Hi! I'm in law school rn and having a lot feelings and thoughts about it. Would ou share some thoughts and positivity? Am I in the right path? Cries and panics in finals are coming and I don't know if this is for me

IMO there are two potential reasons for these kinds of feelings:

You don't feel like this is the right path for you because you feel incapable/incompetent and lawyers are supposed to be Very Very Smart And Capable And Good At Shit All The Time.

You don't feel this is the right path for you because you just genuinely don't like law: you don't like compiling big piles of data into neat bins that match the elements of a particular statute or a specific holding or a coherent argument.

(The third potential reason is for later in your career, in which case it might be that you don't like certain elements of the practice of law: dealing with needy clients, meeting a billable hours requirement, working long hours, etc. In that case, you can always try changing the type of law you're doing - like, if you hate litigating in courtrooms, you might prefer going in-house, or becoming a law librarian, or being a clerk.)

If it's that you don't like law, you do not have to keep doing it. You are allowed to find something else that you like better. A couple of people in my law school class dropped out to be teachers; my clinic partner has a law degree and a PhD and has only ever taught as a professor; you do not have to throw good money after bad on a career that you don't like.

If it's that you feel incompetent and stupid and not like A Lawyer™ because lawyers are geniuses: first of all, I bet you are perfectly fine and can totally do this, because you got all the way here and that's pretty fucking hard already. But let's pretend that fear is actually true and you really are that bad (I doubt it): I promise you, I promise you that there are people practicing law right now who have no idea what the fuck they are doing. Not even in a cutesy "we all get imposter syndrome sometimes" way, I mean "holy fuck how are you still practicing" way.

The CPS attorney I worked across from in my old job did not know any of the rules of evidence, had no legal writing skills whatsoever, and couldn't handle making or defending objections to save her fucking life. She was the attorney for the entire fucking county.

I once got a response to a multi-page motion (like four pages of argument and another 25 or so of exhibits) that was two pages with enormous fucking margins and paragraph spacing, spelling errors, and no actual argument from a guy who had been practicing longer than I've been alive. I actually saved his reply (and the judgement with the footnote that says "as Attorney Bespectacled correctly notes in her brief") as a pick-me-up for when I'm feeling like a fucking idiot.

There are lawyers with a shitload of experience, who make millions of dollars taking on high profile cases, who fucking suck at it. Seriously, watch either of the Sandy Hook trials on the Law and Crime Youtube channel (or listen to any of the depositions that get covered on the Knowledge Fight podcast - they're all titled "Formulaic Objections") if you want to see just how bad a person has to be at being a lawyer in order to get sanctioned.

At one point when I was studying for the bar exam and panicking over it, my partner said, "Michael Cohen passed the bar exam, and I know you're smarter than him, so if he can pass it, so can you." I'm certain you're both smarter and a better person than, like, any of Trump's lawyers, or even a good chunk of my law school classmates (like the entirety of FedSoc cough cough).

But even if you're not, remember: there's only ever one CALI winner per class, so most people aren't going to ever get one. Most people who graduate law school and pass the bar and practice law are just incredibly fucking average. Like, that's just math. You're not a failure if you aren't the best, because most people aren't the best. You can still do very well in life as a lawyer even if you're just Some Person, because that's what most lawyers are.

(Also, sidenote: law school and actual law are very different environments. How you do in one has very little bearing on how you do in the other.)

tl;dr: You're going to be fine no matter what you end up deciding.

Comfort movie tag!!

Rules: List ten comfort movies and tag ten people.

@ spillwaysofyoursoul thank you for the tag - I feel like a real part of tumblr again!

1 - Groundhog Day (I’m a sucker for a redemption tale)

2 - In the Good Old Summertime (it’s really old - older than me)

3 - Brokeback Mountain (yeah, I cry every time - sometimes you need that)

4 - Out of Africa (yep, weep like a baby at this one, too)

5 - Captain America: The Winter Soldier (it has its issues but...yeah)

6 - Bread and Tulips (Pane e Tulipani) (this may actually be #1 - hits all the right notes)

7 - Babette’s Feast ( Isak Dinesen shows up again!)

8 - Bringing Up Baby (another oldie but so so funny)

9 - The Thin Man (love a good detective yarn)

10 - Something New (love a good rom-com)

Tagging: @apensivelady @jediartemis @kat83 @grammpa @sahtinekryze @barneswilsonrogers @eloonie @beggars-opera @princessesfanarts @zea9love

eloonie replied to this post:

SCREAM!!! You’re actually writing it omg omg omg

I am! I can’t commit to an exact schedule, but I am doing it—I’m about a page into Ch 2 now. :)

Thank you, by the way! It’s been so nice and encouraging to hear about something I’m doing right now, and especially something with genderbending and f/f. I’m super excited!

Thoughts on breakfast cereal?

yum

Can I now ask about your adapting Georgiana and Wickham opinions? If you don't mind. I'm just enjoying reading your opinions here haha

Oh ok this one is gonna get. Spicy and long so I'm putting it under a cut. Also i may have said/posted some of this before bc it's something of a pet peeve lol. This kind of just devolved into a treatise on Wickham as a character too oops. (sorry for the late late answer and also shoutout to @eloonie for reminding me to finish this) Also CW for discussion of sexual assault/sexual violence

So my G+W opinions essentially fit into two categories: Wickham as a character in period-set fanfictions/vagaries/reimaginings and G+W in different-setting reimaginings or retellings. My biggest issue with adapting Wickham (whether it's with Georgiana or Lydia) is how often this element of sexual violence gets brought in for no good reason, so I'm gonna talk about that a bit, fair warning. To skip past that discussion skip to the +++

When I think about adapting things, or what in an adaptation is or isn't working for me, I have to start by distilling what the original element is and what it's bringing to the story: George Wickham is a fortune-hunter who betrayed his childhood friend and manipulated a naive girl for money. Even more basically, George Wickham is untrustworthy and manipulative, here is how he has manipulated other people in the past and is currently manipulating Lizzie.

(That's the thing that LBD gets right about Wickham that a lot of things don't: he's a manipulator. He's after money. Many retellings wrap a sexual or sexually violent element into it because that's often the main way we imagine Bad Things Happening to Women in the Past. And I think that's just... Not present in the book. Lydia and Georgiana both entered willingly into their relationships with Wickham! There wasn't coercion or violence, just manipulation. That's key to me.)

So in a period-piece, having George Wickham presented as a rapist is an immediate turn-off for me. He's just... Not that. That's not something that he is. It's not even oversimplifying it's just... That's not a thing he is or does. He's a shit person, but "being terrible to women" doesn't automatically entail literal sexual assault, and I'm one of those freaks who thinks that maybe historical fiction as a genre could do with a touch less sexual violence in it. I've seen it carried off... okay, but for the most part it's just kind of an excuse to have Darcy sweep in and rescue Elizabeth (or Elizabeth sweep in and rescue another girl, in a couple of instances I've liked much more). Which, if that's your thing, I'm happy for you, but it's not mine and it bugs me. It feels like a misreading of the situation and it kind of brings a darker element to the story that wasn't originally there.

(And inb4 anyone accuses me of being prudish or uppity about the ~purity~ of Austen, I'm not. She HAS written sexuality, and sexual coercion, and sexual assault. Mansfield Park has adultery, MP and Northanger carry the implications of sexual assault and sexual violence when they deal with slavery, and S+S has the entire Elizas situation which is just sexual coercion and manipulation all the way down. Lady Susan is also quite racy lmao. Austen DOES have rapists in her work! Wickham just isn't one of them.)

+++

Now when we turn to changing the setting we run into another problem: elopement and social scandal just... Don't wreck a girl's entire life like they used to. Which, again, is where I think LBD actually hits right with Wickham, because the sex tape thing IS going to wreck Lydia's entire life, and while it has that sexual element it still kind of boils down to the same thing: Wickham wants money, and this is how he can get some money, and it doesn't matter what happens to Lydia.

My issue with the way it handled Gigi's side specifically is that it was both too much and not enough at the same time. There wasn't anything overtly wrong or threatening about Wickham just living with Gigi. Maybe it was a little inappropriate, and as the readers we know his intentions were bad, but imo Darcy kind of way overreacted in the moment, and it would've been really really easy for Wickham to make him look like a huge asshole just by not taking the check and acting super offended (which, he could've stayed with Georgiana and continued reaping the benefits AND also have destroyed her relationship w her brother. Win-win! It's a little preposterous that he didn't do that lmao). I think it'd have more impact if he was actively stealing from them or using her credit cards or something; then it'd be more well-founded for Darcy to be like "he's using you for money" and his intentions would be clearer.

If we're going to take on the relationship between Wickham and Georgiana, there's a LOT of space to get creative; Georgiana is a teenager being raised by her brother, who may not have enough time or attention for her, or may be too strict, or maybe their parents died pretty recently and she's still grieving, or maybe she's just a normal damn teenager and Wickham is the archetypal Older Brother's Friend that every younger sibling in the history of ever has had a crush on, so he can talk her into doing some really, really stupid shit in exchange for his approval or feeling cool and mature. I think if anything the Georgiana half of it is a lot easier to adapt non-sexually, because the range of "things that a shy, well-behaved girl wouldn't normally do on her own that would be VERY concerning for her uptight older brother" is fucking enormous, and the range of "things Lydia would probably do for funsies that nobody would care much about" is almost as big.

I think a relatively untapped area (as far as I've read, and if people have recs my eyes are wide open) for Wickham Troubles in modern au particularly is the legal realm. It dovetails really nicely, too, because a criminal record is something that can well and truly fuck up your life, and it would be way easier for rich, well-connected Darcy to bail his sister out of trouble and get her record cleaned than it ever would be for the Bennets to do the same for Lydia, while Darcy leveraging that same wealth and connection to help Lydia too would be very affecting for Lizzie.

The main things for me about Wickham are manipulation, betrayal, and credibility. Some adaptations lean a little bit too hard on the reader coming in expecting him to be evil, and don't do the work of making him charming and likeable so that the rug-pull of his betrayal has the same sting, or they make him comically evil and it's like, how stupid do you think Lizzie is, exactly? The reason Wickham is an interesting and engaging villain isn't because he's remarkably bad or remarkably violent, because he isn't, it's that he seems to be everything that's good and friendly and agreeable, until you look too close, and then you realize oh! actually he sucks and is a dick! The evil of Wickham isn't what he does to people, it's what he can talk people into doing to themselves.

Oh! Never had seen that put that way before. You’re absolutely right. We shouldn’t be fighting over ao3 we should be talking about how to deal with this stuff in our communities! Anyway. Thanks for writing this. (@eloonie)

Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of regular important conversations happening about AO3, and I in no way want to dismiss them. I just think we shouldn't conflate that conversation with the broader conversation about what we as a community are or should be okay with. AO3 plays a huge role in fandom, but it's not the only place fandom exists, and we shouldn't wait for other people to deal with bad behavior and bad actors in our community.

@eloonie lmao it took me so long to actually get to this. The ask it came from was getting long & didn’t wanna contribute to that, so new post

1. I’m a Human Services caseworker for my state (American!!) I can help people on how they can sign up for medicaid or SNAP/foodstamps. I can help you if you have questions.

2. I’ve been obsessed, like obsesseddddd with Vinland Saga. Like it’s all I draw right now. 

3. I do art, though I think a lot of people know this. @cappucosmic is my art blog, I also have an instagram or a twitter. I sometimes reblog my art on here. I also have a few other blogs, like @toriyamafanclub @okamiogami and @comicgarten . The Akira Toriyama blog is my largest, with 8530 followers.

4. I loooove animals. So much. I’m kind of scared of big dogs even though my sister has the cutest one, though. But I love all sorts of animals, back when I lived with my parents we’d feed possums and raccoons and stray cats all the time and I was working on getting strays in the area fixed. I have 2 pet cats that used to be stray kittens we captured, and 2 pet axolotls. :) 

5. I planned on living in Belgium before COVID hit. I was accepted into a Belgian college for a grad school program, but when COVID happened I chilled out and now I’m very comfortable on my own. I hate America so much I still want to eventually go abroad, but that can wait for now. Maybe if my art picks up and I don’t need my current job anymore, as much as I love it. That’d be my ultimate dream: to become self-employed and be able to live in a country that isn’t so right-wing and militaristic. 

(btw @eloonie try new zealand. it’s got the same reputation for social programs as nordic countries but it’s also english-speaking. also the easiest to get into i think)

uhn... it’s hard for me to think of people to tag. I think @dunderfluffwillowbottom you sent me some messages like this too but I was always too lazy to answer LOL. So I can return the favor now. Then maybe @murdergiraffe ? :) 

I blacked out a Bingo card!  Wheee!  This is for the Comment Bingo by @cap-ironman​ and it was a lot of fun. :)

S1: Do-Over by gottalovev T1: Misunderstandings and Five Year Plans by Tahlruil O1: A fair match by nanasekei N1: Charity Auctions and Scheming Boyfriends by laireshi Y1: Carry the Colors Darling (One Last Time) by RayShippouUchiha S2: Every True Thing by dirigibleplumbing T2: Truth by valtyr O2: Confession is Good for the Soul by 27dragons N2: Goodnight, My Handsome Prince by MusicalLuna Y2: Close Call (A Quinjet of Love Remix) by MusicalLuna S3: Avengers Heist AU by itsallavengers T3: Dream of Rain by only_more_love O3: That Bonnie Road by marinarusalka N3:  Happy Steve Bingo:         Hi, Pumpkin by nanasekei         Here I am on bended knee by Fluffypanda         A Cure for Sleepwalking by FestiveFerret Y3: Sweatpants and Cheesecake by SailorChibi S4: Patience by FestiveFerret, SirSapling T4: spending time with you (is like cheating on my diet) by isawet O4: Of Multiverse and Flying Monkeys by SarkaS N4: 5 Drabbles        “Don’t you dare die on me!” by 27dragons        The End by Ironlawyer        Comfort by wintershelter        Sometimes saving the world requires a personal touch by mayoho        Not Sorry by owlpockets Y4: In Dreams by sabrecmc S5: Wake Up Someday by thepartyresponsible T5: you’re the universe i’m helpless in by deathsweetqueen O5: Shiver by thegraytigress N5: Honey, I’m a Hot Mess by Arukoa Y5: Avenger by Eloony

how do I walk this earth?

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2h4UezK

by Eloony

In a land without magic, where people denied all that was weird, and the mysterious was quickly conquered by science, there lived a sad man. That land had machines that could fly and liquids that granted healing, but still, there was no magic on the land, and the people of that land praised other people for creating all the things that they used. The sad man was one of those who created things.

Words: 3138, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Clint Barton, Thor (Marvel), Bruce Banner, Wanda Maximoff, Pepper Potts, James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Sam Wilson (Marvel), James "Bucky" Barnes

Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark

Additional Tags: Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fairy Tale Style, Tony Feels, Stony Bingo 2017

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2h4UezK

Figaro Kurnauuu! Nimeni on Figaro ja olen jo 10 ikävuoteen ehtinyt herrasmies! Etsin itselleni uutta palvelusväkeä, joko kissakaverilla tai ilman. Olen hyvin reipas ja erittäin aktiivinenkin herra, älkää siis antako iän hämätä. Jos minulta kysytään, olen juuri nyt parhaassa iässä! Rakastan leikkiä huiskuilla ja palloilla, kunhan olet vain seuranani. Olen hyvin hellä, rakastan tulla lähelle rapsutettavaksi ja kehrään oikein kovaa palkinnoksi. Ruuan kanssa olen vähän kärsimätön, joten komennan laittamaan sen suhteen vauhtia töppösiin! Olen ollut aiemmin elämässäni huonolla ruualla, joten toivoisin jatkossa saavani parempilaatuista ruokaa, jotta turkkini ei kärsi. Vaikka olenkin näin komea, on minussa yksi hassu ulkonäöllinen seikka: vasen korvani on hieman rypistyneen näköinen. Tämä ei vaikuts elooni mitenkään ja minusta se tuo vaan karsimaa! Tulen toimeen toisten kissojen kanssa, kunhan ne on rauhallisia. Jos kissakaverini on kolli, saatan vähän merkkailla, mutta tyttöjen kanssa niin ei sovi tehdä! Olen kuitenkin hyvin vahvasti ihmisseuran perään, joten jos muita kissoja ei ole, oletan sinulta irtoavan minulle rutkasti aikaa ja viihdykettä. Olen myös hurja juttelemaan, joten toivittavasti sinäkin olisit, ettei mene keskustelut yksipuoliseksi. Ihan pieniä lapsia en ole tavannut, joten toivoisin mahdollisen jälkikasvun olevan vähän varttuneempaa. Koirista ei myöskään ole kokemusta, mutta kaneista on! Ne näyttää maukkaille, joten en kuulema saa muuttaa kani-kotiin. Kaikki minut tavanneet ihmiset ovat minua kehuneet ystävälliseksi ja oikein rakastavaksi kissaksi, mutta se oma koti olisi ihana löytää. Oletko sinä kenties se, jonka vieressä minun on ilo loikoilla? Tässä videonäyte leikeistäni! http://fnst.cc/2vR1FgW Luovutusmaksu: 130 € Sijainti: Tampere Pirkanmaa, Tampere, Pirkanmaan Eläinsuojeluyhdistys Otamme kodittomista eläimistä kyselyt vastaan vain puhelimitse. 045 6572148 Soita

eloonie replied to this post:

Crying a bit 😭

Oh, thanks! I have capital-E Emotions about it myself whenever I think about them, tbh.

Eleni and I played Oregon Trail on Skype like at least a year ago and that fuckin andy thing was funny as shit to us and wow memories I can't deal with this

how do I walk this earth?

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2z6Rdpv

by Eloony

In a land without magic, where people denied all that was weird, and the mysterious was quickly conquered by science, there lived a sad man. That land had machines that could fly and liquids that granted healing, but still, there was no magic on the land, and the people of that land praised other people for creating all the things that they used. The sad man was one of those who created things.

Words: 3138, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Clint Barton, Thor (Marvel), Bruce Banner, Wanda Maximoff, Pepper Potts, James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Sam Wilson (Marvel), James "Bucky" Barnes

Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark

Additional Tags: Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fairy Tale Style, Tony Feels, Stony Bingo 2017

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2z6Rdpv

how do I walk this earth?

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2zdieY1

by Eloony

In a land without magic, where people denied all that was weird, and the mysterious was quickly conquered by science, there lived a sad man. That land had machines that could fly and liquids that granted healing, but still, there was no magic on the land, and the people of that land praised other people for creating all the things that they used. The sad man was one of those who created things.

Words: 3138, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Clint Barton, Thor (Marvel), Bruce Banner, Wanda Maximoff, Pepper Potts, James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Sam Wilson (Marvel), James "Bucky" Barnes

Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark

Additional Tags: Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fairy Tale Style, Tony Feels, Stony Bingo 2017

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2zdieY1

wake me up when it's all over; when I'm wiser and I'm older

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2v2YOU1

by Eloony

People keep waking Tony up, and it's somehow all Steve's fault.

or: the one where the avengers are de-aged and tony is very tired.

Words: 3414, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 3 of Cap-Ironman Bingo 2017

Fandoms: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, James "Bucky" Barnes, Sam Wilson (Marvel), Clint Barton

Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark

Additional Tags: Age Regression/De-Aging, Stony Bingo 2017, Fluff

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2v2YOU1