look at what we do from whether it's a tour, or whether it's a record, or whatever it is, it's very much laid out in terms of key points of any business where we look at the budget for things. We look at what needs to be done for marketing, we look at what the product is itself, we set aside different timelines for things, we focus on what's most important and what can come later.

Anyway, long story short: Anybody in a band, anybody wanting to start a band or work within music needs to think of themselves and the music as a business. I will say as a caveat, before I wrap up this whole spiel, you can't have a business as a band unless you have music. At the end of the day, music is the most important thing. You don't have to be the best at the business side. You can learn those things and hopefully somebody in the band or everybody in the band can focus on their strengths and kind of make that part work. But the music is the most important. You can't market and try to sell a shitty product. I think nowadays there are just so many ways to be able to focus on making good music and making it sound good. There are easy ways to create and we're seeing this across tons of different genres. So at the very core of all of this, for any band that wants to start and wants to be a business, you got to make sure you realize what it is you're selling and what it is you're doing -- and that is making music that matters to you. And that's the point I wanted to get to, which is don't make music that you think other people are going to want to hear. Make music that you enjoy making for yourself. If you are really passionate about it and you want to get it out there to other people, then you will figure out all the necessary steps to make it into a business that surrounds your core product. So hopefully that makes sense and doesn't bore the hell out of anyone [laughs].

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No way, that’s some valuable stuff bands really need to hear. When it comes to writing and recording though, do you have to put all the business stuff aside when you're in the studio? What are your tips to block out business when you're focusing on the art side of the music?

I mean, we really just make [music] the priority. There is no tour without a record to promote. There's no music to share or post about or get up on a streaming platform unless we create it first. So when we do go into a period of creativity and writing, we don't do anything else. That's why we didn't tour in all of 2018. We took off the whole year basically to write our record and to devote as much time as we possibly could need in order to have a product that we were all going to be happy with. Then we could put on the business hats and kind of run with that side. Now, that being said, we're lucky enough to be at a point where we can have a manager like Wayne, who while we're doing all of the creative stuff, he’s totally focused on what's going to happen in the next six months, 12 months, 18 months, two years, based on what we create in the studio. And then he catches us up to it once we have the music written and then we all get on board.

Talking about the writing and recording for Hail Stan, it feels like there are songs reminiscent of all Periphery eras. Was that intentional or just a coincidence?

No, I don't think we ever really have a specific plan. I think the only record we've ever really sat down and said “this is going to be something [specific]” was when we did the Juggernaut records and we said that was going to be a concept album, a story. But that aside, for Hail Stan, we just kind of said, "Look, we want to write what feels good. This is our first record on our own label. We want to represent us very accurately as to where we are as a band right now and what's inspiring us." And we just wrote and wrote and wrote and we went back and just said, "Hey, by the way, here's this old riff that we've never been able to use. Fuck it, let's see where we can make it fit." And we did.

But I don't think there was ever a strategy or a specific plan to say, “this is what the record is going to be like.” I think we just knew we didn't want to have a super long record which is why we were aiming for nine to 10 songs. Ironically, when you start writing, you get five minutes into a song, then you keep going. And next thing you know, you look up and it's eight minutes. And then next thing you know, you look up and it’s 60 minutes long. And that's the thing, we could have never planned to write a 16-minute song. That is a total happy accident we were all just open to. And I think that's the key, we were really open to whatever [this album] was going to be. Everybody contributes, everybody keeps an open mind. Everybody pays attention to what inspires them. And then whatever collectively inspires us all as a group is what we focused on. So we may have had like 20 or 25 demos to pick from but the ones we focused on were the ones that all five of us could really get behind to be like, "Yeah, let's do this." So no, I think it's just a natural progression and a natural outcome that occurred because we didn't feel pressure. We had as much time as we needed and it ended up actually allowing us to write faster and more definitively because we didn't have any outside pressure.

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With this record having a good mix of heavier and softer songs, do you have a preference when it comes to what you're playing?

I like all of it for different reasons. I mean, it’s fun to play the really heavy stuff. Especially when you’re really energized or in an aggressive mood. I mean, it's great to play those songs because you can really let it out. But I think I've always been partial to the more rock-based stuff that we do. I always find myself gravitating towards the songs that have more, I guess, singing melodies. I've always liked them more. I've always gravitated to the groovy stuff we play just because as a drummer, I would much rather figure out ways to play grooves than to just play stuff that’s fast or heavier or hard. You know, I like the creative side of drumming that we inject into our music. So yeah, I'm always partial to the more groovy rock stuff. But again, I like it all. It just depends on the mood of it.

Last question: Will you be doing any drum lessons on this tour?

It's funny, I started teaching on our very first tour, back in 2009. And I've done it on every tour since. I don't think I'll stop. So that being said, yeah, I'm teaching pretty much every day on this tour that we're doing and all subsequent tours from there. So yeah, every day. Doing drum lessons.

#Periphery #Hail Stan #Interview #3DOT Recordings

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shardavidyalaya-blog · 6 years ago

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Strategies for engaging Students in Learning

Students aren’t going to learn much unless they are curious to know (or it fixes a problem) and this curiosity only surfaces if there is a connection to their life and experiences. Since experience and mistakes teach us most of our real lessons in life, the teacher should pay attention to this and use teaching activities that can connect to the students’ problems and environments.

To prevent students stray from the course and to keep them engaged in learning, there are some common teaching tips that every teacher should incorporate into their overall teaching pattern.

Here are creative ways to engage students in discussions, problem-solving, critical thinking, and more:

1. Discover the Interests of Students:

Using the fascinations or interest of your students and exploring what your learners like the most or passionate about. Use these areas of interests as the natural motivators and increase their engagement in learning. You can use many simple strategies to incorporate such areas of interests in your course outline. This will help them in understanding the material better and in increasing their retention ability. Also, this helps in driving learner’s attention towards the subject and in improving their attention span along with time spent on each task.

Therefore, make the most of this easy-to-incorporate strategy and include the interests of learners throughout their course material. One of the ways to do this is to create assignments that would enable students to share their interests and experiences with other fellow learners.

2. Organize Discussions:

During the learning journey, a teacher shouldn’t always be at the center of discussion. They should encourage the learners to share experiences and events from their community or home. When there is an appropriate environment for that, the engagement of the learners is much higher.

Let your learners express with each other about happenings of their lives, both inside and outside the learning curve. This will enable them to substantiate their positions and listen to others. They should be allowed to discuss whatever information they like discussing. In this manner, learners will get an opportunity to develop their own voice, and you being a teacher will gain a lot of knowledge about your students.

3. Let them indulge in Modern Technology:

The majority of teachers are leaving out the traditional learning patterns and adopting more advanced application of technology. Such measures are adopted to encourage student engagement in learning at a better level, make them exert more effort in learning and to make them excited to accomplish their learning goals. Students follow through their learning process often using modern technology.

4. Brainstorming is a Key:

Brainstorming, a useful tool to develop creative solutions to a problem, is a lateral thinking process by which students are asked to develop ideas or thoughts that may seem crazy or shocking at first. Participants can then change and improve them into original and useful ideas. Brainstorming can help define an issue, diagnose a problem, or possible solutions and resistance to proposed solutions.

5. Games and Breaks are equally essential:

Games can help build students' confidence and remove some of the shyness of quieter students. They can also help to drag up the slower learners who might otherwise have given up on listening to you. Games also bring out creativity in students - you'll be surprised with the stuff kids come up with whilst playing games in the classroom.

The key is for the teacher to first imagine what might be fun for the kids of the level and ability you are teaching, then to build the subject material into a game. Some of your games will fall flat on their face, but that's part of the learning process as a teacher. You never know what kids will like and what they'll think is stupid.

All of these effective approaches to boost students’ engagement in learning are not complex but they might require you to invest adequate time in planning. Yet, they hold great potential to assist teachers in deepening their students’ knowledge, building a strong relationship with students and in developing instructional and curriculum practices which are way more meaningful to students.

After all, a good learning pattern is beneficial for both the teachers and students and while you may initially find it hard to incorporate, this will eventually bring positive outcomes for everyone associated with the course.

School Information Initiative by Sharda Vidyalaya

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