#twenty farmville

[abluehappyface]

In my Farmville era

[duskargentum]

Like a decade and a half ago, I was allowed to play games on Facebook, which was bad, because basically the only games I had any real interest in playing were all... Management games. Like. FarmVille, Restaurant City, CityVille, stuff like that. They were all nice little simple management games where I can micromanage a very specific thing. The problem is, going to look for games like that these days is very daunting. It's hard to find games where you micromanage one specific thing, because there's a lot of scope-creep in modern games (imo). It can't just be a city management game, you also have to manually build the city, sculpt the terrain around it, ensure optimal traffic conditions, etc. (Cities: Skylines) It can't just be a restaurant management game, you also have to acquire your own ingredients by spending twenty minutes diving into the ocean, harpooning whatever random detritus hoves in your field of vision, and also manage a plant farm, and also a fish farm, and also progress through a storyline. (Dave the Diver) It can't just be a shop management game, you have to engage in Survival Crafting Mania by making and using your own tools to gather materials and kill monsters, progress through a (loose) storyline, and a whole bunch of other random obstacles. (Shoppe Keep 2) It can't just be a farm management game, you also have to... Do literally everything else on the planet (Stardew Valley) I just... I miss Lemonade Tycoon, you own a lemonade stand and have to micromanage the exact ingredient proportions depending on the weather and location. I miss Game Dev Tycoon, you just adjust the proportions of what needs the most effort depending on what game you want to make. I miss the simple games! Every management game has to wear four hats these days. Wear one, wear it well!

[voldemorts-tap-shoes]

Wishing the bestest of birthdays to the lovely @accio-broom ! 🥳🎂❤️

I wrote a little Muggle uni drabble to celebrate, enjoy!

Strawberries 🍓

Hermione heaves a sigh of frustration that’s just a bit too loud for the library, hoping her agitation reaches its intended target. This library is her favorite of the several on campus—it’s quiet compared to the main library, it’s not far from her class buildings, and it has a coffee shop right there on the bottom floor. The downside, though, is that it has far fewer computer stations, and she’s been waiting for an open bay for nearly twenty minutes now.

She’s not the only one with work to do; she knows that. But one student in particular is the subject of her ire. While the others are hard at work, their screens displaying research, or documents, or complicated calculations, she can see over his shoulder that he’s been playing a game since she arrived. That would be annoying on its own—a gross misuse of university resources—but the fact that it is currently delaying Hermione’s own task has her seeing red.

A quick glance at her watch shows that it’s now been closer to thirty minutes, and she decides enough is enough. Hermione hauls her rucksack onto her back and marches over to the computer station to confront the redhead.

“Excuse me?”

The boy swivels his chair around, and Hermione is met with the bluest eyes she’s ever seen. “Yes?”

“You’ve been using this computer for a while now, and I was hoping that you might let me use it,” Hermione began. “You see, I have this paper to work on.”

“How do you know I’m not working?” he responds, and Hermione gawks at him. Up close, his little farming game is on full display, rows and rows of cartoon fruits and vegetables and livestock, and Hermione snorts.

“You’re very clearly not.”

He shrugs and spins his chair back around. “That’s your opinion.” Hermione opens her mouth to argue, but he points at the screen and continues, “This is a lot of hard work. See, if I don’t harvest this corn in time it will wither up and die, and then what would I feed my cows with?”

Hermione takes a deep breath and taps her foot to the rhythmic click of his mouse, trying to channel her irritation into the movement. “Fine, so when you finish harvesting your corn, can I have the computer?” She huffs as he begins another task. “What are you doing now?”

He throws a grin at her over his shoulder. “Planting strawberries. Here, I’m sorry. What’s your name? I’ll send you a sheep for your troubles.”

“What am I to do with a digital sheep?”

“Make digital blankets.”

“Look, this is really not funny,” Hermione hisses, her patience waning. “I have a paper to work on—“

“So you said.”

“—and you are—“

“A sociology major working on a research topic about students’ tolerance for inconvenience in their educational pursuits.”

Hermione narrows her eyes at him. He rattled it off so quickly that she’s not sure whether to believe him or not. “You just made that up.”

“How do they react when their favorite coffee shop is out of the blend they like? What do they do when there are no tables left in the dining hall?” He pauses and spins the chair back around to face her. “You have a higher tolerance than most. The other day, this bloke and his girlfriend were having an argument so loud even the librarian got involved, but you never looked up from your book.”

“You’re studying me?” Hermione isn’t sure whether to be creeped out or flattered.

He shrugs in reply. “I just notice things. But I’ll be sure to make a note—FarmVille on the library computer is crossing the line. Zero tolerance.” He closes the game and stands up from the chair. “All yours.”

“Thank you.” Hermione takes the empty seat and inserts her thumb drive to open her paper. She only needs to check a source before she continues, and she’s done in five minutes. Of course, by this point several of the other computers have been vacated as well. Figures, Hermione thinks as she grabs her backpack again.

As she stands, she sees the redhead sitting at the table nearby. Now that she’s done what she needed to do, her annoyance has fizzled, and she can’t deny she’s curious.

He looks up as she approaches and gives her a crooked smile. “I’m Ron, by the way.”

“Hermione.” She studies him for a moment. “Are you really a sociology major?”

“Let me buy you a coffee, and I’ll tell you,” he says with a grin. “The shop downstairs. Nothing inconvenient, of course.”

Hermione laughs, not sure what to make of this handsome stranger. “Okay. You’re on.”

[lboogie1906]

Dorothy Johnson Vaughan (September 20, 1910 - November 10, 2008) was a teacher who became a leading mathematical engineer in the first aerospace program with the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics and the first African American woman promoted to supervisor in the program.

She was born in Kansas City, Missouri to Leonard and Anne Johnson. Her family moved to Morgantown, West Virginia. She graduated from Beechhurst High School with a full academic scholarship to Wilberforce University. She joined Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and graduated with a BS in Mathematics and a BA in French. She accepted a position as a math teacher at Robert Russa Moton High School in Farmville, Virginia. In 1932, she married Howard Vaughan and moved to Newport News, Virginia. The couple had six children.

She took a position with NACA (now NASA) at the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory in Hampton. She was assigned to West Area Computers, a segregated group that consisted of all African American women mathematicians. These women provided critical information to the engineers conducting aeronautical experiments by testing the performance and durability of new space equipment. Noted mathematician Katherine Johnson was temporarily assigned to her group while stationed at Langley.

She was appointed acting supervisor of the program in 1949 and became the first African American woman to be promoted in the agency. She remained with NASA for the next twenty-eight years in various positions until her retirement. St. Paul’s AME Church in Newport News, Virginia, honored her for being a member for over fifty years, where she was involved in missionary work and the church’s music ministry. She was a benefactor to the Phyllis Wheatley YWCA and a member of their Silver Bells organization.

She is one of the women featured in the book Hidden Figures and the film of the same name.

She is survived by four children, ten grandchildren, and fourteen great-grandchildren. She was featured in the film Hidden Figures. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #alphakappaalpha

[brokencurses]

The End of The Facebook Era (well, for me)

In 2008, the social media website “Facebook” took over a whole population. At that time I was living my geeky teenage years. I think it’s because they wanted to compete with “MySpace” at that time and over the years, MySpace World was completely wiped out and Facebook took over. The website, and now app, has been such a huge influence on my life experience. From wall messages to updates on new music to finding groups who like the same music. Helping your facebook friends find crops they need for their farm on FarmVille. The neatest thing about starting a facebook account at that time is that I was able to find the profile of an old elementary school friend that I couldn’t reach out to for years! Honestly, having people wanting to be friends with me on Facebook to keep up with me made me feel important. I loved it so much, I think I became a friend-whore! Everyone either I knew from work or school (whether we spoke to each other or not) or mutual friends of friends, my excited 16 year old self accepted most of the requests. I was more of a lurker and posting on the wall type of facebooker. I never really used the Facebook inbox unless one of my friends messaged me. Throughout my high school years, that turned in to me losing Facebook friends because I never really reached out first. Some people I lost friend requests from people that didn’t really add value to me, but the people I have met in person and actually chatted with, and lost their friend request, it hurt every time.

Facebook in my twenties was slowly turning from keeping up with school friends to just a reason to laugh. The meme phenomenon took over and social media was never the same. Everything in our childhood was turning in to weird, dirty, inside jokes on my news feed. I screamed at every meme.

Then Facebook created this new online dating feature where you can meet new people and go on dates with people from Facebook.

To me it’s the Dumbest feature ever, because Facebook is more of a way to stay in touch with friends and relatives, and then adding random encounters in to it is just not a smart move for idiots (like myself). It slipped my mind that I could potentially put myself and my friends and family at risk of exposure or in harms way when I would meet strangers online. Maybe if Facebook updated their age policies and identity verifications, I would feel better about being a part of their beta trial era. That would be something I would bring up to the creators. And, this year is where my era on Facebook will be put to an end.

[afiqakmar]

Week 10: Gaming communities, social gaming and live streaming: twitch

In one way or another, we're all gamers. In their free time, some people use gaming as a means of self-entertainment and relaxation, while others use it as a means of social interaction with friends and family. From then on, the gaming industry has advanced significantly, becoming one of the most prosperous and successful worldwide (Chikhani 2015). The gaming business has seen changes in the 21st century and has gained exposure to a new demographic because of "mobile technology." To the extent that "42% of Americans are gamers," it has now been assimilated into "modern popular culture" (Chikhani 2015). Live streaming was developed as a way for streamers on Twitch and Mixer to share their experiences and material with viewers in response to the rising demand for media and the gaming industry.

Known by his stage name "Ninja," Tyler Blevins is a well-known Mixer streamer who creates material with the intention of entertaining viewers. Using his streaming service, Ninja made connections with JuJu Smith-Schuster, Travis Scott, and Drake in 2018. This particular webcast attracted over "635,000 viewers," demonstrating the power of gaming to foster human connection and communication (Thier 2018). 

As opposed to Ninja, another streamer, Kyle Giersdorf, also known as Bugha on his social media accounts, is a well-known figure in the globe after taking first place in the inaugural Fortnite Globe Cup, which took place at the "U.S.T.A. Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre in New York," and earning a reported $3 million in addition (Taylor, D, B & Chokshi, N, 2019). Bugha's success in streaming and online gaming shows that there is a second reason people play games: to make money. 

Playing video games might provide you with a "fresh start" since they take away your "physical identity," among other advantages. Every person is treated equally and evaluated based more on their "contribution" than on their identity. While gaming may only be considered a pastime for some, it can also be a means of fostering new friendships and improving existing ones. (Sturart 2013). People who "attract hateful [and] damaged" information will always exist, but gaming offers a "playful space" where bad conduct is not physically tolerated (Sturart 2013). Because gamers may spend money on in-game purchases like upgrades or cosmetics, gaming can also result in higher expenses and debt. This was demonstrated by "EVE Online's multiplayer game," in which a user lost $300,000 "because they forgot to pay a bill to defend their base" (Thornhill 2014). Another issue facing the industry is gaming addictions, as individuals, particularly kids, are growing dependent on the sector and becoming "more aggressive" while "socialising less" (Sinha 2018).

Through the use of objects to engage in behaviours that are moulded by objectives, rules, and representations, participants with resources may organise social spaces through social games. The social game generates game space and time as well as game outcomes (Stolz 2023). Zynga is the ideal illustration of a social game. Applications like Draw Something, Words with Friends, ZyngaPoker, and Farmville are well-known from this firm (Znga 2020). It has a terrible reputation for pressuring players to pay for in-game features that raise the industry's valuation. To "challenge Twitch [and] YouTube," social media platforms such as Facebook have since enhanced their gaming experiences. New features in the Facebook app that let users "watch," "play," and "connect" with other gamers demonstrate this (Hutchinson 2020). Due to the growing desire for and renown of the gaming sector, which has been able to adapt to society by being interwoven with "modern popular culture," gaming, live streaming, and social gaming have grown increasingly popular in the twenty-first century (Chikhani 2015).

References

Chikhani, R 2015, The History Of Gaming: An Evolving Community, Extra Crunch, viewed 19 June 2024, https://techcrunch.com/2015/10/31/the-history-of-gaming-an-evolving-community/. 

Stolz, J 2023,The theory of social games: outline of a general theory for the social sciences. Nature, viewed 18 June 2024, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-023-01862-0#citeas

Hutchinson, A 2020, Facebook Launches New Gaming App to Challenge Twitch, YouTube, SocialMedia Today, viewed 19 June 2024, https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/facebook-launches-new-gaming-app-to-challenge-twitch-youtube/576393/. 

Sinha, R 2018, 15 Biggest Fortnite Controversies That Shocked Players (Maybe), Gaming Bolt, viewed 19 June 2024, https://gamingbolt.com/15-biggest-fortnite-controversies-that-shocked-players-maybe/3. 

Stuart, K 2013, Gamer communities: the positive side, The Guardian, viewed 19 June 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2013/jul/31/gamer-communities-positive-side-twitter. 

Taylor, D, B & Chokshi, N 2019, This Fortnite World Cup Winner Is 16 and $3 Million Richer, The New York Times, viewed 19 June 2024, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/29/us/fortnite-world-cup-winner-bugha.html?fbclid=IwAR1Btl0Wov1zr2IligsL3PizeLYDnKBx4Oo62IqAjjNw2mzUpvIOuYCCPVE. 

Thier, D 2018, When Drake And Ninja Play ‘Fortnite’ On Twitch, Jeff Bezos Takes Home A Victory Royale, Forbles, viewed 19 June 2024, https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2018/03/18/when-drake-and-ninja-play-fortnite-on-twitch-jeff-bezos-takes-home-a-victory-royale/?fbclid=IwAR1alde-xFCQ5Tw2TnXOuAEfmWGfpGx0kywHgoE9WEjLtmr0VM1N03_7xzk#30f10eae6cbc.

Thornhill, T 2014, The online videogame battle that cost $300,000: Gamers see hundreds of costly spaceships destroyed after user forgot to pay bill to defend their base, Daily Mail Australia, viewed 19 June 2024, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2547908/EVE-online-sees-biggest-battle.html. 

Zynga, Free Mobile and Online Games, Zynga, viewed 19 June 2024, https://www.zynga.com/. 

[mst3kproject]

The Giant of Marathon

For some reason, probably because I've seen them all so many times, I thought I'd already done all four Film Crew episodes.  Evidently this is not true.  Here's one, and if you haven't seen it... wow, Mr. Honcho was not exaggerating about the thousands of sweaty men.

Philippides of Athens is the greatest athlete there is, having won the entire Olympics. With the games over, he returns to his day job as commander of the Athenian city guard.  Followers of Hippias the exiled tyrant are plotting to take control of the city with help from the invading Persians, and they try to seduce Philippides to their cause by offering him wine, women, and homoerotic wrestling (it was ancient Greece, after all).  Philippides refuses to be seduced, and sets off to secure the help of Athens' old enemy Sparta in opposing the Persians.  His mission is a success, but upon his return a spy tells him that the Persians are planning a sneak attack on the harbour of Piraeus.  Can even Philippides get there in time to deliver the warning?

I don't actually know if it were possible to win the entire Olympics in ancient Greece.  I know there were several events and at least one of them involved reciting poetry.  The Battle of Marathon was in 490 BC and a table on Wikipedia suggests that there could have been up to twelve different sports, but some of them were only for children.

The Giant of Marathon touts itself as a tale of epic battles, daring deeds, and political machinations.  I'll get back to the epic battles and daring deeds, but what stands in for the political machinations is mostly a bunch of people pining.  Unimpressive villain Theocritus is pining for the beautiful Andromeda, whose father has promised her to him but she thinks he's a dick.  She's pining for Philippides, who is also pining for her but thinks she's one of Hippias' followers, so refuses to speak to her.  Meanwhile Theocritus' concubine Charis is also pining for Philippides because he's the only man who ever refused to fuck her, I think.

These relationships are important to the plot, too.  Andromeda's love for Philippides is one of the reasons her father refuses to join the traitors, and when Theocritus realizes he cannot have her, he ties her to the prow of his ship to force Philippides to watch her die.  Charis' crush on Philippides leads her to her death, as she is executed for spying.  Yet none of it is ever developed beyond 'these two pretty people saw each other and now they want to bone'.  Philippides declares his love for Andromeda after a single five-minute interaction.  Charis has seen Philippides twice, and both times it went badly, when she decides to betray Theocritus.

Why do the writers hang such important plot points on the 'love' between people who have barely spoken to each other?  I can't decide if it's because they're lazy, or because they're hacks, and I lean towards a combination of the two.  There is absolutely no subtlety to the writing in The Giant of Marathon at all.  Everything is told, not shown.  We know that Theocritus and Creusus are traitors because they talk about it, in dialogue that's clearly written for the audience, not as anything that sounds like a natural conversation. We know that Charis and Andromeda are both in love with Philippides because they say so.  The only thing we're really shown is that Andromeda hates Theocritus, which comes through in her body language (though we are also very much told), so props to actress Mylène Demongeot for that much.

The movie doesn't care about any of this character stuff, anyway.  It just wants to get straight to those epic battle scenes, and it's very obvious how much work and time went into those as opposed to everything else.  The battles are lengthy and elaborate, full of impressive stunts and props and miniatures being destroyed all over the place.  We get to see Persian chariots run down Greek infantry, and while I'm pretty sure this would have been orchestrated so the stuntmen didn't get hurt, I'm not nearly so confident about the unfortunate horses (and neither was Bill).  There are ships in flames and injured men screaming as they fall overboard.  There are even some pretty good deaths, like the guy who was hit in the eye with an arrow.  The desperate last stand of the city guard against the entire Persian fleet, with the Spartans arriving just in time to save the day, is very tense indeed.

I get the impression that this is what somebody really wanted to put on screen, and they did a decent job of it, but pretty much the entire rest of what ought to be the story is just an accessory to the fighting stuff.  It's as if the film-makers wanted so badly for their fight sequences to be epic that they forgot what makes epic-ness – which is the characters and their stake in the events. We don't know any of these people, none of them have anything we might call a personality trait, and so we don't care.

The focus on how epic it all is makes I seem a little strange that the battle ends on a shot of dead Persian guys floating in the water. You'd think they'd want to end with something that more decisively shows the Athenian victory, maybe the men cheering as the Persian ships turn around and flee.  Or perhaps some kind of victory celebration, which could mirror the celebration of Philippides winning the Olympics in the opening and call back to the scene where Philippides asks the goddess Athena to protect her city.

Instead, we cut to a shot of Philippides and Andromeda walking across the farmland together.  This feels a little too sudden, and is also a poor fit with the rest of the movie.  The only time we've seen Philippides on his farm is when he's gotten disgusted with the politics of Athens and returned to the countryside to sulk.  If the farm is supposed to be a place where he's happy and at peace, the movie never establishes it.

So that's political machinations and epic battle sequences, let's talk about some daring deeds.

Unlike the Hercules and Maciste movies we've seen in the past, The Giant of Marathon wants to be grounded in real-life history.  This means that while the script does reference gods and mythical heroes, none of them ever appear and there is no hint of them working behind the scenes to bring events about.  Likewise, Philippides is not a demigod, so we avoid several of the tropes associated with the genre.  Nothing important ever happens (or fails to happen) because the hero was asleep, and he never bends prison bars or drinks a love potion – although a love potion is mentioned, as if to draw attention to this.

This doesn't leave Philippides a whole lot of scope for daring deeds, and when they try the results are a little lackluster.  His main feat is, of course, running all the way from Marathon to Athens (the proverbial forty-two kilometres) to let them know of the impending attack, but while this ought to be the highlight of the movie it's shot in terrible day-for-night and we have nothing to suggest how far this is... I think the writers just assumed everybody knows the length of a marathon.  If we'd seen the army tired from making the march earlier, we would have a better sense of it being a long and tiring journey even at a walk or with horses, and it would seem that much more formidable as a distance for one man to cover before sunrise.  Of course, showing us these things is apparently beyond the scope of The Giant of Marathon's writers, but you'd think they could at least have a character say something like, “it's twenty-six miles!  He'll never make it!”

His other major daring deed is when he pushes giant boulders down a hill onto the attacking Persians.  This is kind of weird because Philippides is not Hercules or Maciste.  He's good at track and field, but we haven't seen any evidence of him having godlike strength, and this is a universe where gods don't seem to do much anyway, so it comes out of nowhere.  The rocks are huge – there are similarly-sized ones at the park near my house and I know one guy couldn't move them no matter how buff he might be.  Did somebody just forget that they weren't making a Hercules movie?

Between the battles and the various plot twists, The Giant of Marathon could have been a pretty fun sword-and-sandal movie, but it's like a tower without a foundation.  The fights have nothing to hold them up, so we just can't get into it. Also, what the Underworld happened to Hippias? We see him once, chatting with the king of Persia, and then he vanishes and the movie decides weaselly little Theocritus is the big bad instead. I'm sorry, but if you've got a character with a name as cool as 'Hippias the Tyrant', you really can't just drop him like that.

The Best Brains liked to complain about the tinyness of the costumes in these movies but honestly, nothing here is as off-putting as actual ancient Greek sports would have been to the modern viewer.  When I was in university I TA'd for a course called Introduction to Greco-Roman Civilization. It was an adventure in several ways – the students were mostly dumb freshmen who spent the lectures playing Farmville, and the professor didn't give a shit because she'd just been denied tenure.  I don't know how much anybody learned in that class, but I'm sure they all recall how, after the professor told us that Greek athletes stripped naked and covered themselves in olive oil before wrestling, somebody raised a hand and asked if they removed their body hair.  The professor cheerfully told him that they did not, so next time we see a Greek vase we ought to remember that these guys were much sweatier, oilier, and hairier than terra cotta can possibly convey.

[jebazzled]

Level Up! Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced RP and You

Hello there! Coming to you again with tips & tricks for a top-notch roleplay experience! Today we're going to talk about writing levels and what they mean for your roleplay experience. We'll cover what these levels mean, how to gauge where you're at, and how you can improve your roleplay writing specifically!

WRITING LEVELS

"Writing levels" are often a descriptor sites will use in their advertising and site buzzes. They might be "semi-literate," "intermediate," "literate," "advanced," or any other sort of buzzword. The key here is that these descriptors are used by site staff both to advertise what type of writing is most common on their site and what type of writing they want to see on their site.

What writing levels are not is a value indicator. There's nothing wrong with being an intermediate writer or a beginner writer; advanced sites are not inherently better than intermediate ones, beginner sites are nothing to be ashamed of! Think of writing levels as an umbrella within the rp community. The same way a forum rp-er might narrow their search to jcink sites, a writer might narrow their search to sites which cater to their style of writing.

That said, it is good to define what each of these levels look like so you can figure out where your writing might fit.

BEGINNER Beginner writing is often very short and direct, without much in the way of literary flourish. Characters might be fairly undeveloped (or developed around one trait, for example, "goth" or "prep") and there's usually more discussion of their appearance than you see in advanced writing.

Examples:

Susie was short and very skinny, with big eyes and long mermaid-wavy hair dyed blue at the ends. She was sitting outside Firefly High in blue skinny jeans, silver Converse, and a black t-shirt. "I hope someone can give me a ride home," she said.

Raven sneered at Susie. She didn't like blue because she liked black, because she was a goth. "Are you listening to popular music? What a phony."

Bramblepaw sat down in the clearing. "Hello" he meowed.

Some guides will also give an example like 

patty threw a pom pom at susie! "take that u nerd!"

But I am choosing to believe that you're past that if you're deep enough in this hobby to be seeking out resources - I certainly never had that self-awareness until I was more in intermediate territory!

Beginner-level writing gets the job done, and can certainly move a story along. But if you've been writing a while, you might be ready to build more multifaceted characters, and to invest more effort in your writing.

INTERMEDIATE/SEMI-LITERATE WRITING Intermediate writing tends to be longer than beginner writing, with more variety in sentence structure and with more advanced word choices. There are likely more "beats" per post, by which I mean that instead of just answering a question or getting on the bus or etc, a character will likely do more actions in each turn writing. Characters are less likely to be a stereotype (see: Raven the goth who only wears black, Patty the popular cheerleader who is blonde and brainless, etc) but applications likely reveal one-dimensional characters. Common application styles I see from intermediate writers are "interviews" and "journals," as well as listicles (10 Things Raven Likes, 9 People Raven Hates, etc); this likely means a character is told rather than shown.

(Wondering what's so intermediate about interviews and journals? See my guides to interviews and journals!)

Examples:

Susie was born on March 20, 2003 in Farmville, Iowa. She didn't like how similar her classmates all were - they all listened to the same music, read the same books (none!) and had the most fun when drinking on a tractor. Susie was more deep, and liked to write poetry and sketch the animals that lived on her family's farm. Today she was sitting outside Firefly High, twirling the ends of her blue-dyed hair and waiting for a ride home. 

Raven wasn't like most girls. She didn't like horses or rabbits, but only liked goats, because they represented the devil. Raven also wasn't like most girls, at least in Farmville, because she worshipped the devil. She wore a lot of black to represent this, and when she saw Susie, she sneered. Blue! Susie must be a normie. "Are you listening to popular music?" She asked. "What a phony."

Bramblepaw had spent all morning hunting and was feeling lonely. All he wanted was to share a squirrel with a friend, and maybe have someone groom the tricky spot behind his ears. He padded from the apprentice den to the warriors', to the elders and no one was home. He sat forlorn in the middle of the clearing. "Hello?" He meowed.

Another common trait of both beginner and intermediate writing is that posts might not leave much for a partner to reply to. The whole point of this weird hobby is to collaborate with a partner - if you're finding that it is hard to keep writing partners, you might take a look at my guide for writing posts that beg a response.

Intermediate writing is stronger than beginner writing, but still sometimes falls flat when it comes to collaboration with a partner, and is almost never beautiful to read. Intermediate writing is when advanced writing is just over the next hill - and that hill comes with a fair amount of work.

ADVANCED/LITERATE WRITING Advanced writing can be long or short, but the writing in either case packs a punch. Advanced writers use a variety of sentence structures, words, and literary devices. They might have specific imagery they use for specific characters, specific literary constructions for different characters, and there is a strong character voice in each post. Advanced writers write multifaceted characters with genuine flaws and fears, and advanced writers produce writing that is enjoyable to read, elegant and emotive. Applications will usually be anecdotal - will demonstrate key moments in a character's life, allowing the writer to show them in action rather than tell the reader what they are like. (A guide to anecdotal freestyle applications is available here.

Examples:

Everything felt the same in Farmville: identical rows of corn stretching endlessly over the horizon, pockmarked by the occasional farmhouse, white clapboard and falling shutters. Every person felt the same - Susie and Mary and Sarah and Joseph, strong peasant names living strong peasant lives, and never straying more than twenty miles from the town in which they were born.

Even Susie knew she had her place in the sameness: the once-every-generation girl who fancies herself to be more, as though her sketches of the sheep and pigs are any better than her grandmother's before her. As though dying her hair blue were enough to make her different when she knew she belonged here as sure as the hogs in the barn.

The only difference between Susie and her classmates was that she didn't have a car to get her to her evening job at the Road Ranger gas station, and her bike had disassembled itself after she'd pedaled it into a gopher hole, so here she was, sitting pathetically outside Firefly High, waiting for a ride. She'd almost rather be fired than beg for one. 

It’s the principle of the thing, Raven had told her mother that morning. Yes, it was 90 degrees and 90 percent humidity; yes, there was not a cloud in the sky and the fields absorbed heat like a winter sweater; yes, she was aware that her white makeup and Wet n' Wild eyeliner was falling off her face like The Scream. But it was the principle of the thing, wearing the long-sleeved black shirt with the hand-cut thumbholes, a long dark skirt; her only concession to the heat, a pair of thin gray flip-flops instead of her beloved Docs. She listens to Death Wish; she doesn't have one.

But nothing makes a Satantic rebel feel more a phony than feeling it drip off of them in the rural Iowa heat, and Raven wanted to take it out on someone. Fair? No, but life isn't fair; she's got that on a sticker on the electric guitar she saved up her Hy-Vee salary for and never learned to play. Maybe pretending to be an asshole has turned Raven into one.

She has no real problem with Susie - Susie Q., from math, or Susie C., from human geo; who knows, they're all the same - but she scoffs at her anyway, loud enough to catch Susie's attention. "What top-40 garbage are you listening to?"

Hunting is something they do together, or they're supposed to. But in the whole time he'd been out in the woods, Bramblepaw hadn't seen a single other cat - not playing at the stream, not waiting in a tree for the finches to return, not sitting along the RiverClan border to taunt their neighbors. If he'd been a Loner, just passing through, he would have thought the entire territory abandoned.

It was unsettling, and when he returned to the Camp, it was more of the same: everyone gone, without a trace; had he imagined them being here at all? Was it all in his head?

His mew sounded small and pitiful to even him, the mewl of a lost kitten. "Hello?"

Advanced writing makes more time for descriptions, scene-setting, and other narration. It doesn't feel "cringey," by which I mean if you read it 10 years from now you're probably not going to want to drown yourself. Please do not ask me about the 2005 Proboards forum I adminned and referenced for this tutorial.

So now that we can recognize what writing our level might be at - how do we shop for a site?

FINDING YOUR FIT

Now that you have a sense of where your writing sits, it's time to use that data point in searching for a new site to call home. Some sites make it easy for you by self-identifying as beginner, intermediate, or advanced; some sites may use "semi-literate" and "literate," but I know I stray from those labels because it feels like a value judgment, and as I said before:

there is nothing wrong with being part of a beginner or intermediate community, if that is what makes the most sense for your writing and for what you aim to get out of your roleplay experience!

Before applying to a new site, you should do a little bit of digging around to see if it's a good fit for you: 

Look at accepted character applications. How do these compare to your own writing?

Skim some threads from top posters. How does this community write and structure their threads? Could you see yourself regularly keeping up with their speed, length, literary quality?

To the above point - does it seem like the community has a tendency towards your personal writing pet peeves? (For example, I personally cannot stand purple prose, and if the site community is prone to it, I am OUT.)

This is in addition to all standard due-diligence site-hunting routines, e.g. not diving into the world of Southern Gothic supernatural if you're looking for, say, urban fantasy.

It's also worth thinking about how the community behaves on the server, if you join it:

Is there a thread shoutout/compliments/etc channel? What passages are members calling out in there as exceptional writing?

Do the members strike you as open-minded and friendly or as more of a closed group? If you choose to shoot for a level above your standard writing as a growth exercise, this will be easier to achieve with an open-minded and friendly group than with a group of snobs.

Do you enjoy the vibe? Something frequently overlooked, I think. If you don't like the energy of the community, just don't join the site - that is going to be much more productive for everyone than you joining and then trying to get the staff to fully re-engineer their community.

Be honest with yourself! Regardless of how much you like a site's plot, lore, and community, joining a site that sits above your writing proficiency is challenging. You might find your characters routinely pended for lacking the development of other characters onsite. Other members may not be enthusiastic to write with you - not necessarily out of snobbishness or elitism, but because it's not fun to feel like you're not getting equal effort or quality from a writing partner. And you might find yourself feeling insecure about how your writing stacks up to others (I've been writing on advanced sites for 10 years and I feel insecure about my own writing sometimes!) which might sap your muse.

If you are looking for a minimal-effort, minimal-stress rp experience, stick to sites that are at or below your writing level. Writing with people of similar skillset will help take the edge off any insecurity, and because writing will be lower-pressure and lower-effort, you will be better positioned to juggle multiple characters and more big plots. "Lower effort" doesn't mean "lazy" - it just means that you free up headspace that otherwise you might spend on the mechanics of writing versus the excitement of plotting.

If you are an intermediate writer seeking to write on an advanced site, you need to take a much more deliberate approach.

One thing I see often is intermediate writers applying multiple characters to an advanced site at once. This is a losing proposition. While staff might be willing to pend an app and work with you on revisions, if they see you submitting multiple applications that require major revisions and overhauls, they see a pattern. While staff might be willing to help you develop one character to their site's standard, if they anticipate you needing that level of coaching on every character, they will question your ability to keep up with their members in threads. Staff cannot be expected to assist members on writing each thread post - at that point, it becomes easier to decline all of the intermediate writer's applications.

If you are an intermediate writer seeking to write on an advanced site, you need to treat this as a "quality, not quantity" project.

When I was 13 I was writing very much at a beginner and intermediate level, just little Neopets rps with my friends. Then I joined a horse rp - an advanced rp - with a 1000 word minimum per post. While I am beyond thankful ridiculous word count minimums aren't common anymore, I can credit this rp with much of my growth as a writer.

I wrote one (1) character. And I only plotted her with a couple of others. I was very active in the OOC community, and was eventually made a mod - but when it came to IC activity, I focused all my energy on one character and just a couple of plots, because I spent hours on each post, making sure that I was matching my writing partners as best I could. It was much more work than the beginner & intermediate forums I was on with my friends, and much more work for much less action. But stretching like that is what made advanced writing get easier and easier - until I could balance two characters on an advanced site, then four, until now, when I write 12 characters on multiple advanced sites with relative ease. The real challenge is in keeping up with threads - not in matching quality anymore.

If you are an intermediate writer seeking to improve your writing, joining an advanced site is a great option for growth, but you need to adjust your expectations.

Here are my best tips for intermediate writers looking to make the jump to advanced - or, for that matter, for beginners to make the jump to intermediate: 

Focus, focus, focus. Choose one (1) character to write - no matter how tempted you are by want ads, no matter how many other ideas you get, no matter what your muse is throwing at you. Use all those on sites at your current level. For your reach site, pick one character.

Be receptive. Your one (1) character might take a revision or two to get out of a pend. Remember that staff don't pend apps to be assholes - they do it because they believe in you and think you have it in you to do the necessary revisions! If they thought you were a lost cause they wouldn't have wasted their own time with a pend. Be open to the idea that they know what works and is expected in their community. After all, if your character and your writing aren't appealing to the site community... you're not going to have anyone to write with!

Focus, focus, focus, part 2. You should not choose this character based on the volume of plots they can attract. Choose a character who has one or two very close plots for you to focus on. You might consider identifying a particularly kind member of the community and filling one of their want ads, so that this close plot is ready-made for you, and so this person can be a friendly face on your writing journey.

Be realistic. You might think: well, if I focus on one character for a few weeks, then I'll be ready to take on another, right? You might be or you might not. Don't rush it. This entire journey is about deliberation and intentionality. Don't take on a second character on an advanced site until writing the first to the same standard is noticeably easier.

Be kind to yourself. This is a lot of work! If you have the time for it, you might consider also staying active on a site that is at your writing level, so you have a place for easy writing, indulging your plot bunnies, etc.

I hope this tutorial has been a helpful resource to you, both in identifying how to find the right rp for you and in figuring out how to improve your writing, if you so choose. Happy writing!

[wickedsrest-rp-archive]

Name: Morvern McAuliffe Species: Human (Hunter) Occupation: Game hunter and tanner; hunter-for-hire Age: 59 Years Old Played By: Mel Face Claim: Jennifer Jason Leigh

“Kiddo, I shredded my road map to this joyride a looong time ago.”

She served her revenge piping hot, ladled over rice and mixed in with potatoes and onion and mushroom just like papa used to make. Back in the day, werewolf could’ve fed half the clan. The rest of the meat was wasted. Thirty-six years, and she still wasn’t used to cooking for less than fifty plus strong.

For the most part, life had been a great ride. Sure, there had been some hard feelings on that night back in ’84 when Morvern clambered into the F150 older than she was, kin watching her from the trees with eyes shining like lampades hidden in the dark. Truth was, they had driven her mad. A hundred and seventy-five years and no Galford, Littlethunder, Van der Meer, Iskier, and certainly not any McAuliffe had ever set one foot further than the foothills and tributary rivers of the West Virginia-Kentucky-Virginia Appalachian communities they called home. No home but they mountains, they’d always say. No sense of adventure! Just a promise you’re going to be dead by the time you’re thirty, screaming and crying for your father to put you out of your misery in the dirt that nurtured you. That really harshed her mellow, killed her vibe. So she bounced. Bailed. No regrets, no looking back.

And boy, America’s a grand old place.

She never did find a Wampus Cat in East Tennessee, but she did find mermaids in Miami and shriken near Shreveport. Kereshag in Kansas City, lubber fiends in Laramie. She packed everything she needed into the back of a sunflower yellow Kombi van, networking with hunters everywhere she went to treat the whole country like their safari ground. Picked herself up a husband, too. Married in a Vegas chapel, Elvis officiated. Morvern + Clyde. A couple of kids, Kathleen and Beau. By the time they’re ten years old, daddy Clyde’s long gone. That’s just the way it is, she tells them, just like her mother told her.

In the end, Beau took after her more than Katie ever did. He was twenty-one when he told them he was through. Bounced. Bailed. No regrets, no looking back. He calls occasionally, but never gave his own address. Once four, now two. Even mountain odds were never as bad as that.

They made it to every state except Hawaii by the time Katie married and settled down in New Hampshire. It was the first hunt she’d gone on since before she’d given birth. She couldn’t wait for Morvern to make it up from Georgia, and when she died screaming and crying for her mother she wasn’t there and her blood drained into dirt that never even knew her, much less nurtured her. It’s not an easy thing to live with, the face of the child you once nursed proudly in your arms seared forever in your nightmares with her face torn off, eyeball hanging by a tendon. But that’s life, isn’t it? Sometimes you beat the odds, the first McAuliffe in a century in a half to nearly scrape sixty, and sometimes a werewolf decides your daughter, your first-born child is gonna be pack chow.

But two could play at that game.

It took five years to hunt him. Five hellish years of a phantom haunting your every waking thought, and then when you finally track them down in White Crest, Maine and kill them stone dead after they try and beg and plead and tell you how they’ve changed, they take it upon themselves to Haunt you haunt you this time around. Even when he was fresh, he tasted spoilt and she told the pieces of him floating in their own juices as much. Maybe that’s what made him so pissed that he felt the need to move in. Problem is, he knows a medium when he sees one. Exorcists, too. Even ghosts can make themselves scarce when inclined. The mediums shrug their shoulders, the exorcists do, too.

Maybe it’s true about hunters, they think as they head out the door. They all go mad in the end.

Character Facts:

Personality: Crafty, good-humoured, observant, secretive, gracious, stubborn, loose morals, independent, bitter

Lives deep in the woods by Candleton Cemetery in a ramshackle, formerly off-grid cabin that was only introduced to electricity and WIFI after Morvern became acquainted with online poker and Farmville. In the latter, she has now achieved the rank of Bastillion of the Barn. Recently picked up Animal Crossing. And DOOM.

Ardent old-school conspiracy theorist and is vehemently anti-government and anti-authority. True believer in an agrarian society governed by The People. WCPD can definitely stay off her lawn (not that she has one). The Freemasons are an ancient order of vampires, people!

Sells her leathers out to buyers all around New England. Mostly, they’re made from deerskin and cowhide, but occasionally more… exotic skins find their way to a select picking of vendors. As for her meat, it’s bought under the table by private buyers and unscrupulous restaurants around town. Accepts cash only in all her business ventures. Never reports taxes.

Is able to get along with most species nowadays on a case by case basis if they’re not total squares. Werewolves, however, are totally exempt from this. Not much of an undead fan either, but met a vampire who followed the Grateful Dead once, so maybe they’re not all bad.

Grows weed and psilocybin mushrooms in her vegetable patch. Mind you don’t mix up your cup of tea with hers. Or do. Be wild!

Like most of the friends and family she grew up with, Morvern was never born with a hunter specialty due to the historically insular nature of her community who were constantly coming to blows with all sorts of mountain creatures. They believed in strength in numbers and rarely hunted alone, and as such she connects herself with the hunter community in White Crest and beyond.

Jill of all trades, master of none. Favours ranged weaponry (expert marksmanship) and traps; not a fan of solo melee and hand to hand combat. Strong knowledge of non-humanoid regional monsters and favours hunting these types; will rarely accept a job to hunt humanoid or intelligent monsters alone. Knows which ones you can eat, and what parts to cut out. Make sure you avoid those salamander spleens!

Has two dogs. Atreides, a Golden Retriever, and a Maltese. His name is Richard.

[blackkudos]

Tammi Terrell

Tammi Terrell (born Thomasina Winifred Montgomery; April 29, 1945 – March 16, 1970) was an American recording artist, widely known as a star singer for Motown Records during the 1960s, notably for a series of duets with singer Marvin Gaye.

Terrell's career began as a teenager, first recording for Scepter/Wand Records, before spending nearly two years as a member of James Brown's Revue, recording for Brown's Try Me label. After a period attending college, Terrell recorded briefly for Checker Records, before signing with Motown in 1965. With Gaye, Terrell scored seven Top 40 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, including "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" which was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999, "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" and "You're All I Need to Get By". Terrell's career was interrupted when she collapsed into Gaye's arms as the two performed at a concert at Hampden–Sydney College on October 14, 1967, with Terrell later being diagnosed with a brain tumor. She had eight unsuccessful surgeries before succumbing to the illness on March 16, 1970 at the age of 24.

Early life

Terrell was born as Thomasina Winifred Montgomery in Philadelphia, to Jennie (née Graham) and Thomas Montgomery. Jennie was an actress and Thomas was a barbershop owner and local politician. According to her sister, their mother was "mentally ill."

Terrell was the oldest of two siblings. According to the Unsung documentary, her sister Ludie said her parents thought Terrell would be a boy and therefore she would be named after her father. However, when she was born, the parents settled on the name Thomasina, nicknaming her "Tommie." She later changed it to "Tammy" after seeing the film, Tammy and the Bachelor, and hearing its theme song, "Tammy", at the age of 12.

According to Ludie's book, My Sister Tommie - The Real Tammi Terrell, Terrell was raped by three boys at the age of 11. Around this time, she started to have migraine headaches. While it was not thought to be of significance at the time, family members would later state that these headaches might have been related to her later diagnosis of brain cancer.

Terrell attended Germantown High School in Philadelphia.

Career

Early recordings

In 1960, Terrell signed under the Wand subsidiary of Scepter Records after being discovered by Luther Dixon, recording the ballad, "If You See Bill", under the name Tammy Montgomery and doing demos for The Shirelles. After another single, Terrell left the label and, after being introduced to James Brown, signed a contract with him and began singing backup for his Revue concert tours. In 1963, she recorded the song "I Cried". Released on Brown's Try Me Records, it became her first charting single, reaching No. 99 on the Billboard Hot 100.

After this tenure ended, Terrell signed with Checker Records and released the Bert Berns-produced "If I Would Marry You", a duet with Jimmy Radcliffe, which Terrell co-composed. Following this relative failure, Terrell announced a semi-retirement from the music business and enrolled in the University of Pennsylvania where she majored in pre-med, staying at the school for two years. In the middle of this, Terrell was asked by Jerry Butler to sing with him in a series of shows in nightclubs. After an arrangement was made by Butler to assure Terrell that she could continue her schooling, she began touring with Butler. In April 1965, during a performance at the Twenty Grand Club in Detroit, she was spotted by Motown CEO Berry Gordy, who promised to sign her to Motown. Terrell agreed and signed with the label on April 29, her 20th birthday. Before releasing her first single with Motown's Tamla subsidiary, "I Can't Believe You Love Me," Gordy suggested a name change.

Figuring "Tammy Montgomery" was too long of a name to put on a single, Gordy changed it to "Tammi Terrell". He felt this name screamed "sex appeal". "I Can't Believe You Love Me" became Terrell's first R&B top forty single, followed almost immediately by "Come On and See Me". In 1966, Terrell recorded two future classics, Stevie Wonder's "All I Do (Is Think About You)" and The Isley Brothers' "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)". After the release of her first single on Motown, Terrell joined the Motortown Revue opening for The Temptations.

Success with Marvin Gaye

In early 1967, Motown hired Terrell to sing duets with Marvin Gaye, who had achieved duet success with Mary Wells and Kim Weston as well as having recorded duets with Oma Heard. During recording sessions, Gaye would recall later that he did not know how gifted Terrell was until they began singing together. At first the duets were recorded separately. For sessions of their first recording, the Ashford & Simpson composition, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", both Gaye and Terrell recorded separate versions. Motown remixed the vocals and edited out the background vocals, giving just Gaye and Terrell vocal dominance. The song became a crossover pop hit in the spring of 1967, reaching No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 3 on the R&B charts and making Terrell a star. Their follow-up, "Your Precious Love", became an even bigger hit, reaching No. 5 on the pop chart and No. 2 on the R&B chart. At the end of the year, the duo scored another top ten single with "If I Could Build My Whole World Around You", which peaked at No. 10 on the pop chart and No. 2 on the R&B chart. The song's B-side, the Marvin Gaye composition "If This World Were Mine", became a modest hit on both charts (No. 68 pop, No. 27 R&B). Gaye would later cite the song as "one of Tammi's favorites". All four songs were included on Gaye and Terrell's first duet album, United, released in the late summer of 1967. Throughout that year, Gaye and Terrell began performing together and Terrell became a vocal and performance inspiration for the shy and laid-back Gaye, who hated live performing. The duo also performed together on television shows to their hits. They were voted the No. 1 R&B duo in Cash Box magazine's Annual Year-End Survey in 1970.

Cancer diagnosis

While Terrell was finally being established as a star, the migraines and headaches she had suffered from childhood were becoming more constant. While she complained of pains, she insisted to people close to her that she was well enough to perform. However, on October 14, 1967, while performing "Your Precious Love" with Gaye at Hampden–Sydney College, just outside the town of Farmville, Virginia, Terrell collapsed into Gaye's arms onstage. Shortly after returning from Virginia, doctors diagnosed a malignant tumor on the right side of her brain. She underwent brain surgery at Graduate Hospital in Philadelphia on January 13, 1968.

After recovering from her first surgery, Terrell returned to Hitsville studios in Detroit and recorded "You're All I Need to Get By". Both that song and "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing", reached No. 1 on the R&B charts. Despite Terrell's optimism, her tumor worsened, requiring more surgeries. By 1969, Terrell had retired from live performances as she had been ordered by doctors not to perform due to her tumors. Motown issued Terrell's first and only solo album, Irresistible, in early 1969. Terrell was too ill to promote the recordings. There was no new repertoire on the album: all tracks had been recorded earlier and subsequently shelved for some time.

Both Marvin Gaye and Valerie Simpson gave different stories on how the production of Terrell's and Gaye's third album together, Easy, went about. According to reports, Terrell had gotten so ill from her operations that she could not record, and Motown opted to have Valerie Simpson sub in for Terrell, a report that was repeated in the book Marvin Gaye: What's Going On and the Last Days of the Motown Sound. Gaye would later say the move was "another moneymaking scheme on BG's [Berry Gordy's] part". Valerie Simpson, on the other hand, stated that the ailing Terrell was brought into the studio when she was strong enough to record over Simpson's guide vocals, insisting Terrell had sung on the album. Easy produced the singles "Good Lovin' Ain't Easy to Come By", "What You Gave Me", "California Soul" and the UK top ten hit, "The Onion Song". Late in 1969, Terrell made her final public appearance at the Apollo Theater where Marvin Gaye was performing. As soon as Gaye spotted Terrell, he rushed to her side and the duo began singing "You're All I Need to Get By" together. They were given a standing ovation by the public.

Personal life

In 1962, 17-year-old Terrell became involved in an abusive relationship with James Brown, who was 12 years her senior. One night on the road in 1963, Terrell left Brown after he assaulted her for not watching his entire performance. Bobby Bennett, former member of the Famous Flames, witnessed the incident. "He beat Tammi Terrell terrible. She was bleeding, shedding blood. Tammi left him because she didn't want her butt whipped," said Bennett.

During the Motortown Revue in 1966, Terrell embarked on a torrid romance with The Temptations lead singer David Ruffin. That year, Terrell accepted Ruffin's surprise marriage proposal. After Terrell announced their engagement onstage during an appearance together, she discovered that he was already married. Ruffin had a wife, three children, and another girlfriend in Detroit. This revelation and Ruffin's drug addiction led to violent arguments. Terrell told Ebony magazine in 1969 that she believed her emotional state during this relationship was a contributing factor to her headaches, which would come after quarrels. In 1967, Terrell ended their relationship after Ruffin hit her in the head with his motorcycle helmet. It was rumored that Ruffin also hit Terrell in the head with a hammer, which further complicated her unknown condition. However, this rumor was dispelled in Terrell's Unsung episode.

At the time of Terrell's death, she was engaged to Dr. Ernest "Ernie" Garrett. He was a doctor at the hospital where she had been treated.

Death

Because of ongoing complications of brain cancer, by early 1970, Terrell was confined to a wheelchair, suffered from blindness, hair loss, and weighed only 93 pounds (42 kg). Following her eighth and final operation on January 21, 1970, Terrell went into a coma. She died on March 16, a month shy of her 25th birthday. Terrell's funeral was held at the Janes Methodist Church in Philadelphia. At the funeral, Gaye delivered a final eulogy while "You're All I Need to Get By" was playing. According to Terrell's fiancé Dr. Ernest "Ernie" Garrett, who knew Gaye, her mother angrily barred everyone at Motown from her funeral, except for Gaye, whom she felt was Terrell's closest friend.

Gaye never fully got over Terrell's death, according to several biographers who have stated that Terrell's death led Gaye to depression and drug abuse. In addition, Gaye's classic album What's Going On, an introspective, low-key work which dealt with mature themes released in 1971, was in part a reaction to Terrell's death.

Legacy

In May 2015, Deadline reported that actress Kat Graham was cast to portray Montgomery in a biopic based on her life. The untitled project was written by Maryam Myika Day and to be produced by Robert Teitel, Rose Ganguzza, and Hilary Shor.

Awards and nominations

Terrell and Marvin Gaye were nominated for Best Rhythm & Blues Group Performance, Vocal or Instrumental for their song "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" at the 10th Annual Grammy Awards in 1968. The song was later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.

[chickenfreeblog]

different anon but i propose a farmville au is phil curled up on the sofa with a cold begging dan to harvest for him before the crops fail (idk how farmville works, is that how farmville works?) and dan saying he refuses when all the while he did it twenty minutes ago as phil feverishly napped

this is all very cute but i feel like the sticking point is that none of us remember the rules of the farmville universe

[gadisseo-blog]

Game Situs Judi qq Menyenangkan domino99 Online Terbaik

Game Menyenangkan Situs Judi qq Online Terbaik yang bisa anda mainkan menggunakan blackjack garis Anda adalah salah satu hal yang lebih baik yang dapat Anda lakukan di dalam waktu luang atau pelatihan Anda. Farmville juga dikenal sebagai Twenty-one yang mungkin adalah permainan domino internet yang paling banyak dilakukan di halaman Anda.

Tujuan blackjack adalah untuk mendapatkan hampir 21 karena Anda akan dapat sementara tidak berurusan dengan. Memainkan game onlene melalui Situs Judi Online bisa mengakibatkan kecanduan tersendiri bagi peminatnya. Farmville penuh dengan strategi tanpa mungkin mengerjakannya. Konsepnya adalah untuk melakukan dan mencari tahu kartu mana yang belum digunakan pada saat itu sehingga Anda dapat memperhitungkan seberapa intim Anda mungkin sampai 21.

Memainkan game online black-jack domino99 sangat penting untuk pelatihan. Anda akan menemukan banyak situs internet di mana Anda bisa bermain game online dengan streaming gratis dan bermain tidak seperti lawan lainnya yang mungkin bisa menguji keterampilan Anda. Bermain online di beberapa situs internet memungkinkan Anda untuk memperkenalkan keahlian dan metode pribadi Anda. Anda terus-menerus membutuhkan rencana jika Anda ingin muncul nomor 1 dan menjadi makmur.

Baca Juga : Situs Judi qq Domino99

Anda di atas itu mungkin menemukan beberapa di mana orang juga dapat menggunakan uang nyata atau digital untuk memulai dan mendapatkan pembayaran yang benar setelah Anda tiba di bagian tertentu dari laba yang terkumpul di dalam akun Anda. Setelah Anda memiliki toleransi, Anda meminta uang dan mendapatkan untuk membantu mempertahankan apa yang Anda hasilkan. Satu-satunya faktor nyata yang mengganggu rute khusus ini adalah Anda bersenang-senang dengan gamer asli dan tidak pernah menggunakan robot.

Teknik sangat penting ketika Anda memainkan game seperti permainan blackjack Judi qq. Ini bisa menjadi permainan yang secara eksklusif sesuai dengan transisi beberapa kartu sehingga mendapatkan kapasitas untuk diingat sebelum kartu dan menemukan kapan harus maju atau mundur sangat penting. Anda berada dalam posisi untuk menjadi akrab dengan beberapa metode tersebut secara online.

Pergi online Anda akan menemukan beberapa ide spesifik untuk membantu Anda mengambil bagian dalam permainan. Akhirnya, orang yang mendapat keberuntungan yang lebih baik bersama dengan cara paling praktis akan menjadi juara. Ketika Anda bermain online Anda tidak dapat mulai melihat wajah pemain internet untuk diketahui jika mereka menggertak sehingga Anda harus bergantung pada keahlian Anda. Menyeleksi berbagai strategi juga penting jika Anda ingin mengetahui setiap fitur dan dapat mencakup semua aset Anda.

Game Domino99 Online blackjack adalah benar-benar banyak kesenangan dan memungkinkan jam memiliki penyebaran tepat di kenyamanan rumah Anda. Ini juga merupakan metode yang sangat baik untuk mempersiapkan dan menasehati diri Anda dengan permainan video khusus ini sehingga Anda dapat memainkan taruhan dolar yang sah di Judi Online web uang nyata. Setelah Anda mengetahui beberapa tips dan tahu betul apa situasi Anda, Anda berada di jalur yang benar menuju ke dunia perjudian yang sesungguhnya.

Bagaimana Cara Bermain Judi Online di situs Judi qq Uang Nyata?

Bermain di Situs Judi Online  uang nyata mungkin sangat menyenangkan dan sangat mengasyikkan. Kesempatan untuk mempertaruhkan dan memenangkan penghasilan langsung dari tempat tinggal pribadi Anda adalah beberapa faktor yang tak terhitung pengguna di planet ini saat ini. Saran yang terakhir (hampir paling penting) harus dinyatakan dalam paragraf berikut.

Tidak diragukan lagi bermain permainan domino99qq sangat mudah untung-untungan dan Anda tidak perlu mengambil risiko dengan anggaran yang tidak dapat Anda hamburkan dalam memainkangame online melalui situs judi online. Dan hampir semuanya, sangat penting bahwa Anda hanya bermain di situs judi yang dapat dipercaya.

[rocketwerks]

S. W. Travers House

602 West Franklin Street (Residence)

Twenty-Second & Dock Streets (Warehouse)

[RVCJ03] — Residence of S. W. Travers, 602 West Franklin Street

Because you know someone’s got to do it.

[RVCJ03] — Samuel Winfield Travers

S. W. Travers & Co. is a firm name notable in the fertilizer trade, not of Richmond alone, but of the South. It is notable as that of a house manufacturing on a large scale, and enjoying a very large and steadily-increasing trade.

(Library of Congress) — Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Richmond (1905) — Plate 87 — showing former S. W. Travers House location

It was established ten years ago. Mr. S. W. Travers, the head of it, came here from Baltimore, where he had been in the same line of business. He had not been long a resident before he began to be esteemed a real acquisition to the business community. He has been especially active in public affairs of a commercial character.

November 2019 — looking towards 602 West Franklin Street at center left

He has enlisted for the entertainment of visiting bodies of distinguished strangers, has contributed liberally himself, and canvassed for funds for that and other public purposes, and has been actively identified in the work of the Chamber of Commerce for the last four years. He has taken a prominent part in the deliberations and the work of that body.

[IOR] — Young Men’s Christian Association Building, circa 1886

He has been chairman of its committee on Inland Trade for three years, and has recently been elected to the office of second vice-president of the Chamber, as an officer of which his portrait is one of those upon the frontispiece of this work. He is prominent, besides, as secretary and treasurer of the Richmond Chemical Works, and is president of the Young Men’s Christian Association. [RVCJ03]

(Digital Commonwealth) — advertisement for Orchilla Guano

They are the sole importers of Orchilla Guano for the Southern States, and this is their leading brand. The Orchilla Guano takes its name from the island from which it is brought, lying near the coast of Venezuela, to which government it belongs. 

(Atlas Obscura) — a guano mine on Peru’s Chincha Islands, circa 1860

The guano is the deposit of sea birds feeding upon fish, hence is verv rich in Phosphorus, in the form of Phosphate of Lime. It was first introduced in York county, Pennsylvania, and Harford county, Maryland, and its sales are now enormous in those counties alone; and from this nucleus its sales have spread over many States, and now number thousands of tons each year.

(Chronicling America) — advertisement, The Farmville Herald — Friday, April 21, 1899

Orchilla has won a fine reputation for grain and cotton, but for growing grass and clover it stands perhaps without an equal It is said to produce clover where it would never grow before, and in this way it has brought up some of the poorest lands of Eastern Virginia to equal any in the State.

[IOR] — advertisement in Industries of Richmond, 1886 

The "National" is an old and well established brand of fertilizer, and has won a fine reputation in growing tobacco, especially fine yellow tobacco. The "Capital" is the new brand of the firm, and thev have adopted as a trade mark the "Capitol" building at Richmond, Va., which has a place, not only in the history of Virginia, but of the Southern States. In its halls were held the counsels of the congress of the fallen Confederacy, and many a "Johnny Reb" will recall the stirring events of the times in viewing the fine cut of the building at the head of this article.

(Library of Congress) — Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Richmond (1905) — Plate 46 — showing former guano warehouse

The goods are of the highest standard guaranteed analysis, and are placed on the market strictly upon their merits. Ample means, backed by intelligence and push, coupled with a free use of printer's ink, has enabled this house to assume a position in the field of fertilizers without a parallel. [IOR]

November 2019 — looking toward Twenty-Second & Dock Streets

The factory of this firm is at Twenty-second and Dock streets. It has a capacity of 100 tons daily, which is equal to 30,000 tons a year. They manufacture a special fertilizer for each of the following crops, namely : Tobacco, cotton, corn, peanuts, wheat and vegetables. [RVCJ03]

Today both locations associated with S. W. Travers are no more, both of them transforming into everyone’s favorite downtown necessity — parking lots.

(S. W. Travers House is part of the Atlas RVA! Project)

Print Sources

[IOR] Industries of Richmond. James P. Wood. 1886.

[RVCJ03] Richmond, Virginia: The City on the James: The Book of Its Chamber of Commerce and Principal Business Interests. G. W. Engelhardt. 1903.

[gendercherry79-blog]

Multiplayer Online casinos Games

If you value the thrill with casino then you will be thrilled to discover you can participate in your preferred casino video game titles online. Online on-line casinos allow gambling buffs through around the world to experiment with slot machine games, video poker, online roulette, keno, online casino craps, chemin de fer, baccarat, poker and much more starting from their own households, twenty-four time each day, seven days each week! Multiplayer online casino online games are some of the most favored video game titles this Internet wagering offers because of their combination of thrills in addition to friendship. With multiplayer video game titles you could get involved in the best betting house games whilst chatting in addition to acquiring buddies with other bettors over the world. Some of the largest multi player playing activities usually are online casino craps, twenty-one as well as holdem poker. The internets gambling establishment sport of online casino craps is among the most widely used Net wagering games. In the experience involving online casino craps, game enthusiasts guarantee on the results of the particular spin connected with 2 cube. Players don't play next to one another and as a consequence there is a lot of a friendly relationship while avid gamers basic for each different to be able to place profitable comes. Craps gambling online is exactly the same as online casino craps betting inside reside casinos-the guidelines is the same, the actual kitchen table is similar as well as the cube is the same. For that purpose, actively playing on the web craps generally is a good way to improve your craps recreation for period you actually go to a genuine casino. Black jack is the one other favorite Internet internet casino game. In farmville, each and every player performs resistant to the black jack supplier and thus they're thrilled to basic the other person on. Like on the web craps, chemin de fer online gambling is another great way to increase your black-jack skills plus strategy for so when a person check out a survive gambling establishment. Just as many people perform blackjack online with free streaming in order to improve their activity since play for certain revenue. On line poker is among the most common multi player on line casino minute card activity. Millions of persons around the world engage in poker online activities, both for absolutely free for real cash. Although you simply will not come across as much of a sense friendly relationship in on line poker since game enthusiasts are generally competing against one another in the end you know that holdem poker players enjoy a dose of brazen banter and also chat. Playing texas hold'em on the internet is a societal experience like no other that can tell you about new pals by around the globe! Video games which are usually incredibly one-player concentrated, such as slot machines, could even be played in your multi player establishing with internet casino matches! Chat for some other avid gamers when you be competitive for that best slot machine ranking! As you can see, gambling online could be a very enjoyment and also social practical experience. If you should join up it isn't difficult. All you need to do is choose a casino on line that gives the best activities, download online casino computer software and acquire started out! Once bitcoincasino4me are doing you will notice how exciting and fun the web based playing knowledge is often and you will then contemplate the reasons why you don't enroll quicker!

[blackkudos]

Robert  Russa Moton

Robert Russa Moton (August 26, 1867 – May 31, 1940) was an African American educator and author. He served as an administrator at Hampton Institute. In 1915 he was named principal of Tuskegee Institute, after the death of founder Booker T. Washington, a position he held for 20 years until retirement in 1935.

Biography

Robert Russa Moton was born in Amelia County, Virginia, on August 26, 1867, and raised in nearby Rice, Prince Edward County, Virginia. He graduated from the Hampton Institute in 1890.

He married Elizabeth Hunt Harris in 1905, but she died in 1906. He married his second wife, Jennie Dee Booth, in 1908. They had three daughters together: Charlotte Moton (Hubbard), who became a deputy assistant secretary of state at the State Department under President Lyndon B. Johnson; Catherine Moton (Patterson); and Jennie Moton (Taylor). All three married and had families.

In 1891, Moton was appointed commandant of the male student cadet corps at Hampton Institute, equivalent to Dean of Men, serving in this position for more than a decade. He was informally known as the "Major".

In 1915, after the death of Booker T. Washington, Moton succeeded Washington as the second principal of the Tuskegee Institute. While supporting the work-study program, he emphasized education, integrating

"liberal arts into the curriculum, establishing bachelor of science degrees in agriculture and education. He improved courses of study, especially in teacher training, elevated the quality of the faculty and administration, constructed new facilities, and significantly increased the endowment by maintaining his connections to wealthy white benefactors in the North."

During World War I, Moton traveled to Europe on behalf of president Woodrow Wilson. His duty was to investigate the condition of the African American soldiers. He often witnessed discriminatory practices. For example, during his investigation, Moton was confronted by an American general regarding twenty-six alleged cases of rape by black soldiers. The general told Moton that black soldiers were dangerous to themselves and women. Moton challenged these allegations, suggesting discrimination was motivating factor, and encouraged black soldiers to protest against segregation when they returned to the US.

Moton wrote a number of books while he served as principal. He attended the First Pan-African Congress in Paris in 1919, meeting other educators and activists from around the world.

In 1922 he was the keynote speaker at the dedication of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC but was not allowed to sit with the other speakers.

In race relations, Moton advocated accommodation, not confrontation. He firmly believed that the best way to advance the cause of African Americans was to convince white people of black people's worth through their exemplary behavior. Never one to rock the boat, he didn't fight segregation or challenge white authority.

Moton sat on the boards of major philanthropic organizations with the likes of Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller Jr., and his influence was considerable. When Julius Rosenwald, president of Sears, Roebuck and Company, provided the funding to build more than 6,000 "Rosenwald" schools for rural Southern African Americans, Moton's skills were clearly in play behind the scenes.

In 1927 the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 devastated the Delta. With the Mississippi flood waters covering the entire Delta, the Greenville, Mississippi levee was the only high, safe place for thousands of refugees. The vast majority of the people stranded on the levee were African Americans, and they were desperate for food, potable drinking water and shelter. Instead of evacuating them, African Americans were virtually imprisoned on the levee and forced to work at gunpoint. The conditions in the Greenville camp were the worst of any refugee site.

To avoid a scandal that would threaten Hoover's presidential ambitions, Hoover's friends urged him to get what they called "the big Negroes" in the Republican Party to quiet his critics, and Hoover turned to Robert Moton for the job. Hoover formed the Colored Advisory Commission, led by Moton and staffed by prominent African Americans, to investigate the allegations of abuses in the flood area.

The commission conducted a thorough investigation and reported back to Moton on the deplorable conditions. Moton presented the findings to Hoover, and advocated immediate improvements to aid the flood's neediest victims. But the information was never made public. Hoover had asked Moton to keep a tight lid on his investigation. In return, Hoover implied that if he were successful in his bid for the presidency, Moton and his people would play a role in his administration unprecedented in the nation's history. Hoover also hinted that as president he intended to divide the land of bankrupt planters into small African American-owned farms.

Motivated by Hoover's promises, Moton saw to it that the Colored Advisory Commission never revealed the full extent of the abuses in the Delta, and Moton championed Hoover's candidacy to the African American population. However, once elected President in 1928, Hoover ignored Robert Moton and the promises he had made to his black constituency. In the following election of 1932, Moton withdrew his support for Hoover and switched to the Democratic Party.

Moton was a member of the Gamma Sigma graduate chapter of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity, along with George Washington Carver.

Moton went on to retire from Tuskegee in 1935 and died at his home in Gloucester County, Virginia, in 1940 at the age of 73 where he was buried at the Hampton Institute. Tuskegee Institute named the field where Airmen trained during World War I after Robert Moton, in honor of everything he did for the institute.

Legacy and honors

The Tuskegee syphilis experiment, a notable biomedical research study in U.S. history, began while Moton headed Tuskegee Institute. A clinical study conducted between 1932 and 1972 in Macon County, Alabama, by the U.S. Public Health Service, it became notorious for ethical issues, as it failed to tell participants their diagnosis and did not treat them, even after penicillin was proven in the 1940s to be effective against syphilis. The study followed the natural progression of untreated syphilis in poor, rural black men who thought they were receiving free health care from the U.S. government.

There is no evidence that Moton, or any African Americans, had any knowledge of the unethical issues relating to the experiment during its implementation. Moton endorsed the study and provided institutional resources, including medical personnel. The study was finally shut down in 1972 amid ethical controversy. The victims of the study included numerous men who died of syphilis, 40 wives who contracted the disease, and 19 children born with congenital syphilis.

Moton Field, the initial training base for the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II, was named after him. Moton had died the year before the Army commenced formal training of African-American military pilots at Tuskegee Institute. But under his leadership, the school had established a commitment to aeronautical training with facilities, engineering, and technical instructors. These resources were a factor in Tuskegee Institute's participation in the Civilian Pilot Training Program, a nationwide endeavor which eventually led to the training of African-American pilots at Tuskegee.

Holly Knoll, his retirement home in Gloucester County, has been known as the Robert R. Moton House and was designated as a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1981.

The former R. R. Moton High School, located in Farmville in Prince Edward County, was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1998. It now houses the Robert Russa Moton Museum, a center for the study of civil rights in education.

Elementary schools have been named for him in Hampton, VA, Miami, FL, Westminster, MD, Easton, MD and New Orleans, LA.

In 1932, Moton was awarded the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP.

Public service

Moton played a role in various aspects of public service.

1918, he traveled to France at the request of President Woodrow Wilson to inspect U.S. black troops stationed there.

1923, he played a leading role in the establishment of the Veterans Administration Hospital for Negroes, Tuskegee, Alabama.

1927, Chairman of the American National Red Cross, Colored Advisory Commission on the Great Mississippi Flood.

1932, Chairman of the U.S. Commission on Education in Haiti.

Wikipedia