#quest study skills journal

[polysprachig]

Hello friend! I just came across your post about filling in old spaces in your polyglot journal via the bullet journal tag… could you say more about how you use your polyglot journal in general and what its intended purpose(s) is/are?

Thank you for the question, @northfaceho! ***(Read orange text for a short summarised version)

The purpose of my polyglot journal is to capture my process of learning languages, both for myself and to share with other people. It was prompted by a secret learning project I did in 2019 to make my other native language skills go from passive to active (and the subsequent desire to subtly strengthen my skills across my main 5 languages). This happened to coincide with my dissatisfaction with the general ‘Polyglot learns X# of Languages - Here’s How + Tips and Tricks’ kind of content you could—and can—find online. And the rich stock at the base of all my griping generally boiled down to one thing:

Fucking notecards.

No shade to anyone in specific—it was more a general trend I felt I noticed at the time—but the idea that someone who has acquired or is learning a football club worth of languages and who, moreover, is able to demonstrate their use of said languages across the 4 skills to various degrees of range and accuracy at their current stage of learning does so by *secret tip: using notecards* struck me as extremely… imprecise and decidedly non-tip-worthy. It’s not that I think these people were lying about using notecards to learn—not at all! The description was just focused on what I learn with not how I learn imho, and it begged the question: Well, what do you do with the notecards?

Because at the time, I only really used notecards in Old English, but not as flashcards for memorisation or playing vocabulary matching games, which I assume was used as shorthand in the content I kept seeing. No, once a year, I would take out some fresh notecards and write Beowulf verbatim from memory for the section I have memorised, then compare it to the orthography in the Howell D. Chickering dual-language translation. (I do something similar with Chaucer, but notecards are too small so I use a yellow legal pad instead. Still, the concept is the same.) And later, when I started learning Italian, I would prepare a notecard to keep on my desk during lessons which listed out the most common errors I knew I was going to make in that day’s class, based on my teacher’s recent feedback (usually incorrect pronunciation/word stress, Greek or French influence which isn’t correct, accidental uses of Latin, etc.).

And so I repurposed what I had hoped would be a travel journal into a polyglot journal and kicked it off with this statement of my intentions forgive the register:

This year, 2024, one of my main goals was to read the rest through, comment on my methods, mistakes, mindset, etc. etc., and fill in the gaps with scraps of loose studies and feedback from my teachers. Oh yeah, and start typing it all up to save my future self some time.

I’ll be posting a lot more from my polyglot journal in 2025, now that I’ve figured out how much time I can commit to it based on my schedule and the writing routine I’ve been testing out these last months. I want to make sharing it an adventure reflective of its many side quests and the actual time and input required to learn.

In essence, the journal reflects the planning, check-ins, learning notes, and process of my quarantine levelling up project and literary/poetic translation portfolio part 1, which are free to read here if anyone is interested:

The Merlin Project (Irish-English)—running with the question all my students asked in the pandemic, i.e. Can I learn a language from just watching TV? by writing borderline Merlin fanfiction

The tragic portion of my translation portfolio (English-German-French-Italian)—literary translations into English from Poliziano, Goethe, Voltaire and Kaiserin Elisabeth (Sisi); translations into German of Lord Byron, Mary Shelley and Percy Bysshe Shelley

The journal is not without silly and serious one-off language escapades as well, which I occasionally ventured out into when taking a break from the more major projects.

Thanks for reading if you’ve made it to the end!

[bluerose5]

Letters from a Grey Warden (5/?)

Shit, shit, shit.

What have I done?

Let others say what they must, but secrecy is key in order to survive as an apostate. Dad managed before me because the Alienage all but banded together to keep their resident healer safe. Turning him over to the Circle would have been too great of a loss for them.

However, when I started to develop my magical talents, they never really grew strong enough to become a true threat, so no one paid it any mind, myself included. Dad trained me in what he knew, how to master control over one's magic and resist possession, but I never advanced beyond a few basic healing spells that he taught me.

Until now.

Things feel different, being on battlefields all the time. Destroying my enemies and protecting my allies are my main priorities. When there's a fight, those needs consume me until they are all that I can think about.

I watch Morrigan and, for the short while that I have known her, Wynne when they cast. I study them. Listen in on their incantations. Observe their methods. Perhaps a little too well.

When it came time to confront Uldred, he turned to Pride, and that fight was the toughest yet on our quest to save the mages. It was a test of all our skills, pushing us to our limits.

Alistair had been downed, and Wynne was busy trying to revive him when it happened.

A swipe of the demon's hand had knocked Zevran and I on our asses. The room wouldn't stop spinning, and each step the demon took made the floors quake.

Uldred advanced towards Zevran, and I didn't hesitate. I couldn't. Stopping to think could have very well meant his end.

There was so much blood in that room. The Veil was thinned by the atrocities that occurred there. Power permeated in the air, but all I wanted was for what was left of Uldred to stop.

So I commanded him to.

I don't know what source I drew from. The Fade? The blood? A mixture of both? In the end, I guess it didn't matter.

I commanded Uldred to stop, and he did. His movements slowed, and it was a battle of his will versus mine, right up until the very moment his claws stopped short from raking across Zevran's face.

He could not have him. He could not have ANY OF THEM.

I would not allow it.

My certainty only served to render him completely immobile, paralyzed in place.

It gave us the opportunity we needed to finish him off.

The others might not have fully understood what happened in those chambers, but Zevran did.

He saw it all.

How am I going to expla

"Ah, there you are!"

Darrian jumped about ten feet into the air at the sound of Zevran's voice, his eyes wide as he watched him plop down at his side on the outskirts of camp.

"By the Void, give a man a warning next time, will you?" Darrian grumbled, snapping his journal shut to set it aside.

Zevran spared it a curious look, but nothing more.

Instead, he focused on Darrian, watching every shift of his expression while they spoke.

"So..." He trailed off into a drawl. "Want to talk about what happened back there in the tower?"

While he leaned his weight back onto his hands, his gaze trained directly on him, Darrian shifted in place, tensing as he sat up straight.

With a thick swallow, he asked, "What's there to talk about?"

Dark brown eyes eased away to watch calloused fingers pick at blades of grass nearby, but Zevran wasn't so easily deterred.

He spoke in hushed tones, so as not to alert the others.

"You cast a spell during that last fight," he stated, not doubt about it. The confidence with which he spoke stopped Darrian in his tracks. The latter glanced up, and their eyes instantly locked, neither of them able to look away, even if they wanted to. "You're a mage. An apostate."

Hearing someone say it aloud caused Darrian's heart to sink, his chest tight with worry.

However, in spite of the dread sitting like a rock in his stomach, he found that there was also... relief.

Finally, someone else knew the truth, someone outside of the Alienage and his family, and that felt freeing in a way he couldn't quite describe.

A shaky breath slipped past his lips.

"I'm a rogue first," he told Zevran.

"Huh." As Zevran considered that, he cocked his head to the side, his lips pursed, appraising Darrian with a keen eye. "Interesting. You don't strike me as the type."

Confused, Darrian asked, "The type to...?"

"Hide what you are."

The words hit Darrian like a punch to the gut and left him winded.

He bristled at the very thought of being judged for that.

"Well, when being what I am can put my life or the lives of the people I care about at risk, then I find a way to cope with it," he snapped, quick to rein himself in before he could get too defensive. "Truth be told, my magic is weak. Always has been. Most of what my father showed me were healing spells, but I never really got the hang of it. What I did today, that was probably the strongest spell I've ever cast in my life. If I had known that I was capable of anything like that, then maybe—" His face fell. "Then maybe I could have stopped Alistair from getting hurt."

Maybe he could have killed Vaughan the first time he came around, causing trouble.

"Maybe you could have," Zevran allowed. "Maybe not. You don't know that for sure, but what we do know is that you saved me. I don't see this magic of yours as anything less than a tool at worst and a gift at best. You have the chance to discover what this means for you outside of your father's influence, outside of the Chantry's even. Few people get that opportunity."

"You're not afraid of me?" Darrian asked with a frown. "You don't think I'm dangerous now?"

"Oh, please." Zevran snorted. "My friend, I have seen your work with a blade. You are dangerous with or without magic. As a matter of fact, everyone has the capacity to be dangerous, mage or no, correct? At least you use your abilities to your advantage. Plus, lucky for you, I happen to think that danger can be quite exciting."

Right.

"And as I seem to recall," Darrian said, "you happen to fancy things that are 'dangerous and exciting.'"

"I did say that, yes." Zevran openly drank in the sight of him, sinking his teeth into his bottom lip with longing. "I also remember saying that I fancy you as well. That has not changed in light of recent events, you should know."

"Good." Darrian cleared his throat, then ducked his head down. Long strands of dark hair fell into his face, unable to conceal his growing smile in its entirety. "That's good."

"Come now, no need to get all bashful on me," Zevran teased. "Had I known any better, maybe I should have targeted you by means of seduction, rather than ambush."

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up." Darrian reached out and gave him a playful shove to his shoulder, coaxing a chuckle out of his trusty assassin. "I hope you know that I do enjoy our talks, though. You don't judge, you listen, and I'm grateful for that."

"Here you go, getting all misty-eyed," Zevran said, but he watched Darrian like a hawk, his brow furrowed.

"I know, I know, but you might be right about me. Who knows?" Darrian shrugged. "Perhaps hiding who I am isn't the real me. Then again, I never had the chance to find out who that person is beyond the Alienage."

"But you have the chance to do so now."

"Yeah," Darrian breathed, "I do."

"Just don't push yourself to do anything you're uncomfortable with because I suggested it, okay?" Zevran warned. "After all, look where all of my bright ideas landed me." He vaguely waved his hands around them. "Although, I suppose that I cannot complain too much with you here."

"Heh, well, believe it or not, I'm not so easily influenced anyways." Together, they settled into a comfortable silence, staring up at the night sky through the branches overhead. Eventually, Darrian found his voice again, albeit more hesitant this time. "Hey, about the nightmare that I saw—"

"Don't," Zevran interrupted, his voice as sharp as a blade. When Darrian winced, he immediately backtracked, even as he stumbled to his feet, "Apologies, apologies. I did not mean to be rude. I am not saying that we won't ever discuss it, but I—I just can't now."

There were too many old wounds, now opened anew.

The demons' manipulations were too fresh on his mind, his memories twisted and warped to torment him.

Darrian nodded, no questions asked, but he did not drop the subject without a final remark on the matter.

"If it helps any," he said, "I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry you had to go through all that."

Pity wasn't necessary, but pity wasn't exactly what he was offering, not from what both of them could tell.

His sorrow for Zevran was genuine. He felt hurt because Zevran was hurt, no matter how long ago it happened.

Although their life experiences were quite different in some regards, there was an undeniable sense of understanding that resonated between them. In their worlds, sometimes suffering meant surviving another day, but they both did what they had to in order to get by.

Others in their shoes weren't fortunate enough to make it that far.

"Ah, but think of it like this," Zevran countered, "had I not, then we would not have had the pleasure of knowing each other." He paused, allowing that to sink in. "Just some food for thought. For now, I fear that it is time for me to take my leave." With a deep bow, he turned to retreat back into his tent for the evening. "Sweet dreams, Darrian."

"Yeah." Picking up his journal once more, Darrian watched him retreat into the shadows until he was out of sight. "You too, Zev."

He decided to add one last sentence to his entry before he, too, called it a night.

He took it well.

[First Page] [Previous Page] [Next Page]

And for the moment, Darrian was alright with that.

How the others would respond, only time would tell.

[shizunitis]

Can you share more about your precious son, Ink?

There is nothing I would like more. You're my favourite, thank you.

I present to you my youngest son, my favourite child, my pride and joy and everything I will ever bother to love more than myself: Ink, the monumental manfuckup drow paladin who tried to Drizzt and only managed to drizzle.

(This is a very funny joke, and you know this, and you love me.)

(This was made in approx. 10 minutes, but please appreciate how absolutely endearing he is just standing there while I measure him against the door frame. Such a cutie! He deserves all the little kissies on his stupid forehead.)

This got unreasonably long, I'm very sorry. I have a 17 page unfinished document about him, and I have to let it out or I explode. You understand.

His backstory is simple enough: he got betrayed by literally everyone he met in Menzoberranzan, his brother's death was pinned on him, he had to deal with his matriarch hating him for being genuinely horrible at anything a male drow is supposed to do, and finally had enough when his mom tried to kill him at the outrageously young age of, like, thirty five.

He managed to get his house in hot water with Lolth by not getting killed or tortured by his female family members for once and went all, "Well, then I swear to bring vengeance to Lolth and all her followers!" which is par for the course with Seldarine Drow, really.

He's also an atrocious paladin. Zero attempt at, like, learning what it means, past the "rain vengeance upon evil" part. For evidence, I present his Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma scores. Bud just wants to throw a hammer around and hopes for the best. His track record in Melee-Magthere isn't great, either. He graduated fighting school in the exact middle rank. This means he failed, in like, everyone's but my eyes.

To me, he has never done a single thing wrong in his whole life.

He fell ass over pointy ears in love with the first nice-enough elf he saw on the surface and kind of trailed after his adventuring party like a dog for a tenday after escaping the Underdark. He used the elf and his friends as, like, a case study. How to Behave on the Surface: A Guide by Ink McSmartBoy, inspired by Pretty Elf in Forest.

The elf in question (name's Silver, very pretty, really cute, charismatic, etc. I love him, too, but Ink is my main concern always at all times) did not know of this. My intelligent and beautiful son did not consider the fact that maybe the elf would catch onto the hidden protector hiding in trees around his and his friends' camp when enemies just stop existing around him.

He and the elf were then separated by Ink's former Evil Classmates and his matriarch's incompetent servants coming to apprehend and/or kill him, which was a bit of a bummer.

For him. The elf's feelings are a separate, arcane and abstract matter that my beautiful son considers for all of three seconds before he decides that no, it was him. Ink's fault. Better not have feelings from now on, you know? Better for all involved.

Also got a painful scar out of it that he had to clean up himself in a river. It was very, very sad. He's a real sad man. I love him dearly. I will give him the world.

I figured I really needed to justify the weird build I've got going on, so I added some notes to each ability and skill, and these are the more notable statements about him:

He is, however, very good at realising what his shortcomings are, and where he can stand to improve himself. So! Ink's taken to writing lists and journal entries to improve. He's not the studious type, but he's also extremely insecure about the whole being an intimidating paladin drow among other humanoids, so needs must, you know?

When in doubt, lists. Lists and little notes and reminders. A grocery list or two.

He writes down everything. This is not just a way for me to justify the Quest Journal in the game and have his companions during the events of the game try to snoop around his business, no. Of course not. This is definitely not done so that Astarion will find his journal and get all huffy about being called an insufferable little shit. Obviously.

Anyway!! After the whole Silver Abandoned Me :( debacle, he decided to pull a Shizunitis Mark and seclude himself away from society but close enough to wistfully sight in its direction. He built his own home, got many blisters and scars to show for it, learned not to eat every plant he came across, and finally got nabbed by mind flayers on the way to the armourer to check his scale mail.

In spite of what he thinks, and what his earlier years inspired in him, he is competent and a good leader. The whole unnatural stillness and hesitancy to ask questions in case they annoy someone he likes is, surprisingly, a great way to get people to be curious about you in Faerun.

Also: a smiling drow scares some people but is very gap-moe to others. Both options are good, in his party's eyes.

This was all over the place but... Please love my son? He is trying so hard all the time. He's running from mind flayers. He gets Astarion to behave by being poker-faced at all times. Karlach throws him as a weapon and he almost giggles every time.

In case you aren't convinced:

I've never felt more protective and fond of someone other than Shizun before him. I feel alive.

[puffyartist]

WITCHY I'm already an avid reader, and I include the local news in my reading diet! I subscribe to the city newspaper, and I get a newsletter from my neighborhood every month or so!

Trying to break away from doom scrolling on social media? Here are some tips for you! (alt text is also written out underneath the cut)

If you're interested, you can download your own PDF copy of this zine over on itchio for free!

Are you someone who is tired of doom scrolling on social media and feeling overwhelmed? Wants to understand who the other names on the election ballot are? Wants to get offline and know your neighborhood better? Go check out the Local News!

“Journalism cannot act on behalf of the public to sanction bad actors; journalists can only expose wrongdoing and hope that the public, in turn, acts accordingly …”

-Usher and Kim-Leffingwell

Source: https://www.niemanlab.org/2023/10/public-corruption-prosecutions-rise-where-nonprofit-news-outlets-flourish-research-finds/

TIPS

Read the News: Pinpoint where you get your International, National, and Local News. Are they all from the same source?

Support Local News: Local news will conduct investigative journalism into your representatives sooner then the larger news outlets will, if at all. Local news also struggles with cost more then larger outlets. Offer monetary support when you can!

Diversify your News Sources: It’s important to listen to these voices, even if you don’t agree with them, to make that you are informed and not staying in an echo chamber.

Study History: Having some basic knowledge of history helps you contextualize news and current events.

FIND LOCAL NEWS

Your Public News Station: While NPR & PBS are national institutions, your local station branch will highlight local news.

Your Local Business: Any business or center with a community news board may also offer free newspapers for residents to read.

Your Local Library: Libraries often have a space where you can read the latest newspapers and magazines for free.

Your Community Newsletter: Your city and/or neighborhood’s website may offer a free digital community newsletter.

Your Local Journalists: Many journalists have an online presence, via blogs, newsletters or social media.

FURTHER READING

Find Local Non-Profit News Sources: https://findyournews.org/

Develop Critical Reading Skills:

About the Local News Desert Crisis:

The Tips section has adapted text from the following source:

Even the smallest stone thrown can create a Ripple!

All of the advice in here is written with the USA political system in mind. There may be some crossover with other countries, but not all advice is applicable.

This guide was made with the best of my ability with references I found online. Please use this guide as a first step to further research from actual professionals.

Remember: taking even the smallest of actions is more effective then just reading about it.

Taking that first step can be scary, especially if it’s a new experience for you, but it is worth it.

[tabletoptrinketsbyjj]

Trinkets, Books, 13: An eclectic library of dusty tomes, fictional textbooks, pocketbooks, paperbacks, hardcovers, booklets, leaflets and magical manuals. Paper leaves and the binding surrounding them can help define a character, kick off a subplot, fuel a fetch quest or simply serve as a generic macguffin. Commonly seen in video games such as Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights, World of Warcraft and Skyrim, book items are a way to subtly world build while still handing out sellable loot. A wizard has a spellbook, a cleric has a holy text and now you have a trinket list.

A pulpy horror book filled with short stories made to terrify adolescents and thrill young adults. A creature who reads the book suffers from a Random Nightmare later the next time they sleep.

A large reference book on the subject of minted coinage within the realm. The top of each page has an illustration of both sides of a coin from a rubbing of the original, lovingly and delicately inked. Below is everything anyone could possibly want to know about the coin: number of dies in the designs, the date each went into service, the date each was taken out and destroyed, dates of repairs and re-engravings on each, quantities of each kind of coin struck. There is even a statement about whether or not there are known counterfeits. According the inside cover, the tome belongs to the Royal Assay of the city of TunFaire in the kingdom of Karenta.

A brand new copy of “Volo's Guide to What to Expect When You’re Expecting” with a couple of pages dog-eared in and “Congratulations!” written on the inside cover.

On the Sending Out of the Soul: An eight-page pamphlet on astral projection. The first seven pages of the pamphlet contain vague mystic writing; however, the eighth page details a formula for effecting astral travel. Among the required ingredients are a brazier and a mild hallucinogenic herb. The formula is always successful but has an unforeseen side effect: it invokes the horrid Outer God the Hydra. Knowledgeable PC’s are aware that the pamphlet first appeared a few generations ago and circulated among occult groups. Most copies were destroyed in the wake of a series of grisly murders.

Dictionnaire Infernal: A full description of the hierarchies of demons. This edition includes sixty-nine illustrations of demons by Louis Le Breton a skilled warlock, infamous for trading his soul for legendary artistic talent rather than arcane power or material wealth.

A journeyman’s guide to the proper practices of the guild who oversees the use of Random Artisan Tools. The travel volume includes how to care for your tools and how to interact with other crafters to seek replacement tools and have worn ones maintained. Other chapters detail acceptable prices for goods sold and services rendered along with advice on any specific ethical concerns the guild may have on trading. Most of the book contains descriptions and diagrams on how to perform basic tasks with the tools to the guild’s standards.

A small book, entitled "The Torrid Affair of Knight Gawain,". When placed on its spine it automatically falls open to particularly risqué page.

A personal journal owned by a psychiatrist who was studying the concept of nightmares and their metaphysical properties. The doctor recorded dozens of firsthand accounts of her patient’s slumbering terrors within this volume as well as notes on the patients themselves and how the dreams affected them. A person who peruses the journal for more than a few minutes suffers from a Random Nightmare the next time they sleep. Upon waking they feel compelled to document their experience on one of the blank pages left near the end of the book.

Alchemy of the Flesh: A dark green tome describing how to use a plethora of humanoid viscera and organs to enhance standard potion brewing techniques.

Tome Of The Endless Tale: A small, worn book with fanciful creatures or locales on battered leather covers, the tome’s pages fill with serialized stories that engage and distract the reader. The Tome focuses on a specific genre (See Note) but the stories crafted within the pages are unique to each reader, tailored by the magic from their own imagination and so vibrant that the book’s tales seem to come to life in the mind’s eye. Once per day, the reader can speak the command word written on the book's inside cover to fill its its pages with a serial story tailored to the speaker. This story typically takes 1 hour to read, continuing from where the last tale completed. ---Note: The DM can choose a genre or roll at random; 1, Adventure 2, Romance 3, Mystery / Crime 4, Horror 5, Thriller / Suspense 6, Fantasy 7, Science Fiction 8, Historical fiction.

—Click Here to be directed to the Hotlinks To All Tables post, which provides (As you might have guessed) convenient links to all of the loot and resource tables this blog has.

—Click Here for additional Book Descriptions to give these objects even more personality.

—Note: The previous 10 items are repeated for easier rolling on a d100.

A pulpy horror book filled with short stories made to terrify adolescents and thrill young adults. A creature who reads the book suffers from a Random Nightmare later the next time they sleep.

A large reference book on the subject of minted coinage within the realm. The top of each page has an illustration of both sides of a coin from a rubbing of the original, lovingly and delicately inked. Below is everything anyone could possibly want to know about the coin: number of dies in the designs, the date each went into service, the date each was taken out and destroyed, dates of repairs and re-engravings on each, quantities of each kind of coin struck. There is even a statement about whether or not there are known counterfeits. According the inside cover, the tome belongs to the Royal Assay of the city of TunFaire in the kingdom of Karenta.

A brand new copy of “Volo's Guide to What to Expect When You’re Expecting” with a couple of pages dog-eared in and “Congratulations!” written on the inside cover.

On the Sending Out of the Soul: An eight-page pamphlet on astral projection. The first seven pages of the pamphlet contain vague mystic writing; however, the eighth page details a formula for effecting astral travel. Among the required ingredients are a brazier and a mild hallucinogenic herb. The formula is always successful but has an unforeseen side effect: it invokes the horrid Outer God the Hydra. Knowledgeable PC’s are aware that the pamphlet first appeared a few generations ago and circulated among occult groups. Most copies were destroyed in the wake of a series of grisly murders.

Dictionnaire Infernal: A full description of the hierarchies of demons. This edition includes sixty-nine illustrations of demons by Louis Le Breton a skilled warlock, infamous for trading his soul for legendary artistic talent rather than arcane power or material wealth.

A journeyman’s guide to the proper practices of the guild who oversees the use of Random Artisan Tools. The travel volume includes how to care for your tools and how to interact with other crafters to seek replacement tools and have worn ones maintained. Other chapters detail acceptable prices for goods sold and services rendered along with advice on any specific ethical concerns the guild may have on trading. Most of the book contains descriptions and diagrams on how to perform basic tasks with the tools to the guild’s standards.

A small book, entitled "The Torrid Affair of Knight Gawain,". When placed on its spine it automatically falls open to particularly risqué page.

A personal journal owned by a psychiatrist who was studying the concept of nightmares and their metaphysical properties. The doctor recorded dozens of firsthand accounts of her patient’s slumbering terrors within this volume as well as notes on the patients themselves and how the dreams affected them. A person who peruses the journal for more than a few minutes suffers from a Random Nightmare the next time they sleep. Upon waking they feel compelled to document their experience on one of the blank pages left near the end of the book.

Alchemy of the Flesh: A dark green tome describing how to use a plethora of humanoid viscera and organs to enhance standard potion brewing techniques.

Tome Of The Endless Tale: A small, worn book with fanciful creatures or locales on battered leather covers, the tome’s pages fill with serialized stories that engage and distract the reader. The Tome focuses on a specific genre (See Note) but the stories crafted within the pages are unique to each reader, tailored by the magic from their own imagination and so vibrant that the book’s tales seem to come to life in the mind’s eye. Once per day, the reader can speak the command word written on the book's inside cover to fill its its pages with a serial story tailored to the speaker. This story typically takes 1 hour to read, continuing from where the last tale completed. ---Note: The DM can choose a genre or roll at random; 1, Adventure 2, Romance 3, Mystery / Crime 4, Horror 5, Thriller / Suspense 6, Fantasy 7, Science Fiction 8, Historical fiction.

A cloth-bound book of short stories by famous pulp novelist Cissifin Judeel. The volume is in excellent physical condition.

A bound section that includes chapters six, seven, and nine of some kind of book on mechanical engineering, seemingly torn from a larger work. They describe in enormous detail how to construct an intricate clockwork mechanism, but what it’s supposed to do is left unclear – and, besides, with chapter eight missing you wouldn’t know how to build one of the most important parts…

A cookbook, containing stunningly delicious recipes which, unfortunately, require extraordinarily rare and hard to find ingredients to make. It is no doubt someone's life’s ambition to cook and eat all of them at least once.

An anonymous epic poem about the Brass Spear Prince, full of stirring speeches and descriptions of battle scenes. For many noble travellers, this inspiring story is the reason why they became an adventurer in the first place.

An old bestiary, full of detailed information about monsters and magical beasts. Its sources appear to be approximately one-third hard evidence, one-third rumour or hearsay, and one-third the author's own fevered imagination, with no indication in the text as to which is which. It's information could easily save your life one day if you can only work out which parts of it are actually true...

A strange book whose pages are thin, blank stone tablets bound with knotted leather cords. Skeletons and zombies bow and grovel in the presence of the book.

Phoenix Breviary: A hand-size book bound in what appears to be black ostrich hide. Its pages are empty. Placed in a fire, the book will be unharmed and reveal the canonical hours of a banned cult for as long as it is surrounded by flame. Anything written in it will disappear until revealed similarly.

A joke book, full of genuinely hilarious (If rather mean-spirited) jokes. There are enough one liners alone for hours of belly-laughs and the text would be extremely valued to a jester or entertainer.

An anonymous journal, which records in obsessive detail the suspicious activities of a variety of seemingly-innocuous local citizens, whom the author seems to have been keeping under close observation. Either he was totally paranoid, or they are engaged in some kind of conspiracy. Maybe both.

An instruction manual, which describes in lunatic detail how to build a giant mechanical owl in order to further the cause of righteousness in the land. (The causal relationship between these two things is not made clear.) Chapters 3 through 9, which cover the construction of the owl’s internal mechanisms, have been ripped out.

A book of abstruse speculative philosophy, heavily annotated by some previous student. The annotations to the early chapters are detailed and lucid, but as the book goes on they grow increasingly incoherent, finally lapsing into ravings about a Beast and a City made of Red Steel. Due to the quantity of crazy annotations on its final pages, the last sections of the book are effectively illegible. You've never seen another copy.

An antiquarian manuscript whose author attempts, from the surviving literary and numismatic evidence, to deduce where the major strongholds of the local sorcerer-kings were back in the Age of Wonders. If she’s right, then there are at least three in the area which have been completely forgotten about, one of which is now buried under the streets of a major city…

The memoirs of a famous explorer, describing his many travels. The last chapter describes his plans for his final expedition, from which he never returned. But if the reader can work out where he went wrong, then maybe they'll have better luck…

A catalogue of birds found in this and adjacent kingdoms. Holding the book makes you want to obsessively tick off every species you manage to spot. A former owner of the book seems to have ticked off far more of the really rare ones than you, which causes oddly strong feeling of jealousy. One day, you will surpass him!

A child's sketchbook. On every page that isn't just unintelligible scribbling is a horrific monster.

A book of rather moving and helpfully non-specific love poetry. Memorize some of it for next time you need to persuade someone just how much you adore them!

A notebook in which someone has recorded, in great detail, the gastronomic preferences of a whole range of important and powerful people who live in a nearby large city. Very handy if you want to make a good impression - or to set someone else up to make a bad one!

An extremely spicy erotic novel about the life and loves of a famous courtesan. You keep it with you for, um, further research purposes.

A book of woodcut illustrations, more than a century old, depicting various fantastical monsters. One of them shows a particularly grotesque many-tentacled beastie fighting with a figure in spiked armour, who (Unlike every other figure in the book) has a string of nonsense words engraved beneath them. Disturbingly, these words form an anagram of one of the PC's names.

A book of heretical, politically seditious, and intermittently obscene drinking songs, complete with musical scores. Owning it is highly illegal, but you can’t bear to part with it: after all, it might well be the only copy which survived the purge…

A children's story book with a pressed faerie sprite between the pages...

An engrossing and well-written mystery novel: it's not very deep or clever, but pick it up and you'll soon be wondering where the last six hours went. Handy if you need someone to be distracted without realizing it.

Naga Naga Yo Fraga Blaga: A book whose cover is designed to look as if it was made from green scales, and its pages have golden edges. The volume talks at great length about an ancient race of serpentine creatures of great intellect and natural mastery of sorcery.

Of Gospels and Prophets: A stark white leather cover with gold filigree encompasses this religious reference book. The book does not delve deeply into any specific topic, rather approaches the “mile wide, inch deep” style with no more than 3-5 sentences on any of its entries.

Demozain: A book written by a dozen ur-priests. It makes no attempt to hide the ritual that would summon a sentient black hole to consume a world, but between the lines it reveals secrets of where the gods truly get their power.

A palm-sized notebook that always has at least one more blank page.

A blank spellbook bound in scarred wyvern hide.

Libro Venenum: A vile text filled with pages of aged papyrus and wrapped in dried lizard hide. Translated it proclaims to be the Book (of) Poisons and must be handled with absolute care. The reader is insight into the long-forgotten art of toxic magic, practised primarily by hags.

Folio Malevolence: A profane book whose spine is crafted from the bones of tormented fairies. The pages are all exposed with no actual cover and emit a foul odor. Upon close examination one can see skin has been stretched and matted onto the parchment. The runes on these pages make the reader feel uneasy and waves of hatred flow over them. Good aligned characters will feel immediate aversion to the text. The text itself orders the reader to let malevolence overwhelm then and to lead a life of malice and constant all-consuming rage at the world and everything in it.

A diary that begins quite normal, even boring, but becomes increasingly nonsensical, and the final few pages are indecipherable scrawlings.

A heavy book titled “The Many Faces of Perun”. Dozens of flowers are pressed between its pages.

Opuscule Covetous: A small notebook created with haphazard pieces of vellum tied together with gold wire. If the pages are spread out they appear to be covered in numbered pictures. Anyone who puts the pages in the correct order will see the drawings magically animate. The story they show will be capturing and include scenes of immense wealth and decadence. Those viewing will be intoxicated with avarice and immediately desire the treasures presented in the story. Unbeknownst to the cursed readers this is an elaborate trap set by a witch. What appear to be treasures are actually items the witch herself desires but cannot obtain. Examples would be a sacred holy relic, a newborn child or perhaps a lock of hair from a person pure of heart. No matter what the item they will always appear as something else to the afflicted character. The curse will cease once one or all of the items are obtained and presented to the witch.

A bound album of various portraits and sketches of individual local people and families. Someone went through and meticulously clipped out the heads of all the people in the pictures, leaving the rest of the scenes intact.

A ledger listing quantities and types of Random Humanoid Race bones and teeth along with dates, costs, and prices of sales and purchasing.

A book of anatomy with detailed drawings on xenomorphic creatures completely alien to this plane of existence.

A book of genealogical research of a prominent family in the nearby city, mostly consisting of a bound collection of public announcement posters and firsthand accounts of the local historical society.

The Parchments of Pnom: A manuscript written by Hyperborea's leading genealogist and soothsayer. It is written in the "Elder Script" of that land and contains a detailed account of the lineage of the Hyperborean gods, most notably Tsathoggua.

A beginner’s guide for people learning to play the Random Musical Instrument. The slim volume includes diagrams with all the parts of the instrument along with instructions for proper maintenance and care. Past the introduction the book contains the basics of how to play, along with a dozen simple songs that even someone who is unskilled in the performing arts could learn to play by reading the book and putting in a few weeks of regular practice.

A lengthy tome that boasts as its title “A complete history of the Random Humanoid Species”. The thick tome is dense with small, fine handwriting and goes into impressive (If dry) detail on the known origins of the people along with the high and lows of their past.

A military historical reference book focusing on the construction, maintenance and historical and modern use of the Random Weapon as it pertains to various forms of warfare.

Book of Dzyan: This work is an ancient text from a far away land, which contains “unwelcome truths”—cosmic revelations inimical to any human mind, which the Book tries to reconcile. As such, it describes accounts of mental and physical rites which are protective to mortals, as well as otherworldly threats and how to deal with them. Anyone who casts bard spells can research the spell contrary melody in this book to learn it in place of a 5th-level spell known.

A child’s sketchbook that features named stick figures of various people in a dozen different hands. The cover is marked with a surprisingly ornate rune, almost beautiful, though reading it makes one’s eyes droop.

De Vermis Mysteriis: An eldritch and bizarre spellbook, written by Ludvig Prinn, an ancient alchemist and necromancer who was burnt alive as punishments for his crimes against nature. Its pages are full of spells and rituals that summon strange entities, familiars, and creatures from beyond space and time. It also has a number of rituals for contacting and dealing with Great Old Ones, Outer Gods, and their minions.

A tiny leather bound book that contains a piece of writing such as a story, a poem, a manuscript, or a recipe. Each day, a new piece of writing magically replaces the previous one.

A cookbook, heavily bookmarked and written on, with pictures to accompany each recipe in the book. Licking the pictures allows you to find out how each dish tastes. Writing new ingredients in the recipes alters how the pictures taste. The back of the cookbook has empty pages to allow people to write down their own custom recipes. A few of the pages already have recipes written on them, some of which sound absolutely revolting.

A small novel, in which its 100 pages are used to describe a pebble. It consists of a single run-on sentence, and the description is often repeated throughout the book.

A leather bound book that bursts into flames when opened and extinguishes itself when closed. The book itself is completely fireproof.

A translation manual that teaches the basics for a long lost language. The guide assists the reader in translating basic words and phrases from the lost language into a commonly known language. This manual has significant values in archeological and research circles.

A bible that contains the founding texts of a now extinct religion that was wiped out long ago. This tome chronicles the origins of a murderous and wild sect that broke off from a popular, but now dead, religion. It gives notes on famous individuals this sect claims to have killed, their method in doing so and gives small insight into where more information about this sect may be.

A humble prayer-book bound in homespun cloth. Even with all your knowledge and sophistication, these simple hymns still have an almost supernatural power to soothe your troubled mind.

The Book of The Keeper of The World: A yellow book that is almost as bright as the sun itself. A bloody skeleton is on the cover with a text in an unreadable arcane language, presumably the title. Eating pages of this makes something in the world just disappear out of everyone's mind, a nothingness filling the place it used to be.

A reprint of a banned book, the last copy thought destroyed decades ago.

A ratty journal overflowing with loose sheets of yellowed paper. They are filled with maddened scrawl and diagrams and calculations and degenerate ranting.

A heavy book filled with Holy Scripture from the Loregiver and proclamations of Fate.

A holy text containing the sacred oaths of the first paladins from each paladin order in the multiverse, listing those of Good alignment as examples to strive for while warning against falling to the dark temptations of those who made their oaths for personal gain or other dark desires.

A book containing a list of artifacts designed for dark purposes, primarily those associated with Evil deities, as well as instructions on how to destroy these items. Several items on this list have already been crossed off, presumably destroyed by previous holders of this book.

A large tome that contains what is likely the largest repository of knowledge on healing salves in existence. It lists out materials, costs, where to find each ingredient, and how to combine these ingredients. There is virtually no ailment that cannot be cured by at least one of these restorative mixtures should the text prove accurate.

A small prayerbook that contains a single long incantation that can be used to contact a celestial who specializes in helping unfortunate souls tricked into a contract with a devil find a way out of their unfair bargains.

Book of Ashur: An arcane tome, bound in ancient dragon hide that contains much wisdom on the conjuring and subjugation of spells.

Liber Noctus: A decrepit tome that bristles with dark secrets and eldritch powers. Reading from the grimoire summons dark thoughts and grim deeds.

A blessed tome containing tales of ancient valour, glory, and self-sacrifice are bound to inspire those of noble heart to greater deeds.

A large book, bound in human skin according to the note tied to it, supposedly it was owned by an ancient necromancer during the age of thunder but its impossible to open as the spirits bound by it will lash out at the carrier. At the bottom it reads that it's currently on loan from Candlekeep.

A thick, heavy leather-bound book that contains illustrations and descriptions of over 3000 different kind of animals, plants, fungi, and minerals that can be used as alchemical ingredients, and how to safely collect, preserve, and store them. It was written by a renowned dark elf alchemist and explorer in the north lands. He spent decades studying and experimenting with the various creatures and plants that inhabit that environment, and compiled his findings and recipes in this book.

A worn-out leather book that has a map of the southern land on its cover. It contains detailed descriptions and directions on how to find and harvest rare and expensive alchemical ingredients that grow in remote, dangerous or hidden locations in the southern land.

A green book that has a dwarven hammer as symbol on its cover. It contains detailed secret information on how to use dwarven alchemy, with a specialized focus on creating oils and elixirs to mix into liquid metal alloys during the forging of weapons and armor.

An old yellowish book that has an elegant symbol on its cover. It was written by a legendary elven alchemist who mastered the art of creating healing potions, over the course of more than half a millennia of dedicated focus.

A collection of slim volumes on a variety of topics, including a registry of the nobility, City Watch commanders, and other notable citizens. Blank pages, a vial of ink, a pen. A number of interesting maps.

A single tome that is a combined multi-volumed summa of unified theory of arcane & divine magic, mechanical physics, psionics, and the cosmos.

An old, small, leather-bound, time-worn book with a goat’s head tooled into its cover. The leather is badly foxed and the pages are barely readable. If studied carefully it seems to be the journal of a fiendish cult.

A sketchbook half-filled with disturbingly accurate anatomical studies of various people, the copper plates that cover it etched with a pleasingly abstract rendering of a human heart.

A strange esoteric translation manual that teaches the basics for a long lost language. The guide assists the reader in translating basic words and phrases from the lost language into a commonly known language. This manual has significant values in archeological and research circles.

A hand-written guide by a purportedly self-taught monk on how to manifest and nurture ki powers. Although the information is not grounded in traditional aesthetic principals, anyone with knowledge of ki will recognize some validity to the methods being discussed. It is from an unknown author.

A religious text of an extinct cult that was wiped out long ago. This tome chronicles the origins of a murderous and wild sect that broke off from a popular, but now dead, religion. It gives notes on famous individuals this sect claims to have killed, their method in doing so and gives small insight into where more information about this sect may be.

A bound set of written texts, recording the beliefs of a famous lone wanderer and philosopher. The individual is well-known throughout the land for his beliefs and exploits but it was previously unknown that he had personally committed any of these things down on writing.

A book of spells with particularly elaborate verbal components written in an unknown but important-looking script. Arcane PC's can determine that only one or two minor spells actually work. Extremely close inspection will reveal that the rest of the "incantations" and "magic words" are actually disguised and encoded reports from a deep-cover spy

A worn, leather-bound journal filled with notes and sketches, offering insights into the daily life of its previous owner. There are many blank pages. Reading from the journal causes miniature illusions to appear for others showing the details of the event written, whether truthful or fanciful.

An alchemical codex containing the formulae for various poisons.

A dusty, ancient tome filled with arcane knowledge and forbidden secrets, written in a strange serpentine language and illuminated with intricate flowing illustrations.

A notebook that contains private notes from a psychiatrist about a patient. The first two pages are banal and clinical; by the fifth, they are inscrutable ramblings.

An identifiable book with a dozen assorted silver nails impaling it. The nails look disorderly and haphazardly hammered, with many bent in strange angles. The book is constantly wet, and the title is illegible.

An arcane spellbook that doesn’t seem to have belonged to a single wizard, bearing many different hands and styles across undoubtedly centuries. Many pages are damaged, arcane scribblings made illegible by time and deterioration. On the pages that remain, it seems that many of the spells appear modified in some way.

A well-worn and obviously fake booklet on how to talk to ghosts.

A bound journal filled with sketches of plants and animals.

A medical journal written in a dead language. It's filled with diagrams and drawings of medical dissections of inhuman alien creatures.

The Book of Fate's Mercies: A book that details incidents where people were saved from death by random chance. For example, a barking dog caused someone to walk just a little quicker down the street, which moved them out of the path of a stampeding horse. The last story in the book is about you, potentially causing you to be extremely aware and reactive but utterly paranoid and agoraphobic.

An inconspicuous diary of a young girl named Fyla. At a young age Fyla's talents allowed her to see into the abyss and corrupted her mind. She wrote in detail about the monsters under her bed and her fears of what awaited her when they would finally come for her on her 18th birthday.

The Book of Wisdom: A tome that contains a collection of sayings, stories, poems, and hymns from every known culture, religion, and philosophy. New entries appear at random, as new Wisdoms are collected and recorded by other disciples carrying a copy of the Book of Wisdom.

A spellbook made from high quality blank parchment is covered in tiny runes. When one of these small inscriptions is pressed the parchment changes color.

Tome Of The Spellblade: A soft-covered leather bound treatise containing writings describing, in the most basic terms possible, methods of magical fighting. Even so, the material is fairly dense and requires definition and reiteration of various terms and ideas. Fortunately, it also contains many detailed diagrams.

Fearful Codex of Ancient Wisdom: A weighty volume bound in pale, scaled leather of unknown origin. This magical tome contains a wealth of knowledge both mundane and esoteric, and is inhabited by an archival spirit that will direct the reader to their desired content on request. Unfortunately, the spirit has undergone a great deal of trauma over the millennia and the "fearful" part of the title is now literal. Attempting to simply open the codex and read normally will reveal nothing but blank pages, with perhaps a fleeting glimpse of text slithering away to pages deeper in the book. Only through persuasion can you access the codex. The book has definite dislikes, some of which follow: Being read by firelight is terrifying - paper burns! Natural light is better, but being read outside in the weather is undignified and risky. Magical illumination is best, preferably indoors and someplace quiet. Any kind of liquid nearby is alarming - ink runs and paper is ruined! Don't even think about eating while you peruse the codex. The book doesn't really like to travel either and would prefer to tucked away safely in a library somewhere when not in use. It enjoys the company of other books but isn't fond of other magical tomes, even non-sentient ones. It's also really, really phobic about the number eight, and invariably uses constructions like "two cubed" or "nine less one" in its own text when needed.

[dailydawneic]

( rami malek / 43 / he/him ) wait, is that SAMUEL "SAMI" AVERY at the DAILY DAWN again? i heard through a grapevine, that the hunter lays in favor of AVERY and has been in town for THREE YEARS. He currently works as OWNER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF. Some say he can be OBSESSIVE and STUBBORN, but i thought he was actually WISE and RELIABLE.

B A S I C S

name: samuel "sami" avery species: hunter (human) age: forty three hometown: westray, washington occupation: owner/editor-in-chief of the daily dawn relationship: single sexuality: heterosexual pronouns: he/him

P E R S O N A L I T Y

Sami considers himself an eccentric combination of intellectual and practical qualities. While he values freedom and autonomy, he also craves stability and security. His appreciation for aesthetics drew him to his current job, as he believes it allows him to use his intellect and creativity. He often struggles with intimacy because of his tendency to be detached, despite yearning for a long-term partner.

B I O G R A P H Y

Sami was born to Daniel Avery, a traveling hunter that he never had a good relationship with, and Imani El-Amari, an Egyptian museum director from Cairo. He is the oldest of two, with his younger sister May currently studying how to be a chef in Paris, France. Both of them grew up knowing about their father's true lineage but neither of whom were excited to follow his footsteps.

That was, until Sami lost the love of his life, Ann Cai, to a dark witch. Since that day, he vowed to find her killer and get revenge, not knowing it was a light witch that caused Ann's death and Ann had sacrificed herself to save the same witch's life. Ann had always been kind and compassionate. Sometimes, too much for her own good. Whereas Sami had never been the same, always fixated and obsessed with his plans and the general concept of order.

When he arrived in Westray, he tried to avoid his late father's family, only approaching them whenever he wanted to learn something his old man never taught him. It didn't take him long to take over the Daily Dawn, considering his last name and his actual work experience, having been a journalist himself prior to his arrival in town.

These days, Sami sticks to his duties, biding his time until he can find his lover's killer. He believes Westray to be his best resource in his quest for revenge.

T R I V I A

Sami has rhotacism. He pronounces the letter "r" as the letter "w" when it's in the first syllable but he doesn't have a problem when it's the last syllable (eg, river as "wiver").

Sami studied journalism at the University of Phoenix in Arizona. He had met Ann Cai in Jiufen, Taiwan, when he traveled there for his first assignment writing for an online magazine. She perished in Phoenix, after leaving her home to be with him. They had been together for three years.

Sami's favorite food is shawarma, though he also fancies sushi (with sake), tacos (with tequila), and beef stroganoff (with vodka).

Sami has a pet "dog" named Lily.

Sami can drive but prefers not to.

Sami has a green thumb, with gardening as one of his favorite hobbies.

Sami has allergic rhinitis.

W A N T E D

HIS MOTHER – While his father has already perished, his mother is still out there, having returned to Cairo, where she now works as a museum director once again. She has always been supportive of Sami but does not like the idea of him wasting his time on Ann's killer. “ Let go, my son. Let her, and you, rest. ”

HIS SISTER – May Avery El-Amari is currently using their mother's last name due to her dislike of their father's lineage. She is currently in Paris, France, learning to be a chef from one of its renowned masters. Like her mother, she is supportive of her big brother, too, but also wants to see Ann's killer get justice, having considered her as her sister. In time, she will get the urge to take to the streets and practice her hunter skills. Maybe she'll even visit Westray one of these days. “ Bro, I sent you something. Did you get it yet? ”

HIS ANCHORS – Anyone who can keep him connected to the real world, outside of his vengeful mindset. Sami sometimes forgets he needs friends, maybe even more than friends, to root him in place. “ When was the last time you ate? ”

HIS WRITERS – As the editor-in-chief of the Daily Dawn, Sami works with a lot of writers. Is he a good boss? Are you closer than officemates? Does he eat your yogurt that has a label with your name on it? He probably does. Now, go get him his coffee. “ Wait, what deadline? ”

[nemorialex]

Dreaming...

Dreaming...

Dreaming...

Dreams have become a recurring theme lately. Talks with John “Foelonde” about them, more frequent passing messages about these “bubbles” they’ve heard about before, Alex’s own twisted subconscious having their way with them…

If absolutely nothing else, Alex needed a distraction. And what better way to distract than to investigate. It was what they did, after all. The self-inflicted title of “Supernatural Explorer” was a little rusty, but still fit them far better than anything godly. 

In the basement, on the bookshelf, next to jars of red and tan and blue extra-terrariums, Alex pulled out a hefty golden book with black trim. That was set down on the semi-cluttered desk along with their laptop, a psychology book about dream signs and meanings, and their own Journal. (And a cup of tea, but a snack would just make them sick right now.) They made a day out of digging through those encrypted pages, looking up recorded instances of dream persuasion on Haven on the internet, (purple blooded Trolls came up a lot… Something to keep in mind) as well as doing very… Cautious, research on those bubbles, and comparing them all to the little scientific book, jotting down everything noteworthy in their own blue-bound book. 

The next day, earlier than usual, Alex turned in for the evening. 

Dreams and Memories were tied oh so closely together, overlapping until it was hard to tell the difference between the two. Dreams were the body’s way of processing information that it had gained over the course of the day, comparing and contrasting memories to ideas and sensations. Also, dreams used other people’s faces as extras rather than making their own, and sleeping was the time when the body powered down to stitch itself up again, but these facts weren’t important to Alex’s quest right now. 

The Mindscape was (typically) accessed while asleep, via dreams, and it contained memories, thoughts, ideas, feelings. It brushed closely with a dimension of it’s own physics, which could be quite dangerous if not navigated carefully. Bubbles also seemed to have some sort of “connected dimension” set-up . It was said that they contained the souls of those who’ve passed on, as a sort of purgatory. Falling asleep and reliving memories were ways to connect to this other plane of existence where the line of souls, dreaming and doomed, blurred. 

Lucid dreaming happened when one was aware of their dreaming state, and had the ability to control it. A skill Alex had somewhat mastered over the course of several years. Astral Projection was a state of leaving the body and traveling to another plane of existence in the waking world. Trickier, but not altogether impossible… 

Perhaps their plan was over-complicating things, but maybe if they made the right connections now, Alex would be able to make themself a shortcut in the future.

The Journal was set aside on the nightstand next to a cup of warm tea, mostly gone by this point. With practiced ease, Alex slipped into their own subconscious and woke up in the blue forest of their own Mindscape. Familiar. Almost comforting.

Almost. 

With a weary eye and a twirl of their finger, a circle of fire burned its way around them. The green flames wouldn’t hurt, but its protective light would keep the Shadows at bay while they worked. This would likely not be a long trip, because keeping awake, while asleep, while projecting, while protecting, it was all a mental workout to be sure. 

With that settled, Alex laid back, a recreation of what they were laying on in the waking world manifesting as they moved. They hadn’t seen Inception in a while, but wasn’t it sort of like this? Except those guys did the same method for each layer, rather than changing the frequency each time like Alex was attempting to do. 

The Astral Projection part was easier to achieve than they thought. Maybe they had psyched themself up enough, studied thoroughly enough, or their mastery over their own head made it easier to manifest the outcome desired in a sort of “home field advantage” situation. The EXACT reasoning, in the end, didn’t matter all too much. 

Alex stood up. Alex stayed laying down. (Alex stayed laying down.) 

Alex circled the bed, observing themself. Alex stayed in bed. (Alex stayed in bed.)

Alex… Tentatively allowed themself to hover above the forest floor, just for a moment. Alex stayed in bed. (Alex sniffed and grumbled in their sleep.) 

And finally, parting the flames for just a moment, Alex went for a walk. 

You get the idea. (You get the idea.)

~ ~ ~

They weren’t exactly sure what to expect. When digging through the Dreamsacpe, there were always signs. Doors. Pictures. Archways. Funny knots in trees. Something to signify the “lobby” of the subconscious was separate from the various rooms of recollection. But now the usual spongy underbrush of felled pine needles thinned and revealed unfamiliar golden cobblestone. Well, no, it was… It was vaguely familiar, but the color was off. The treeline was giving way to gold. More and more and more gold. Round shades manifested over their eyes to try and dampen the sudden shine. The color was wrong, what was wrong with the color, aside from it being too bright? Wasn’t Gold the unofficial color of dreams anyway? Why was it–

Purple. 

It should be purple. 

With the realization, Alex’s head snapped up to look at the rest of their surroundings. Spiked spires pointed to pitch black heavens, bridges with low railings and ornate columns to hold them up connected tall buildings to one another, highly detailed walls and walkways of stone layered one after after another as far as they eye could see. It was all so… Regal. 

Huh. 

This was… Alex didn’t know what to make of it. 

What they did know was that before, when they were wearing purple amongst a purple city, they could hide easier. A black coat wasn’t so much an obvious stain as it was an outright target for attention. This wasn’t a memory- they’d never made it to Zack’s dream world first-hand- so this whole… Projection. This wasn’t from their own head. But it was still a projection because they could still–

Alex’s clothes shifted with the thought. From the usual jeans, t-shirt, boots and coat, to a pajama set very similar to it. However, it was still purple, and still too dark to hide in a Prospitian’s yellow memory. With a little concentration, they shifted the color. It was really weird to see their coat in such a bright color- it was nearly white by comparison- and why their slippers were green now instead of blue didn’t make much sense, but the most egregious parts of their outfit were fixed now. Alex could roam these hallowed halls without sticking out like a too much of a sore thumb. 

Not that they really needed to be concerned with that, apparently. There wasn’t anyone here, hard-shelled or gold clad or otherwise. For a while, it seemed like Alex was alone. But now, how does that work? Could someone just set up a memory and leave it? Maybe it made sense, since they weren’t dealing with babies who struggled with object permanence, but with something as malleable as the dream/memory space Alex was working with? If this place could be changed with enough influence, then wouldn’t a lack of that influence mean a lack of that space? A memory can’t remember itself, could it?

Assuming that they were alone had been incorrect, however.

From the sky, like an eagle spotting a field mouse, something dove down towards them. So caught up in their own head, Alex didn’t even have time to fully process the movement, let alone to dodge or hide from it.

In a landing far too delicate for the speeds she was moving at a second ago, someone stopped in front of Alex, golden dress hardly fluttering as her slippers touched down.

“Hi there!!” 

This place was so familiar, and off by just a color. This person struck the same cord within Alex. A stranger, yet so many signs pointed towards an unknown familiarity. Tall- a good foot and some change towering over the redhead- dark skin, thick hair and thicker glasses, bright teeth. Big smile- HUGE smile. Even if she hadn’t caught Alex by surprise, they would still feel that creeping “fight-flight-freeze” urge creeping up inside just from how… Open she seemed to be. Friendly. Forward. 

“I haven’t seen anyone else here for a while! Or, I guess kind of ever!” She giggled. Alex wondered how long “a while / ever” was. 

“Yes, I was just noticing that.” Alex borrowed a confidence that wasn’t normally theirs. “Usually there’s a few more shiny white guys milling about the place.” 

“Not Prospit, silly! In my dreams!” 

“Is Prospit not a place in your dreams?” They asked slyly, lifting an eyebrow and a corner of their mouth. 

“Well, yeah, kinda? But that’s not what I mean! This isn’t really Prospit!” 

Alex could play innocent and let her over-explain. Ask for details and her perspective. Gather information and line it up with what they knew to be true and suspected to be the case. Instead, however, they played a riskier move and leaned into that earlier confidence. 

“So you know, then, that you’re actually asleep? And not, you know, “Game” asleep.”

“Yeah! It’s happened a couple of times now! And usually I’m just on my own. Until you showed up!”

“I hope you don’t mind the intrusion, then.” Alex bowed slightly.

“No way, this is great!” The stranger stepped forward, excitement barely contained as she held her balled fists up to her face. It was like she was restraining herself from reaching out and grabbing Alex for herself. Instead, her feet left the ground again. She hovered upwards and backwards, easily, naturally, and waved Alex to follow. “Come on!”

Fuck. Fuck, fuck. God damn it. This girl was good, calling Alex’s bluff so soon into their meeting. But hey, Alex wasn’t awake right now, were they? They couldn’t get hurt in Dreams if they didn’t want to. Couldn’t fall. They could summon some solid ground for themself at any moment. They could do any damn thing they thought of here! And right now, they wanted to keep up a confident charade, make a missing man(?) proud, and fly off with an over-excited stranger who just wanted some company. 

Thank goodness for the glasses. Aside from blocking the light, they were working as intended; shielding their eyes from emotional interpretation. Trying not to take TOO deep a breath to steady themself, Alex let their feet leave the ground (viciously ignoring the twist in their gut) and floated up next to this Dream’s occupant.

“Are we headed someplace particular?” 

“Not really? I mean, I love Prospit, but it’s kind of eerie when it’s all empty and abandoned like this.” The stranger pouted. 

“I suppose you have a point.” Alex looked down (WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU–)(It’s fine.) It’s fine. There was no one down there. Even if they were more accustomed to tar than pearl, it was still weird to see such a large area with no one around. 

The stranger sped up and Alex matched speed, the two of them getting farther from the golden city, and from Alex’s starting point. An ever-present invisible thread of silver thinned and thinned until it seemed to dissipate altogether. 

Back in the woods of blue, the ring of fire burned down to angry yellow coals. There was nothing inside the circle. 

Back in the cabin, Alex sighed in their sleep, sinking further into their sheets. Cozy...

[digitalmarketer2801]

SPIRITUAL JOURNEY 

A Spiritual Journey is a deep investigation of the interconnectedness of self, knowledge and wholeness. It is a search for deeper intention, purpose and understanding of the physical realm. Here is an in-depth examination of the components of a religious journey: 

Integration and Application: Integral to the religious journey is the integration of spiritual intuitions throughout history. It is almost not about pursuing understanding or transcendent phenomena but is still about representing the religious standard in one's thoughts, polemics, and conduct. This integration involves greater awareness, compassion, and adjustment to the principles of the individual. 

Surrender and Letting Go: A religious journey often involves a process of surrender and letting go of egoic desires, control, and the need for fact. This dedication is not about indifference, but rather about having faith in the unfolding of history to some extent and connecting with a superior genius or divine plan to transcend the limited view of individuality. 

The Spiritual journey never ends: Ultimately, a religious journey is a permanent process that unfolds as the occasion unfolds. It has no established destination or endpoint, but rather a continuous survey and progression of knowledge. Each event, challenge and insight provides continued development of the journey, making things engaging to expand their understanding, nurturing presence and engaging the significance of their true character. 

In short, a Spiritual journey to another world is a deeply personal and transformative exploration for validity, purpose, and wholeness that invites things to explore the insights of their existence and to become or become acquainted with the interconnectedness of all life. 

For more interesting Content Please visit on our Homepage digiefox

Embarking on a otherworldly journey is a intensely individual and life-changing experience that can take miscellaneous forms contingent upon an individual's opinions, practices, and aims. While each journey is singular, skilled are several encompassing types of religious journeys that community frequently attempt. In this essay, we will investigate some of these types and investigate their meaning and traits.

Visit on our Homepage Digie Fox

The Quest for Self-Discovery: One of ultimate ordinary types of otherworldly journeys revolves around the investigation of individual's personality. This journey frequently starts accompanying a desire to understand being more intensely, to reveal secret realities, and to find message and purpose in life. Practitioners grant permission count on practices to a degree contemplation, journaling, or remedy to further this process. Through self-thinking and introspection, things grant permission challenge their fears, anxieties, and past strains, eventually leading to better self-knowledge and agreement.

The Path of Enlightenment: In many otherworldly attitudes, understanding is regarded as the last goal—a state of deep understanding, insight, and freedom from agony. Those on the way of enlightenment inquire to surpass the restraints of the personality and accomplish a taller state of consciousness. This journey frequently includes severe religious practices to a degree contemplation, pleading, and mindfulness, in addition to study of protected texts and education. Along the way, experts can occurrence moments of awareness, clearness, and deep revolution as they solve the secrets of existence and buy and sell the divine.

For Digital Marketing Tips and Tricks Visit on Shashank Goel

[shelikesthewayyoumove]

Dominate Your CIPD Journey with #TrailblazerTactics! 🦁📚

Tumblr fam, it’s May 2025, and we’re roaring into our #TrailblazerTactics era, carving our own paths to greatness! 🛤️ If you’re deep in your CIPD grind—whether you’re laying the groundwork with Level 3’s HR essentials, conquering Level 5’s practical challenges, or leading the pack with Level 7’s strategic brilliance—your qualification is your ticket to an epic HR or L&D career. But those assignments? They’re like jungle obstacles, throwing wild challenges like organizational leadership, employee empowerment, or HR tech strategies. 🐆 Tumblr’s popping off with #Trailblazer, #BreakTheMold, and #StudyInspo, so let’s unleash that fearless energy and make your CIPD journey a legendary adventure! 🗺️✨

Meet CIPD Assignment Help, your trusty compass for navigating the CIPD wilderness! 🧭 Their squad of HR pioneers and academic mentors is here to guide you through the thicket, offering personalized support that feels like a #MotivationMonday rally cry. From reflective essays to case studies or strategic HR blueprints, they’ll help you blaze a trail through your coursework with confidence and swagger. Ready to lead the way? 🦒

Why CIPD Assignment Help is your #TrailblazerTactics must-have:

Pathfinding Support: Custom guidance for your assignment, ensuring your work roars and aligns with CIPD’s high standards. 📝

HR Pathbreakers: Mentors with real-world HR and L&D expertise, dropping wisdom like they’re mapping your career’s next frontier. 🧑‍💼

Aesthetic Gear: Snag templates, research hacks, and writing guides that make studying feel like a #StudyInspo safari journal. 📚

Skill Surge: Sharpen your academic writing and critical thinking to dominate your coursework and future HR career. 🌟

All-Level Expedition: From Level 3 explorers to Level 7 trailblazers, they’ve got tools for every leg of your CIPD quest. 📈

Feedback Compass: Tutor feedback got you lost? They’ll help you reroute and refine like it’s a #BreakTheMold pivot. 🔍

Chill Explorer Vibe: Their student-focused approach keeps your study sesh as smooth as a #Trailblazer sunset trek. 😌

Tumblr’s all about forging your own path, sharing #LifeHacks, and hyping your community, and CIPD Assignment Help brings that energy to your CIPD studies. Their platform is like your adventure basecamp, packed with tools, expert strategies, and a blog bursting with #CareerQuest—think HR trends, study tips, and motivation to keep your trailblazing spirit fierce. Perfect for curating that #StudyInspo setup with a leather-bound notebook, earthy-toned pens, and your fave adventure-ready coffee! ☕📓

Ready to make your CIPD assignments part of your #TrailblazerTactics saga? 🦒 Roar over to CIPD Assignment Help to explore their services and start carving your HR legacy. Let’s make studying bold, aesthetic, and empowering—because you’re not just a student, you’re a pioneer shaping the future! Drop a 🦁 in the tags if you’re ready to conquer your CIPD goals with #BreakTheMold energy! 💼✨

[suchasintoindulgemywickedways]

Conquer Your CIPD Journey with #BadassEnergy! 🔥📚

Tumblr crew, it’s May 2025, and we’re channeling #BadassEnergy to own our goals! 💪 If you’re deep in your CIPD grind—whether you’re building the basics with Level 3, dominating Level 5’s practical cases, or unleashing strategic genius with Level 7—your qualification is the ultimate power-up for your HR or L&D career. But those assignments? They’re like rogue villains, throwing shade with topics like organizational strategy, employee retention, or HR tech disruptions. 😈 Tumblr’s lit with #BadassVibes, #GoalGetter, and #StudyTok, so let’s harness that fierce energy and make your CIPD journey an epic win! ⚔️✨

Enter CIPD Assignment Help, your ultimate sidekick for slaying CIPD assignments like a boss! 🦸 Their squad of HR warriors and academic mentors is here to arm you with personalized support that feels like a #MotivationMonday power surge. From reflective essays to case studies or strategic HR plans, they’ll help you defeat deadlines and deliver work that’s straight-up legendary. Ready to kick ass and take names? 💥

Why CIPD Assignment Help is your #BadassEnergy go-to:

Epic Battle-Ready Support: Custom guidance for your assignment, ensuring your work slays and meets CIPD’s toughest standards. 📝

HR Powerhouses: Mentors with real-world HR and L&D cred, dropping wisdom like they’re training you for the career arena. 🧑‍💼

Aesthetic Weapons: Grab templates, research hacks, and writing guides that make studying feel like a #StudyTok victory montage. 📚

Skill Supercharge: Level up your academic writing and critical thinking to dominate your coursework and future HR career. 🌟

All-Level Domination: From Level 3 rookies to Level 7 conquerors, they’ve got tools for every stage of your CIPD quest. 📈

Feedback Counterstrike: Tutor feedback got you down? They’ll help you regroup and refine like it’s a #GoalGetter comeback. 🔍

Chill Warrior Vibe: Their student-focused approach keeps your study sesh as smooth as a #BadassVibes victory strut. 😌

Tumblr’s all about owning your power, sharing #SuccessHacks, and hyping your squad, and CIPD Assignment Help brings that energy to your CIPD studies. Their platform is like your training dojo, packed with tools, expert strategies, and a blog bursting with #CareerSlay—think HR trends, study tips, and motivation to keep your fire blazing. Perfect for curating that #StudyTok setup with a bold bullet journal, neon sticky notes, and your fave pre-workout energy drink! ⚡📓

Ready to make your CIPD assignments part of your #BadassEnergy saga? 🗡️ Charge over to CIPD Assignment Help to explore their services and start forging your HR empire. Let’s make studying fierce, aesthetic, and empowering—because you’re not just a student, you’re a warrior crafting your legacy! Drop a ⚡ in the tags if you’re ready to conquer your CIPD goals with #GoalGetter vibes! 💼✨

[losecontrolenthusiast]

Turn Your CIPD Journey into a #LevelUpLegacy! 🏆📚

Tumblr fam, it’s May 2025, and we’re all about building legacies and leveling up! 🔥 If you’re on your CIPD quest—whether you’re starting strong with Level 3’s HR essentials, killing it with Level 5’s practical cases, or crafting a masterpiece with Level 7’s strategic vision—your qualification is the ultimate #CareerWin. But those assignments? They’re like boss-level challenges, throwing curveballs with topics like HR strategy, employee relations, or organizational learning. 🎮😬 Tumblr’s buzzing with #LevelUp, #BossBabeVibes, and #StudyMotivation, so let’s channel that high-score energy to make your CIPD grind legendary! 🕹️✨

Meet CIPD Assignment Help, your power-up for dominating CIPD assignments! ⚡ Think of them as your trusty sidekick, equipped with all the cheat codes to conquer your coursework. Their team of HR champs and academic pros is ready to guide you through every level, offering personalized support that feels like unlocking a new achievement. From case studies to reflective journals or strategic HR plans, they’ll help you smash your goals without the game-over stress. Ready, player one? 🎯

Why CIPD Assignment Help is your #LevelUpLegacy cheat sheet:

Epic Custom Support: Tailored guidance for your assignment, ensuring your work scores high and aligns with CIPD’s playbook. 📝

HR MVPs: Mentors with real-world HR and L&D skills, dropping pro tips like they’re coaching you to the top. 🧑‍💼

Power-Up Resources: Grab templates, research hacks, and writing guides that make studying feel like a #StudyMotivation montage. 📚

Skill Boosts: Level up your academic writing and critical thinking to dominate your coursework and future HR career. 🌟

All-Level Quest: From Level 3 newbies to Level 7 legends, they’ve got gear for every stage of your CIPD adventure. 📈

Feedback Respawn: Tutor feedback got you stuck? They’ll help you reload and refine for a winning next draft. 🔍

Chill Victory Vibes: Their student-focused approach keeps your study sesh as smooth as a #BossBabeVibes victory lap. 😌

Tumblr’s all about chasing wins, sharing #SuccessTips, and uplifting your squad, and CIPD Assignment Help brings that energy to your CIPD studies. Their platform is like your ultimate gaming hub, loaded with tools, expert strategies, and a blog packed with #CareerGoals—think HR trends, study hacks, and motivation to keep your drive at max level. Perfect for curating that #StudyMotivation setup with a neon keyboard, a motivational vision board, and your fave energy drink! ⚡📓

Ready to make your CIPD assignments part of your #LevelUpLegacy? 🎮 Dash over to CIPD Assignment Help to check out their services and start building your HR empire. Let’s make studying strategic, aesthetic, and empowering—because you’re not just a student, you’re a future HR legend! Drop a 🏆 in the tags if you’re ready to conquer your CIPD goals with #BossBabeVibes! 💼✨

[nifglobal]

Top Reasons Mumbai is The Best Place to Study Fashion Design

At the center of the ever-changing fashion scene in India is the city that seamlessly mixes modernity with the city of Mumbai. Many times, it is referred to as the capital of fashion in India, but Mumbai is not solely about Bollywood fashion and glamorous runways. It's also a source of inspiration for those who want to be noticed on the global fashion scene. If you're looking to make it big as a style guru, then there's no more ideal place to start than Mumbai to start your quest.

Mumbai: The Fashion Capital Where Designers are Made

The top five motives for to why Mumbai is regarded as the most ideal place to learn fashion design and also why hundreds of students across the country -- and even overseas--come to this vibrant city to follow their design desires.

1. India's Fashion Capital

Mumbai is home to one of India's most renowned fashion weeks, such as the famous Lakme Fashion Week, which provides a stage for both experienced designers as well as emerging talents. Fashion studies in Mumbai provides direct access to actual world of fashion, from events and live shows to events for networking with fashion industry experts. Fashion in the city keeps moving, offering students with real-world learning experiences and a sense of inspiration.

2. Access to Leading Fashion Institutes

Their top-quality instructors recognize many of the best fashion design institute in Mumbai, along with industry-related partnerships and a unique curriculum. The institutes aren't just teaching fashion, they have it in their lives. They concentrate on the practical aspects of realistic skills as well as theoretical fundamentals of the design, merchandising as well as textiles and styling.

Enrolling at the most prestigious institute of Fashion design and fashion in Mumbai will grant you access to cutting-edge facilities, modern tools, as well as a hospitable atmosphere that encourages creativity and experimentation. These institutions are famous for their interactive classes with the top fashion designers, internships at renowned brand names, as well as hands-on instruction that prepares students to excel within the world of fashion.

3. A Thriving Industry Ecosystem

Mumbai is home to numerous fashion companies, media corporations as well as textile companies as well as production companies. The vibrant community provides a variety of possibilities for interns or freelance work, as well as permanent positions. No matter if you're into the art of styling or branding and costume design or the field of fashion journalism, Mumbai offers a myriad options for career opportunities for students of fashion design.

The city's close ties to the entertainment industry provides the city with a distinct advantage. Designers frequently collaborate with television and film productions, exposing students to celebrity and costume styling.

4. Diversity Inspires Creativity

Fashion thrives off diversity. Mumbai is a melting-pot of different cultures, customs, and styles. From couture at the top to street style fashion, each corner of Mumbai tells the story of its people through their clothes. The rich cultural heritage inspires fashion students and encourages students to mix international trends and Indian traditions.

The inspiration is all around, from the crowded streets that run through Colaba or Bandra to the vibrant textile market of Bhuleshwar. This unique mix of modern and old creates Mumbai an ideal place for anyone who wants to try new things and be creative.

5. Strong Alumni Networks & Mentorship

The nation's best fashion designers and entrepreneurs have completed their studies at top Mumbai-based schools. The fact that these institutions exist lets students tap into the powerful alumni networks which provide mentoring, opportunities for collaboration as well as guidance in the process of starting their own label or furthering their studies.

From portfolio review to financing guidance, these communities run by alumni aid in bridging the gap between formal education and professional work. These support networks have a major impact on designing a professional's path.

6. Real-World Learning Opportunities

The education of fashion designers in Mumbai extends beyond the textbook. Students are involved constantly in actual projects, be it the fashion show at college, or working in designer studios or even competitions organized by the industry. These are essential experiences in understanding how to deal with the client's briefs, schedules of production as well as market requirements.

A lot of the best institute for fashion design in Mumbai are based on the concept of the experiential aspect of learning. Students can interact with designers, fashion photographers, stylists, and even garment techs. It is a hands-on method that ensures graduates are prepared for work and know-how in the industry immediately upon graduation.

7. A Platform for Global Exposure

Mumbai's fashion industry is not only limited to trends in the city. Through increasing collaborations with international partners as well as study abroad programmes and exchange agreements Fashion design students from Mumbai have plenty of opportunities to receive worldwide exposure. If it's to showcase collections during international fashion shows or learning how to market internationally The city encourages students to explore the world beyond their limits.

A number of institutes annually invite world fashion designers, stylists and business leaders for workshops as well as talks with guests, expanding students' perspectives as well as preparing them for an international career.

8. Affordable and Student-Friendly City Life

Comparatively to other international cities, Mumbai offers a relatively cheap lifestyle for young people. From food and travel in the local area to accommodation and other necessities students are able to live an active lifestyle without putting a dent in their pocket. The city's bustling and friendly atmosphere encourages individual growth and self-reliance.

Furthermore, Mumbai does not sleep, allowing access to late night studying cafes and art galleries, as well as flea markets as well as fashion hotspots. The lifestyle of Mumbai is in and of its own way, an experience that enhances the designer's outlook on the world.

9. A Launchpad for Creative Entrepreneurship

If you're looking to create your own label shop, blog, boutique or even design-related consultancy, Mumbai is one of the top places in which for you to begin your journey. Mumbai is home to trendy startups as well as sustainable design cooperatives as well as pop-up shows as well as design incubators. Designers in the early stages are offered the opportunity to market their designs and build their brand and communicate with the public directly.

Entrepreneurial energy is infectious. Students at the most prestigious institute of style and design from Mumbai frequently get the chance to present their ideas as well as participate in business-related challenges or even get financing.

Conclusion

Fashion design goes beyond an occupation, it's passion, a voice, and an experience of self-expression. If you're interested in taking this big leap, Mumbai offers everything you require plus more. In addition to a high-quality educational experience and mentorship to exposure in the real world and creative liberty, Mumbai fosters talents like none other.

If you're seeking ideas, possibilities, or an active design community picking the top fashion design school located in Mumbai could be the initial step towards a thrilling career in fashion. Pack your ideas and dreams, Mumbai is calling and your story of design is waiting to be told.

[literaturereviewhelp]

The study entails an analysis of the beliefs held by nine teachers in Souhegan High School towards the goals and objectives of the modern science education. The school is a member of the Coalition of Essential Schools (CES). CES refers to a learning community with a set of principles that govern its members and the teachers in their quest to adjust their teaching practices to meet the goals of modern science education and the student needs (McLaughlin and Talbert, 1993). The principles are in line with the commendations of the Science Education Community (SEC). The SEC stipulates that the teacher is not supposed to be an information provider in modern science education. However, he or she should be a facilitator of activities that ensure students do not commit to memory the numerous scientific concepts as presented. Therefore, SEC recommends that the teacher should help the student in mastering the skills in science and not the general concepts (Fischer-Mueller, 2007, p. 2). The Research Methodology, Procedures and Instruments Employed in the Study The case study utilized three major research questions to investigate the beliefs held by teachers towards the goals of modern science education. In addition, observations and interviews were used to monitor the consistency of teachers’ classroom practices in relation to these goals. The research questions used in the study include; - (R 1.) To what degree do Souhegan High School science teachers support the contemporary goals of science education? - (R 2.) What is a Souhegan High School science teacher’s degree of conviction in his or her beliefs about particular goals? - (R 3.) To what extent is a teacher’s purported belief in contemporary science education goals embedded in routine classroom practice? The first round of the survey sampled nine teachers in Souhegan High School in line with their understanding and application of the goals of modern science education. The survey involved observations made by observers on three teachers who were willing to be interviewed during their teaching sessions. The second round involved interviewing the participants from the first survey to ascertain the accuracy and clarity of the data generated among other things. The survey utilized videotapes and audiotapes in the first and second phases respectively. These instruments were coupled with field notes and reflexive journals recorded during data collection. Data Analysis Procedures Utilizing the Spradley Developmental Research Sequence, the case study employed three major forms of data analysis. These include the Domain Analyses, which entails description of the social contexts of participants using observations made. The second form was the taxonomic analyses which involved use of observations to develop research questions. Finally, componential analyses which utilized selective observations meant to improve the research questions generated earlier was considered (Spradley, 1980). The data generated from the observations and interviews on the three teachers who were cross-examined was coded and analyzed to ascertain the prevailing consistencies or inconsistencies in their beliefs towards the goals of modern science education (Fischer-Muller, 2007, p. 3). The Adequacy of the Analysis The data generated from classroom observations for the three teachers is sufficiently analyzed in the case study through the three methods described above. However, the limited population and sample size could compromise the adequacy of the data analyzed. This is because the study considered three out of nine teachers in the school. The Results of the Study In relation to research question one (R1.), it was discovered that most science teachers were in agreement with the goals of the modern science education. With regard to the second question (R2.), the study indicated that most teachers favored the modern goals of science education more than the past goals. However, there was no clear-cut indication of the importance of incorporating the interaction of science, technology, and society (STS) as part of the goals of the modern science education. The third question (R3.), which dealt with the relationship between the teacher’s beliefs and their classroom practices, indicated that the three teachers showed varied degrees of the extent to which they followed their beliefs concerning the goals of modern science education. However, there was a strong relationship between the teacher’s beliefs and the goals of the modern science education for each the three teachers (Fischer-Mueller, 2007, p. 7). Adequacy of the Results The case study addresses the objectives of the three research questions using sufficiently analyzed data. The results generated are adequate and reliable. The grounded research questions of the case study provide sufficient data from which the end results are inferred. Despite the fact that all questions are sufficiently answered, the adequacy of the third question is limited due to reliance on a small sample size. The Conclusions of the Study From the study, it is indicated that data analysis and the results obtained provide strong evidence showing the degree to which the teacher’s beliefs affect their conduct in classrooms. It also shows the extent to which the teachers attach their beliefs to goals of modern science education. However, it is advisable that one should not take these findings as the truth since they are based on percentages which can be misleading. Otherwise, there was strong evidence to suggest that the three teachers held moderate to strong beliefs to about 16 goals of modern science education (Muller-Fischer-Mueller, 2007, p. 8). Adequacy of the Conclusions Based on the Analysis and the Results The conclusions are sufficiently connected to the findings of the study in that they are guided by the analyses and the results. Despite the positive outcomes as indicated by the analysis of the results, care must be taken when making judgments associated with the results of the study. This arises from the fact that the study was limited in terms of scope. From the methodology, analyses and the results sections, it is evident that the study only considered three out of the nine teachers in the school. The interrelationship between data analysis, the results, and the conclusions of a research study   A research study is carried out with the aim of generating data to support claims made in the research questions or its grounded hypotheses. To ascertain the accuracy, consistency and clarity of the data generated, the data has to be analyzed to come up with results. Results generated through this method enable the researcher to come up with conclusions which state whether the study was successful in addressing the study problem or not. Therefore, there is a strong relationship between the data analyses, results and conclusions because one cannot come up with results without analyzing data. On the other hand, a researcher cannot come up with conclusions without making reference to the results generated. Reference List Fischer-Mueller, J. (2007). A case study of teacher beliefs in contemporary science goals and classroom practices. Science Educator. Web. McLaughlin, M. & Talbert, J. (1993). Contexts that matter for teaching and learning: Strategic opportunities for meeting the nation’s educational goals. Stanford: Stanford University Center for Research on the Context of Secondary School Teaching. Read the full article

[nursingwriter]

Critical Thinking and Analysis Developing critical thinking skills and using those skills to analyze the nursing practices, guidelines and standards provides the individual with the ability and capabilities to advance in a nursing career, helps the individual to assist others in achieving their goals and objectives, and assists the individual in the quest to become a more effective and efficient nurses. One recent study determined that nurses can also benefit from enhanced critical thinking skills "by describing the mental processes, or vigilance, nurses use to differentiate the significant from the non-significant observations made with regard to patients" (Robert, Petersen, 2013, p. 86). If that is true then critical thinking skills can be quite important to the nurse who is seeking to develop a relationship with his or her patients that provides for the optimum recovery through comprehensive observation. A nurse who understands that thinking through what he or she is observing and then coming to a logical conclusion, is a nurse who likely cares enough to observe what is happening with the patient in the first place. For example, knowing that a patient with certain signs and symptoms will exhibit reactions to treatments or medications either positively or adversely can assist the nurse in ascertaining how those response(s) affect the patient's overall health. In other words, A + B = C. The Crtical Thinking Domain emphasizes the fact that self-evaluation and how the nurse reacts to the consequences of his or her own practice is a strong indicator of how critical thinking and analysis can be beneficial to the nurse. The domain also maintains that the nurse must also recognize that evidence-based practices are implemented and used because they are evidence-based and have a basis in best practices. When the nurse recognizes that developments in the evidence-based arena can actually be quite useful, the nurse gains an understanding and comprehension that will assist the nurse in applying standards and practices that are effective. A2 A recent report expounded upon the fact that "reflective journaling has been shown to increase the learner's critical thinking and future application of new knowledge" (Garrity, 2013, p. 118). A statement such as the one that Garrity makes leads one to reflect upon the idea that reflection is a necessary part of learning. Taking a personal experience or event and garnering new information or data from that event is a form of reflection. When the individual reflects upon that new information or data it begins a process that allows for learning from the experience. Reflective thinking should also assist the individual in developing questions that beg to be answered. Reflecting on those answers leads to critical thinking. Oftentimes the person who is reflecting does so with a bias towards their own value system and it helps the person to develop a core sense of beliefs and values. Reflective thinking also helps the individual recognize that knowledge can be gained in almost every endeavor. It also assists the individual in learning that there is a connection between what is already learned, and what is being added to it via the experience. Gaining knowledge has always been this author's goal and objective and learning that the practice of reflection can assist in that manner only further excited the author concerning nursing and nursing skills and practices. B1 My knowledge, feelings and beliefs have developed over time and through a variety of experiences. I can tell that I view things and events in a way that someone without those same experiences views things. I was (and continual to be) influenced by events, people and circumstances. Especially relevant in my lifetime has been the different cultures I have experienced at the various schools I have attended. As one study found "schools can be one of the communities in which a person's identity is storied and can provide a context where preferred stories can be noticed and acknowledged" (German, 2013, p. 77). School has been especially important to me in that I have attended schools that have helped me to shape where I am and what I am becoming. Schools have also assisted me in developing a certain level of competence that I might not otherwise have achieved. Activity 1.5 and 1.7 Studying the concept of health brought engendered an idea that there is much more to health than can be addressed on either a local national or even global stage. Each of the three areas must interact in order for the concept of human health to take place and be effective. As one recent study discovered "the national concept is an important first step towards the implementation of a coherent global health policy" (Bozorgmehr, Bruchhausen, Hein, Knipper, Korte, Razum, Tinneman, 2013, p. 1). The study also emphasizes the fact that the national policy should be comprehensive and derive from the local communities. Currently, the global aspect is becoming much more important than was previously thought. With the advent of a global economy also comes the advent of global health. Imports, exports, convenient travel and the personal interactions on a global scale help to define a global health scenario that looks to be controlled. Integrating the national policies with a global policy takes a conceptualization and vision that brings together the needs and desires of a wide array of cultures and countries. Each country has its own types of problems and most wish to address those problems in their own particular way. Methodologies, treatments, diagnosis and an understanding of exactly what constitutes good health are all interpreted with a national bias. One report states "that health outcomes are being affected significantly by economic and political changes associated with globalization" (Maclean, Maclean, 2008, p. 1) and those are certainly factors to be considered. For example, if for the sake of the population of a poorer country, a richer country must provide health care, should the richer country be required to do so? The question that could be asked would be, since global health is a concern for everyone, shouldn't everyone be concerned? Activity 2.7 The concept of good health should also be addressed on the national level and should include indigenous as well as non-indigenous individuals and communities. This is especially true in Australia where "it is well-known that Aboriginal Australians experience poorer health over a range of conditions" (Christou, Thompson, 2013, p. 59). The determinants of global health include the fact that every citizen (as much as possible) should be included or at least offered the opportunity to be included in any type of national (or global) healthcare initiative. The social justice strategies employed to ensure that this takes place are sometimes lacking in the physical facilities necessary to service the needs of the indigenous people that probably need them the very most. Exploring the available literature on the different programs currently available to those indigenous societies would be quite enlightening. Developing an understanding of just what is needed to address their issues would assist the nursing individual and nursing community in effectively problem-solving in the medical environment. Activity 3.6 It is my belief that a health care system should encompass as many individuals and societies as possible in order to promote an environment that allows everyone the opportunity to enjoy good health. My understanding of the Australian healthcare system is that (like any national system) it has its drawbacks, but it also has its advantages. One of its most troubling aspects is that it the healthcare system may be becoming much too costly for many Australian citizens. A recent study determined that "for some individuals, difficulty in accessing bulk-billing services and increasing out-of-pocket costs in Australia limit affordability of health services, including medications" (Walkom, Loxton, Robertson, 2013, p. 2). If this is true, then it would stand to reason that many indigenous societies within Australia will be affected much more than those who are not indigenous. If a national policy is steered towards only helping those citizens that can afford healthcare, and is not effective in helping those that can't, then there is something inherently wrong with that system. Activity 4.1 Primary healthcare is probably the most important aspect of nursing and should be taken quite seriously. On an individual basis, most nurses will likely have the greatest influence on the primary care level. It would therefore seem most noteworthy to the individual nurse to dedicate his or her time and efforts in making a difference on the primary care level. Discussing levels of nursing shows that "about one-half of practices reported having nurse practitioners or physician assistants" (Peikes, Reid, Day, Cornwell, Dalem, Baron, Brown, Shapiro, 2014, p. 147) which also displays the importance of nursing to many physicians. It is likely that the trust and confidence that most physicians place on their nurse assistants and nurses is a trust and confidence that is well-placed. Developing the skills necessary to rate that trust should be a goal and objective of every nurse and nursing student. Works Cited Bozorgmehr, K.; Bruchhausen, W.; Hein, W.; Knipper, M.; Korte, R.; Razum, O.; Tinnemann, P.; (2014) The global health concept of the German government: strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities, Global Health Action, Vol. 7, pp. 1-4 Christou, A. & Thompson, S.C.; (2013) Missed opportunities in educating Aboriginal Australians about bowel cancer screening: Whose job is it anyway? Contemporary Nurse: A Journal for the Australian Nursing Profession, Vol. 46, Issue 1, pp. 59-69 Garrity, M.K.; (2013) Developing nursing leadership skills through reflective journaling: a nursing professor's personal reflection, Reflective Practice, Vol. 14, Issue 1, pp. 118-130 https://www.paperdue.com/customer/paper/australian-health-care-188265#:~:text=Logout-,AustralianHealthCare,-Length4pages German, M.; (2013) Developing our cultural strengths: Using the 'Tree of Life' strength-based narrative therapy intervention in schools, to enhance self-esteem, cultural understanding and to challenge racism, Educational & Child Psychology, Vol. 30, Issue 4, pp. 75-99 MacLean, D.R. & MacLean, S.J.; (2008) Setting global health priorities: The political economy of genomics vs. social determinants, Conference Papers - International Studies Association, 2008 Annual Meeting, pp. 1-22 Peikes, D.N.; Reid, R,; Day, T.; Cornwell, D.D.; Dale, S.B.; Baron, R.; Brown, R.S.; Shapiro, R.J.; (2014) Staffing patterns of primary care practices in the comprehensive primary care initiative, Robert, R.R. & Petersen, S.; (2013) Critical thinking at the bedside: Providing safe passage to patients, Medsburg Nursing, Vol. 22, Issue 2, pp. 85-118 Walkom, E.J.; Loxton, D.; Robertson, J.; (2013) Costs of medicines and healthcare: A concern for Australian women across the ages, BMC Health Services Research, Vol. 13, Issue 1, pp. 1-15, Annals of Family Medicine, Vol. 12, Issue 2, pp. 142-149 Read the full article

[ivoryminitower]

Echoes of Home: 85 - Steve ("dead pig")

Echoes of Home: FFXIV AU OC – WoLs on Earth

I never thought much about our adventurer journals when I was in Eorzea.  Magic world, magic skills, magic book…it all seemed just part of the package.  It acted kind of like a book-shaped fitbit, telling me things about my body, keeping track of things I'd learned and places I'd been and the reputation I had with various people.  It worked pretty much like when I'd played the game.  It was handy.

That it works here on Earth is also handy, and only as surprising as anything else we do working on Earth.  Tracks places we go on a map?  Sure.  Tracks places we find resources to gather?  Of course.  Shows the numbers that indicate how strong we are?  Cool.

But until that pig-hunting quest showed up in Tsu'na's journal, I hadn't really given much thought to where the information came from.  The game world is the natural infrastructure for such a thing, with quests written into the very environment.  But where's the infrastructure here?  Is there a layer of information or scripting somehow in this world that is normally unperceived, but that our journals are tapping into?

Color me skeptical.  I think what's actually happening is that we have a much more intimate relationship with our journals than I realized before.  I think maybe the journal taps into our minds as well as our bodies, showing us the sum of our knowledge and experience.  We go some place, we see what's there, and the journal map updates.  We find iron in such-and-such a place, and the journal gathering log updates.  We learn such-and-such a recipe, and the journal crafting log updates.

Which means manually writing recipes into the journal in order to learn them is perhaps, at best, a waste of ink.  We should be able to learn the recipe by experimentation and practice and have it appear in the book when we get it right since that would reflect our new knowledge.  Writing a recipe into the book only works now because it's the ritual we've developed to tell ourselves, "This is a recipe."  At least, I hope that's true...if writing the recipe into the book imbues us with knowledge, it sounds a little like memory manipulation using brain surgery.

So the quest appearing in Tsu'na's journal may be reflecting her understanding of things.  She understands she now has a quest, so that's what her journal says.  The next thing to try is for me to somehow get a quest.  Maybe Sam will have a leve for me some time.

As for her quest, we rode our bikes out to Joel Davidson's farm.  We checked in at the house.  Mr. Davidson was a bit of a stick, maybe late middle age, and not terribly enlightened, since Tsu'na stood in front of him in her Bard clothes, bow slung over her shoulder, and he addressed me.  "C'n I help ya?"

Tsu'na answered, "We are here about the pigs."

He looked at her, then back at me. "Oh…you're the folk Sam said would be coming?"

"That is correct," said Tsu'na.  "Please tell us where the pigs are."

Davidson gave her a slightly longer glance, then asked me, "Where's your gun?"

"My wife will be doing the hunting."

"Where's her gun?"

"She hunts with a bow."

That got him to at least look Tsu'na up and down.  He snorted and started to turn back inside. "Waste of my time…"

"Three ears, yes?" asked Tsu'na.  "We were told you wanted to see three ears?"

"Yeah, and no little girl's gonna get 'em with no damn bow."

"No charge if we fail," I said.

He thought about it, then shrugged.  "Suit yerself.  The pigs are over on the west side.  Spotted 'em around the treeline.  Don't bother comin' back when you give up."  He went back inside and slammed the door.

We studied the door for a moment. "He seems nice," I said.

"Why did he not like me?"

"I'm sure he was expecting some manly man with a big gun.  Google 'hunter' and that's what you'll see."

"I have heard of people hunting with bows in this world."

"Some people only hear what they want to hear."

We spent most of the next hour hiking along the edge of a cornfield toward the western tree line.  It was a nice day for it, in the 70s.  I thought it was a little late in the year to not have harvested the corn, but that's not our business.  I was tempted to break out my Botanist gear and harvest some myself, but that wasn't what we were there for.

A group of wild pigs is called a sounder.  A sounder can have anywhere from a handful to a few dozen pigs in it.  When we first spotted pig activity we shifted to Botanist so we could Sneak in and see what size sounder we were dealing with.  I counted eleven; Tsu'na said twelve.  Either way I thought it would be manageable.

We backed off to the edge of bow range.  Tsu'na switched to Bard and swept over targets.

"See the ones you need?" I asked.

She nodded, settled on one target, drew and loosed.  It made a grunt and went down.  The other pigs were briefly unsettled, but seemed less so when the body faded.

"Got ears?"

She checked her inventory and nodded.  I thought she'd shoot a couple more and be done with it, but instead she lowered her bow and watched the pigs.

"The others don't count?"

"They do.  I am waiting for a respawn."

"But…there's plenty other targets, right?"

"Mr. Davidson wants pigs gone, does he not?  If my kills respawn, that will not make pigs gone."

"Brilliant as ever, my love.  But this is just the qualification quest.  When it comes to the actual hunting quest I'm hoping the targets will stay gone.  Otherwise we can't finish the quest, right?"

"That makes sense.  But what if it does not work?"

"Well…I've been wondering if we need to try Earth weapons, to see if our skills transfer.  Maybe shooting a pig with an Earth bow won't cause a respawn.  'Course, that leaves us with a dead pig."

She peered at me. "What does one do with a…dead…pig?"

"Cut it up for the parts we want.  A butcher can do it for us…"

"There is a butcher east on 51."

"...But they charge a lot for it, especially the skinning.  There's hunters that cut up their own animals…take off the meat, the hide and so on."

Tsu'na was looking increasingly apprehensive.  "I do not think I want to deal with a dead pig.  And what about the parts we do not want?"

"Well, butcher shops usually have arrangements with factories that take the leftover animal parts and make them into stuff like pet food, fertilizer, glue…"

Her lips pursed.  She studied the ground.

"You okay, my love?"

"I am imagining a machine that eats pigs and shits blocks of glue."

"It's probably…a lot like that, actually.  Though I think they…"

"Husband."

"Yes, my love?"

"Have you done more research for your airplane?"

So I talked about flaps and ailerons and joysticks and cabling and elevation and drag and a number of other things that had absolutely nothing to do with the industrialized processing of aftermarket animal remains.  The pig had respawned before I got to landing gear, so, her theory proven, she was happy to hit her remaining two targets.

When next we knocked, Mr. Davidson opened his door with, "I thought I told you to…"  He stopped at the sight of Tsu'na holding up six pig ears in a ziplock bag.  He looked at them a moment, then asked her, "Where'd you get those?"

At least he was talking to her now.  She answered, "From your pigs."

"Where're the pigs?"

"You did not say you wanted the pigs."

"Yeah, but did you leave them out there?"

"No.  The pigs are taken care of."

He nodded slowly. "Well…guess you did the job.  Okay.  So, gonna do the rest of them?"

I took over for the business end.  "We saw a dozen pigs out there.  We can clear them out for $550."

"Kind of a lot for just shootin' my pigs, ain't it?"

I shrugged.  "The big name pros charge more."

"Maybe I should go with them?  Cuz they're pros?"

"Sure, you can do that.  They'll come out with a fire team of five in camo, high-powered rifles and night-vision goggles, they've got a management company and sponsors and lawyers and licensing and insurance, and you'll need to get a permit from the state for nighttime firearm use on your property.  All told, that'll start somewhere around fifteen hundred."

I gave that a moment to sink in.  "Or you can settle your tab with Sam for five fifty and your pigs will go away."

Mr. Davidson wasn't thrilled with this assessment, but he wasn't turning us down flat either.  He looked at Tsu'na and back to me.  "Lemme get back to you.  How do I reach you?"

"You reach Sam.  Have a good one."

As we walked away, Tsu'na said, "Fire teams, camo, night-vision goggles…We do not have these things."

"No, but we have targeting and Quick Nock."  Quick Nock is a Bard area-of-effect attack that shoots a spray of arrows at a target and other targets surrounding it.  "We come in from either side with AOE and drive them together into the middle."

She nodded thoughtfully.  "And we must kill them all?  Old and young?"

"Otherwise the young will grow up and breed more, and they won't see a reason to leave."

"I wonder if we will gain 'Scourge of Pigs' as a title."

"Guess we'll see."