#mostly their deal is focused on learning to like one another interpersonally

[bumblingbabooshka]

If 'Resolutions' happened with Chakotay & Tuvok they would have made a beautiful home down there on that planet. It'd be Better Homes & Gardens material by the time they left. If it happened with Tuvok & Janeway it'd just be the captain running around barefoot chasing a monkey while Tuvok grew flowers and made comments about her not tracking dirt into the house after he just cleaned the floors.

[rachelbethhines]

Tangled Salt Marathon - Before Ever After

So we’re back and kicking off the salt marathon proper with the pilot movie, Before Ever After. Lets dig in shall we.

Summray:  Six months after the events of Tangled, Rapunzel is settling into life as princess of Corona, but is unable to enjoy it with the constant protection of her father's guards. When she and her lady-in-waiting, Cassandra, sneak out of the castle, they come upon some black rock spikes that magically bring back her long blonde hair. Meanwhile, a figure from Frederic’s past is out for revenage. 

Lack of Set Up

Right off the bat we got our first flaw. The show opens with a song reintroducing our main characters, where they are right now in the story, and showing off their goals and personal conflicts. All save for Cassandra that is. 

This is Cass. You wouldn’t know it from the pilot but she is the secondary protagonist of the show. (I’m sorry Eugene fans, like it or not she is) And that’s precisely the problem. She gets no introduction. She’s just there. Her entire motivations, goals, and interpersonal conflicts are suppose to drive the story line of the last season and a half, but we have no idea what any of those things are from her beginning episode.     

The show-runners have tried to excuse this with wanting Cassandra’s arc to be a ‘slow burn’ but that’s not how a slow burn actually works. A ‘slow burn’ is either a background element/character being established early and then reveled to be plot important later, (think McGucket in Gravity Falls) or a prominent character being given a seemingly shallow goal/motivation and then slowly peeling back the layers and showing more complexity behind that goal/motivation. (like Zuko in Avatar) 

Cass is neither of these things. She’s not a background element. She’s there from the word go and given the same amount of screen time and focus as both Raps and Eugene through out. But she’s not been established like Zuko either. We won’t know what motivates her until four episodes in, it’ll take another four episodes to show all of her important interpersonal relationships, and it’ll take a whole S3 seasons just to give us a clear goal. 

These are not things your audience should be left guessing about. They are what propel your story forward and must be made clear from the get go. 

Not a Flaw, But...

I don’t like that the series blends several different time periods and cultures together into a grab bag of world building.

Now this is an opinion, not a critique. What’s the difference?

A flaw in writing is a failure to communicate your ideas clearly to your audience. The lack of introduction for Cassandra, as mentioned above, actively gets in the way of the story the writers want to tell. That is a flaw. 

But this? This an idea that the creators wanted to use and they conveyed it quite well. They use various fashions to show off different characters’ personalities, anachronistic technology in order to make certain plot points happen, and visual cues from other cultures around the world to give a feeling of fantasy to the series. It’s very well done. I just don’t like it.      

I personally prefer a more anchored take on world building with an actual designated time period and place, even in a fantasy world. Once again is this just an opinion and there’s no right or wrong here. Just preference. 

And I bring this distinction up now to show that one can have both personal preferences and still give valid criticisms. The existence one does not invalidate the other. Some sub-sections of the fandom love to shut down any sort of critical examinations by acting like having a different opinion is grounds for dismissing critique entirely. 

That’s not going to fly here. Which brings me to...

Lack of Follow Through

Initially, I enjoyed the conflict presented here between Rapunzel and Eugene. Young couples just starting out often have disagreements on what direction they want their lives to go in. It’s very real and very normal and I know actual people who have been there or are currently there right now. 

Unfortunately there’s no follow through. 

The core conflict is never actually resolved on screen at any point in the show. The characters keep putting it off and then it’s suddenly forgotten about by S3. We the audience are just left to assume that they worked things out some where off screen. 

If the lack of intro to Cass showcases the series problem with establishing plot points, then the treatment of Eugene’s and Rapunzel’s relationship shows us the other half of that coin. The show often steps things up or makes a big deal out of stuff that is never again brought up or resolved in a satisfying manner. 

Failure to Learn 

It also shows the fundamental flaw behind the premise of the series. Rapunzel never learns. 

Oh she changes through out the show. The Raps we see here is not the Raps we end up with. But how she develops doesn’t involve her owning up to any of flaws that she presents. 

This conflict with Eugene requires showing the audience that Rapnuzel is not good with communication and by the end she is still not any good with communicating. However, Eugene, and by extension the show itself, just gives her a free pass. 

The show wants to be a coming of age story, but fails at the one thing required for it to be a coming of age story. 

Show Don’t Tell

Getting back to Cass, another problem with the show is it’s over reliance on exposition. In a visual medium, like animation, you want to show the audience the information they need to know when ever possible. You can have exposition from time to time, but you generally want to use it sparingly and not rely on it for really important stuff, like idk... say introducing an important character relationship. 

This scene actually showcases the issue quite well. We are told two things about Cass here.

1. That she collects weapons, indicating is a warrior/tomboy

2. That Cass is the Captain's daughter.      

The first one is shown to us, by seeing her collection, and the second is told to us through a single line. Of the two which would you think is the most important to the story?

You’d be forgiven if you thought her weapon hobby since that’s what the scene focuses on, but it’s actually her relationship with her dad. A dad we won’t see on screen doing anything until episode three, and won’t see him interact with said daughter until episode eight. 

Cassandra's relationship with her parents is supposedly a driving force behind her decisions in season 3, which in turn drive the main conflict, but we so little see those relationships that they leave little impact once they become important. in fact the audience is mostly just left scratching their heads and guessing what went down between them. That’s not a good thing. Once again, motivation, goals, and inter personal conflicts should not be left to viewer interpretation. They need to be established. This line does not establish what audience needs to know.   

Eugene Deserves Better 

On that note, Eugene is set up pretty well, but he doesn’t get the focus he deserves.He’s constantly shoved aside for either Rapunzel’s or Cassandra’s conflicts/goals instead.  

As the series goes on, this translates into him actually being subservient to Rapunzel herself while she goes around bullying, dismissing, and actively brow beating him until he complies to all of her wishes. And the line above is foreshadowing for that. 

The writers don’t consider Eugene a main protagonist, even though they should, and think that all secondary characters must comply to anything and everything the protagonists desire. Which it not how you should write characters ever. 

A good compelling protagonist won’t get everything they want and nor should they. Likewise just because a secondary character wants or needs something doesn’t mean their goals or desires should be ignored. 

The result of this line of thinking is to present an obvious power imbalance in numerous relationships throughout the course of the show, which are unhealthy and uncomfortable to watch. 

As for New Dream specifically, they go from being a cute couple who are learning from one another equally to a toxic relationship where one character is a doormat to the other. The fact that this is presented by the show as ‘positive character development’ and a healthy relationship that is to be emulated is one of the more repulsive elements to sit through. And looking back you can see the warning signs starting all the way back to here in the pilot. 

Lady Caine is Wasted   

Speaking of undeserved characters, meet Lady Caine. By all accounts she should be one of the main antagonist of the series. 

She isn’t. 

If Cass lacks set up, then Caine has too much. She’s given a complex backstory, sympathetic motivation, and a understandable goal from her first reveal. And none of it matters. 

She only appears three times in the series and each time she is cast aside. Her original goals and motivations ignored upon subsequent appearances.   

She is made to be the perfect foil for Rapunzel. Her opposite in every way. And is presented as someone important to the audience. Everything about her screams main villain and the show never delivers on its promise. 

This is Abuse

Another thing the show fails to acknowledge is calling out abusive behavior, routinely. 

In this episode alone, Rapunzel’s father 

Dismisses Rapunzel’s autonomy as a grown adult.

Repeats Mother’s Gothel’s lines about the world being a ‘dark and cruel place’ nearly word for word back to Rapunzel in order to guilt her into staying, there by preforming the same abuse as her former abuser

Is constantly feared by everyone, even his own daughter. To the point that no one trusts him with the truth for fear of what he may do. This is passed off as humorous until you remember he has the power to hang people and has done so for non-violent crimes 

Is hinted at being a totalitarian ruler who disproportionately enacts punishments upon poor people who need to steal to survive. 

Is hinted to have orphaned a child once and may have done so to numerous other children    

Abuses his authority as king to coerce his daughter into obeying him

And that’s only in the first episode. It gets worse guys. Much worse. 

Oh Look! Foreshadowing that Means Nothing

You can’t tell but that’s suppose to be Quirin. This winds up mattering not in the slightest. 

Conclusion

So in conclusion, Before Ever After is a false advertisement. A pilot is suppose to inform the audience of the premise of it’s show and give them expectations of what is to come from the series. Nothing that’s set up here comes to fruition and things that do wind up being important aren’t established properly. The only reason to watch is to find out how Rapnuzel got her long hair back and get the mystery of the rocks. As a singular episode it’s ok, as part of ongoing series it’s dismal. Which is the majority of this show in a nutshell.  

[theschizoidblog]

EMDR Therapy for Schizoids

Blog 7: 01/01/2021

Let’s ring in the New Year with a new blogpost!

To my knowledge, there is no therapy that cures Schizoid Personality Disorder. Probably also because it’s a disorder, not a disease, and thus you’ll be Schizoid your entire life. You can’t cure it, but I’m hopeful there are tools that Schizoids can be equipped with that will improve their quality of life.

I have only known that I’m a schizoid since May or so – so I don’t have a great deal of experience with different forms of therapy. All I know, at this point, is EMDR Therapy.

But I see in Facebook groups that some folks don’t know what it is, how it works, or how it can be effective as a therapy method for Schizoids. I also understand your skepticism to it. All I can do is explain how it works and why I think it might be a better treatment method for Schizoids than others.

Important note: I’m not a therapist, I’m a schizoid. This is drawing from my own experience with EMDR therapy. If therapists find useful info in here for helping other schizoids, that’s great though! Don’t hesitate to come into my ask if you have more specific questions about anything I say in this blogpost.

What is EMDR Therapy?

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. That’s what it means.

If “Eye Movement” makes you think of “Rapid Eye Movement” – REM-sleep, then go with that thought for a moment. During our REM-sleep, we process events from our life. It’s where we dream and get over the business of the day and process both good and bad in order to be able to move on the next day. The eye movement, the pupils going from left to right, is a sign that you’re processing things.

Now EMDR therapy believes that this left to right movement is something which helps you to process things. By simulating the REM sleep in a rather vague way, it hopes to process events as quickly as you would do in your sleep.

(Hypnosis is something which works similarly, I assume, though I’m not speaking from experience. But the swinging of the pendulum should remind you of REM sleep as well. It’s a bit like that. But EMDR is NOT hypnosis, important to know!)

During the therapy, I was given one buzzer for each hand – which would vibrate in one hand, then in the other, as quickly as you would see your eyes move during REM sleep. During that time the therapist will help you focus on your breathing and you may close your eyes too. This is as far as the comparison to REM sleep goes. Then, there is the work you put in yourself with your therapist – the questions and answers and method behind it. I will try to explain that next.

 How does it work?

Once more, I feel it necessary to state I’m a patient, not a therapist, and thus I might only be aware of the tip of the iceberg and not of all the work underneath. However, since I’m writing for fellow Schizoids mostly, I still want to explain to them what they can expect.

I’ve already explained you’re given buzzers in your hands and that you close your eyes and that you focus on breathing, but before you’re at that point, there will have been a bit of talk therapy too. But during this talk therapy, the therapist might not go too deep into the matter, and just note down “ok so she had this traumatic thing happen, and that traumatic dream she remembers vividly, and her mother told her this happened when she was 1 year old”, and the therapist is writing all of that stuff down.

Then when the EMDR therapy starts, you focus on one particular memory or dream at a time. Even prenatal ones. Even things of which your memories is cloudy – because the memory itself is not as important as the emotion which caused you to remember it for so long. It’s also not a bad thing if you remember things worse than they actually were or if you vilify a person in the memory – it’s not like we’re going to the cops with this information, we’re just thinking of these events in a function of helping you overcome something stressful and maybe traumatic.

I will gladly explain how it works with a fictive example. For example: you remember your mother being angry with you when you were two years old.

1.       The therapist will ask you to think of the situation. With buzzers in hand, you’re given a minute or two or three to think it over.

2.       The buzzers stop. The therapist asks you where you feel tension in your body. For me it’s usually in my throat, in my chest or in my head. She asks you to focus on that location while overthinking the memory. Buzzing starts again, you’re given another few minutes.

3.       Buzzers stop once more. What emotion is it we’re picking up in, for example, your throat? You feel anger – or sadness – or fear. Let’s say it’s anger in this case. You’re asked to rate it on a scale of 1 to 7. Let’s say it’s 5/7. Buzzing starts again.

4.       A few minutes later, we reevaluate. How’s the anger? 2/7? We try again. Until it is 0/7. No longer angry about the memory? Feeling in your throat is gone? Very good.

5.       We focus on the memory again. What is the lie you have told yourself as a result of the memory? In the case where you remember someone being mad at you, your lie might be something like “I am a nuisance, I am annoying, I do not deserve this life” – it’s a lie because you probably aren’t a nuisance, you’re not annoying, you do deserve this life. You’re asked to think about the memory again, but with the positive thought, that you do deserve this life.

6.       You repeat it several times until your memory is associated with a positive thought about yourself, and no longer with negative emotions and negative thoughts about yourself. And then you’re done!

These steps take between 20 minutes and several sessions. Some memories are not as intense but still worth processing, other memories in my case have taken about 2 sessions in total, but usually by then I was over them.

I can imagine folks with bigger traumas to take more than 2 sessions. I’ve also never had like a really bad session where it went completely wrong. Before we began with EMDR therapy we did do some exercises on how to find a “safe spot” in your mind and learned how to retreat there in case a session went bad. Luckily in my case it was never needed.

 Why EMDR would work for Schizoids

EMDR works well in the following situations:

PTSD

Anxiety

Depression

Panic

Anger

Feelings of despair

Lack of motivation

Fear of being alone

Lack of trust in others

Memories of traumatic experiences

Interpersonal behaviors

(I stole that from some graph somewhere. XD)

While schizoids don’t have all those things, there are plenty of things most schizoids have, like PTSD, Depression, sometimes anger, sometimes feelings of despair, lack of motivation, lack of trust in others, etc… I think this makes folks with our personality disorder very good EMDR patients. There’s plenty of stuff for us to tackle with EMDR.

 Advantages for Schizoids

I do think EMDR has a few big advantages for schizoids. We don’t like talking most of the time and so talk-therapy where you go back and forth with your therapist and are asked to talk yourself into exhaustion takes ages and will feel to the therapist like they’re trying to pull teeth from your mouth while you keep your mouth closed. I don’t think it’s very effective for many of us and it’s also very exhausting.

Apparently, when trying to process PTSD (something plenty of schizoids have), EMDR has a success rate of over 80 percent and only takes up half the time that talk therapy does – aka: it’s good for your wallet too and the success rate is very nice!

EMDR is focused more on introspection (something we are usually pretty good at!) and while you do need to open up a little about traumatic events, you don’t need to talk about it too much. And while you process it, it’s mostly in silence, in your mind, with the therapist guiding you through the storm like the captain of a ship, but it doesn’t feel very intrusive.

During my first session of EMDR I was shocked to find sadness in my body. I’d begun therapy with the idea I was bleh and had no emotions and suddenly with the aid of my therapist, I found a spot of tension and when I opened up that spot, there was an emotion inside. It was mind-blowing to me.

 Biggest Hurdles to Overcome

Schizoids or neurotypicals, I think during the first session you feel a bit like a fraud. I spoke about it with some neurotypical friends that had gone through EMDR to get rid of some PTSD and they also said that during their first sessions, it felt so weird and it felt almost fake. Because you’re being asked weird questions, like “Where is the tension”, “rate it”, “how much is it now?” “keep breathing, keep quiet for 2 minutes while I do this buzzer thing, how is it now?” – and it’s just a weird thing to go through, you’re not even sure what the buzzer is doing, so you’re going to feel a bit weird about it and you’re probably going to fake a bit of it in the beginning.

Basically, it’s a “fake it til you make it” situation – just go with the flow, try not to overthink it, and after a few sessions you will begin to see it make sense. You will notice that different memories go with different emotions that are hidden in those pockets of tension. I can’t always predict which memory will evoke which emotion precisely, but that’s what makes it interesting.

I also struggle a lot with finding the lies I’ve told myself in those situations. I’ve often told myself lies that come down to “I’m stupid”, “I’m a waste of space” and that sort of thing – it’s nice to see where those bad thought patterns actually come from, so it’s very satisfying when you struggle finding the lie and suddenly you got it.

 Food for thought for therapists

I’m only a patient, but I think for schizoids there might be purpose in not only using EMDR for traumas, but also for examining “happy” moments. I think it might be an interesting experiment to look back at a happy moment with a schizoid and to look for where positive emotions are hiding in the body, and for trying to analyze them in the same way you do the pockets of tension and the negative emotions inside.

Since schizoids experience so little emotion, I think reexamining those moments might prove to the schizoid that they ARE capable of emotion, even if it’s rarely, even if those emotions can only be unpacked in front of the therapist, in a safe environment. I’m not sure what the effect would be of doing this regularly, but I can’t imagine it to be bad. That’s a thesis idea I’ll leave to someone else. ;-)

 Conclusion

EMDR might be one of the best treatment methods for Schizoids. Personally I don’t think we need medication (as long as comorbidities don’t require it), and talk therapy has a high chance of us just ghosting our therapist because we’re so sick of it. Group therapy? Don’t make me laugh. I don’t know if it exists but I don’t think we’d enjoy therapy in group – we’re schizoids, after all.

EMDR is quicker and you talk less, and it’s a safe way to experience emotions – something we hardly ever do – even if they’re mostly negative ones.

I’m not done with EMDR therapy yet so I have no idea what the long term effects will be or can be, but even at this point I’m already positive about it. I do recommend it to other schizoids that are looking for a form of therapy. If you wish to open up about your own experiences with EMDR, my askbox is always open!

[experimentaldragonfire-fics]

experimentaldragonfire’s SU Fic Rec List

Stuck at home? Running out of stuff to read? I figured I’d put together a semi-comprehensive series of fanfic recommendations so that all the hours I’ve spent on AO3 over the years can be considered at least vaguely useful. A lot of these are quite old, so if you’ve only read more recent fics, you might find something that you haven’t seen here!

Please feel free to add your own links and recommendations--I personally would love more reading material! This list will focus on SU fics, but I’ll probably make more for other fandoms going forward if anyone’s interested. Bear in mind that, as I’ve mentioned, since many (most) of these were written a while ago, they might not represent exactly how the plot of the show progressed (though they now provide a pretty interesting look at the older fanfic tropes/theories!)

Also, upfront: most of these, when ships do appear, are Lapidot or PearlRose--clearly, I’m very narrowly-focused on what I read. And if one of your fics is on here and you want to be tagged, let me know and I will do so!

Steven Universe Fic Recs

General (None or canonical/background/multiple ships):

histories by avulle (T, F/F, Gen)

“Pearl (pearl) is born in what would have been the year 100,492 BCE. (She is not older than the entire human race—but only just.)”

An introspective look at the Crystal Gems through the years, written in a style that’s practically poetic and absolutely gorgeous.

Inferior Blue by hTeDruknenPotaT (M, Gen)

"Your name is Lapis Lazuli. Lapis is a fun thing to name your child when your last name is Lazuli, and when your name is Lapis Lazuli, blue seem like a nice color to dye your hair. It's fortunate that blue is your favorite color, that you manage not to despise it after all the blue you've been surrounded by all your life."

Lapis Lazuli meets a strange young boy who helps to heal the scars of her past.

The first time I read this fic, I stayed up until 5AM and cried into my pillow through the final chapters. And it continued to make me cry every time I reread it. Massive angst warning, but if you can handle fics that are beautiful but tragic, this is for you.

capacity by broken_halleluiah (G, F/F)

After a routine council meeting, Pink Diamond insists on repairing a broken piece of equipment. The result is far more than she bargained for.

A fic speculating on the nature of Pearls in Homeworld society, written well before we got to see any of that in canon. As such, it isn’t entirely in-line with later canon, but is still entirely worth reading.

Breaking Down by PTlikesTea (M, multi)

Rose's world view is shattered by a black market pearl and the realization that everything she knows about them is wrong.

An extensively long series of shorter mostly-self-contained stories exploring a version of Homeworld society where Pearls are considered as little more than disposable property. Major warnings for Pretty Much Everything--definitely keep an eye on the tags--but this is an iconic series of works, started in 2015 and predating many of the later revelations about canon Homeworld. 

A Gem and Her Pearl (Rose) by Potential Violet (G, gen)

Blue Diamond forces Rose Quartz to get a pearl, changing Rose's life, the pearl's life and the course of Gem history. All relationships begin somewhere, this is the beginning of Rose and Pearl's.

Another take on Rose and Pearl’s meeting, and the status of Pearls in Homeworld society (there’s a bit of a theme here with these recommendations). Again, predates most canon revelations regarding the topics, and predates all of the canon information about the Diamonds.

Pearl, Interrupted by AceyEnn (E, multi)

In August, Steven Quartz Universe was born.

In August, Rose Quartz died in childbirth.

In December, Pearl decides she can't handle any of it.

Or: Pearl Tries To Kill Herself And Ends Up In A Therapy Group Run By Her Best Friend's Mom (Well, One Of Her Moms).

Human AU focusing on Pearl dealing with Rose's death--or rather, not dealing with Rose’s death. Major content warnings for suicide attempts, self-harm, etc (please read the tags), but overall a very well-written story. Still updating, despite being first posted in 2016! 

Lapidot:

in which Peridot is Not At All Surprised by the sudden appearance of a new waiter by gaySpaceRock_exe (G, F/F)

Peridot meets the new waiter at her regular restaurant and immediately falls head-first in love. 

Cute and fluffy, what more do you need in a fic? 

Homesick by DrPaine (G, F/F)

An encounter at the Galaxy Warp.

Short oneshot predating the Peridemption/Barn Arc, can be read as friendship rather than romantic. 

Observation by DrPaine (G, F/F)

Peridot is a technician, meant to catch every detail. Not something she’s very fond of, but making yourself aware of your surroundings can be helpful, when you’re slipping into troublesome thoughts.

Incomplete but very much an introspective look at Peri’s character as perceived back in 2015-ish. Not as much focused on romance as on concepts of identity and anxiety. 

Of Stage Lights and Stage Fright by AcrylicPaint (M, F/F)

All Lapis wanted was to participate in the local production, but there was a minor element she hadn't taken into consideration when she agreed to take the leading role, and that was; dealing with the cute techie's constant staring.

That, and the fact she was beginning to stare too.

Human theatre AU, and an excellent completed multichapter fic. I remember that when I first read this, I was in high school and part of the musical, so it was a very topical read--and now it’s the height of nostalgia. 

No Regrets by Raptor_Red (E, F/F)

No Regrets, or, the story of how Peridot tried to romance the blue-haired tattoo artist from the parlor across the street

A personal favorite! The writing in this fic is just so nice to read, and though I’m not usually a fan of tattoo artist AUs, this one really managed to make the whole concept make sense within the story. I can’t count how many times I’ve read this fic. Please read this.

12 O’Clock at Your Local King Soopers by InsomniacArrest (T, F/F)

Lapis works late night shifts, Peridot is somebody's overworked assistant, they both need more sleep and better people skills: the grocery store story.

Is it a Lapidot fic rec list if I don’t include 12KS? Probably the most iconic fic for this pairing, with good reason. Also, consider this a recommendation for literally everything IA has ever written--there are too many good fics to name them all individually, otherwise they’d comprise half of this entire list.

Of Meteors and Minimal Speech by Waypaststrange (moonbeatblues)(F/F)

In which things at the barn settle down, nobody speaks much, and strange lights appear in the sky.

Vaguely fluffy oneshot, very cute!!

Awkward Office Encounters by SilverEyedRukia (T, F/F) 

Due to a broken down air conditioner on a scorching hot day the computers' overheated systems need fixing. Luckily for everyone a blonde technician is up for the job, but unbeknowst to them the IT nerd turns out to be someone they didn't expect her to be, especially not Lapis who kind of asked her out on a date already.

Human workplace AU, starts off relatively comedic but gets into Emotional Territory towards the end.

Camp Pining Hearts by kamanzi (M, F/F)

Peridot and Jasper return to summer camp after their freshmen year of college--this time, as counselors. Peridot is disappointed to learn that nothing is quite the same, especially her relationship with her best friend. Whose fault is this? She blames Jasper's girlfriend.

“‘Let’s go back next year and be counselors,’ she said. ‘It’ll be fun,’ she said.”

Human summer camp counselors AU that’s definitely long enough to use up some stuck-at-home-self-isolating time.

A Week by teamchaosprez  (E, F/F)

Who knew that a single night of drunken sex could push Peridot and Lapis from being roommates with a mutual crush to regularly fucking and maybe - just maybe - eventually becoming girlfriends and standing up to the homophobia surrounding both of their family lives.

A human college AU focusing a lot on working through interpersonal relationships and coming to terms with emotions

Set Me Free by cym70 (T, F/F) 

Being roommates gives Lapis and Peridot a lot of time to get to know each other and, despite their rocky history, they might just be able to make something entirely new.

A friends-to-lovers fic, post-Barn Mates. Very sweet!

Waltz of the Nian by QuickYoke (T, F/F)

Lapis doesn't understand fusion at heart, but she does know she's an unideal partner for it.

 Lapis' relationship with fusion, and also Peridot. A fic that basically encapsulates the ideal of profound prose that makes you feel things, even if you don’t precisely know how or why.

Pushing by Like Hearts by mautadite (T, F/F)

“Sounds like you’re really counting on that road trip magic.”

(Peridot and Lapis do Midway City, and Empire City, and Plateau Ville, and all the places in between.)

Canonverse road trip, because every rec list needs a “the characters go on a long journey together and find themselves, and each other” fic. And because this fic made me feel so many emotions.

A thousand years (F/F)

I have died a thousand years, waiting for you.

 Childhood friends-to-adult-lovers human AU, one of the fic tropes that always just punches me in the face with feelings.

[lyendith]

Ciconia no Naku Koro ni Phase 1 : To You, The Replaceable Ones

I had planned to write this… review? analysis? of Ciconia Phase 1 right after finishing the game about two weeks after its release, but since then I've had trouble organizing my thoughts. The reason is that this first installment alone tackles a lot of themes: war, nationalism, technoscientism, media consumption and manipulation, the blurring limits between physical and virtual reality, education systems, generational gaps induced by technology, artificial procreation, old people robbing the youth of their dreams, the meaning of family and interpersonal bonds, and even transidentity (albeit briefly). And it is quite remarkable that almost all of those themes are represented by one object: the Gauntlet and the idea of “parallel processing” associated with it.

It's gonna be a long and messy review, I'll probably forget to mention some aspects of the story or overlook others, and I won't talk about every single character, but I'll try to cover the essential parts. Not easy considering how densely-packed the story is, but let's go!

So to start, I should probably focus on this VN's protagonist, Mitake Miyao. On a surface level, he's a bit of what you'd call a “tsundere”: harsh, a little irritable and sarcastic with his pals, but always well-meaning and easy to befriend in the end. One of the running threads of the story so far is that he's too well-meaning in fact, idealistic to a fault, which contributes to his odd charisma but also makes the increasing realization of his powerlessness all the more depressing. You don't want to see this guy fail, but because of the way the story is framed, you know he inevitably will.

For a while, the narration and dialogue like to repeat that “youngsters are each generation's main characters”, but that's a sentiment I couldn't quite share − in our real world, youngsters may be the ones will all the dreams, but they sure as hell aren't the ones making the decisions. The climate change crisis, for example, wouldn't be left unaddressed if that was the case. And sure enough, Ciconia isn't so naïve as to ignore that reality. Every single step of the way, Miyao thinks he can use his power to overturn the situation. Every single step of the way, he's reminded that in the end he's just a pawn moving however his higher-ups or other nebulous forces wish him to. That's a really powerful and relatable theme in this day and age, which raises the question of how far you can oppose a system you're an essential part of.

One thing that makes Miyao special, at least compared to his pals from the AOU, is that he's “ciconia-born” − born from natural procreation. Which means that unlike Jayden or Gunhild, he has bilogical family bonds but also hasn't been subjected to a genetic selection that would predetermine his path in life. At least supposedly, but we gradually learn that that may not quite be the case. In fact, that biological link to Toujirou ends up acting as a tether that robs Miyao of even more control on his own life than he thought, leading to the final tragedy of this first Phase.

There also lies this story's commentary on technology and man's increasing dependence on it − technology makes the kids' life easier, but it's also their undoing. One technology prevented an apocalypse that another caused, and the loss of the former brings about a new apocalypse. Humans created the 8MS but only a handful of scientists have a full understanding of how it works, just like today's technology are only fully understood by a small elite of technicians. We are increasingly dependent on tools whose principles are increasingly out of our grasp. Again, the Gauntlet is another reflection of that.

But back to Miyao and the Gauntlet Knights. In retrospect, it is clear that the way both the characters and readers learn about most dramatic developments through disincarnated news reports (with a goofy “news flash” alert by the frog AI Keropoyo to make it worse) is meant to build up that feeling of powerlessness, and also of disconnect. We should be alarmed that war is approaching, that terrible things are happening… but it all feels distant. After all, do you cry or tremble in fear when you learn that an eathquake killed a thousand people on the other side of the globe? No, you'll think “it's terrible” for a minute and then move on, because what can you do about it? Reading the second half of Ciconia felt a lot like that. And while that's part of the message, it is also to the detriment of the reading experience a lot of the time.

For a while (around the 60-to-80% portion of the game, roughly) we get a lot of redundant dialogue about commenting the news and Miyao rambling on about how they're all COMRADES MAINTAINING THE WALLS OF PEACE, again and again and again, to the point it becomes annoying. That's my only real gripe with the game − the feeling that, at times, Ryukishi forgot he was writing a story and went into political or philosophical essays about its themes instead. Maybe a manga or anime adaptation could help make these parts more… show-don't-telly. But as it is, it could have used some serious trimming down. That's hardly something entirely new − who can forget Krauss' tangent about 1986 Japan's economic situation or Beatrice's explanation of Hempel's crow? But in Ciconia the narration doesn't seem to come from any specific point of view except that of the author (and even on that front, the opening disclaimer warns us that the views expressed don't necessarily reflect the author's opinions), so those parts become all the more conspicuous. Unless this all turns out to be part of a Witch's game, which wouldn't be surprising.

Where Ciconia shines however, is at weaving a web of connections between the characters, one by one, to make you care about some and suspicious of others, sometimes both, and deliberately confuse you about who really controls whom. First we have the kids, with Warcat and Grave Mole which instantly grew on me (the slice-of-life TIPS focused on them had some of my favorite scenes actually), then the other kette with their own quirky charms… then the “villains”, with Toujirou and Seshat, then the Three Kings and Jestress who has a delightful dynamic with Toujirou, and then Toujirou is revealed to be Miyao's father, etc... It's a testament to how well all of those characters are established that I could remember almost all of them very quickly despite their massive number. Save for the Cairo Squad maybe. They're just kinda there. The (mostly) gorgeous character designs certainly help, even if Ryukishi still has a somewhat loose grasp of body proportions and of the… number of fingers on human hands. There's some improvement even in that department though.

While Miyao is for the most part the center of the cast, at least on the kids' side, that doesn't mean the others aren't interesting in their own right. Jayden is your classic “best buddy dudebro” whose easygoingness lets him bounce off Miyao's more strait-laced personality in a fun way, but his relationship with Meow, Miyao's “little sister” who shares the same body, allows him to show more sensitivity and shyness he would otherwise have. Speaking of Meow, she brings about another interesting element of worldbuilding − the existence of “Congenital Parallel Processors”, or CPPs, i.e. people born with multiple personalities, who are not considered mentally ill but a full-fledged minority with its own issues and “coming outs”. Although that aspect isn't developped much (Meow herself kind of disappears from the radar in the second half), we do get other examples of how it can manifest, notably with the character of Naima, whose unnamed alter-ego is violently protective of her, or Rukshana who's prone to abrupt personality changes when she laughs. The way Jayden kinda walks on eggs but genuinely tris to to treat Meow as her as her own person while respecting her and Miyao's privacy is frankly adorable, and I almost wish we got more of that at least in the TIPs!

The kette I found the most interesting, though, was Grave Mole, composed of Chloe, Lilja and Koshka. While a lot of characters have issues, all three of these girls are complete mental wrecks to some degree. Koshka spends her time between grumpily taking part in Kizuna chat rooms and horrific body experiments (usually simultaneously) when she's not training, Lilja has to take drugs to pretend like she's a happy, cute and mischievous cat-girl for the sake of making Koshka a more-or-less functional human being, and Chloe has to constantly deal with unfair punishments and a constantly battered self-esteem. As comedic as Okonogi's angry rants and karate-chops are played (and as much as I like this version of Okonogi, strangely enough), that scene where she gleefully lets Lilja be killed in battle makes it clear that her mental state is just as unstable as the other two's.

On the antagonists' side, things are a lot more blurry: a lot of them utter the arc phrase “All is in the name of guiding humanity down the right path.” However, what the right path is seems to vary depending on who says it. That's where a lot of the mystery lies − be it with Jestress, Seshat or Toushirou, their goals seem contradictory, and Tak… I mean Vier Dreissig doesn't even seem to have a goal beyond SCIENCE. But a big part of Phase 1's hook is that constant uncertainty as to who is playing whom and for what purpose. Even the Three Kings, who seem like your bog standard Illuminati knock-offs, might not be as much in control as they seem − hell, one of the big catastrophes (the fatal damage to the atmospheric 8MS) happens completely outside of their control, in an almost comically sudden way.

Speaking of comical… let's get to what I found personally fascinating but what other readers might have gripes with: the brutal tonal shifts and dissonances throughout the story. A cheery scene to announce the big success of a plan for the Order of the Public Bath? Keropoyo pops up to gleefully announce… an avalanche of terrible news that make the success from a minute ago meaningless. A big conference for peace where World War IV will most certainly be stopped? All of its participant die in an “accidental” explosion. Not to mention characters that are walking balls of tone dissonance like Chloe (who has many comical scenes but is clearly broken beyond repair) or the Yeladot Shavit girls (who by the end are forced to spew out fanatical bullshit with the same sparkly smile they sport when gushing about yuri ships).

This is of course embodied by the incredible climax where all the Gauntlet Knights celebrate their comraderie together in a virtual room… while their real selves are busy killing each other lest they're court-martialed for treason. The moment where all of Miyao's ideals are brutally trashed and scattered in a battle we don't even know the purpose of. The moment where the kids' taent for “parallel processing” becomes their sole mean of escaping the horror of their situation. The moment where all the absurdity, all the unfairness explodes in a depressing flourish. The moment also where the thematic resonance with Umineko becomes fully apparent − how can we not be reminded of Sayo and Maria escaping their shitty lives through their magic? Though of course Rose Guns Days also constantly came to mind, with the focus on war and nationalism, Japan being divided between a union led by the US and one led by China, and two of Miyao's closest friends being the American Jayden and the Chinese Lingji; as well as Miyao being an idealistic and charismatic leader-by-circumstance whose dreams crash into a wall much like Rose's in RGD.

So…

All in all, Ciconia might not entirely be what I expected from a When They Cry game, but it is certainly what I expect from a 07th Expansion game: a thought-provoking experience. Again, I finished my reading shocked and confused. Although it might seem like it shows its cards more explicitly than the openers of Higurashi and Umineko, deception still plays a big part in the story, even if the interaction with the reader is less direct.

Now there might be no murder mystery for the reader to solve, but that won't stop me from speculating! The invisible turning point to me is the “Proof of a Program” chapter, where Blue Miyao tells Miyao that he'll show him someone's face, and that that will activate Miyao's murder program instantly. Miyao first laughs it off, but then the scene brutally cuts to something that might be a flashback, a flash-forward or a nightmare, maybe all of that at once… The most graphically horrifying scene of the entire game, to the point it's almost at odds with the rest. And then… it's never mentioned again. Not even when Miyao meets again with Blue Miyao. Like it never happened. My theory is that everything Miyao experiences from that point onward is some kind of simulation, and that's where the obligatory When They Cry time loop will come from this time. See you in May for the answer?

That is all for today, folks!

[reikiajakoiranruohoja]

Homonculi- Chapter 3: The Heart

There are days, once in a while, where Steven wishes his father had denied any contact between him and the gems. Like in comics or TV, where the young hero has to fight against their forbidding parents.

Only, Steven would have been content then. No war, no murder mystery, no fear of death from gems loyal to his mother.

Of course, he quickly pushes these thoughts from his mind. Without him, the Cluster would have emerged, without him, Peridot and Lapis would have never joined the Crystal Gems. Or Bismuth. And what about Pearl, Garnet and Amethyst? Would they have stayed the same, never learning anything?

-He- is the reason for all of it. He is the hero.

It just never feels like it did at first, before Lapis' mirror. Now, he is always responsible for the health of his family. He has to carry them all with his leadership.

It isn't -fair-, but Steven has begun to realise nothing ever is.

He is, after all, a Diamond.

It is hard, to go from a wanted criminal and the son of a murderer to the head of the very government he was the enemy of. Within a year at most.

So when Blue contacted him about Yellow needing a break (Yellow needs a break?), he agreed on the spot. It was not something he wanted to deal with, but he had no other choice.

They relied on him, his family.

Steven has never seen Yellow so scared, angry and uncertain sure. But now she is hugging Blue's cloak and mumbling about something. Blue offers Steven a tired smile and offers him encouragements. She is at her wits' end, Steven isn't sure how that is even possible.

They sit next to the lighthouse for a bit, Yellow shrunk down to a (mostly) human size. She doesn't say anything, just stares into the sea. Steven can respect that, so much has been said between them. A lot of hurtful things, ones that he doesn't know how to process. The silence between him and Yellow is acceptance.

"Pink... What makes someone real?" Yellow asks, her voice rough. Like she had been crying for real.

"Uh, real? That they exist?" Steven tries, though he isn't sure about the question. Connie has mentioned reading philosophy books about things like this. They go over his head, though.

Why can't she be the diamond and he just a Rose Quartz?

Steven quickly pushed that thought away, he just has to accept this is how things are going to be.

Yellow turns to look at him, looking unsure and afraid still. She is not angry, which is rare for her.

"Science says that we, well not -you-, gems are only a mimicry of something else. You have bones and sinew, we don't. Yet we both get hurt and bruise the same. We are an echo of something organic" Yellow began, her eyes focusing back into the sea.

"Blue says that we are what we say we are, we make our own reality... But that just feels like one of her stories to me. You don't remember them, but she used to tell us them about everything" she continued, sighing deeply.

"So what do you think? You know humans and bodies the best, after all"

The trust she showed him scared Steven. He had grown used to Yellow yelling or snarking, never letting her positive emotions show.

(He had grown used to seeing her as a threat.)

It scared him for another reason, as well. He hadn't really thought about them when he had revealed himself as Pink. They were family, but they were also the reason for all the bad on Earth. It hadn't yet sunk in for him, what he meant for them. -He-, not his mother.

Yellow was asking this from him because who -he- was.

"Uhh, well... Dad used to read me this story of a plush rabbit...uh, it wanted to be real. But what made it real was how its owner loved it. I guess its like that with us... I mean, yeah you guys are just projections, but you still care for each other like people do. Pearl cared for mom like dad cared for mom.." Steven spoke. This was far beyond his ability, but he had to try.

Because who else could?

"It is the same, you love Blue and she loves you"

Yellow listened, not interrupting him even though she should have. She should have corrected him, sneered at Pearl loving mom. But no, she was silent.

"Interpersonal connections, other gems making us real..." Yellow muttered after a while, wiping her eyes. Steven looked around for Blue, but she was nowhere.

"Such a silly thing, such an -insignificant- thing, others making us real. Ha!" Yellow continued, sneering now like he had expected her to. It fell soon afterwards into a weak laugh, though.

"It is true, though" she stated, lowering her head to stare at her feet.

"Uh, you could tell me about how you and Blue met?" Steven asked, offering Yellow an awkward smile. She stared at him, squinting her eyes (unsure, uncertain) before nodding.

They sat there, watching the sunset, as Yellow told him about how she and Blue had lived as young diamonds. It was strange and sad, Yellow didn't seem to know any happy stories. But it wasn't her stories that mattered, it was how she seemed to brighten up when recalling Blue's various exploits or how they had escaped punishment.

Steven knew gems were real, he had always known it. But he had forgotten that Blue and Yellow were real as well. Not bad guys from stories, not monster from his nightmares. He was real for them, too.

He hoped his mother could hear it, as well.

[bob-dude]

Beast Morphers, a breath of fresh air.

My reaction can be summed up by the old Nostalgia Critic line of: Effort, Honest to God effort. Though, to go in more detail:

1. Like the gym and the martial arts class, gives MMPR vibes while being modern enough to still be it’s own thing.

2. Blaze and Devon’s little sparing session might have it’s logical holes to it, but I think it works in the more important bigger picture of establishing their soon to be rivalry as well as Devon’s fighting skills as a whole. Plus, it’s just a damn solid fight scene, ‘instructor going to far/Blaze in the right’ logic be damned.

3. Holy shit, Comic Relief that’s actually funny. I mean, keep away the fart gags and keep up the same energy as the Security Duo had going on in this episode and we’ll be golden. In all seriousness, I do like that Ben and Betty (well, mostly Betty) have their hearts in the right place and try to go out and help when shit goes down. They’ve at least got a better moral head on their shoulders than Victor and Monty ever did, which is probably why I liked em along with the comedic timming actually working this time around. One gag I did like was how Betty stands on a step ladder at the desk, it’s a cute little visual gag that get’s her lack of height across without being overly in your face about it.

4. Ravi’s been called the most stiff of the rangers but unlike, say, Samurai’s Kevin I think it fits the character far better. Like, at least in my book i saw it more as a purposeful restrained kinda vibe. A sort of ‘Just the Facts, Miss’ deal.

5. I’m actually really liking Devon as a character. He’s got skills, sure (but he’s not from a real Samurai family) but he’s kinda used to coasting through life and his desire to see the Grid BattleForce Holodeck thingy gives me shades of how Caarrrranger Red just wanted to drive his boss’s cool car at first. Plus, finally a dad that isn’t MIA/Dead. Freaking FINALLY!

6. Blaze might have been a jerk, sure. But being a jerk isn’t the same as being evil, evil avatar dopples not withstanding.

7. Another thing I like is how we get the name of the city and the basic gist of the show. Samrurai was so bad about this we learned it’s city’s name by way of a driver’s license.

8. The bad guy name drops don’t make 100% perfect sense but after years of ‘What’s a Power Ranger?’ I’ll take call back and continuity nods where I can get em. Plus, honestly, the writers probably just picked it because at least two of those names are from the most recent seasons (Dino Charge and Ninja Steel) than anything else.

9. Multiverse theory is fairly common knowledge, which I just think is rad all around. 

10. Like how Jackie was apart of the training and just didn’t make the cut. It’s a simple line but in this new age of ‘Who needs explanations? lol’ writing in TV and movies, it’s nice to get a passing reference to something like that. Plus, Jackie’s actress just sells the optimism and energy of her char.

11. This episode was all original footage and I’m perfectly okay with this. Like, don’t get me wrong, sentai has some damn good fight scenes but I’ve grown increasingly unimpressed with the mecha battles for years by this point.

12. The episode feels small in scale but not claustrophobic or disappointingly small. Like, we get just enough taste of the ranger’s powers and fights to want more vs trying to cram in a henchmen + monster of the week + mecha battle all within 22 some minutes. Gives it a more interpersonal vibe that I dig.

13. Actually really liked the interactions with Roxy and Ravi, both in the locker room and in the flashback. It’s enough to give us that they have a history as well as why they broke up (Ravi seems like a stickler for the rules, at least for this first episode).

14. Gee, Bandi of America, maybe if the sentai didn’t have a great toyline ya should have, oh I don’t know, MADE YOUR OWN FREAKING TOYS TO GO WITH THE LINE YA FREAKING DUMBASSES!

15. Please tell me Chip gives a shit about LupinPat, Kyuranger, and Rusolder. Because the difference of when he actually gives a shit about the sentai in question and when he doesn’t is night and freaking day.

16. Commander Shaw being Ravi’s mom is just freaking beautiful. She’s like one big giant middle finger to Neo Saban’s lack of moms. And gives me Director  Aya Odagiri from Jetman vibes. This is a good thing.

17. This is a small thing but I really like the unmorph sequence. Good use of the environment, solid battle dialogue (no puns, actual insults!), plus, it ultimately shows why the ability to Morph and even up the score is needed in the first place. Sure, just because your good a karate and can fight doesn’t mean the enhanced physical abilities/special powers that most PR/Super Sentai members are implied/shown to have (depending on the season) aren’t a step up and put you on a more even playing field with the forces of evil or whatever.

18. I could point out some of the cliche lines in the episode (”You got to believe me!” and others like it) but I’m way past the point of caring if some well used chestnuts are thrown in here and there. Cliches are the nuts and bolts of communications, after all.  

19. Like how Commander Shaw was willing to take Devon’s warning seriously. Evox still messed shit up but that’s not for a lack of competence on Grid Battleforce’s part (maybe their software but hey, even Zone Alarm has it’s limits I guess).

So, yeah. Those are my thoughts on the first episode of Beast Morphers. It’s not perfect, but shit, nothing ever is and focusing on the minutia like “How does the Mayor know about Sledge he wasn’t a treat to the mainline PR universe!” is missing the point, I think. At the end of the day, it’s such a step up in quality from Ninja Steel that I’m left wondering where the effort for that season was? Show might still tank in the end but as far as first impressions went, Hasbro knocked it out of the park on this one.

[epacer]

Useful Info for Student to Know

‘Adulting’ is hard. UC Berkeley has a class for that

Conner Wright is carrying a demanding course load in his final year as an English major at UC Berkeley: antebellum American literature, introduction to music therapy and a research seminar on William Shakespeare.

The 20-year-old senior is immersed in the works of Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Herman Melville and Harriet Jacobs.

But Wright, who is anticipating his graduation in May, has the self-awareness to know he needed a little something extra to prepare for his launch into a post-college world, that a superior ability to interpret classic literary works may not be enough.

So he signed up for a class on “adulting,” where he is learning to create and stick to a personal budget, build a resume and apply for jobs and navigate romantic relationships in a time when online interactions are eclipsing face-to-face encounters.

“I need to learn how to get this adult thing down and manage life,” Wright said.

The class, which has 30 students enrolled in each section, is led by two Berkeley undergrads who plan discussion topics and schedule guest speakers to fill 90 minutes each week. The “adults in training” are among thousands of people across the country who have signed up for courses that focus on things such as cooking or budgeting or time management.

Adulting classes for college students and postgrads have swelled in popularity in recent years, in part because many high schools have largely abandoned “life skills” courses such as home economics, which were created to help students navigate the path to adulthood.

That trend, combined with armies of hovering parents who emphasize academic achievement to the exclusion of almost everything else, has resulted in university classrooms filled with students who scored a 5 on their AP Physics test, but struggle to plan for a week’s worth of groceries and meals.

In Portland, Maine, the Adulting School offers in-person classes on “soft” skills, such as interviewing, conflict resolution and making friends, along with topics such as personal finance and basic home maintenance.

Principal Rachel Flehinger said her students, who are typically in their 20s and 30s, have experienced their share of disdain over their so-called entitlement and laziness.

“We’ve had clients who are millennials having major anxiety that they didn’t have these skills and didn’t feel successful as an adult,” she said. “There’s a lot of self-loathing that happens.”

Similar classes or in-person workshops have popped up at libraries and universities across the country, in private groups on social media and even on blogs tailored to college students. Some high schools have scheduled seminars on life skills as a way to prepare their students for life after graduation.

Sometimes students come up with their own solutions.

Neither Belle Lau of Washington nor Jenny Zhou of Arizona felt fully prepared for life away from home when they arrived at Berkeley two years ago. When Lau moved out of the dorms and into her own apartment during her sophomore year, her lack of self-reliance at the time became apparent. She was working, attending classes and, for the first time, had to plan her own meals, put money aside and cover her expenses. She quickly realized that she was spending too much money eating out all the time.

Lau and Zhou noticed that many of their peers were having similar struggles.

“We’re thrown out into this world and have little idea about what the heck we’re supposed to do,” said Lau, 21. “I think in general we all feel a little bit lost and don’t know where to start.”

To remedy that, Lau and Zhou, 20, decided to create their own class.

When it was first offered last spring, every one of the 30 spots was filled. Seventy students had to be turned away.

Lau and Zhou added a second session this semester. More than 200 students filled out applications explaining why they wanted to take the 12-week course. The women accepted fewer than half who applied.

Adulting is one of dozens of student-run courses in the university’s DeCal (Democratic Education at Cal) program, in which students create and facilitate their own classes on topics that include those practical and fun and often aren’t addressed in traditional curriculum. The project is rooted in the ideals of Berkeley’s free speech movement, launched in the 1960s when students pressed for and won greater academic rights.

There’s a class on criminal psychology, which “aims to analyze the minds of criminals, particularly of those who commit heinous crimes,” in an effort to understand factors that influenced their behaviors and led them to commit violent offenses. Students enrolled in “Intro to Baking” learn to make bread, cakes, pastries and other confections “without setting you or your roommates on fire,” according to the course catalog.

Another course takes participants on a journey to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry through discussions of Harry Potter novels.

The courses in DeCal count for one or two credits and are offered as pass/no pass; as a result, students say they are unlikely to add to their stress levels.

“College is a time of so many transitions — the losing of certain reference points — and it’s relatively sudden,” said Nancy Liu, an assistant clinical professor of psychology at UC Berkeley and the faculty sponsor for the adulting class this semester. “You’re on your own for the first time, you’re navigating a large system with limited support, you’re taken out of past comforts and starting anew, you have new tasks that you’ve never had to deal with before.

“Add to that the stress of a high-pressure academic environment, it makes sense that many would feel overwhelmed,” she said.

“College also sets the tone for much of what comes afterward: fostering those daily habits and routines; balancing work, school and life; remembering to file your taxes and keeping a budget; learning how to navigate interpersonal challenges with less scaffolding or support from experienced others. It seems crucial to address it head-on in a way that was valuable to students,” Liu said.

When Lau and Zhou decided to create a class, they initially envisioned a course in cooking, a passion they share. That idea morphed into life hacks and, later, adulting.

When the two began brainstorming a syllabus, daily tasks such as laundry, sewing and car maintenance didn’t make the cut. Instead, they focused on topics that are more abstract: time management, budgeting, fitness and nutrition, and relationships.

Each 90-minute session features a presentation from Zhou and Lau, juniors majoring in molecular and cell biology and integrative biology, respectively, and an outside expert who visits the class in person or via video chat. Last year, a recruiter from Lyft prepped students about job searches and a former accountant discussed filing taxes.

Those accepted into the classes, mostly seniors, have lamented that many of the things they were learning weren’t taught by their parents.

Lau’s mother, Allie Wu, says that parents “don’t trust their kids enough to do things on their own,” adding that “when they’re at home their parents pretty much take care of everything for them.”

Wu says she has always been very independent, a trait that was a necessity when she arrived in the United States from Taiwan as a 22-year-old to pursue her MBA. Wu hoped her daughter would leave home with the same sense of self-sufficiency. But when Lau confessed to her mother that she struggled a bit her first year at Berkeley, Wu said she began to worry.

Those concerns dissipated when Lau told her about the adulting class she wanted to start with a friend.

Wu, who visited the class last year to talk about taxes, said the course is “wonderful” and “unique.”

“I know she’s in a good place now. I’m very proud of her,” Wu said. “She knows what she wants and what she needs to accomplish her goals.”

During the first week of “adulting” at Berkeley this semester, students were asked to come up with goals that were “SMART”— specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-based.

To kick it off, Zhou asked whether anyone had ever set a goal they didn’t accomplish.

A few hands shot up. Several people shifted uncomfortably in their chairs. A handful looked around the room.

In less than a minute, everyone’s hand was in the air.

After a brief lecture, Lau and Zhou split the class into groups of six, each assigned to discuss their goals for the semester. Precision was rewarded; vagueness had to be remedied.

Students shuffled their desks into haphazard circles in the classroom and made quick introductions. They bantered about the dread of 8 a.m. classes and late-night studying marathons that would compound that trepidation as the semester dragged on.

Then things got uncomfortable.

Some of the students spoke in hushed tones as they shared the goals they had written on sheets of paper in front of them and, along with those, their insecurities that they might not be doing this whole grown-up thing quite right.

Wright spoke up first. His goal was to build more healthful habits with diet and exercise before graduation. The group nodded in agreement.

Several students said better time management would make a huge difference in their lives. One woman, a junior, said planning and establishing a routine might keep her from staying up all night cramming for exams.

Another piped up, saying she’d like to get more done during the day by limiting how much time she spends on her phone — a common distraction.

Kate Curtis, a 21-year-old senior who showed up 10 minutes late to the class with a look of embarrassment and a quick apology, said she’s long struggled with punctuality. She’s been late so many times to her job at a fast-food restaurant that her manager recently pulled her into a meeting to discuss it. She was humiliated and ashamed.

“I want to learn to be dependable. I want other people to be able to count on me,” she said.

Curtis, who transferred to Berkeley from a community college in Orange County, said she lived at home for the first two years of college and feels she was coddled longer than her peers.

“I’m eight hours away from home now, so I’m actually on my own. I have to find my own doctor if I’m sick. I’ve just signed up for my first loan, and I’m not really understanding what I’m getting into,” she said.

Lau acknowledged that she and Zhou don’t have all the answers, but she’s quick to note that parents shouldn’t be faulted for their children’s lack of real-world knowledge.

“Maybe it is our parents who aren’t teaching us these things we thought we should already know, but we don’t want to blame our parents for us being naive or ignorant,” she said. “It’s our responsibility as college students to know that if we’re struggling in some aspect, there are resources out there for us.” *Reposted article from the UT by Hannah Fry of December 10, 2019

[baliwsiya]

My Dream Jobs

When i was a kid, my dream job is to be a veterinarian. I'm very thankful that my papa purchased me a laptop and I enjoy playing computer games. I love to hang out with my cousins and play computer games, I like editing photos and making graphics art. When I grow up, I think my dream job to be focused around technology. Technology has been a huge portion of my life since I was teenager. I didn't think that as I grew up my technology understanding would be leveled up, and I didn't expect computer studies to be my field. I discover a bunch of technology every night and I study to broaden my understanding.

I am also guilty of giving up a bunch of dreams in my adolescent life. There was the vision I had of being an army since childhood. There's the one I wanted to be a sea-woman to earn a lot of cash and the one I wanted to cook like a cruise ship chef. Personally, I don't understand anyone on their way to a dream job, but if I knew someone personally, I would inform that individual that even though the path to their dream life might be hard, they always have to keep in mind the final outcome of their life. The end result of their goal should be the one thing that will push them forward throughout their path. Challenges should also be a large component of their dream job. Without professional difficulties, that individual would not be willing to develop and discover fresh strengths in their life. Growth in a profession, particularly if its enthusiasm for individuals is very crucial in going forward in a profession. Challenges also demonstrate how much a individual likes their profession, if they want that much, then they will move through the difficulties that are placed in their journey.

I then had the idea of becoming a software engineer or systems engineer and being beneficial in the industry and gaining more expertise with job applications and inspiring many individuals who want to follow the same field. Now, let me share my dream careers.

1.) Software Engineer

What is Software Engineering?

According to techopedia, software engineering is the method of evaluating user needs and developing, building and evaluating end-user apps that will meet these requirements through the use of software programming languages.

What does a Software Engineering do?

Credits: Learn How To Become How to Become a Software Engineer?

Completing a two- or four-year computer science degree has until recently been the only path to successfully launching a career as a software engineer. Other math- and science-related degrees in fields like information systems, electronics, and civil engineering, or even one-off courses via community colleges have also enabled folks to transition to a career in software development.

Every Industry Needs Software With the proper qualifications, a software engineer can work in almost any industry with any type of organization. While IT firms lead the pack in hiring software developers, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, healthcare facilities, transit and logistics companies, and every other business under the sun needs software.

How much is their salary?

This is the salary of a google software engineer in California.

2.) Systems Engineer 

What is a Systems Engineering?

According to Wikipedia, Systems engineering is an interdisciplinary field of engineering and engineering management that focuses on how to design and manage complex systems over their life cycles. Also  systems engineering is about dealing with work-processes and managing risks with the help of tools.

What does software engineering do?

Systems engineers are critical to the development, maintenance and security of a company’s technology infrastructure. As a systems engineer, you will be responsible for installing, testing, configuring and optimizing computer hardware and software systems. Additional responsibilities include:

Monitor existing systems to ensure structural integrity.

Oversee the development and installation of new hardware and software.

Install and configure operating systems and other software and routinely test installed software for glitch detection and other issues.

Provide technical direction to IT support staff.

Ensure constant availability of technical resources.

Design and implement security systems and redundant backups to maintain data safety.

Write custom scripts to reduce the need for human intervention.

How to become a systems engineering?

1.) Familiarize yourself with industry requirements

To qualify for systems engineer positions, you should have a thorough understanding of both business and engineering as well as experience installing and maintaining business software and hardware. Some employers also require additional credentials, such as a license from the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) or International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE).

2.) Gain the necessary education

While there is no national requirement to become a systems engineer, most employers require applicants to have a bachelor’s degree or master’s degree in systems engineering, computer science, information systems, mathematics or another related field.

3.) Learn the right technical skills

To become a systems engineer, you should have in-depth technical knowledge of how technology systems are designed, built and maintained. Successful systems engineers also have expertise in a wide variety of computer hardware and software, desktop and mobile operating systems, cybersecurity best practices, data backup and management and automation. You should also have a working knowledge of popular operating systems including Microsoft, Apple and Linux.

4.) Build relevant soft skills

To prepare for a career in systems engineering you should focus on developing skills in problem-solving, interpersonal communication and team leadership.

5.) Prepare for Interview

Always take time to prepare a few speaking points before meeting with an employer. When interviewing for a job as a systems engineer, it’s important to highlight your technical skills and relevant education as well as soft skills such as written and verbal communication, project management, patience and attention to detail. Be prepared to share examples of how you’ve overcome complex engineering issues in previous experiences.

How much is their salary?

Common salary in US: $91,342 yearly Typical salaries range from $59,741 – $139,657 yearly

3.) System Administrator

What is a System Administrator?

According to Computer Science Hub, If you have ever considered a career in the information technology field, becoming a systems administrator would definitely be a great start! Organizations and businesses of all sizes have sizable network and computer infrastructure and require highly skilled administrators who have the experience and knowledge to manage these seemingly complicated and complex operations. Here is a comprehensive overview of what this profession does and how much one should expect to make.

What does System Administrator do?

System admins are responsible for the daily management, upkeep and configuration of computer systems of an organization or business. This includes installing and managing desktop and laptop computers, servers, networks, IT security systems and other critical components of an organization’s IT infrastructure. System admins are also responsible for determining appropriate IT policies for businesses, supervising lower-level technician staff and also may be in charge of the purchasing of IT equipment. Administrators typically are IT generalists and do not necessarily specialize in any particular concentration. However, much larger organizations may require more specialists as IT needs become more complex over time.

How to become a System Administrator?

System admins are responsible for the daily management, upkeep and configuration of computer systems of an organization or business. This includes installing and managing desktop and laptop computers, servers, networks, IT security systems and other critical components of an organization’s IT infrastructure. System admins are also responsible for determining appropriate IT policies for businesses, supervising lower-level technician staff and also may be in charge of the purchasing of IT equipment. Administrators typically are IT generalists and do not necessarily specialize in any particular concentration. However, much larger organizations may require more specialists as IT needs become more complex over time.

How much is their salary?

According to the United States Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, Systems Admins make approximately $72,000 a year. Salary will depend on level of education, years of experience, location, industry and the size of organization. Salaries will be higher in larger metropolitan areas such as New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago. Salaries also tend to be higher for those with particular specializations. Network administrators who have serious certifications like Cisco, can easily make over $100,000 working for any mid to large-sized organization or agency.

4.) Desktop Support Engineer

What is a Desktop Support Engineer?

Desktop Support Engineers are IT professionals who fix issues with an organization’s desktop computers and laptops, as well as handle concerns with servers and security issues affecting business networks. Desktop Support Engineers most often work as part of a helpdesk team, reporting to the Senior Systems Administrator or Engineer and sometimes supervise junior helpdesk employees. As computer issues can arise at any time, Desktop Support Engineers may be expected to work a variety of shifts, including nights and weekends. Although they are able to access other employees’ computers virtually and mostly work from their office or desk, they may have to travel to individual work sites and server rooms, often being required to pick up and carry heavy equipment and parts.

What does Desktop Support Engineers do?

A Desktop Support Engineer’s ultimate aim is to provide support to an organization’s staff members to make sure all computers, network connections and software are properly functioning. To achieve this, a variety of tasks come into play. Based on our analysis of job postings, these are the core Desktop Support Engineer duties and responsibilities. 

How to become Desktop Support Engineer?

To become a desktop support engineer, you need fully developed computer skills. You need a strong background in information technology (IT), with at least a bachelor’s degree in computer science or IT. However, it is possible to gain the necessary skills through on-the-job experience. Look for entry-level positions on IT teams. While a desktop support engineer can be an entry-level position for those with a degree, you may still need prior experience. Additional qualifications include strong communication and problem-solving skills.

How much is their salary?

According to JobHero, Desktop Support Engineers are categorized as Computer Support Specialists, a group that earns a median yearly salary of $48,600. Professionals living in District of Columbia, Massachusetts and California earn the highest median salaries in the U.S.: $60,600, $58.900 and $57,700, respectively. The lowest paid Desktop Support Engineers around the country earn $29,000, while the highest-paid earn $81,300.

5.) Graphic Artist/Designer

What is Graphic Artist/Designer?

According to Truity, Graphic designers create visual concepts, by hand or using computer software, to communicate ideas that inspire, inform, or captivate consumers. They develop the overall layout and production design for advertisements, brochures, magazines, and corporate reports.

What does Graphic Artist/Designer do?

Graphic designers typically do the following:

Meet with clients or the art director to determine the scope of a project

Advise clients on strategies to reach a particular audience

Determine the message the design should portray

Create images that identify a product or convey a message

Develop graphics for product illustrations, logos, and websites

Select colors, images, text style, and layout

Present the design to clients or the art director

Incorporate changes recommended by the clients into the final design

Review designs for errors before printing or publishing them

Graphic designers combine art and technology to communicate ideas through images and the layout of websites and printed pages. They may use a variety of design elements to achieve artistic or decorative effects.

Graphic designers work with both text and images. They often select the type, font, size, color, and line length of headlines, headings, and text. Graphic designers also decide how images and text will go together on a print or webpage, including how much space each will have. When using text in layouts, graphic designers collaborate closely with writers who choose the words and decide whether the words will be put into paragraphs, lists, or tables. Through the use of images, text, and color, graphic designers can transform statistical data into visual graphics and diagrams, which can make complex ideas more accessible.

Graphic design is important in the sales and marketing of products, and is a critical component of brochures and logos. Therefore, graphic designers, also referred to as graphic artists or communication designers, often work closely with people in advertising and promotions, public relations, and marketing.

Graphic designers also need to keep up to date with the latest software and computer technologies to remain competitive.

How to become a Graphic Designer?

Graphic designers usually need a bachelor’s degree in graphic design or a related field. Candidates for graphic design positions should demonstrate their creativity and originality through a professional portfolio that features their best designs. Also, the qualifications are Graphic Design Skills, Layout Skills, Creative Services, Customer Focus, Creativity, Flexibility, Attention to Detail, Deadline-Oriented, Desktop Publishing Tools, Acute Vision, Handles Rejection.

How much is their salary? 

According to truity, the median annual wage for graphic designers was $44,150 in May 2012. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $26,250, and the top 10 percent earned more than $77,490.Most graphic designers work full time, but schedules can vary depending on workload and deadlines.In 2012, about 24 percent of graphic designers were self-employed. Graphic designers who are self-employed may need to adjust their workday to meet with clients in the evenings or on weekends. In addition, they may spend some of their time looking for new projects or competing with other designers for contracts.

[reactingtosomething]

Reacting to X-Men: Evolution

An Entry Into the "Popular Girl Who Isn't a Bitch" Genre

The Setup: Find Miri and guest reactor Caroline’s reaction to the 90s X-Men cartoon, specifically the Dark Phoenix Saga, here. This installment directly continues that conversation and covers both X-Men: Evolution and comparisons between the two series.

Among other things, Evolution has the distinction of introducing Laura Kinney, a.k.a. X-23, who soon migrated to the comics, and whom most people now know from Logan. But as previously established, Miri is especially fond of Evolution’s Rogue, so for comparison to the 90s animated series, she and Caroline watched some Rogue-centric episodes and some Jean-centric ones: the pilot, “Power Surge,” “Walk on the Wild Side,” and “Self Possessed.”

 MIRI: Ok, X-Men Evolution!

This show was one of the first pieces of culture that I can remember loving

CAROLINE: So as a youth I was SUPER against it on principle

Because I loved TAS so much

MIRI: Because it was SO different from what you knew and loved?

CAROLINE: So I never even gave it a chance

MIRI: Makes total sense to me

I appreciate you doing so now

What did you think?

CAROLINE: BUT I watched some maybe two years ago with a friend and was surprised by how much I enjoyed them!

MIRI: Yay!

CAROLINE: And I felt that way again watching these

MIRI: It’s just so charming, right?

CAROLINE: It's a very different take but one I can definitely enjoy

Oh for sure. Super charming

And I love anything that centers on a Jean/Scott love story

MIRI: I will say they are all shockingly bad at being subtle about their mutant powers. Like, the secret would be out in no time

Yes, they do the love triangle very interestingly, because it’s doubled with the whole football boyfriend thing

(Duncan?)

Yes, Duncan. AKA Jean’s terrible football boyfriend

CAROLINE: So this my main problem with the show I think: I either want ALL the X-Men to be mutant teens secretly figuring out their lives at a normal high school. Or I want the show to be set entirely at Xavier's school where everyone is a mutant

Doing both locations is just confusing to me and feels illogical within the world

MIRI: Huh. I feel like it works the way Buffy works. But I’m very biased, obviously

CAROLINE: It feels like having Xavier in their lives is too much of a safety net

Or the high school stuff is at odds with the training stuff somehow

MIRI: I see it more along the lines of Kim Possible having her life and her missions, and the tension of both against each other make each side more complex

But I will admit that the stakes are fairly uneven

CAROLINE: I guess I'm just used to the idea of the X-Mansion being a school

MIRI: And it’s unclear the extent to which they are being trained and for what purpose.

CAROLINE: So it's weird to me that they have two schools

MIRI: That makes sense

CAROLINE: And they live at one of those schools but learn at the other

MIRI: I think they may have tried to straddle the line between training these kids to be superheroes and training them to control their abilities for their own good/the safety of others

And kind of gone back and forth as the plot demanded, which isn’t great

CAROLINE: I was super into the high school stuff though

Which is why I wanted more of it

MIRI: Yeah, I think that is what works better

CAROLINE: Also Storm 100% should've been a teen too

I was a little mad about that

MIRI: Huh, so just Xavier, Wolverine, and Beast as the adults? That would have been entertaining

CAROLINE: Or... no adults

JUST TEENS

MIRI: Ooh, just all of them in high school?

I’m into that

CAROLINE: And no Wolverine, that voice actor was terrible

MIRI: What are you talking about, bub?

CAROLINE: Ha!

K: I do prefer this costume to his classic one, though

Even Wolverine as a teen would've been fine

I mean I realize that is entirely against the canon as he's ageless

But they could've made it work

Angsty teen Wolverine

MIRI: Eh, there’s plenty that’s against canon or just outside of it

Ok, I need to take a moment to just gush about how much I love angsty goth teen Rogue

Because it is A LOT

CAROLINE: Go for it!

MIRI: She has so many feelings and she wants to be loved so badly! And she makes the ridiculous outfits work shockingly well!

Basically, she was one of my first crushes and I had NO idea that was true until like 4 years ago

M: Bisexuality in a heteronormative world is an adventure, kids.

CAROLINE: I feel like the movies and these two series give us three VERY different takes on Rogue

Yet they all work really well on their own ways

MIRI: And the voice actress is amazing.

Yes! I’d say this one is a little closer to the film one, but still pretty different

CAROLINE: Yeah she's great! I great cartoon crush all around

MIRI: Hahahah thanks

Honestly, I thought the Scott/Jean/Rogue love triangle moments at the end of the “Power Surge” episode were the most compelling storytelling EVER as a kid. Especially when Jean talks through Rogue at the end

CAROLINE: Oh yeah that was heartbreaking

MIRI: I think the way people changed from x-men to Brotherhood in this show is really interesting

CAROLINE: And Rogue's powers being a metaphor for unrequited high school love is perfect

Oh yeah that one dude was super hot

Speaking of cartoon crushes

MIRI: Which one?

CAROLINE: Quake maybe?

In my head he was Gambit, which he definitely wasn't

MIRI: Ohhhhh Lance? The one Kitty seems to be dating in the second episode?

CAROLINE: Yes! I was super into him

MIRI: Not my type of unwashed 90s boy, but I respect your opinion

I like that they can be dating or friends or whatever, which on “Enemy” teams

CAROLINE: It's a fun idea

MIRI: And Tabitha can change sides, but then also be a in a girl gang with Jean, Kitty, Rogue, and Amara

CAROLINE: And another reason I feel like the show would've been better if it were an all high school series

MIRI: You may be converting me here

CAROLINE: Aahaha

I did really enjoy Kitty as well!

She wasn't a big part of TAS or really the movies either

K: In the comics, she’s actually introduced in the Dark Phoenix arc

MIRI: The fake Valley Girl thing bothered me at first, but you get used to it super fast and I like the character a lot

CAROLINE: And this series encapsulates her nicely

MIRI: No, she was super secondary in the movies

Which is a shame because Ellen Page

CAROLINE: I love how diverse the X-Men are in terms of personality types

That's a fun conceit of the show

These people probably wouldn't have been high school friends if they weren't linked by their powers

MIRI: And on that score, the conceit of them all living in the Institute is nice

CAROLINE: And now they all have to figure out how to get along

That's true

MIRI: Because they’re pseudo siblings in a way they wouldn’t be without living together

CAROLINE: But also they're all dating each other?

MIRI: ….yes

CAROLINE: This is where things get weird

MIRI: Also yes

CAROLINE: And the amount of supervision they have is confusing to me

It's either a ton or none

MIRI: Mostly none

CAROLINE: The show probably just didn't want to deal with parents, which I get

But I don't think this Xavier is a great caretaker of teens

MIRI: I like the terrible attempts at lamp-shading like when the kids say “I can’t believe Duncan’s parents let him have parties”

Yeah, this Xavier is more of a Fun Uncle than a parent

CAROLINE: A recipe for disaster

Anyway the interpersonal dynamics between the teens were all great

Especially Scott and Jean, as I mentioned before

This Scott voice actor is SO much better than TAS guy

MIRI: Yeah, they really are fun. I totally forgot that it takes them so long to get together

In part because they’re clearly endgame from the beginning

CAROLINE: "Boring couples who take a long time to get together" is my favorite thing in the world

MIRI: And in part because my heart always lay with Rogue and I had a lot of sympathy for her doomed crush, since Scott clearly loved Jean

Hahahahaha

Also, they both have amazing hair

CAROLINE: SO amazing

Although I feel like this version of Jean is a little off somehow?

MIRI: Scott’s little floppy front bits are the most of the era thing

How so?

CAROLINE: From her comic book characterization I mean

I'm not sure I would immediately see her as a popular star athlete

Her empathy is spot on

MIRI: Yeah, I think they felt like that was a high school archetype they had to use or something

CAROLINE: But in my mind she would be a student council leader or something

Well-liked but maybe not "popular" in the conventional sense

MIRI: The perfect student who is perfect at everything and feels so much pressure from it feels like a story that was on every other show at the time

CAROLINE: True

MIRI: It is interesting to see an x-men (x-man?) who is popular

CAROLINE: But that is basically what I imagine for her

True!

MIRI: since they are fundamentally outsiders in so many ways

I wonder if a non-mutant friend/frenemy who inhabited that spot would have worked better

CAROLINE: There’s an interesting subtext in X-Men about mutants that can "pass" as human.

Especially with Kurt as a kind of POV character in the premiere

MIRI: VERY!

CAROLINE: Who obviously has such a bigger hurdle than Jean when it comes to joining normal society

MIRI: They did interesting (and unfortunately on the nose) things with that concept re: Beast and Mystique in First Class

And here it’s less explicitly addressed but I feel like I’m ok with that

CAROLINE: Agreed. And TAS doesn't necessarily delve into much at all

TAS kind of focuses on the big social metaphors

Whereas Evolution is about the personal side of being a mutant

MIRI: The opening Toad stuff delves into this a bit too--those guys made a lot of toad puns/insults for people who didn’t know he was a mutant

CAROLINE: And both are super compelling parts of the X-Men franchise!

MIRI: And I think the contrast of that kind of thing versus the loving “fuzzy elf” comments to Kurt from the other Xmen is interesting

Yeah, there’s a lot of different ways to use the “mutants as other” thing well

CAROLINE: I will say, while Evolutions is incredibly watchable, the episodes we watched could also feel a little shallow?

TAS crams WAY more story into 20 minutes than Evolutions seem to

MIRI: Yeah, I will not argue with that

CAROLINE: Even if it does so in a pretty stilted way

MIRI: I think this is a very clear shift to the idea that kids shows should be about kids and Kid Things

CAROLINE: Agreed

Kind of talking down to the audience at times.

MIRI: They do more than that sometimes, and there are episodes that deal with more serialized plot elements that we didn’t watch

But for the most part they are simple stories with not a whole ton going on

CAROLINE: But with solid nuance in the subtext!

MIRI: true!

CAROLINE: Just not maybe in the actual storytelling

MIRI: exactly

I think it was very much designed to be watched as a Saturday morning cartoon, in a block with like 5 other shows

CAROLINE: But I could still totally see myself watching more when I'm bored someday

They are fun and sweet and require very little from you

MIRI: I might be wrong about that, but that’s how I remember it

CAROLINE: Whereas TAS tends to feel drawn out

In a way that's both good and bad

MIRI: Yeah, it’s very easy to just let Evolutions play on autoplay

I did really love the concept of one of these episodes though, and it will probably surprise no one which it was

CAROLINE: Ha! The Rogue one?

MIRI: Actually not! I like the character moments in that a lot, but as a discrete episode concept “Walk on the Wild Side” may be one of my favorite things that has ever happened

CAROLINE: Oh yeah that one was abused and delightful

MIRI: I mean it’s kind of terrible and every genre show ever has done version of it

CAROLINE: *absurd

MIRI: but is adored it

*I

CAROLINE: It's very fun!

MIRI: A musical roller blading superhero girl gang getting dressed and bonding sequence is basically what’s lacking from all current superhero media.

(That and enough female characters of consequence to actually have a girl gang. SHADE INTENDED)

CAROLINE: And a random music video sequence!

Please see the amazing music video sequence at the end of this post!

Who doesn't want one of those?

MIRI: No one I want to know

CAROLINE: I also really loved the Rogue/Jean dynamic that seems to exist throughout the series

Kind of like the Cyclops/Wolverine one in TAS

MIRI: Yes! There’s always a tension, but also a love and kind of understanding

Like, we’re both in versions of the same situation and we can hate each other or understand each other

CAROLINE: They maybe don't always get along and are sometimes rivals but there's mutual respect and admiration there

MIRI: I really like that

CAROLINE: Not making the two "rival" female characters hate each other feels pretty progressive for the early 2000s

Or for now

MIRI: Sadly true

The gender stuff is handled super clumsily and I’m pretty sure Tabitha is a full 7 years older than Amara, but I just love the girl gang dynamic they get to SO MUCH

CAROLINE: Ha! I was really not into Tabitha

But I did love Amara

MIRI: She’s annoying, but I love that she can be well intentioned and also bad at it

I mean, she’s an asshole. Honestly, stop blowing people up in the shower and shaving people’s heads

CAROLINE: Yeah she was way too much for me

MIRI: But her destroying the car and thinking that was helpful seems very true to form to me

CAROLINE: Jean's feminist rage was amazing

MIRI: Defintiely

(I cannot type that word correctly today!)

I also really loved Scott falling out of his chair

CAROLINE: And as much as I don't fully buy into Jean's characterization I do like her as an entry into the "popular girl who isn't a bitch" genre

MIRI: A rare and compelling genre!

CAROLINE: See also: Liz in Spider-Man Homecoming

MIRI: LOVED her

CAROLINE: That blonde girl in Princess and the Frog

MIRI: Also a fave

CAROLINE: It's an underserved genre

And, again, an asset of having a big ensemble cast

Lots of POVs to sympathize with

MIRI: They did a good job of letting the focus shift in different episodes

CAROLINE: And some really solid high school metaphors! The idea of being along onstage and being able to read everyone's critiques of you is legit terrifying

MIRI: There’s a pretty reliable core of Jean/Scott/Rogue, but there are definitely episodes that focus on Kitty and Kurt, or Spyke or whoever

CAROLINE: *mentally read

MIRI: This episode and the Buffy telepathy episode combined to convince me that telepathy would be a horrifying super power

CAROLINE: I remember liking Spyke a lot, although he wasn't in any of the episodes we watched for this

MIRI: I know! I’m sorry about that

CAROLINE: Although I still maintain they just should've made Storm a teen rather than giving her a nephew

MIRI: I did get to be reminded of the fact that he SKATEBOARDS INTO BATTLE though

hahahahaha noted

CAROLINE: Keep Spyke, just make her Storm's cousin or something

*him

MIRI: I like how adamant you are on this point

CAROLINE: I feel VERY strongly about it

MIRI: Does Storm being one of the adults in the (earlier) movies bother you?

CAROLINE: No because it felt like we were supposed to be equally invested in the adults and the kids there

Although Storm was definitely underutilized, which sucks

But this is CLEARLY a teen show first and foremost

MIRI: Ahhh, it’s the sidelining that bugs you. That’s a good point

Yeah, I’m with you there

CAROLINE: Although going back to costumes, Storm's costume here is pretty cool!

MIRI: The adults don’t have plots, with the sort of exception of Mystique

CAROLINE: Not as iconic as in TAS but a sleek update

MIRI: Yes! Basically Storm is always amazing looking

CAROLINE: I was pretty happy with all the designs

Kitty's collar was adorable

Jean's costume is MUCH more flattering than in TAS

MIRI: I have serious questions about Mystique’s little skull details around her waist

Yeah, Jean upgraded

Rogue’s goth outfits are obviously amazing

CAROLINE: I have serious questions about Mystique in this series

MIRI: YES, please ask them

I do too

How long did Mystique raise Rogue? Like, did she take 5-10 years off of being Magneto’s henchwoman? Was she a stay at home mom? did she have a day job?

CAROLINE: I guess mainly just: Does she need to be here?

Ahahah

Different lines of questioning

But those too!

MIRI: Let’s do yours first, because there’s no way to answer mine

CAROLINE: She just felt out of place to me

Not sure if it's a performance thing or what

MIRI: I like her as a betrayer for Rogue, and the danger being right there in the school in a way they couldn’t fight

I feel like it may have worked better if we’d watched the whole arc, but I may just be being generous in my recollections

CAROLINE: No that's super fair

I think she was just WAY too much of a cackling villain in the premiere

And I kind of tuned out

MIRI: The moments where she talked to shadow monster Magneto (which, what even??) did feel really out of place to me

CAROLINE: Again, I kind of just want it to be a low stakes (but high for the characters) high school show

MIRI: I wonder if it was a case of the writers wanting to do the big plotty arcs like Apocalypse but not knowing how to marry them with the high school problem of the week thing

CAROLINE: Without the mythology stuff

Yeah there's clashing creative impulses there for sure

MIRI: Yeah, I think you’re right

Honestly, I didn’t remember anything about magneto or Apocalypse in this series

Not a bit

But I could have described the scene where Jean is floating in the air surrounded by stuff and they all try to help her in perfect detail

CAROLINE: Totally

MIRI: They definitely did a much better job with the teen stuff, you’re right

CAROLINE: Secretly I don't care about plot at all

I just want character moments

That's how I feel about TAS too

I don't remember storylines but I remember Storm's claustrophobia.

MIRI: I didn’t know she was claustrophobic

That’s so relatable

I love it

CAROLINE: Yes! It's SUCH a great character detail

She's an all-powerful goddess

But also has a completely relatable fear

I think there's an episode where a building collapses and she's trapped in rubble

MIRI: Also it makes total sense because her powers would not help at all

CAROLINE: I remember finding that SO compelling as a kid

MIRI: Ahhhhh that is a nightmare to me

(I actually am claustrophobic)

CAROLINE: I always relate to characters way more through their weaknesses than their strengths

YOU ARE STORM

MIRI: I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO FLATTERED

M: Look at Storm, living her best life, raising some plants, being an inspiration

K: One of the great sorrows of the movie rights separation of the X-Men from the MCU is that we may never see Storm as the Black Panther’s One Who Got Away (or, well, The One His Marriage to Whom He Annulled Because an X-Man Flooded the Capital of Wakanda While Possessed by a Fragment of the Phoenix Force)

M: I have a lot of questions

Actually that’s a lie: I was once told that I looked like the female leader of an otherwise male motor cycle gang

CAROLINE: Ha!

MIRI: And while it’s utterly untrue and ridiculous, I hold that compliment close to my heart to this day

CAROLINE: As you should!

MIRI: I look like a preschool teacher more than anything else, but I want to look like a motor cycle gang leader

At least the tv version of one

CAROLINE: You can be both

MIRI: Thank you ❤️

CAROLINE: Preschoolers are just a mini motorcycle gang

MIRI: that is SO true

Ok, one more episode that I do want to talk about specifically--the Rogue one, aka “Self Possessed”

I like that this storyline totally follows the same early beats as “Power Surge” and they have zero shame about it. They even show flashes of scenes from “Power Surge” in the cold open

CAROLINE: And I enjoyed both episodes!

MIRI: Same!

I’m also really impressed on an animation front--all of these transformations must have been a job and a half

CAROLINE: The Evolutions animation style is just so much more pleasing to watch

MIRI: Yeah, I’m way more into this one visual

CAROLINE: Even as I can appreciate the detail of TAA

MIRI: *visually

CAROLINE: *TAS

I do think "Self Possessed" gets a little style over substance at the end though

As I think Evolutions often does

MIRI: Yeah, it’s that light on story, heavy on Coolness thing again

CAROLINE: Yeah they could've crammed a lot more story in there I think

As TAS makes clear, even separate from the multi-episode structure

MIRI: The amount of story they did have definitely could have happened in 12 minutes or so

Made super clear by the way they reused clips--we only watched 3 other episodes, and we’d already seen several chunks of this episode

Also, I really can’t tell if Sabertooth has plot lines or if he just shows up to cause some indiscriminate violence whenever they need it

CAROLINE: I feel like that's what Sabertooth is best at

MIRI: I know that’s not super relevant in this episode, but it reminded me of it

That’s fair

Also, he seems to be Wolverine’s dad in this iteration??

CAROLINE: I love how drastically storylines can change between iterations

MIRI: Or maybe it was brother, which is what I think they are in other versions. I don’t know.

K: Just in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which was so bad that the Days of Future Past movie retconned most of it out of existence.

M: I may have read the graphic novelization prequel to the Wolverine origins movie.

Yeah, same toys in drastically different sandboxes

Oh, on that score--Can Mystique transform into animals in other iterations?

CAROLINE: Ooh good question!

I'm not sure

K: Not originally, but I haven’t gone through all the alternate reality versions

MIRI: It was very cool but also kind of felt like cheating to me

CAROLINE: She changes into a statue in the first live action movie

So there's that

MIRI: Ohhh, the mini state of liberty? Am I remembering that right?

CAROLINE: Yes!

MIRI: Hmmmmmm, but did she actually change to statue, or just to be a woman who looks like a statue?

Either way it’s very cool

CAROLINE: Very

Okay so I think my thesis here is that TAS and Evolutions are different in intention and flawed in different ways, but they're both GREAT with characters in their own ways.

MIRI: Agreed!

For all “Self Possessed” is story light, I do like the question of identity Rogue is always wrestling with in the face of multiple people in her head

That’s very high school/human

CAROLINE: For sure! And they do cool stuff with that in the movies as well

Kind of

MIRI: Yeah, especially the first one. Then they move more into how do I be myself when I’m so limited in how I can touch people and express myself to the world

Which is also cool and important

CAROLINE: God, X-Men are just the best

I love sci-fi as metaphor

Or superheroes as metaphor

MIRI: Me too

Honestly, one of my least favorite things about the MCU and now the DCEU is that superheroes are so Adult now

Because the exploration of it all as metaphor for teenage things is so right to me

But obviously that’s not all they can/should be used for!

Look at the government business in the beginning of the first Xmen movie

CAROLINE: X-Men as a franchise is truly always relevant

In so many ways

MIRI: That’s such solid use of sci fi as 1:1 metaphor for real life. And it’s done SO well

I really just love the Xmen franchise a lot

CAROLINE: I must say, there's one area in which TAS is CLEARLY superior to every other X-Men iteration

And that's the THEME SONG

MIRI: hahahahahahhaha

CAROLINE: Maybe the best superhero theme song ever

K: So good that this fan-made alternate title sequence for X-Men: First Class riffs on it in a cool-yet-unsettling way. (But my favorite superhero theme is probably Shirley Walker’s Danny Elfman-based Batman theme for the 90s-early 2000s DC cartoons.)

MIRI: BUT you must admit that the individual stylings of the names in the Evolution credits are delightful

CAROLINE: Sure sure. But it has nothing on that music

MIRI: Also the fact that the “credits” have their mutant names, not character names or actors’

CAROLINE: Which I was truly jamming out to while watching these eps

MIRI: Yes, the TAS music is better

CAROLINE: I had the same thought!

About the names

It's adorable

MIRI: Yes!

CAROLINE: And genuinely helpful for new viewers

MIRI: I am utterly mindblown that the two shows were so close together chronologically, because they’re so stylistically different

On every front

CAROLINE: The 90s to early 2000s was a surprisingly big shift

MIRI: TAS ran from 92-97, and Exolution was 2000-2003

(I saw that typo and left it in because I love it)

CAROLINE: And I think both series are REALLY tethered to the eras in which they were released

MIRI: Yeah, they 97 to 2000 jump sounds short, but it looks like TAS stayed very true to itself, so it’s really a difference  between a show started in 92 and one started in 2000, which is much more different

CAROLINE: Agreed

MIRI: Honestly I thought TAS was 80s at first

CAROLINE: It very much feels like that

Again because I think it was so influenced by the comics

MIRI: Whereas Evolution is so self consciously “current”

CAROLINE: And pulls almost entirely from that aesthetic

MIRI: Like, Scott has his stupid sunglasses

Which are so early 2000s and so clearly too flimsy for their intended purpose

CAROLINE: Ha! Totally

Okay: Have we reach any grand X-conclusions here?

MIRI: We seem to mostly think that all X-iterations are good X-iterations

Which may not be earth shattering, but I think is a good thing to explore

They’re trying to do very different things and mostly succeeding

CAROLINE: And that X-Men are a flexible enough idea to handle many different concepts

MIRI: Also, media creators should trust their audiences more than they usually do

CAROLINE: Which I suppose is why they were invented in the first place!

MIRI: Which is true both in TAS and Evolutions, but in different ways!

True!

Basically, it’s a great franchise and should be in everyone’s top 3 at the very least

CAROLINE: There's something for everyone in X-Men!

K: I have a special fondness for Colossus, whom I always played in the old arcade game, and who is the best part of Deadpool. Something something afraid of vulnerability something...

MIRI: What surprised you the most upon rewatch of each?

CAROLINE: Probably the depth of the character drama in both actually

MIRI: Yeah, I would have to agree there. That and how much I loved TAS Rogue. All Rogues are good Rogues, apparently

CAROLINE: #RogueForever

#BlastedSalami

MIRI: Oh, I meant to ask you--why is Jean Grey your favorite character?

CAROLINE: I really love female characters who are super powerful but also afraid and uncertain about their powers

Going back to the "flaws are relatable" thing

And I love that she's fundamentally good

Which I think some people dismiss as "boring"

But which I really love in superheroes

MIRI: That makes total sense and I think I have not given Jean Grey her due in the past

CAROLINE: She's a very easy character to overlook I think

MIRI: I’ve never been anti Jean, just never thought about her that much

Exactly

Well then I’m glad we got some good Jean focus in here!

CAROLINE: Also I feel like the male X-Men always get the most focus

MIRI: Ughhhhhhh so true

CAROLINE: So I'm glad we took a different approach

Rogue and Jean forever!

MIRI: Rogue and Jean forever!!!

CAROLINE: Separately or together

Thanks so much to Caroline for joining us! Remember to follow her on Twitter, and if you feel like it, us too.

X-Men: Evolution is streaming on Hulu.

Of course, we couldn’t leave you without the very early-aughts opening titles:

Plus, the entirety of Bayville Sirens musical superhero suit-up sequence. Please watch it, because life is hard and you deserve good things:

[elizabethrobertajones]

About Destiel... Someone close to me who loves Spn and chat with me and all that but doesn't involve in Tumblr, or fanarts or whatever bc of man stereotypes (those are crap, really) told me yesterday that Dean was egocentric. I was like Are you fúcking kidding me, but he explained that there is a very thin line between hate and love, and for Dean to hate himself he had to have loved himself before, or something like that. I think it's interesting, so i wanted to know your opinion about this

Pfft, Tumblr cooties. 

I have to say I didn’t expect that logic to go where it did :P

I think Dean has a lot of anxiety and obvious self-esteem issues, but if I was going to look at him as being egocentric I’d be much more interested in examining his personal relationships than that… I’ve been musing on this while drinking my morning coffee (and sorry, this is going to be a headache & coffee reply :P) and thinking about Dean would ever have loved himself for that to turn into hate by that logic. 

I could think of 2 suggestions for how you could get to self-hate from there - the acceptably selfish love he’d have learned for himself as a kid while Mary was still alive (someone deserving of hugs and having the crusts cut off his sandwiches) and would have been destroyed under the burden of having to put himself second or third in the family unit, especially to Sam, once they’re on the road and he’s sort of raising Sam as the stand-in mother from age 4 onwards… Dean suffers from more and more extreme arcs about the loss of self, but the first “version” of Dean is one he lost early on and might have been the only Dean really able to uncomplicatedly love himself and believe himself worthy of that love, even if it’s in that way where to a 4 year old of course they’re the centre of the universe :P

There’s also a more complex thought I had and sorry, this is first thing in the morning for me so I hope I can explain properly… (Also this reply gets really long because of that… Sorry :P)

Looking at Dean’s self-loathing backwards, in how he ever expresses positive things about himself, I’m coming up mostly with all the snarky cutesy comments about how awesome he is and so on, which is pretty much always a great big helping of performing Dean. His self-worth is tied a lot into being a hunter (and he is occasionally sincerely proud of himself there), but overall that’s another persona, and the one he grew up into instead of the happy Dean with a normal childhood who might not have so many reasons to hate himself (Dean in 2x20, what you can gather about his personal life in the dream, is still completely affected by Dean’s own perception of himself so I don’t think it’s good data on how he’d live his life if he grew up with no monsters). 

Performing Dean, which that sequence at the end of 3x10 still shows best of any moment in the show, is all (when it comes down to it) something Dean acts under the expectation of what John would want or self-policed by what he thinks John would approve of. There’s an idealised version of Dean in his own head who is basically John or what Dean thinks John would have wanted him to be, and Dean’s lack of self-esteem is sometimes (dramatically) expressed in relation to feeling like he’s disappointed this spectre of John’s memory, and a great deal of his self-loathing comes from falling short of these standards. He’s definitely got better over time and learned to express himself more (by Dean standards) but his progress is always being interrupted, and this is such a core part of Dean I don’t think he can ever completely change it without altering his life in such a way there wouldn’t even be a show any more :P It’s not strictly “love” but it’s an idealised version of himself and also a key part of Dean’s sense of self and at least in the early seasons (before 3x10 let’s say :P) the version of himself he would want to love and live up to.

Anyway… idk about linking any of that directly to Dean being egocentric? I mean, that’s a reading you can make of him, I’m just not sure what part it plays. I should probably say immediately that I think Dean is very empathetic, and so that necessarily means in general he’s putting himself in others’ shoes when we’re looking at generic interpersonal relationships, plus the whole saving people thing, mean anything else I talk about, I’m giving Dean huge allowances here because I do think he’s kind and IN GENERAL puts others first, all the time. 

I know I have a tag about Dean being the centre of the universe, but for the most part I treat that as a joke on Dean where he doesn’t know it. On the other hand, the one major major time he exerts that power, in 5x22, he absolutely makes the entire apocalypse about him and his feelings and his need to talk to Sam before Michael and Lucifer fight, and uses that to save the world, so… Idk :P It’s not strictly a bad thing at all on a grand scale? Staying in season 5 for a minute (and sorry, Superwiki is not working right now so no quotes >.>), 5x11 explores Dean’s sense of the burden of the entire planet, and I think you could argue either way that he has an altruistic sense of having to save everyone, or focus on the “but why does it have to be him” thing, about how much he’s internalised that burden and in a way made it about himself. I feel like between his conditioning growing up to save people (and in season 1 he was altruistically the “saving people” side of “saving people hunting things” while Sam was the latter and revenge-focused) and the huge burdens the world puts on him, I don’t really think it’s fair to consider that Dean just happened to absorb this message because he’d be inclined to the idea of the world being on his shoulders, but that he is what the world made him especially with all the talk of Destiny and the feeling like no one else is remotely stuck in the cross hairs like they are. His reaction to being resurrected in 4x02 is skin-crawling horror that he’s been centred out for this sort of attention. When in big plot situations, his response can be read as egocentric, it’s not necessarily a criticism, especially as Dean is usually right, and it mostly gets the job done.

… Dealing with people, though. Idk, then it gets tricky :P Dean’s got a very strong moral centre and he expects others to hold up to his standards all the time. (I just watched through the end of season 6, and for example Dean arguing with Cas after the reveal is asking Cas to trust him and do as Dean says just because Dean believes it’s completely right and Cas is wrong. He doesn’t have any answers to help Cas this late in the game when they’re so deep into all these plans and disaster is looming and they’re out of time to deal with it, but in a way it’s almost like in 4x21 where Bobby’s telling Dean that Sam will die if they keep detoxing him, and Dean yells that at least Sam will die human - better to go out honourably than to betray yourself/Dean’s expectations of you. Being the moral core of the group DOES make it revolve around Dean’s principles, especially as he has a natural leadership to him and he can get used to what he says, goes. Like, in the latest episode, he makes the deal with Billie, and expects it to be about him when it comes to time to die… Mary getting between that abruptly shatters Dean’s centrality there, because the family unit is bigger than Dean and with so many more people involved in it, Mary and Cas hog all the drama of that moment, and in a way Dean only brought it to them. (And Sam, who only agreed to the deal, aside from badgering Dean to talk about it and getting shut down because Dean would clearly not want Sam to be the one to die, is also most used to operating under Dean’s rules and as the assumed survivor in Dean’s ideal scenario for that deal, had basically nothing to do with it aside from agreeing to a sketchy blood pact in the first place >.>)

Anyway watching through as far as I have (just watched 7x03) I do feel like I’ve been watching Dean’s moral authority grow and grow - as a response to trauma and to all the unimaginable situations he’s found himself in. Like the other characters, all the stuff that got them to the finish line in season 5, once in season 6 becomes much more dangerous and under the microscope for character development in a different way as the story switches from being sort of mythical to more about the interpersonal stuff. Dean by 7x03 has been shaken up by the ongoing problems with Sam, and Cas’s betrayal, and monsters that they don’t know how to kill, to the sort of place where his need for control, which was nurtured by all the apocalypse arc stuff by putting the burden directly on him, kind of now is definitely crossing over from a positive to neutral character trait to a definitely bad one… Honestly I feel like him ditching Sam and driving off to kill Amy because he doesn’t trust Sam is the real moment Dean snaps and sets off his arc that eventually leads to the Mark of Cain stuff, or Gadreel, which were all about Dean’s sense of control and his problems maintaining it that all play into his downfall arc as demon!Dean. (I honestly believe he’s so much more well-balanced in season 11 and 12 after all the character development Dean went through in season 10 - he was getting alarmingly zen and full of self-acceptance just before they pushed him  back over the edge… although it really needs a long view on it, like, I wasn’t certain for sure until 11x23 about how this was going for Dean, and he keeps doing stuff like these deals so it’s sort of like… he’s getting BETTER I’m not saying he’s perfect now :P) 

Anyway when it comes to Destiel, which I guess was the original reason you asked this based on your opening line… I think Dean DOES sometimes come across as egocentric - times when he puts himself or his problems first (the worst example being kicking Cas out of the Bunker). I’ve seen it argued a lot that Dean doesn’t really understand Cas to a certain level of Cas being vulnerable and/or someone he can really hurt this way, mostly because he has expectations literally to high Heaven about what Cas is and what he can do, and Cas is getting more and more human (only sometimes literally) but Dean has a lot of trouble bringing Cas down to his level. That “applications for sainthood” line about Dean and relationships is one of the best for looking at Dean and interpersonal relationships. That mixes HIS expectations (the egocentric side) with adoration and an expectation from others that he projects onto them, which is a much more selfless love but I guess no less dangerous when it comes to people disappointing him, because it comes as a blow to his entire world view. Like in 6x20 where Dean refused so long to think that Cas would betray them. Not just because Dean selfishly thinks everyone should do what he says (which is how it can come across) but because he truly believes those he loves would not do bad things. (Which also can explain his really extreme reactions to the bad stuff Sam does and Dean’s absolute reactions to it. In 4x22 when Dean’s moping about Sam to Bobby, Bobby calls Dean out on sounding like his father, which I think says a lot about where this behaviour in general comes from, again, all the absolutes and black and white thinking.) 

Anyway Dean said himself in 11x23 to Cas in the beer run, that he and Sam can get very caught up in their own stuff and forget to care about the things outside their problems, acknowledging how Cas had got a bit left to the wayside. I think that means Dean does genuinely struggle with this - and it’s now finally something that maybe they can really address after it was allowed to escalate so far over many seasons… historically almost every time there’s something wrong with Cas, Dean is slow on the uptake or it comes to smack him in the face he can’t be objective about it and generally makes the situation worse before it gets better (or swept under the rug into the growing pile of trauma Cas deals with >.>)… 

Now we’re getting some real Cas-focused episodes/a whole arc, and Cas’s problems are really out there again, I hope that means for Dean getting to face them properly as well and NOT reacting in the same way he often does. If there are far fewer issues around because all the plot has de-escalated a bit, HOPEFULLY that will let him focus on stuff outside himself? Like, though he didn’t react great to Cas leaving afterwards, when Cas actually announced he was going, Sam and Dean chased after him, and it was clear in that moment Dean genuinely was tuned in to something being up with Cas and without any other major problems to worry about that could take priority over that, and was concerned about Cas. 

I’m really hoping when it comes to Dean’s awareness of Cas’s issues he’s just had a huge wake up call, especially about how much Cas cares about them all, and while that was all about “the Winchesters” the show endlessly puts Dean n Cas just a little notch above everything else in that dynamic (Dean getting the more dramatic reaction to seeing Cas, sitting with him in the car, being the one to phone him, Sam as an outside observer to that and what Dean did and didn’t tell Cas… Even when all the language seemed to be very generically about the family as a whole, they are still singled out within it…)

But yeah, I’m not at all a bitter Cas fan who thinks Dean is cruel to Cas so I’m saying this out of wanting them to be better than they already are, not like this is a barrage of accusations levelled at Dean for being self-centred :P I try to always follow both their perspectives on a thing because there’s always huge misunderstandings. And sadly when Dean has a misunderstanding with Cas  he often lashes out at him, and that also makes it look in a lot of circumstances like Dean is being self-centred, where from his perspective he feels just as wronged by Cas and is already desperate and angry when they start a conversation (still thinking of season 6 and I guess their epic miscommunication in the end of season 7, or Dean’s lack of understanding in season 8 after the crypt scene, which is a moment that piles on a huge mess Dean’s already feeling so he doesn’t react out of the blue to randomly be angry with Cas when he shows up again…) Dean’s kind of terrible all round at interpersonal relationships… I’m very sympathetic to him there so it doesn’t upset me as long as I can understand WHERE he’s gone wrong. 

… I should probably stop talking here because I have no idea what you actually wanted here but I have been spewing way too many thoughts at you to no real conclusion… This reply is way too long but I can’t think how to cut it down aside from just not making entire points or not answering :P 

[sanchezlisette]

Oh, The Intelligence!- Blog Post #1

Reflection Question #5: What type of learning styles are accommodated in the classroom?

It was an interesting day.

Things started out pretty slow with Mr. George’s AP U.S. History class on Tuesday. The class period mostly focused on Mr. George presenting a power point and discussing the 19th century. He talked about the People’s Party and how it collapsed after the election of 1892. He also discussed the economy during this time period and the role farmers played in it. Students wrote down notes on their chrome books as they followed along to the lesson but there wasn’t much interaction between the students until the end of the class period. At the end, students were told to read through a document and discuss it with the person sitting next to them...It was not the most interesting class period to observe.

Following his AP U.S. History class was Economics and right away, the class period was so much more interesting! Mr. George started off the period by informing the students about a pop quiz- news that led to many students’ grumbles. He handed me one of the quizzes as well to test my knowledge and see how much I still remembered from when I was in his class two years ago. I was shocked to see how much I still remembered! However, this was not your typical quiz as Mr. George then made the students grade it and he had quite an unusual grading structure. If a student got every single question right or only missed one- they had failed the quiz. Now this caused quite the confusion around the classroom as most students had done fairly well on the quiz and didn’t want to give themselves an F. He then allowed themselves to re-take the test which led to the students getting nearly every question wrong so that they could get an A. Following the re-take, Mr. George asked the students why they had changed their answers and then explained to them how everyone just followed the system. The quiz was just to implement a lesson and was not actually something that was graded. Afterwards, he presented the students with a game, Earning A Living in Econoland. Students were either a business or a household. Households were trying to sell businesses human resources, natural resources, and capital goods while a business’ goal was to earn a profit by supplying the goods and services households want. The game went on till nearly the end of the period but he came to find out there was an incident of cheating that had happened, causing for the students that participated in the cheating to lose out on their daily points for the day. He explained how their cheating completely manipulated the economy and ensured criminal activity and chaos.

In AP U.S. History, the class centered around verbal-linguistic intelligence as the students individually analyzed Mr. George’s lecture and produced notes from what they found were important from the lecture and his power point. Students in the AP class experienced more intrapersonal intelligence as they were left to their own devices for most of the period and had to keep notes for themselves throughout that time. They had to recognize their own abilities to write notes and asses themselves because their classmates and Mr. George weren’t checking up to see if they were writing notes or playing poker on their chrome book (I did notice one student doing this). However in contrast, the Economics class relied most of the period on interpersonal intelligence as they played Econoland. The economics students had to reflect on their ability to recognize on one another’s desires and intentions, especially when it came to selling and purchasing resources. While Mr. George stayed out of their way for most of the game, they still had to rely on their fellow classmates or else they were doomed in Econoland because they needed to communicate with one another. The Economics class also strongly demonstrated bodily-kinesthetic intelligence as they turned their lesson into a physical game and had to move around the classroom to talk to their classmates and make a deal with them. The two classes to me were approached so differently by Mr. George, it was interesting to see how flexible his teaching style was. It made me think if I would be able to exhibit this when I get my own classroom and if I can apply different methods to different groups of students.

Pause and Reflect (p. 70)

2. Should teachers and schools focus on fostering a variety of abilities such as those Gardner identified, or should they concentrate on developing verbal and mathematical abilities? Explain your position.

Personally, I think that after observing three of Mr. George’s class periods, teachers and schools should DEFINITELY focus on fostering a variety of abilities. Each one of Mr. George’s classes were so different and the group of students in each class differed from the other. His AP U.S. History class was able to sit through an entire period of quietly listening to his lecture and writing down notes and reflecting on themselves individually. They could easily handle verbal abilities. However his Economics period needed to get up and work with one another and the students worked best that way. They reflected off of one another and were able to recognize each other’s intentions within the game. The students were able to pick up on the cheating due to analyzing that small group. Mr. George’s Contemporary U.S. History learned best through a combination of both methods- they began the class period with a ball activity to focus on the lesson and asked questions Mr. George questions throughout the lecture and connected the lesson to their own lives. They communicated with one another but didn’t rely completely on one another’s reflects. Both his Contemporary U.S. History and Economics class exhibited bodily-kinesthetic intelligence and if Mr. George and Newton High School only concentrated on verbal and mathematical abilities, these students would struggle. Schools and teachers should be like Mr. George and recognize that you cannot have the same expectations for each class period- every group of students has a way they learn best and it’s your duty as an educator to figure it out and work with it.

My time observing Mr. George has thus far been very insightful and made me look forward to when my time comes to be in his position. I want to help figure out what methods work best for each class period and test my strengths as a teacher.

That is all for this week’s inside of the world of teaching!

[meganpolke-blog]

Blog #8

This week we talked about interpersonal communication within close relationships. This was interesting to me because I was able to relate it back to my different relationships and compare the topics to them. We talked about different types of friendships and it was interesting to see how many of my friendships differ from one another based on needs and closeness of our relationship. For example, my best friend and I have a youthful relationship mostly; we joke around for the most part although we do have a mature relationship when need be. It is also a long-term relationship we have been friends for over eight years now. We are also task oriented and really enjoy spending time doing activities rather than talking. When it comes to disclosure we have a high-disclosure communication and know almost everything about one another’s lives. We have a low obligation to one another especially during the school year when it is harder to find time to communicate with one another or see each other. Which goes along with occasional contact although we snapchat everyday it is rare that we will actually have a conversation through facetime or talking when we are away unless an important event comes up in one of our lives. Comparing this to another one of my friends who I am less close with I found a few differences in these types of relationships. In my other friendship, we are youthful as well which mainly has to do with our personalities and how we communicate with one another. Our relationship is short term meaning we have not known each other for a long time yet. In this particular friendship, we are more relationship oriented and low disclosure for the sole reason we are still not 100% comfortable with each other yet and are still learning about one another. We also have a high obligation and more frequent contact because we go to the same school and since our relationship is just beginning there is more work to be put into it. It is clear the main differences in our relationships just based off of how close we are and how long we have known each other. I think it’s so interesting how relationships can change and mold based on different factors and how friendships can have a whole different dynamic from one another. It also interests me that the dynamic changes based on the type of friendship such as same sex and cross sex. I never really noticed a huge difference in my girl and guy relationships until I really thought about it. My relationships with my girlfriends usually put a higher demand on talking to one another and we often times have movie nights where we talk about our problems and hangout whereas I don’t have that same relationship with my guy friends. In my guy relationships, we usually do more task oriented things like disc golf or going out. Although I do task oriented things with my girlfriends often it is very unlikely that my guy friends will sit down with me and talk about problems for hours on end. I never realized how different the dynamic was between the two but I think society plays a huge role in how men interact and share their feelings with one another. Moving onto my romantic relationship and how we communicate I was interested in seeing how my boyfriend and I’s love languages differed from one another. In class I ranked quality time as my number one most important then, physical touch, acts of service, words of affirmation, and gifts coming in last. I then asked my boyfriend to do the same activity to see how we related and differed from one another’s preferences. He rated his first as, quality time, words of affirmation, physical touch, acts of service, and gifts being last. Our first and last are both the same but our middle ones differ a little bit. I found it interesting that he rated words of affirmation so highly because I never knew that was something he found important. I also thought he would have rated acts of service higher because he enjoys when I do little stuff for him like cleaning up around his house and other small tasks that help him out. I then asked him what he thought my number one ranked would be as well and my last and why. He responded with he thought it would be gifts and was shocked when I told him that was last on my list. I love getting gifts but it is something I would give up in order to get these other things more. I feel like we really balance each other out and both provide the necessary means to support each other’s needs. For my lowest ranked he thought it would be words of affirmation which was my second to last. He said he felt this way because I do not usually seek compliments or other forms of praise which is true because I don’t always find words to be valuable its more actions that I rely on from others to prove your feelings. The next thing we focused on was the triangular theory of love. I found this concept very intriguing because I never thought of it in that way. In my experience, my relationship falls more into the categories of intimacy and commitment which leans on the side of companionate. It is interesting to see how all of them connect to one another to create a triangle with all these different categories. Lastly, we talked about couple’s conflict styles and the differences between them. Comparing these to my relationship I could see how all three of them work in our different positions at times. We mostly express conflict through validating versus the other two. We used to use the other it became unhealthy the way we were managing these arguments. We now are more open to one another and it has become easier to set up boundaries with how we express and deal with conflicts. Throughout this chapter we learned a lot about different types of communication and how it deals in the lives of people closely related to us.

[zipgrowth]

This Research-Backed Toolkit Helps Youth Organizations Integrate Digital Learning

The Beam Center in Brooklyn is an out-of-school maker program that teaches teenagers technical skills like welding, woodworking and microcontroller interface design; they collaborate on a range of cool projects from mushroom fruiting environments to giant, hand-cranked flipbooks. But perhaps the most important skills kids learn at Beam are empathy, communication and self-expression. “When we have 23 kids from seven different ethnic backgrounds who speak seven-plus different languages, we experience some tension in our space,” says Beam Director of Teen Programs Calvin Stalvig. “We have the opportunity to establish a community where youth feel safe to be around one another, to talk about things that are challenging them, to talk about being from another country or struggling to learn English or being gay or trans.”

We wanted to understand more about preparing youth for the changing workforce, and for civic participation.

Susan Crown

Beam’s emphasis on youth development in conjunction with technical learning is one reason it was chosen to partner in the collaboration behind the recently published Reclaiming Digital Futures toolkit. The free web-based guide is designed to help educators at out-of-school youth organizations leverage five strategic areas to integrate technology and digital learning into their programming and practices. One resource in the toolkit, for example, explains how to incorporate digital tools that align with an organization's specific goals.

The project’s partners—which include the Susan Crown Exchange, researchers at University of California Irvine and New York University, and eight exemplar youth-serving organizations, including Beam Center—gathered for three “digital learning convenings” as well as several group digital meetings and multiple individual onsite visits over an 18-month period. Their goal was to share best practices and “explore important questions about what it means to be a 21st-century citizen,” says Susan Crown, founder of the Chicago-based social investment organization that funded the project. “We wanted to understand more about preparing youth for the changing workforce, and for civic participation.”

An overview of the Reclaiming Digital Futures project. Full size video on YouTube.

They help them find their passion and help them deal with daily challenges and trauma.

June Ahn

The eight exemplar programs each focus on different subjects, from arts to engineering to journalism, but they have a few things in common: They all integrate digital learning and 21st-century skills into their practices, and they are all deeply rooted in their own communities, many of which are marginalized neighborhoods. “A lot of times when we think about technology or digital learning, we tend to start with the technology, the hard skills,” says June Ahn, an associate professor of education at UCI and the project’s research lead. “With our partners, it's not an either/or question,” he explains. “They all have nicely developed youth development practices that coincide with their technical programs. They focus on building trust with young people. They help them find their passion and help them deal with daily challenges and trauma. Those kinds of things are just as important as infusing digital learning into projects that are really relevant for them.”

Every year the Beam Center tackles a massive maker project based on designs from an international call for entries. This year’s project is a set of giant hand-cranked flip books that will be displayed in Brooklyn’s DUMBO neighborhood. Expert metalworkers on the Beam staff break down the large project into small projects that individuals or groups of students can create together while learning about animation, woodworking, metalworking, kinetics, solar power and storytelling. There are also smaller projects going on at any given time that teach similar skills. This spring Beam students are learning about mycology while creating fruiting environments for mushrooms. Stalvig says he could swap out mushrooms for hip hop music and the kids would be learning a lot of the same things: how to use digital as well as old-school tools, how to collaborate, how to plan a project and see it to completion. “Only the conversation will be different,” says Stalvig. “And the conversations always relate to—how does this connect to your life? How does this connect to your community? How does this connect to social justice?”

Source for all photos: Reclaiming Digital Futures

. . . they quickly care for one another in ways that they're not able to care for one another in their schools because of the divisions of class, race, gender, sexuality, etc.

Calvin Stalvig

To help bridge potential divides among his students, Stalvig created a slideshow he called “Five Minutes of Me”—and shared it with his students. With the help of 27 pictures, from old family photos of his hometown in Wisconsin to pictures of him and his husband on their honeymoon in Iceland, he told his students who he was. Every week thereafter, different students would make five-minute presentations about their lives. “When I—a black, gay man from northern Wisconsin from a white family—do that first, I model that I'm not ashamed of any single part of my identity,” says Stalvig. "Five Minutes of Me” doesn’t just help students with public speaking and other career-readiness skills, “it helps them celebrate who they are and helps them find an audience that will listen to them. Afterwards, they ask each other questions like, ‘What is your favorite anime manga comic book?’ Then it changes the whole tone of our space, and they quickly care for one another in ways that they're not able to care for one another in their schools because of the divisions of class, race, gender, sexuality, etc.”

A commitment to human dignity and expressing oneself are also central to the mission at Free Spirit Media (FSM), a journalism-focused exemplar organization where kids from mostly low-income and minority backgrounds in Chicago produce a thousand pieces of media content a year. At FSM, kids don’t just learn how to identify good local stories and how to operate cameras, microphones, and editing programs. “They make media content that is intended to contribute to the civic discourse by reaching an audience and starting meaningful conversations,” says founder Jeff McCarter.

Along with technical skills, kids learn things that foster, as McCarter puts it, 'interpersonal fluency'—such as media literacy and personal accountability.

Along with technical skills, kids learn things that foster, as McCarter puts it, “interpersonal fluency”—such as media literacy and personal accountability. At the beginning of each new program cycle, students brainstorm a code of conduct and write it on a poster that everyone signs. “If somebody were to show up late and something is on there about tardiness, a peer is likely to say, ‘Hey, you signed on to this. You need to do better,’” says McCarter.

As they gain experience and move through the five program levels of FSM, students get opportunities to earn money with their skills while telling stories that are relevant to them. The short film "A Tale of Two Cities" was created by advanced FSM youth as a commissioned companion piece to "Romeo is Bleeding," a poetic documentary about Richmond, CA. In Tale, young people from Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood, a mostly black, mostly low-income community, talk about how their neighborhood is perceived from the outside—thanks to a steady stream of media reports of violence and police activity—and how they know the neighborhood from their own personal experiences. The FSM students hashed out ideas, set up a series of shoots, worked on their script and voiceovers and captured archival footage from both outside media and Free Spirit’s archive. They then produced a beautiful and moving four-minute piece that was shown as the opener to a Chicago screening of Romeo.

More Project Info

Find the toolkit here: DigitalLearningPractices.org

Video: Learning, Interest, and Voice

Video: Learning How to Distribute and Share Media

That commitment to mining the assets of the local community—whether it’s story material or expert advice—is “a really important flavor to this project,” says Ahn. “We're not just talking to partners in highly-resourced areas; we’re talking with partners who work in low-income communities and build from assets in those communities.” Determining how to spread the rich practices highlighted in the Reclaiming Digital Futures project to the communities that could most benefit from them will be an ongoing process, he adds. “That equity agenda is important, and it’s something that we’ll have to continue to work on.”

Adds Crown, “One thing we know for sure; kids with a sense of purpose, a sense of competence, and a sense of community fare much better in life than kids who lack these three things. Technology offers remarkable new ways to cultivate these qualities in kids.”

This Research-Backed Toolkit Helps Youth Organizations Integrate Digital Learning published first on https://medium.com/@GetNewDLBusiness

[slytherinerd-robinson]

How to Get More Exposure For Your Music

It takes weeks, and mostly years, of hard work and patience to finally hit everyone.The venues to get one's creations noticed are many and few at the same time. The artist sends the group on miscellaneous missions (never including money for the group) and the best street teamers are rewarded in numerous ways. As an artist entails a lot of things. Take a couple of days off, take it easy, and come back refreshed! It brings them exposure and makes supporters a complete section of the artist's success. At some point, in case you are like me, and work alone 14-15 hours a day, you will get burned out.). Another good idea would be to design your own exclusive merchandise (Tshirts, bags, mouse pads, mugs, greeting cards, etc. And to be honest, the royalties are incredibly decent. A street team is an organization of men and women who are focused on help an artist spread the term about their work. And for that reason, I received more exposure in a couple of months than I got were able to achieve in a lot more than three years! SELLING ONLINE AND OFFLINE 95% of poets go the self-publishing way. CREATING A STREET TEAM You can only do so much on your own. This is very uncomplicated to do, especially if you are not computer-savvy, and it is free. Finally, frustration and discouragement are section of the job. If you are a amateur photographer, why not sell your images to other artists for his or her book/CD covers? UPDATING YOUR STATUS Part of your promotional time should be used to upgrade your status across the various networks you belong to. Always acknowledge your supporters and supporters, those that function in the shadows for you. Reverbnation enables you do that very easily! Make a set of all of your skills and find what you have to give you. When you sign up for their site, you obtain access to an individual studio. From there, it is possible to upload your own video clips or video clips from YouTube and stream them on a 24/7 basis. NETWORKING Interpersonal networking sites are essential for promotion nowadays. All you need is a Paypal accounts. Reverbnation offers you an ideal way to do it: once your mission is launched, the website keeps counts for you and all you have to do is check your stats! The thing I love about this idea is normally that it allows an artist to connect with their group of fans on a different level. Make use of TweetDeck or Hootsuite. You will find loads of broadcasts every day and the neat matter is that you can even interact in boards. You need to be capable to depend on others. Do points YOURSELF! Also, people can also help spread the word by sharing the widgets just about everywhere on the web! If you're not camera-shy, you can even host your own show, making use of your webcam. Also, do not hesitate to ask for advice from anyone who has a confirmed successful background in your market. Sometimes, one little matter will make an enormous difference. Before throwing links at somebody, introduce yourself correctly and move on to know them just a little. I take advantage of Reverbnation & Audiolife. You can also promote yourself. That is something that I do once a month with Livestream (and many people love it! They'll print your books, CDs, calendars, photography books, and pictures for you personally. Print-on-demand or POD is an excellent service and I recommend Lulu. And royalties are actually quite decent. The best thing about diversification is that it creates it harder for people to label you in a single category. The very best part is that they are totally free! Therefore, you possess the golden opportunity to "meet" hosts and listeners who frequently are actually hosts or promoters of the artwork themselves. Start by asking yourself the following questions: "What is my long-term goal as an artist? If you're a musician or a spoken phrase artist, you have probably heard about Reverbnation. I use it myself and I love the truth that I can send pre-formatted newsletters to my fan base, build a street team and start missions with the click of a switch, and promote my CD and tracks through easy-to-share widgets. It ensures that you need to diversify. WEBSITE/PROFILE PAGES Nowadays, if you would like to attract more supporters, you should build a site or at least have a regularly updated profile page.. They provide you with a free of charge store that you can promote everywhere you want.) and offer it using services like Zazzle or Cafepress. It is possible to talk about anything, address questions and problems from your supporters, educate them on topics that matter for you, and invite them to be a part of discussions. It is also essential that you be ready to support other performers and causes, and serve as a positive part model. While this is simply not a poor thought at all, additionally it is important to understand that product sales obey the 10-90 rule: 10% creativity and 90% promotion/marketing. The best blog services are Wordpress and Blogger." Be extremely honest in your answers, because they'll determine your job and how long you may last available. I have hooked up with a few of the most incredible performers and supporters in North America and have followed their tips and advice very thoroughly. A blog is a very nice tool to make use of. They feel that they can depend upon the quality of their work for this to sell itself. , nor wait around for others to do it for you. They want to learn about you and everything you care for. You need to be professional in your strategy, dedicated, and aware of your surroundings and global issues. Both sites possess partnered to permit Reverbnation members to market their merchandise and music free of charge. I have been a guest on several shows, which has allowed me to promote my books and CD, and tell the globe why I am a poet and spoken term artist. I noticed that CD Baby is great. I used this moderate and got to know great people.. You will end up surprised by just how much help and support you will receive in exchange! Open an account, upload your files, fill in the required info, and you are on your way. I recommend Blog Talk Radio. If you ask me self-publishing is even more rewarding than complicated because I must promote all my products myself, and it offers me the possiblity to really become familiar with my readers and listeners. BLOG/COMMUNITY If you need to build your online presence, it is vital that your fans and followers be engaged. All you need is a PayPal account. What is my mission statement? Continue to keep a laptop and pen useful, and write any recommendation and idea given you.-) For a website, use Wix or Weebly. And if you are actually fluent in two or more languages, you might translate documents. After that, feel absolve to embed the display anywhere you want. However, street teamers obtain free stuff, which is always nice! You may also join writing communities and forums like Red Room and share some of your stuff there. They are excellent! LAST WORDS Remember this: treat others how you would like to be treated. This is the first step to obtain respect from fellow performers, and hence exposure. DIVERSIFICATION I've a motto: the more you have to present, the more exposure you'll get! You will attract even more supporters. Use your Paypal account address to receive royalties when persons purchase your products through your personal (free) shop. What do I wish to perform with my creation(s)? You need to be in a position to do it in one convenient place. Setup your store (in two mins), upload your files, fill in the information, and start offering your CDs, MP3 albums, individual tracks, Tshirst and tote bags within minutes! However, it could be very time-consuming. I acquired introduced to numerous new listeners. The visitors to my site has been huge since I started listening to BTR shows!; If you're a poet/writer, you can offer poetry/speech-on-demand or proofreading providers. You may also use Internet radio. If you only target music or spoken phrase, there are some nice choices out there. Make sure that you check out Facebook, Twitter, Ning, YouTube, and MySpace. You can also sell your music digitally, using major retailers like ITunes or Amazon. Ning is especially impressive, since it offers a great deal of options! & most importantly: build human relationships before thinking of sales! IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS Lots of independent artists assume that once their CD or book is available for purchase, the work is performed. You may finish line up attracting a whole lot of different people!

[analiecious]

Five Secrets You Will Not Want To Know About SEO 2019

Perform you aspire to turn into a Lookup Engine Optimizer (SEO)? "SEO" is a term that will be used to describe the procedure by which visitors a specific site is increasingly generated simply by search engines through search results. These white-hat cellular SEO tips will help a person to avoid internet search motor penalties and maintain better on the internet visibility. SEO or lookup engine optimization techniques will tackle these requirements of a web site. AI and tone of voice search have already begun in order to impact SEO, and as these types of technologies continue to develop, all of us can expect to see a lot more changes in the way SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION is performed. In the second chapter of our SEO manual, you will learn how lookup engines work, how people make use of them and what type of lookup queries they submit. You need in order to provide regular posts either daily or at least several periods Blog9T a week in order in order to gain a following and supply enough unique SEO content in order to keep your search engine rankings high, attract new viewers plus convince people that you are usually the expert in your industry. Voice lookup will change the way we interact along with search engines and it will certainly make SEO even more aggressive and vital to online achievement. Our SEO outreach team connect your brand and curated content with key on the internet influencers to get people speaking about you & sharing your own message. Yet, with the lookup engines like google continually modifying their rules SEO may appear confusing and overwhelming. Understanding what these words really suggest, and how SEO analysts make use of them to boost your cyberspace search engine results, may end up being a whole other story. SEO organizations are able to track almost every aspect of their technique, like increases in rankings, visitors and conversions. The methods which were the simplest (reciprocal links or directory submissions) perform not work anymore, therefore the particular SEOs spend a lot associated with time trying different approaches. The particular Moz Pro is another place of Tools that check the particular important factors related to your own website's search ranking. Selection of key phrases or phrases plays an essential component in an SEO campaign given that it saves you the pictures in the dark. In 2019 the particular digital marketing companies can anticipate a lot of voice lookups, and by 2020, about 50 percent of the searches will become either voice searches or image-based searches. Read our Mobile SEO 2019 Checklist before you decide in order to implement. Typically the first facet of optimizing images is usually including your keywords in the particular image file name (seo_guide. jpg). The inevitable modifications that will occur in SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION in the near future are usually abolition of keywords stuffing plus spam backlinks, real-time personalized customer support by online marketers, improvement within the quality of visual articles as a result of advancement of video SEO, optimization associated with websites with conversational keywords plus generating massive quantity of current data. SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION remains one of the lengthy term marketing strategies that function best for companies that are usually looking to improve their on the internet visibility. Google My Business is Google's business directory and, thus, extra essential to your local SEO Detailed businesses with all the best SEO will certainly appear in the Local 3-Pack, the batch of 3 presented businesses nearest you that look when you do a related local search. Fire up Visibility recently released SEO: The particular Movie ”. This 40-minute movie covers a brief history associated with search engine optimization portrayed via the experiences of some associated with the biggest names within the particular SEO industry. In addition to producing content offered to search engines, SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION also helps boost rankings therefore that content will be positioned where searchers will more easily still find it. The Internet is getting increasingly competitive, and people companies that perform SEO may have the decided advantage in visitors plus customers. Unfortunately, SEO - and research in general - is usually soloed into focusing on The particular Google” and not really regarded as for other tactics. This means website owners plus SEO experts will need in order to be on top of their own game when it comes in order to keyword research and keeping the particular context of their site appropriate to users. Varvy's SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION Overview tool audits your internet site for key parameters like site strength, links, image SEO, interpersonal counts, on-page SEO, technical position, page speed, loading time plus more. Typically the trouble is that SEO rating factors have changed a good deal over the years (find away how in our keyword analysis guide ). That means this search engine optimization techniques that will worked 5 years back won't travel today. If you no longer look after SEO, you may get lost among the trillions of links out there. Heading forward SEOs have to end up being able to quantitatively show the particular value of their online marketing and advertising by identifying and implementing Crucial Performance Indicators (KPIs) that will certainly demonstrate the value added simply by their SEO initiatives. The topic cluster model will be your way forward in SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION this year, but it's not really the only method to obtain your website content to position higher once it's been developed. WIthout simple SEO in area, your business may not end up being a result on the research engines when a customer is definitely specifically searching for your company! SEO information can help improve your interpersonal efforts, and social media may help with the search rankings. Within his book Ultimate Explained Customizing Your Website, SEO and web marketing expert Jon Rognerud displays you how to develop a top-end website and get top rank on all search engines. 00: 38 SEO will be heading towards voice search. SpyFu is usually really a paid tool that will uses 11 years of traditional data to help you discover your competitors' most profitable key phrases and the keywords they've utilized for SEO and ads. The fact is that on-site navigation hackers like search bar with smart autocomplete, internal linking with point texts or immediate customer assistance boost both UX and SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION. Even though it is difficult to assume about the adjustments that might take place inside 2019, but we know regarding sure what SEO trends involving 2018 will take greater dominance in 2019. Something which usually was troubling about 2017, plus as we head into 2018, could be the new wave of companies merely bolting on SEO because a service without any actual appreciation of structuring site architectures and content for both human beings and search engine understanding. A huge part of SEO is within creating content which is focused towards the keywords that research engines users are searching with regard to. Building links could be the big part of your work as an SEO because this plays such a big component in the algorithms used simply by search engines to look with regard to the order of their outcomes. Search engines like google through the King Google to supplementary ones like Bing and Google rank the websites on the particular basis of its SEO. It's since creating content and ranking this in Google is what SEOs do! SEO solutions look at their links, through where their links are arriving, and what keywords they possess chose to optimize for their internet sites. Hobo UK SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION - A Beginner's Guide (2018) is really a free pdf file ebook you can DOWNLOAD TOTALLY FREE from here (2mb) that will contains my notes about traveling increased organic traffic to the site within Google's guidelines. My conjecture is that the biggest SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION trend in 2019 is heading to be Amazon search. TYPES OF SEO Generally there are two major types associated with seo, white hat search motor optimization (the ‘good' kind), plus black hat (the 'not therefore good' kind). Google's always tweaking its lookup algorithms, so there's no promise that SEO practices that proved helpful in the past will maintain working in the future. SEO's basic importance comes from the particular fact that most users show strong search dominance — that will is definitely, search is the main method people go places on the particular Internet. Reading blogs connected with SEO might also be very useful within locating out concerning the essential companies on the market which usually are offering comprehensive and genuine Search engine optimization services toward the corporate sector. The initial SEO is dependent mostly on number of key phrases targeted and the size associated with your web site, while the particular ongoing link campaign depends even more on the competitiveness of the particular keywords chosen. Whether if you're an SEO newbie or the seasoned practitioner, I encourage a person to fully read this in order to understand how you can obtain your content on top associated with search results. Huge Brand campaigns are far, much totally different from small business SEO strategies that have no links, to start with, to give you yet an example. These SEO companies have got a strategy requiring clients in order to pay for the major lookup engines (including Google and Yahoo) for monthly website maintenance. Professionals are reporting that 2019 may be the year of words search, and that the tone of voice search algorithm may change in addition to supersede text search relatively. A TOP DOG blog is simply one component of social media distribution, an essential SEO strategy according to SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION Consult You should be disseminating links to fresh content upon your site across appropriate cultural networking platforms. The number 1 reason for using video upon your site to improve SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION is to increase the quantity of time users remain upon your site. Search engine optimization had been but still is fascinating in order to me. The SEO placement intended for any size business begins along with proper web site optimization, a good excellent link building strategy plus a well planned online marketing and advertising plan. One part of focus for better marketing and SEO performance within 2018 is the confluence associated with content, influence, and social. This can be advantageous for SEO, because it helps avoid search engine crawlers from becoming confused by syntax or affirmation errors, and leads to even more accurate indexing. Stop thinking in terms associated with SEO vs. content marketing” plus start exploring how well they will perform together. (Give it a try tone of voice search using OK Google through your cell phone and enquire "What Is BlowFish SEO" ) In case all remains as it is definitely, Google will read out loud most about my company in the short to the point method, These cards are formatted in order to fit the screen of your own cell with no scrolling upward or down. Although SEO is really the time-consuming process but believes me personally, if you work well along with dedication and trendy techniques, the particular combined results of on-page plus off-page SEO holds you upon the top with rank #1 for a specific search outcome. Fairly lately, I've seen a resurgence associated with on-page SEO factors making the difference searching engine rankings. Still, even for the particular best websites, maintaining a best organic SEO ranking requires continuous keyword monitoring and content re-doing. Writer and consultant Peter Kent offers helped businesses including Amazon plus Zillow with SEO and on-line marketing. Very first, understand that schema markup is definitely one of the most effective, least used parts of SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION today Schema are basically short snippets of data that may give extra information to look customers and search engines. SEO is definitely a marketing discipline focused upon growing visibility in organic (non-paid) search engine results. Simply no matter how many times Search engines tweaks or evolves The Formula, from Panda to Penguin in order to Polar Bear, these logical plus intuitive core SEO tips ought to remain timeless. Certainly, all those searching for SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION agencies will have to create their selection by passing SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION companies through careful and careful scrutiny, to ensure that all of them to get the best within search engine optimization for their own business website. The article provides you 12 methods for E-commerce plus establishing an SEO optimized site which will help you raise your business exposure and visibility upon search engines. Making use of keywords in your article name, article body and resource is usually a great SEO article composing strategy that may make your own articles more effective in getting attention from search engines. Use SEO strategies like as transcripts and tags in order to help your videos appear increased in search results and bring in more viewers over time. A greater number associated with people will stick to tone of voice search, so SEO specialists can need to adjust to this particular relatively new kind of research. Seo or SEO is definitely a powerful method to generate targeted traffic to your internet site and hopefully increase your bottom part line. Whilst many marketing tactics rely upon you reaching out to your own audience, SEO gives you the particular power to achieve people whenever they are actively searching out there information related to your solutions and products. Light hat SEOs the actual recommendations of Google and other research engines like google. As Google's search engine outcomes become increasingly monetized and some other platforms such as Amazon plus YouTube gain more SoV plus search volume, I think wish overdue for the focus associated with SEO to shift far through Google. Traditional SEO will be focused on building (keyword relevant) links and (keyword relevant) content material. The main reason they may sometimes misunderstood is because you will find a whole Internet underbelly of alleged SEO companies that you may pay to link to your own site on their networks associated with low-quality articles. However, before we obtain to our main event, I actually must note that after our own 2017 edition of SEO developments launched last year on Lookup Engine Journal, we heard the couple of complaints about simply how long it was. After that your boss tells you if you're accountable for search engine optimisation (SEO), too. Michael jordan Harling, SEO Specialist at Roman Blinds Direct, agrees with the particular consensus that voice search may be the trend in 2019. SEO or the particular Search Engine Optimization is certainly an method of increasing visitors generation for an internet company. Cisco approximated that by 2019, video may make up 80% of most consumer internet traffic. In line along with the previous point, SEOs will certainly consider various landing pages along with proper keywords, meta tags plus the overall website structure through the SEO point of watch. Including relevant key phrases in the title, URL, plus headers of the page plus making sure that a site is crawlable are actions that will site owners can take in order to improve the SEO of their particular site. To fulfill intent and position well in the long work, build your SEO marketing technique around topics, not keywords When you do that, you will find a person can naturally optimize for essential keywords, anyway. Artificial cleverness (AI) and voice searches are usually two technologies that are currently affecting SEO but will most likely have an even bigger effect in 2019 and the many years to come. They are usually also great for video SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION, and get great organic rating online and Google. Remember keywords are usually the KEY in SEO composing guidelines. It deeply analyze your internet site and reveals each opportunity intended for your SEO improvement by concentrating on key factors like interpersonal media, technologies, local SEO, guests, usability, search ranking efforts plus mobile SEO. A SEO expert or agency can audit your own site and appear at exactly how it is performing against your own most important keywords. Search Motor Optimization (SEO) is the technique to campaign your products on the internet towards the right clientele with regard to increasing ROI. There are many tools upon the web to assist along with basic keyword research (including the particular Google Keyword Planner tool and there are even more useful third party SEO tools to help you perform this). The biggest change that will we'll see in 2019 (and that's already happening) is the particular fact that keywords are getting less important. Once you've discovered your keywords, use another SEMrush tool, the SEO Content Design template, which is part of their particular Content Marketing Toolkit, to function out the best way in order to optimize your content. If a company is providing you all these services below one roof, climbing up the particular SEO ranking will not end up being an uphill task for your own business any more. Local SEO companies allows a person to position your business upon search engines like google plus other digital marketing platforms therefore you're seen by potential clients — on their terms. YouTube adds the particular nofollow” tag to their hyperlinks, so they don't really assist with SEO. SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION isn't just about building research The Rank Of SEO 2019 In Consumer's Market engine-friendly websites. The sooner you understand the reason why Google is sending you much less traffic than it did this past year, the sooner you can clear it up and focus upon proactive SEO that starts to influence your rankings in a beneficial way. The trending SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION technique or strategy now plus in 2019 will be Lookup Enterprise Optimization It has already been coined by myself since 2015. This particular means that SEOs spend the lot of time working upon getting links in a procedure called link building Link-building strategies can range from simply asking for a link to writing the guest post - and right now there are many others. Basically, SEO plans the keywords that will are to be delivered plus content provides them. So, when you are considering about applying SEO in the particular broad sense, you need in order to channelize its technical specifications via content marketing. In 2019, you can wager that White Hat SEO may have separated itself even more from Black Hat SEO, plus that above all else, offering quality content will be the particular most important factor for companies ranking in search. The outcomes are not instant, you can use the time on attempting other Internet marketing techniques whilst SEO would go to function. The third major SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION ranking signal is Google's synthetic intelligence search ranking algorithm. Sometimes SEO will be simply a matter of producing sure your site is organised in a way that lookup engines like google understand. SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION involves a number of changes towards the HTML of person Web pages to attain a higher search engine ranking. As a result associated with technological advancement, SEO is in order to undergo more drastic changes, plus the two latest technologies that will are expected to influence SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION to some very great degree are AI (Artificial Intelligence) plus Voice Search. Performing SEO upon your own websites is the great method to practice plus hone your SEO ability. We optimize your web site both of internal and exterior factors thats Google's engine rely on and reliable for top rating search result, Gurantee your SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION ranking No succeed can refundable. Looking deeper: An SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION cost often means one associated with two things: the investment inside your organic search strategy, or just how much you pay for compensated search engine marketing (SEM) providers like Google AdWords. We all are dealing with new methods designed to target old design SEO tactics and that concentrate around the truism that WEBSITE ‘REPUTATION' plus Plenty of WEB PAGES plus SEO equals Plenty associated with Keywords equals LOTS of Search engines traffic. BrightonSEO is a one-day search marketing and advertising conference and series of education courses held, unsurprisingly, in Brighton. From narrowing straight down target markets to changing the particular way content is written, AI and voice search will possess a continuous effect on SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION moving forward. One aspect of SEO will be link building, which we may discuss slightly below, which frequently leads to thin content. Applications for the particular 2018-2019 cycle of the SEO Progress programme are now closed plus will re-open again in Early spring 2019. SEO could be difficult because search engines are usually reevaluating and changing how these people prioritize search engine results. Moreover, it will help SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION by gaining backlinks, likes, remarks or shares. It helps your SEO attempts to ensure that your keywords and phrases are added to the coto description and it will supply you a ranking boost in the event that your specific terms are apparent in this area. Moreover, a Google Penguin update drastically changed the position of backlinks on SEO, generating it more difficult to find link juice to a site. Gone are the times of traditional SEO techniques, on-line content is changing. The cognitiveSEO Rank System offers accurate country, language plus city precision for all your own tracked keywords. Even if your URLs not necessarily pretty, ” if you no longer feel as though they're adversely impacting users and your company in general, don't change all of them to be more keyword concentrated for better SEO. ” In case you do need to alter your URL structure, make certain to utilize the proper (301 permanent) type of redirect. In this particular post, we've broken down the particular very best SEO techniques to assist you skyrocket your rankings plus boost your number of regular visitors. An accessible URL is definitely an important SEO ranking aspect. Heidi Cohen: To increase 2018 SEO results, marketers will keep on moving away from disposable, when and done content. They concentrate on SEO Internet marketing targets and provide top search motor rank like Google and Bing. Collectively, these developments are plus can continue to have the dramatic impact on the method in which we search optimize our websites in 2019 plus form the core of our own newest SEO 2019 update briefing. Therefore, cheer up and tools up to policy for SEO- the particular organic top-ranking practice. SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION (search engine optimization) places your own website within the natural outcomes section of search engines. SEO is specifically important for businesses because it guarantees they're answering their audience's greatest questions on search engines, whilst driving traffic to their items and services. Intended for marketers who were brought upward in the ‘traditional SEO marketplace, ' 2018 is really the time to adapt or expire. White hat SEO includes just about all the SEO practices we've discussed about so far which possess a long term approach in order to site optimization and focus upon the user experience and exactly what people need. Cost effectiveness - SEO is usually one of the most most affordable marketing strategies because it focuses on users who are actively searching for your products and providers online. The reality is that you can obtain top Search engine ranking roles spending a little bit associated with money and working on the particular project yourself or paying the professional Seo services thousands associated with dollars to get your Internet site on the first page. Although black hat SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION methods may boost a home page's search engine page rank within the short term, these strategies could also get the web site banned from the search motors altogether. According in order to research and advisory firm Forrester, programmatic marketing is expected in order to account for 50% of just about all advertising by 2019.